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Nursery News 29th June 2026

NURSERY NEWS

Monday 29th June 2026 – Edition 415

Find out About:

A. ICT systems and telephones now working.

B. Heatwave-last week.

C. Chickenpox update.

D. What are the children learning about this week?

A. ICT systems and telephones now working.

Our ICT technician arrived very early this morning to switch on all our ICT equipment and ensure it is all operating effectively and safely.

We are happy to say everything is all now working. Telephone and email communications have resumed as normal. Mrs Evans is no longer working from home.

B. Heatwave-last week.

I would like to offer my thanks to the whole school community for working together during the period of extreme high temperatures during the Heatwave last week.

We used our knowledge of how heat impacts our school to plan our days. It is possible to go outside for a short period of time in the morning before the day reaches its peak temperatures. Mornings have been hot, but fairly normal in terms of play, as children can access both inside and outside areas.

At 11:30 we chose to close outside and bring all children inside for the rest of the day. We ensured children drank more water, by having whole school hydration breaks (like in the world cup!)  at 10:00am and 11:30am, and the children have responded well to our request to drink lots more water than usual.

The afternoons have been very hot and sweaty for all those that were here, both adults and children.

Pressures on family life have changed in recent times. Funding initiatives from the government has meant that the majority of families attending Willow are now working families.

We decided we would try our hardest to stay open. We do always think about the impact closing Nursery will have upon all families, but we do give particular consideration to the stress closing Nursery would bring to those parents that work. Being a parent with a young child is a very demanding period of time in anyone’s life. Add to that the need to be in work, and have childcare close due to heatwave issues and this puts parents in a difficult and stressful position. I hope our flexible approach regarding normal attendance/ reduced attendance/ stay at home and get in the paddling pool, has met everyone’s needs.

For those children who were in school for full days last week they should be recognised as being real ‘troopers’. They have tried so hard not to lose their ‘cool’. The slightly reduced pupil numbers achieved by parents choosing to keep children at home, or choosing to collect children early really helped. Everyone in school just had a little more space. 

The staff team has been amazing throughout the challenges of last week. We have a number of staff with underlying health conditions that are exacerbated by hot weather conditions. The staff team pulled together, maintaining a fun play environment whilst meticulously monitoring individual pupils to protect their health and well-being.

As I am writing this today, we all finally experienced a cooler night, so had the opportunity for better sleep. I am hoping that the weather in the next few weeks will revert to seasonal ‘norms’ and provide us with more comfortable conditions for playing and learning in.

C. Chickenpox Update.

We have had another case of chickenpox reported this morning in the two-year-old class. So, please be aware that it is still transmitting at school.

D. What are the children learning about this week?

The theme this week is Peace at Last

This week the theme is based on the book Peace at Last by Jill Murphy. Children will be listening to the story and discussing the characters and events of the story with staff. Staff will encourage the children to look at the pages of the book and all of the little details on each page. This promotes conversations, as the children will want to share what they can see and share experiences of their own. Staff will encourage children to listen to each other as they talk and to wait for their turn to talk. Staff will teach the children that it is good manners to wait until someone has finished talking before they take their turn.

Our learning intention this week is for children to recognise the impact of their choices and behaviours on others and to understand that sometimes these actions can hurt the feelings of others. To implement this, we will talk to the children about being kind and empathetic. We will encourage children to consider how they might feel if something was said or done to them. We will also pay close attention to positive behaviours such as sharing and using good manners. It is important that the children understand that their words and actions also have an impact on others. Staff will give lots of praise for kindness and consideration when it is carried out, they will also be modelling the type of language and behaviour we would like to see the children use.

Nursery News 22nd June 2026

NURSERY NEWS

Monday 22nd June 2026 – Edition 414

Find out About:

A. Reminder Monday 22^nd June 2026 is a training day for staff. School Closed

B. Review of the Year

C. Can you help with some Tissues?

D. What are the children learning about this week?

A. TODAY Monday 22^nd June 2026 is a training day for staff. School Closed

B. Review of the year

At this time of year, we carry out a big review of our school. In the last few days staff been talking to the Big Nursery children individually, to gain their views about their school, with regard to what they like, what they think they have learned and what they would like to see change. All school staff are busy filling in questionnaires too.

This information helps us to plan our areas for development next year.

I always ask parents for their views too at this time of year.

We usually ask just two questions:

1. Please comment about what we do well at Willow.
2. Please tell us one thing you would like to see at Willow that you would consider to be an improvement and/or development.

Please write a short email and send to office@willownursery.co.uk

If you wish your comments to inform my review, please send your email by the end of this week, Friday 26^th June. I will then compile all the comments and respond to them in a future newsletter, on Tuesday 6^th July.

C. Can you help with some Tissues?

Sometimes we ask parents for some specific donations that help our school.

We are in the hottest part of summer. We would hope that colds and runny noses would be over by now. However, this is not the case!

We have almost run out of tissues.                    So please, when doing your shopping, consider picking up a box of tissues for our children.  We really appreciate parents’ donations, as it enables us to have boxes of tissues close at hand, all around the school and in the garden, so we can do our best to keep children’s noses clean.

D. What are the children learning about this week?

The theme this week is transport – air and water

Staff will work with children to teach them the different types of transport that can be used on the water and in the air. Summer holidays are fast approaching and many children will be going on summer holidays. Some children are lucky enough to be travelling out of the country and this can be used as a discussion point to share personal experiences of air and water travel. There are many resources in school that can showcase different transport and how we use it, including books, toy airports and water play with boats and submarines which will all be available for the children to explore. Staff will model lots of language as they discuss things they have seen while on their own travels and they will encourage children to share their own experiences.

Our learning intention this week is for the children to practice skills of assertion, negotiation and compromise and to look at adults for support in conflict resolution. We will be assisting children as they consider the best way to solve conflicts no matter how big or small. Lots of praise and support will be given to children who try their best to show understanding and kindness to their friends. All children are different and have varying abilities when it comes to being able to problem solve, but being able to try their best or ask for help is key to them becoming successful.

We will focus on cutting skills this week and there will be plenty of books, magazines and paper for the children to cut. Staff will support the children in holding their scissors effectively to be able to make snips in paper and, for those that are able, to cut carefully and with purpose.

Our target for the most skilled children is to be able to neatly cut along a curved shape.

Nursery News 15th June 2026

NURSERY NEWS

15th June 2026 – Edition 413

Find out About:

A. Reminder: An Open School Event: For Big Nursery Yellow Group Parents: Basic Skills.

B. Reminder Monday 22^nd June 2026 is a training day for staff. School Closed

C. What are the children learning about this week?

A. Reminder An Open School Event: For Big Nursery Yellow Group Parents: Basic Skills.

Miss Howe’s Yellow group parents have been invited in to observe a 30 minute reading/writing activity on Wednesday 17^th June.

Mrs Cashmore’s Big Nursery Yellow group parents have been invited in to observe a 30 minute reading/writing activity on Thursday 18^th June.

The children’s skills are really coming along as we head towards the end of the year. We hope you will enjoy the opportunity to see your child working within a more structured, adult led session.

B. Reminder Monday 22^nd June 2026 is a training day for staff. School Closed

C. What are the children learning about this week?

The theme this week is transport – land

Staff will explain to the children what the word transport means and that there are many different modes of transport. There will be a variety of different resources throughout the school for the children to fully explore this topic. Staff will use these resources to expand the children’s vocabulary, they will explain that on land we can travel by car, train, bus, bicycle, motorcycle and on foot.

Our learning intention this week is for the children to talk extensively about things that are of particular importance to them. This means that they will learn to talk about people and things that are not present and they will use language to share experiences and thoughts. This will be promoted by having discussions with the children, and encouraging conversations by asking open ended questions. Staff will often relate to the children as they talk about things that are of importance to them. These discussions help to build bonds between the staff and children. Children are more likely to share more thoughts as their confidence grows.

The younger children have been exploring music and movement with their friends and will continue to do this during their sessions. They have been listening to some traditional party songs such as ‘Agadoo’ by Black Lace and ‘Nellie The Elephant’ by The Toy Dolls (1984 version). The children look forward to this activity every day and have been dancing very enthusiastically. It is lovely to see them coming together as a group and sharing this very special experience. Staff wanted to share this news with parents to encourage you to play these songs at home and have a little dance with your children.

Nursery News 8th June 2026

NURSERY NEWS

8th June 2026 – Edition 412

Find out About:

A An Open School Event: For Big Nursery Yellow Group Parents: Basic Skills.

B. Parent Consultations July 2026

C. End of term arrangements July 2026

D. What are the children learning about this week?

A. An Open School Event: For Big Nursery Yellow Group Parents: Basic Skills.

Miss Howe teaches some Big Nursery Yellow Group children ‘Basic Skills’ on a Wednesday morning. Mrs Cashmore teaches some Big Nursery Yellow Group children ‘Basic Skills’ on a Thursday morning.

The children move to a quiet space in Room 5 where they work in small groups (approx. 8 children) to learn reading, writing, mathematical skills and problem solving.

We would like to invite Miss Howe’s Yellow group parents in to observe a 30 minute reading/writing activity on Wednesday 17^th June.

We would like to invite Mrs Cashmore’s Yellow group parents in to observe a 30 minute reading/writing activity on Thursday 18^th June.

A further invitation letter will follow to Yellow Group parents so that we can match up time slots, so parents can join their child’s small group. Blue Group had their Basic Skills groups in the Autumn Term 2025 and Orange Group had their Basic skills group in the Spring Term 2026.

B. Parent Consultations July 2026.

We plan to have face to face parent consultations for all the children on 7^th and 9^th July 2026.  All consultations will be 5 minutes long. Staff will be in touch with you to arrange an appointment time.

So for Little Nursery,  All the Children who will be staying with us in September

Tuesday 7^th July–

Miss Gaffney’s Green Group Children. Five minute appointments available between 3:15pm and 4:35pm

Mrs Brinkley’s Red Group Children. Five minute appointments available between 3:15pm and 3:55pm

Miss Allen’s Yellow Group Children. Five minute appointments available between 3:15pm and 4:20pm

Miss Tyler’s Blue group children,   Five minute appointments available between 3:15pm and 3:35pm

Mrs Chiriac’s Red group children  Five minute appointments available between

1:00pm and 1:30pm

So for Big Nursery, All the Children who will be leaving us in July:

Thursday 9^th July–

Mrs Patterson’s Blue Group Children. Five minute appointments available between 3:15pm and 4:15pm

Miss Skai’s Orange Group Children. Five minute appointments available between 3:15pm and 4:15pm

Miss Howe’s Yellow Group Children. Five minute appointments available between 3:15pm and 3:45pm

Mrs Cashmore’s Yellow Group Children. Five minute appointments available between 3:15pm and 3:55pm

C. End of Term arrangements July 2026

The last day of term in July 2026 for all children will be Thursday 16^th July.

On Friday 17^th July school will open only for the Big Nursery children that are leaving us. The session will be from 8:50 am to 11:50 am. All Big Nursery leavers are invited to attend this session, regardless of your child’s normal attendance days. As children are attending for the morning only, no child will require a packed lunch. Children will require their water bottles. We are going to consult the children about what activities they would like to plan for their last day, and try to enable their ideas. There will be no charge for this session.

D. What are the children learning about this week?

The theme this week is The Smartest Giant in Town

The children will be listening to and sharing the book ‘The Smartest Giant in Town’. They will get to know the characters and learn how they are so kind to each other. The characters in the story talk to each other about how they feel in different situations and the staff will use this as a discussion point for the children to explore their own emotions. This fits with our learning intention to talk about how others might be feeling and respond according to their understanding of the other persons needs and wants. We will be encouraging everyone to be considerate of each other and to remember to be kind.

We will be talking to the children about different things that may affect our mood such as being hungry, tired and hot. When the weather is hot we give the children lots of reminders to take breaks from the sun, wear sunhats and drink plenty. It is important that children understand that it is okay to feel a range of emotions but also that there are different ways to manage the way we feel so that it doesn’t affect others.

As a staff, we work hard to teach the children how to manage their emotions and to understand that the way they feel is important. We model different ways to communicate with each other and offer solutions to support the wellbeing of the children.

Nursery News 1st June 2026

NURSERY NEWS

Monday 1st June 2026 – Edition 411

Find out About

A. Summer Heat and Nursery.

B. Staffing Update

C. Is your child ready to learn?

D. What are the children are learning about this week?

A. Summer Heat and Nursery.

We now find ourselves in the last seven weeks of the Summer Term. Higher temperatures will now be arriving. Staff are bracing ourselves, as the Summer extreme hot weather brings its own problems.

Across the school, children respond differently to the heat. Some children can take the heat in their stride, and are happy and content. Some children really struggle with the heat, they get too hot, become flushed and sweaty. The intense heat can sap children’s energy. Some children can become extremely grumpy and tired in the hottest part of the day. Staff spend most of their time worrying about keeping everyone safe. When it is very hot we aim to have times where all staff and children come inside, so we ensure everyone takes a break from the sun.

So to help:

• Ensure children have their water bottles with them every day.
• Provide a hat for your child, please put their name on it somewhere.
• Apply sun protection cream before school.

B. Staffing Update

I would like to let everyone know that Mrs McGrath will be leaving us very soon. Her last day with us will be Wednesday 10^th June, which is just next week. Mrs McGrath has been working here since November 2013, so she has made quite a commitment to our school community. She has a gentle and calm approach, so has spent most of her time here working in our 2 year old class. Her own family has grown over time, so she has made the decision that at the moment she would like to spend some time with her own children. We will miss her!

C. Is your child ready to learn?

Parents always look eagerly towards finding out which Primary school their child will be attending. Parents of children leaving us in July 2026 have found out which school their child is going to. We work very hard in school to prepare children for the next stage in their learning at their new school. There are some preparations that parents should be aware of, and can work on with your child in order to make your child ‘School Ready’.  So together, as teachers and carers, we need to make sure all our children receive the very best possible start.

Central Bedfordshire Council has put together a leaflet which describes some essential skills that your child should be working towards in order to get the best out of school. This leaflet is known as the ‘sixteen ticks’ as it has sixteen things to work towards. These ticks are relevant to all our pupils, even the youngest, because they are all eventually going to go on to Primary School.

I have attached a poster along with this newsletter which details the sixteen ticks and suggests some points for you to consider.

There is an additional link sent with this newsletter. This is the 16 ticks poster

Please have a look at it, to see the variety of skills children need to have in place in order to have a successful start in their primary school.

 D. What are the children learning about this week?

The theme this week is the Royal Family and London

The children will be learning about the Royal Family and tourist attractions in London. There will be lots of discussions about who the King and Queen are, where they live and all about their extended family.

There will be plenty of role play opportunities for the children to explore this week including a London bus that the children can either drive or be passengers on to pretend to visit some of the landmarks they have been learning about. There will be lots of crafting opportunities for the children to create crowns, flags and royal themed collages. Staff will also encourage the children to share their own experiences of visiting London and seeing the sights for themselves.

The learning intention this week is for the children to comment and ask questions about aspects of their familiar world such as the place they live or the natural world. We hope to see that the children are curious to explore new and familiar experiences in nature such as grass, mud, puddles, plants and animal life and that they are able to talk about what they have found and observed.