Week Commencing 7th November

Dear Parents and Carers,

 

This week’s events:

 

Forest School – This week at Forest School Lee taught us how to make our own fire safely. We had a great time and made toasted marshmallows for snack J

 

In2Sports – This week we were practicing our hand eye co-ordination and motor skills while throwing and catching balls with our friends.

 

Theatre bugs –

 

 

Next week:

 

Payments

I just want to remind you all that from the 1^st November there has been a change to the process that fees can be paid. We are still offering paying by Direct Debt as usual. However if you wish to pay by card we have set up a ‘pay by link system’. Please all see the attached letter for further information on this method. If you have any questions please let me know.

 

Photos

Thank you to everyone who has placed an order on the photos this year. It’s not too late if you haven’t Danny is still accepting orders online, if you would like to buy some of the photos taken last month.

 

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:

http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/ 

 

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

 

Buttercups

 

Topic of the month: Shapes

 

Monday – Charlotte’s group is building relationships with others while playing in the cosy area with cuddly toys

Tuesday – Charlotte’s group will be investigating cornflour gloop promoting manipulative skills

Wednesday – Sammy’s group are playing ‘Simon Says’ supporting listening and attention

Thursday – Charlotte’s group is discovering how the children’s laptops and tablets work building an interest in operating ICT

Friday – Sammy’s group will be mark making using crayons, paper and letter stencils

Charlotte is off Wednesday, Jessica is off Thursday, Sammy is on training on Tuesday and Nilem is on holiday all week.

 

Bluebells

 

Topic of the month:  People who help us

 

Monday – Megan’s group are using their imagination and dressing up as different professionals while talking about their monthly topic of ‘People who help us’

Tuesday – Donna’s group will be reading stories in groups promoting listening and attention skills

Wednesday – Megan’s group are exploring media and materials while mark making on a large sheet of paper

Thursday – Donna’s group is practicing their ICT skills while operating the torches and exploring the light up cubes

Friday – Chloe’s group will be celebrating ‘Remembrance Day’ by making poppy biscuits and creating poppy pictures

Donna is off Tuesday and Friday, Chloe is off Thursday, Carla is on holiday on Friday and Megan is 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. The Key People link this activity to their individual Key Groups.

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: exploring feelings and emotions

 

This week the children will be discovering the emotion pebbles. They will be encouraged to talk about different feelings they know and understand. The children will use mirrors to copy the faces they recognise from the emotion pebbles. The children will be supported to talk about actions that make others happy and action that’s could hurt others and themselves. The activity will be extended and the children will create a self-portrait of themselves.

 

Topic of the month: Dinosaurs

 

The letter of the week is: Y

 

The children will be:

Writing the letter Y

Talking about words that begin with Y

Creating creative yachts

Junk modelling with yoghurt pots

 

The Number of the week is: 9

 

The children will be:

Holding up 9 fingers

Jumping 9 times

Creating the number 9 using playdough

Counting to 9

 

The shape of the week is: Cross

 

The children will be:

Drawing a cross

Counting how many side a cross has

Creating a cross shape using our fingers

Leanne is off Monday, Becci is on holiday Tuesday-Thursday and Ines is on training on Wednesday.

 

Our Policy of the Week: 

 

Suitable people and safer recruitment

 

When potential staff apply for a position at the setting, they are sent an application form, which clearly states that they will be required to disclose any criminal convictions and if successful in securing the position will be subject to a Disclosure and Baring Service Enhanced Disclosure DBS.

 

New staff who have not yet obtained their Enhanced DBS will under no circumstances be left unattended with the children or be allowed to give intimate care such as toileting or changing children’s clothing, until their DBS has come through as expected.

 

DBS’s will not be kept by the setting in accordance to Data protection, however DBS reference numbers and the dates the DBS’s were made will be recorded for each staff member.

 

Any person living on the premises, working directly with the children or who works on the premises when the children are present (such as regular maintenance workers) will also need to hold a DBS.

 

Students and volunteers may not need to apply for a DBS as they will under no circumstances be left unattended with the children or be allowed to give intimate care such as toileting or changing children’s clothing. This will be made clear to them during their induction.

 

All staff will be asked at each supervision and/ or appraisal to certify that they have received no cautions, convictions or anything else that may change their DBS check.

 

All staff are also asked to inform their manager if they feel anything may affect their DBS, including living in the same household as another person who has been disqualified from looking after children.

 

Childcare and Learning Group follows the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework with regards to contacting Ofsted and other relevant bodies such as the Disclosure and Barring Service when a member of staff is dismissed due to a safeguarding issue.

 

If a person becomes disqualified their employment at Castle Nursery and Preschool will be terminated and Ofsted will be informed as soon as possible and within 14 days. The setting will give Ofsted the following details:

 

Details of any order, determination, conviction or other ground for disqualification from registration under regulations made under section 75 of the Childcare Act 2006:

• The date of the order, determination or conviction or the date when the other ground for disqualification arose:
• The body or court which made the order, determination or conviction and the sentence (if any ) imposed and:
• A certified copy of the relevant order (in relation to any order or conviction)

 

If a staff member fails to disclose a conviction or caution disciplinary procedures will follow and their employment may be terminated.

 

So as to minimise the risk of employing or engaging an individual who poses a predictable risk to them, the Setting should consider, with respect to candidates who will be working with children (either in a paid or unpaid capacity) a safer recruitment process.

 

This is done by advertising in relevant and suitable places, applying techniques that are helpful in identifying unsuitable people and analysing information and whenever possible verifying through references, the information is correct.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Jess, Charlotte and the South Hill Team