2014-2015 Family NEWSLETTER Friday 12th June 2015 Dear Parents and Carers, No 17 Dates 2015 Consultation – In the next couple of th Sat 27 June – Summer Fete weeks, a brochure will be sent to all Wednesday 22nd July – Last day of Term families, staff and associates of the school, advising that the Local Authority wish to increase the number of pupil places at Bidwell Brook from 80 to 95. Contact details will be provided if you wish to make a comment on this consultation which will close on 5th July 2015. Nepal Relief Effort – On the Bidwell Brook website is a letter of thanks from the charity who received our donation of £530, plus 4 stories from the local area. A very humbling read. Warm Weather - Please ensure your child comes into school wearing appropriate clothing and footwear during the summer months. Flip flops and crocs are not ideal to wear, especially in the playground. Also please remember to apply suncream to your child before they come to school and send in a bottle of water and a hat for the really warm days! Many thanks. On to other news: MESSAGE FROM JOHN THORNDYKE, CHAIR OF GOVERNORS: Parent Governor – Thank you very much to all the families who voted for the new parent governor. I am pleased to confirm Laura pg 1 2014-2015 Family NEWSLETTER Puyal was the successful candidate and will be joining the Governing Body shortly. Governing Body Minutes – These are now available for you to view on the Bidwell Brook School website. If you have any questions, please direct them in the first instance to Christine Walker, Interim Clerk to Governors (Christine.walker@learntolivefederation.co.uk) Thank you. Sainsbury’s Active Kids Vouchers If you have any more Sainsbury’s Active Kids vouchers, could you send them in as soon as possible so that they can be included in the final count. Many thanks Message from Claire School Nurse We have a supply of Nappies/Tena/Libero pants available if anyone needs them. Please phone me for further details. Parents Group in South Brent There is a group of parents with children with special needs who meet regularly at the Turtley Cornmill pub near South Brent to simply chat. They are not all from this school and their children have a wide range of needs. Any parents from this school are more than pg 2 2014-2015 Family NEWSLETTER welcome to join them. If you would like to join them, just email Ellie (Roman’s mum) at eleanorwhitcombe@btinternet.com or send a message through school and we will pass it on. They tend to arrange times to suit all who want to come, afternoons and evenings. Andrew’s Wood Nature Reserve Discovery Day Guided walks and family activities throughout the day Sunday 14 June 2015 11am – 4pm Free family event with guided wildlife walks, story walks, and kids activities. Teas and cakes throughout the day! For more information contact 01392 279244 or email contactus@devonwildlifetrust.org The entrance to Andrew’s Wood nature reserve can be found north of Loddiswell on the B3196. (Grid reference SX 714 519. Nearest postcode TQ7 4EA) Safe Breaks Holiday dates Activities, clubs and Holidays for young people and adults with additional needs. Summer Saturday Club Dates 10am-4pm. £30 per session (1-1 support extra) Various activities Venue: Kingsteignton Youth Club, Broadway Road, Kingsteignton, NEWTON ABBOT Devon TQ12 3EH. Contact Zena Fisher on 07712779001 or Sian Boon 07880332900 pg 3 2014-2015 Family NEWSLETTER Devon Parent Carers Voice Conference Annual County Conference - 16th June 2015, 09:30am-14:30pm Buckfast Conference Centre TQ11 0EG Key speaker - Brahm Norwich: The new SEN legislation and Code of Practice: implications for empowering parents Workshops and presentations: * PenCRU * Exploring Parental Power * Mindfulness for stress * Working together to make a difference (How to get your views heard) Book online at dpcv.org.uk/events or call 07975 506069 Downsouth Coffee Get-together DownSouth, the Down's syndrome support group for South Devon, are holding a coffee get-together on Thursday 25th June 2015 at 10am at The Yellow Frog Cafe, Combe Pafford School, Moor Lane, Torquay. For more information or directions please phone Clare on 07972 789095 or email downsouthcharity@msn.com DLA helpline Contact numbers for the DLA Helpline and Carer’s Allowance Unit have changed. As part of a move to using 0345 numbers instead of 0845 numbers, the Department of Work and Pensions have changed the contact number for the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Helpline to 03457 123456 and the Carer’s Allowance Unit to 0345 608 4321. pg 4 2014-2015 Family NEWSLETTER All the Fun of the Fair! There’s still time to book a place! The Rotary Clubs of Kingsbridge have sent us an invitation to the Annual Fun Day on Sunday 19th July 2015 from 10:30 to 3:30. Any children and adults with learning or physical disabilities across Devon are invited to join in this free day of using the Fun Fair and a lunch, entertainment and disco at Kingsbridge Leisure Centre. The fair is closed to the public on this day, for your exclusive use. The organisers have asked that we collect the numbers of people interested through the school and then pass all that information onto them to send you the further details nearer the time. So, if you fancy a Family Day Out at the Fair, then just send the slip below back into school by Friday 26th June and we will pass this on. There is room for one student, their adult and one sibling to come along. Yes please we’d like a Day out at the Fair! Sunday 19th July Names of those coming: Adult____________________________ Student__________________________ Sibling ___________________________ Type of Transport (please tick) Car / Coach / Mini-bus / Other Please return this slip to Daisy or Dawn by Friday 26th June 2015 pg 5 2014-2015 Family NEWSLETTER Bidwell Brook Parent Teachers and Friends Association The Summer Fete is nearly here! Make sure you’ve got Saturday 27th June 1:30 -3pm in your diaries to come along and have some fun. So far we know there will be: A Fire Engine in the car park to climb on * Smash the Crockery Stand * Taiko Drumming display * Cakes to buy * Refreshments will be teas, coffees and cakes. Also BBQ and Curry made from local produce * Games to play * Lots of stalls – clothes, nearly new, bric a brac, Tombola, Bottle Stall * Raffle * Silent Auction If you have any time on the day to offer – even just an hour – please let Daisy know through a note in your home/school book or by phone. There are tasks to fit all shapes and sizes! To support the day we would welcome cakes, cupcakes, bric a brac, nearly new, tombola prizes, and any old crockery you want to see smashed up! Please send all donations into school on the week of the fete. Just a reminder: Parent newsletters and attachments also go on our school website: http://bidwellbrook.devon.sch.uk/ Kind Regards Jacqui Warne Executive Head pg 6