Goldstone Crescent
Dunstable
Beds
LU5 4QU
Phone: 01582 662600
Email: office@willownursery.co.uk
Latest News
Nursery News 15th November 2021
NURSERY NEWS
15th November 2021 – Edition 242
Find out About
A. School Photographer
B. Local Visits
C: What are the children learning about this week?
A. School Photographer
School Photograph order packs arrived on Wednesday 10th November. We have been handing them out to parents when we see them.
Orders must be returned by Wednesday 17th November.
B. Local Visits
Going out of school on a small trip or visit provides the children with good learning opportunities. Miss Howe and Mrs Patterson spent an afternoon planning these short trips. Staff will explore the area finding talking points to discuss with the children. A change of environment can create lots of opportunities to share ideas These trips have been rigorously risk assessed and a Senior member of staff will accompany the children at all times.
Big Nursery Children will be going out of school in very small groups (maximum of 8 children) during this week to explore their Local environment, from Goldstone Crescent to the post box at the junction of Wilbury Drive and Ridgeway Avenue. Staff to child ratio will be 1 adult to every 2 children.
However, these trips will only be able to go ahead if we have sufficient staffing levels on the day.
C. What the children are learning about this week?
The theme in Little Nursery this week is: 5 currant buns.
In Catkins, Miss Tyler will be working with the children on expressing their creative side and constructing cake collages. Miss Tyler will have an array of materials for the children to choose from and use on their artwork. The children will also be focusing on learning the nursery rhymes ‘Incy Wincy Spider’ and ‘Old Macdonald had a farm.’ If you hear your children practicing these songs at home, please encourage them.
Outside, the children will be working towards recognising numerals 1-5 while on a ‘currant bun number hunt’ and inside they will be exploring musical instruments with Miss Gaffney.
In Big Nursery, the theme for this week is ‘Our Local Area’.
It is going to be an exciting week as Mrs. Patterson is planning to take the children on a local area walk, where they will learn about the local area and discuss the numbers and colours that they might see while walking. Mrs. Patterson will draw the children’s attention to writing on everyday objects, such as postboxes and street signs, that they might not have noticed before. The aim is to spark an interest in recognising letters and numerals in the environment. All children will be accompanied by staff and will be wearing Hi-Viz jackets to ensure their safety.
In room 2, Miss Skai will be continuing with the local area theme by painting traffic lights. The children have been using road signs in the playground to practice colour recognition and this is a wonderful way to continue their learning.
Outside in the garden, Miss Howe will be playing ‘What’s the Time Mr Wolf?’ with the children. This is a timeless classic that the children love to play. This game is fantastic for building confidence and encouraging children to play as part of a group.
While outside they will also have access to pots, magnifiers, trays, and books about bugs. This is so the children can get closer to nature and search the garden for insects. Miss Howe will talk to the children about the importance of taking care of living creatures in our environment. Miss Howe will model a wider vocabulary for the children and together they can discuss what they have found.
Nursery News 8th Nov 2021
NURSERY NEWS
8th November 2021 – Edition 241
Find out About
A. School Photographer visit
B. Local Visits
C: What are the children learning about this week?
D. We need a little bit more fruit!
A. School Photographer visit
Last week, Victoria Mitchell, a local Photographer was at Willow on Wednesday and Thursday taking portrait photo’s of the children. I observed her for a short time, and she spent a good deal of time with each child, trying to capture a good image. She has said that the proof’s will be with us by the end of this week. We will try to get them out to parents promptly as soon as we receive them.
B. Local Visits
All Big Nursery children will be going out of school in very small groups (max 8 children) during week beginning Monday 15th November to explore their local environment, from Goldstone Crescent to the postbox at the junction of Wilbury Drive. Staff to child ratio will be 1 adult to every 2 children. More information will follow in next week’s newsletter.
C. What the children are learning about this week?
The children in little nursery will be learning through role play, linked to the baker’s shop this week.
In Catkins, the children will have the opportunity to decorate pre bought cakes with icing that they will make with Mrs Field, they will also be exploring with cake cases and rolling pins to make their own tasty looking playdough cakes.
The theme continues in little nursery where the children will listen to and share stories, including ‘Maisy Makes Gingerbread’ with a focus on communication and language. They will be able to play in the baker shop that will be set up in the link area, they can role play as the customer and the baker with a selection of cakes and bread. There will be plenty of cakes for the children to choose from and aprons for
the little bakers to wear, the children will be using the tills and money to buy and sell their baked goods.
Outside in the little garden, Mrs Brinkley will be finding natural resources with the children to use in our new mud kitchen!
In big nursery the theme for the week is colour and light.
Miss Howe will be working in room one, she will be focusing on maths and playing the ladybird game. While playing the game the children will practice counting and recognising numbers as well as turn taking and helping our friends.
Mrs Cashmore will be creating patterns with coloured beads and asking for help in spotting any mistakes she may make in her patterns. The children will then have the chance to create their own patterns or copy some from picture cards.
In room two, Mrs Patterson will be working with the children to create a piece of art for the children’s yearbook folders. Children will be creating art with their feet! Feet will be dipped in different coloured paints and pressed onto paper. This can get very messy! I am sure everyone involved will have great fun and there will be a foot washing station to clean up your children as soon as they have finished.
Outside, Miss Skai will be wrapping cardboard leaves in different coloured wool and the children will be able to bring these home. This lovely activity will help to strengthen the children’s fine motor skills and may encourage talk about the different colours that they have used as well as the colours of the leaves in the garden.
A great way for you, as parents/carers, to get involved with your children’s learning this week could be to discuss the different colours that you can spot on the journey into school.
D. We need a little bit more fruit!
We are running a little short of fruit supplies for snack time. I am very aware of how the cost of food is increasing week on week in the shops, and I know an increasing number of families are having to stretch their family budgets further. So I know not all families are in a position to donate fruit for snack time.
We provide children with a fruit snack, only if we have enough for everyone. Apples are a good choice, as we can stretch them quite far. A pack of six apples can provide 36 portions if we cut each apple into 6 pieces. Apples keep well for a number of days too.
So please think of us when you next go shopping. We do not need huge donations, a carrier bag full of fruit may perish before we have chance to use it! The children look forward to snack time, as it is a social time, a moment to sit and chat to their friends or to the staff.
Nursery News 1st Nov 2021
NURSERY NEWS
1st November 2021 – Edition 240
Find out About
A.Additional Public Health Advice to reduce Covid-19 transmission in schools.
B.School Photographer visit
C: Wednesday lunchtime drop off and pick-ups.
D. School governor update.
A. Additional Public Health Advice to reduce Covid-19 transmission in schools.
I have forwarded to you a letter to all Parents and Carers from Vicky Head, Director of Public Health, for your information. It seems that levels of infection among children and young people in Central Bedfordshire have risen to very high levels. All school leaders have been advised to put in place additional temporary measures to reduce transmission and keep educational disruption to a minimum.
As our year groups are separated into Little Nursery and Big Nursery, we already have reduced the mixing of all children in nursery. Our parents drop our pupils at the front door, so we do not have a huge number of parents in our building.
The current recommendations go further, asking us to limit visitors to the school for exceptional reasons only. I am pleased we were able to invite all parents in to visit the school, either in September as a settling in visit/consultation in Big Nursery, or as a stay and play session in Little Nursery in October. All our current parents have had an opportunity to see the school in operation. We had more plans to invite parents in to school, in the next few weeks, to observe grouptimes, but these will have to be paused for the time being.
I try to give lots of notice of any special events, and usually this newsletter after the half term break would set out all the important dates for this half term. I do not wish to set dates and then cancel them, so we will just have to take things a week at a time and follow current public health advice.
Click here for Letter from Vicky Head, Director of Public Health
B. School Photographer Visit.
A little reminder that a school photographer will be here on Wednesday 3rd November, for Big Nursery children, and Thursday 4th November for Little Nursery children. If your child is in Little Nursery but does not attend on a Thursday, and you would like your child to come in just for a photograph, please talk to Miss Tyler or
Mrs Brinkley and they will suggest a time.
C: Wednesday lunchtime drop off and pick-ups.
Miss Howe gave me some feedback regarding the drop offs and pick ups on the last Wednesday children were in, on Wednesday 20th October. She said it went very smoothly. So thank you to all the parents who read the newsletter, and worked together to drop off and collect their children in an organised manner.
D. School Governor update.
I’m pleased to say we have had a parent of a child in Little Nursery volunteer to be our new parent governor.
Nursery News 18.10.2021
NURSERY NEWS
18th October 2021 – Edition 239
Find out About
A.Parent Consultations for Big Nursery. A reminder
B: October Half Term Break Approaching:
C. School Photographer Visit.
D. Doing up their own coats.
E Wednesday lunchtime drop off and pick-ups.
F. Becoming a school governor.
A. Parent Consultations for Big Nursery.
This week (week beginning 18/10/21) will see Big Nursery Consultations taking place.
These consultations will be carried out on the telephone. These consultations are scheduled to last no more than 10 minutes.
Miss Skai Monday 18th October.
Mrs Cashmore Tuesday 19th October
Miss Howe Wednesday 20th October
Mrs Patterson Thursday 21st October
B: October Half Term Break Approaching:
Time has flown seven weeks of this school year has passed already. Next week will be the Autumn Half Term break. School will be closed from Monday 25th October to Friday 29th October. School is also closed for staff training day on Monday 1st November.
C. School Photographer Visit.
A school photographer will be here on Wednesday 3rd November, for Big Nursery children, and Thursday 4th November for Little Nursery children. If your child is in Little Nursery but does not attend on a Thursday, and you would like your child to come in just for a photograph, please talk to Miss Tyler or Mrs Brinkley and they will suggest a time. Our photographers name is Victoria Mitchell and she is based in Dunstable. She uses colourful backdrops and props within her photography.
D. Doing up their own coats.
We try to help children to learn a whole range of skills in school, including Self Care skills. The weather is getting colder now. The children continue to have the choice to play outside every day should they wish to. In Big Nursery we have been focussing on teaching the children to put on and fasten their own coats. Please encourage this at home too. It is important that you show your child what to do if the sleeves on their coat are inside out. If a coat has a hood, it helps to show your child to put their hood on their head first, then the sleeves are in the right place for your child to find the arm holes to their sleeves by themselves. At this age, children will often say ‘I can’t do it’ and expect their parent or teacher to do this for them. Putting their own coat on moves them further towards independence with their self-care skills. We ask all children to ensure that their coats are fastened before they go outside to ensure they keep warm.
E. Wednesday lunchtime drop off and pick-ups.
We aim to make drop off and pick up routines work as swiftly and smoothly as possible. On Wednesday lunchtimes we have to manage the changeover of children who attend the 2 ½ day beginning of the week attendance pattern and the children who attend the 2 ½ day end of the week attendance pattern.
So please think through what happens:
- Little Nursery children are dismissed out to parents
- Big Nursery children are dismissed out to parents.
- Big Nursery children arriving for the afternoon session are taken in.
Parents for Little Nursery children should wait at the Little Nursery side of the front gate. Parents of Big Nursery children should wait at the Big Nursery side of the gate.
Big Nursery Parents: This is the one time of the week where you do not need to wait by your child’s colour group sign. If you are collecting, you need to be at the front of the queue. If you are dropping off a child, please queue behind the parents who are waiting to collect their child (these will be the parents waiting without a nursery age child). My guess is that the queue for dropping off children should begin near the orange group sign.
Staff will not send children out if the front gate area is congested. Please try to keep the area near the front gates as clear as possible. Step up when it is your turn, then move away.
This process will work quickly and smoothly if all parents work together.
F. Becoming a school governor.
Ever Thought About Getting Involved At School As A Parent Governor?
The governors are responsible for making sure that the school provides a good quality education for the children at Willow. The Governing Body comprises of voluntary representatives from the local community (3 people), the staff (2), and of course the parents (2). We are a small friendly group who meet to discuss the Headteacher’s termly report, the budget, policies and matters arising. The Governing Body usually meets once per term for approximately 90 minutes. Meetings are usually at 4:15 pm, and recently due to Covid have been happening online. Our next meeting is on Thursday 4th November. We currently have a Parent Governor Vacancy. Please speak to Mrs Davies if you might be interested in the role.
Nursery News 11.10.2021
NURSERY NEWS
11th October 2021 – Edition 238
Find out About
A. Stay and Play for Little Nursery- A reminder
B. What the children are learning this week.
C. Parking.
A. Stay and Play for Little Nursery-A reminder
The Little Nursery Staff would like to invite parents of our current Little Nursery children to ‘Stay and Play’ in Little Nursery. Parents are welcome to stay and play within the morning sessions from Monday 11th October to Thursday 14th October. The session must be one of your child’s regular sessions. Parents can stay from as soon as we open at 8:45am to the end of the morning session at 11:45am if they wish.
B. What the children are learning this week.
We use our newsletter to share information about what the children are learning at school. We do this so you can take an interest in current topics and maybe support this learning at home.
This week though, I’d like to talk about the whole class grouptimes that we are teaching at the moment.
In Big Nursery, we plan to teach the children five grouptimes across the week. Children attend in different patterns: some do 5 mornings, some do 2 ½ days M-W, some do 2 ½ days W-F and some do 5 full days. We arrange children into groups across the week to ensure they all experience the 5 different grouptimes.
Children have free choice to move around the school both inside and outside during the majority of the session time. In the morning we stop and come together at 11:00am and split children into 3 groups for grouptime. Grouptime is 25 minutes long. These are our current groups.
Music- The children will experience 10 music sessions that are carefully planned to build on what they have learnt in previous sessions. The staff had training from the De Capo music organisation. We use De Capo materials , music, songs, picture cards, beat cards, etc. to teach children music skills through singing, movement, using instruments and playing rhythm games.
Oxford Reading Tree- Oxford University Press publish a reading scheme to help early reading. We have a set of picture cards to introduce the main characters in the storybooks. The children discuss the detail in the pictures. The staff tell a story about each picture. Staff write a caption under the pictures for the children and staff to read together. We have some whole class size books for early readers which the
staff read with the children. (We have a number of Oxford Reading Tree books in our library that the children can re-visit by themselves.)
Theraplay Sunshine circles- sunshine circles are planned activities to encourage children to listen carefully, take turns and join in with co-operative activities. These activities help children’s wellbeing. (Children currently have 2 sessions per week of Theraplay)
Big Books- We have a good selection of children’s storybooks (such as The Hungry Caterpillar and Elmer the Elephant) that are big enough for the whole class to share at the same time. Staff read the stories to the children, discuss the text, look at the pictures, and play some rhyming games with the children.
Little Nursery also have a grouptime at the end of each morning session. However, the attention span within the Catkins age children is much more varied. With the very youngest children we aim for grouptime to last for about 3-5 minutes. Those who are a little more experienced join a group for a slightly longer grouptime, generally between 10-15minutes.
At the moment the Catkins the grouptime sessions are:
Lift off to language- A program of activities to encourage Two year olds to become more confident using language. The sessions are planned to give all children the opportunity to speak and be listened to.
Music time: Children learn nursery rhymes and songs, they play along with basic instruments such as shakers and bells, and they dance to different kinds of music.
Story time: Staff choose books to share with the group that are suited to their age and development level. Lots of simple stories, with short texts and interesting illustrations.
Theraplay games- Games to support Well being, social interaction and being kind to each other.
Finger rhymes and counting songs: Children can learn basic counting skills through nursery rhymes like Baa Baa Black Sheep: Using fingers to represent 1,2,3 bags of wool, or from learning songs like ‘Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed’ where one monkey jumps off the bed in each verse and the number of Monkeys reduces by one in each verse. This is the beginnings of teaching subtraction!
C. Parking.
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.
