Dear Parents and Carers,
This week has been International Week and what a wonderful way to end what has been a very busy term. We started the week with our whole school assembly, which was led by Jo C, a Year 6 teacher who also been leading International Week.
The assembly started with unpicking what international means. Sharing the countries that the different year groups would be learning about, and then reading some extracts from the book ‘This is how we do it’ by Matt Lamothe, looking at one day in the lives of seven different children from around the world.
This was then followed by a week-long fabulous array of music performances from different year groups, solo performances from some of our children about to take exams and enrichment clubs. It has been great to see the broad range of opportunities children have both in and out of the classroom. Having popped in and out of classes throughout the week it has been lovely to see how much the children have enjoyed learning about different cultures and heritages, many of whom have been enthusiastic to share with me key facts they have learnt or what aspect they have enjoyed the most. It was great seeing staff and children in national dress or in the colour of the flags from across the world. Each year group will be displaying some of the key learning from the week which we will share on our website. Please view the photos here.
We have had another busy week of educational visits: Ayo’s class had their visit to Deptford Creekside on Monday, you can view photos here. Yesterday a selection of Year 5 children went rewilding in Dulwich Woods . It was an opportunity to help with a rewilding project in our local area with activities designed to show the beauty and enjoyment we can get from nature.
Monuments are a brilliant source to learn about historical events. In Year 3, while
learning about the Stone Age, the children had lots of questions about Stonehenge, such as how and why was it built? To test their collaboration skills, the children built Stonehenge with ‘biscuit-rocks’ instead of sarsen or bluestones. What a challenge! Please do take a look at the photos.
This week is World Autism Acceptance Week. Autism (Autism Spectrum Condition – ASC) comes in very different forms and is called a “spectrum” because it affects autistic people differently. Autism charities say that more than one in 100 people are on the autism spectrum and there are about 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK. (Here is a short film about autism - What is autism).
To follow on from last week’s newsletter, I thought it would be lovely for us to share some of our children’s experiences of living with autism: here are some views of children with ASC at Kilmorie.
“I find learning and the playground difficult. I do enjoy art. I need support to help me with the things I find difficult.”
“I find learning difficult as I find it hard to concentrate and I like thinking about the things I enjoy (history).”
“The playground is a difficult place for me as it is noisy and crowded. I like the classroom as it is structured, and I understand what is happening.”
“I forget things quickly, soon after I have looked at them. I do like maths as the answer is easier to find than in English.”
It is important for us, as a school community to understand what it is like as this will help to break down stigma and celebrate the many special talents many with autism hold. An example of this is Stephen Wiltshire (Stephen Wiltshire | Contemporary Artist & Architectural Illustrator) who is known for his detailed artwork, made even more impressive that it is drawn from memory.
Some famous people who have Autism include Albert Einstein, Elon Musk, Chris Packham (who has made some excellent on ASC on the BBC), Sir Anthony Hopkins and Anne Hegerty, to name a few.
To further support, Dennis would like to invite you to an ASC Coffee Morning, which will be on Friday 28th April at 9:10am. The invitation is open to all parents and carers, but in particular, those with children with ASC or those who are awaiting assessment. It will be a good opportunity share stories, network and gain support and strategies.
New first aid system: In the summer term, we will be moving to an online First Aid reporting system. This will mean that any minor first aid will be reported to parents via email, and we will only call you if your child needs to be collected, for example if they have vomited. Please note that the notifications will come through from 'notifications@sl.safesmart.co.uk' do please add this to your safe list.
Kilmorie Quiz & Kati Rolls Night - Friday 21st April 7-10pm: we still have space for some more teams at our quiz night – this is a really fun night out, whether you are a serious quizzer or just in it for fun, and delicious food from Raastawala! We’ve heard a rumour that there may be some staff teams this year and we can’t wait to see who takes the prize for winning team! Tickets cost £15 including nibbles, a Kati roll and masala fries. Buy your tickets online.
Summer performance: Next term, we will be going full steam with rehearsals for
our summer performance of The Lion King. In class, all children will be learning the songs and those allocated a role, a rehearsal schedule has been sent to parent and carers, do please make a note so none get missed – thank you.
I know many of us are feeling the continued strain of the cost of living. Nicola has kindly put together a helpful cost of living factsheet where help is available and some helpful tips. Do please have a look here.
This week we had a SATs parent workshop for parents in Year 6. The presentation shared is now on the Year 6 page (please scroll to the bottom of the page) and it can also be accessed on the Year 6 Teams.
Super Swap: Some children have been bringing in ‘super things’ (toys) from home to swap. However, these have been coming out during school time causing distractions. I am therefore not allowing any toys to come into school. Thank you for your support with this.
I hope you all have a wonderful Easter break and I look forward to welcoming all our families back on Monday 17th April.
Kind regards
Julie
