Thursday 28 January 2016

Week Commencing 1st February 2016


Dear Parents and Carers,

 

Forest School

We had a great time this week. We made a fire and made some hot chocolate for our snack J We used a fire lighter and cotton wool and we had to scratch against a piece of metal to make a flame for the fire. We cooked some bread and had a little bit of jam with it. We played hide in seek in two groups which was good fun. It was a super fun day out in the woods and we learnt how to have fun and stay safe at the same time!

 

Zoo Lab

Thursday afternoon – (4th February). The Bluebells and Sunflowers will get to meet a wide range of creepy crawling animals such as spiders, snakes and snails!

 

Interactive Learning Diary

Don’t forget to check out all the exciting things your child has done this week, on their ILD profile.

We aim to put at least one observation up per week.


 

Policy of the week

We will be displaying a different policy every week at the bottom of this newsletter.

If you would like to see this or any of our policies please ask Jess.

 

Our Policy of the week: Procedure for the administration of medicine

 

 

Useful websites:

Here are the links for the Surrey Family Information Service, Free Early Education (the 15 hours funding) and Free Early Education for Two year olds.

 


 

Menus

There are no planned changes to this week’s menu.

See attached document for the weekly menu.

If you would like to see a copy of our allergens menu at any time please ask!

 

This week’s activities

Each key person will be responsible for designing an activity based on their key children’s needs; however, all children who are in on that day will have the opportunity to access the activity too.

If the key person is on holiday or off, another staff member will be able to lead the activity in their place so that the children do not miss out.

For more information on the Early Years Foundation stage, the guidance we use to support our planning and practice, please visit:


 

This week’s planned activities are also on the ILD’S.

 

Buttercups

Monday – Mel’s group will be making their own choices at meal times, choosing which fruit they would like for snack

Tuesday – Charlotte’s group is singing simple songs encouraging listening and attention skills

Wednesday – Shula’s group will be cutting oranges into slices and squashing them to create orange juice to drink independently supporting health and self-care

Thursday – Shula’s group are using a variety of mark making tools to decorate cut out numbers promoting number awareness

Friday – Mel’s group is making pizzas with their friends building their knowledge and understanding of different foods

Charlotte is off Wednesday, Mel is off Tuesday, Nilem is off Monday and Shula is in all week.

 

Bluebells

Monday – Megan’s group are talking about their routine and washing their own hands to support independence and self-care

Tuesday – Donna’s group are using shape flashcards supporting the children to name different shapes and colours, promoting their shape recognition

Wednesday – Megan’s group will be taking turns to collect objects from around the room seeing what they recognise supporting listening and attention

Thursday – Almu’s group are going to search for mini beasts in the garden to see what they can find building their knowledge of the world around them

Friday – Chloe’s group will be distinguishing between different marks they make while using the white boards and pens

Donna is off Friday, Chloe is off Thursday, Almu and Megan are in all week.

 

Sunflowers

The Sunflowers have one detailed weekly focused activity to ensure all the children have the opportunity to take part in it.

This will work alongside their weekly planned activity list which you can see in the room and on the ILD’S.

 

This week’s activity is: I can do sheets

 

The children will be supported to write their name independently or with support if needed. The children will then be encouraged to recognise all the letters they know. The activity will be extended and the children will be asked to count as high as they can and say the numbers they recognise.

 

The letter of the week is: K

 

The children will be:

Writing the letter K with stencils

Making kites

Thinking of objects that begin with K?

Talking about the difference between kicking k and curly c

Alphabet soup – K can

Bouncing like kangaroos

 

Leanne is off Monday, Becci is in all week and Hector is off Thursday. Leanne is on training on Wednesday.

 

 

Procedure for the administration of medicine

 

 

Aim of policy

 

At Castle Daycare and Preschool, we put the safety, comfort and welfare of the children first, therefore we would expect a child suffering from a short term illness to be cared for at home until they are fully recovered.  However, we accept there are occasions when Nursery staff will be required to administer medication. This policy gives guidance to how we do this.

 

Points to consider

 

The definition of the term ‘medication’ in this context is taken to mean any medicinal preparations specifically prescribed for the treatment of non-contagious conditions.

 

We ask that parents keep their children at home for at least 24 hours, after starting antibiotics. This is especially important if the child has not had that type of antibiotics before. This is in case the children have a reaction to the antibiotics.

 

Only the Manager or a senior worker (deputy or senior practitioner) is authorised to administer medicines.  Details of all medicines administered must be recorded on the medication authorisation form.

 

Castle Daycare and Preschool aim to achieve this by:

 

·       A manager or senior staff member will administer prescribed medication or Paracetamol Suspension on written instruction from a parent.

 

·       Children should not attend the nursery if suffering from a communicable disease or one that requires special treatment during the day, change of dressings etc unless staff have received the necessary training. 

 

·       Long term illnesses or conditions requiring specialist training and support (such as diabetes) will be assessed as described in our special needs policy and individual health care plan will be completed and agreed with the parent/carer.

 

·       Medication will be stored away from the children in a secure place. At this nursery medication is stored: In the kitchen medication cupboard and in the kitchen fridge

 

·       Medication must be in correct containers, clearly labelled to indicate:

·       Child’s name

·       Date of prescription

·       Use by date

·       Dosage

·       Any other relevant information

 

·       The parent/guardian must enter medication details on the medicine authorisation form, including:

·       Date of instruction

·       Name of child

·       Type of medication and dosage

·       Method of administering dose

·       Time of dose and duration of treatment

 

This instruction should be signed by the parent and counter-signed by the Manager or senior worker.

 

Two members of staff must be present to administer medication – one of whom shall be the Manager or senior worker.

 

The medication label, the authorisation form and the child’s identity must be carefully checked prior to administering the medication.

 

Do not administer further medication if the child spits out, vomits or spills part of the dose.  This should be recorded on the administration form (comments).

 

Replace the medication in the designated area for medication.

 

Record times of doses on the child’s daily record sheet and medicine authorisation form and alter accordingly if the previous dose is administered earlier or later than stated – (record the reason for this)

 

For long term medication, such as inhalers and epi-pens, individual protocols should be made, documenting in more detail information about when and how the medication should be administered.

 

The parent must sign the administration record at the end of the child’s day/ session.

 

 

 

Kind Regards

 

 

Jess Smith

Manager, SENCO

 

 

Thursday 21 January 2016

Week Commencing 25th January 2016


Dear Parents and Carers,

 

Forest School

During this week’s forest school session the children enjoyed spotting footprints frozen in the mud, balancing on ropes tied between trees, they went in a hammock, had hot chocolate, and played hide and seek! The children really enjoyed exploring the ice that we found.

 

Weather

As we all know the temperature has dropped this week, if this continues, please can we ask you all to provide hats and gloves for all the children, so they can still have fun in the garden. Thank you.

 

Interactive Learning Diary

Don’t forget to check out all the exciting things your child has done this week, on their ILD profile.

We aim to put at least one observation up per week.


 

Policy of the week

We will be displaying a different policy every week at the bottom of this newsletter.

If you would like to see this or any of our policies please ask Jess.

 

Our Policy of the week: First aid policy

 

 

Useful websites:

Here are the links for the Surrey Family Information Service, Free Early Education (the 15 hours funding) and Free Early Education for Two year olds.

 


 

Menus

There are no planned changes to this week’s menu.

See attached document for the weekly menu.

If you would like to see a copy of our allergens menu at any time please ask!

 

This week’s activities

Each key person will be responsible for designing an activity based on their key children’s needs; however, all children who are in on that day will have the opportunity to access the activity too.

If the key person is on holiday or off, another staff member will be able to lead the activity in their place so that the children do not miss out.

For more information on the Early Years Foundation stage, the guidance we use to support our planning and practice, please visit:


 

This week’s planned activities are also on the ILD’S.

 

Buttercups

Monday – Mel’s group will be reading the ABC books, seeing what objects they recognise

Tuesday – Charlotte’s group is playing simple role play games with teddy bears promoting early imaginative skills

Wednesday – Shula’s group will be using a variety of blocks and shaving foam in a tray to create simple structures

Thursday – Shula’s group are investigating their own reflections in the mirrors encouraging an awareness of themselves

Friday – Mel’s group is using a variety of tools and resources to make marks on large sheets of paper on the floor supporting motor skills

Charlotte is off Wednesday, Mel is off Monday, Nilem is off Monday and Shula is in all week. Mel and Shula are on training Friday morning.

 

Bluebells

Monday – Chloe’s group are reading their favourite stories with their friends promoting an interest in stories

Tuesday – Chloe’s group are shape stamping with paint encouraging shape recognition

Wednesday – Donna’s group will be taking turns to sing songs in a group supporting turn taking skills and language skills

Thursday – Megan’s group are using the cameras and ipads to take photos to see if they can operate the equipment

Friday – Almu’s group will be encouraged to play independently and have a go with the scoops and balls in the garden promoting confidence and independence

Donna is off Monday, Tuesday and Friday, Chloe is off Thursday, Almu and Megan are in all week.

 

Sunflowers

The Sunflowers have one detailed weekly focused activity to ensure all the children have the opportunity to take part in it.

This will work alongside their weekly planned activity list which you can see in the room and on the ILD’S.

 

This week’s activity is: Encouraging listening and attention through role play games

 

The children will be working in small groups in the role play area. The children will be asked to take care of the baby doll. The children will be asked a variety of questions throughout the activity to extend their learning. They will be encouraged throughout to maintain their listening and attention skills.

 

The letter of the week is: J

 

The children will be:

Writing the letter J with stencils

Saying animal sounds that live in the jungle

Thinking of objects that begin with J?

Describing jellyfish

Telling our friends where we would go in a jet

Alphabet soup – J can

Who is wearing a jacket?

 

Leanne is off Monday, Becci is in all week and Hector is off Thursday. Becci is on training on Tuesday, Hector is on training on Wednesday.

 

 

First aid policy


 

Aim of policy

 

Castle Daycare and Preschool have a duty to provide a safe place of work, with suitable arrangements for welfare. We must ensure that there is adequate first aid provision for children and staff that may become ill or are injured at the nursery.

 

Points to consider

We will provide information and training on first aid to all employees within 6 months of employment to ensure that statutory requirements and the needs of the Nursery are met.

 

Castle Daycare and Preschool aim to achieve this by:

 

A suitable person must be appointed to take responsibility for first aid provision and maintenance of the first aid box under the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations. A suitable person is someone who has undergone training and achieved a standard, which is approved by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

 

The person responsible for first aid provision in this nursery is Charlotte Hampshire

 

Should employees have concerns about the provision of first aid within their Nursery, they should inform the Manager to enable them to investigate and rectify the situation if necessary.

 

The person responsible for the implementation of this policy is the Manager.

 

First aiders will be appointed to assist the Manager in dealing with accidents and emergencies, which may occur at the Nursery. The following three steps are the most important in the provision of adequate and effective first aid cover:

 

1.     Ensure that all employees are aware of the procedures to be followed in the event of illness or injury at work.

2.     Ensure that an appropriate number of first aiders are recruited and trained (allowing for holidays, etc) and that a sufficient number are present in the workplace at any given time.

  1. Maintain adequate first aid equipment and facilities appropriate to the degree of risk, including for those employees who work away from site.

 

 

First aid boxes will be located in accessible locations around the nursery and be signposted.  They should be regularly checked and replenished by a nominated person and contain:

 

Guidance card

2 sterile eye pads, with attachment

4 Triangular Bandages

1 Non-allergenic Micropore tape

6 Medium-sized sterile unmedicated dressings

2 Large sterile unmedicated dressings

20 blue plasters in kitchen/ food preparation area

 


Medication and tablets will never be stored in the first aid kit

 

In this nursery the first aid kits are located at:

Outdoor classroom

Office

Hallway by preschool

 

 

 

Current lists of first aiders are available to see in each room in the nursery.

 

 

 

Kind Regards

 

Jess Smith

Manager, SENCO

Thursday 14 January 2016

Week Commencing 18th January


Dear Parents and Carers,


Forest School

It was our first Forest School session for this term this week. All the children had a great time. They were given a board with a variety of pictures and they had to look for all of the things in the forest! They made hot chocolate and sat on logs for snack. We played hide and seek in the woods and had to follow our friends voices to find them J

 

Interactive Learning Diary

Don’t forget to check out all the exciting things your child has done this week, on their ILD profile.

We aim to put at least one observation up per week.


 

Policy of the week

We will be displaying a different policy every week at the bottom of this newsletter.

If you would like to see this or any of our policies please ask Jess.

 

Our Policy of the week: Well child policy

 

 

Useful websites:

Here are the links for the Surrey Family Information Service, Free Early Education (the 15 hours funding) and Free Early Education for Two year olds.

 


 

Menus

There are no planned changes to this week’s menu.

See attached document for the weekly menu.

If you would like to see a copy of our allergens menu at any time please ask!

 

This week’s activities

Each key person will be responsible for designing an activity based on their key children’s needs; however, all children who are in on that day will have the opportunity to access the activity too.

If the key person is on holiday or off, another staff member will be able to lead the activity in their place so that the children do not miss out.

For more information on the Early Years Foundation stage, the guidance we use to support our planning and practice, please visit:


 

This week’s planned activities are also on the ILD’S.

 

Buttercups

Monday – Mel’s group will be hiding and finding 5 ducks while singing ‘Five Little Ducks’ supporting simple number skills

Tuesday – Charlotte’s group is building towers with the duplo blocks supporting hand eye co-ordination

Wednesday – Shula’s group will be exploring the animal song sacks encouraging an interest in books

Thursday – Shula’s group are making biscuits with their friends promoting attention skills

Friday – Mel’s group is playing with the train track building their knowledge of small world models

Charlotte is off Monday, Mel is off Tuesday, Nilem is off Monday and Wednesday and Shula is in all week.

 

Bluebells

Monday – Megan’s group are singing number songs encouraging early number skills

Tuesday – Donna’s group is using the wooden blocks and animals to promote an awareness of the world

Wednesday – Donna’s group will be making sandcastles with their friends in the sandpit building relationships

Thursday – Almu’s group are using their hands and feet to make sounds and rhythm

Friday – Chloe’s group is listening to the Gruffalo story and will be talking about what comes next in the story building an interest in stories

Donna is off Friday, Chloe is off Thursday, Almu and Megan are in all week

 

Sunflowers

The Sunflowers have one detailed weekly focused activity to ensure all the children have the opportunity to take part in it.

This will work alongside their weekly planned activity list which you can see in the room and on the ILD’S.

 

This week’s activity is: using tools to investigate colour, water and ice

 

The children will use different tools to mix food colouring and water to make a variety of colours. The children will pour the water into ice trays and put them into the freezer. The children will be encouraged to predict what is going to happen. They will then talk about what has happened when the water has frozen!

 

The letter of the week is: I

 

The children will be:

Writing the letter I with stencils

Making Ice cubes

Thinking of objects that begin with I?

Finding objects that start with I

Playdough fun with I stencils

Looking at the letter I bottle

 

Leanne is off Monday, Becci is in all week and Hector is off Thursday

 

 

Well child policy

 

Aim of policy

 

To give practitioners and parents guidance on how we judge a child to be well enough to attend nursery.

 

Points to consider

 

The health and wellbeing of the children in our care is of the utmost importance to us. However as every child is different we use the definition of a well child along with information from Public Health England to decide if a child is well enough to attend nursery.

 

A copy of the Guidance on infection control in schools and other childcare settings is appendices 3

 

Castle Daycare and Preschool aim to achieve this by:

 

 

The definition of a well child:

 

  • A child who is not dependent on Calpol or similar.
  • A child with normal bowel movements.
  • A child who participates in activities as they normally would.
  • A child who does not require a greater ratio than normal.

 

Standard adult child ratios are:

1: 3 children under two years

1:4 children aged two to three years

1:8 children aged three to five

 

Kind Regards

 

Jess Smith

Manager, SENCO