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ISSUE: 5th December 2023

HEADTEACHER'S KEY MESSAGES

Image of the headteacher Ms Thurston
HEADTEACHER: MS THURSTON

It was absolutely lovely to be able to meet Abi Kasim, one of our alumni and the guest speaker at our most recent Cultural Evening event, on a more personal level during her visit to us last week. Scroll down to find out more about her and her journey to success since leaving DG.

We have had much sporting success this week. Our KS3 boy’s basketball team wowed us with their smashing victory against Bonus Pastor... well done boys!

I was lucky enough to attend the 'Turning of the Year' Concert at Blackheath Concert Halls last week. It was a total delight to see our KS3 choir sing so enthusiastically and perform with such confidence. It really did warm my heart and get me in the Christmas Spirit!

As we look ahead to the final few weeks of term, we still have much to celebrate including Christmas Jumper day which is being held this Thursday, raising funds for Save the Children. Students are reminded that they MUST be wearing FULL SCHOOL UNIFORM and simply replace their school jumper for a Christmas jumper.

Students are busily rehearsing for the Christmas showcase on December 19th  - ‘All the Trimmings’. We hope to see many of you there supporting your children and getting into the Christmas spirit with our DG community.

This time of the year is a tough one for many families, especially with the current cost of living higher than ever before. Therefore, we are supporting the Met Police charity Christmas Tree Appeal - click HERE to take part.

Whilst we may be looking ahead to the end of term, learning is still our priority and teachers will be delivering high quality lessons until the end of term. Therefore full attendance is critical at this time.

I hope you enjoy reading the articles in this newsletter as much as I did and thank you as ever for supporting the school and being such committed and wonderful parents & carers.

Have a wonderful week ahead,

Emma Thurston


DATES FOR YOUR DIARY: 

  • Wednesday 6th December - Y11 Parents' Evening from 4pm
  • Wednesday 6th December - Football Business Trip to Chelsea from 10:30 with Mr Aniagwu
  • Thursday 7th December - Christmas Jumper Day
  • Thursday 7th December - Puppetry Workshop
  • Friday 8th December - Drama Panto Trip Y7 9am-1pm
  • Monday 18th December - Film Experience (rewards activity)
  • Tuesday 19th December - Christmas Showcase at 5.30pm
  • Thursday 21st December – End of Autumn Term 1/2 Day - Non-Uniform Day

DG X FEED

Click HERE to see our latest X (Twitter) account 


Expectations for Christmas Jumper Day:

*Donations of £1
*You can wear a Christmas Jumper. You must wear your school trousers or skirt
*You will not have to wear a blazer, tie or shirt IF you wearing a Christmas jumper.
*You should still have your school shoes as normal
*You will still need your school bag and all your equipment, including PE kit where appropriate.
**Students not taking part should be in full school uniform**
*Any students NOT meeting our expectations will be sent home to change or collect missing items or be in Reflection for the day. 

JOIN US FOR OUR CHRISTMAS SHOWCASE!

Click HERE to get your tickets!

A reminder that THe Mr Heelbeck needs some parent volunteers to help run the bar on the night. Please email him directly if you can help: jheelbeck@deptfordgreen.co.uk


OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT BY OUR SCHOOL CAPTAIN - LEYLA Y11

I am thrilled to announce that I was able to showcase my short horror film 'Midnight Feast' which I edited, acted in and did camerawork on. My lovely friend Aamina came and supported me as I made a speech at the screening about how beneficial this experience has been to me. I was gifted to take my journey at the BFI Academy to the next level, as this is an exciting achievement for me in my passion for filmmaking.

Through the short but compelling narrative of the film, it takes us on a journey of unforeseen events.

This film has been a significant milestone in my creative journey. I have gained invaluable experience in cinematography, editing and collaboration. I am determined to become a future cinematographer and this opportunity has totally moved me! Although the film is not very appropriate for some younger age groups as there are a lot of strong elements of horror in the film, it will be on Vimeo and on YouTube later on in the month and we will put a link in the next newsletter.

I would love to thank Ms Nembhard and Keely Wilson for helping and supporting me and also a special shout out to Ms Joauvel and Ms Williams for being so encouraging and pushing me to my potential! Also, thanks to my good friend Amelia for being such a great support too.

 


INTERVIEW WITH ABI KASIM

EX-STUDENT, ENTREPRENEUR AND MODEL

Yussuf: This is an interview conducted by myself, Khyrn and Dante and today we are here with Abi, who is a former Deptford Green student and is achieving a lot of success in her life.

Yussuf+Khyrn+Dante: Good afternoon Abi!

Abi: Good afternoon.

Khyrn: Our first questions is, what area did you grow up in and how did it influence your career choices?

Abi: I grew up in Deptford and I lived here all my life up until I moved out of my parent’s house. My parents still live here now and growing up, my experience was actually quite ok. Lots of people think of Deptford as being some sort of dangerous area to live in, but obviously my experience as a girl is different to what the experience of a lot of guys would be. In terms of how being from here influenced my career choice, I started off wanting to be a teacher, and as I came to Deptford Green, I was so impacted by my teachers and the great work they were doing and combined with the fact  I also enjoyed working with children, that’s the direction my life could have gone, but I ended up choosing a different path.  Now I work in the corporate world so in terms of influence, I went where the winds of life took me!

Yussuf: We also understand that you are a model. What steps did you take to become one?

Abi: Modelling to me was just a bit of fun, it was one of those situations where my friends were like “With that type of bone structure, you should model”, and when three people in a row said it to me, I got to a point where I was thinking ‘I might as well try to do this’. I went to a party and there were two photographers there and one of them came up to me and asked me if I modelled. I was pretty surprised and said “Yeah, sure let’s do this” and I went to my first shoot literally not knowing how to model at all and I just kind of winged it.  I feel with these things you’re always going to start off at ground zero, not knowing what to do, so you just have to try figure it out as you go along. What steps did I take? Well, it was a thing where I went to photographers and said 'I will work for you for free because I am trying to build up my portfolio' until I had enough images that I could start charging for my photos to be used.  I knew I was good at what I did and people were telling me I am ‘sick’ at it, so the jobs started coming in. The most I’ve been paid for modelling is £1000 per day. That came about because I was booked for a job and then the more they decided to use my images, the more they paid for them, so it can be good - you just have to put the hard work in. The lesson here is that I had to work for free at the start to get to the point where I can now charge £1000 per day.

Dante: What is the hardest part about being a model?

Abi: The hardest part about being a model is feeling like the way you look has an impact on your value and how you are viewed. I think the hardest part is that people think being a model is about you as a person when it is not - it’s about what you’re modelling. If I’m about to put some clothes on and model, its not about me, its about the clothes I’m wearing, I am just the mannequin, so they can effectively do anything they want to my face and my hair. I had a few comments about my body not being good enough or not being ‘XYZ’ enough and that can effect you if you let it, but I just had to have a strong mindset and tell myself I’m not going to let it affect me and I’m just going to be me, so I’ve had to turn down some agencies because they wanted me to have a certain look and I was just like, ‘No that isn’t me’, so it’s about having integrity and an understanding of who you are and not giving yourself away.

Khyrn: Despite those challenges, what are the best things about your job?

Abi: Oh it's FUN!! It's good on set. You get to meet so many cool people. I’ve done modelling for designer brands. A month ago I was in Italy, at Lake Como, seeing beautiful parts of the world! To me that’s crazy; it’s like I’m getting paid to go on holiday. I’ve also been to the Amalfi Coast which is another ridiculously beautiful place in Italy. In two months' time I’m going to Morocco to do some modelling in the desert, which will be really cool because it’s a nice way to explore your creativity and just try new things.

Yussuf: How do you manage to stay motivated in such a competitive industry?

A: I’m not going to lie; I think it’s because I’m just not competitive! I think, because for me modelling is not necessarily the be all and end all, I’m not like ‘yes I'm out here to be a model, I’m out here to be Naomi Campbell’. My stance is that I’m here for fun, I’m here to go with the flow and see what happens. What I find is when you don’t put yourself under pressure about things and let it take its course, life runs more smoothly.

Dante: Have you ever had any negative experiences in the industry?

Abi: This is quite deep for me actually. Yes I did, and full transparency, sometimes this industry is not as nice and glamorous as it looks. I remember I had, and this is me being a bit vulnerable, I had an uncomfortable experience with a photographer. He was like ‘Come and do a test shoot at my studio’ and it was just me and him. As you know, some people don’t always have your best interests at heart and there can be some predatory behaviours in action out there and there was this one point where I thought to myself ‘Do I need to figure out a way to prop my phone up somewhere so I can record what this guy is doing or trying to do?' I felt really uncomfortable, so yeah, you can read what I’m trying to say here and you have to be careful out there, especially in this industry.

Khyrn: What challenges have you faced in your journey to success and how did you overcome them?

Abi: I think the key word there is ‘success’, because its almost like, what is success? What do you guys view as success?

Khyrn: Let me rephrase my question. What challenges did you face in your journey to getting to where you are today, and how did you overcome them?

Abi: I’m still facing challenges, because the number one challenge you face is up here [mental challenge] and how you perceive the obstacles that are in your way. I’ve had many different challenges. For example, when I did my accounting qualification, which was really hard, I had to do 15 exams back to back whilst still at work and I thought ‘Oh my gosh there’s no way I’m going to be able to do all this’ but you just have to try and if you fail, you have to go again. Resilience is the key thing throughout your journey. The main challenge I’m facing now is, I’m in a new corporate job and at this moment I’m simply not good enough. These guys have hired me on this ridiculous salary and I don’t believe deep down I’m worth the money that they’re paying me, but I need to counter that by saying that if I don’t think I’m good enough, I need to train myself to become good enough. To be better. I feel like those are the different challenges I'm facing. It's all about having belief in yourself. Obviously I’m saying this to you but I’m saying it to myself as well because it is such a key thing.

Yussuf: You’ve mentioned before that you’ve worked abroad, so what is the experience like when you’re travelling to and from different countries?

A: It’s really fun because the last job I was on, it was great because it was one of those locations you see when you’re scrolling on your timeline and you think ‘Wow that place looks unreal’ and I’m getting to go and you’re almost going thinking 'I’m here for a holiday' when in reality you’re not; you’re there to work. I mean this sounds ridiculous because these are definitely first world problems! I remember the last one I was on a boat on the lake and it was freezing! It was so cold and I was in a thin dress and there was a drone flying above me and I had to pretend I wasn’t cold. As I’m saying it out loud it sounds silly, but it's just one of those things that you don’t expect because you go abroad thinking things are all going to go smoothly but you come back and you’re all tired and I had to go back to my day job the next day. But the experience was brilliant so I’m not complaining.

Dante: You spoke about this briefly at Cultural Evening but what is it like to run your own business?

A: The business is a journey that I’ve been going on this year, and I’m super excited about it but also super nervous because I’ve never done anything like it before. For me, it’s a way to make my own mark on the world and not feel like some company or agency are paying me for a service, plus not feeling like (for example in modelling) you’re at the bottom of the chain. It’s an event styling business. When I first came to this country - I moved here from Nigeria when I was nine - it was difficult because neither of my parents could work. My mum was depressed (but she wouldn’t use the word depressed because she’s an African parent), but I knew she was and one thing that really made her happy was going to Nigerian Hall parties and seeing all the decorations and the other cultural things. So, she started to do it for family and friends until it kind of hit a wall as it had reached a point where it needed to go online, but if you showed my mum a laptop, she wouldn’t understand what to do with it and you can’t realistically launch a successful business without having those skills.

I grew up. I chose not to go to university, I worked in a large, successful company and I realised that part of my purpose as my mum’s ‘baby’ is to raise this idea which is like my mum’s second baby!! and with the fusion of my skills and her expertise, we can create an amazing business and incorporate a digital aspect to it. It’s not just events styling, i.e. ‘I’ve got a wedding, come and decorate the hall for me’. It’s more like actually, ‘I’m having a wedding, what do I want it to look like?’ and my team and I will create a digital visualisation of what the event will be and a digital replica of the venue. It’s about going that one step further and understanding the fact that we’re in a digital age and people want to see and visualise their wants and needs, so we are incorporating those skills to build something that will hopefully be successful.

Here is a link to Abi's business. If you are interested in their service - click HERE 

Khyrn: What advice would you give to young people growing up in a similar situation to yours?

Abi: Trust in the journey, trust in the process. I feel like even if you feel like you can’t see the destination and you don’t feel like what you’re trying to do is realistic, just focus on whatever the next step is. My thing now is, how am I going to build a business that’s going to reach six or seven figures? I’m unsure of that, but what I do know is that right now I’ve got to build a website so that's the next step in front of me. Once we have that, the vision will come to life. I’d never thought I’d be in the position where our brand is an actual brand and its generating interest and support, with bookings coming in all the time. At the time of its conception, I couldn’t visualise this bit of the plan, and now I’m here trying to get it to the next step, so I’d say to trust where you are and whatever you’re doing, enjoy it as much as you can. Give yourself to the process, get lost in what you’re doing and be present in your work.

Dante: This question is for the library. What book would you recommend to students?

Abi: When I first walked into the library, I was searching for the Percy Jackson series because that’s the one book that I remember reading at DG. I spent half of my time learning and the other half socialising, and I wished I’d read more at the time. Reading is great, honestly. Reading really helps you mentally and emotionally, and I’d recommend you guys read more. As you get older you realise, there are books out there that relate to you. For example, I’ve read books about business or self-help books on how to better yourself, so I’d recommend building the reading habit.

Yussuf: Finally could you describe to us your experience as a student at Deptford Green?

Abi: I had a great time at Deptford Green. No, I had a fantastic time! When you look back, you remember that school was your whole life at the time and that’s all you knew. You realise how lucky you were to have all the support available to you. All the teachers and staff there in person to help you.  You could see your friends 24/7 which you don’t really get once you leave school. Once you start working, trying to find time to be with friends now is almost impossible! I might see them 3 or 4 times a year at most.  It was a really nice time being involved in the different clubs and activities at school and the teachers were so nice and supportive.

My advice is if you find a teacher/staff member you connect with, stay in contact and be friends with them outside of school. There’s a teacher that I’ve recently come back into contact with and we’ve had dinner twice and he’s at that stage where he’s almost a mentor to me and I have learnt from his wisdom, so don’t ignore what your elders tell you! School staff have your best interests at heart…

The boys: Thank you very much for your time Abi.

Abi: Thank you. My pleasure.

 


Students in an English lesson

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING AT SCHOOL?

CAREERS

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A FIREFIGHTER?

On Monday 4th December, our Y10'S & Y11'S got the opportunity to meet Tyrell Richardson-Brown who is a London Firefighter based at Peckham Fire Station.  Tyrell is one of Mr Walker's closest friends whom he has known for many years and is very much part of our family unit, so we invited him to come in and talk about his job over lunch.

Our students did themselves proud and listened respectfully to Tyrell who told them some of his background, his school journey, his career progression and other things from his life that he believed would be relevant to our students and, in return, they were totally engaged and obviously enjoyed taking part. Tyrell told us that he loves his job and that his colleagues at his station are like family to him - they have each other's backs and when they go into burning buildings, he knows they have complete trust in each other and what a great sense of team they share. He then gave our students the opportunity to ask him questions, of which there were many, not least of which was, what is it like dealing with real fires in our busy city and how much money do you earn! Fire Cadets were also mentioned and I am hoping to get Marco and Alex (below) to write a piece on that in our next publication so look out for that. Fire Cadets takes place at New Cross Fire Station.

MARCO, TYRELL & ALEX
SAHEEM IN THE GEAR!

Tyrell talked about how important it is for us to talk to each other, especially when we are struggling with sad thoughts/life's challenges/mental health issues/depression etc., and how important at times like these, it is to have friends you can trust.  Tyrell and Mr Walker have been friends for over 15 years and still play football together and when they are travelling to matches, they talk about things that bother them, so they stressed to our students that each of us should value our good friends... they are so important!

Both were moved by the following football video from Norwich City Football Club on Youtube about the importance of checking in on those around you.  Click HERE to watch.

At Peckham station they have unique artwork by local artist Nathan Bowen - check out Nathan's Instagram page HERE - on the side of their fire rig painted to support #OpSceptre - an anti-Knife Crime initiative. For more information on this, click HERE.

We hope to have a visit from one of our local Firestations with their Firetruck in the summer so that students can check the truck out in person.  Ms Nembhard is working with Tyrell to make this happen, so watch this space...

Thank you Tyrell for coming in and giving us time out of your valuable day off and for taking the care to ask questions of our students too.  They loved your visit and we look forward to working with you again in the near future!  Also thank you for being brave and a part of a service that keeps us all safe!

IN CONVERSATION WITH ADJOA ANDOH AT CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY

ADJOA ANDOH - PHOTO BY CURTIS BROWN

On Monday 27th November, a group of Deptford Green Y10 students visited our link college - Gonville and Caius - at the University of Cambridge for a talk and Q&A with Adjoa Andoh.

Before meeting with Andoh, we were introduced to undergraduate students from Cambridge Afro-Caribbean Society and got to hear first-hand what it is like to study there. We also met with the admission tutor and gained a thorough understanding of the application process and what they are looking for in an application.

Adjoa Andoh is a renowned stage, radio, film, and TV actress celebrated for lead roles at the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 2019 she conceived, co-directed, and played Richard II at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the UK’s first all women-of-colour production.
She has also appeared in films such as Hollywood movie Invictus alongside Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon and has narrated over 150 audiobooks, including 'Americanah' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

She portrays Lady Danbury in the Netflix series Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte. She also appears in the series The Witcher with Henry Cavill.
Andoh is visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre at the University of Oxford and an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a judge for the 2023 Booker Prize.

Andoh generously and enthusiastically shared her illustrious career and her journey from studying Law to becoming an actress with an audience of about 50 school students from South East London and 50 university students. She answered questions regarding her experiences as a Black woman in the creative industries and it was fascinating to hear about her accomplishments and the challenges she has encountered and what she does to ‘lift others’.

Students commented “I think it was motivating to hear of her experiences and to be encouraged to share our stories and to be reminded that everyone’s voice is important. Even if you do not want to go into the Arts or to be an actress, it was insightful, and all her advice can be applied to other paths and interests.”

Thank You Ms Nembhard.

Just a reminder to log into and use our Careers Platform...

HAVE YOU BEEN GREAT SO FAR THIS TERM? #BEGREAT AND RECORD ONE OF YOUR EXPERIENCES ON XELLO

All students at Deptford Green have an account and have access to Xello.

WE CHALLENGE ALL STUDENTS TO UPLOAD AT LEAST ONE EXPERIENCE TO THEIR XELLO PORTFOLIO!

Have you attended an after-school club or other enrichment activity this 1/2 term? 

What did you make in cooking club? What about Media club? How about Gardening Club? Did you design something amazing in DT? Did you take an amazing image in Photography? How are you getting on with your Duke of Edinburgh award?  What about the Sorentto trip? Have you attended a Drama club out of school or auditioned for or got a part in our school’s production?  Did you complete or join the Envision Programme? Have you uploaded it to the platform?

Are you proud of your team’s victory after a tough football game against another school?You visited a gallery or another workplace? You applied to a sixth form or Colfe's?

Whatever you’ve accomplished this year so far, PLEASE GET INVOLVED! We want to see the incredible variety of interests and achievements of all our Deptford Green students; we can’t wait to celebrate this with you! Don’t be shy, BE GREAT AND BE PROUD!

What we are looking for:

  • Evidence of what you have done uploaded to your portfolio. It could be a picture, a photo, a certificate, a video, a link to a website or a paragraph you have written about your experience. Your choice, but we need to see clearly what you have got involved in.
  • A reflection (a sentence) on one thing you enjoyed, one thing you learned and one thing you found challenging. Link it to LORIC Skills and our GREAT values.

Watch this video on how to showcase your work with Xello portfolios  - click HERE

To find out how to access Xello from home, click HERE

Ms Nembhard wants to give a special mention to the following pupils for engaging, regularly and meaningfully, with the platform in November:

Emmanuella Y10, Lily Y11, Kareem Y10, Holly Y10, Aquila Y10, Robbie Y10, Lovia Y11. Congratulations to you all... 


ART & TEXTILES

This week Y9 art students visited Goldsmith's CCA gallery for part two of their workshops exploring the Karrabing Film Collective. Previously the students worked in groups to take polaroid photographs which told a story inspired by the films made by an Indigenous group in Australia. Delving deeper into the themes behind the stories of the Karrabing Collective, students created set designs inspired by the footage and scenery captured in the film made in Australia. They created 3D collages using found materials, images, coloured papers and fabrics to set the scene for the images taken in the previous workshop. Lots of beautiful work created and the students enjoyed learning about different tribes and ways of living. They loved visiting Goldsmith's CCA and would like to go again in the future. 

Thanks Ms Greenhalgh.

Ahead of the Portrait competition that will be announced later this week, here are some of the portraits currently on display in our amazing Art Corridor...

HOT OFF THE PRESS! Brand new Y8 Portraits display...

ENGLISH/LIBRARY

We have launched a short story writing competition - please encourage your child/children to get involved.

We are about to put on Parent Pay our most recent Poetry Anthology which you will be able to buy and our Black-Out Poetry Anthology also, so look out for these.  After its closing date and once the Short Story anthology is compiled and published, it will be available to purchase too so get writing Deptford Green!

MUSIC

The Turning of the Year Choir & Concert

Last week we were lucky enough to be a part of Lewisham Music Service's 'Turning of the Year' concert 2023. We lost a few members to illness during the week of the concert but that didn't stop us! The 10 pupils that made it sung 5 songs with other schools and 1 solo song, and impressed so much in rehearsals that they were given the responsibility of singing some crucial harmonies. They rose to the challenge excellently and we are very proud of them. We have also uncovered some hidden dance talents throughout the process! Watch out for those skills!

Thank you Mr Hill and Mr St Luce for the photograph...

SPORT @ DG

FOOTBALL

Y7 footballers from left to right: Back Row - Daniel, Ilyes, Mattias, David, Charlie, Matthew, Front Row - Clement, Joshua, Etienne, Cristian, Yahya

The Y7's played Prenderghast Ladywell.  They gave a good account of themselves and learnt a lot of lessons from the experience. Clement was on the score sheet for DG so well done Clement!

BASKETBALL

From left to right: Top Row - 

Well done to the Deptford Green boys U14's team who took on Bonus Pastor in the Lewisham championships. They won 27-09 with Caleb and Kobi having particularly strong games. 

EXTRA CURRICULAR CLUB REPORT - MEDIA CLUB

In Media Club they got to do some 3D modelling this week using plasticine.  Check out some of the excellent models they produced.  Certainly they are a happy bunch and there is much fun and laughter at this club along with obvious creativity!

GARDENING CLUB

Gardeners continue planting despite the cold!  #Superbloom project. A wildflower meadow coming soon. Let's be 'Bee' friendly!  Thanks Ms Manning!

A Symposium at Second Wave Youth Arts

EATHAN Y10 AT SECONDWAVE

Second Wave Youth Arts is one of our significant community partnerships. We have worked with them for many years now on various projects, including their award winning Shadow Games, which looks at issues around online grooming and extremism. Many of our students are members at Second Wave and get involved in their ats programme.

On Thursday last week, they hosted a Symposium on Safe Neighbourhoods it was an inter-generational audience of 58 participants - including young people (aged 14+), Lewisham parents, local neighbours, community partners, academic colleagues, and police officers.

The presentations and creative work produced by Second Wavers offered an excellent stimulus for the subsequent conversations and debate. May of the performers were Deptford Green students past and present. One of the projects was a film created by a group of young women which we hope to exhibit at our upcoming Christmas Showcase: All The Trimmings, on the 19th December.

These discussions addressed several key questions:

  • What are the main threats to the safety of young women and young men?
  • What could help young people to trust the police when they need protection?
  • How can young and older people work together to solve the problems of violence in our communities?
  • How can our communities respond to prevailing high levels of hate crime and social division?

Particularly on display was the creative leadership skills and eloquent voices of young people throughout these conversations - with very clear evidence of their views being respected and taken seriously by other members of the audience.

These conversations mean that the voices of young people were heard loudly and clearly by community leaders of all types, who will take this away with them and inform their respective planning and strategy.

Thank you Mr Paish & our SecondWave students 


HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT CONFLICT & WAR: UNICEF

When conflict or war makes the headlines, it can cause feelings such as fear, sadness, anger and anxiety wherever you live. Children always look to their parents for a sense of safety and security – even more so in times of crisis. Here are some tips on how to approach the conversation with your child and to provide them with support and comfort. Click HERE

FROM PARENTZONE LEWISHAM:

Dear Parents/Carers,

If you're looking for some quick and easy tips to take control of your digital life, Parent Zone, the experts in media literacy, will be live streaming a short 6 minute video on 12th December at 4:30pm.

The video can be watched via the YouTube link below and can be watched back any time. Click HERE to watch

You can find even more resources to help your family build habits to feel more in control online - click HERE

Click HERE to learn more about Kooth's services for young people. So far this year, more than 130,000 children and young people have signed up to Kooth, and there have been over 1.1 million logins to the website. 

  • Support guides for students: Share our 6 new support guides for students, which offer helpful advice and information on social anxiety, eating difficulties, self-injury, suicidal thoughts, and safety plans, in addition to a young person's experience on Kooth.
  • National Grief Awareness Week (2-8 December): Keep an eye on our Instagram during grief awareness week. We'll be sharing a series of videos to support young people struggling with grief.

WHAT IS PLACE2BE & HOW DOES IT WORK IN SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS?  

•Place2Be is a school counselling service offering support to students in school
•It is a listening service
•We listen without judgement
•You can tell Place2Be anything you want to
•It is your choice what you share
 
 

•Is available to all students in school (unless your parent/carer has opted out of our service)
•Is a lunchtime service and is 20 minutes’ long
•For Years 7/9/11 it is held daily from 13:00-13:20
•For Years 8&10 it is held daily from 13:50-14:10
•Students can have up to 6 Place2Talk sessions with Alison or Lilly each academic year

PLACE2TALK - MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

•Opposite the Place2Talk office is a red post box
•Take an appointment slip below the box matching your year group
•Write your name and tutor group
•Remember the day and the time on the slip
•Put it in the post box

Place2Talk/Mental Health Ambassadors

•If there are no slips/times available and you need to speak to Alison/Lilly URGENTLY…
•…Tap on the Place2Be Office door
•UNLESS  the Session in Progress sign is on the door, in which case speak to an adult you trust and/or come back to see Place2Be later
•If you forget to come for your appointment time, that’s okay! Just make another appointment request 
 
MENTAL HEALTH AMBASSADORS TALKED TO THEIR TUTOR GROUPS THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL THIS WEEK
MILLIE IN 8KN TELLING HER TUTOR GROUP ABOUT PLACE2BE IN HER ROLE AS A MENTAL HEALTH AMBASSADOR

Network Event

CAMHS Virtual Waiting Room

An exciting development with interactive sessions that run on the first Tuesday of the month online 10am-11.30am. Information is shared about CAMHS and mental health, strategies and resources for families to use and a chance to ask questions. 

Please note – this is ONLY available to parents/carers whose children are on the waiting list to be seen in Lewisham CAMHS. To get your tickets (and ONLY if you are on the waiting list) click HERE

The Parenting Space

A co-developed platform from the CAMHS Digital Team alongside a group of parents with useful psychoeducation, resources, tips and advice from both professionals and parents. For good parenting ideas to support child and family wellbeing based on research, evidence and experience, click HERE

Facebook - click HERE  Instagram - click HERE  Youtube - click HERE

Check out the latest newsletter from LPCF - click HERE

IF you have any appropriate-aged teen/young adult books that are sitting around  at home that you no longer want, please could we have them for our library and/or tutor rooms so that we can help strengthen our students love for reading. All donations gratefully received.

Also if you have any unwanted uniform that your child/children has outgrown - especially blazers! we are always needing to lend students uniform for the day where they have forgotten or lost various items of uniform to avoid getting a missing uniform detention.  These items will also be gratefully received.  Thank you.

A final reminder to

PLEASE PUT YOUR CHILD'S NAME ON THEIR UNIFORM!

Again we are having SO MANY items left around the building and in these instances, we are unable to match lost property with the rightful owners which means you have paid out hard earned cash only to have to buy the items again. Thank you.