Summer 2021 Plans

5th July 2021

Hello and welcome to the third edition of our 2021 newsletter

In recent weeks we are thrilled that we have welcomed back Brionán our Occupational Therapist and small groups of children for the summer sessions here in the Centre in Carrickmacross. It is genuinely a joy to see current and new families arriving at our doors again to attend therapies and services and we trust you have felt welcomed and reassured by the additional safety features we have implemented. We have a busy summer planned with individual Occupational Therapy, four Early Intervention groups, two Drama &Mindfulness/self-regulation groups and a Moo Music group for parents and babies/toddlers.

Thank you to the session leaders Louise, Jessica and Susan, and our support workers Susie, Heather, Majella and Ann-Marie for assisting in the smooth running of the groups over the summer months. We are also going to be welcoming Amanda to team DSCNE from Monday 12th July as an Office Assistant so look out for correspondence from Amanda in due course and be sure to say hello if you see or hear a new face behind Reception or on the phone!

Our sensory room is also available to be booked out for 45 minutes session time during the summer months (plus we ask that you clean the space afterwards). Please email info@dscnortheast.ie if you are interested in availing of this or would like more information.

Suggested times the sensory room may be available are:

Tuesday 2.30-4.00pm // Wednesday 12.00-2.00pm // Thursday 12.00-2.00pm // Friday 9am-1pm

(plus a once off Monday 19th July 9.00-4.00pm)

Please note the centre will be closed for holidays on the week of 2nd – 6th August so there will no sessions, groups or sensory room available at that time.

We are taking a well needed break from virtual learning over the summer months but we are very grateful to Shane our Music Therapist, Hannah and Bríd our Speech and Language Therapists and Louise who hosted online Handwriting without Tears classes. Our Therapists and teachers have supported the children and families from a distance for well over a year now in what was intended to be a short term solution but we feel everyone gained a lot from the chance for regular support, albeit virtual. We are also pausing our online seminars and workshops that have been hugely popular, but we hope to promote further talks from autumn. Watch this space.

We are finalising our online lending library and hope to launch this to service users shortly to enable you to borrow books and equipment, as well as See and Learn packs that were recently purchased for DSCNE by Monaghan County Libraries. A parent has also shared a free online resource from the UK that you might be of interest to you:

Teach Me Too is an online library of short educational videos and accompanying learning resources, all designed around the specific learning profile of children with Down syndrome https://www.teachmetoo.org.uk/teach-me-too

Thank you to our volunteers who continue to give their time and energy to help support and drive the centre. Our Steering Group meets virtually once a month and as usual, we would like to take this opportunity to invite/remind you to join our Steering Group. The Steering Group feeds into the planning process for activities in the Centre and is supported by the office administration team. Meetings are monthly and a maximum of 2 hours. Come join us & have your say! Our Board members also voluntarily give their time and expertise to direct the centre and we are very grateful for their continued support, especially in the past year, as they continue to meet via Teams once a month.

Monaghan County Council have asked us to circulate the attached documents in relation to the installation of Communication Boards in playgrounds as part of the ongoing work in the promotion of inclusive play. We fully support this initiative and encourage people to respond by sending their comments back to Bernie Bradley via the attached form.

We hope you are enjoying the summer and we look forward to seeing more over you over the coming weeks.

Best wishes, The Down Syndrome Centre North East

Monaghan County Council Communication Boards Consultation_

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