Earlier this term, we advertised a fantastic webinar being hosted by Angels, looking at autism and anxiety. Just a reminder that it is happening this Thursday (28/11) from 7pm until 9pm. It is free if you are a member of Angels. Scan the QR code on the attached leaflet for full details or visit their website www.angelssupportgroup.co.uk

We have our next coffee session on Friday 29th straight after drop off on the lower site - everybody is welcome. We have a rep from the family centre service attending so come along armed with any questions you have for them. Remember, this is an informal session and an opportunity to get and share handy tips and advice.

Look forward to seeing many of you there!

Receiving a diagnosis of either Autism or ADHD (or both!) can be overwhelming and can bring about a range of emotions. It is often a difficult process for adults to understand and is even harder for children to navigate. There is an excellent service being offered by Herts and West Essex NHS and it is called The Toolbox. It is online ADHD and Autism support for young people. They have courses and workshops available to help children learn about their diagnoses and there is an amazing LIVESTREAM zone which is hugely engaging for children. In the Livestream zone, children get to watch a therapist play favourite online games while answering their questions about neurodiversity. It has proven to be a very popular resource as you can imagine!

https://thetoolbox.mindler.co.uk/hertfordshire-workshops

Here are the items you can use to help your journey to school. Don't forget to let us know if you are unable to print them off.

Sometimes, the hourney to school can be a challenging one for many reasons - tiredness, hunger, not feeling like attending, wanting to play at home and many more. To help make it a little easier, and to help those children who may be feeling anxious along the way, it is a good idea to play games to keep them distracted. There are a few games listed on the Halfords website https://blog.halfords.com/10-games-to-turn-the-school-run-into-a-fun-run/ which are worth looking at to make the start of the day a little easier. 

We strongly recommend a 'hunt' to keep children distracted and eager to carry out their journey to find all of the things on their list. There is a hunt template attached to this blog post and there will be a second blog post with some hunt items attached. Basically, you get the child to select 5 items to have on their list that day and you choose one for them to find. Then, on your journey, be as enthusiastic as you can about finding the items. You could even make it into a game between siblings, friends or whoever is taking them to school that day (obviously we aren't suggesting you take your eyes off the road if you're driving!).

If you are unable to print these resources off, let us know and we will do it for you.

Herts Parents Carers Initiative have their annual survey out and are looking for as many families as possible to complete it to get a clear picture of what support is happening across the county and what support is needed. Parent voice is so important and it's a great opportunity to help make changes!

Contact the office if you would like to complete this and are having problems accessing it online.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HPCISurvey2024

We have been notified about a couple of great free information sessions happening. They are being run by Your Way Psychology. The company is a private, trusted clinical and educational support service that is widely used across Hertfordshire and surrounding counties. The team includes Clinical Psychologists, Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, Specialist Nurses, SENCOs and teachers. 

They have 2 online sessions which may be of interest:

• How to talk with children about autism or neurodiversity? - Wednesday 6th November 8.00-9.00pm
• So, my child has autism… what next?  - Wednesday 4th December 8.30-9.30pm

To find out more please visit www.yourwaypsychology.co.uk/events

 or their Eventbrite page https://www.eventbrite.com/o/your-way-psychology-education-64217406063

Don't forget that tomorrow we have our first coffee session of the year. It is in the family room on the lower site from 9am-10am. Our new school family worker, Mrs McCullagh, will be there and she is looking forward to meeting lots of you and getting to know you and your families. Looking forward to seeing you there, we need to crack open the posh biscuits to cheer us all up in this dreary weather!

Thank you so much to all of you who came to our information session yesterday evening. It was a fantastic turnout and we hope you found it useful. Here is a copy of the slides as promised. Please remember the following:

• Don't overmention it at home
• Ask questions at open events and showrounds
• Speak to your child's class teacher or Mrs Jeffries if you have any other questions
• Enjoy the open evenings and, most importantly, enjoy Year 6!

The summer holidays will finally be here at 215pm tomorrow and hopefully the sun will make an extended appearance too!

There are lots of things available to families throughout the summer and we have displayed this information on the noticeboards in the alleyway between the main gates to both sites. We have listed activities to do, cheap or free places for children to eat and information about courses happening for families supporting children with additional needs. Don't forget to take a photo when you are collecting your child at the end of the day!

We are aware that the holidays are not always easy as normal routine and everyday life is suddenly changed (and that's for children too, not just us adults!). If you are finding it challenging, then please visit our website page which lists the support agencies available https://www.fairlands.herts.sch.uk/info/159-sen-signposts-to-support-home-adults

We hope you all have an enjoyable break and can't wait to see you in September for another exciting year ahead!