1. education
2. school

Registered Charity No.
1114877
In partnership
with
Happy New Year 2015!
Happy 2015
2014—what did
we do?
Dear CoDPuk Families- May we wish you all a belated Happy
New Year from CoDPuk ! (Sorry time’s flown!)
Thank you
CoDPuk believe in the importance of strong families & can- Volunteers
not stress enough the value of positive life experiences,
support & being in the company of those who value
2015
our unique & special merged hearing & Deaf culture.
Events to watch
Thank you to everyone who has renewed their memout for!
bership- and those of you who have lapsed -please
do so soon! You can pay direct now; no need to
Stratford swimming
post your forms just email us and pay by BACS!
Feb half term
Some of you have made a donation to us– on
behalf of CoDPuk and our hard working volunteers we'd like to say thank you very much for
your kindness and generosity—the money is
used to make our events affordable for all by
keeping the costs down and are usually free for
the children.
Take care See you soon & Have fun!
CoDPuk Committee xxx
If you have a few pennies to spare please do
give it to us -the best way is though Virgin
Giving (codpuk ) especially if you pay tax !
We need your support.
Hobbledown Farm
15th March
Picnic & Games
17th May
Brighton
3rd August
Beach/BBQ
6th September
Halloween Tulleys Farm
31st Oct,
Christmas party
Dec 5th
Iceskating
11th/12th Dec
CoDPuk Events 2014
Residential Weekend!
Helen Farthing
Having been successful in getting a grant from the Big Lottery
(BIG Thank you to them!) we were able to organise our FIRST
ever Family weekend for Codpuk members! And what a success
that was! It was famtastic (No, its not a spelling mistake!!)
“Campfire was
the best thing!”
Families enjoyed a bumper weekend of fun and challenging
“I love this place. I
activities for different age groups keeping the children going nonmade a real campfire!”
stop from morning to bedtime!!
Activities ranged from Manor Mystery to Tough challenge
assault course organised and set in 24 acres of beautiful landscape . Proud parents watched regardless of weather conditions
supporting and cheering their children on.
“Yay we love it here!”,
“The staff let us stay
up till 7!”
Most agreed that the best of all was the campfire singalong
and toasting marsmallows in the dark- proving the value of getting
“Bush camp was briltogether and doing simple things!!
Swimming was the next best thing and some parents joined in the
fun. The wacky race was great fun and competitive where parents
of younger children joined in the race with the leaders as well!
It was important that we had activities suitable for the different age groups and for the teens had fun taking part in challenges
faced with and against others- finding their best timings especially
on an assault course where they had to crawl in a corrugated
maze tunnel as fast as they could in a matter of seconds!! Wow! **
Well done **
Leaders were great with common comments says; “The instructors are really nice!” “Staff were fantastic!”
liant!”
“This weekend has
been a pleasant experience for me and my
two kids. My kids have
met other children, all
have the same common
interest, deaf parents!
As a parent, I have
In the evenings the parents had time to relax and chat in the olde
met new families. It
wooden lounge while the children were asleep or the girls and
boys in their respective dormitories stayed and chatted. (Now they has been an eye
have an experience to relate to when some deaf parents went to
opener”
boarding school!)
It was a great opportunity for parents to share experiences offer
support and make new friends, just like their children!
“The atmosphere was
very friendly and it was
a great pleasure to
The Tuck shop galore was a blessing for everyone, luckily it was
meet other parents
tucked (opps a pun!) in the basement of the house…. careful rush
and great for CODA
through the narrow curvy stairwell to get some goodies!!!!
Thank you Helen, Jane & Dave who were the CoDPuk Volun- to meet other CODA
children”
teers supporting the leaders!
Year’s events & CoDPuk FUN in pictures…..
May
Box Hill family picnic
August
Brighton family day
October
Residential weekend
Amersham
October
Halloween fun
Tulleys Farm in Kent
December
Xmas Party
Thank you to our Lovely Volunteers!
Photos
We take photos to show what we do, and for our
newsletter etc it is important for us as a charity to
do this and most CoDPuk families are happy to share
their photos- but we understand if some of you don’t
want this.
Privacy Act if you do not want to be included in any
publicity photos, please tell anyone taking photos
at our events and please avoid the camera & we will
try not to photograph you/ your family.
Quiz: is Your Child Happy at School?
We all hope our children are happy at school, but how can
we tell? Talking with your child, watching how they act,
b) Is acceptable, but no real difference between weekend-ends and
week-days.
c) Is noticeably worse or more nervous on week-days.
becoming involved in their education and communicating
with teachers (Challenging for us !) should help you learn
8. Your child’s school items show signs of:
about your child’s happiness at school.
a) An active social life, with doodles and friends’ names everywhere.
b) Usual wear and tear.
c) Negative emotions, including worrying doodles or words.
To help you ‘Kids Behaviour’ website have put together this quiz.
Pick the answer which best fits your situation, add your answers
and match results to the explanations at the end:
1. When your child arrives home from school, (s)he:
a) Excitedly talks non-stop about the best parts of the day.
b) Will answer the questions you ask about the day.
c) Refuses to speak about the school day.
9. When your child returns home, (s)he looks:
a) Messy, but looks like (s)he was active all day.
b) Messy, as though a little more organisation might not go amiss.
c) Messy, with cuts, scratches and tears which might indicate bullying.
10. When you ask your child if (s)he is happy at school:
2. When it’s time for homework, your child:
a) Wants to show off what (s)he has learned.
b) Is happy to work- if you help.
c) Makes excuses or otherwise tries to avoid it.
a) (S)he immediately and enthusiastically says yes.
b) (S)he says school is fine.
c) They stay silent, offer a sarcastic answer or say no.
Mostly As?
3. In the morning, your child:
a) Jumps out of bed, ready for the day.
b) Takes a while to get ready, but is generally happy/ok.
c) Often complains of feeling ill or having a stomach ache.
4. Your child’s nervous habits:
a) Don’t seem particularly school related.
b) Become more obvious when (s)he has a test, presentation or
other assessment.
c) Happen every school morning or Sunday night before new school
week.
5. When you visit your child’s classroom, (s)he:
a) Seems high-energy excited and involved in what is going-on.
b) Pays attention, even if (s)he may not be captivated (keen) by
what is happening.
c) Seems low-energy, is often alone and/or daydreams instead of
paying attention.
6. When you talk to your child’s teacher, (s)he:
a) Always mentions your child’s enthusiasm for all things schoolrelated.
b) Is able to name your child’s friends and favourite subjects.
c) Conveys worries about your child’s happiness at school.
7. In general, your child’s behaviour:
a) Is good, and (s)he engages in more positive behaviours than negative.
If mostly “A” Seems like your child is very happy at school. Looks like
(s)he is actively involved, social with friends and interested in studies.
There may be some parts of school (s)he’s not wildly excited about,
but this is to be expected. If you feel you have open communication
with your child then ask him or her about her favourite and least favourite parts of school and how (s)he would change things if she
could. Find out if his or her teacher reports the same things to make
sure you are all on the same page about your child’s interests and
strengths, as well as disinterests and weaknesses.
Mostly Bs?
If you answered mostly “B” then your child is most likely at least moderately happy at school. (S)he may not be wild about classes, and (s)he
might be happier at the weekend, but this does not mean that her
specific school or class is making him or her unhappy. Some students
will never admit to liking school or being happy about any class, so be
sure to observe your child for signs of happiness or unhappiness as
well. If you really can’t tell, volunteer in his or her class now (on a
school trip etc) and then so that you can gather information first-hand
as well.
Mostly Cs?
If you answered mostly “C” then there is every chance your child is
not very happy at school. Observe your child, his or her answer and
his or her school items to see if there are noticeable differences over
the coming weeks. Do you see any signs of bullying, an inability to
cope with school work or evidence that your child has few friends? If
so, contact your child’s teacher immediately. (S)he might have more
insight into what is going on and at the very least you’ll be able to
share your fears and the reasons behind them.
Next Event –15th March!
CODA =Child of Deaf Adults
Hello CODA’s!
I’m happy because I got sent a drawing of Volunteer Sue (with
Blue hearing aids!) and her assistance dog Victor (Thank you!)
We’d love to read your stories about our events ... Ask Mummy &
Daddy if you need any help ok! Do get in touch soon!
Please let us know what you want from CoDPuk.