News, STARS, Bat Headbands, Rebound Therapy & lots of other spooky stuff – from John & the PHS Team Friday 24th October
Welcome to 51视频 School's Whole School Blog!
Hi everyone,
It鈥檚 been a brilliant half term 鈥� the atmosphere in the school has been exciting and busy, we鈥檝e had new children, new classes & arrangements, and it鈥檚 just felt great to walk around the school at any time. Thanks for being there as part of it, whether coming in for PfA meeting, Catch-up sessions, the FoPHS, or just with the Home-School Diary and sending your child in every day! It鈥檚 been good to be here
We鈥檒l be back here in ten days鈥� time for the next half term, but in the meantime have a lovely break and have a read below of some lovely Hallowe鈥檈n things, sporting stuff, and a few great STARS. There鈥檒l be something in the blog to tickle your fancy I鈥檓 sure, and don鈥檛 forget Eileen鈥檚, or the rest of the website either
All the very best and we鈥檒l see you when it鈥檚 a little bit more autumnal in the run-up to winter and Christmas. It鈥檚 good to be part of the PHS team 鈥� thank you for being part of it too. All the best!
John S
馃槉 from John & the PHS Team 馃槉
How the curriculum works & what鈥檚 important to us
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3 Super-Steering Groups deliver our Key Drivers through our curriculum
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The Key Drivers are Communication, Wellbeing and Independence
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The Groups are Literacy, Physical Development & Personal Development
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Literacy
Becky, our Literacy Specialist Lead, leads a team that improve all aspects of literacy, including writing, oracy, reading, phonics, books & the library! Here鈥檚 Becky!
READING FOR PLEASURE
We’ve mentioned a few times about how important it is to encourage children and young people to read for pleasure, but also to write/ record for pleasure, and we’ve got another lovely example to share with you this week
Students in KS4 have worked this term to create a Newsletter as part of one of their transdisciplinary therapy sessions. Speech and Language Therapist Jaimee and the class team supported students to write about an area of interest for them and think about what they wanted to share with others. The result is unique to this group of students and includes a wide range of information – we’ve included a sample of pages from Josh and Ellie below so you can see for yourselves. The Newsletter will be proudly displayed on our ‘Reading Inspires us’ gallery wall in the library and hopefully may inspire other students to have a go at writing about their favourite things! A huge thank you to Jaimee and the Newsletter TD group for sharing their work with us!
Finally, Oxford Owl (who support us with ELS) have put together a book recommendation list for anyone looking for a spooky book this Halloween – have a look听听to get ideas, and you can always have a look at your local library!
Happy Halloween & Happy Half term!听
Happy Reading!听
Becky Finn
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Physical Development
Everything that is in the world of Physical Development, including physio, hydro, MOVE, PE, HI, VI, OT and other key areas for us, including Outdoor Learning, the John Muir Award & many other aspects. Steph oversees this.
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Personal Development
One of the best things about the school and one of the most important for our pupils, PD covers PSHE, Wellbeing, Careers, Social Moral Spiritual & Cultural, Online Safety, Behaviour & similar areas. Jo pulls it all together
World Mental Health Day with the Wellbeing Team and staff!
On Friday 10th October (World Mental Health Day), our school came together for a Hello Yellow themed Resilience Day and a celebration of mental health awareness. Throughout the day students were encouraged to have conversations about what keeps us grounded and happy
A highlight of the day was the Feelings Doodle Wall, inspired by the Zones of Regulation. This impressive artwork showcases our students鈥� interpretations of emotions like anger, excitement, sadness, and calm, beautifully illustrating the diverse feelings we all experience
In addition to the creative expressions, our efforts also helped raise 拢93 for Young Minds mental health charity through donations to “wear it yellow” and the sale of cakes and biscuits. Thank you to all who participated and contributed! Your involvement made this event meaningful and fun, reinforcing the importance of mental health for our young people.
Wellbeing
Power Up This Half Term!
It’s starting to feel autumnal outside, which can only mean one thing… it’s time for a break!
The school term can take a lot of energy and dedication so we have to make sure we take time for ourselves to power up and recharge; forget early morning taxis and school work and have a well-earned rest
BIG NEWS
The clocks go back this weekend! That could mean an extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning or an extra hour doing something just for听you; so whether you choose听to complete another level, another chapter, or just to keep warm under the covers, make sure you use听that bonus hour wisely
Need inspiration for ways to recharge?听Try one of these:
– Move your body with Joe Wicks听
– Dive into that book or game, binge that Netflix series, or bake something tasty
– Step outside for a bit. Find some crunchy leaves to stomp, collect some conkers or grab some fresh air and enjoy the autumn colours. It’s a free, easy boost for your mood!
For more ideas on how to recharge, follow this link to听
Have a safe, fun, and restful break. We’ll see you back at school on Monday 3rd November, fully charged and ready to go again!
Zoo Project with Kat (I know鈥�. 馃槉)
PE with Nathan!
Well now, what does Nathan have for us this week, to finish off this half term of PE News?
Participation League Over 16s is Back 鈥� Rising to the Challenge
The football season kicked off with a strong showing from the Over-16s Participation League squad, full of determination and teamwork
Owen was rock-solid in defence, showing composure and leadership against tough opponents. Josh found himself in all the right positions, creating real attacking threats throughout the match. Kristian looked sharp and full of energy, testing the keeper several times with powerful strikes.
Dominic stood tall in goal, always giving his best and showing real commitment to improving his game
Although the team lost by more than they鈥檇 have liked, their resilience and courage were clear to see. A promising start to what looks to be an exciting season ahead
Bring on the training as the team continues to progress towards next month鈥檚 league match!
Transdisciplinary Work! With Jaimee!
Bat Headbands!
In Jaimee鈥檚 transdisciplinary group, they created Bat Headbands to get in the Halloween spirit! The group did really well at listening and following verbal instructions and asked for help if they needed it. As you can see, they turned out amazing!听
Therapy Star of the Week
Harper!
Harper is Therapy STAR this week!
Harper is participating in Mat man handwriting to develop bilateral coordination, body awareness & fine motor skills. Through kinaesthetic and multi-sensory approach, it reinforces the concept of lines and curves within letter formation, providing Harper with the opportunity to create letters in a concrete way before writing them down.听She has made a huge progress since the program.听With visual and verbal prompts, Harper is now able to assemble her ‘Mat man’ correctly and copy a ‘Mat man’ with improved proportion and placement
Harper shows progress to tolerate things she finds difficult. For example, she can now spray water over her face and ears by herself.
Total Therapy STAR!!! Well done, Harper!
Russell鈥檚 Class!
Well, we鈥檝e come to expect a lot from Russell鈥檚 class over the weeks, and they鈥檝e never disappointed. They seem to have been doing some maths. Let鈥檚 see!
The Mathematics star this week in 5RR/Robins is Logan who has been learning to solve addition problems without counters. Here he is ‘counting on’ along a number line before checking his result on the calculator on his V.O.C.A
LOGAN – ROBINS MATHS STAR!!!
Lauren鈥檚 Class!
Lauren鈥檚 class is fun, so it鈥檚 really nice to hear about it! Let鈥檚 see some pictures and then hear what Lauren has to say about them
We have had lots of Halloween fun in 2LT/SH this week!
We have carved pumpkins, made bubbly witches鈥� cauldrons, made witches鈥� hats, explored spooky spaghetti and had a fun Halloween MOVE session! We all had a great time exploring different textures and resources and getting messy. All the students have worked extremely hard to engage in all activities. They have accessed all activities in different ways, from sitting, to standing, to even being in the walking sling! We have a had a lovely SPOOOOKY week!
Chris鈥� Cool Class!
What a brilliant new class this has been this term. So look forward to their stuff every week, and it鈥檚 a lovely class to pop into as well. Thanks 2CC! Now then, what is it this week?
馃巸馃懟 馃巸馃懟 馃巸馃懟 馃巸馃懟 馃巸馃懟 馃巸馃懟 馃巸馃懟 馃巸馃懟 馃巸馃懟 馃巸馃懟 馃巸馃懟 馃巸馃懟 馃巸馃懟 馃巸馃懟 馃巸
Boo-tiful Work Brewing in Our Classroom
What a wonderfully spooky week we鈥檝e had in class. With Hallowe鈥檈n creeping closer, excitement has been growing every single day! In maths we got super creative and used our knowledge of repeating patterns to design our very own classroom decorations 鈥� the room is now full of stripes and spooky colours.
In English, we jumped straight into the magical world of Julia Donaldson鈥檚 鈥�Room on the Broom鈥�. We didn鈥檛 just read it, we became the characters! We role played the cat, dog, frog and the witch, the classroom was full of broom-flying, spellcasting and plenty of fun. We use our magic wand to draw our new letters and sound in the air 馃鈥嶁檧锔忦煪�
Science was magical. We explored different sources of light and tested what happened when we shone torches through coloured materials. Then we used Hallowe鈥檈n puppets to create spooky shadows that crept across the walls馃憖馃暞锔廡o top it all off, we made our own pumpkin lanterns, and the classroom now looks ready for a fun hallowe鈥檈n party on Friday afternoon.
What a fantastic week and a brilliant first half term.
Team 2CC wish you all a very happy and safe hallowe鈥檈n half term.! 馃巸鉁�
Rebound Therapy with Beth鈥檚 Class!
It鈥檚 always good to hear about Beth鈥檚 class and what they鈥檝e been doing. It seems they鈥檝e been into a bit of Rebound Therapy, which is fab. Fascinating to hear about it and see some great pictures too!
In 3BE we all love our Rebound Therapy sessions! We practise our skills, play some fun games and while we cool down we do some Intensive Interaction. Rebound Therapy is the therapeutic use of the trampoline to develop and promote motor skills, body awareness, balance, co-ordination and communication. It鈥檚 also a great cardiovascular workout and the bouncing helps stimulate the digestive system and lymphatic system which flushes out toxins. Bouncing releases endorphins, serotonin and dopamine so you can鈥檛 help but feel happy while you鈥檙e bouncing! Because of this, pupils are always very engaged and so staff can use this an opportunity to do some learning and practise communicating whilst doing their physiotherapy and of course having lots of fun!
Early Years 鈥� The Ducklings!
Well, our Ducklings have entered their second year as a class in the school, and they seem to be going from strength to strength. It鈥檚 great to get these updates and pictures.
A Spooky Week in Early Years
What a wonderfully听spooky听week we鈥檝e had in Early Years!
On Monday, the children were excited to discover our water tray filled with 鈥渋ced brains鈥� and plastic creatures waiting to be set free! This fun and sensory activity encouraged lots of curiosity, teamwork, and language as the children explored the icy textures and worked out how to melt the ice
We also enjoyed some spooky body-matching puzzles, helping the children to develop their problem-solving skills
Our sensory story听鈥淲e鈥檙e Going on a Pumpkin Hunt鈥澨齝ontinued to be a firm favourite this week. We extended the story into our wider provision by setting up a themed tuff tray, encouraging the children to explore independently. It was lovely to see them using the story props, retelling parts of the story, and sharing with their friends.
A special well done to Rowan, who achieved his very first seat drop in Rebound Therapy 鈥� he was so proud of himself, and so were we!
Hayden joined in with bucket time this week and was fulling engaged in the activity especially the balloon, lots of lovely giggles as the balloon made a funny sound and flew into the air
Alli has really found her voice this week. She鈥檚 been doing lots of lovely singing鈥攆inishing off the words of songs and confidently requesting 鈥榤ore,鈥� both verbally and using her symbols.鈥�
Aimee has been exploring all areas of the provision this week. She enjoyed using the laptop to complete the interactive bee jigsaws, tracing and writing her own name.
George has been doing some lovely one to one work sequencing the sensory story using pictures.听 He also completed a 32-piece jigsaw independently
To finish off our spooky fun, the children loved hammering pegs into pumpkins and carving faces. This was a fantastic way to strengthen both fine motor and gross motor skills while having lots of fun.
What an exciting week of hands-on learning and spooky adventures! Hope everyone has a lovely holiday. Join us next term as we venture 鈥渋nto the woods鈥� where we will cover environmental changes happing around us. We will be exploring the season of Autumn and spending time within our outdoor learning area learning about woodland animals so come and join us for more fun and听exploration
Behaviour for Learning (BfL)
Preparation for Adulthood with Hannah
School Lunches
Exams News with Kat
Safeguarding
Online Safety
No Spray School
We鈥檇 also like to remind families that we are a no-spray school. This means pupils and staff should not wear perfumes or aerosol body sprays, as these can cause serious allergic reactions (including anaphylaxis) for some members of our community Roll-on deodorants and water-based sprays are absolutely fine to use Thank you for your support in keeping our school a safe place for everyone
Attendance!
Parent Code of Conduct
Friends of PHS 鈥� the FoPHS!
Why don鈥檛 you join! The Fabulous Friends are always looking for volunteers for events! If you can offer any support, please contact Eileen at e.robinson@percyhedley.org.uk
Leading Parent Partnership Award (LPPA) 鈥� with Tracy and the Team!
Please get in touch with Tracy and she will be happy to respond to any queries, suggestions about the LPPA and other issues for parents - from Tracy and the LPPA team - t.smithson@percyhedley.org.uk
Stars of the Week!
That reflect our School Values!
Makaton Signs of the Week with Julie!
Every Sunday Julie prepares a message for the whole school on Makaton signs that are current and relevant to the time of year. I reproduce that here so that you can do the same thing at home if that suits you 鈥� or just for you to learn a few signs each week. Hope it works for you! Here鈥檚 Julie