Nursery News 30.11.2020

NURSERY NEWS

30th November 2020 – Edition 208

Find out About:

A: Catkins Parent Consultations.

B. .School Photographer

C. Term Dates

D. Arrangements for the end of term.

E Lack of fruit at snacktime!

F . What the children are learning this week.

A: Catkins Parent Consultations.

A reminder for those that have booked consultations with Catkins class staff, they will be taking place at the following times:

Miss Tyler’s Keyworker children: Monday 30th November: 3:00pm to 3:30pm

Miss Gaffney’s Keyworker children: Tuesday 1st December: 3:20pm to 3:50pm

Consultations for Mrs Brinkley’s Keyworker children:

Appointments available: Wednesday 2nd December 2:40pm to 3:50pm

Mrs McGrath’s Keyworker children: Thursday 3rd December 1:30pm to 2:00pm

B. School Photographer

All orders must be returned to school by Tuesday 1st December.

C. Term dates:

Autumn term ends Friday 18th December 2020.

Spring term begins Tuesday 5th January 2021.

Half term from 15th-19th February 2021

Term ends for Easter school holidays on Friday 26th March.

The best place to look for the most up to date Term dates is on the Central Beds Website. The Local Authority have been known to move school holidays to bring them in to line with neighbouring counties. I would always suggest double checking there before booking a holiday or other important event.

D. Arrangements for the end of term.

The last day for Catkins Class is Thursday 17th December.

The last normal school day for the Main Nursery will be Thursday 17th December.

On Friday the 18th December the school will be open for the Main Nursery Party only. The school office will be closed on Friday 18th December. The deadline for payments for the beginning of the Spring Term will be on Thursday 17th December at 9:30am.

The Main Nursery Christmas Party is planned to be on Friday 18th December from 11:15am until 1:00pm.

Due to the Covid 19 pandemic the party will be slightly different to what we usually offer. We will have a Christmas Magic Show, party food, and (if we are good) a visit from Father Christmas.

We have reduced as many Covid 19 risks as possible. The magician will be distanced from the children, and nobody will be called upon to be the magician’s assistant. The school will provide all the party food. Each child will have an individual pre-prepared plate of food. (Food will be vegetarian) Father Christmas (one of the teaching assistants) will come and wave to the group. We will not have individual visits to Father Christmas in his Grotto this year.

Catkins Class will not miss out on the Christmas fun. They will have party food, a disco and Christmas crafts within their regular sessions every day during the last week of term.

E Lack of fruit at snacktime!

We have had very little fruit brought into school in the last week or so, to share at fruit time. I know we have some parents who regularly donate fruit, so a big Thankyou goes out to them. We ask that every parent consider donating a six pack of apples, or a bunch of bananas or a bag of satsumas once every six weeks. If all parents send in some fruit we have plenty to share at grouptime. We give children a small portion of fruit to have with their milk at snacktime, usually about a quarter of an apple/ banana/ satsuma. The children really enjoy their snacktime.

F. What the children are learning this week.

Catkins will be focussing on some of the storybooks about Maisie Mouse By Lucy Cousins. Mrs Brinkley will use the story: ‘Maisie’s Bus’ to teach the children about numerals 1 to 5, as the bus in the story stops at numbered bus stops along the bus journey. The frame we used for the dark tent last week can be rebuilt as a big red bus. Children will have the chance to role play going on a bus journey.

Miss Tyler will be retelling the story of ‘Maisie Goes Swimming’. In this story Maisie has to take off many layers of clothes to be ready for the pool. The children name the clothing types and name the colours. We have a handmade Maisie Mouse, and all her layers of clothing that a group of clever parents made a number of years ago.

Mrs McGrath is going to help children to cook some cheesy mouse biscuits.

Main Nursery Children will begin exploring the theme of Christmas. At Willow we try very hard to make our Christmas feel exciting, busy and full of glitter. We try not to start Christmas crafts etc too early as it is very hard to sustain excited 2,3 and 4 year olds for more than three weeks. We teach the children about the Nativity Story and allow the children the children to consider that this story is a story that Christians believe to be true. We provide a role play stable and props so children can retell the Nativity Story. We learn about Christmas traditions. The children have their own Christmas tree that they can decorate as they wish.