Introducing Gesher and United Synagogue’s Lead Advocate for Additional Needs

31st January 2024Website Admin

We are delighted to announce that Gesher School have partnered with The United Synagogue so that we can work together effectively, to make Jewish Communities more accessible, not only for our Gesher children, but for all children and adults with additional needs. In line with this, we have appointed Rivka Steinberg to harness the expertise of Gesher School and share it with our communities, in the role of Lead Advocate for Additional needs. She will be spending her time both at Gesher School and the Finchley US office.

In a previous chapter of my life, I spent many years working in scientific research. My interest in improving the quality of education and health services for children with Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND), developed, when my eldest daughter was diagnosed with a physical disability in 2005 and with it the requirement to become a strong advocate for all her additional needs. I trained with IPSEA (Independent provider of SEND legal advice) to develop a strong knowledge of the SEND legislation and I have used my broad knowledge and skills gained over many years, to advise parent carers on SEND matters. I have also worked for voluntary organisations, specialist settings and parent advocacy with Local Authorities.

My personal and professional experiences have seeded a desire and passion to share the knowledge acquired in my own journey and to work closely with leadership in the community, to enable all children and adults, to lead a high quality of life, regardless of their additional needs. This is all about breaking down barriers so that children and adults with needs, are more fully integrated and supported to embody Jewish life in ways that are meaningful to them without feeling compromised.

It is no longer enough that we raise awareness outside of Gesher School, neither can we allow this vital work to be regarded within the framework of a charitable agenda. Rather we need to actively share Gesher’s expertise and resources so communities will make room for difference, engaging wholeheartedly in access and inclusion work, so that children and adults will be enabled in all facets of Jewish community life. It’s about seeing the ‘ability’ in Disability.

I am very excited to be part of Gesher School and to really make a difference as the Lead Advocate for Additional Needs. Some of the projects we are looking at include:

  • Supporting the preparation of Inclusive services, Chagim, sessions and events
  • Sharing strategies, resources and tips
  • Engaging more members and families in US.

If you have any suggestions or you would just like to be in touch with me directly then please do reach out to me at [email protected].

Space Project

30th October 2023Website Admin

This term, we had an exciting topic of Space to explore! We looked at different planets and how the universe was made up of more than just our solar system. We thought about what and how humans survived on Earth and how we could create our own colony on Mars. We thought about what humankind needed and how we could implement this into a small space. The students used measuring and construction skills in order to create their own models of their colonies for their exhibition. We also explored art that had been inspired by the universe and created our own images focusing predominantly on tones, shading, and the different colors in the solar system. In DT, we designed and created our own rockets and researched different ways we could make them fly using different mixtures of substances and saw which one worked the best. It was a very interesting topic full of planets, space, and rockets — it was out of this world!

Teacher’s Reflections

“I’ve personally really enjoyed this project as it really allowed the students to develop and promote their independence. The students really enjoyed creating their own Mars Colonies and thought strategically about what humans would need in order to survive there. I loved their enthusiasm when it came to their ideas and how they were able to individualise their plans. The students also really enjoyed exploring how rockets launched and thinking about solutions and chemical reactions to make their rockets fly. I think moving forward the students could continue developing their independence and trying to complete activities without the constant support of adults. This could be by taking the students into different rooms so they could work in smaller groups. I feel the Critique and Feedback process really helped the students understand their next steps and supported their understanding of the PBL process.”

– Emily Bacon

Students’ Reflections

“I really liked the rockets and seeing how the Mentos and Coke made them erupt!” – Ivy

“Next time I’d really like to build something bigger.” – Yitzi

“My highlight of the project was working independently to make my Mars Colony!” – Noah

“This project helped me get new ideas for my next project.” – Jonah

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Why Does The World Need Rainforests? Project

30th October 2023Website Admin

Tamar and Chitah travelled through the rainforest to learn about the plants, animals, and communities that lived within them. They first explored the contents of the rainforest, identifying their locations and unique characteristics. They learned about the crucial role that rainforests play in our planet and why it was important to support their preservation. This linked to their Jewish Studies by examining the formation of the State of Israel from a desert. Their primary focus was on the animals found in the rainforest and the threats they faced. Armed with this knowledge, they planned and wrote their own “Just So” stories featuring chosen rainforest animals. As they journeyed deeper into the rainforest, they researched the ecosystem and the various plant species they could encounter. They made connections to their own lives and discussed how they could help preserve the rainforest and combat the effects of climate change. Throughout their expedition, they engaged all their senses, constructing animal structures from recycled materials, sketching rainforest plants for their glossary, and creating a rainforest relaxation track. We loved inviting others to experience their immersive and sensory “Gesher Rainforest” exhibition in Summer 2 and were very proud to sell our “Just So Stories” book for charity.

Teacher’s Reflections

“I loved having a whole term as it meant we could explore lots of aspects and engage with learning in a deep and meaningful way. Highlights were learning about the animals and producing our own stories which we published. Trips to the zoo and Kew Gardens were amazing too and got the kids engaged and immersed. We also did an animal workshop which helped to launch the project in an exciting way. The children enjoyed learning how to use Canva as a way of presenting information and as a form of graphic design. I think this was my favourite project so far as it was so rich, and there was so much to engage the kids with. The termly timeline also gave us more scope to do more!”

– Sara Marshall

Students’ Reflections

“I learnt about the rainforest, the different animals that live there, and the different layers of the rainforest.” – Shimi

“My highlight of the project was making my monkey out of paper mache, wire and newspaper and then painting it.” – Ben

“My highlight was going to the Zoo and seeing all the lions!” – Omri

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Minibeasts Project

30th October 2023Website Admin

Our project was all about minibeasts and specifically how we can live harmoniously with them. We focused on different minibeasts such as bees, worms, ants and butterflies and found out interesting facts about them. We also thought about how we could benefit from the minibeasts and what we should do to protect them. The children learnt about the minibeasts through research, exploring outside and through trips where they saw minibeasts in their environments. The children used all the information they discovered to create a collaborative minibeast information books which included their own photos of their chosen minibeast. The pupils learnt how to sort and classify minibeasts, as well as their habitats and life cycles. We grew herbs and vegetables in our outside garden and we will use these to prepared dishes for our guests at the exhibition. We also performed a song we have learnt in music.

Teacher’s Reflections

“I think this was a great project as all the children enjoyed the topic and were able to access the information and show knowledge of the facts they had learnt. The children really enjoyed the practical activities particularly when Wild Fangs came to school and they could hold and touch different minibeasts such as millipedes which they would not see very often. They also enjoyed seeing the caterpillars grow into butterflies and collecting worms to add to our class wormery which they helped to build. All the children were able to find out information on the insects we looked at such as bees, ants and ladybirds through reading information and videos and everybody was able to produce a page about their own minibeasts for the class encyclopaedia. I was pleased that we could use technology that I hadn’t used before such as Canva for their encyclopaedia pages and procreate for their drawings. I think for a similar project it would be good to be able to teach the children photography skills so they could take their own photographs of minibeasts.”

– Stephanie Sungtong

Students’ Reflections

“I found it tricky at first, but now I like holding minibeats and seeing them. The projects helped me and I liked it, When I started it I enjoyed the sensory trays and seeing all of them, and the launch activities!”

“I thought it was good, we had lots of fun and we did lots of things. We grew our own caterpillars and looked after the vegetable garden and we hunted for worms, we also released the butterflies!”

“My favourite part of the project was going to London Zoo and the Wild Fangs visit. I got to hold a big snail, and we grew butteflies!”

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