August 2024
Month in Pictures
What a month! We waved goodbye to our school leavers, enjoyed a charity summer fete, and enjoyed some trips and outings.
Teaching Toolkit
Each month we focus on a theme from the Snapdragons curriculum, the teaching toolkit. This covers ten themes of learning and for this month’s theme, we are encouraging the children to ‘explore and investigate with curiosity’.
Babies have used their bodies to experience the world around them through treasure baskets, tuff trays, and time for exploration in the outdoor environment.
Toddlers investigated a wide variety of natural and manufactured objects by collecting, transporting, arranging, sorting, stacking, knocking down, filling and pouring the loose parts around them.
Pre-school incorporated different natural and manufactured objects into their play, using loose parts as props to represent everyday items in imaginative role play, games and construction. Isn’t it amazing how many things a stick can become!
Pre-school Leavers
It is with great sadness and immense pride that we wave goodbye to our pre-school leavers as they venture off to school. It has been nothing short of a pleasure watching them grow into the kind, talented, and extremely special indivduals we know and love. From everyone here at Snapdragons we would like to send them all the luck in the world as they face their next big adventure.
Charity Summer Fete
Wow! What an incredible evening. On behalf of Snapdragons and the Jessie May Trust, thank you. We are so incredibly grateful to everyone for their donations, both in prizes and purchase of tickets. It is thanks to all of your generous donations that we are pleased to announce that we were able to raise a grand total of £700.
A special shoutout to the incredibly special, exceptionally talented, Upfront and Casual for the wonderful evening entertainment provided.
A message from the Jessie May Trust
Thank you so much for choosing to support Jessie May.
Thanks to all of your team, and to all of the wonderful people who attended and donated on the day along with all of those who donated prizes for the raffle too. Such wonderful support!
We are so very over the moon that you raised a whopping £700, that’s absolutely incredible. Thank you so so very much! It costs £234 per visit to our families, so you have all enabled three of our families to receive some much needed and welcomed support.
Nursery exclusion policy
8. The following is the Snapdragons policy for the period of exclusion from the nursery for children and adults due to illness. The management team takes responsibility for any variations in this policy. Whilst Public Health guidelines for Schools does not suggest exclusion for certain conditions such as conjunctivitis, slapped cheek or hand, foot and mouth, it should be appreciated that in a nursery setting such conditions can spread rapidly for children and staff, particularly as young children are dependent on the staff for their hygiene needs e.g. keeping the eye area clean. They can also be uncomfortable and painful conditions. Children should not be brought into nursery if parents believe they are unwell to minimise the risk of spreading infections.
Chef’s Corner
In honour of this year’s Olympics being held in France, this month’s recipe is French in origin.
Ratatouille
Recipie:
2 aubergines
4 small courgettes
2 red peppers
4 large tomatoes
4 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ tsp sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
small bunch basil, roughly torn
Method:
Cut the aubergines into quarters lengthways, then cut the quarters into 2.5cm/1in slices. Cut the courgettes into 2.5cm/1in slices. De-seed the peppers and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
To peel the tomatoes, score a cross in the base of each tomato and place them in a heatproof bowl. Pour over enough boiling water to cover and set aside for a minute. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, peel away the skins. Roughly chop the flesh.
Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole or heavy-based saucepan. Add the onions and cook over a gentle heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown and very tender.
Add the aubergines and courgettes, increase the heat slightly and cook for 2–3 minutes.
Stir in the peppers, garlic, sugar, some salt and pepper and half the basil. Mix well and cover with a lid. Cook over a very gentle heat for 20 minutes.
Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Scatter the ratatouille with the remaining basil and serve.
Snappy shoutouts
Congratulations to Marc on his successful application as Head of Polar Bears
Congratulations to James and family on the safe arrival of baby Abel
Congratulations to Jane and family on the safe arrival of baby Ernest
Happiest of birthdays to Lauren (18th) and Maddie (22nd)
August Affirmations
Boost self esteem and improve mental well-being by reciting these fun and engaging daily affirmations.
Are we caring? yeah!
Are we kind? yeah!
Do we love all of our body and our mind? Yeah!
Are we creative? Yeah!
Are we couragous? Yeah!
Is the love and light we show just so contagious? Yeah!
Nominate your superstar
We love to hear from our families across Snapdragons about excellent service they have received. If someone at the nursery has impressed you, please fill in their details below and submit to the nursery. We run a rewards scheme for our teams and they can earn gifts by receiving nominations!
