September 2006
Dear Parents/Carers
Welcome to our second newsletter. We received excellent feedback from everyone about our first on-line newsletter and about our website. Here are some of the comments:
"Very interesting"
"Excellent site, huge improvement on the last one"
"I find it useful seeing the weekly menus (you will find these under the "Residential Care" link)
"The Sports Day pictures are really interesting".
We have also had useful suggestions from parents which we are now considering - watch this space.
We have a busy term ahead but we look forward to meeting you all at termly meetings, annual reviews, the sponsored walk, the PSA "Race Night" and, of course, the Christmas Concert.
NEW PUPILS:
We welcomed 10 new pupils (three from Bromley, two from North East Somerset, one from Ealing, one from Slough, one from Hertfordshire and one from East Sussex) during the second week of September. They have all have settled in really quickly and are already enjoying life at Moor House!
NEW STAFF:
We also welcomed new staff: John Ranger (Head of Residential Care), Ms Caree Sayers, Ms Kate McEvoy (both Speech and Language Therapists), Mrs Carolyn Schweitzer (Occupational Therapist) and Miss Sam Thomas (Special Teaching Assistant).
MOVERS AND SHAKERS:
Miss Lucinda Burrows has moved to the Residential Care Department, as a Care Worker, from the Teaching Department, where she worked as a Special Teaching Assistant. Lucinda seems to be enjoying her new role and we wish her every success.
SPORTING NEWS:
We are currently up to the semi-final stage of an exciting knockout 5-a-side football competition! 45 students originally took part, of all ages and abilities, and the event has been an overwhelming success, boosting self esteem and confidence and also encouraging some of the more reticent children to pursue other physical activities on offer. Every competitor receives a medal and the eventual winners receive a trophy.
We are planning to resurrect membership of Holland Sports Athletic Club, which will enable students to receive expert coaching twice weekly, with the opportunity to take part in races and/or track and field. Moor House School has a long and impressive history of successes in athletics, both track and cross-country, with many past students excelling at county level. Some of the many benefits for pupils will be increased physical fitness, improved self esteem and the opportunity for integration outside of Moor House School. Miss Short is co-ordinating the programme â€" watch this space next month for more details!
CSCI (COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL CARE INSPECTION) REPORT
Thank you to all parents who responded to the CSCI questionnaire so favourably; CSCI were very impressed with your comments.
You can view our report on the CSCI website here.
PARENTAL QUESTIONNAIRES
You may remember that last term you were asked to give your views about Moor House School. Thanks to all parents who took the time and trouble to complete and return the questionnaires. You can access the results by clicking here to download the Word Document.
SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHER
The school photographer from Tempest, will be in on the morning of 15th November to take pictures.
HURST GREEN FETE
Some of our pupils took part in the Hurst Green Fete on 16th September. Moor House School was the proud winner of the best-decorated stall. It is hoped that more pupils will stay over the weekend next year to enable maximum participation in this important event in the local community calendar.
PROPOSED TELECOMMUNICATIONS MAST - HURST GREEN
The Principal has written to Tandridge Council, stating an objection to the mast on the grounds that we do not know the long-term health effects of such a construction.
SPONSORED WALK
We hope to see you at this important event - fingers crossed for good weather! A full report on the day will appear in the October newsletter.
PARENT/STAFF ASSOCIATION
Don't forget - we are always looking for extra input and support for our thriving PSA! If you are interested in joining, please access the link for more information!
EXTERNAL EXAMINATION RESULTS
Click here to see our examination results at Key Stage Four Academic Year 2005-6
TRIPS AND OUTINGS
Ypres:
All Key Stage 4 pupils spent a hugely enjoyable and informative two days in Ypres (Belgium), scene of several First World War battles. The trip formed part of the Key Stage 4 History curriculum and was expertly organised by Miss Catherine Carroll. The trip began with a true test for pupils and staff alike â€" boarding the coach in the front car park at 0530 hours! The following is an account, by Miss Carroll, of the visit:
"On 12 and 13 September all of the students in KS4 and twelve staff went to Ypres as part of their History and Life Skills courses. On the first day the students visited a number of key cemeteries, war memorials and original First World War trenches. An evening meal was had in a local restaurant, followed by what was for many, the highlight of the visit when three Year 10 pupils took part in a wreath laying ceremony at the Menin Gate. This took place as the Last Post was played in front of four hundred people. The students represented the school superbly. On the next day, after a visit to Talbot House, the day ended with a trip to a local theme park. This was the first overnight stay in a foreign country by Moor House students for many years and they were a credit to the school. The visit also provided an invaluable opportunity for new staff and new tutor groups to get to know one another".
Sayers Croft (see "Trips and Events" link for further exciting coverage and photos!):
"In August, 13 of our students went to Sayers Croft, near Cranleigh, in Surrey, for an outdoor activity week, supervised by Mr Hart and Miss Parkes. The experience was an unqualified success. Mr Hart describes, below, the week:
As you know, our students benefit very much from the intensive speech therapy and individual programmes of learning available to them.
However, our students do require opportunities to put into practice the work they have done on improving their social skills; this is best done away from the usual learning environment to ensure that their learning can be generalised into real life situations, and over extended periods of time.
Furthermore, many of our students lack confidence due to the difficult experiences they have encountered in their lives. They benefit greatly from activities that allow them to achieve success both as individuals and as members of a team, as this builds their confidence to try other things that previously they might not have felt brave enough to do.
Getting into the minibus on the first day to travel to Sayers Croft, there was a hush of nervousness as the students considered the week ahead of them, but by the end of the first day it became very apparent that the students were really enjoying the activities and the opportunity to socialise with each other in a new way.
The careful organisation of the trip by myself and Sarah Parkes, and the professionalism and dedication of the Sayers Croft staff, meant that our week went very smoothly; under the careful and understanding guidance of all the adults involved, every student found a way to take part and achieve success in every activity.
These successes ranged from being able to independently paddle a canoe along the River Wey, to building a raft, to doing a zip-line, or to the seemingly simple act (for most people) of socialising with peers at a disco or around a campfire; all of these contributed to boosting the confidence and self-esteem of our students, while giving them social skills practice in a new context.
I know for a fact that all the students enjoyed the experience immensely, as none of them wanted to leave at the end of the week - they would all have quite happily stayed for a second week. I have also received numerous comments from the students and their parents, all of which have been very positive and very grateful for the opportunity that was afforded them.
None of this would have been possible without the funding that David Quoroll of Sayers Croft was able to allocate to our students, which allowed them to attend Sayers Croft at essentially no cost. I have passed on our thanks to David Quoroll, and asked him to inform the funding bodies of our gratitude for this opportunity.
I would recommend that opportunities such as this are sought out so that such activities may continue in the future, even if funding is no longer available. There is no certainty over whether funding will be available next summer, although we do have the option of having Year 10s go on a funded visit before the end of this financial year".
STAFF TRAINING DAYS
On 26th July, all staff attended an inset on Child Protection, given by Jean Gawlinski, from "Kidscape". Child Protection training will be given to staff on an on-going, regular basis. A new Moor House School Child Protection policy has recently been drawn up. Staff also reviewed and commented upon the successes of the last year.
Moving onto this term, on 4th September staff were given the opportunity to gain further knowledge of the School's interactive SmartBoard systems, whilst on the 5th there was a morning training session on "Boardmaker", a computer programme which helps communication between staff and pupil via the use of pictures and symbols. It is hoped to implement this system across school in all departments.
PARENT WORKSHOPS
Following the workshop in the summer term, where parents learned about how staff approach working on life skills at Moor House, we are running a follow up workshop on the 6th October from 1.30pm to 3.30pm. The workshop will involve discussion in groups on supporting the children in life skills at home. All are welcome. You will receive a letter inviting you to attend. Details can also be found on the website.
AND FINALLY ....
Congratulations to Key Stage 2 Teacher, Mrs Fiona Parsons, now the proud mother of Oliver, who weighed in at a generous 9 lbs 12 oz on 3rd September. We can all vouch for the fact that mother and baby are both doing well, as we were lucky enough to meet them both on 27th September, when Mrs Parsons brought Oliver in to meet everyone at Moor House.