January - February 2020
Farmyard Friends!
It’s been a busy few months here at Snapdragons Keynsham, getting into the swing of the new year.
The children and staff have been busy carrying out Valentines Day Activities, celebrating Chinese New Year and carrying out Random Acts of Kindness!
Let’s take a look at what else has been going on…
Farmyard Fun!
Babies took a trip to Avon Valley earlier in the month. They visited all of the different animals and even got to meet some brand new Lambs! The sunshine stayed out for their trip and a fun day was had all around.
Getting Creative…
Across the nursery the children have been exploring their creativity through a variety of activities. Pre-School did some colour mixing, mixing the prime colours together to see which different colours they could make. Older Toddlers had a go at painting on different materials, including tin foil, to see how this differed from drawing on paper. Younger Toddlers created some paint ice cubes and used these to slide across their paper and leave marks, while Babies rolled different sized balls through paint and across paper.
Our most recent Snapshot…
We hope you enjoy! If you don’t see your child featured and would like them to star in the next Snapshot video please let us know.
A few reminders…
Dates for the Diary -
World Book Day - Thursday 5th March
World Book Day is back again! Make sure you come dressed as your favourite character from a book or story!
Holi Festival - Tuesday 10th March
We will be celebrating Holi festival this year! Please can you bring in some old clothes for your child that you wouldn’t mind getting messy.
Beep Beep Day - Wednesday 18th March
Road Safety Awareness day - carrying out activities to raise awareness of road safety. We may even have some special visitors!
Hello & Goodbye
We would like to extend a warm welcome to some of our newer staff members, Charlotte and Georgia have joined us in the baby room and Georgia and Anna have started in our Butterfly (Older Toddler room). I’m sure you have seen them around the nursery!
Ella’s last day before heading off on maternity leave will be Friday 13th March. Hannah has been successful in taking on the role of Head of Early Years Practice and i’m sure you will join us in extending our congratulations. Abbie has also been successful in her promotion to Head of Babies. If you have any questions about these changes please ask in the office.
We would like to congratulate Mia on her promotion to Head of Younger Toddlers (Dragonflies).
Welcome to the World
We would love to say a huge congratulations to Lottie and Jamie who welcomed their daughter Lyla-Mae into the world on 2nd January.
We would also like to extend our huge congratulations to India and Jordan who welcomed their daughter Hallie-Rose into the world on 28th January.
Other Reminders…
Please can we ask parents to be mindful of the time when dropping off in the morning. If you do not have a pre-arranged early drop off, can you try to not enter the building until 8am. Our staff do not start their shifts until 8am and we have had a lot of parents congregating in the lobby / outside of rooms recently.
December 2019
Christmas 2019
Welcome back to our newsletter, highlighting everything we got up to in and around the nursery throughout December. We had a jam packed month with Christmas parties, Nativity performances, Christmas activities and even a visit from a very special person (all the way from the north pole)!
Pre-School were busy rehearsing and performing their Christmas show ‘The Innkeepers Breakfast’, telling us the story of a poor innkeeper who just wanted to eat his breakfast but kept getting disturbed by guests! If you ordered a digital copy of your child’s nativity show these are £5 and are ready to go. If you would like one please pop the £5 cash to the office and we can get this sent out to you. If you have ordered a physical DVD, these are £7 and should be ready mid-January.
See all of our festive pictures by clicking the button to the right -
Mince Pie Making…
Toddlers were busy getting in the festive spirit by making their own yummy mince pies! They helped the grown ups to roll out the pastry and scooped the mincemeat into the middle, of course, some couldn’t resist having a little taste!
Snow Angels…
Both Babies and Toddlers had a go at making their own snow using different resources. Babies used flour to create a snowy scene, sprinkling this into the air as if it were a lovely snowy day! Toddlers had the same idea and used shaving foam with their train track small world.
Wonderful Wreaths…
Pre-School got the opportunity to make a wreath with Tim, our Forest School leader. They used vines and branches to weave together and create a circle shape. They then used different materials to decorate the wreath to hang in their room.
Christmas Snapshot
(Featuring a very special guest all the way from the North Pole)
Nursery News
Booking Patterns
If you are unsure of your child’s booking pattern and/or would like a Term Time Only or Funded calendar please ask in the office.
Festival Dates
We will be celebrating many festivals and events across the nursery this year and will be keeping you up to date with these. Some upcoming festivals are;
24th January - Chinese New Year (Year of the Rat)
14th February - Valentines Day
25th February - Pancake Day
If there are any other festivals or events you would like us to celebrate / that your family celebrate at home please feel free to let us know!
Curiosity Resources
We are really keen to implement the curiosity approach more across our nursery. This focuses on the children having access to real life interesting objects in play. If anyone has any old interesting / curious objects they would like to donate we would be very grateful. These can be wooden spoons, pots and pans, old tea pots, tea cups, or any sort of interesting, real life objects.
October 2019
Wintery Woodland…
Welcome back to our October newsletter! We have been busy around nursery this month, organising parties and taking the children on trips. Lets see more…
Westonbirt Fun….
The children in Pre-School recently got the opportunity to visit Westonbirt Arboretum. They met up with some children from our Weston nursery and together they explored the woods, seeing what different natural resources they could find!
Back at nursery the children have been collecting and exploring autumnal resources such as sticks, leaves and conkers. They have been using these in a variety of different ways with Babies using their autumnal resources to explore play dough and Pre-School using them to create broomsticks from our book of the month ‘Room on the Broom’.
Spooky Sparks!
Across the nursery, children and staff have been busy preparing for the Halloween festivities. Both Toddler rooms, Butterflies and Dragonflies have been getting spooky with some slime and spider tough trays! They have been practicing their fine motor skills, using tweezers to find and pick out some creepy crawlies through ‘cobwebs’ and ‘slime’.
We were also busy preparing for our annual Halloween ‘Spooky Spark’ party. Thank you to those who came and joined us for an evening of games, spooky snacks and smores! We hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did! Here are some spooky snaps from the evening….
Dates for the Diary…
Thursday 7th November - Babies and Dragonflies (younger toddlers) Parents Evening
Wednesday 13th November - Pre-School and Butterflies (older toddlers) Parents Evening
Tuesday 12th November - Concept Photography
Concept photography are back with us, just in time for Christmas. If your child does not attend nursery on this date but you would like some photographs taken, please book in a slot in the office.
Thursday 12th December - Babies and Dragonflies Christmas Party Day: 2:30-4:00pm
Friday 13th December - Pre-School and Butterflies Christmas Party Day: 2:30-4:00pm
Parents are welcome to come along and join their children for our Christmas Parties! We will have lots of fun Christmas activities and a visit from a very special person! More information will be provided nearer the time. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.
Wednesday 18th December - Christmas Jumper Day!
Thursday 19th December - Pre-School Nativity (school leavers only)
Our annual Pre-School Christmas Nativity is fast approaching! We are currently in the process of handing out invitations but if you have not received one yet please feel free to ask in the office.
Christmas Closures
The nursery will be closed from Wednesday 25th December 2019 and will reopen on Thursday 2nd January 2020. We are open Christmas Eve as normal, so please let us know if your child will not be attending this session. This will allow us to work out our numbers for meal times as we want to try and minimise waste over the Christmas closure. Unfortunately we will be unable to offer any swap sessions on this day.
September 2019
The Great Outdoors…
September has been a busy month here for us at Snapdragons Keynsham! Our final school leavers headed off to school to begin the next chapter of their lives and across the nursery, children have been getting stuck in exploring the garden. We have also been busy fundraising for different events…
Jeans for Genes Day!
We took part in Jeans for Genes Day this year, staff and children came to nursery wearing their favourite denim jeans and items of clothing, all to raise money for children with life-altering genetic disorders. We managed to raise a total of £40 towards the charity.
The Great Outdoors…
The children have really enjoyed exploring the outdoors this month. They have been familiarising themselves with all of our new equipment and exploring their surroundings. The toddlers created their own water slides using coloured water, climbing up the bank and sliding down, using their grown ups for support. The younger toddlers have been creating their own water walls, balancing guttering on wooden stumps and pulling the lever to release the water and watch it flow. Pre-School have been partaking in a spot of bug hunting! Grabbing their magnifying glasses and looking around under logs and stones for different creepy crawlies!
September Snapshot…
Welcome to the World!
We would like to wish a huge congratulations to Alice and James who welcomed their beautiful baby boy Louis Ray James to the world on 7th September, weighing 8lbs 1oz.
We would also like to extend our congratulations to Ella, Head of Early Years Practice, who is expecting her first baby in April 2020!
Nursery News…
We would also like to say a warm welcome to Libby and Celeste who have both joined the Snapdragons team. Libby is a new member of the baby team and Celeste is based in our Dragonfly team. I’m sure you have seen their friendly faces around the nursery.
Dates for the Diary
Wednesday 10th October - Hello Yellow World Mental Health Awareness Day
We are encouraging people to come to nursery dressed up in their yellow clothes, all to raise money and awareness of ‘Young Minds’, a charity working hard to promote wellbeing amongst children and adults .
Tuesday 29th October 2019 - Spooky Spark Halloween Party: 18:00 - 19:00
Our annual halloween party is back! This year it will be taking place on Tuesday 29th October. Everyone is welcome to attend with their families for spooky games, snacks and smores.
Tuesday 12th November - Concept Photography
Concept photography are back with us! Just in time for Christmas.
August 2019
Outdoor exploration…
Welcome back to our Nursery Newsletter! There’s been some big changes around the nursery this month, the biggest one being the completion of our brand new garden! Keep reading to find out more…
Glorious Gardens…
As you may know, we have been extremely lucky to have our garden redone and some amazing new play equipment added! For those of you who haven’t yet seen the garden please feel free to ask a member of staff or any one of us in the office to show you around.
Getting creative!
In addition to exploring our new outdoor space, the children across the nursery have been busy getting creative! They have taken parts in lots of activities with different resources, using their imaginations to create some wonderful masterpieces.
August Snapshot!
Nursery Reminders…
Drop off and collection times
Our full day nursery session runs from 8-6, please can parents and carers ensure that they are not dropping their children off before 8am and that they are collecting their children by 6pm latest. Unless an arrangement has been organised prior or your child is attending breakfast club / have organised a late pick up. Thank you.
Water Maintenance Works
Many of you may have noticed and received the email regarding the essential water maintenance works being done at the front of the nursery. We would just like to say a big thank you to everyone for being so patient and understanding while these works have been underway. We are hoping the section of water maintenance on the nursery property will be finished early next week, meaning our driveway and car park will be back to normal. We will keep you updated with any extra information we may receive in the mean time.
Stories & Rhymes of the Month (August):
We’re going on a Bear Hunt
Hairy McClary
Ten In The Bed
Round and Round The Garden
The Okey Cokey
I had a Little Turtle
July 2019
Gardens, Graduation and Goodbyes…
Welcome back to our Snapdragons newsletter! We have been so busy these past few months getting into the swing of summer. As some of you may know we have been lucky enough to have our garden re-done! The wonderful company Earth Wrights have done a great job providing us with new and exciting play equipment, full of learning opportunities for all of the children. We have also started to say our goodbyes to some of our school leavers! Keep reading to hear all about the lovely Graduation day we held…
Let’s Graduate….
Saturday 13th July we were joined by friends and families of our school leavers for a fun day of food, sports, games and graduating! The day was a hit with races for children (and grown ups) of all ages, as well as a face painting station and delicious BBQ! We absolutely love hosting this yearly celebration to thank all of our wonderful families and wave goodbye to our school leavers, some of whom we’ve had the pleasure of looking after from young babies! We wish all of you well in the future and will miss you all so much when you leave us for big school.
New Themes…
We usually use our newsletter to tell you all about our themes and stories of the month, however, we have recently had an overhaul of the way we do our planning and no longer have monthly themes! Instead, our planning now focuses around children’s interests and experiences.
Never fear though, as we will still have stories of the month, just more of them! 3 to be exact! Giving the staff and children a nice wide range of activities to explore using these stories as a focus.
New Stories of the Month (July):
The Gruffalo, Dear Zoo and Where the Wild Things Are.
July 2019 Snapshot
Nursery News…
Congratulations!
This month we come to you with some very very exciting news!
We would like to say two huge congratulations to Lottie, Deputy Head of Dragonflies and India, Nursery Practitioner in Dragonflies who are both expecting babies! Both due after the new year, 2020! I’m sure you will join us in congratulating them both on their wonderful news.
Hello & Goodbye…
Staying with the baby theme, the month of July is our last full month with Alice, Nursery Manager, before she goes on Maternity Leave. We will miss her so much but wish her all the best in her new adventure as a mummy!
This means, however, that we welcome back Gemma, Nursery Manager, who will be returning from Maternity Leave in August! We’re looking forward to having her back in the Snapdragons team!
If you have any questions or queries about these changes please do not hesitate to talk to us in the office and we can answer any questions you may have.
Summer Term
For some of you last week or this week will be your final weeks with us before the summer holidays. If you are unsure of these term dates / unsure when you are due back please do ask us in the office for clarification.
We hope you all have a wonderful summer!
May 2019
Farmyard Fun!
The month of May has been a busy one for us here at Snapdragons! With the Pre-School leavers going on their annual trip to Warleigh Lodge Farm and the rest of the nursery getting stuck in to the theme and story of the month!
Take a look at what we have been up to…
Warleigh Lodge Farm…
As a lovely treat for our wonderful Pre-School leavers, we headed out on our annual trip to Warleigh Lodge farm! We chose a good day as the sun was shining while we explored the rivers, trees and met the various animals on the farm. We even got to take a special ride on a tractor across the fields to feed some friendly cows!
Warleigh Lodge Snapshot
Continuing with the animal theme…
Our book of the month this month has been the ‘Three Billy Goats Gruff’ and along with our theme of ‘Storytelling’, the children around the nursery have been getting involved with lots of animal and farm based activities. Toddlers have been painting different characters from their storybooks including the Three Bears! They have also been rescuing their favourite animals from the ‘pit’, using their motor skills and judgement to navigate through and find their animal friends. Pre-School have been enjoying some sensory play, exploring different textures on their sensory farm!
In Other News…
June 2019
New month means new themes! As we enter June (how are we mid-way through the year already?) we will be focussing on the following themes and stories across the nursery;
Theme of the Month: Expressive Arts and Design
Book of the Month: Jack and the Beanstalk
Concept Photography
Your lovely concept photography proof photos are back and waiting for you in the office! Once you receive your proofs take them home to have a little look through. If you would like to buy some photographs, fill out the forms and pop them back to us. If you decide you would not like to buy any photographs this time, please could you pop the proofs back anyway! All proofs to be returned by Friday 7th June 2019.
Welcome to the World
We would love to say a huge congratulations to Katharine and Matt who welcomed baby Lara to the world on 13th May, weighing 8lbs 0.5oz.
We would also love to say a huge congratulations to Sophie and Andy who welcomed baby Elsie to the world on 10th May, weighing 6lbs 11oz.
April 2019
A colourful month…
Welcome back to our April newsletter. We’ve been super busy across the nursery this month, celebrating various festivals such as Holi and Easter. We even had a visit from some extra special guests!
Let’s take a look at what we’ve been up to…
Paint Party!
Toddlers celebrated the traditional Hindu festival of Holi at the end of March, all gathering together in the garden to have a paint party! The children came wearing their old clothes from home and weren’t afraid to get messy, throwing powder paint with their friends and grown ups!
Excellent Eggs…
All across the nursery the excitement of Easter has been in the air. The children have been getting involved with various egg themed activities. Pre-School has a go at designing their own eggs, painting patterns and learning all about the different shapes and sizes. Toddlers used their skills to sort different coloured eggs into the correct coloured bowls and Younger Toddlers and Babies tried their hand at papier mache, gluing different coloured strips to a balloon to create their own Easter egg shapes!
Interesting Visitors!
We were lucky enough to be visited by ZooLab who brought along some interesting animals and creepy crawlies for us to meet and learn about. Together we took a trip through the rainforest learning about where the animals live and what they eat, then we got to hold and meet the different animals, this included a slithery Snake, 2 fluffy Rats, a Cockroach, Gail the Snail and even a Tarantula!
See our April Snapshots!
If you cannot see your child in any of the videos or photos please let us know and we can make sure they feature in next months Newsletter!
Dates for the Diary!
Pre-School, School leavers: Warleigh Lodge Farm Trip
The time has come for our annual Pre-School Leavers Farm Trip! We will be heading to the farm on Wednesday 22nd May. Some of you may have already received letters about this and we will aim to get the rest of the letters out to you ASAP. If you have any questions regarding the farm trip please to not hesitate to talk to Alice or Ella in the office.
Pre-School Graduation
As some of our Pre-School children prepare to leave us to start school in September we are beginning to organise our Pre-School Graduation as a lovely send off for the Snapdragons children and families. We will be hosting this on Saturday 13th July and invites will be sent out shortly.
Parents Evening
Over the next few months we will be holding Parents Evenings, giving you a chance to meet with your child’s key worker to discuss their progress and time at nursery. Parents Evening dates are as follows;
Pre-School: Tuesday 11th June & Wednesday 12th June
Toddlers: Wednesday 3rd July
Babies: Tuesday 25th June
Concept Photography
Concept Photography will be coming into nursery again on Wednesday 15th May. If you would like to book a slot for your child/children to be photographed please ask in the office.
Other Information…
Hello & Goodbye
We would like to say Hello to Catherine who joined us a few weeks ago as a Lunch Cover assistant. Catherine will be mainly based in Toddlers.
We would also love to say a huge Hello to Felicity who joined us at the end of April as our new Admin Assistant!
May 2019
Theme of the Month: Literacy - Storytelling.
Story of the Month: The Three Billy Goats Gruff
March 2019
Pancakes and Pyjamas…
March 2019
We have had so much going on around the nursery this month already, in between Pancake Day, Red Nose Day and World Book Day we have been getting stuck into activities around our theme of the month; Expressive Arts and Design, as well as our book of the month Chicken Licken!
Take a look at our most recent photo albums (link below) and our Snapshot videos to see more. If you can’t see your child in the video or photos, let us know and we’ll be sure to have them featuring next month!
Perfect Pancakes…
All across the nursery children and staff have been getting in the pancake spirit, role playing making pancake, creating pancakes out of playdough and weighing and measuring ingredients in tuff tray activities. Tim even visited us and made us some extra special pancakes on the fire! They were delicious!
Fancy dress!
We have had so many events going on this month, all with their own fancy dress theme! World Book Day was upon us at the beginning of March, with children and staff dressing up as their favourite story characters, we had an amazing range of characters from Willy Wonka to Mary Poppins.
We also took the opportunity to dress up in aid of Red Nose Day, staying comfy in our pyjamas and raising a brilliant amount of £109.40! So thank you to everyone who donated! Keep updated with all of the ‘goings on’ around the nursery on a day to day basis by following our Twitter account.
Our next fancy dress event was Beep Beep Day where children and staff dressed in Red, Amber or Green clothing and learnt all about road safety! We even had a special visit from our local Police Officers, who allowed us to sit in the police car and even hear the siren!
Reminders….
February Snapshot
Hello & Goodbye
This month we say a sad goodbye to Danielle who will be leaving us on the 29th! We hope you join us in wishing her all the best in whatever the future brings. We will miss you!
We have also sadly said goodbye to Terrie who left us earlier on in the month, again we wish you all the best in the future and will miss you lots!
Room movements
A few of our staff will be moving rooms over the next few weeks, allowing them to broaden their knowledge and experience in other age groups. Cat, who was previously based in Dragonflies (Younger Toddlers) will be moving to Grasshoppers (Pre-School) as of the week beginning Monday 25th March. Lucy, who was previously based in Butterflies (Older Toddlers) will be moving to Ladybirds (Babies) as of the week beginning Monday 1st April. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask Alice or Ella.
April 2019
Theme of the Month
Our new theme of the month throughout April will be Understanding of the World!
Book of the Month
Our new book of the month will be The Three Little Pigs.
Child Emergency Details
If you haven't already please can we ask parents to fill out Emergency Details for their children online. Just click the button and pop in the details, it should take less than 5 minutes. Thank you!
February 2019
Love is in the air…
February 2019
Welcome to our February edition of the Snapdragons Keynsham newsletter. We hope you have all had a lovely month and have enjoyed the early sunshine!
We have been busy this month, carrying out some extra special activities for Valentines Day.
Take a look at what we’ve been up to…
Valentines Day…
Love has been in the air around nursery this month with all ages getting stuck in with Valentines day activities! Babies have been enjoying sensory exploration, filling and emptying different containers filled with dyed lentils and coloured hearts. Toddlers have been printing heart shapes to create beautiful cards for their mummies and daddies. Pre-school have been creating their own love hearts, talking about who we love the most and why, they then took a trip outside to hang these on our trees.
Westonbirt Arboretum…
Some of Pre-School got the chance to visit Westonbirt Arboretum this month and enjoy the beautiful early sunshine! They explored the old woods, climbing through trees and finding different objects to bring back to nursery and show their friends.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears…
Our book of the month during February has been Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, which is one of our favourite stories! All around the nursery children have been introducing porridge into their play as well as learning through our theme of the month: Mathematics!
A few reminders!
Upcoming events….
World Book Day - Thursday 7th March - World Book Day is upon us again! We are welcoming children, parents and staff to dress up as their favourite book character and bring in a book to read with their friends!
Red Nose Day - Friday 15th March - Everyone loves an excuse for a pyjama day! Who needs to get ready in the morning? Roll out of bed and head to nursery in your funniest pyjamas - don’t forget your £1 donation for Comic Relief. Let’s see how much we can raise this year…
Beep Beep Day - Wednesday 20th March - Dress up using the traffic light system, will you be green, amber or red? We will be carrying out activities based around road safety and people who help us. We’re hoping to organise a few visits from the emergency services throughout the week so watch this space…
Bills…
Please can we remind all parents that bills need to be paid by the 15th of every month and that childcare vouchers and tax free childcare accounts can take 3-5 working days to clear, so this must be taken into account. Late payment charges will be added onto accounts that are not up to date but the 15th of the month, following discussions with management.
Hello & Goodbye…
We want to say a huge goodbye and congratulations to Sophie, Deputy Head of Babies and Katharine, Senior Practitioner, who will both be leaving us in March. They are both expecting beautiful baby girls in May 2019 and we are sure you will join us in sending them our love and best wishes.
March 2019
Theme of the Month (March)
Our theme this month will be focussing on Expressive Arts and Design.
Book of the Month (March)
Our new book of the month will be Chicken Licken.
Child Emergency Details
If you haven’t done so already please can all parents fill in a new Child Emergency Details form online. Just click the button below to fill out the form.
We are currently updating all of our records online and are asking all parents to update their emergency details so that we have the most up to date details. Thank you!
January 2019
Happy New Year!
Welcome to our first Newsletter of 2019!
Welcome to our first newsletter of 2019! We hope you all had a lovely Christmas break and have all had a great start to the year.
We have had a busy start to the year, getting back into the swing of things. Although the weather took a turn for the worse this month, it did not stop us getting outside and exploring.
Take a look at some of the things we have been doing throughout January…
Outdoor Exploration!
Our theme this month has been Outdoors! Despite the chilly weather, staff and children have wrapped up warm and headed outside, carrying out Gingerbread Man hunts, creating some lovely bark rubbing pictures and exploring the grounds around the nursery.
Sensory Play…
The children have been exploring their senses this month through a range of activities. Babies have been exploring the sensory lights, seeing which colours they can spot. Toddlers and Pre-School have been creating small world environments using different resources to add an extra element.
A few more things…
January Snapshot
Cold Weather & Clothing
As the weather is still a little bit on the chilly side, please can you make sure that your child is being sent to nursery with weather appropriate clothing, such as; a warm coat, hat, gloves and scarf. We love to explore outside and this ensures the children keep nice and warm when doing so. Can these items please also be named.
Hello & Goodbye
We would like to take this opportunity to say a huge hello to our newest member of staff, Mia. Mia will be working in our older Toddler room (Butterflies).
We would also like to say goodbye to Danielle (Grasshoppers) and Terrie (Dragonflies) who are sadly leaving us soon. We hope you join us in wishing them all the best in the future.
February 2019
Theme of the Month (February)
A new month means a new theme and throughout February we will be focussing on Mathematics!
Book of the Month (February)
Alongside our new theme is a new book - Goldilocks and the Three Bears!
December 2018
Merry Christmas…
And Happy New Year!
Merry Christmas everyone! We’re back with our December newsletter to let you know about what’s been going on around the nursery.
We’ve had a very busy few months on the run up to Christmas. There have been some lovely festive activities going on across the nursery, from Christmas tree decorating to mince pie making.
More recently we have been hosting our Christmas parties, complete with a visit from a very special guest, all the way from the North Pole! In addition, Pre-School have had their annual nativity, this year giving us their best performance of ‘Ralph the Reindeer’.
A Few Reminders….
Christmas Closure
The nursery will be closed from Tuesday 25th December and will re-open on Wednesday 2nd January, resuming our normal hours 8.00 - 18.00.
Nursery Hours
Please can we remind parents that our full day nursery sessions run from 08.00 - 18.00. Unless you have a pre-arranged early drop off, we kindly ask that you do not drop off before 08.00. Alternatively can we remind parents that unless you have a pre-arranged late pick up please ensure you are arriving in enough time to collect your child and receive a hand over by a staff member. Late charges do apply for anyone picked up after 18.00.
Children’s Clothes
Please make sure your children’s clothes, coats, hats, wellies etc. are named.
Our Snapshot Christmas Special…
Hello & Goodbye
We would love to say a BIG warm welcome to all of our new staff who have joined us over the last few months. Hello to Caroline, who has started with us in our Pre-School room and hello to Mia who has started with us on the Toddler floor. And a big hello to those who will be joining us in January, Rebecca and Tilly who will both be starting in Pre-School!
We sadly also say Goodbye to Amber from our baby room, we wish you the best of luck in the future.
Welcome to the World…
A huge Congratulations to Katharine, Senior Practitioner, who is expecting her second child, a beautiful baby girl, in May 2019.
And another huge Congratulations to Sophie, Deputy Head of Babies, who is expecting her first child, another beautiful baby girl, also in May 2019.
January 2019
Theme of the Month (January)
Our new monthly theme in January will be focussing on Outdoors.
Book of the Month (January)
Our new book of the month is ‘The Gingerbread Man’.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in 2019!
November 2018
Welcome to our newsletter!
Our first one ever!
Every month, we will be updating our blog with any news, updates and events going on, for all of our families to see and hear about!
We’ve had a busy October with lots of spooky Halloween activities going on, alongside our Halloween party last Friday, which was a big success! Thank you to all the families who joined us!
Take a look at our recent photo albums and Snapshot to see all the October fun for yourselves! If you can’t see your child in the video or photos, let us know and we’ll be sure to have them featuring next month!
Children in Need: Cake Sale and PJ Party
Cake Sale: This week we will raising money for Children in Need by having a cake sale, with a bit of friendly competition! Our cake sale will have a Bake Off theme and we will asking the children to choose the winner each day- so when you collect your children, don’t forget to join in with the fun, pick up a slice of cake and ask them to choose their favourite! We would love you all to get involved, so please feel free to join in by bring in your best bakes!
Pyjama party: If your child is due to attend nursery on Friday, we will be dressing up in our best PJ’s! Don’t forget to bring your child’s favourite teddy to show their friends and £1 to add to our donations!
Camera Ready
This Tuesday we have Concept Photography coming in between 08:00-15:00.
If your child will be attending nursery on Tuesday and you would like their photo taken, let the office know and we will pencil them in! If your child doesn’t attend but you would like to book a slot, give us a call or pop into the office and we will book you in.
Tip: Pack a change clothes for the photographs as we all know how quickly children get messy!
Brrrr it’s getting chilly outside
Can we please ask that all children are bringing into the nursery the listed below, every day throughout the winter months (with their names on where possible!)
Winter hat
Gloves
A thick winter coat
Wellies with cosy socks to keep little toes warm!
Snow boots/warm shoes (for babies)
Christmas is coming
Dates for the diary:
5th December: Babies Christmas Party 09:30-11:00
5th December: Dragonflies Christmas Party 14:30-16:00
6th December: Butterflies Christmas Party 09:30-11:00
6th December: Pre-School Christmas Party 14:00-16:00
17th December: Pre-School Nativity Play- AM and PM (times and groups to be confirmed)
19th December: Christmas lunch and Christmas jumper day (for children attending on the day)
Christmas parties: we will be having a little visit from Father Christmas and will have some festive activities planned for your children! If your child isn’t due to attend on the day, you and your children are still more than welcome to join us- just let us know in advance!
Pre-School Parents: Invitations for the nativity play will be coming out next week which will state your child’s role and information regarding groups and timings.
Book of the Month
This month our book of the month is Peace at Last by Jill Murphy.
Theme of the Month
This month the area of learning we are focusing on is Communication and Language.
Welcome to the world…
A huge congratulations to Gemma, Jay and Penelope, on the birth of their beautiful baby boy! Reuben Henry James Smith arrived on 6th November at 14:07, weighing 8lb 1.5oz. We are all so excited for cuddles!