Rimon Class have been learning more about Ernest Shackleton and Antarctica the past two weeks. They have experienced what it would feel like to be a crew member onboard Endurance, completed obstacle courses in PE and timeline key events in Shackletonâs life. This week we have been learning all about Sukkot, writing party invitations, and constructing acrostic poems. We had our wonderful encirhcment day where we made sukkahs, paper mache etrogs, decorative sukkah lanterns and discussed the Ushpizin that visit our sukkahs. What a great two weeks!
Chag Sameach, Miss Rowan
These past few weeks we have been looking at three very special Jewish celebrations: Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Sukkot! This week we explored different materials used to make a sukkah and even made some out of Lego. We also made decorations for our Gesher Sukkah and some decorative lanterns to take home soon. We have also had a big push on reading and exploring new exciting books. Miss Emily loves reading and makes sure we have a story at the end of each day.
Chag Sameach, Miss Emily
Hi everyone! DâVash class have been working so hard over the past two weeks. The children are getting to know each other better and we are starting to see some lovely friendships developing. We have been concentrating hard in lessons and have been learning about shape and size. Last week we focused on making a family tree in Literacy and the children loved sharing photos of their families! DâVash class have also been doing lots of exploring in the forest area. Well done DâVash class for all your hard work and being lots of fun!
Shabbat Shalom, Miss Leigh.
Gesher School and the Harrow Jewish Day School Trust are excited to announce that Gesher Special Primary School will be moving to new premises at the former Moriah School, in Pinner. Gesher will relocate from its current site in Willesden to the new, larger site in Pinner in September 2021.
Gesher opened its doors in 2017 for pupils with mild to moderate SEN needs with a specialism in Autism. The school achieved an Ofsted outstanding across all categories only 7 months later. As a result of its success Gesher is now full and currently operating a waiting list. The move will enable the primary school to offer an additional 16 primary places, growing to accommodate up to 56 pupils and to expand offering a specialist secondary provision in September 2021. This will mean that there is a clear educational pathway for children and young people aged 5-16 as Gesher develops to become an all-through school ultimately offering 120 places to pupils across our community.
By moving to new premises and utilising an existing community resource we are confident that Gesher will become a vital part of the primary and secondary educational landscape within our community. Gesher will work with other schools offering support and outreach in SEN education, wellbeing and life skills and will strive to become a centre of excellence and hub of SEN expertise.
In addition to the expansion, the school is also planning to open an assessment and diagnosis unit, and research centre working directly with Professor Simon Baron Cohen and the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge.  The research unit will underpin the critical work the school is doing, ensuring it can provide a framework and evidence the direct impact of the Gesher way.
Says Sarah Sultman and Ali Durban, Co- founders: âThis is the fulfilment of an ambitious dream, one which we have worked at tirelessly; to enable our communityâs SEN children to have access to an education that meets their needs, allowing them to develop, flourish and reach their potential. Gesher is truly grateful to HJDST for affording us this tremendous opportunityâ.
Says Howard Zetter, Chair of Governors: âThis is a hugely exciting expansion project that will enable Gesher children and families to have a clear educational pathway and is testament to the huge success of the school, its necessity and its popularity in the communityâ.
Brian Leaver, Chair of Harrow Jewish Day School Trust, says: âWe are pleased to be able to welcome Gesher to our beautiful 3-acre site in Pinner and look forward to nurturing Gesherâs future growth in the buildings and grounds that were created with the generous help of our benefactors more than 20 years ago to educate Jewish children in this leafy corner of northwest Londonâ.
From The Chief Rabbi:
“The joy of a Jewish education should be as accessible to children with Special Educational Needs as it is to any other Jewish child. This broadening of Gesher School’s provision, facilitated now by the move to permanent premises, is a very significant addition to the landscape of Jewish education in this country. It will benefit many more families, in ways that will have a transformative impact on the lives of SEN children. I heartily congratulate the Gesher team, together with the Harrow Jewish Day School Trust, on this far-sighted collaboration and considerable achievement for our community.”
Press Release Gesher School Set For Move To Former Moriah Premises
It has been a busy week for Tamar Class! We have been getting to know our new classmates and new adults. Everyone has settled in beautifully! We have taken advantage of the sunny weather by spending a lot of time outdoors on the playground and exploring in the nearby forest. We introduced “The Solar system”, as our science topic for this half term and enjoyed celebrating World Literacy Day. We also had Rosh Hashana enrichment day which was an inspiring experience for all. We are looking forward to a wonderful term ahead!
Shana Tova, Miss Lauren, Miss Elise and Mr Ben
We have had such an exciting two weeks! We have been learning all about space and planets in our science lessons. We used this topic as an inspiration to write and illustrate our very own stories! We also used our creativity and imaginations to design our own bookmarks. The children have been engaged and have settled in beautifully!
Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tova, Miss Jessica
Rimon class have had a great first two weeks getting stuck into our learning and our topic âExploring the Antarctic.â The children have located Antarctica on a map, and began to hear about the explorer: Ernest Shackleton. We also have been learning about healthy, including making a healthy tuna pasta salad, where we chopped all the vegetables ourselves, we have also been going outside and exercising in the forest. In preparation for Rosh Hashana, we had a wonderful enrichment day where we made apple cake, and blew a shofar, wrote new years resolutions and wrote some prayers. Shana Tova everybody!
Gefen class have had a wonderful start to the school year with Miss Emily, Mr Ricky, Miss Laura, Miss Claire and Miss Jess. We have spent time building up our friendships and getting to know our new adults. There have been lots of smiles and fun activities for us all to enjoy! We are looking forward to spending the rest of the year making memories with your fantastic children! Shana Tova, Miss Emily
Dâvash class have had an amazing first two weeks at Gesher. All of our new children have settled in so well. I am very proud of how helpful and friendly all of the Gesher children have been towards them. We have been busy with lots of fun activities; art, cooking, P.E., Jewish Studies, Maths, Literacy, bucket time and lots of messy play. The children have all participated well in OT, SaLT and dramatherapy sessions. We have been learning school routines and had a great experience on Wednesday with our Rosh Hashana enrichment day. I am looking forward to an exciting year, filled with lots of achievements for D’vash!
To celebrate 20 years of supporting school breakfast clubs, Kelloggâs has awarded Gesher Primary Special School in Willesden ÂŁ1,000 to enhance the club and help feed children in the morning.
Gesher was selected to receive this boost as Kelloggâs announce they are to double their investment in breakfast clubs in 2019 as more and more schools struggle to find the budget to fund this service for their pupils.   Breakfast clubs help with everything from attendance and attainment to alleviating hunger and providing pre-school care. 68 per cent of teachers believe pupils would struggle to concentrate in class without their breakfast club, according to Kelloggâs research.
Tamaryn Yartu, Gesherâs Acting Headteacher said: âWe are so grateful to receive this generous donation. The resources we buy as a result of this funding will help us to provide our breakfast club services for our children and their families thanks to the support from Kelloggâs.â
Kate Prince, Corporate Social Responsibility manager, at Kelloggâs, said âWeâre proud to have spent 20 years supporting so many schools across the UK. We believe all children should have the opportunity to start the day with breakfast, and we know that equipment and resources are just as important to clubs as the food itself.â
Kelloggâs has supported 3,000 school breakfast clubs with funds, food and training over the last 20 years â thatâs 70 million bowls of cereal to children all over the UK since 1998.
