Post on 31-Jan-2020
St. Joseph’s Specialist School & College Newsletter
Volume 6
Friday
23 July 2014
Letter from the Principal
Dear Families and Friends
Well we have reached the end of an Outstanding year for learners and staff alike. This
afternoon, colleagues will be having their own presentation of
peer awards for the members of staff who have gone the extra
mile. We will also be saying goodbye to a few colleagues -
fortunately no teachers or school leaders this year.
Yesterday, at KS 4/5 Presentation Evening, we said goodbye
for the final time to a number of our young people moving to
pastures new. You will see inside that this really was the last
in a number of events, including Leavers Mass, Surrey
Presentations and the Proms night. I always feel incredibly
proud of all that the leavers have achieved. It was often
difficult for families and staff to keep tears at bay as they came
up to receive their Records of Achievement.
Most of our learners will of course return in September for
another exciting year of learning at St. Joseph’s. I know the Key Stage leaders, with the Leader
of Learning and Achievement, have worked particularly hard this term to ensure that our
curriculum meets the very different needs of all learners at the school and college. They will be
letting you know any significant changes as soon as they can.
I am pleased to tell you, that in the Autumn Term we will
be opening a second Supported Living Unit in Beare
Green, for 7 young adults with complex needs. Alan Day,
Leader of Residential Services has worked tirelessly to
make this happen.
Next year’s (2014/15) Whole School Target is to for all of
us at St. Joseph’s to work with families to promote further parental engagement in their child’s
learning. Do let us know what we could do to make this easier/more possible for you. A
questionnaire to gather your voice will be going out to all families in September.
It only remains for me to wish you all a very happy
Summer Holiday. Let’s hope the good weather we have
had over the past few weeks continues.
We look forward to welcoming
those returning to school on
Wednesday 3rd September between 10.15am and 10.30am.
Thank you for your support over the past year.
With our prayers and love,
Amlets Lane, Cranleigh, Surrey GU6 7DH
Tel: 01483 272449 Fax: 01483 276003
Email: Office@st-josephscranleigh.surrey.sch.uk
Web: www.st-josephscranleigh.surrey.sch.uk
St. Joseph’s Specialist School & College Newsletter Page 2
Today we say good bye and good luck to the fol-
lowing staff. We thank them for all their hard work
and wish them well for the future.
Jake Willard
TA
Frances Pratt
STA Jo Whitfield
TA
Vicky Hussey
Senior Office Administrator
David Millar
TA
Yola Wilkins
Deputy School
Business Manager &
Clerk to Governors
Jonathan Pool
Music Therapist
Alex Gill
TA Julie Fluker
STA
Kishan Parekh
Dance Specialist Educator
Congratulations to Briony Moore (OT) and her
fiancé Stuart who are getting married this summer.
Lucy Ingham
52 Week Care Worker
St. Joseph’s Specialist School & College Newsletter Page 3
Contents
Pages 2 & 3 Staff News
Page 4 Staff Profile: Charlotte McCulloch
Page 5 Bastille Day
Page 6 Geography Mark, Schools in Bloom; Pavilion News
Pages 7 Leavers’ Mass Report
Page 8 St Francis Class Outings
Page 9 Leavers’ Presentation at Sandown; Prom Night
Pages 10 St. John’s trip to Portsmouth
Page 11 For Sale
Page 12 Dates for the Diary - Autumn Term 2014
Further congratulations go to John Wright our
Chaplain and his wife Claire on the birth of their
daughter.
Georgia Lindsay Therese was wel-
comed into the world last Friday at
1.00am weighing 8lb 3oz. Both
Georgia and Claire are doing really
well and resting at home.
Many congratulations to Fairley Allan who
graduated on the 11th July as a Master of
Arts at the University of Sussex. He studied
in his spare time for three years, writing
papers on Makaton, the teaching of a social
sight vocabulary and carrying out research
on the transition from St. Joseph's to
post-19.
The graduation ceremony was held at The
Dome in Brighton. Sadly the Chancellor of
the University, the actor Sanjeev Baskar,
was away filming an episode of Doctor Who.
Jean Bowler will also be leaving us this Summer because she is
retiring.
Jean has worked at St. Joseph’s for 21 years. In that time she
worked as a TA for 14 years and then applied for the position of
OT Assistant within the Therapies Department and was a
successful applicant. Jean has been the backbone of the OT
department and a valued member of the wider team. During the
seven years she has gone from strength to strength in developing
her knowledge and skills and leading on a number of OT
interventions. These have been namely eating skills, sensory
circuits, Jump Ahead (motor skills project) and self-help skills with
small groups and individuals. She has been their stalwart and
they will all miss her.
Jean is retiring to spend more
time with her family and friends
and we wish her much health
and happiness for her journey
into the next exciting phase.
St. Joseph’s Specialist School & College Newsletter Page 4
What type of person are
you?
Describe yourself in five words: Funny, intelligent, resourceful, bubbly, gregarious
What’s top of your to-do list? Sand my garden furniture
What’s your favourite biscuit? A rich tea cream finger
What’s your top holiday destination? USA
What wouldn’t you do for £1 million? ‘try me …..’
Who would play you in the film of your life?
Miranda Hart
Complete the following sentences
The celebrity I’d most like to have as a teacher at my school is:
Jeremy Clarkson
As a child I wanted to grow up to be: An astronaut
My most embarrassing moment in school:
I’ve only been here 6 months, so hopefully none!
If I’ve learned one thing, it is: Everything happens for a reason
I shouldn’t be telling you this, but …..
I once accidently ate bird poo
Tell us your best joke
What time does Andy Murray go to bed? Tennish!
Charlotte McCullough School Nurse
St. Joseph’s Specialist School & College Newsletter Page 5
14 Juillet – Bastille Day
Today we celebrated the storming of the Bastille and the French Revolution!
We had some wonderful actors dressed as Marie-Antoinette and Jacques (a
French peasant). We visited all the classrooms delivering hot, freshly
baked, buttery croissants. Delicious!
For lunch we ate a French feast cooked by the lovely ladies in the kitchen.
The menu consisted of Ragout de Boeuf or Ratatouille, finishing with a
yummy Tarte au Citron.
In the afternoon we all assembled in the school hall for a performance by our actors. They depicted the main
facts of the French revolution ending in Marie-Antoinette’s head being cut off by a ‘revolting’ peasant. We
waved our flags and listened to the Marseillaise (The French National Anthem).
As we all know Marie-Antoinette is reported for saying ‘Let them eat cake’ so we finished our lovely day with
cakes!
We raised just over £310 at the Fun Day selling the learners’ enterprise
products, other goods and through the raffle.
The money is being split 50/50 between long term planning for the swimming
pool roof and Missio a Catholic charity.
Missio supports Churches in 157 overseas countries by training priests,
building churches and combating injustice, disease, poverty and exploitation.
Thank you to everyone who supported us on the Fun Day.
St. Joseph’s Specialist School & College Newsletter Page 6
We have just received the good news that the school has gained the Bronze Primary
Geography Quality Mark. Geography Subject Leader Lucy Spiers worked on the Mark
over the year and submitted our evidence in May. This means that the school has been
recognised for its work towards how learners enjoy and achieve in Geography and its contribution to global
learning, citizenship, sustainable development, cultural and social inclusion, community engagement and
understanding topical issues.
The World Water Day event we held back in March was one of the contributing pieces of evidence, a day
enjoyed by all!
Geography Quality Mark Success
2014 Blooming Schools Competition
Last week we heard that we had been awarded
Silver-Gilt in the South and South East 2014
Blooming Schools Competition. We only
missed out on Gold by one mark.
In the Justification & Report the Judge, Jean
Griffin, praised our impressive building and
grounds and commented that Horticulture is at
the heart of the outdoor classroom.
Jan Durrant (Horticulture Specialist Educator)
and Gareth Davey (Assistant Gardener) will be
attending the Awards presentation event on the
17th September at the AMEX Stadium Brighton.
Pavilion News
We thought you would be interested in a summer update
on progress regarding the building work of the Pavilion.
The walls have been completed, the concrete floor has
been laid, the new roof timbers have gone down and the
roof has been tiled - leaving an opening for the resident
bat. The internal walls have gone up and have been
plastered, the kitchen units will be going in soon as will
the utilities. The workmen have been taking advantage
of the good weather to connect the final drains and start
to lay the base for the foot path.
You will see from the photos below there has been a lot
of progress over the last few weeks, and we thank
Pilbeams and the new site manager, Wayne Bowles, for
keeping everything on track.
Steve Fudge
St. Joseph’s Specialist School & College Newsletter Page 7
Leavers’ Mass
On Thursday we celebrated the Mass for our leavers. The whole school joined together in
the school hall to celebrate the time that learners and staff have spent here and the
friendships formed.
It was a lovely service with the stage decorated with plants grown at St. Joseph’s and music provided by
our folk band, with signing and singing led by the Therapies team. The site and building team did a great
job of transforming the hall into a special place to celebrate and pray.
Some learners who will be leaving us found the service moving and emotional. They were reminded that
you can feel sad when you are leaving a place that you have been happy at, so in a way, being sad is a
good thing because it reminds you how much love and good times you have experienced.
All the leavers were presented with an olive wood, holding, hand cross made in the Holy Land to remind
them of their time at St. Joseph's. Staff who were leaving were presented with a candle to remind them to
carry the light of St. Joseph's in their hearts wherever their life journey takes them next.
Father David gave all leavers a special blessing and after the final hymn, Father David led the leavers, their
families and friends to the chapel to enjoy a lovely afternoon tea provided by the kitchen staff.
Here are the comments made by our leavers when asked what they will miss most about St. Joseph’s.
"Going out on trips on the minibus" Peter
"I have mostly enjoyed music, art and
ICT particularly the animation. I have
been here for 5 years, and made good
friends particularly Jordan" Toby
“Our day out at Chessington was
my favourite” Rachel
'I have made good friends' Alex
“My best time was in St
Francis class” Lukas
“The friends I have made”
Robert
“The food in the dining room” Aaron
“The worksheets at Satro bus
and the work experience in the
office” Ahmed
“I like St. Joseph’s. It is a
nice school” Cameron
“I am going to miss my fun,
mostly understanding and
slightly dysfunctional St.
Joseph’s family” Moira
“Seeing my mate Brendan on
work experience”
Ian
St. Joseph’s Specialist School & College Newsletter Page 8
Fun on the ocean waves for St. Francis Class
Last week the leavers group in St. Francis class were lucky enough to have two exciting trips out. The
first was on Monday when they travelled down to Southsea Portsmouth and boarded the Hovercraft for
a round trip to Ryde on the Isle of Wight. Everyone really enjoyed the experience of trying alternative
public transport as part of their Travel Project.
Later, they had lunch together at a seaside café, the warm weather allowing them to eat outside.
St. Francis Class - Road Truckers
Later in the week there was more
excitement for the class when they were
invited to Dunsfold aerodrome and were
treated to rides round the race track in
some Cranleigh Freight trucks.
The owner, Colin Young joined them and
gave lots of encouragement to the
learners. They all thoroughly enjoyed the
experience and some even had more than
one go.
Mr Young, is a supporter of St. Joseph's
and handed out the certificates at the
Block Work Presentation Evening back in
April this year.
St. Joseph’s Specialist School & College Newsletter Page 9
Surrey Special Schools
Presentation at Sandown Racecourse, Esher
On Friday 18th July ten of our leavers attended
Sandown Racecourse with their staff for the FE
award celebration. After refreshments, all Surrey
special schools joined together for the presentation
of certificates and National Record of Achievements
to the leavers.
The event was attended by some of our parents who
enjoyed the beautiful setting and the presentation
ceremony. Certificates were presented by Lady
Toulson CBE who congratulated all the learners on
their achievements.
Surrey Special Schools Proms Night
Following our usual tradition we had a very special Proms
Day/Night for our leavers on Friday. After college finished
learners and staff put on their suits and posh frocks and
assembled on the front law for a photo shoot. After this, we all
headed off to Weatherspoons in Godalming for a special meal
together. Other staff who lived locally joined us to wish our
leavers good luck.
At 6.30pm four special cars arrived – two cabriolets, a taxi
and an executive car. After another photo shoot with the cars
the leavers were whisked away to Park Barn Day Centre.
There we met up with the other Surrey Special schools for a
disco and buffet. Every learner had the opportunity for a
professional photograph to be taken at the beginning of the
evening.
Even though the weather was very hot all the leavers and
staff enjoyed themselves dancing to favourite tracks and
having fun.
St. Joseph’s Specialist School & College Newsletter Page 10
On Thursday 10th July, the motley crew from the class of St John boarded the minibus and set out on a treacherous (and very exciting) journey to Portsmouth.
First port of call was the Historic Dockyards, where some spontaneous signing of “big boat” suggested that we were indeed in the right place. HMS Victory and HMS Warrior not only taught us about size, they also lent to some rather lengthy counting tasks, for although there were only 3 masts, there were many very tiny windows to keep some of the learners occupied for a fair while!
However, with the deck hands growing rowdy and ravenous (and that was just the staff!), we tucked into the veritable feast provided by our lovely galley staff, then headed a few leagues under the sea, to take in the sights and sounds of the Blue Reef Aquarium.
After a call from the ‘crow’s nest’ for “ice-creams ahoy”, we turned hard to port and set course for School. The crew returned to port weary, but all headed home ship-shape, knowing that we had just had the best ever adventure…….so far!!!
St. John’s Nautical Day Out Report by Captain Danielle Copeland,
Mistress and Commander of The Iveco 05
St. Joseph’s Specialist School & College Newsletter Page 11
FOR SALE TO LEARNER FAMILIES
iPad 2 (used) - £70
We have a number of iPad 2s that have been used by learners in St Joseph’s over
the past couple of years that are being replaced. Instead of taking up the supplier option of trading these iPad
2s in, we wanted to first give our learner families the opportunity to purchase at the trade in cost of £70.
If you wish to purchase a personal iPad (for home use) please email Sue Collins our Business Manager
(scollins@st-josephscranleigh.surrey.sch.uk) or by post to the school address. Provided your “order” is
received by 15th September 2104, Sue will ensure one is reserved for you. Only one iPad can be purchased
by each family.
Payment for purchased iPads will be done using the “School Money” system that many of you use already for
trips, life skills, pocket money, etc. Once payment has been processed the iPad will be sent home with the
learner.
This offer is available exclusively to learners’ families until 15th
September 2014, after which any unsold iPad 2s will be offered
to staff at St Joseph’s for the same price.
Page 12 St. Joseph’s Specialist School & College Newsletter
The next newsletter will be published on 12th September 2014
Dates for the Diary
Autumn Term 3rd September Learners return to School between 10.15 am - 10.30 am
17th September 10.30 am - 12.00 noon - Family Learning Coffee Morning - details to follow
19th September Jeans for Genes Day
21st September Greenpower Car Event at Dunsfold Park - timings to be confirmed
29th September Anti-bullying Week
15th October 10.30 am - 12.00 noon - Family Learning Coffee Morning - details to follow
w/c 20th October “Express Yourself” Arts Week Celebrations - further details to follow
24th October Last day of term - learners finish at 1.00pm
w/c 27th October HALF TERM
5th November Learners return to School between 10.15 am - 10.30 am
14th November Children in Need
w/c 17th November Road Safety Week
19th November 10.30 am - 12.00 noon - Family Learning Coffee Morning - details to follow