Autumn Term

Starts: Tuesday 3^rd September
Half term: Monday 28th October to Friday 1st November
Ends: Friday 20th December

Dear parents/carers,
Welcome back after the summer holidays. We trust you all had a relaxing break and enjoyed the weather. This term brings the arrival of some new children, and we extend a warm welcome to them and their parents/carers.

Each week a new policy is added to the notice board in the corridor on the table for you to read and sign. We would appreciate you spending a couple of minutes reading this as it helps us in our annual review of policies, whilst also ensuring that you are aware of policies and procedures within the setting.
Lots of useful information can be found on our website.

In the interest of safety, can you please use the car park opposite when dropping off or collecting your child/ren. It can get very congested and difficult to see oncoming traffic if parents park right in front of the preschool.

May we remind you that we have a ‘no dogs policy’ on the premises; please refrain from bringing your dogs to playschool and tying them up as some of our children have fears and phobias about dogs.

New team member:

 I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Jessica Bean to our preschool family.

Jess has many years of experience in education, special educational needs and care, she has a love for creative arts and we are looking forward to having her as part of our team.

Tapestry learning journals:

Tapestry online learning journal builds a very special record of your child’s experiences, development and learning journey through their early year’s education.
Using photos, videos and observations; your keyperson (Early Years Educator), yourself and your children themselves if they’re ready, build the story of how they are growing and developing. The communication between staff and parents that Tapestry enables, helps build a shared understanding of how every child can reach their full potential.

It is therefore essential to your child’s continued development and partnership with your keyperson that you regularly access and contribute to your tapestry journal. You can view your child’s progress, the activities provided for them, and how much fun they’re having, whilst also uploading your own comments and pictures.

(PICTURES ARE FOR YOUR USE ONLY AND MUST NOT BE SHARED ON ANY SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES)

 Please remember to add your summer fun pictures to your tapestry journal – we will look at them with the children to encourage them to talk about their home and experiences.

Preschool committee:

 As a registered non-profit charity, the preschool is run by a parent committee lead by Sophie Tierney (chairperson)

The committee volunteers work closely with preschool staff to offer support, fundraising and legal decisions governed by the committee laws and guidance.

This ensures as a business we continue to make progress and achieve our vison of providing a, safe, secure and nurturing environment for your children to thrive and meet their full potential.

We depend very much on the goodwill of parents and carers. If you would like to make a financial donation or if you feel like volunteering in any role no matter how big or small, please speak to Sophie.

Donations needed this term:

• Play Sand
• Baby wipes
• Tissues for noses
• Compost
• Hand wash
• Antibacterial spray
• Paper

The committee meeting is our AGM held on Monday 30^th September 7.00pm at the Village Hall, come along if you are interested in joining the committee.

Thank you to Jess and everyone who supported the Bear hunt and the Teddy Bears picnic fundraiser; we made a fantastic £260, and this will go towards new resources.

Next fundraising event:

Our next fundraising event will be the annual Pumpkin Party on Wednesday 23^rd October at 4.00 – 5:30pm. Please put this date in your diaries now (tickets will be on sale nearer the time). Entertainment will be provided by Tomfoolery and the children will have a chance to dress up in their Halloween costumes and dance to their favourite tunes. There will also be several side stalls and games to play. Hot food will be available to purchase, as well as soft drinks and cakes.

NEW TERM REMINDERS: 

• Please send your child to preschool with a labelled bag containing a change of clothes (labelled), nappies and wipes.
• Please ensure your child comes to preschool in appropriate clothing, remembering that we DO go outside every day in ALL WEATHERS. You need to provide waterproof coat, waterproof trousers and wellington boots. (LABEL CLEARLY)
• We get messy a lot!! I cannot guarantee that our exciting activities won’t stain clothes, and although we provide aprons for children we cannot make them wear them, so old clothes are essential.

Illness: 

Please contact us before 9:30am if your child is not attending preschool.

At preschool we promote the good health of children and staff attending each day. We take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection, so therefore you must not bring your child to preschool if they are suffering from a contagious/infectious illness. If your child has a temperature, or needed Calpol before they arrive, then they are not well enough to attend preschool.

If your child has had sickness or diarrhoea they must not attend preschool for 48 hours after it has stopped. If you are unsure, please call us before bringing your child to preschool and a staff member will advise you on what to do.

 Lunch sessions:

This is a casual, no pressure atmosphere with lots of encouragement on making healthy choices with food and drink.

When preparing your child’s lunch please consider the following:

• Portion sizes. Too much can be overwhelming.
• Ensure fruit and veg options are available (ensure grapes and berries are cut long ways in half to reduce the risk of choking).
• No high salt, sugar foods, no sweets or fizzy drinks.
• Any uneaten food will be put back in their lunch box so you can see what has been eaten.
• Please ensure lunch boxes, drinks bottles and containers are manageable and clearly labelled

For further information see the EAT WELL guidance.

At preschool we love to celebrate the children’s birthdays, but we ask that you do not bring in sweets and cakes for children to give out but suggest stickers instead.

Many thanks,

Chantael –Supervisor

Click here to download a copy!