Trees

Hello Trees families,

Our students have been involved in another fun-filled term full of learning and creativity. Here’s a glimpse of what each class has been up to recently:

7T1 Baking Cakes & Autumn Mobiles  

Students in 7T1 have been working on their baking skills, crafting delicious cakes in the kitchen! Alongside this, they took inspiration from nature to create beautiful mobiles on an autumn walk, using leaves and seasonal colours to capture the spirit of the season.

8T2 Keyboard Skills  

The music room has been buzzing with energy as 8T2 students explored keyboard skills. This hands-on experience has allowed them to build confidence in playing and experimenting with new sounds.

8T1 Drawing Flowers and Plants  

Our budding artists in 8T1 focused on drawing flowers and plants. With each sketch, they honed their observation skills and captured the intricate details of the natural world around us.

Mondrian-Inspired Art & Fireworks (7T3, 7T4, 8T4)

Inspired by the bold, geometric works of Piet Mondrian, students in 7T3, 7T4, and 8T4 created stunning artworks using colour blocks and lines. They also dove into firework-inspired pieces, adding splashes of vibrant colour and energy to their work.

7T2 Photography for DofE

Students in 7T2 took part in a photography project as part of their Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) activities. They explored different angles and perspectives, capturing unique and thoughtful images.

8T3 Emergency Services Investigation for DofE  

8T3 embarked on an investigation project focusing on emergency services as part of their DofE learning. This engaging activity allowed them to understand the importance of these services and gain valuable knowledge.

Decorative Biscuits & Life Skills (8T2 & 8T3)  

In Life Skills, 8T2 and 8T3 enjoyed a decorative biscuit session, complete with cups of tea! They learned the art of baking, decorating, and serving with a warm beverage, which was a delightful experience.

Fruit Kebabs & Instructions (7T3, 7T4, 8T4)  

In culinary class, students in 7T3, 7T4, and 8T4 made colourful fruit kebabs and practiced writing step-by-step instructions for preparing them. This activity promoted healthy eating and essential writing skills.

Autumn Lanterns & Halloween Art  

The spirit of autumn and Halloween is in full swing with students creating lanterns, pumpkins, and spooky-themed art. 8T1 in particular showcased fantastic pumpkin art that captured the essence of the Halloween season.

7T2 Drawing from Observation & Shading  

7T2 focused on refining their shading techniques while drawing from observation. This exercise has helped them develop depth and realism in their artwork.

Thank you for your continued support. We’re looking forward to sharing more updates with you soon!

Best regards,  

The Trees Phase Team

Aspire4u Dudley Support Circles

The holiday season can be a busy and sometimes overwhelming time, making it essential to stay mindful of how the added demands of this season can affect our mental health. Aspire4u is a community interest company in the West Midlands, offering low-level mental health support to adults in Dudley. They are dedicated to helping individuals understand and manage their mental well-being by providing positive activities, groups, 1-to-1 support, and peer-led experiences.

Aspire4u also develops and delivers projects that focus on understanding mental health, financial well-being, and personal purpose. Working alongside local authorities, statutory services, housing associations, schools, and non-profits, Aspire4u creates tailored programs for specific community needs, including therapy, group sessions, and psychological education.

Referrals to Aspire4u can be made through the Dudley Council referral system, or individuals can self-refer directly, see here.

How to stay safe online over Christmas.

As we approach the holiday season, many of us will be shopping online for gifts. To help keep you and your family safe online, please remember to use secure websites, avoid clicking unfamiliar links, and protect your personal information. For more tips on staying safe online this Christmas, please click this link.

Anti-Bullying Week

This Anti-Bullying Week, Sutton School stood together to celebrate our differences and show our support for inclusion. This simple act reminds us of the beauty in diversity and reinforces our commitment to making our school a safe, welcoming place for everyone.

At Sutton School, we proudly uphold our core values of courage, forgiveness, safety, honesty, and respect. These values drive our commitment to stand against bullying in all its forms. With each of our pupils bringing unique strengths, perspectives, and personalities, we recognise that our differences make us stronger. This week and every week, we are united in fostering a community where everyone feels safe, respected, and valued.

Kingship and Care Support information

At Sutton Special School, we celebrate diversity and understand that our children come from a variety of family backgrounds. We are pleased to share information from Dudley Local Authority about the support available for kinship carers and families. This includes valuable resources, advice, and assistance tailored to those providing care for children within their extended family or close networks.

Kinship has upcoming training workshops for kinship carers, including an exciting announcement around the new offer from January.   

Current training 

Sessions for the rest of 2024 are now available for carers to book through our website. You can find the specific link for the next version of each workshop below, so please do share directly with your network of kinship carers, and any social workers working with them: 

Introduction to kinship care - 18 November 2024 — 7:30pm - 9:00pm 

Managing contact for kinship families – practical tools and tips - 20 November 2024 — 10:00am - 11:30am 

Managing contact for kinship families – the emotional journey - 25 November 2024 — 10:00am - 11:30am 25 November 2024 — 10:00am - 11:30am 

Preparing for sensitive conversations with kinship children - 26 November 2024 — 7:00pm - 8:30pm 

Understanding trauma and attachment in children - 27 November 2024 — 9:30am - 11:00am 

Understanding formal kinship care arrangements - 28 November 2024 — 10:00am - 12:00pm 

Understanding local authority support: information session for kinship carers - 2 December 2024 — 12:00pm - 1:15pm 

Overview of the EHCP and SEND process - 13 December 2024 — 10:00am - 11:30am 

Future training 

They are also excited to announce the will be launching more free workshops on in January.  

Understanding what financial support is available to kinship families 

Supporting your kinship child at school 

Dealing with emotional challenges as a kinship carer 

Understanding foetal alcohol spectrum disorder    

Exploring cultural heritage in kinship families 

Managing challenging behaviour in children in kinship care 

Understanding how to keep children in kinship care safe online 

Understanding drug and alcohol misuse as a kinship carer 

Life story work with children in kinship care 

We will share more information on dates and sign-up process for carers in the coming weeks.