Thank you to all of the pupils and families in years 4, 5 and 6 who visited the relaunch of the Games Library after school today. It was a roaring success! Lots of familes stayed to play with the wonderful selection of (mostly brand new) games and over 40 have been borrowed to take home. If you didn't get a chance to visit today, remember the Games Library will be open every friday straight after school for you to return your games and borrow a new one. 

Any questions about the games library, speak to Miss Pollen or Mrs Toll 

Pleae see attached poster containing details for free online workshops for parents. 

Three 1 hour lone workshops are available to you for free and include advice and strategies to support:

Emotion Based School Avoidance (EBSA) Workshop aims to support parent/carers to understand EBSA, the common triggers and maintenance factors. We will support parent/carers to intervene early to promote prevention of EBSA and equip young people, families and school with the skills to support reintroduction.

Understanding And Improving Your Child's Sleep aims to support parent/carers to understand sleep, common sleep difficulties and tips to improve your child's sleep.

Understanding my Teenager's Brain aims to support parents/carers to understand teenage development and ways to interact and communicate with your teenager more effectively.

Does your child have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep? Would you like to create a peaceful sleep routine? 

Sleep plays a vital role in a child's development and well-being and we know bed time is something many families struggle with.

The National Sleep Helpline is available for you. Call and speak to trained advisors who can give strategies, support and services who can support you with good, evidence based advice. 

03303 530 541

See posters attached for more details and the contact information. 

Please find attached details of the Spring Term 2023 programme of events being run by ANGELS Autism and ADHD Support.

Welcome back, I hope the first week back of school runs and rushed mornings hasn't been too painful for everyone! Our coffee and chat session for parents will be happening next week on Wednesday 18th January 215pm - 315pm. We have a representative from Herts Parents Carers Involvement coming along and she will be able to answer your questions and give advice. It would be super to see many of you there to catch up, share ideas, get advice and generally take the time to have a quick breather from parenting!

If you are interested in more information about Herts Parents Carers Involvement, feel free to browse their website https://www.hertsparentcarers.org.uk/

Have a lovely weekend!

Last year, I discovered a fantastic book by Nicola Davies, called The Dog that saved Christmas. It is all about ‘Jake, who is different from the other children at school. He struggles when routines change and people's emotions are so hard to understand. Christmas can be even worse and often the festivities are just too much to bear.’

It is a fantastic read for seeing Christmas from a different perspective and helping to develop empathy skills in us all. It's also great for children with sensory needs and helping them to understand that they're not alone. Obviously, you could get it from anywhere but here’s an Amazon link for those who are interested in buying a last minute stocking filler:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dog-that-Saved-Christmas/dp/1781127697/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1MB7MA438M826&keywords=the+dog+that+saved+christmas&qid=1671109567&sprefix=dog+that+saved+%2Caps%2C73&sr=8-1

Happy reading!

The Herts Local Offer has released this on their website:

As the cost of living continues to rise, more and more people are finding it hard to heat their homes. Partners across the county have developed a network of Warm Spaces in Hertfordshire, which residents can use to stay safe and warm this winter. They are open to all Hertfordshire residents of all ages. Many of these locations will also be running activities, where you can meet others and take part in events. Click on the link to find your nearest warm space.

https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/adult-social-services/news-and-campaigns/warm-spaces.aspx

We are starting Coffee mornings for parents of children with Special Educational Needs. Your child does not need to have a diagnosis to join our informal opportunities to share ideas and have a chance to talk to parents going through similar experiences. Each session will have someone from an external agency joining us. They will have a brief chat about what they do, how they can help and they will be around to answer your questions on an informal basis fuelled by tea, coffee and biscuits. These sessions are for you and we are happy to look at different times if they will work better for you, just let me know for future events.

Our first session is on Thursday 8^th December from 9am until 10am in the Upper Hall but unfortunately, we will not have a crèche facility available. Joining us for our first session will be a member of a local Family Centre who will be focusing on tips for dealing with the holidays and how to get children prepared for back to school routines in January. This will be a great chance for you to be able to meet other parents, enjoy an hour’s peace and share your wisdom. I’m looking forward to seeing many of you there!

Anti-bullying week

On Friday, the whole school got together to share all the creative ways they had been considering this year’s Anti-bullying week message of ‘Reach Out’. Each class took the time to discuss what bullying meant and the role we all play in speaking out to a trusted adult if we see, hear or experience anything that makes us feel uncomfortable or unsafe. Pupils shared many thoughtful responses as to why we must stand up for others when we know they have been mistreated and the importance of reporting an incident to an adult straight away.

During our assembly, Emma from the well-being support team joined us and we thought about how we can stand up for ourselves if we are being treated unfairly or there is something that is worrying us. Emma shared some great tips on taking care of ourselves, such as writing worries down if they are too difficult to say and giving it to one of the trusted adults on our ‘helping hands’.

Pupils then took turns performing their art pieces to other year groups. Year 6 performed a drama piece to nursery and year 1 and year 4 shared artwork they had made to remind us of what bullying means. Then, reception showed us how they are collecting 'kindness marbles' for all the kind things they are doing in their classes. Years 2 and 3 performed some poignant poetry and one class even rapped! All the teachers were blown away by pupil’s efforts and we all learnt something new about showing respect to everyone at Fairlands.

Good morning and welcome to the middle of November – where is the year going? When sharing your child’s PLP during parent teacher consultations, some of you may have noticed ‘blanks level questions’ in the speech and language targets. This terminology may have also been used by the NHS Speech and Language service if your child is on their caseload. Click on the link to watch a brief video explaining what the 4 levels of blanks questioning are and then contact us if you have any questions about it.  

The page also has a selection of 1 to 2-minute videos showing how to use blank level questions at home to support your child. 

It is definitely worth a visit as it is important to remember that under the umbrella term of ‘Speech and Language’ even if your child appears to be talking well and making the correct sounds (expressive language), they may be struggling with their understanding (receptive language).  

We hope you find it useful! 

https://www.southwestyorkshire.nhs.uk/barnsley-childrens-speech-language-therapy-service/how-to-videos/blanks/