Newsletter - 1st half Summer Term

Easter seems a while ago now, and we are well into the Summer term. We would like to welcome Ethan and Evie who have just joined us, and also welcome Kelly to the staff team. Our students are doing really well and will both continue with us until the end of May. 

Our new topic will be 'Minibeasts', and we will try to incorporate this into all areas of the children's learning and development. We have some caterpillars on the way, and we hope the children will be just as fascinated with watching them evolve into butterflies as they have been in previous years! We also plan to get the children out and about, looking at minibeasts, so please make sure your child has appropriate clothing, depending on the changeable weather. On sunny days, please apply suncream to your child before they arrive at pre-school, and we will top-up in the middle of the day as necessary. There is a form by the signing in book to give us permission to use our own suncream (Nivea kids factor 50), for your children if you are happy with this, but if you wish to supply your own, please let us know and provide us with a named alternative – thank you. We also have quite a few spare sunhats, but if you have one that you are happy to leave at pre-school until the end of term, that would be very helpful – again, with names in please! We also like to have lots of messy play activities on offer outside at this time of year, so it would be helpful if you could supply some named spare clothes in your children's bags. 

As you are probably aware, being a small pre-school we occasionally need to find staff cover at short notice, should our permanent members of staff need time off. If you have any previous experience in childcare, or would like to help, we would be very grateful if you would let us know if you would be happy to have your name and contact number on a list of possible 'bank staff'. This does not happen very often, but in the event of any emergencies, it would really help us to know that we have people we could ask for help. Please speak to Becky if you would like to volunteer, or if you need any further information – thank you! 

You may also be aware that discussions have been taking place regarding the possibility of pre-school having their own building on the playing field – obviously, this would be a huge step forward for us, but as yet we don't have anything definite to report. We will keep you informed of progress, as soon as we have more details ourselves. 

Upcoming Events 

Pre-school fundraiser – to help raise money towards our end-of-term trip, we are proposing to have a 'sponsored pedal and push' on 28th June. Children are invited to bring along a decorated bike/trike/scooter/ride-on of their choice, and collect sponsor money to ride laps of a course outside. There will be prizes for best decorated vehicles, and for most laps achieved in each age group. Each child will need to be accompanied by an adult, and signed out of pre-school at 2pm, before the event begins. All children will be welcome, whether they would usually attend on that day or not. Further details and sponsor forms will be sent out after half term! 

Our end-of-term trip will be held on Thursday 12th July. All children welcome to attend, accompanied by an adult, and pre-school will be closed on this day. Details of the event coming soon! 

We hope to hold our annual sports day on Tuesday 17th July, depending on the weather. If it goes ahead, all children will be welcome to participate, and again each child will need to be signed out of pre-school and 

accompanied by an adult, starting at 2pm on the playing field. 

The graduation party will be held on Wednesday 18th, for parents of children leaving us for 'big school'! We will provide party food for the children at lunchtime, and parents will be invited into pre-school for the graduation ceremony at 2:30pm. Further reminders and details will be sent out nearer the time. 

Safeguarding reminder 

Please could we remind you that should you need someone other than your named contacts to collect your child at the end of a session, you need to let us know yourself that this will be happening. This could be in person when you drop off, or by phoning to let us know. If someone unknown to us is collecting your child, you will need to give them your password so that we can identify them. This is to comply with our safeguarding policy, and to ensure the safety of your children. Thank you for your help with this. 

Some general reminders: 

Snack time – please provide your child with a fruit or vegetable portion (this can include dried fruit), which can be placed in the bowl provided in the entrance hall before the session starts. We will prepare everything provided, and the children will then be able to choose what they would like to eat for their snack, giving them an opportunity to try new things with their friends! They will be offered a choice of milk or water with their snack. If your child attends any afternoon sessions, we will provide a biscuit and a drink before home time. Please speak to us if you have any concerns or if your child has any special dietary requirements. 

Lunchboxes – we promote a healthy diet at preschool, so please try to provide at least one portion of either fruit or vegetables in your child's lunch, and they will be encouraged to eat this before moving onto items such as crisps or biscuits. Please ensure that grapes are cut in half to avoid a choking hazard, and if you can cut up any other fruit or veg that would be very helpful. Please do not supply sweets or fizzy drinks in lunchboxes as they will be returned home. We are happy for you to supply a squash or fruit juice drink for your child to have with their lunch, but we will always make sure that water is supplied at lunchtime for any children without a drink. In line with other settings, and because we have at least one child attending with a nut allergy, we are a nut-free pre-school, so please check labels if you are unsure whether anything contains nuts. 

Nappies – if your child is in nappies, could we please ask that you provide sufficient nappies/wipes/nappy bags/cream (if necessary), in your child's bag at the start of each session. We do keep some nappies, but only in one size, so much better for you child to have their own supply – thank you! 

Uniform – this is optional, but if you are considering this, pre-school uniform (including the new hoodies), is available to order via our website - please take a look! 

Best wishes, 

Becky, Katie, Diane and Kelly. 

Dates for your diary: 

Half-term holiday: 28th May – 1st June 2018 

Sponsored pedal and push – Thursday 28th June, 2pm 

End-of-term trip – Thursday 12th July (no pre-school on this day) 

Sports Day (weather permitting) – Tuesday 17th July, 1:30pm 

Graduation party and last day of term – Wednesday 18th July 

Inset days – Thursday 19th and Friday 20th July (pre-school closed) 

Return for Autumn term – Tuesday 4th September