The GCHQ Christmas Challenge

FODS

We're so excited to share that the Christmas Fair has raised a grand total of £3,133.41! What a fantastic amount to go towards our lovely school! Thank you again for all donations in the run up to the fair. Also to everyone involved & everyone who came along to support the school. We’ve already had a lot of lovely fundraising events so far this year, thank you for all your ongoing support. We’re looking forward to more exciting events when we’re all back from the Christmas break. We hope you all have a very Happy Christmas & a great New Year.

Supporting Children over the Christmas Break

Christmas is an exciting time of the year for children. However, it can also be overwhelming, out of routine and can cause a lot of anxiety.

To support your children through this wonderful time of year, try to remember some of the following:

• Structure – keep the schedule the same as much as you can even though it is really hard in the build up to Christmas day.  If bedtimes and get up times are the same, the children won't become overtired.
• Preparation – Prepare them in advance of the different sounds and noises there will be, the food and the smells, and if your child struggles with these, then offer them a quieter space.
• Opportunities – if they do feel anxious let them know they can have some time out and that is ok. Show them where that space will be.
• Countdown – use a calendar to let them know when they might see grandparents or family/friends, when they might be going shopping, so that they are aware of the different things going on.
• Get them involved with putting up decorations, preparing food etc,  however be prepared if they do not want to do any of that and again reassure them that that is alright.
• Visitors – some children may need to know in advance who is visiting especially people they haven’t met before. Share pictures to prepare them in advance.
• Prepare the children that Christmas will be over so when decorations come down they aren’t shocked and they know it is only short term.
• Get outside regularly.  It's easy to forget about the importance of fresh air and children need outdoor space to play every day - so tear them away from their screens and get outside.

We are not back till later in January next term so this will be a great way to get them back into a good structure and routine for when they get back to school on 9^th January 2024.

• After New Year’s Eve get back into the early bedtime routine so that the children are well rested for when they come back to school. For example – dinner, time together, bath, story and bed.
• Have some structure on the days at the beginning of January, so they are used to the routine again.
• Remind them about school expectations for when they come back and to be ready, respectful and safe in school.

By doing all of this, we can try and support some of the anxieties children might face at this time of year and support them with it, as well as making sure they are ready to come back to school positively in January.

We hope this will be helpful in some way and do let us know if you have any questions or concerns.  We wish you all a very happy Christmas and New Year.

Sheena Hindocha (SENDCo)

Christmas can be a difficult time for many families.  The stresses of extended time with family members, the pressure to meet expectations, the busyness of parents, the worry about financial difficulties, and the potential for children to access inappropriate content on new devices can all lead to situations that mean children's welfare is not safeguarded.

There is lots of advice about different situations at:

https://www.childprotectioncompany.com/safeguarding-children/safeguarding-at-christmas/

and guidance about how to keep your child safe online at

https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers

Are you worried about a child?

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/spotting-signs-child-abuse/

If you think a child could be at risk of significant harm, you can call the children's social care team at the council in Sutton (Go to their website)

020 8770 6001 (Monday to Friday, 9am and 5pm)     020 8770 5000 (out of hours)

Always call 999 in an emergency

Lunch Menu

Our menus are available here.  Next week is week 3.

Upcoming Events

To view the school calendar click here.