An integrated therapeutic approach for children with Autism

A note from the Headteacher

May 2016

Newsletter

This term, the School Council members are Mark, Medhane and Ashrafull.

They meet every second Monday to help improve our school. The pupils have actively participated in meetings and most recently they have chosen healthy snacks for lunchtimes.

School Council

Welcome to our Summer half term Newsletter. We have all been busy, as usual, learning lots and having fun.

I would like to welcome our new pupil –Joshua Tewolde, who recently joined Oak Class. We also welcome a new Learning Support Assistant for Olive Class, Selina Sanchas.

Thank you to all parents who recently attended annual reviews for their children and your positive feedback about the school. It was good to hear about some parents regularly reading at home with their children after school and at weekends.

Staff training is a very important element of school improvement and it continues to be a focus at Kestrel House School. We have recently been focusing on the teaching

of Science and trying out practical and exciting activities linked to the Curriculum. We are also using Numicon maths resources in classes, following our whole school Numicon training on our last training day.

As you know, our logo has changed as part of a re-branding exercise this academic year. You will be receiving a letter from Annie after half term requesting uniform measurements for your child. You will then be given 3 polo shirts and 2 hoodies with the school logo on for your child.

I would like to wish you a very happy half term break. We look forward to seeing the pupils after half term on June 6th 2016.

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World Autism Awareness Week

On Wednesday the 6th of April, students and staff at Kestrel House School wore their onesies to raise awareness for people with autism, and sold cakes to raise funds for the NAS (National Autistic Society). We raised a fantastic £86. Thank you for your support!

School news news

Onesie Wednesday and Cake Sale

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On Thursday the 7th of April we had a balloon release in the playground to mark national awareness week. We shared a special celebratory cake to spread the message that it’s okay to be different.

School news news

Balloon Release

4 | Kestrel House School Newsletter – May 2016

Antara DuoOn Friday the 8th of April the Antara Flute and Harp Duo performed for our Assembly, followed by workshops in classes. Our friends at Riverside School also joined us.

School news news

5 | Kestrel House School Newsletter – May 2016

In Chestnut Class we have been exploring 3D shapes for Maths and magnets for science as well as carrying on with further alphabet work for Literacy. We have also been enjoying our weekly swimming sessions.

Most exciting of all we have been exploring our Interactive White Board with a large part of our learning activities taking place on it. Here the students are working on their individual targets for literacy.

Class news news

Chestnut Class

Oak ClassOak class have been enjoying the lovely, sunny weather outside doing lots of water play and watching how water can make wheels turn. We have been listening to the sound of water and seeing if we can change the sounds from quiet to loud.

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Elm class went on a trip to café Carmel. The children chose and ordered food and drinks from the menu. They all had a lovely time walking to Café Carmel and then back to school.

Class newsnews

Elm Class

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Class news news

Olive Class have been testing out a new iPad for use in lessons. There are many educational apps out there and we found one that helped us match letters to spell out common words.

We can’t wait to use it as part of our reward systems too!.

Olive Class

iPads now in use!All classes have new iPads to support pupils learning in Literacy and Maths, as well as exciting Science apps and games for PSHE.

They are used in both individual work and as part of group activities.

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Other newsnews

Keep reading with your children, parents urged

By Judith Burns - BBC News Education Reporter

Parents should continue reading with their children throughout primary school, urges a report.

Too many parents ditch the daily reading habit once their child reaches the age of seven, according to research for Oxford University Press.

Some 44% of 1,000 parents of 6- to 11-year-olds polled said they rarely or never read with their child after their seventh birthday.

Former primary head James Clements said reading for pleasure was “vital”.

The report includes a series of tips for parents from Mr Clements on how to keep pupils engaged with reading throughout primary school.

Reading at Home

News Article

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Other news news

VarietyThese include choosing as wide a variety of books as possible, taking it in turns to read, talking about the book and making sure the child understands any new or unusual words.

“It’s a real shame that parents don’t realise that just 10 minutes of reading with their child each day is one of the best ways they can support their education”, said Mr Clements.

“Reading together six days a week means an extra hour of support for a child.

Top tips for parents• Even 10 minutes a day reading with your child is a major help

• Choose a wide variety of books to introduce different types of language and style

• Take turns to read aloud to each other. They can learn from your expressive reading and you can check they are not struggling

• Ask questions about the book - maybe about what might happen next or a character’s motivation

• Make sure they understand any new or unusual words or phrases

• Enjoy it - “try and lose yourselves in a good story!”

“It’s definitely cheaper than an hour with a tutor and it could make a much bigger difference.”

The report draws on research from the National Literacy Trust which suggested that young people who read outside class were 13 times more likely to read above the expected level for their age.

It also follows a study from London’s Institute of Education published last week which suggested that children who read for pleasure are likely to be better at both maths and English than those who rarely read in their free time.

Clare Bolton of the National Literacy Trust commented: “We know from our work with parents and children in communities across the UK, that fostering a love of reading at home is crucial to children’s future happiness and success.

“Parents are really important reading role models and our research shows that children’s attitudes to reading improve the more they see their parents read so we’d encourage all parents to make time for enjoying a good book themselves.”

New Staff MemberWe are very happy to welcome Selina Sanchas to Kestrel House, who is an experienced Learning Support Assistant joining us in Olive Class.

10 | Kestrel House School Newsletter – May 2016

Autism-friendly Screenings

There are a number of austism-friendly screenings coming up at Crouch End Picturehouse.

There’s a full list of autism-friendly screenings currently on sale on their website - www.picturehouses.com.

They do a number of things to make these screenings more accessible to people on the autism spectrum, including keeping the house lights up halfway, turning the sound slightly down, and keeping admission open only to people with autism and their carers.

Other newsnews

Healthy FoodWe are continuing our ‘Healthy Tasters’ initiative on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Each week we have a different fruit or vegetable that pupils are offered when they are having lunch.

Here is Monica about to dish out watermelon and broccoli.

Some pupils have been trying most of these options, so well done!

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Term Dates

Other news news