SCS Newsletter 28/01/2021

Dear Parents, Carers, and Families

We hope this finds you well and safe. We are nearing the end of the fourth week for this six-week half term. Thank you for the continued support and partnership as we transitioned the pupils into their mixed groups. The focus and engagement in learning during this lockdown is possible through this partnership.

On-Site School The pupils onsite experienced the change in weather earlier this week with snowfall that remained on our school site. Their engagement in that sensory learning and life skills learning were observed throughout Monday and Tuesday.

Virtual School A delivery of resources should have arrived for every pupil by this week. The resources were selected by teachers and curriculum leaders to help you with your child’s engagement in learning. If you have not received this please let your virtual classroom teacher know so that we can follow up with the delivery company. We have also delivered technology and larger resources to families requesting this with the school minibus.

Virtual Parent Workshops It was wonderful to meet with a group of parents on Wednesday and introduce them to our new Vice Principal Mia. We would like to organise virtual workshops for parents on topics you prefer. We previously held this during Family Learning Weeks but recognise the impact of the pandemic will continue throughout this year. Examples of sessions previously included sessions on approaches to toileting and feeding, supporting sensory learning in the home, discussion groups on puberty, and understanding the system with transitions into adulthood. Please send any topics you would find useful to your teacher by Wednesday. We will then confirm the themes that have come through and share virtual workshop sessions. We are planning on holding this in smaller groups related to your child’s age and curriculum pathway so that it is more personalised for discussions. A member of the Senior Leadership Team will join the Curriculum Leader in facilitating the groups.

Our Family Inclusion Team have also organised virtual sessions to support your wellbeing. Please see the poster at the end of the newsletter on the topics and dates. If you have any questions, please email FITTeam@swisscottage.camden.sch.uk or call reception on 02076818080.

Staff COVID-19 Vaccinations We have worked with Camden Local Authority to access COVID-19 vaccinations as a designated priority group. This reflects the role our staff play in supporting the personal care needs of the pupils. We started phase 1 of this process yesterday to register the onsite staff that are seeking vaccinations. Next week we will begin phase 2 of the process to register the Virtual School staff that are seeking vaccinations. This is an optional choice for staff and we are really pleased to share that this will be an additional safety measure in place for our community.

Lockdown At yesterday’s briefing, the Prime Minister announced an initial target date from the government on when all pupils and staff would return to school. The initial date that was announced is 8^th March 2021. Our plan is to organise another survey for families and staff so that we can make a plan that works for our community over the first few weeks after half term. We will send you more information on that next week.

Training Day Tomorrow is a whole staff training day. We are working with the Camden Educational Psychology Team on training for ‘Trauma Informed Practice’ knowing the role this can play in our Recovery Curriculum and response to the pandemic through teaching and learning.

If you have any questions, please email support@swisscottage.camden.sch.uk. We wish you a safe and enjoyable weekend.

Yours Sincerely,

Vijita Patel