 Sherwood Foundation School
Weekly Newsletter
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Dear Families,
I hope you enjoy reading the newsletter this week and hearing about our pupils achievements.
While temperatures look to be much more manageable next week with no health warning set as yet, we did want to set out a process that we will follow should the heat present further health and safety issues.
This is a process agreed with the Chair of Governors and crucially mirrors the Department for Education’s guidance which school’s received today. In previous correspondence I have stated that we will look to work with families on this policy moving forward. However, I felt that we needed something in place sooner rather than later, as I hope you can appreciate. The process can be found on the website.
Heatwave procedure
Wishing you all a good weekend,
David Murden, Executive Headteacher
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News from Leadership Team
This week, Sherwood Hill explored basic first aid and ways to stay healthy as part of the NHS birthday celebrations. We also enjoyed a successful Girls' Group, where pupils from across the Blue and Purple Corridors came together to make jewellery. Many classes have been developing their safe travel skills and enjoying end-of-year trips to the trampoline park.
We look forward to welcoming our primary and secondary graduates to Sherwood Hill tonight to celebrate their achievements. We look forward to seeing you all!
Hill Campus – Summer Term events and dates
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Donation request
We are currently looking for book donations to help stock and expand our reading resources. We would be grateful for donations of books suitable for pupils of all ages and interests. If you have any books you would like to donate, they can be sent into school with pupils or handed in at reception.
Thank you for your support.
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Lower School News
 This week Mint Class loved taking part in whole-class shared play sessions in the garden. The children played on the trampolines, enjoyed bubble games, water play and chasing games, and it has been wonderful to see them sharing both space and resources with one another.
Olive Class has been busy exploring a variety of learning activities. In RHE, the pupils worked on developing independence in personal care by practising handwashing. They also thoroughly enjoyed an interactive dance session, where they imagined rowing a boat using different materials before 'jumping into the sea' to explore the stretchy blue lycra. It was so much fun!
Lime Class had a fantastic week developing early numeracy skills. The pupils used pegs to clip onto numbered cards, strengthening both number recognition and fine motor skills, before ordering numbers and practising their counting. Pupils also enjoyed a lovely trip to the local park, where everyone had a wonderful time exploring and playing outdoors.
Teal Class explored quantities in Numeracy through interactive board games, feeding different animals the exact amount of food they needed to develop counting and number skills in a fun, practical way. Pupils also made the most of the warm weather with outdoor water play, investigating liquids and solids and discovering how different materials behave through hands-on exploration.
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Middle School News
 This week Iris Class had lots of fun exploring the country of Mexico, learning about its culture through music and food. In cooking, the pupils made delicious quesadillas using wraps, cheese and vegetables.
Sapphire Class explored the topic of shadows by creating their own shadow poses in the playground and matching each shadow to the correct person. In literacy, pupils continued reading 'There's a Unicorn in My Book', enjoying the interactive sensory elements of the story.
Capri Class had a wonderful week learning about the artist Vincent van Gogh and his famous Sunflowers painting before creating their own beautiful sunflower artwork. In Numeracy, the pupils explored 2D shapes by designing and building their own 2D houses. Pupils also enjoyed community visits, with some students visiting Carshalton Park to explore the playground, while others walked to the local shop to buy ingredients for cooking and snacks.
Ocean Class had an exciting visit to the trampoline park, where students enjoyed exploring the different equipment while developing confidence and learning about safe transitions in the community. During reflection time, pupils communicated what they had discovered and enjoyed throughout the day.
Indigo class enjoyed a life skills session making beans on toast and had a community visit to the park and enjoyed a picnic under a tree. During PE sessions pupils have been looking for different ways to play with a variety of balls from throwing to bouncing. During assembly, pupils were looking at ‘the Windrush’ and found some interesting facts about how England received help after the war.
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Upper School News
 This week, Lavender Class focused on strengthening independence skills as the children prepare for their transitions next year. During cooking sessions, pupils took a more independent role by identifying available ingredients and creating recipes using online resources to generate ideas. The class also continued to develop their understanding of consent, boundaries and independence within the school environment while working towards their individual work experience roles and targets. The week ended with a lovely celebration for George’s birthday – Happy Birthday, George!
Lilac Class continued their exciting dinosaur topic by making dinosaur puppets and practising their tracking and tracing skills on the whiteboard. In Art, the pupils learned about the work of Vincent van Gogh, completed puzzles of his famous paintings and experimented with sweeping brush strokes using paint and oil crayons.
In Violet Class pupils took part in outings to Sainsbury's, the park and trampolining, all of which were thoroughly enjoyed. They also continued to build their independence through recycling, office skills and enterprise lessons.
Thistle class this week had lots of fun trampolining at Sutton Trampoline Park. Pupils have continued with their story ‘Going on a Bear hunt’ and enjoyed playing with different sensory trays. During cooking, pupils have been making ginger bread men! All of the pupils really enjoyed eating the biscuits!
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*Stars of the Week*
Mint
Freddie for making fantastic progress with his communication, using vocalisations throughout the day and saying "go!" and an approximation of "soft play" to tell staff he wanted to go there.
Olive
Jace for his excellent engagement during tabletop activities and for developing his communication skills to request more.
Teal
Breerah for completing her self-care routines independently.
Lime
Harrison for helping with the morning routine by independently putting away water bottles and snack boxes.
Indigo
Anish for his amazing interactions with new staff and accessing the sensory gym really well!
Sapphire
Harley for following instructions during a trip to the park and enjoying time with his classmates.
Iris
Elijus for fantastic transitioning to the trampoline park with familiar staff.
Capri
Anish for showing excellent independence and fantastic road safety awareness.
Ocean
Narjis for an excellent transition to Sherwood Manor Campus this week.
Thistle
Saahil for fantastic engagement during learning activities this week and trying regulation strategies.
Violet
Eugene for showing great courage by jumping from the big platform into the foam pit during trampolining.
Lilac
Summer for attending the Girls' Group in Life Skills and creating a beautiful bracelet.
Lavender
Max for meeting his new classmates, working hard to stay regulated, communicating his needs and showing excellent self-advocacy.
Wellbeing
Reuben for fantastic use of his AAC to advocate for himself.
Therapy
George for his excellent engagement during a regulation walk, consistently following instructions and demonstrating fantastic visual attention to core board modelling.
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News from the Leadership Team
This week I joined an outdoor assembly led by Peony Class all about the Armed Forces. The pupils took part in Search and Rescue activities and made paper aeroplanes to launch across the playground. On Wednesday afternoon we had our first out of two transition afternoons. Pupils went to their new classrooms with some new staff and peers. Some of our new pupils who will be joining us in September also attended and got to have fun, making friends and exploring their environment. On Thursday afternoon, we celebrated our Key Stage 2 Graduation, recognising our pupils' achievements, hard work and dedication throughout their time in the primary provision. After receiving their certificates, pupils, their parents/carers and staff enjoyed an afternoon of games, music and refreshments together. Congratulations to all of our graduates - we are so proud of everything you have achieved and wish you every success in the future!
This is my final Newsletter before going on Maternity Leave. I will miss the school community very much whilst I am on leave, but am delighted to introduce Emmet Murphy (pictured) who will be covering me whilst I am away. Emmet has worked in special education for over 25 years and has held senior leadership roles in a number of specialist schools, including Dysart School and Bedelsford School. His experience includes school improvement, safeguarding, curriculum development and supporting children with complex autism and SEND. He is passionate about building strong relationships with families and ensuring every child is able to thrive. He will be starting at Sherwood Park Campus in September.
I would like to wish all the pupils, families and staff a great summer and I hope that you have a brilliant year ahead.
Jess Baldwin, Head of School, Park Campus
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Lower School News
 Orchid Class enjoyed welcoming work experience student this week, who made a wonderful impression on everyone. Bluebell Class had a fantastic week, making delicious roasted vegetable pasta, meeting their new teachers during transition afternoon, enjoying a trip to The Grange Park in Beddington, creating a special goodbye card for Jess, and taking part in energetic dance sessions with Kirsty.
Hebe Class explored objects beginning with the letters 't' and 'p', enjoyed phonics songs and sensory play during free-flow activities, and practised using "yes" and "no" to communicate during Attention Bucket sessions.
Daffodil Class finished their class text, 'Handa's Surprise', and celebrated by making delicious fruit kebabs. They also continued exploring their Under the Sea theme and began using part-part-whole models with quantities up to five in numeracy.
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Middle School News
 It has been another busy week in Middle School. Tulip Class enjoyed a trip to Asda before using their shopping to make delicious smoothies in their cooking lesson. In Maths, Sunflower Class used personalised Magna-Tiles featuring themselves to develop their problem-solving skills and deepen their understanding of different concepts of time. They also explored a range of fine motor activities to strengthen their hand muscles and improve coordination.
Poppy Class explored stormy weather in Geography and had great fun making storm cloud biscuits to link with their learning.
On Thursday, we celebrated our Year 6 pupils at the Primary Graduation. It was a wonderful opportunity to recognise all they have achieved as they complete their primary education and prepare to begin their secondary journey in September. We are incredibly proud of everything they have accomplished and look forward to seeing all they achieve in the future.
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Upper School News
 It has been a great week in Upper School! Sathurja, Summer, Danny, Jennifer, Hope and Grace enjoyed a trip to the Barbican Centre to hear the National Open Youth Orchestra perform alongside the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. The programme included Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, an interactive audience participation piece, and the world premiere of the first-ever Clarion Concerto. (Google "Clarion instrument" to find out more!)
Peony Class has had a fantastic week. On Tuesday, pupils led the assembly on Armed Forces and made the most of the sunny weather with a Royal Navy-themed water tray, a paper aeroplane competition, an obstacle course, and a search-and-rescue activity. In Geography, pupils explored Serbia by listening to traditional music and learning about its culture. Everyone also enjoyed their first transition visit to their new classes.
Marigold Class visited the Frog Allotment. Pupils worked together to build a pathway using boxes so others could cross safely, and they enjoyed collecting sticks to help make fences. The class was also invited to the Primary Graduation celebration, where everyone had a fantastic time enjoying the games and delicious food.
Dahlia Class have been busy preparing for Prom, enjoying trips to the local shops and park, and celebrating the end of term with a special cinema trip to watch Toy Story 5. The film was a huge hit, with pupils giving it excellent reviews. We are looking forward to another fun-filled week with lots of exciting activities planned.
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*Stars of the Week*
Orchid
Theo for a very successful rolling group session.
Hebe
Aaron for excellent participation and communication in lessons, using his core board to express when he wanted more time to play or was not ready to finish an activity.
Bluebell
Hope for making great progress in her communication during daily living skills.
Sunflower
George for fantastic fine motor skills, successfully tying knots, engaging brilliantly in a teeth-brushing lesson, and enjoying a park visit with his classmates.
Marigold
Alfie for increasingly using both spoken words and a communication device during communication lessons.
Tulip
Everyone is Star of the Week for supporting one another so positively during transition visits to Manor Campus and Marigold Class.
Lily
Leland for trialling a different position accessing the eye gaze whilst in his standing frame and working really hard to activate the screen.
Poppy Class
Oscar for showing fantastic enthusiasm in all activities this week and for his bravery during the cooking session, where he tried beetroot cake and gave it a big thumbs up saying it was "good"!
Daffodil
Shona for outstanding communication, using her AAC to tell staff if there is a problem and how she is feeling.
Daisy Class
Rayan for persisting to wear his hard hat throughout the day.
Peony
Aychin for increased engagement in lessons, growing confidence during transitions, and embracing the move to a new class with enthusiasm and a smile.
Dahlia
Calum for working incredibly hard to prepare the decorations for Prom. Well done, Calum!
Therapy
George for excellent engagement throughout his sensory story group with OT and SaLT and exploring new sensory items for the entire story.
Wellbeing
Sunflower Class for working hard on their self-regulation throughout the week, embracing new strategies, and demonstrating fantastic regulation skills during their community park visit.
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News from the Leadership Team
 This week has been a great week at Sherwood Manor. Pupils have been using a new literacy resource to learn about working together and taking care of the environment through a book called 'Wild Wild Wood'. Cool experiments have continued in Science with Albatross Class making glow in the dark lava lamps to explore emulsion. Classes continued to learn about statistics through sorting, grouping and categorising data. Robin class were carrying out surveys, using communication strategies to ask questions and record responses and display the results using tally charts and bar charts. Across school, we have been working on transitions, preparing for the new academic year. We have welcomed pupils from The Park and The Hill, as well as a range of primary schools across Sutton. We are looking forward to Sports Day on Tuesday and are hoping for some cloud cover and a cooler breeze!
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*Stars of the Week*
Robin
Sanjay for excellent running, hopping and jumping in PE.
Albatross
Alex R for demonstrating brilliant play skills while doing role-play activities with animal figurines and developing his communication skills to make requests.
Cardinal
Adrian for working hard on division and remaining focused during learning time.
Kingfisher
Gandom for trying new things and participating in the transition session at The Park Campus.
Therapy
Thadsaken for doing a fantastic job exploring the core board to communicate “more", while participating in a sensory sand activity.
Wellbeing
Raihaan for showing fantastic confidence and resilience during his transition session to the Park Campus and showing a positive attitude.
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Sherwood Foundation Charity | |
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