Latest News

Nursery News 21st March 2022

NURSERY NEWS

21st March 2022 – Edition 256

Find out About

1. Children’s Community Health Hub
2. Lack of fruit at snack time!
3. Box Modelling
4. Covid 19 Update
5. What the children are learning about this week

1. Children’s Community Health Hub

The Bedfordshire and Luton Children’s Community Health HUB is our one stop service for our Health Visiting, School Nursing 0-19 and our Looked after Children Teams for parents, carers and professionals.  Our Luton Community Paediatric Service can also be contacted via this number, but for emails please continue to use their own dedicated email address.

To access the Health HUB call us on 0300 555 0606 or mail:  ccs.bedsandlutonchildrenshealthhub@nhs.net

Our trained Hub administrators will be at the end of the phone to help and advise, and to signpost to you to the correct services.

2. Lack of fruit at snack time!

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.

3. Box Modelling

Next week we are learning about recycling in big nursery so we will be needing lots of boxes to recycle into different creations!  We would be very grateful for any of the following that you can offer…

• Boxes, not too big. The biggest boxes we like are cereal boxes.
• Plastic bottle tops
• Yogurt Pots, butter tubs and other plastic containers
• Toilet roll tubes
• Egg boxes

4. Covid 19 Update

We have been made aware of several members of our setting who have tested positive for COVID 19. We are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with our local Public Health team. This letter is to inform you of the current situation and provide advice on how to support your child.

Our setting remains open, and your child should continue to attend if they remain well.

What to do if your child develops symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19

If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they should self-isolate and book a PCR test as soon as possible. This can be arranged via https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.

Typical symptoms of COVID-19 are a new, continuous cough, or a high temperature, or a loss of, or change in, their normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia).

Please note that we have seen that the additional symptoms of an upset stomach, runny nose, headache, sore throat, unusual fatigue (tiredness) or cold-like symptoms could be early warning signs of a potential COVID-19 infection.

If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they should get a PCR test and remain at home at least until the result is known.

• If the PCR test is negative, the child can return to the setting once well again · If the PCR test is positive, the child should follow Government guidance for people with Covid-19

If your child does develop COVID-19 symptoms, you can seek advice from the NHS at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/.

If you are concerned about your child’s symptoms, or they are worsening you should contact NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk/ or by phoning 111.

How to help to stop COVID-19 spreading

There are things you can do to help to reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19: · get vaccinated – everyone aged 12 and over can book COVID-19 vaccination appointments now or attend a drop-in site. See https://www.blmkccg.nhs.uk/drop-in for clinic locations and times.

• get tested and stay at home if you have symptoms
• stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you test positive
• consider taking a test even if you do not have symptoms
• wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitiser regularly throughout the day
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards
• meet people outside and avoid crowded areas
• open doors and windows to let in fresh air if meeting people inside
• wear a face covering when it’s hard to stay away from other people – particularly indoors or in crowded places – and on school/public transport

Further information is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

5. What the children are learning about this week

In little nursery the theme is growing.

Throughout catkins and little nursery, the children will be revisiting planting that they have done previously and the changes that have happened to their seeds. They will talk about how the seeds have changed and have now grown into cress and beans. The staff and children will discuss things their seeds needed to grow and will then plant some peas and carrots.

Children will also be thinking about who is special to them and why. They will work on their communication skills by sharing this information with their key workers.

In big nursery the theme is recycling.

In room one, Miss Skai will be playing a recycling game with the children. The focus will be on how we can recycle certain materials and the children will get to sort different resources into the correct containers. Miss Skai will explain to the children why it is a good idea that we recycle and reuse some items.

Miss Skai will also complete a group read of Josie and the Junk Box, the children will follow along with the story and gain an understanding that print has meaning.

In room two, Mrs. Cashmore will be focusing on junk modelling with the children. They will be encouraged to create some amazing box modelling masterpieces to bring home and share with you all.

The children will have the opportunity to reuse some bottle tops by decorating an uppercase image of their own initial. As the children work, they will be able to discuss other ways to reuse and recycle their rubbish.

Outside, Mrs. Patterson will be supporting the children in making a large scale recycling collage. The children will glue their recycling onto a large canvas and turn rubbish into art. Mrs. Patterson is planning to show the children that ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’.

There will be chalk available for the children to draw on the pavement. They will be encouraged to draw different shapes on the floor and fill those shapes with natural resources such as sticks and stones.

Nursery News 14th March 2022

NURSERY NEWS

14th March 2022 – Edition 255

Find out About

1. Is your child ready to learn?
2. Being on time, a reminder…
3. Parking, a reminder…
4. What the children are learning about this week

1. Is your child ready to learn?

Central Bedfordshire Primary School Readiness Information

Starting school is a huge step in a child’s life – and it can be understandably daunting for both the child and their parents or carers.

That’s why we have produced a handy ’16 ticks’ leaflet  of things which you can do with your child now to make sure that they’re ready for when they start school.

The list includes everything from being able to take off their coat and shoes and being toilet trained to being able to enjoy a book and being aware of other children and making friends.

Don’t worry if your child can’t do them all by September, if that’s when they’re due to start school – it’s not a competition.

However, by being able to do some, or all, of these things, it will really help them make that big step.

There will always be people on hand to help your child if they can’t do something.

You can also access by clicking the link here

2. Being on time, a reminder…

We are finding that more and more parents are arriving late in the mornings and this is becoming increasingly disruptive to the registration routines of the staff and the children.

We have well established drop off and collection routines. If parents arrive on time then we can all be safely inside by 8:55am.

We expect Little Nursery to arrive for 8:45am and Big Nursery to arrive at 8:50am.

3. Parking, a reminder…

Please can all parent’s consider the needs of our neighbours when parking your cars  in the area local to the school. Please do not park across neighbours drives. We try to maintain good relationships with our neighbours. We are not able to control what happens outside school, we can only suggest that parents park with consideration.

4. What the children are learning about this week

In big nursery the theme is the three little pigs.

In room 1, the children will take part in a shared read of The Three Little Pigs with Miss Skai. After they have finished reading their story the children will piece together their very own storybook, they will use colouring pencils to decorate the pictures and staples to join the books together. Miss Skai will also be supporting the children with continuing patterns; they will be looking at the patterns on the clothes of the three little pigs.

In room 2, Mrs. Cashmore will have some sticks, straw and bricks available for the children to create houses for the three little pigs. The children will be talking about shapes as they make little piggy door hangers, they will also have the chance to create a collage of the big bad wolf. There will be the opportunity for the children to explore sponge painting, as they decorate the homes of the three little pigs.

Outside, Mrs. Patterson will be building dens with the children around the playground. She will discuss the materials that the pigs have used for their houses and the materials that we have in school for our dens. The children will be encouraged to role play as the little pigs and the big bad wolf. In addition to this roleplay, the children will play what’s the time Mr. Wolf? with Mrs. Patterson. This is a favourite among the children and encourages number practice as well as building social skills.

In little nursery the theme is hospitals.

In Catkins, the staff will be decorating ambulances with the children. They will discuss what an ambulance is for and where they go. The children will talk about times they may have seen or heard ambulances when they have been outside.

In the link, Mrs. Brinkley will support the children in creating a still life painting. They will look at a vase of daffodils and choose the correct colours to paint what they can see.

Miss Gaffney will have an ambulance roleplay in the garden and there will be a hospital set up in room three for the children to play in. The children will look after each other and help anyone who is ‘poorly’ or ‘hurt’.

Nursery News 7th March 2022

NURSERY NEWS

7th March 2022 – Edition 254

Find out About

A. Lost property

B. Keeping children safe reminder

C. What the children are learning about this week

A. Lost property

Next week, we will be bringing out our lost property box that has been building up over the past few months. If you think your child may have lost something, please take a look. We would like to find a home for them all!

B. Keeping children safe reminder

Parents entrust their children into our care. There are rigorous procedures in place outlined by the government to keep all children safe from harm. I think it is important to let you know about some of the procedures that may affect you and your family whilst being part of our School Community, and I will try to explain the reasons for having these procedures.

We need to know where children are if they are absent from school. If for any reason you decide to keep your child at home, on a day when your child should be at school please telephone in to school as soon as possible and let us know. When registers are completed at the beginning of the session we have to put codes in the registers regarding the reasons for a child’s absence. If we do not hear from you, you will receive a call from one of the office staff or the headteacher asking about the whereabouts of your child.

If you know in advance that you will be absent, for example for a medical appointment, please let staff know and the appropriate code can be entered in the register.

If you plan to go on holiday in term time, please fill in a holiday form (available from the office staff) which again will let us know the dates that you will be absent. Unexplained absences have to be followed up. If a child is absent for any length of time and we have not heard from their parents as to the reasons for their absence, the child become a ‘Missing Child’. In this circumstance we are compelled to contact the Police and Social Care.

We need to record all injuries. If your child has a fall or receives a bump in school that we are aware of, we will fill in an accident letter to tell you about the incident. This letter will be passed on to you outside, by a member of staff. There is another copy kept in school.

Please inform your child’s Keyworker if your child comes into school with an existing injury that has occurred outside of school time. Staff must make a note of any existing injuries a child has. Our children at Willow are young. They are sometimes unable to tell us how they have hurt themselves. Please tell us if you know of any marks/cuts etc as it will save staff trying to work out what has happened.

Teach your child to use the toilet. Guidelines say that we should offer as little assistance in the bathroom as possible. With the three and four year old Nursery children we prefer to give children verbal assistance from outside their cubicle, only offering physical assistance if absolutely necessary. If an adult is needed to help a child in the bathroom another member of staff will always be aware, and support if necessary.

C. What the children are learning about this week

In big nursery the theme is the story of The Gingerbread Man.

In room 1, Mrs. Patterson will set up the baker’s shop for children to role play in. There will be a shop-front, cakes, tills, baskets and trolleys. The children will be able to be both the baker and the customer, which will enhance their imagination skills. Mrs. Patterson will also have gingerbread men ready for the children to play a number game. They will have to roll the dice and check the number, they will then place the correct number of raisins on their gingerbread man. If the children are lucky, Mrs. Patterson will let them eat the raisins that they use.

In room 2, Miss Skai will have the easels out for the children to paint their own gingerbread men. She will provide a picture for reference if the children need it but they will be encouraged to paint their own interpretations. Miss Skai will provide materials for the children to create collages which will be put on display in the nursery. There will also be a number of sensory bags out for the children to explore and use their language skills to describe the textures that they can feel.

Outside, Mrs. Cashmore will be playing gingerbread tag with the children. They will take it in turns to sing the gingerbread song and wear a special gingerbread man hat. The children will run from the gingerbread man and he will try to catch them. This game will help the Mrs. Cashmore teach the children about what happens to their bodies when they exercise, we will talk about how their heart beats faster when they have been running.

In little nursery the theme is planting.

In Catkins, Miss Tyler will be talking about planting and what seeds need to help them grow. The children will then plant some cress seeds to take home in the coming weeks. The children will water their seeds and watch them change into cress.

Outside, Mrs. Watson will be planting beans with the children. She will talk to them about what the seeds need and how they will change as they grow. The beans will stay at school and the children can ensure they get enough light and water. After a few weeks, the children can bring their plants home.

In the link area, Miss Gaffney will have a large scale canvas out for the children to paint on and express themselves artistically. She will encourage them to make large movements with their brushes and look at the marks that they will be making. Miss Gaffney will also have some cooked spaghetti on a builder’s tray for sensory play. The adults will model language that the children can use to describe how the spaghetti feels in their hands.

Nursery News 28th Feb 2022

NURSERY NEWS

28th February 2022 – Edition 253

Find out About

1. Thank you for the donations of materials for our box modelling area.
2. Being considerate when queuing before the nursery day
3. Covid update
4. Dunstable Locality Children’s Centre
5. What the children are learning about this week

 1. Thank you for the donations of materials for our box modelling area.

Thank you all so much for saving your boxes and containers for our box modelling area. We have plenty now to keep us going for a few weeks!

2. Being considerate when queuing before the nursery day

Just a reminder when queuing up outside the school gates, that it is a public footpath and other pedestrians may need to use it. Please stay as close to the fences as you can to allow others to pass.

3. Covid update

From Thursday 24 February, the Government removed the legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test. However, the guidance COVID-19: people with COVID-19 and their contacts, published 24 February 2022 clearly outlines that: Children and young people and staff with COVID-19 should not attend their education setting while they are infectious. They may take an LFD test from 5 days after their symptoms started (or the day their test was taken if they did not have symptoms) followed by another one the next day (24 hours apart). If both these test results are negative, they should return to their educational setting, as long as they feel well enough to do so and do not have a temperature.

*If no negative test results are received prior to day 10 then self-isolation finishes at midnight on day 10*

4. Dunstable Locality Children’s Centre

The children’s centres in Central Bedfordshire have been developed in line with the needs of the local community so no one centre is the same. Children’s centres work with partners to offer a range of services to meet your child’s needs all in one place.

There is a core set of services they aim to provide:

• child and family health services including antenatal, postnatal, breast feeding and baby weighing sessions (drop-in)
• advice on parenting and parenting programmes
• information and advice to parents on childcare, early years provision and 2-year-old funded places
• early education and school readiness, early communication support e.g. speech and language drop-ins
• outreach and family support services including home visits
• a variety of drop-in session

5. What the children are learning about this week

The theme in nursery is nursery rhymes.

In Catkins, the children will be using different resources to decorate nursery rhyme pictures, while they are working they will be encouraged to sing nursery rhymes.

In little nursery, the children will use tools such as scissors, staplers and glue to make props to use when they are singing. The children will have great fun flipping pancakes for shrove Tuesday, after they have made their pancakes they will be able to eat them at the table.

In the garden, the children will have an obstacle course to complete as well as the chance to play a hook a duck game while they sing the song 5 little ducks.

In room 1, Mrs. Patterson will be making shape pictures with the children. The children will be asked to choose appropriate shapes for their pictures and Mrs. Patterson will model the correct mathematical language for these shapes.

In room 2, Miss Skai will be using toy cars dipped in paint for a mark making activity. Miss Skai will encourage the children to dip the wheels in the paint and then move the vehicles across paper. Together, they will look at the patterns left by the wheels and Miss Skai will ask the children to describe what they see.

Outside, the children will go on a nursery rhyme hunt. When the children find a nursery rhyme card, they will sing the song they have spotted. This is the perfect chance for the children to learn the words to many songs.

Nursery News 21.2.22

NURSERY NEWS

21st February 2022 – Edition 252

Find out About

1. Welcome back to Mrs McGrath
2. Get Well Soon for Mrs Davies
3. Letting us know if someone different is collecting your child
4. Not putting food in children’s backpacks
5. Bookstart Treasure Packs
6. Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Public Holiday 2022
7. What the children are learning about this week 

1. Welcome back to Mrs McGrath

Mrs McGrath is back this week after her maternity leave. She will be re-joining Catkins class part time, at the end of the week.

2. Get Well Soon for Mrs Davies

As you all know, Mrs Davies has been unwell. She has recently had an operation and is now recovering. She will be back with us as soon as she is able to.

3. Letting us know if someone different is collecting your child

It is really important that you tell us if someone different is collecting your child. If we do not know about someone different collecting your child, we will not let your child leave until we have spoken to you. We have to keep the children safe.

4. Not putting food in children’s backpacks

Due to a serious allergy in big nursery, we do not have any food in the classroom. Please do not put any food in your child’s backpack/school bag. If any food needs to be passed on to a grandparent or childminder, please hand to a member of staff who will ensure it goes home with the child.

5. Bookstart Treasure Packs

If your child attends the Big Nursery and is in Blue, Orange or Yellow Group they will bring home a big envelope containing a book from the Book Trust on WEDNESDAY 23^rd February. This book is for your child to keep.  Book Trust is the UK’s leading reading charity. Every year they give over 5 million books and resources to children across the country.  Children receive this pack in their final year in Nursery, so our younger children will receive them in future years.

6. Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Public Holiday 2022

As you will be aware, an additional bank holiday has been announced for 3rd June 2022 for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The Department for Education (DfE) has laid regulations to reduce the minimum number of sessions schools are required to meet in the academic year 2021/22 as a result of this additional bank holiday.

Most schools will be on their half term breaks in the week commencing 31 May 2022 and the DfE has advised that schools and councils should observe the Bank Holidays on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd June. In practice, this means that where this additional bank holiday falls during half-term week, schools will be able to identify another day of ‘holiday’ elsewhere in the year on which staff will not be required to work and will be given an equivalent day’s paid leave.

To reflect the additional bank holiday, the School teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) 2021 reflects a change in the number of days that teachers must be available to work under their terms and conditions for this academic year. Teachers will be required to be available to work on one less day for the academic year 2021/22, An extra day of holiday, therefore, will need to be allocated by individual schools.

After discussion with the staff and governors, Willow Nursery School will be closed for an additional days holiday on Monday 27th June 2022.

7. What the children are learning about this week?

The theme in little nursery this week is showing care and concern for wildlife.

In Catkins, Miss Tyler will be talking to the children about wildlife and what animals they can see in the garden. Miss Tyler will support the children in threading cereal hoops onto pipe cleaners which will build on their fine motor skills and using these to feed the birds. The children will bring these bird feeders home for you to put in your gardens.

Mrs. Watson will be doing a similar activity, using lard and bird seed to make a different type of bird feeder. Mrs. Watson will talk with the children about ways in which we can look after wildlife in our surrounding areas.

In little nursery, Miss Gaffney will be helping the children to remember the school rules, reminding them to be kind to each other and share when they play. These are very important social skills for the children to learn.

Mrs. Brinkley will be making binoculars with the children for them to use in the garden. These will help them to spot any local wildlife.

The theme in big nursery is Goldilocks and the three bears.

In room 1, Mrs. Cashmore will have a goldilocks and the three bears role play area set up for the children to act out the story. There will also be an area for the children to think about maths and the language of size. The children will work on creating patterns with different sized bears, focusing on the language of big, medium and small.

In room 2, Mrs Patterson will be working with the children to create images of the different characters. The children will be using paint and materials to create their pictures. There will be a sensory opportunity for everyone to explore the texture of porridge oats, when filling and emptying different sized bowls.

Outside, Miss Skai will be focusing on movement and playing the game ‘move like a bear’, where the children need to move in different ways around the playground. Miss Skai will also have some laminated bears of different sizes for the children to apply their threading skills.