Newsletters

DEPTFORD GREEN NEWSLETTER

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ISSUE: 25th JULY 2023

HEADTEACHER'S KEY MESSAGES

Image of the headteacher Ms Thurston
HEADTEACHER: MS THURSTON

"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour, and some style." Maya Angelou

We have finally reached the end of a very long but very successful year here at DG. On Monday all year groups were out of the building on their rewards trips and the reports back were that everyone had fun and that they enjoyed their time at the beach, the park or the cinema. On Tuesday we had a mixture of tutor time, lessons and then rewards assemblies, then school was 'out for summer'!

Last week we had an amazing Sports Day and all staff agreed this was one of the best we have ever had. Mr Melia did a fantastic job compering and organising the event alongside the PE team and Mr Charles won the hotly contested teachers race!. The smiles on many faces were such a delight to see and so many students were proud of their efforts and showed off their medals. We have many lovely photographs to share with you - look out through your child's Classcharts Announcements to view them. 

There have been so many wonderful events, achievements and opportunities this year, way too many for me to mention here, but I would like to take this opportunity to thank every single member of our school community for their input, commitment and full support. As we look ahead to September, our Y7 intake is full with students who selected our school as either a first or second choice. This makes us a very popular school in the local area and beyond.

The first day of term begins on September 5th for the new Y7 and selected Y11’s will be invited in for 1:1 academic review meetings. All other year groups should arrive for a prompt start at 8:35am on Wednesday 6th September.

As ever, the end of the school year means we say goodbye to staff who are moving on to other schools, relocating or else having a new adventure in life. We wish all of our leavers the very best and hope they keep in touch and update us on their progress.

My final words have to be about our students.  On a daily basis they amaze us with their tenacity, strength, resilience and ability to make us smile.

We wish you all a restful, happy and safe summer break. Looking forward to seeing you all in September.

Emma Thurston


WE SAY GOODBYE, THANK YOU AND WE WILL MISS YOU...

 

 



DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:

  • Tuesday 25th July - 1/2 Day END OF TERM - SUMMER HOLIDAYS BEGIN!
  • Wednesday 26th-Friday 28th July SUMMER SCHOOL NEW Y7'S
  • Monday 4th September INSET day with NO PUPILS
  • Tuesday 5th September New Y7 & selected Y11's only in school
  • Wednesday 6th September all years back to school
  • Friday 8th September - School Photographer in

TO SEE OUR TWITTER PAGE: CLICK HERE


HOT CHOCOLATE FRIDAYS

Photo of a cup of hot chocolate

THIS WEEK'S WINNERS ARE:

Ms Thurston celebrated Hot Chocolate Friday with this group of fantastic students who were identified as being fully engaged in the run up to their Work Experience placements or for how well they did during the week itself or even how they surprised themselves by learning something new and unexpected during their week in the world of work!  Well done to all of you! 

These are from left to right: Michael, Julia, Jessie, Beatrice, Esther, Layla, Jorja, Yusuf, Melissa, Laurence, Mohamed and Sean. Congratulations, you all did us and yourselves proud!


A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO SUPPORTED THE AMAZING 'OUR HOUSE' PRODUCTION!

Thank you firstly to all the wonderful students who bravely put themselves out there, learning lines, songs and moves and how to do costume changes in seconds flat! Putting hours in after long hot days at school, evenings, weekends and for simply being brilliant! They have put their heart and soul into this show and it certainly brought us joy! 

THE CAST GETTING PSYCHED UP TO START THE SHOW!

Thank you to Mr Heelbeck for directing the whole production and to Mr Jones in his role as Stage Manager. 

DANCE MOVES THAT CONTRAVENE ALL HEALTH & SAFETY RULES!

Thank you to Mr St Luce who brought his expertise to all things technical and taught the Tech Crew students - Thomas (y8) Kimario (Y10) Esme (Y10) and Jack (Y9) how it's done and for getting everyone through a steep learning curve with some of our new mic and sound packs! 

Thank you to Mr Hill in his role as Musical Director and all the other members of the outstanding band - Ms Daszek-Green, Vanessa Parker, Casey Cronyn, Rishabh Jain, Andres Moron and Charlie Hall who brought that iconic and upbeat music flooding through the airwaves!

Thank you to Mr Curran, Mr Chana and Mr Djordjevic for putting together the sets and to Mr Paish, Ms Pritchard and Ms Bartlett-Garrard for all their support in painting it and helping get it all to such a successful finished product; really skilfully done and the attention to detail was amazing!  Also, the side projections were fun to watch too and added perfectly to the story!

And here is a list of all the other wonderful people who contributed in some way to the production:

CAST: 

Ky-Mani (Y8), Lola (Y8) Michael (Y10) Maddi (Y10) Isobel (Y9) Kate (Y8) David (Y9) Jessica (Y9) Taiwo (Y9) Eathan (Y9)

ENSEMBLE: 

Reece (Y9), Daniels (Y10), Sheetal (Y9), Raheem (Y9), Lisa (Y9) , Queen (Y8), Ella (Y8), Florence (Y8), Micha (Y8), Inalen  (Y8)

CHOREOGRAPHERS: 

Loredana (Y10) Esme (Y10) Mr Ramsey

BACKSTAGE CREW:

Andrea (Y10) Sophie (Y8) J'Adore (Y10) Oliver (Y10) Loredana (Y10) Ms Calvert and Ms Hassen

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Ms Heiser, Mr Ticknell-Smith, Mr O'Halloran, Ms Bertram and The Premises Team for all their help and support.

Thank you also to our wonderful Parent Volunteers who helped in the Refreshments Room, namely: Nancy Leeming, Ruth Galinsky, Lisa Smith and Christelle Lafille and to Ms Bertram, Ms Heiser and Ms Courtney for their help with all this too.

And finally, thank you to YOU... our wonderful parents, carers, ex-students and friends who came and watched the performances and also bought refreshments, the sale of which contributed to the costs of putting on the show. 

We couldn't do this without you so thank you again!  We hope you had as much fun as we did! 

PHEW! THAT'S WELL DONE THEN...  OFF HOME TO SLEEP!

Take a look at all the hard work that Mr Curran and his team put in behind the scenes to build all our sets after their normal long days of teaching! Thank you to them for making the show look so good!

 


WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING AT SCHOOL?

AMAZING Y10 PHOTOGRAPHIC WORK FOR YOU TO ENJOY! 

MAITA

THALITA

ESME 

PHOEBE

ANABELEN

ELLA

SOPHIA

NADIA

SHERIA

OFELIA

LAURENCE

A MOBILE BY MAYMUNA

KESENA

ISABELLE

LISANIA

ALANIS

AVALICE

HAFSA

NAJMO

JORJA

AMBER


SPORTS DAYS - OFF-SITE & ONSITE!

MR WALKER OUTCLASSED BY A PROFESSIONAL BOXER!

It was lovely to see Caroline Dubois, a British Olympian and professional boxer and ex-Deptford Green pupil join us at the event.  Well done to Mr George for contacting Caroline and getting her to come along!  We miss you Caroline!  Lovely to see you... please come see us again soon.

Those students who did not go to the main event for various reasons, stayed on site and took part in the Alternative Sports Day and had a lot of fun in school.  Thank you to the amazing staff who were working with them and ensured they had an engaging and fun time! These were: Michelle Parkinson who organised it, as well as Keira Mckenzie, Keana Brown and the rest of the inclusion team.

Here are a few photos for you to see what went on! Lots of Water Balloons & Bean Bags!

Isabelle throwing a pink water balloon at a target - and my excellent photograph showing it hanging there in mid-air!

All are winners in this race!  Well done to everyone who took part...


YEAR 9 GRADUATION

The evening was a real success.  It was very well attended and attendees were firstly given the opportunity to purchase candles from the Y10 Young Enterprise Business group called Flame Co consisting of Arlo, Felix and Toky -  pictured below. Layla & Michael are also part of this group but were not available to photograph.

Then the evening itself began! Started off by some music with Mr Hill, Kehinde (y9) and Solomon (y10) on drums.

Then came the awards.... Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.  Y9, led by Mr Aniagwu (Head of Year) Mr Sinclair (Pastoral Leader) and the Y9 teachers and tutors had much to celebrate!

The Y9 Cheerleaders and a small selection of photos from the evening...

We wish them all the very best as they enter their GCSE pathway and hope it's a successful one for all of them!


CARNEGIE SHADOWING SCHEME - SUCH FANTASTIC BOOKS & READERS!

From left to right: Afizah (y7) Albert (y7) Inalen (Y8) Maurice (Y7) Kate (Y8), Lola (Y8) Xanthe (Y10) and Lisa (Y9) - You are AMAZING!

Who says reading can't be fun?

Over a number of weeks, these wonderful students read 7 books from the Carnegie Shadowing Award plus we had a party to celebrate completing them.  We had our own vote and pretty much everyone voted for 'I Must Betray You' by Ruta Sepetys as nationally, most students agreed that this was their favourite, but the official overall winner was 'The Blue Book of Nebo' by Manon Steffan Ros which was translated from a Welsh Dystopian Story (and I loved it of course! for obvious reasons). 

Do come to the library and borrow any of the Carnegie Titles - they are very much worth a read! Or ask any of the above students who will happily tell you all about them (but remind them - no spoilers!)'

I just want to say a particular thank you to Xanthe who has taken part in Carnegie for a few years now and won't be able to next year as she will be in the thick of her GCSE's!  Xanthe is a fantastic example of someone who READS FOR PLEASURE.  She is often in the library reading quietly, is always polite and engaging and should be proud that she has taken part regularly in this scheme (put it on your CV Xanthe!) It IS a commitment. We will miss you next year...

HOLIDAY READING CHALLENGE FOR Y7-9

Parents/Carers please can you encourage your children to have a go at any of the activities in the following slides.  Reading is SO GOOD for your child across all subjects and developing the love of reading is such a good skill, increases vocabulary and is so good for positive mental health!  Thank you for your support... This has been posted on their Classcharts as an announcement.

500 Words 2023: Everything you need to know: Click HERE


Y11 SCHOOL CAPTAIN VIDEOS - THE ELECTION IS ON!

Both staff and students have been voting and the results are here but check out the amazing videos they have made by clicking HERE

And the winners are:

Leyla, Dante, Julia and Faisal! Congratulations to all of them.... We look forward to seeing you in action!  No pressure.


DREAM DAYS: AN OVERVIEW

Our first set of first Dream Days at the end of June were a huge success. The Days have definitely helped to embed the Arts Specialism within the school. Pupils have fed back that they really enjoyed the opportunity to work in vertical groups and to take more ownership of their learning by engaging in creative and collaborative projects. Pupils created an escape room, investigated issues and opportunities in the local areas that were presented in an exhibition at the festival, other groups revamped the school garden, some pupils interviewed members of support staff and created a beautiful photographic display, there were some fantastic steel pan and samba performances alongside some very tasty jerk chicken and Vietnamese summer rolls!  

Pupils were given multiple opportunities to go off site and interact with the local community: the DT group visited a wood workshop in Bermondsey, the history/culture groups visited London of Museum, Docklands all Maths/Geography groups and Art/MFL groups investigated sites around the local area and/or interviewed members of the public, the food group went to Deptford Highstreet to purchase ingredients from local businesses. 

There were also a number of external partners that worked with different groups on site: History/Culture groups has a visit from Anna Ngyuen from the Museum of Home to listen to her Sonic Pho audio art piece and discuss British-Vietnamese identity, the graffiti group worked with a professional graffiti artist to create a piece on the theme of ‘Great’, the oracy group worked with talent manager and professional performance artist, Nico Jouavel, the music group participated in Samba workshop led by Andreas Moron-Ticino, the English/PE/Computing groups all had the chance to trying Kurling delivered by Doody’s Educational Workshops and to participate in Hip-Hop dance sessions let by Trinity Laban.   

The amazing I ‘heart’ DG art installation made by Art and MFL can be seen permanently on display in the main atrium. 

For our festival on Wednesday, 150 tickets were booked by visitors for the public section of the festival from 3pm to 4pm on Wednesday 28th June, with really positive feedback from parents and members of the community.

All in all the Dream Days were a huge success. We look forward to welcoming everyone again next year! 

Thank you Ms Davey for all you did for Dream Days  - you will be missed!


DREAM DAY DESIGNERS - DT

Students in group 5, ‘Dream Day Designers’ travelled to Bermondsey to a company called 'Goldfinch Furniture Design'. They specialise in designing and making furniture and wood based interior ‘fit outs’.  They have an in-house design team and skilled craftspeople.

One of the great things about Goldfinch is that they use wood from sources that would normally be discarded, such as trees that have fallen in storms and high winds or trees that have grown too close to buildings. They are also a charity which helps young people break into a career in making things; they support them, teach them and mentor them.

Once a tree has been cut down, it is cut into standard sizes and stacked to allow the moisture to dry out, this is called 'seasoning'.

Charlie, a project manager at Goldfinch showed us the seasoning process and explained how wood is processed to make it suitable for use.

As part of our project we decided to carry out some research into the local area of Deptford and the surrounding area. We took photos for inspiration and then used these as the basis of our making process.  Each student used their research to create hexagonal tiles; the design focus was to make a tile which had imagery which reflected the research they had done.  These are the students who were involved:

Joyce, Liam, Lekhi, Joelle, Omari, Zac, Xavien, Casey, Eve, Kemanee, Olabisi, Jessica, Veron, Ivan, Ivana, Jayden, Bentley-Rae, Mario & Maja.  Well done all of you...

Thank you Mr Curran.


Y10 DUKE OF EDINBURGH TRIP 

On the 1st and 2nd of July, 25 Y10 learners ventured over Seven Sisters Cliffs to complete their Duke of Edinburgh expedition. Learners walked from Eastbourne to Seaford, a distance totalling over 18 miles. Learners had two days to complete this distance but had to carry all the supplies they needed. At the end of day one everyone camped at Alfriston and had to assemble their own tents for the evening and cook their dinner using a camping stove. Our learners' resilience and perseverance throughout their experience was outstanding and their physical fitness mastered the challenge that was ahead of them.

Well done to them all on completing this part of their DofE Award!

Thank you Mr Stamp.

 


Y8 SPANISH WITH MS CALVERT

At the end of June, Y8 students were studying the film 'Coco' to explore the Day of the Dead tradition - what beautiful sugar skull designs! #diadelosmuertos 

 


ALL THINGS CAREERS

Y11 - GCSE RESULTS AND ENROLMENT

GCSE Results day is on THURSDAY 24TH AUGUST. We wish you the very best with it and in the meantime, we wish you an enjoyable, fun summer.

A few reminders, ahead of results day:

  • If you will not be around to pick up your results and enrol in your sixth form or college of choice, make sure you have a plan in place or talk to us.
  • If you have any questions about enrolment or need support to enrol or your results are not what you expected or you missed out on your place, please talk to Ms Nembhard on 0208 469 4896 or email on cnembhard@deptfordgreen.co.uk
  • Alternatively, you can attend the advice drop-in on Thursday 24 August 11am – 3pm at the Civic Suite 1 Catford Road, SE6 4RU

You are not just an ex-Deptford Green students, you will always be a GREAT DG student so become a part of our Alumni community and stay in touch by signing up: click HERE

Before you go:

Complete the intended destination survey form: click HERE or use the QR Code

Why?

• We have a duty to stay in touch with you and ensure that you all have a destination for September

• We might need to contact you regarding your results

If you have any questions or need help with enrolment, contact Ms Nembhard: cnembhard@deptfordgreen.co.uk or on 0208 469 4896

YEAR 8 - INTERNATIONAL WOMEN IN ENGINEERING DAY

HOCHTIEF-MURPHY Joint Venture invited Deptford Green students to London Power Tunnels site to learn about different roles within the engineering sector.

London Power Tunnels is an enormous infrastructure project currently building 32 kms of tunnels under South London, from Wimbledon to Bexley, to lay the electricity cables powering where we live, work and play.

Year 8 girls met with women working at National Grid and HMJV to learn about their job and all had excellent questions about the volunteers’ career journeys and what they enjoyed about their roles.

The girls also took part in a fun, problem-solving activity focusing on teamwork, communication and resilience, all skills needed in the construction industry. Then, using virtual reality headsets, they were able to experience being in a tunnel and act out an emergency response.

“Using the VR felt so real, I was a bit scared at the start, but I managed to stay calm and do all the steps needed to get out of the tunnel alive! I liked talking to the volunteers as well and seeing how what we do at school can help us get a good job”

We want to thank Megan from HMJV for her continuing support and Esmee and Georgia at The Construction Youth Trust for facilitating the visit. We look forward to visiting again soon.

'International Women in Engineering Day' celebrates the achievements of women engineers breaking barriers everywhere and challenges biases for a future where every aspiring engineer, regardless of gender, has an equal opportunity to thrive.

YEAR 8 & AI

My Tech Journey BY Tolúlọpẹ́ Ògúnrẹ̀mí

How can learning languages and enjoying Maths lead to a career in Computer Science? How can we ensure we develop Artificial Intelligence in an ethical way?

These were some of the questions that Year 8 students were asked to think about when they met Tolúlọpẹ́ Ògúnrẹ̀mí, founder of Coders of Colour an organisation that teaches young people to code.

A Londoner, Tolúlọpẹ́ is currently conducting research in computer science at Stanford University in California USA, specifically looking at natural language processing.

She encouraged Year 8 students to continue learning languages and enjoying Maths, start coding and be curious about the world around them.

 

Thank you Tolúlọpẹ́ for visiting Deptford Green.

Green Jobs: Could your career help protect the environment?  Check some ‘Green Jobs’ click HERE

Careers in Advertising - check out the IPA's super helpful resources for young people to learn about careers in advertising - click HERE

Careers in Publishing  - Publishers Association have pulled together some great job profiles for the book industry - click HERE

FREE things to do to connect with your creativity and boost your CV and network

YOUNG ANIMATOR OF THE YEAR COMPETITION

The Young Animator of the Year UK competition is for animators aged 11-18 from all across the UK, and the 2023 competition is now open!
This is a great opportunity for talented young animators to showcase their stop-motion, 2D or 3D animation skills and compete for prizes, including tours of world-famous Aardman Animations in Bristol and Blue Zoo Animation Studio in London.

Winning films will be announced and premiered at a special awards ceremony in November at Manchester Animation Festival - the UK's biggest animation festival!

Click HERE for more details and how to enter

SHOEBOX THEATRE HAVE LAUNCHED A FAB COMPETITION TO DESIGN A THEATRE SET IN A SHOEBOX!

Welcome to Shoebox Theatre 2023!

This year, for the very first time, we are launching Shoebox Theatre as an International Competition.

Competition Start Date: Tuesday 25th April 2023

Competition Closes: Friday 8th September

Submission date extended! Click HERE for more details

Examples of Summer Free activities. Get involved, #BEGREAT! Learn new skills, expand your network.

We are very proud of Naomi in Year 10 who has gained a place on the Imperial STEM summer school residential.  Well done!

If, like Naomi, you want to gain new skills, have something to add to your CV and push yourself out of your comfort zone, there are plenty of free activities you can sign up to.

For example:

Our friends at Clifford Chance Law Firm are inviting young people who will be entering years 9, 10, 11 and 12 to a free virtual summer school this summer.

Each week from 31 July, two speakers will talk about an industry and set a project. Young people will then complete the project to develop their skills and to win various exciting prizes.

The speakers cover a broad range of STEM and Arts subjects including the following:

  • SPACE: A representative from Amazon will be discussing space exploration.  The competition will be to consider what experiments could usefully be done in space. 

Prize will be a conversation with the team designing experiments for the International Space Station.

  • NOVELIST: An award-winning novelist will talk about the creative process of writing.  The competition will be to write a few engaging paragraphs.

Prize will be books donated by Merky the publishing company set up by Stormzy and Penguin Random House UK 

  • ECOLOGY: A zoologist at London Zoo will talk about ecology. The competition will be to design an ecologically friendly enclosure.

      Prize will be tickets to London Zoo. 

You will also meet a fashion designer, an engineer who worked at Porsche, a football commentator, a healthcare professional and a cartoonist and more. (See below)

PEPPO TUTORS: BRIGHTER FUTURES FOR ALL

If you prefer a short, face to face activity, why not go to the Young Creative Careers Day at Downham Library on Saturday 5th August. Meet with successful professionals in TV, film, game design, publishing, and more. Click HERE to book your spot.

REMINDER TO UPLOAD ALL THESE ACTIVITIES ON XELLO!

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

Click HERE to learn how to access Xello from home (previous newsletter)

31st July -2nd August at the Maritime Museum in Greenwich:

3 DAY CREATIVE EXTRAVAGANZA at Royal Museums Greenwich, working with architectural educators MATT+FIONA. You will produce creative responses to the objects and stories within the collection at the National Maritime Museum and get a unique insight into the world of the museum, architecture, and design, and literally shaping space! Outstanding for your CV's and definitely something WOW! to add to Xello!

Click HERE to find out more and sign up!

For girls Y7 to Y11, from July through to the end of August BelEve are running free social meetups, career insight days, and programme taster sessions, as well as mentoring opportunities, online programmes, and workshops. Escape room trips, Careers Insight Days from Beauty to Banking and more….see schedule and sign up HERE

ALUMNI NEWS:

CLASS OF 2016: TEO ALBERT - JUNIOR DESIGNER

Read all about how Teo has advanced since leaving DG...

SIXTH FORM: Royal Greenwixh BTEC Engineering

UNIVERSITY: Ravensbourne University London BA Product Design 

BEST MEMORIES /FAVOURITE THINGS @ DG: Music and D&T. I looked forward to days that had those lessons in them. Would not survive the week without them.

MOST CHALLENGING MOMENTS AT SCHOOL? Discovering a reason to stay in education. I wanted to do something I love so work wouldn't feel like working. I had failed D&T for my GCSE's when all my mocks were A/A*. I knew that design/engineering was my calling but I didn't feel confident in my abilities after my bad grades. I had to discover that my grades don't define me. Not in school or at uni. The only goal that matters is being one step ahead of where I was yesterday!

WHICH QUALIFICATIONS DID YOU STUDY AFTER DG AND WHERE? I went into sixth form at the Royal Greenwich Trust school but at the time it was Royal Greenwich UTC. I studied BTEC Extended Diploma (often times seen as a lesser qualification) in Engineering which gave me the qualifications to go to any uni that recognises it.

WHAT DO YOU DO NOW?  I'm a Junior Designer at a Digital creative studio called Action Rocket. I get to work with big brands such as Nespresso, Pizza Express and Pokemon. No two days are the same which is probably the most important thing for me!

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO STUDY THE SAME THING AS YOU OR WORK IN THE SAME FIELD? If you have a passion or want to get into a creative field you have to find a process. This can take a long time but one thing remains. Trust that you can do anything you put your will into. Trust the process.

Learn about the things you like and what interests you. That can be video games, sports, fashion, social media, you name it! Somebody designed it.

If money motivates you, there's A LOT of money in design. If drawing. making, animating excites you? You can do that and provide for your family.

My mother immigrated to England and trying to convince her about my goals to pursue design was difficult but when she understood my process and where it could take me, she was very supportive.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUR 15 YEAR OLD SELF? Not everyone will like you. And that's ok. The only opinion of yourself that matters is your own.

Web: FutureFirst.org.uk  Twitter: Futurefirstorg Instagram: Futurefirstorg

Facebook: futurefirst 

Thank you Teo - we look forward to seeing you soon!

We are incredibly proud of our Alumni and it is an absolute joy to see how they continue to grow and build on their skills, passion and achievements.

From the Class of 2018, we would like to congratulate:

  • Keeleigh-graduating from The Bartlett School of Architecture at UCL with a First Class Honours degree in Architecture. See some of Keeleigh's work HERE
  • David- graduating from Central St Martins with a degree in Graphic Communication Design - click HERE to see some of David's Work
  • Peter- graduating from The University of Liverpool with a 1st class honours degree in Economics

We are so happy for you and looking forward to you visiting us in school soon.

If you attended Deptford Green, become a part of our Alumni community, and stay in touch by clicking HERE

 


WHAT'S COMING UP?

Bon voyage! Current Y8 and Y9 pupils interested in French, History, Textiles + Art have the opportunity to come on a residential trip to Normandy in France in April '24. Pay a £50 deposit on ParentPay to secure your place. See below for details and contact zcalvert@deptfordgreen.co.uk for further details.

Spanish trip: 

All aboard! Current Y8 and Y9 pupils interested in Spanish, Sports Studies, Photography + Art have the opportunity to come on a residential trip to Barcelona in Spain in March '24. Pay a £50-£200 deposit on ParentPay to secure your place. See below for details and contact zcalvert@deptfordgreen.co.uk for further details.


We're providing a varied holiday programme with funding from the Department of Education.

A wide range of providers in Lewisham are supporting the delivery of this programme, offering various fun-packed sessions, including arts and crafts and sports. 

There will be free activities and lunches for children and young people who are: 

  • aged 4 to 16 years (reception to year 11)
  • in receipt of benefit-related Free School Meals

Each club will provide:

  • a wide range of exciting activities to suit different ages and personalities
  • fun physical activity sessions
  • free, nutritious and tasty food

The programme is provided during Easter, summer and Christmas.       

Click HERE for more details.

Thank you Ms Coffey  

Click HERE if you can't read the detail

THINGS TO DO OVER THE HOLIDAYS:

  • Young Greenwich Summer Camps - click HERE
  • Lewisham Holiday Programme food and fun - click HERE
  • Lewisham Youth Clubs - Click HERE
  • Visit the Southbank Centre - Click HERE
  • Visit the Horniman Museum - Click HERE
  • Visit Crystal Palace Park - Click HERE
  • Visit London - Click HERE
  • Clubhub - Click HERE
  • If it hot, visit Jeppe Heins Appearing Rooms fountains - click HERE and visit their roof garden
  • Visit Leake Street Graffiti Tunnel - click HERE
  • Lewisham Homes Activities - Click HERE
  • Wildlife Watch - Click HERE
  • Data Thistle Activities near you - Click HERE
  • Lewisham Card - Click HERE
  • Greenwich The Resident - Click HERE
  • Places To Go Lewisham - Click HERE
  • Activities for SEND Families - Click HERE
  • Royal Museums Greenwich - Click HERE
  • Day Out with the Kids - Click HERE
  • Which Cheap & Free things to do over the holiday - Click HERE
  • Visit Nunhead, London's GothicGem!

There are also some festivals:

Ladywell Fields, on 23rd July, there will be “Food Folk and Fun”- click HERE

The Deptford Carnival will be on Sunday 30th July; tickets are free. Click HERE

Beckenham Place Park Jam on August 6th and September 3rd - click HERE

These are only some suggestions - we have not investigated them fully but we hope you might find something here that is useful!  Enjoy...

SUPPORT SERVICES FOR STUDENTS DURING THE SCHOOL CLOSURE

If you or someone you know needs any support during the school holidays, there are a range of different services available to you.  Please contact one of the following support services who can give you more advice and guidance during school closure.  

If you or somebody else is in danger, or it feels like a situation might get dangerous and you need support right away, contact the police on 999.

 

Childline is a free, private and confidential service that you can access both online and on the phone. They can provide help and support for people up to their 19th birthday. Call free on 0800 1111 or Log in for a 1-2-1 counsellor chat: click HERE

You can access confidential emotional support at any time from Samaritans either by calling 116 123 or email:  jo@samaritans.org

Chat to a friendly counsellor, read articles written by young people, get free, safe, and anonymous online counselling support. Click HERE

24/7 text service, free on all major mobile networks, for anyone in crisis anytime, anywhere. It’s a place to go if you’re struggling to cope and you need immediate help. Text 85258.

CEOP help children stay safe online. If anybody acts inappropriately towards you or another child or young person online (such as sexual chat or being asked to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable), you can report it here.

Mental health services are free on the NHS. To get urgent medical help, use the NHS 111 online service, or call 111 if  you’re unable to get help online. Only available in mainland UK. For life-threatening emergencies, call 999 for an ambulance.

If you're worried about a child or young person, you can contact the NSPCC Helpline for support and advice for free - call on  0808 800 5000.

 

YoungMinds - click HERE has information for both young people and their parents. They also have a parents help line which is open Monday to Friday 9.30am-4pm on 0808 802 5544 (free for mobiles and landlines) as well as an email address: parents@youngminds.org.uk  They aim to respond to queries within 3 working days.

STRATEGIES TO MANAGE DIFFICULT FEELINGS

Young people can also use a series of strategies to help manage how they are feeling:

  • TALK TO A FRIEND/PARENTS/SOMEONE YOU TRUST about how you feel. Expressing how you feel can take a weight off your mind
  • WRITING DOWN HOW YOU ARE FEELING (even if you rip it up afterwards). Drawing or painting how you feel can be equally beneficial
  • USE DISTRACTION TECHNIQUES - Watch something funny, read something you enjoy, listen to music, use a colouring book, complete puzzles.
  • CREATE A SPECIAL BOX – put in here photos or items which are important to you or that have good memories attached. You can also include things that comfort you like your favourite food or add in a stress ball. During times you are feeling a little better, you could write yourself a letter about all the strengths you have in your life at the moment to remind you during times when things are more difficult
  • TRY NOT TO ISOLATE YOURSELF, even if you feel like being on your own in your room; push yourself to be around other people.
  • LOOK AFTER YOURSELF: Sleep well and keep up a steady diet. These things can help provide a little boost to your mood. The internet can be a helpful resource for sleep hygiene and balanced diet advice
  • KEEP SOME STRUCTURE AND ROUTINE, challenge yourself to do activities around the house

REMEMBER IN AN EMERGENCY:

If you or your family have concerns that you are no longer able to keep yourself safe, go to your local A&E or call an ambulance in an emergency.

 

 

 

Thanks Ms Stanghon

 

FREE WEBINAR FOR PARENTS/CARERS OF CHILDREN STARTING SECONDARY SCHOOL: AUGUST 9TH 2-2.45 BY ZOOM

The move from primary school to secondary school can feel both exciting and overwhelming for your child. It can also be a anxious time for you as a parent or carer as your child takes the next step in their education.

This free webinar for parents and carers will explore ways that you can support your child during this period of change.

About this webinar

This webinar will be run by mental health and education experts from Anna Freud.

It will cover:

  • potential difficulties or worries associated with the transition to secondary school
  • how best to support your child
  • a number of different coping strategies and techniques for dealing with change.

Who is it for?

This webinar is for parents/carers of children who are about to start secondary school.

Click HERE to find out more and sign up

PARENTS/CARERS: MAKE THE FIRST MOVE FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

Check out this wonderful website from the NHS with top tips for being active for your mental health and a sign-up for anxiety easing emails... click HERE for a wealth of help!

THE FREE MINDFULNESS PROJECT

The focus of this site is mindfulness as practiced in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and other closely related approaches. Click HERE to find out more... 

Check out the latest newsletter from LPCF HERE


TURN2US: CHARITY FIGHTING UK POVERTY

We know that poverty is an even bigger challenge than ever for so many families and that it has such a detrimental impact on mental health. It was also the number one issue highlighted by The Chatty Council, one of our wonderful school councils in the North East.

To help those struggling, our friends at Turn2Us have created a terrific tool for families to check what benefits and grants are available to support with essentials.  

Thank you Ms Kelleher

HAVE A WONDERFUL SUMMER BREAK EVERYBODY!