Nursery News 21.6.2021

NURSERY NEWS

21st June 2021 – Edition 229

Find out About:

A. Covid Coughs and Temperatures.- Our View.

B. Some children and adults are really scared of dogs.

C. Is your child ready to learn?

D. Updated Public Health Advice.

E. Parent Consultations July 2021

F. End of Term arrangements July 2021

A. Covid, Coughs and Temperatures.- Our View.

Cases of Covid 19 are currently rising rapidly, nationally, especially in schools. We are still required to keep protective measures in place in our schools. If a parent tells us that their child has a temperature or a cough, we are required to advise parents that they should seek a Covid test for their child.

We are being very vigilant in school listening out for children with new, continuous coughs. We will send a child home if we feel a cough is persistent, and advise parents to seek a Covid test for their child.

However, this is a complete minefield at the moment. We have had a child who is suffering from Chronic Hayfever, who has been off school for some time, and the doctors advice has been that residual congestion remains on the child’s chest due to hayfever.

We know of at least two children in recent weeks who have had a cough, that have seen their GP and been prescribed antibiotics for an infection, and they were told to return to school when they felt well enough.

Children who suffer from asthma are feeling the heat and high pollen counts, which is making their asthma worse.

But, if you, as a parent, are waiting in the queue outside in the morning, and can hear a child coughing and coughing it is a worry knowing that your child may sit next to the coughing child at register time or lunchtime, or may spend half the day playing with the child who is coughing.

So we will do our bit by being vigilant, and looking for children who are coughing, but we ask parents to do their bit by not sending in to school children who are unwell.

B.Some children and adults are really scared of dogs.

A parent has spoken to me about her, and her child’s fear of dogs. She is concerned that a number of families are joining the queues outside school with their dogs. It is a busy space, and families are quite close. I know all our Willow family dogs are well handled and well behaved. However, there will be more than one child out there in the queue who is petrified of dogs. I would kindly ask that if you choose to bring your

pet to school that you consider waiting over the road with your dog and bringing your child over when all the other children from your child’s colour group have gone in. Keyworkers do look out for all their keyworker children arriving and will know that you are there. The same would apply at going home time too. The younger bubble are really good at staying at their waiting spot until their keyworker signals to them to move down. We need Red and Yellow groups to wait at their colour spot until called forward. This will allow a clear space at the gate for our dog owners to pop over and drop off/ collect their children.

I am asking our dog owners to please consider those adults and children who are not comfortable around dogs. I know an argument could be that our small collection of well behaved pups would allow children to get to know animals and be less scared of them, but the line outside school is not the place for this, as parents do not have choice about being here, or indeed the choice to move away to avoid the dog.

C. Is your child ready to learn?

We are in the final half term of the school year, and our thoughts do become focused on those children who are leaving us. We prepare children’s records to transfer to Primary Schools and we summarise children’s progress with parents. We now begin to question, are our leavers school ready?

One tick from ‘the sixteen ticks’ to work upon:

To be able to take off coat and put on shoes.

Children need to be as independent as possible. It is not just the ability to take clothing off that is important, children need to put their belongings in a place where they can be found again, which in school is on their peg. As temperatures rise children will take layers off to try to keep cool. Encourage them to look after their belongings at home. To put their shoes in the place where they should be stored. Also: To be toilet trained and able to visit the toilet alone. Children come into Catkins class in varying stages of toilet training. We support all parents when they feel their child is ready to be toilet trained. Not wearing nappies anymore is a huge achievement for both child and parent. Your child is on their way to independence. Children also need to be taught how to use a toilet independently. Children need to be shown how to manage their clothing, how to use toilet paper to wipe their own bottom, how to flush the toilet and how to wash their hands. They also need to be allowed to try this on their own at home. Children should be confident toilet users by the time they leave Willow to go to Primary school.

D. Updated Public Health Advice.

We have received some updated Public Health Advice after the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s speech on the 14th June 2021. Schools have been advised to keep all, current protective measures in place until there is a further announcement on Step 4 of the roadmap.

We have been waiting to see if there would be any changes to the Covid rules which the school must follow before planning the end of term.

Our plans are now in place, which I will share with you below.

However, Covid may impact upon any of the plans we have put in place. We currently have a small number of pupil families where one parent is isolating due to contact with a positive Covid case. It is very likely that a confirmed case in one of our pupils will close a bubble. Case numbers are growing in schools generally. Staff may have to work from home if their children are asked to isolate.

If we cancel something we have planned, we will not have time to reschedule.

E. Parent Consultations July 2021.

Following, guidelines for schools, we should, wherever possible, use electronic means to meet with parents.

We will have parent consultations for all the children on 6th, 7th and 8th July 2021 as follows:

Tuesday 6th July- Catkins children. Telephone consultation, a 10 minute consultation scheduled from 3:15 onwards with your child’s keyworker.

Wednesday 7th July- Blue Group Children, 10 minute Telephone Consultation with Miss Gaffney scheduled from 3:15 onwards

Thursday 8th July- Orange Group children, 10 minute Telephone Consultation with Mrs Brinkley scheduled from 3:15 onwards

Main Nursery children will have a Leavers Consultation, where staff will hand over your child’s year book. Therefore Miss Howe has decided these consultations will be face to face, but outside and seating will be 2 metres apart.

Tuesday 6th July -Green Group Children, 5 minute Face to Face meeting with Mrs Patterson scheduled from 3:15 onwards

Wednesday 7th July,- Red Group Children 5 minute Face to Face meeting with Miss Skai scheduled between 3:15 onwards

Thursday 8th July –Yellow Group children 5 minute Face to Face meeting with Miss Howe scheduled from 3:15 onwards.

If any/all of these parent meetings are cancelled due to covid, we will not be able to reschedule.

Your child’s keyworker will contact you to arrange an appointment, either at arrival or departure times, or failing that on the telephone.

F. End of Term arrangements July 2021

The last day of term in July 2021 for all children will be Wednesday 21st July.

On Thursday 22nd July school will open only for the Main Nursery children that are leaving us. The session will be from 8:50 am to 11:50am. All Main 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.