It’s Time for Our July Round Up!
Summer holidays are finally here! We know that COVID-19 Regulations have been lifted but we would still like everyone to remain cautious and stay safe to ensure that this summer is safe and enjoyable for all!
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2021 Summer Holiday Play Schemes Near Newcastle
This year has been one like no other, and as a result, the summer holidays for our children will most likely be different this year as well. As a result of the pandemic, many childcare options which you previously had, have had to be cancelled. Not to worry, we have actively been searching programmes that will still be running and have compiled a PDF which can be accessed here.
Emergency Childcare and Support
Susan Matheson, the Sunderland Hospitals Childcare Co-ordinator has a wide range of contacts throughout the North East and can assist with routine and emergency childcare options through her personalised service. If you would like to access support from Susan, you can contact her by phone 07713 508 259 or email at (susan.matheson@stft.nhs.uk) and she’ll be happy to discuss your needs. More information about the services she offers can be found in the blogpost about her coming very soon.
2021 Summer Activities
Our lovely summer interns also recently posted about day activities you can do in and around Newcastle – you can find out more on our blog and twitter thread.
We are also considering developing a pen-pal scheme between the children of parents of NUParents network over the summer holidays. Young people will be matched by age and interests and can write either physical letters or emails to each other. If this idea would appeal to your young ones – we would really appreciate it if you leave a comment below. If we get enough interest, we will set up a poll and start pairing up participants to write to each other.
Pre-School to Primary School Transition Coffee Morning
29th July, 12pm to 1pm
As we say goodbye to another school year, a lot of young people will be making the big transition from preschool to primary, primary to secondary or secondary to tertiary. As these are unique times that we find ourselves in, NU Parents have organised short coffee mornings on each of these transitions.
Our first event will be on the 29th of July at 12pm! We will hear from Dr Tora Smulders-Srinivasan who will share her experience of helping her two children manage their transition into primary school as well as hear about the same experiences from a parent involved with Durham MAMS. After sharing their tips and thoughts, we hope to facilitate an open discussion around concerns and practical steps. Don’t miss out and sign up here.
Are your children going into secondary or tertiary education? Not to worry! Those coffee mornings will be happening in August! Keep your eyes on our Twitter for confirmed details.
Post Pandemic Parenting: Teaching and Experiencing Diversity at Home 28th July, 11am to 12:30
NU Multitudes are hosting an event happening at 11am on 28th July about Parenting: Teaching and Experiencing Diversity at Home. They will highlight some of the ways we might begin to think about this shift, and considers the importance of responding to the pandemic in ways that acknowledge its particular impact on children’s understanding of diversity. More information can be found here.
Other Relevant News and Events
Returners Support Programme Extension
The For Families team have announced the extension of their Returners Support Programme to Professional Services colleagues. This programme was launched in 2017 aiming to provide flexible support to enable academics and researchers to minimise the impact of extended leave on their career. Read more information about the revised programme and apply via the application form (effective 1 August 2021) as either an individual or team here, a blog post summarising this will be up soon!
Meet the Team
This Summer, we’ve hired three new interns to help us enhance the network. We’ve also created a meet the team page to introduce you to our lovely committee.
Written by Chiara Blows, Niamh Foy and Sandhaya Sritharan