Dear
Parents and Carers,
Nursery News:
Christmas
Party
The
Christmas party is this afternoon J
For children who are not normally at nursery on Fridays, parents are very
welcome to bring them in, however you will need to stay with them. The parties
starts from 3.00. Father Christmas will be with us from 3.00 – 4.00. He will be
visiting babies at 3.00, Bluebells at 3.15 and Pre-school at 3.35. We will also
be having party games and a party tea. Due to our Safeguarding policies, please
can we ask you not to take any photos or videos on phones or cameras within the
nursery. I will take photos and put them onto the ILD’s and print any off you
would like to keep. If you have any questions please just let me know.
Nativity and Carol Service
A reminder Buttercups and Bluebells two carol
services are on Monday (11th) at 3.00 and 4.30.
The 4.30 performance is still full, however there
are a few spaces left on the 3.00 performance so if you would like extra
tickets please let Sammy know. This will be on a first come first served basis
and only for the earlier performance.
The Sunflowers nativities are at 9.45 and 4.15.
There are 4 tickets left on the 4.15 performance so
if anyone missed out on this time and would like it please let Becci know.
Otherwise on a first come first serve basis there will be a few extra tickets
available for both performances. However, parent tickets are prioritised for
the 4.15 performance. Grandparents are welcome to the 9.45 performance but the
places are limited.
If you have any questions please let Becci know.
30
hours Funding
1. A
reminder that HMRC have advised that parents wanting their children to start
the 30 hours funded childcare scheme in January should register by early
December.
This
is to avoid any peaks taking place similar to August when the website and
helpline were both experiencing problems due to high demand.
2. Parents must
reconfirm their eligibility every three months, so those who are already
claiming the 30 hours and nearing their deadline need to also act as soon as
possible, otherwise you may lose your eligibility.
Up
Coming Events
Friday
8th December – Christmas party
Monday
11th December – Carol service
Tuesday
12th December – Nativity play
Thursday
14th December – Pre-Schools G Live trip
This weeks activities and events:
Forest
School – This
week at Forest school, we warmed up milk in the outdoor kettle and enjoyed
yummy hot chocolate for snack. We then discovered some sand banks at the
Chantries and had lots of fun exploring them and climbing up and down them.
In
2 Sports –
This week at sports the children went on a treasure hunt where they had to find
treasure (different coloured objects) from around the garden.
French
– In
French this week the children played ‘Duck Duck Goose’ in French. They then
practiced their feelings and coloured in a picture talking about colours.
Next weeks 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
Topic of the month: Christmas
Monday – Leanne’s group will be building small
towers supporting number awareness
Tuesday – Montse’s group is celebrating
Christmas gaining a knowledge of Christmas traditions while singing songs
Wednesday – Sammy’s group are singing ‘If You’re
Happy and You Know It’ exploring different emotions
Thursday – Nilem’s group will be exploring shape
and size while playing with the shape sorters
Friday – Leanne’s group is discovering the train
track with friends observing different people and sounds
Leanne is off Wednesday, Nilem is off Tuesday and
Thursday, Montse and Sammy are in all week. Jamie is in Thursday.
Bluebells
Topic of the month: Christmas
Monday – Donna’s group are building an interest in
writing while making and talking about different marks they can make using
tools
Tuesday – Megan’s group is exploring the
‘People who help us’ stories building an interest in different occupations
Wednesday – Maria’s group will be finding hidden
treasure in the garden manoeuvring around the garden in different ways
Thursday – Megan’s group are making Christmas
shortbread biscuits and will be encouraged to follow instructions throughout
Friday – Ruby’s group is developing their
imaginative play while building their own shop in the role play area with their
friends
Donna is off Friday, Megan is off Monday and
Friday, Maria and Ruby are in all week.
Sunflowers
In the Sunflower room each Key Person plans and
implements their own Key Group activity, but the room works on the same area
and aspect to ensure the activity is individual to each Key Group and therefore
meets the specific Key Group’s individual needs.
This will work alongside their weekly planned
activity list which you can see in the room and on the ILD’S.
The Sunflowers will be making a Christmas gift for
their family this week. All the children will be making their own cooking treat
to take home. They will be supported to build their independence and self-care
skills while washing their hands and setting up for the activity. They will
follow and respond to instructions and help weigh out the different ingredients
throughout.
Topic of the month: Christmas
The letter of the week is: C
The children will be:
Talking about words beginning with C
Setting up the easel with C stencils
Singing Christmas carols
Zipping up our own coats
Writing the letter C in the air
The Number of the week is: 15
The children will be:
Talking about the number 15 at circle time
Writing the number 15 in the sand
Clapping 15 times
Counting to number 15
The shape of the week is: Star
The children will be:
Counting how many sides a star has
Making stars for the nativity scene
Spotting stars around the room
Becci is off Wednesday, Almu is off Monday and Ines
is on holiday Monday and Tuesday.
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.
Facebook
Castle
Nursery and Preschool Facebook page to promotes the company, engages with parents
and team members across our nurseries. If you would be interested in
following this page, here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/Castle-Nursery-and-Preschool-790319011138020/.
We will be regularly adding events and photos to the page.
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!
Useful
websites
Here
are the links for the Surrey Family Information Service, Free Early Education
(the 15 hours funding), Free Early Education for Two year olds and Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP).
Our Policy of the Week:
Outings policy
Aim of policy
To give clear guidance when
taking the children out of the setting on outings.
Childcare and Learning
Group encourages appropriate outings for all children. Regular walks and
visits within the local community all contribute to a child’s learning.
Points to consider
For all outings on foot or
by vehicle the following procedures must be followed:
• Written permission must be
obtained at the time of registration of the child. Authorisation must be
checked prior to the outing.
• A risk assessment must be
done prior to the outing – taking into account hazards such as transportation,
live animals and zoos, illness etc.
• Clear details of
destination, route and expected times for arrival and departure should be left
at the setting.
• Staffing ratios must be
maintained at: 2-3 years maximum 10 children ratio 1:2. 3-5 years maximum 30
children ratio 1:4. 5 year plus, maximum 30 children ratio 1:8. Ratios stated
are the maximum limits, smaller ratios maybe required. The Manager will decide
on outings ratios on an individual basis after doing a risk assessment.
• A first aider must be
present and a suitable first aid box must be taken. Any treatments for
allergies or medical conditions must be taken in a clearly labelled container
with medicine administration form.
• The senior person in charge
must be aware of the lost/missing child policy and be confident to take
appropriate action if needed.
· Allergy information and any
other relevant details on each child to be taken.
• A member of staff must take
a mobile phone with them in case of emergency.
• The children must be
counted before setting off (on the coach/mini bus if used) and counting must be
ongoing at regular intervals throughout the outing. If the group is broken up
into sub-groups a designated person in charge must be assigned and that person
is responsible for counting the children at regular intervals.
· A photo of the children
should be taken before the outing so that should a child get lost we are able
to give police a recent picture and a detailed description on what the child
was wearing.
• A label must be attached to
all children showing the name of the setting and telephone number of the
setting. Additionally it should also show the mobile telephone number of one of
the staff members on the outing. This label must be displayed on the child in a
manner which is visible and is not easily removed by the child.
• Toilet facilities must be
provided for the children at regular intervals.
• Food and drinks must be
provided at similar times to those in the setting and additional drinks should
be offered if the weather is warm or if energetic exercise is part of the day.
• Meeting points must be
pre-designated and times arranged when all the party should assemble. These
must be strictly adhered to.
• Transport must be fully
insured; drivers' details satisfactory and all seats must have 3 point safety
harnesses or equivalent. The maximum seat capacity of the vehicle must not be
exceeded.
• Spare clothing should be
brought.
At the conclusion of each
outing the staff member in charge will complete a review of the outing noting
the following:
o
Any particular problems with transport (e.g. coach arriving late, no
seat belts etc.).
o
Any particular problems with the venue (e.g. nowhere to shelter during
rain).
o
Any particular problems with specific children (illness, distress,
etc.).
o
Educational benefits of the visit.
o
Comments from parents and recommendations for future visits.
Prior to each new outing
the Senior Practitioner/Practitioner in charge of the outing will refer back to
the reviews and take accounts of comments when preparing for the next outing.
Kind
Regards,
Jess, Jamie and the South Hill Team
