22 January 2021

Jockey Club Sarah Roe School’s latest newsletter is available to read now. Find out the latest news around the school and upcoming events.

Principal’s Message

Child Protection and Safeguarding

What’s Happening this Term in RSE

AAC top tips – Modelling

Dear Parents,

It has been wonderful to welcome students into the school over the last two weeks. However short their time might be at school we are all making the most of it.

We have started our new unit “We Are The World”, and all students are learning about living things and that they grow and change with their environment. Students have settled into new routines with a combination of face-to-face and distance learning and are developing new knowledge and skills linked to our unit.

We all need to keep adapting to ever changing circumstances which I know can be stressful to all of us. We are trying to maintain students’ routines and to give you as much notice as possible to be able to respond to changes. We have very little or no control over the future but we can all focus on doing our best in the present.

We are grateful for the effort all staff are putting into delivering online and face-to-face learning. We are also very appreciative of your ongoing support and as always we are open to your feedback on how we can make it easier for you to be the best for your children.

Warm regards,

Anna

Ensuring our Child Protection and Safeguarding measures are maintained at the highest level continues to be a key priority for all members of our school community.

In order to ensure your child is protected and safe, our staff will be increasing their professional learning with a series of online training workshops offered by Educare – the UK’s leading provider of essential Safeguarding and Duty of Care training. All staff across every ESF school will be engaging with training relevant to their role.

If you have questions regarding any aspect of Child Protection and Safeguarding, please contact our school designated Child Protection Officers: Belinda McLaughlin and Anna Smakowska.

This week all parents will have received an overview of the RSE focus this term – The Human Body and Development. As part of this unit students will be learning about the names of body parts including the male and female sex organs as developmentally appropriate, and for our older students we will be focusing on the body changes associated with puberty.

Please refer to the overview shared via the ESF app earlier this week for further information including links to some of the resources used to support learning.

You can help at home by:

• Starting early – talk to your child before obvious signs of puberty begin.

• Teaching body parts using scientific language (encourage family members and domestic helpers to do the same). Refer to the parent overview for more information.

• Encouraging and teaching good personal hygiene.

A short survey for families of girls aged over 10 will also help with our planning: [Google Form]

AAC tip of the week! There are many strategies we can use when supporting our children to use their AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication). Here is a short video explaining “modelling”: [Youtube Video]

Modelling means that adults use the AAC system to talk to the AAC user. All AAC learners need to see what it looks like, to communicate using their AAC system in real conversations. Adults point to words or press words on the AAC system as they speak.