week commencing 4th August

Dear Parents

 

New flooring

Next week the new flooring will be laid in the Sunflowers room. This will mean all the rooms will have had the new floors fitted!

We will start moving the furniture out of the Sunflowers from Monday. From Wednesday the Sunflowers and Bluebell children will join up in Bluebell room. We will be back in Sunflowers on Monday.

We are also getting new furniture in Sunflowers in September.

 

For those parents who missed last week’s email:

 

Nursery News

From August/September some of the teams are having a change around:

 

The Sunflowers team will become Jess, Becci and Sophie. Jess’s day off will become a Friday and Sophie will stay as a Monday. Becci will be in all week.

 

The Bluebells Team will be Donna, Leanne, Rose and Chloe. Donna will keep her Fridays off, Leanne will be off on Wednesday, Chloe will be off Thursday and Rose is in all week

 

The Buttercup team will remain as Charlotte, Julia, Nilem and Magda. Their days off will be Charlotte on Monday, Julia on Thursday, Magda on Tuesday and Nilem on Friday.

 

Megan will remain as our floating staff member and Alison will also be covering in different rooms until she starts Forest School in November.

If there is any change to your child’s key person due to the staff moves you will be informed by your room in the next few days.

 

Learning Journey update

The Interactive Learning Diaries will be started from August/September time. You will receive your passwords to log on later in the term so the staff have time to get everything up and running. For those of you who missed the newsletter previously explaining what the Interactive Learning Diaries are, here is some more information and you can always ask your key person!

From September it will be easier to see what your child has been learning at Nursery and how this links to the Early Years Foundation stage.

Using a secure online program called the Interactive Learning Diary, ILD, we will be able to record observations, add photos and videos (videos!!!) and link them all to the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Each parent will then be given a password enabling them to see their child (and only their child’s) learning journey.

Parents will be able to add their own observations, photos and videos so that we will be able to create a picture of each child’s development at both nursery and home.

This system will enable the staff to link to the Early Years Foundation Stage much quicker, to do more frequent observations that are less time consuming and spend more time with the children and less time on paperwork.

The system is very secure, with the same level of security as internet banking. You can see them in action at  http://www.interactivelearningdiary.co.uk/

 

Forest School

After the October half term we are going to start running Forest School sessions for the Sunflowers.  Lee, who already runs the Forest School at our Markenfield  Road Nursery will be leading the sessions with Alison.

The children will take part in the Forest School sessions in groups of six, on a 1:3 ratio. They will be accompanied by a qualified member of the Forest School team, Lee and Alison. 

Your child's forest school sessions will run once per week for six weeks, during term times only. The duration of these sessions will be 1 ¾ hours per week.

At Castle Nursery we pride ourselves in giving all of the children within the setting the opportunity to explore the outside world. The Forest School has been set up in order to enhance that experience.

Forest School is not just about taking the indoor classroom outside, but letting the children explore a new and exciting environment, whilst learning new skills that they may not have access to during their everyday lives. Forest school is based on the actual process of learning rather than the content of the lesson plans. This means that genuine Forest School practice is allowing the children' sessions to be unplanned, unexpected and ultimately unlimited. The children are given every encouragement to direct their own learning. As good practitioners we are able to do this by stimulating outdoor play through 'scaffolding' a child's learning, this is achieved through simply observing how a child behaves in the outdoor environment.

A woodland environment is central in supporting this dynamic approach to learning ,the dynamic nature of an outdoor environment - an infinite source of smells, textures, sounds and tastes; a range of visual stimuli from near to far, high to low, very big to very small.

Later in the term we will be giving out more information and permission letters to the Sunflower Parents. To start with, the sessions will run on a Wednesday morning but as we get up and running we are hoping to add in more sessions on other days. Forest School is optional but I hope you will be able to see how beneficial it will be for the children’s learning. Parents with CRB checks (we can help you get these) will be able to join in the sessions as well.

 

To give you the best idea about Forest school we are running a parent session on Sunday 12^th October from 10-12. More information about this session will follow!

 

Breakfast club

One of the points raised on our annual survey was about extended opening hours.

So from September we will be offering breakfast club, giving you the chance to drop off from 7.45 am.

There will be a charge of £2.50 per session and sessions will need to be booked 24 hours in advance so we can organise staffing.

 

Menus

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

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/   

 

Buttercups

Monday – Charlotte’s group are exploring a variety of musical instruments as they build listening skills

Tuesday – Nilem’s group is  developing and understanding of size and shape as they fill and empty pots

Wednesday – Julia’s group will be promoting gross motor skills as they build towers with blocks

Thursday – Charlotte’s group is exploring natural resources in the sand pit

Friday – Magda’s group will be playing together as they blow bubbles in the water

Charlotte is off Friday, Julia is off Monday, Magda is off Tuesday and Nilem is away all week

 

Bluebells

Monday - Leanne’s group are  playing with the small world people as they talk about their families

Tuesday – Donna’s group is developing counting skills as they use compare bears

Wednesday – Donna’s group will be looking at the alphabet as they read ABC books together

Thursday – Rose’s group are talking about favourite foods as they play with toy foods

Friday – Chloe’s group will be working together as they build dens outside

Donna is off Friday, Leanne is off Wednesday, Chloe is off Thursday and Rose is in all week

 

Sunflowers

Book of the Fortnight

21^st July – 28^th July – Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jnr

4^th -11^th August – Super Daisy by Kes Gray and Nick Sharratt

18^th – 25^th August – My Mum is Great by Marks and Spencer

1^st – 8^th September – My Dad by Family World

15^th – 22^nd September – Always and  Forever by Debi Gliari and Alan Durant

The Sunflowers will now be doing one 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.

 

This week’s activity is to mix together water and bubble bath and use straws to create bubbles.

The learning intentions for this activity are:

To understand simple cause and effect.

For the children to discuss what they see happening

To develop an understanding of their physical actions

 

The Sunflowers letter of the week is : M

 

Jess is off Friday, Sophie is off Monday and Becci is in all week

Procedure for the control of communicable diseases

Procedure for the control of communicable diseases

 

Aim of policy

 

To give clear guidance on how we will minimise the spread of infectious illnesses.

 

Points to consider

 

The Manager will be responsible for establishing and maintaining the appropriate Health Authority contacts for information and notification with regard to the control of communicable diseases.

Contacts are:

The Health Protection Agency’s (HPA) local Health Protection Unit (HPU):

Surrey and West Sussex Health Protection Unit

Telephone: 0845 8942944

Email: sshpu@hpa.org.uk

 

www.hpa.org.uk

This website gives up to date information on communicable diseases.

 

Castle Daycare and Preschool aim to achieve this by:

 

The Manager or Deputy Manager must notify the Health Authority and Ofsted immediately of any suspected outbreak of communicable disease at the Nursery.

 

Health Authority guidelines indicate that it is not necessary to operate a policy of exclusion for all child illnesses but it is important that staff and parents understands when exclusion is required.

 

Many illnesses are infectious before a full diagnosis can be made.  The Nursery must be aware of its responsibilities to protect the sick child and to prevent the spread of illness to other children in its care. 

 

Common diseases and symptoms requiring exclusion include:

 

·         Temperature of 101 deg F (38 deg C)

·         Chickenpox (Herpes-shingles)  

·         Measles

·         German Measles (Rubella)

·         Whooping Cough (Pertussis)

·         Mumps

·         Scarlet fever (Streptococcal infection)

·          

·         Contagious skin conditions

·         Diarrhoea and/or persistent vomiting (Gastrointestinal infection)

 

We will contact the parent to collect the child if they have three cases of vomiting and/or diarrhoea within a 24 hour period and request that they do not return for 48 hours after the symptoms have cleared.

 

A list of communicable diseases and minimum periods of exclusion is given on the HPA posters available in the Office.

 

The Manager or senior worker must be informed immediately if a child becomes ill while at the Nursery.  They will ensure that the child’s parents are notified as quickly as possible.

 

If the illness appears to be communicable, the child should be cared for by a member of staff but kept away from other children.  The parents should be encouraged to collect their child as soon as possible.

 

If a doctor confirms that the child has a communicable disease, the Manager will notify all other parents of their child’s exposure to infection within 24 hours.  This is particularly important with regard to Rubella, given the danger it represents to unborn children in the first trimester of pregnancy.

 

The Manager is responsible for the well being of the children and staff while they are in the Nursery.  No child or member of staff known to be suffering from a communicable disease or considered too ill to participate in normal nursery activities should be admitted to the Nursery.

 

Please check Health Protection Agency’s poster and website for up to date details on guidance on infection control and exclusion periods.

Week commencing 28th July

Dear Parents

 

You are my Sunshine

Please can you make sure that your child has a named hat and sun cream at nursery. We only have a limited number of nursery hats and we don’t want anyone to go without one. Thank you.

 

Nursery News

From August/September some of the teams are having a change around:

 

The Sunflowers team will become Jess, Becci and Sophie. Jess’s day off will become a Friday and Sophie will stay as a Monday. Becci will be in all week.

 

The Bluebells Team will be Donna, Leanne, Rose and Chloe. Donna will keep her Fridays off, Leanne will be off on Wednesday, Chloe will be off Thursday and Rose is in all week

 

The Buttercup team will remain as Charlotte, Julia, Nilem and Magda. Their days off will be Charlotte on Monday, Julia on Thursday, Magda on Tuesday and Nilem on Friday.

 

Megan will remain as our floating staff member and Alison will also be covering in different rooms until she starts Forest School in November.

If there is any change to your child’s key person due to the staff moves you will be informed by your room in the next few days.

 

Learning Journey update

The Interactive Learning Diaries will be started from August/September time. You will receive your passwords to log on later in the term so the staff have time to get everything up and running. For those of you who missed the newsletter previously explaining what the Interactive Learning Diaries are, here is some more information and you can always ask your key person!

From September it will be easier to see what your child has been learning at Nursery and how this links to the Early Years Foundation stage.

Using a secure online program called the Interactive Learning Diary, ILD, we will be able to record observations, add photos and videos (videos!!!) and link them all to the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Each parent will then be given a password enabling them to see their child (and only their child’s) learning journey.

Parents will be able to add their own observations, photos and videos so that we will be able to create a picture of each child’s development at both nursery and home.

This system will enable the staff to link to the Early Years Foundation Stage much quicker, to do more frequent observations that are less time consuming and spend more time with the children and less time on paperwork.

The system is very secure, with the same level of security as internet banking. You can see them in action at  http://www.interactivelearningdiary.co.uk/

 

Forest School

After the October half term we are going to start running Forest School sessions for the Sunflowers.  Lee, who already runs the Forest School at our Markenfield  Road Nursery will be leading the sessions with Alison.

The children will take part in the Forest School sessions in groups of six, on a 1:3 ratio. They will be accompanied by a qualified member of the Forest School team, Lee and Alison. 

Your child's forest school sessions will run once per week for six weeks, during term times only. The duration of these sessions will be 1 ¾ hours per week.

At Castle Nursery we pride ourselves in giving all of the children within the setting the opportunity to explore the outside world. The Forest School has been set up in order to enhance that experience.

Forest School is not just about taking the indoor classroom outside, but letting the children explore a new and exciting environment, whilst learning new skills that they may not have access to during their everyday lives. Forest school is based on the actual process of learning rather than the content of the lesson plans. This means that genuine Forest School practice is allowing the children' sessions to be unplanned, unexpected and ultimately unlimited. The children are given every encouragement to direct their own learning. As good practitioners we are able to do this by stimulating outdoor play through 'scaffolding' a child's learning, this is achieved through simply observing how a child behaves in the outdoor environment.

A woodland environment is central in supporting this dynamic approach to learning ,the dynamic nature of an outdoor environment - an infinite source of smells, textures, sounds and tastes; a range of visual stimuli from near to far, high to low, very big to very small.

Later in the term we will be giving out more information and permission letters to the Sunflower Parents. To start with, the sessions will run on a Wednesday morning but as we get up and running we are hoping to add in more sessions on other days. Forest School is optional but I hope you will be able to see how beneficial it will be for the children’s learning. Parents with CRB checks (we can help you get these) will be able to join in the sessions as well.

 

To give you the best idea about Forest school we are running a parent session on Sunday 12^th October from 10-12. More information about this session will follow!

 

Breakfast club

One of the points raised on our annual survey was about extended opening hours.

So from September we will be offering breakfast club, giving you the chance to drop off from 7.45 am.

There will be a charge of £2.50 per session and sessions will need to be booked 24 hours in advance so we can organise staffing.

 

Menus

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

 

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/   

 

Buttercups

Monday – Charlotte’s group is playing imaginatively with toy aeroplanes together

Tuesday – Nilem’s group are building gross motor skills as they use the big foam bricks In the garden

Wednesday – Julia’s group will be building social skills as they roll balls to each other

Thursday – Charlotte’s group is looking at the books “What can you see Spot?” and “Beep, Beep!”

Friday – Magda’s group will be exploring musical instruments and practising turn taking.

Charlotte is in Monday and Thursday, Julia is off Monday, Magda is off Tuesday and Nilem is off all week

 

Bluebells

Monday – Leanne’s group are exploring sounds as they use the instruments

Tuesday – Leanne’s group will be using number puzzles to develop number and counting skills

Wednesday – Sophie’s group is making cards to celebrate Eid

Thursday – Donna’s group are cooking star biscuits for Eid

Friday –Rose’s group will be looking at the favourite books together and talking about what happens

Donna is off Friday, Leanne is off Wednesday, Sophie is off Thursday and Rose  is off Monday and Tuesday

 

Sunflowers

Book of the Fortnight

21^st July – 28^th July – Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jnr

4^th -11^th August – Super Daisy by Kes Gray and Nick Sharratt

18^th – 25^th August – My Mum is Great by Marks and Spencer

1^st – 8^th September – My Dad by Family World

15^th – 22^nd September – Always and  Forever by Debi Gliari and Alan Durant

Monday – Chloe’s group is making star biscuits to celebrate Eid

Tuesday – Becci is supporting the children’s creative and physical skill as they paint using different tools

Wednesday – Jess’s group will be baking cheese and marmite straws

Thursday – Jess’s group are reading stories from around the world and look at maps to see where they come from

Friday – Chloe’s group will be exploring shapes in the environment

Jess is off Friday, Chloe is off Thursday and Becci is in all week

 

Have a good weekend

Caroline and the South Hill team

Incident report procedure

Incident report procedure

 

Aim of policy

 

To give guidance on when and how to complete an incident report.

 

Points to consider

An incident report is a report giving all of the details of an important incident that has taken place in the nursery (or elsewhere too). For example; a child arriving with an odd bruise, or a team member acting inappropriately, or a parent makes a complaint, or a child telling a story of how they had been left home alone. See the children protection policies and risk assessment policy.

 

Castle Daycare and Preschool aim to achieve this by:

If something happens in the nursery that has staff alarmed or needing to question something, we always write an incident report. An incident report will get all of the facts out and will keep important information at hand for reference. It may even be the difference between saving a child’s life or future.

The manager may ask staff to write an incident report and they will need to know what to write. Below is a set of guidelines on how to write an incident report.

 

How to write an incident report

1. All incident reports are to be clearly printed or typed.

 

2. Complete the report thoroughly and accurately, including all relevant important information about the incident and persons involved (time, place, date, names, and address).

 

3. Be concise and to the point, while still being thorough and complete.

 

4. DO NOT write from emotions – facts only, remember that anything written is considered an official document).

 

5. DO NOT speculate – we are reporting facts, not opinions or predictions.

 

6. Complete the report IMMEDIATELY after the incident – details fade fast.

 

7. Take notes if necessary and flesh out the details later.

 

8. Remember all reports are official legal documents and could be used in judicial hearings and a court of law.

 

9. If your report is not satisfactory, management will require that you rewrite it.

week commencing 21st July

Dear Parents

 

Graduation

Thanks you to all of the children and parents who attended the Sunflowers Graduation on Thursday, it was a great success!

 

Sunflowers

Exciting news, the Sunflowers new flooring is being laid on 7^th and 8^th August.

This will mean some disruption from Wednesday 6^th. The Sunflowers and Bluebells will join together on these days and use the garden as normal.

The Sunflowers new furniture will be arriving in September and as yet I have no news on when the decoration will be done in Sunflowers or the rest of the nursery but as soon as I know I will tell you!

 

Early Years Free Entitlement forms

Apologies to everyone who has completed the Free Entitlement forms I sent out, these have now been changed so I will be asking you to complete them again.

I am sorry about this, I didn’t know the Council would change them.

 

Menus

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

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/ 

 

Buttercups

Monday - Charlotte’s group are exploring the big outdoor equipment like the slide and bikes

Tuesday – Nilem’s group is playing alongside each other as they throw beanbags into buckets

Wednesday – Julia’s group are exploring rhyme and story books together

Thursday – Charlotte’s group will be finding hidden objects and toys as they explore the world around them

Friday – Magda’s group is investigating bubbly sand

Charlotte is off Friday, Julia is off Monday, Magda is off Monday and Tuesday and Nilem is off Friday

 

Bluebells

Monday – Donna’s group is using the jungle animals as they play imaginatively

Tuesday – Rose’s group are printing using leaves

Wednesday – Donna’s group will be counting as they read number books and sing number songs

Thursday – Leanne’s group are building their gross motor skills as they throw and catch

Friday – Sophie’s group will be building fine motor skills as they trace patterns in paint with their fingers

Donna is off Friday, Leanne is off Wednesday, Sophie is off Monday and Rose is in Monday and Tuesday

 

Sunflowers

Book of the Fortnight

21^st July – 28^th July – Brown bear by Bill Martin Jnr

4^th -11^th August – Super Daisy by Kes Gray and Nick Sharratt

18^th – 25^th August – My Mum is Great by Marks and Spencer

1^st – 8^th September – My Dad by Family World

15^th – 22^nd September – Always and  Forever by Debi Gliari and Alan Durant  

Monday – Chloe’s group are working together as they plant seeds

Tuesday – Becci is supporting the children’s listening and attention skills as they explore frozen toy animals

Wednesday – Jess’s group is creating masterpieces as they squirt and flick paint

Thursday – Jess’s group will be writing letters in sand

Friday – Chloe’s group are counting objects and sorting them by size and colour

Jess is off Tuesday, Chloe is off Wednesday, Becci is in all week and Alison is off for the summer

 

Have a great weekend

Caroline and the South Hill team

Procedure for accidents and incidents

 

Aim of policy

 

Castle Daycare & Preschool have in place a rigorous procedure to deal with accidents and incidents. See the current nursery risk assessments.

 

Points to consider

 

At all times staff dealing with accidents must wear the appropriate protective clothing – disposable gloves and aprons wherever it is required or reasonably practical.

 

Castle Daycare and Preschool aim to achieve this by:

 

Minor accidents/incidents

 

·         Staff member present assesses the injury.

·         The injury is treated by qualified first aider.

·         The child is resettled and observed.

·         The accident/incident is recorded on the accident form.

·         The Manager should be informed at the earliest opportunity.

·         At the end of the child’s session the parent/carer is advised of the accident/incident and what action was taken.  The parent must sign the form to verify they have been advised of the accident.

·         If the parent/carer is not willing to sign the form the Manager must be alerted immediately.

 

Major accidents/incidents

 

·         Never move the child - unless their life is in imminent danger by not moving them.

·         Call an ambulance.

·         Appropriate treatment should be administered by a trained first aider

·         The parent/carer must be contacted.

·         If the ambulance crew take the child to hospital a senior member of staff will accompany the child to hospital, if the parents are not available, and the parent/carers should be kept informed.

·         The accident form or serious incident form must be completed with the parent/carers signature.

 

In the case of a major accident the details must be reported to the Health and Safety representative, Ofsted and RIDDOR (if applicable)

 

ALL accidents and incidents must be monitored.  A risk assessment may need to be completed and/or reviewed in the event of an accident or incident.

 

Attention should be given to the following:

 

·         Was normal practice being followed?

·         Were there any unusual circumstances/conditions?

·         Were safety rules/advice being followed?

·         Has a similar incident occurred previously?

·         What conclusions can be made from this?

·         How can the incident be prevented from re-occurring

 

Accident forms should be checked every month by the manager to assess if any patterns are occurring, or if any action is needed to be taken to ensure accidents do not occur again. The manager will use this information to take appropriate steps to manage risks.