Nursery News 23rd September 2024

NURSERY NEWS

23rd September 2024 – Edition 345

Find out About:

A. Severe Rainfall.

B. What to put in your child’s change of clothes bag.

C. Applying for Primary School.

D. What are the children learning about this week?

 

A. Severe Rainfall- an update.

The water was rising in Hadrian Academy Playground until about 9:30pm last night. At our rear boundary with Hadrian Academy the water in our playground was 30cms deep.  More rainfall was predicted overnight. I could not give a clear decision about whether the school would be able to open until I had arrived this morning.

There had been no leaks inside the school, and the toilets, heating, electrical systems, phone and internet were all working appropriately.

I was however receiving messages from staff who were stuck on their journey in to school.

Our ability to function as a school is also impacted upon what is happening in nearby schools. Staff children have to be looked after if their schools are closed, and again we cannot function here without enough staff.

We do, as a school, try really hard to remain open, during adverse weather conditions but in my 25 years of being here at Willow I have never seen Hadrian Academy’s field and playground become a lake!

Parts of our garden were very waterlogged. I did not want children playing in such wet mud. This is why our outside area remained closed for the day!

So, our plan for tomorrow Tuesday 24th September is that we will be open, but I cannot be 100% sure of that until we see what happens overnight…..

Assume we are open. If we are closed we will endeavour to send an email at a similar time to the one this morning at approx. 8:15am

 

B. What to put in your child’s change of clothes bag.

We ask that all children bring a small bag or backpack to school with items of spare clothing inside. Sometimes children may become very wet or messy when playing in the nursery and we cannot leave them in wet clothes. Sometimes children will have a toilet accident and require changing.

Please provide clothes that are easy to change. Please provide more than one pair of underpants/knickers/trousers/socks if your child is not yet reliable with their toileting. Put plenty of clothes in! Some children are changed three or more times a day!

We would ask that all parents provide a pack of wet wipes in their child’s bag to enable us to clean your child after a toilet incident.

We would also ask that parents provide some carrier bags in their child’s bag to put wet or soiled clothes into. A packet of Nappy sacks will do the job!

 

C. Applying for Primary School. (Taken directly from Central Beds website.)

This applies to all children in Big Nursery

Apply for a lower or primary school place in Central Bedfordshire

15 January 2025 is the deadline for on-time applications.

How to apply

Apply online for your school place

Applying online is quick, simple and safe. In fact, nearly 95% of parents and carers apply online for a lower/primary school place.

What you’ll need to apply

Proof of your child’s date of birth, such as a passport or short birth certificate. You’ll be prompted to upload a copy of this during your application.

Apply by post

If you can’t apply online, don’t worry; you can also apply by post. Here’s how:

  1. get an application form
    You can download an application form (PDF)
  2. complete the form and ensure you have proof of your child’s date of birth, like a passport or short birth certificate (please don’t send us original documents; copies are fine)
  3. send the completed form and copies of documents to:
    School Admissions
    Central Bedfordshire Council
    Priory House
    Monks Walk
    Chicksands
    Shefford
    Bedfordshire
    SG17 5TQ

We need to receive your application by the 15 January 2025 deadline.

Please don’t make both an online and postal application. We’ll only process the latest one (if it’s sent before the deadline).

Apply by email

Please note: Email is not a secure medium. Please ensure you take appropriate steps to protect your child’s personal information.

  1. get an application form
    You can download an application form (PDF)
  2. complete the form and ensure you have proof of your child’s date of birth, like a passport or short birth certificate
  3. ensure you’ve protected all documents containing personal information
  4. send the completed form and copies of documents to admissions@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

We need to receive your application by the 15 January 2025 deadline.

If Central Bedfordshire is not your council, you’ll need to apply through your home Local Authority.

You will need to look on your Local Authority Council’s website for further information on how to apply.

 

D. What are the children learning about this week?

This week, the topic in nursery is Maisy Goes Swimming. This is themed around the book written by Lucy Cousins. The children will be learning how to listen to familiar stories with increasing attention. They will be building on their recall skills and talking about the story and characters with each other and staff. Adults will ask questions relating to the story, which will improve the children’s ability to hold a conversation and allow them the opportunity to share their favourite parts of the book.

Music will be played outside throughout the week to help the children build their listening skills and also improve the confidence of those that want to join in with singing familiar songs. In keeping with the Maisy theme, the children will have the chance to paint portraits of the characters from the Maisy story. They will be encouraged to pay particular attention to the colours and features of their chosen character.

There will also be lots of activities throughout the nursery that focus on strengthening muscles in the hands, including writing, drawing, playdough and painting. Lots of the children’s artwork will be displayed in the setting but much of their work will come home on Wednesday for you to look at and enjoy with your child.