Family Information and PTA News Friday 21 April 2023
Welcome to Percy Hedley School's Family Liaison Blog!
Welcome back to the summer term, and it feels like summer is close. I hope that you have enjoyed the Easter holiday. I would really welcome anything you would like to share with other families. I love Spring and have enjoyed lots of walks over the holidays and finally got to see the first lambs of the year.
Speed and Road Safety Reminder:
Just a gentle reminder, which will be shared with all those who drive on school grounds that the speed limit is 5mph. For those parents/carers who drop students off, please ensure that you move your child quickly from vehicle to footpath to keep them safe.
Summer Fayre:
Our KS4 and Post 16 accreditation pathway students are organising their own summer fayre. This will be held on Thursday 15th June. This is your advance notice to save the date and support them. It will be in the afternoon and all parents/carers are welcome to attend. Look out for requests from them for donations.
As many of you know, we have held summer fayres run by the PTA on a few occasions. This year it will be an Autumn Fayre and will be held on Saturday 30th September. More on this in the PTA section below.
Events in School:
Beating the Odds: Next off timetable day will be on Thursday 25th May. More details to follow. It will be a non-uniform day for those students who are happy to participate.
Magic Show: On Friday 5th May we have a Magic Show in school. This is geared towards the younger students and those on the engagement pathway. It is open to all and has been arranged by the PTA with the support of Chris Fewster-Smith, also known as “the gift that keeps giving”.
Department Coffee afternoons:
ELTBA: Monday 22nd May.
Engagement classes: Tuesday 23rd May.
Post 16: Wednesday 24th May.
KS4 Accreditation: Thursday 25th May.
More detail to follow; we wanted parents/carers to have as much notice as possible.
Social Coffee Morning: My half termly social coffee morning will be on Friday 19th May from 9.30-11.00. I have promised to arrange these on different days to enable parents/carers who work part time to join. As always, drop in any time between 9.30 and 11.00 and stay for as long or short a time as suits you.
MOVE: A MOVE Fest is being planned; this will be a big event and will be held in the next half term on Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 5th July. I will arrange a parent coffee morning on one of those days, so that you can see for yourselves how wonderful these events are.
Information:
Emergency Alert to Mobile phones.
I sent information early this week about the above. The link can be found on the school website. If you click the heading “Parents and Carers”, then select “E-Safety” from the dropdown menu. Scroll to the blog section at the bottom where you will find information. A parent contacted me to suggest that I remind families that you can turn this off. Information on how to do this is in the blog.
Careers Fair:
Some of our students will be attending a Careers Fair next week. Parents/carers are invited to go along and have a look at options. As a parent of a former student, I know I would have taken this opportunity. Planning ahead, getting ideas and networking all help you to work with your child in thinking about their future. It is on Thursday 27th April between 10.00 and 15.00 at The Parks, North Shields. Please see poster below for more detail.
Happiest at home.
I was contacted early this week by someone from this organisation, based in Gosforth. They offer a support/respite service, staff are DBS checked and fully insured. It may be something which is of interest, especially for those looking for a “sitting type service”. Please see their poster and brochure below.
North East Autism Society: NE-AS
The North East Autism Society has support hubs for those living in Newcastle and North Tyneside. Details are on the links below.
They also have 2 different webinars over the next few months, multiple dates on
- Introduction to supporting Autistic Children
- Supporting the emotional wellbeing of Autistic Children
Links to book can be found below:
Contact-for families of disabled children:
This charity has some free webinars coming up on:
- Makaton Taster: Tuesday 16th May 10-12.00
- Encouraging Positive Behaviour: Tuesday 20th June 10-12.00
- Managing your Child’s Sleep: Tuesday 11th July 10-12.00
Details, poster and how to book are below:
Activities:
Circus Starr:
You will have received information on the above, an annual accessible, inclusive and fun event. It is held at Blaydon Rugby Club and there are 2 performances on Sunday 21st May. I have sent a link to request tickets. We receive 100 tickets, 50 for each of the 2 performances. We have 160 students at school so to be fair, those who have not previously attended will be prioritised and you can request a maximum of 4 tickets per family. This is to ensure that as many as possible can attend. We have records of ticket allocations over the last 2 years. Please do apply, even if you have attended before. If demand is lower than last year you may still get tickets. Please ensure that you have requested tickets no later than Friday 28th April so that I can allocate and let people know they have secured tickets. You will find further information on the circus on the link below:
Bendrigg Trust: Family Courses
Please see information on availability for Family courses at Bendrigg, in the Lake District.
Our August family courses are now fully booked but we do still have a few spaces remaining on our May/June family week and weekend.
Sun 28th May – Fri 2nd June – £396 per person
Fri 2nd – Sun 4th June – £216 per person
Prices include all food, accommodation, and inclusive adventure activities.
So, if you are looking for something a bit different for next half term, then get in touch with Paula and Beth on 01539 723766 or email bookings@bendrigg.org.uk
PTA News:
Over the last term the PTA has been busy. We have secured donations from contacts of our families to buy Easter Eggs or an alternative for all our students. Thanks to all who acknowledged on our Facebook page.
We also received a donation to purchase topsoil and wood chippings for the Outdoor Learning Space. I’d like to thank John Strachan and Michael from MB Tree & Garden Services for the speedy organisation and delivery of the wood chippings, just in time to slow the impact of weeds.
Another parent has offered support via her employer to help spruce up the sensory garden which is looking a little tired.
Yet another parent, reading how the donations we used to receive annually of Easter Eggs has offered to approach her company to provide similar in future.
Not all help has to be demanding of your time or funds; I am conscious of the cost-of-living crisis which affects so many. The above is just an example of how families support us.
We funded the Eggcited to MOVE resources and have purchased a Class and Group pass for the Metro for this term in the hope that classes will make the best use of the lovely weather.
Our next meeting is on Thursday 11th May 9.30-11.00. You are welcome to join us in person or online. The link to join on Microsoft TEAMS is below:
Your suggestions are always welcome. If you are not able to join meetings, please feel free to email anything you would like raised to me. At the next meeting we will ratify our plan to change from a PTA to Friends of Percy Hedley School. This change enables us to involve people who are not parents/carers or staff. We would remain members of Parentkind, which keeps us operating legally.
Autumn Fayre.
This year, we decided to change from a Summer to Autumn Fayre. We had to defer one during COVID and it worked well in September. The end of the summer term is very busy and we thought that the end of September gives families an opportunity to meet others at the start of the school year. To those who are leaving us this year, please return as many other former students do. We will set up a sub-committee. If any of our parents can offer help in any way please contact me. The date will be Saturday 30th September, which gives everyone time to settle back and avoids the Great North Run weekend.
Facebook page:
This is a closed group for family and friends of Percy Hedley School, where you can share news and updates about school life. It is not for external professionals who may be working with families. To join, you need to answer the question stating your link with school.
Please note: this group is for sharing news and updates about school life and is not intended to discuss any issues around individual students, and as such all comments are moderated. If you have a particular issue or concern, please contact school directly on 0191 216 1811.
If parents would like to meet with me, Thursday/Friday are days where my room is available. I can arrange other times by prior planning. Have a good week, and may the sunshine continue. Ending with a beautiful sunset on one of my Easter holiday walks.
My Contact details are:
Eileen Robinson: Family Liaison Officer
Email: e.robinson@percyhedley.org.uk
Telephone: 0191 2161811 ext. 3260.
