DRUMBEAT SCHOOL. Weekly Newsletter. Dates for the Diary. Dear Parents and Carers

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1 DRUMBEAT SCHOOL Weekly Newsletter Dear Parents and Carers I hope you all had a good half term break. We are now on the countdown to Easter, how time flies! We have lots of charity events coming up this half term with the half marathon in London the 4th March (please come and support us) and Sports Relief week. I am very proud of the staff and students and their commitment to charities and supporting the more vulnerable in society. Have a good weekend. Dates for the Diary. Thursday, 1 March Sleep advice group (see pg 6) Drumbeat Downham 9:30 11:30 Friday, 2 March Coffee Morning at Brockley 10am Topic: Meeting sensory needs at home Sunday, 4 March Big Half marathon and festival at Greenwich Park (see pg 7) Wednesday, 7 March Downham Football team taking part in the South London Special League Football Tournament Friday, 9 March Coffee Morning at Downham 10am Topic: Support services in Lewisham what is available to you? Friday, 9 March Students taking part in the National Junior Rowing Competition. Wednesday, 14 March Parents Evening at both sites 5-7pm Marie Neave Executive Headteacher Thursday, 15 March Sleep advice group (see pag 6) Drumbeat Downham 9:30 11:30 Thursday, 15 March Special league football competition at Long Lane Football Club Monday 19 March Friday 23 March Sport Relief Students will be taking part in various sport challenges throughout the week. Wednesday, 21 March Dad s Group from 6-8pm at Drumbeat Brockley Monday, 26 March Panathlon multi sports event at Crystal Palace Drumbeat School & ASD Service 1

2 The following pupils received Headteacher s Star Awards this month: Kieron Rabiu (Bongo Class) - When the class went on a trip to a café to practice ordering food and drink. Kieron was exceptionally helpful with all of the students in the class. He helped many of the students to order their food and with eating and preparing their food during the trip. Blessing Abiodun (Ocean Class) - Blessing showed great communication skills while out shopping. He was able to find a shop assistant, ask for a product and relay the message back to the group, that they had run out. Helena Kruszewski (Ocean Class) - Helena managed to take herself out of the building when the fire alarm went off. Andrew Wheatley (6F4) for conducting himself well at college during interview and taster day. Matthew Mitchell (Staff Member) for giving up his break/ lunch times to support students during their taster days at Bromley College. Jordan Logan-Cross (6F4) was awarded a Headteacher award this week for his continued contribution and support to students in PE and class lessons at Downham as part of his internal work experience. Staff members have been very impressed with the level of maturity he has shown and the caring nature he has demonstrated towards younger students. Keep up the good work Jordan! Drumbeat School & ASD Service 2

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4 YHA free breaks for families YHA is offering a free two-night stay with meals in our Youth Hostels in England and Wales to families struggling with financial hardship, disability, long-term illness, bereavement, homelessness or other challenging circumstances, to enable them to have some quality family time. YHA recognises the benefits of time away from the normal home environment in strengthening relationships and believes that family time is the cornerstone of children s happiness and wellbeing. We've found that families struggling with bereavement, homelessness or long-term disability and illness often struggle with financial hardship that limit their ability to take a break, at a time when they need it most to make happy memories, build bonds, and heal emotional scars. Up to two adults and their children can apply to the Family Breaks programme for a short break. The Family Breaks fund enables more of the UK s 2.17 million families in the UK who are unable to afford a break at any time of the year, to benefit from much needed time away from normal life and give them the opportunity to leave behind the stresses of everyday life and bond as a family. All the Youth Hostels available within the programme are located within city, rural and coastal areas that are easily accessible by public transport. Families will be provided with a private room and meals throughout their stay. Our Breaks Programme aims to reach young people and families with the most challenging lives and provide them with life changing experiences. Applications for our Family Breaks Programme are now closed. They will re-open again in May Drumbeat School & ASD Service 4

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6 Dear Parents, The special needs nursing team will be running a sleep advice group for parents of pupils at Drumbeat and Brent Knoll in March The aim of the group is to explore and help resolve differing sleep problems that you may be experiencing with your child. Different topics will be covered each week and will be influenced by the issues you have. There will be 3 sessions held at Drumbeat Downham from 09:30 11:30 on the following dates: Thursday 1st March Thursday 15th March Thursday 22nd March We strongly advise attending all 3 sessions in order to gain the maximum benefit. If you would like to attend please text your child s name and class to Places will be limited so please respond as soon as possible. Yours faithfully Rachel Fish Senior Special Needs Nurse Drumbeat School & ASD Service 6

7 The Vitality big half marathon will be held on Sunday 4th March. Some staff from Drumbeat will be running to raise funds for the school. If you wish to sponsor the please go to the following website and donate. On the day there will be lots of other races to watch and a big half food and music festival at Greenwich Park. Please come down with your family and friends and show your support for the runners. Dad s Group! When: Wednesday, 21st March 2018 Time: 6pm 8pm Where: Drumbeat Brockley, Revelon Road, SE4 2PR A supportive social group for fathers and grandads of children and young people who have Autism. We will meet 6 times a year and the time will be for you to talk, socialise and focus on yourselves for a while. If you would like to talk about ideas and strategies, or problem solve any challenges with other dads of children with Autism, please come along and join us. For more information please call to speak to Andy Brown. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 7

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9 Trip to Millwall football stadium aka The Den on 29 th January Students from both Drumbeat campuses have benefitted from our schools partnership with Millwall football club and were invited to take a tour around the stadium. Students got to go into the stadium and get up close to the pitch and sit in the dug outs. They also got to check out the player changing rooms, press room and trophy room with our guide Ben explaining about the history of the club. Students also had the opportunity to play against each other on the indoor community pitch which they loved! Ben from Millwall has very kindly given students who attended free tickets for them and a parent/carer to watch the match against Sunderland on Saturday 3 rd March. If you are interested in attending please let Richard (Brockley) or Vinenzo (Downham) know before the end of half term. Letters to go out with more details soon. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 9

10 Football Match against Spa School at Millwall Drumbeat students played their first competitive match against Spa School at the Millwall community pitch on Friday before half term. It was a very close match and both teams were very evenly matched. Drumbeat were winning at half time but Spa School came out in the second half with renewed purpose and ended up winning the match 7-5. The players really enjoyed the experience and we are planning a rematch in the coming weeks. A big thank you to Mark, Mathieu and Michael for supporting the students so well on the day. Looking forward to the next match. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 10

11 Zebra Class Zebras are happy to be back at school after the half term break. We have done some more work on Chinese New year this week and the students performed a fantastic dragon dance in the assembly. We started swimming this week and everyone enjoyed our first swimming session. The children seem more and more confident in water and they are all fantastic at following instructions from the swimming instructors. Continued on next page Drumbeat School & ASD Service 11

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13 Primary Football On Wednesday the Primary football team took part in a tournament at Long Lane Football Club. We played 4 games and everyone tried their best. Drumbeat School & ASD Service 13

14 Drumbeat Family Forum Coffee Mornings The Coffee Mornings are open to all Drumbeat parents and carers. Please attend as many as you feel relevant to you. Date & Time 2 March at 10am Site Theme Led by Brockley Meeting sensory needs at home As young people with autism grow into adulthood, sensory behaviours can change and families may need to find different, more age appropriate ways to support these; the young adult who wants to walk around naked at home, teenagers still sleeping in bed with parents etc. Come along and share your experiences and ideas for dealing with teens and young adults sensory needs at home. Rosie Hallett Drumbeat Occupational Therapist 9 March at 10am 27 April at 10am Downham Support services in Lewisham what s available to you? An information morning for parents to gather information regarding services for available for families with disabled children. Downham Helping your child with their eating Lots of children and young people with autism have difficulties with eating and drinking from a young age, leading to some of them having very limited diets. This workshop is for you if you would like to make some changes at home to extend the range of foods your child will try, and to find out about our approach to feeding difficulties at Drumbeat school. Sheryl & speaker Rosie Hallett Drumbeat Occupational Therapist 11 May at 10am Downham Puberty for Girls Puberty can be a challenging time for any young person including young women with Autism. At Drumbeat we use tailored made individualized systems to help support students understanding, and the practical management, of the changes that happen to the body. This session will offer practical examples and ideas of tried and tested methods to support families and young people to cope with such changes. Bryony Bowen Head of KS3 Rachel Fisk School Nurse 18 May at 10am Downham Puberty for Boys Puberty can be a challenging time for any young person including young man with Autism. At Drumbeat we use tailored made individualized systems to help support students understanding, and the practical management, of the changes that happen to the body. This session will offer practical examples and ideas of tried and tested methods to support families and young people to cope with such changes. Bryony Bowen Head of KS3 Rachel Fisk School Nurse Drumbeat School & ASD Service 14

15 Drumbeat Family Forum Coffee Mornings continued 23 May at 10am Brockley Mental Health & Teens with ASD Mental illnesses like anxiety and depression are more common in teens with ASD than in the general population, but the mental health of young people on the autistic spectrum is often overlooked or misunderstood. Come along to this session to find out more about how to recognise signs and symptoms of common mental health problems, how to respond to and support your teen if you are concerned, and where and when to seek extra help. Dr Emma Mahoney Clinical Psychologist 8 June at 10am Downham Benefits do you know what you are entitled to? A workshop for Downham and Brockley parents looking at Benefits entitlements and how to go about making a claim. Sheryl & speaker 20 June at 10am Brockley Communicating positively through behavior All behaviour has a purpose and can sometimes be your child's only way of communicating their needs and feelings. Through discussion in this session, we will look at how to get a better understanding of your child's unique behaviours including the ones that can be more challenging. Dr Emma Mahoney Clinical Psychologist Drumbeat School & ASD Service 15

16 SCHOOL TERM AND HOLIDAY DATES 2017/2018 WITH STAFF TRAINING DAYS (UPDATED JULY 2017) AUTUMN TERM 2017 AUTUMN TERM 1 HALF TERM HOLIDAY AUTUMN TERM 2 CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY Monday 4 September Staff Training day Tuesday 5 September Students first day of term Friday 20 October - Students last day before half term holiday MONDAY 23 OCTOBER FRIDAY 27 OCTOBER Monday 30 October Staff Training day Tuesday 31 October - Students back from half term holiday Monday 20 November Staff Training day Wednesday 20 December - Students last day of term* THURSDAY 21 DECEMBER MONDAY 1 JANUARY SPRING TERM 2018 SPRING TERM 1 HALF TERM HOLIDAY SPRING TERM 2 EASTER HOLIDAY Tuesday 2 January Staff Training day Wednesday 3 January - Students first day of term Friday 9 February Students last day before half term holiday MONDAY 12 FEBRUARY FRIDAY 16 FEBRUARY Monday 19 February Students back from half term holiday Thursday 29 March - Students last day of term* FRIDAY 30 MARCH FRIDAY 13 APRIL SUMMER TERM 2018 SUMMER TERM 1 HALF TERM HOLIDAY SUMMER TERM 2 Monday 16 April Students first day of term Friday 25 May Students last day before half term holiday (MAY DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY WILL BE TAKEN ON 7 MAY) MONDAY 28 MAY FRIDAY 1 JUNE Monday 4 June Students back from half term holiday Thursday 19 July Students last day of term* Friday 20 July Staff Training day *THE SCHOOL WILL CLOSE AT 1PM ON THE LAST DAY OF THE TERM Drumbeat School & ASD Service 16