Latest News

Nursery News 7.12.2020

NURSERY NEWS

7th December 2020 – Edition 209

Find out About:

A: Applying for Primary School.

B. 30 hour codes and funding forms.

C. Fruit at snacktime

D. Naming Belongings.

E. Mrs Davies not in school.

A: Applying for Primary School.

34 Main Nursery children are yet to apply for a place at Primary School.

Please remember that you must apply for a school place through your home Local Authority. You need to apply before 15th January 2021. We are able to access a list from Central Beds Authority which shows which of our pupils have not yet applied for a primary school place.

B. 30 hour codes and funding forms

Thirty hour codes must be valid on the 31st Dec 2020 for your child to receive 30 hour funding in the Spring 2021 term. Check to see if your code needs renewing. Your code number remains the same, but you will receive a new renewal date. If the code is not valid, your child will not receive funding. We cannot override this system.

Mrs Flynn will be preparing the Spring Term funding forms for parents to sign. So in the coming two weeks she, or the other office staff will be asking you to check and sign your funding forms.

C. Fruit at snacktime

Thank you for your overwhelming response to my request for fruit. Parents have been extremely generous. We have lots of happy children!

D. Naming Belongings.

Please name everything. Last week we had a back-pack mix up, as two children had identical bags. There are two water bottles that have remained on the Catkins trolley for over a week, they keep going out at the beginning and end of the day and nobody collects them. Two identical coats went home with the wrong children. Labelling your child’s belongings with your child’s name will help staff to resolve these problems as they occur.

Remember, name lunchboxes and water bottles. Name the tubs inside lunchboxes. Name coats, hats, scarves and gloves. Name any layers that may be taken off, such as cardigans, fleeces and jumpers. Some names have worn off. Please check and rewrite if necessary.

E. Mrs Davies not in school.

My daughter is a pupil at Vale Academy. Year 6 has been sent home to isolate until Tuesday 15th December. So unfortunately, I must stay at home to look after her. I will be working at home, and in contact with the school on a daily basis.

Miss Howe, as Deputy Head Teacher, will manage the day to day running of school at this time.

Nursery News 30.11.2020

NURSERY NEWS

30th November 2020 – Edition 208

Find out About:

A: Catkins Parent Consultations.

B. .School Photographer

C. Term Dates

D. Arrangements for the end of term.

E Lack of fruit at snacktime!

F . What the children are learning this week.

A: Catkins Parent Consultations.

A reminder for those that have booked consultations with Catkins class staff, they will be taking place at the following times:

Miss Tyler’s Keyworker children: Monday 30th November: 3:00pm to 3:30pm

Miss Gaffney’s Keyworker children: Tuesday 1st December: 3:20pm to 3:50pm

Consultations for Mrs Brinkley’s Keyworker children:

Appointments available: Wednesday 2nd December 2:40pm to 3:50pm

Mrs McGrath’s Keyworker children: Thursday 3rd December 1:30pm to 2:00pm

B. School Photographer

All orders must be returned to school by Tuesday 1st December.

C. Term dates:

Autumn term ends Friday 18th December 2020.

Spring term begins Tuesday 5th January 2021.

Half term from 15th-19th February 2021

Term ends for Easter school holidays on Friday 26th March.

The best place to look for the most up to date Term dates is on the Central Beds Website. The Local Authority have been known to move school holidays to bring them in to line with neighbouring counties. I would always suggest double checking there before booking a holiday or other important event.

D. Arrangements for the end of term.

The last day for Catkins Class is Thursday 17th December.

The last normal school day for the Main Nursery will be Thursday 17th December.

On Friday the 18th December the school will be open for the Main Nursery Party only. The school office will be closed on Friday 18th December. The deadline for payments for the beginning of the Spring Term will be on Thursday 17th December at 9:30am.

The Main Nursery Christmas Party is planned to be on Friday 18th December from 11:15am until 1:00pm.

Due to the Covid 19 pandemic the party will be slightly different to what we usually offer. We will have a Christmas Magic Show, party food, and (if we are good) a visit from Father Christmas.

We have reduced as many Covid 19 risks as possible. The magician will be distanced from the children, and nobody will be called upon to be the magician’s assistant. The school will provide all the party food. Each child will have an individual pre-prepared plate of food. (Food will be vegetarian) Father Christmas (one of the teaching assistants) will come and wave to the group. We will not have individual visits to Father Christmas in his Grotto this year.

Catkins Class will not miss out on the Christmas fun. They will have party food, a disco and Christmas crafts within their regular sessions every day during the last week of term.

E Lack of fruit at snacktime!

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.

F. What the children are learning this week.

Catkins will be focussing on some of the storybooks about Maisie Mouse By Lucy Cousins. Mrs Brinkley will use the story: ‘Maisie’s Bus’ to teach the children about numerals 1 to 5, as the bus in the story stops at numbered bus stops along the bus journey. The frame we used for the dark tent last week can be rebuilt as a big red bus. Children will have the chance to role play going on a bus journey.

Miss Tyler will be retelling the story of ‘Maisie Goes Swimming’. In this story Maisie has to take off many layers of clothes to be ready for the pool. The children name the clothing types and name the colours. We have a handmade Maisie Mouse, and all her layers of clothing that a group of clever parents made a number of years ago.

Mrs McGrath is going to help children to cook some cheesy mouse biscuits.

Main Nursery Children will begin exploring the theme of Christmas. At Willow we try very hard to make our Christmas feel exciting, busy and full of glitter. We try not to start Christmas crafts etc too early as it is very hard to sustain excited 2,3 and 4 year olds for more than three weeks. We teach the children about the Nativity Story and allow the children the children to consider that this story is a story that Christians believe to be true. We provide a role play stable and props so children can retell the Nativity Story. We learn about Christmas traditions. The children have their own Christmas tree that they can decorate as they wish.

Nursery News 23.11.20

NURSERY NEWS

 23rd November 2020 – Edition 207

Find out About:

A: Covid 19-Impact on our forward planning:

    Pupil Numbers Jan 2021 and April 2021.

B. Hats and Gloves

C. School Photographer

D Job Vacancy- Part time School Secretary.

E. What the children are learning this week.

F. Catkins Parent Consultations.

G. Hadrian Academy Flier

A: Covid 19-Impact on our forward planning:

    Pupil Numbers Jan 2021 and April 2021.

Main Nursery

I have found that in the past few weeks I have had a number of requests from parents in Main Nursery about increasing their child’s sessions. I have tried to fulfil as many requests as possible.

There are 52 children who are Main Nursery age and there are a variety of attendance patterns. Planning for September 2020 was difficult because of the pandemic. Most offer letters were sent out before the pandemic arrived.

We are currently operating with 52 spaces in the morning and 32 in the afternoon.

I am worrying about the implications of staff shortages due to the pandemic. I have had a full time member of staff off at home for the last two weeks, because her young child’s school bubble was closed. Both I -Mrs Davies, and Miss Howe have children and we could very easily end up in the same position.

Willow Nursery School can only open if Miss Howe or myself are on the premises.

We are more vulnerable than most schools to staff shortages causing us a problem because we have strict adult to child ratios which must be adhered to at all times laid down by ofsted.

I am concerned that if I over commit to the number of children we can care for in the afternoon, then I am increasing the likelihood that the school would have to close if we had a staff shortage.

So please bear with us. The virus is expected to be at is worse between now and April. I do not want to raise the pupil numbers we are caring for in the Main Nursery during this uncertain time. We may consider offering more spaces to parents for the Summer term, but this will require some additional staffing to be put in to place. I am aware that there are a few parents who would like some full days for their child that are not available at the moment. The majority of Yellow group were only offered morning spaces, I know some of you would perhaps like lunch and full days for your child in the Summer Term to get them ready for school in September. It is something we will revisit as the rest of the academic year unfolds.                                                              So, to summarise, there are no further additional lunch or afternoon sessions available in the Main Nursery until April 2021.

Catkins Class

For January 2021 we have some spaces available if any Catkins parents wish to take up additional sessions. Some parents have already spoken to me and I have made a note of what you are looking for and I will get back to you this week. We will have additional spaces available on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday MORNINGS. Please contact us this week if you would like an additional morning space for January 2021.

On the 1^st December I will release any remaining spaces to be made available to families on our waiting list.

B. Hats and Gloves.

It is becoming very cold now in the garden at school. In the past we have had a big box full of spare gloves and hats that the children can use in the garden. Due to Covid-19 we are unable to allow children to share clothing. Please consider providing gloves for your children, some children had very cold hands when playing outside with me last week.

I would suggest buying the most inexpensive gloves you can find, just in case they get lost.  Put your child’s name /initials on the tag inside, and we will do our best to send them home each day with the correct owner.

C. Job Vacancy- School Secretary -Part time.

Mrs Flynn is moving on in January to a new position. So we are looking for a new School Secretary.                                                                                                                    Please see the advert on the following page for details of the job.                                                      If interested please contact the school office and we will email you an application pack containing the following:

• A copy of the advertisement
• A person specification for the post of school secretary
• A job description for the post of school secretary
• An application form.

Or we can arrange for you to pick up a paper copy of the application pack.

D. School Photographer

I have not heard from the school photographer yet.

E. What the children are learning this week.

Catkins will be focussing on the theme of ‘Colour and Light’. We have a dark tent that we can use in the classroom. We have a big cube frame that we cover with a fitted thick black cotton tent. It is dark inside when the entrance flap is closed. We let the children explore inside with torches, toys that light up, a light table and translucent plastic shapes, both 2D and 3D.

They will be reading a book together, ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?’ which is all about different coloured animals, by Eric Carle, the author of the Hungry Caterpillar. Children will represent animals from the story by making collage pictures. Other art activities include making stained glass window pictures using coloured cellophane, making binoculars and exploring colour mixing with paint.

Main Nursery will be learning about electricity. We have some science kits which the children can use to make basic circuits. Using batteries, little bulbs and other components joined with crocodile clips and wires, to make a bulb light or to make a buzzer sound. We talk about electrical items we use in the home. We have an excellent game on the interactive screen where the children have to teach an alien how to use electrical products. The children have to remember to switch the equipment on and then press appropriate buttons and switches to make it work, for example controlling a television, a cooker, a blender etc. In room 2 children will use box modelling materials to represent electrical items, making irons, toasters, microwave ovens. Children will be painting drippy pictures using pipettes. Outside Miss Howe will be organising running games. She will have a bowling alley where children have to keep score by making marks on a tally chart.

F. Catkins Parent Consultations.

We would like to offer all Catkins parents a parent consultation for their child. As parents are unable to come into school at the moment due to the Covid pandemic, we are following government guidelines and offering parent consultations on the telephone. Parents will have the opportunity to have a 5 minute phone consultation with their child’s keyworker.

We ask you to telephone the school office to make an appointment for your child.

Staff with have a list of times available. You may select an available time. Staff will ask you for some details: your name, your childs name, and the phone number you would like us to call you on for the consultation.

We have only one phone line at school so the consultations will be at the following times:

Consultations for Miss Tyler’s Keyworker children.

Appointments available: Monday 30^th November: 3:00pm to 3:30pm

Consultations for Miss Gaffney’s Keyworker children.

Appointments available: Tuesday 1st December: 3:20pm to 3:50pm

Consultations for Mrs Brinkley’s Keyworker children.

Appointments available: Wednesday 2^nd December 2:40pm to 3:50pm

Consultations for Mrs McGrath’s Keyworker children.

Appointments available: Thursday 3^rd December 1:30pm to 2:00pm

Appointment dates and times have to be fitted around individual staff availability in Catkins class.

G. Hadrian Academy Flier.

Please see below a poster from Hadrian Academy regarding starting school in Reception Class in September 2021.

Please remember for children born between 1^st September 2016 and 31^st August 2017 are due to start school in September 2021. You must apply for a school place through your home Local Authority. You need to apply before 15^th January 2021

Nursery News 16.11.2020

NURSERY NEWS

16th November 2020 – Edition 206

Find out About:

A: Covid-19 Review.

B. 3+ Enrolment.

C. Job Vacancy- Teaching Assistant Level 1- Lunchtime support.

D. School Photographer.

E. What the children are learning this week.

A: Covid-19 Review.

We constantly review our practice at Willow, in order to improve organisational strategies and the experiences for the children. We have government advice which we must follow on a day to day basis throughout the pandemic. We have a risk assessment which we review and update as necessary.

So what have we achieved?

Firstly, I want to thank all the parents for being so supportive with all the measures we have put in place. The Arrival and Departure routines are working well. The children arrive and depart in a certain order so that we can fill each classroom in turn for registration. On Wednesdays, we try to send home all Main Nursery children’s artwork, because that is the day that everyone is in. Staff have to help their keyworker children find their coats and belongings at the end of the session, help them to dress, and then take artwork from individual folders to give to individual children to take home. Parents may have found out that the going home process on Wednesdays takes a little longer because of this additional task.

The children follow our extensive hand washing routines. They are aware of the need to Catch it, Kill it, Bin it, using our tissue stations to blow their nose and dispose of the tissues in specific tissue bins in each classroom.

We are finding that we have less colds circulating, we have less snotty noses than we usually have at this time of year! The staff feel that there is a more hygienic than normal school environment because of these strategies and because people are mixing less in their home environments. So all good.

We have assessed all the children in Main Nursery against all curriculum areas. There are some materials that we are not allowed to play with at the moment during the pandemic. Children are not allowed to share malleable materials such as playdough or clay. We are not allowed to use materials that children could put their hands into, add germs, then another child puts their hands into and pick up the germs. We are really missing playdough! The children learn lots about shape and quantity from rolling, chopping, shaping, and stretching dough. These physical movements help strengthen hands in readiness for writing. Children learn to share with playdough. Children play imaginatively with playdough, often making cakes and cookies. So, if possible, we would encourage all parents to try and provide playdough/ plasticine at home, or even have a go at making some simple flour and water dough together. I know it is messy, but the children really need this experience. It is a gap in their experience. We are also not allowed to play with sand, again because germs stay in the sand and it cannot be washed. The children are really missing digging!

Some materials and opportunities are restricted here during Covid 19, but the staff try hard to think of innovative ways of working, to give children a broad experience of the curriculum.

So what are we focussing on?

Some children missed a whole term of school between May and July, in both Main Nursery and Catkins class. We are determined to help children catch up with any experiences that they missed. Our aim is to give this years children all the skills and expertise they need to progress successfully to their next stage of education.

What can be improved?

Both our local schools: Hadrian Academy and The Vale Academy, now ask all parents to wear a face mask when dropping their children off to school.

There are positive Covid 19 cases recorded in the Dunstable Icknield Ward (the council ward our school is in) on the Central Bedfordshire Council website.

Advice is that face masks should be worn if Social Distancing of 2 metres cannot be maintained. There is no way all our families can queue outside with a 2 metre distance between families. If we asked that, families would be queuing right down the path to the Vale Academy! So we would ask where social distancing is not possible parents consider wearing masks.

Some parents wait over the road and join their colour group queue when their child’s keyworker arrives to take children in. This is very sensible. At Parent Consultations we were reminded that some parents are Clinically Vulnerable and should be shielding, but they want their children to access education. Please be aware of others need to social distance, when everyone is waiting outside. Overall I am pleased with our school’s community spirit. I see only courteous, polite and thoughtful behaviour. Please may it continue.

B. 3+ Enrolment.

Government advice is that Early Years Bubbles can be of any size, but where possible year groups should be kept apart where possible. We have adopted this way of organising the children, which is different to how we would usually operate. The children leaving us in July 2021 all attend the Main Nursery and have formed one Bubble. We decided that no younger children would join Main Nursery, in order to establish and maintain, a consistent group throughout the year.

In January we have another cohort of children joining the school, those children who turn three between September and December 2020. These children will leave Willow in July 2022. In past years these children would have joined Main Nursery. This year the children will form a Bubble based in Catkins Class. Additional classroom space, Room 3 has been allocated to this Bubble.

Recently, parents of children in Catkins class who will be three by the end of December 2020 (Blue Group), were asked to choose an option for their child’s attendance pattern from January 2021. All parents have been allocated their child’s first choice, (including the 30 hour option if this was requested.)

Similarly, parents of children in Catkins class who become three between January 2021 and March 2021 (Orange Group), were asked to choose an option for their child’s attendance pattern from April 2021. All parents have been allocated their child’s first choice. (including the 30 hour option if this was requested.)

I will write to all Blue and Orange group parents individually to confirm your child’s attendance pattern.

Children in these age groups on our waiting list have been invited to enrol, and to choose an attendance pattern for their child. This part of the enrolment process is now complete.

C. Job Vacancy- Teaching Assistant Level 1- Lunchtime support.

Due to the induction of more children in January, we now need some help at lunchtime in Catkins class. We would like to employ a Level 1 teaching assistant, from 11:00am to 12:30pm Monday to Friday, term time only, from January 2021 to the end of term in July 2021. The rate of pay will be £9.25 per hour.

The job may suit one of our parents, as no formal childcare qualifications are required. Your experience of bringing up your own child is sufficient experience.

The role requires supporting Catkins children outside in the playground from 11:00 to 11:30 with other Catkins staff. You would then help settle the children for lunch. You would support four of the youngest children to eat their packed lunch, and then help them beginning to play at the start of the afternoon session.

If you are a Main Nursery parent, and you are interested in the job, we would be able to accommodate your nursery age child at lunchtime to allow you to work. For example, if your child attends mornings at Willow we would look after your child until you finish lunch duty at 12.30, then they would go home with you. Similarly, if your child attends for 2 ½ days, your child could arrive with you at 11 o’clock on the days you need to work, on the days your child doesn’t normally attend, and be looked after by Nursery staff until 12.30 when you would go home together.

If you are a parent in Catkins class, and interested in the position, we may be able to help with childcare, but staff ratios in Catkins are tighter.

If anyone is interested please get in touch with me, Mrs Davies, this week. There is an application form to complete, and there would be a short interview. If this

newsletter does not generate any interest in the position, I will have to advertise more widely. We are a friendly group of staff, I hope it would be a nice job for someone!

D. School Photographer

Our school photographer spent quality time with all the children to capture good images. She remained 2 metres away from all the children, so special thanks must go to the classroom staff who supported the photographer, as they were responsible for organising children into position, adding props and trying to get the children to smile.

Proofs of the photos will be returned in about a weeks time. Parents can take the proofs home with an order form. Orders are to be returned to the school by a specific date. This will be advised on the order form. I will update with more information next week.

E. What the children are learning this week.

Catkins will be focussing on the song ‘Five Currant Buns in the Bakers Shop’. Children will be doing lots of counting with the song. Children learn about ‘subtracting’ using these repetitive songs. Children will be learning about Matching pictures.

Main Nursery will be talking about their local community. We will be talking about what they see on their way to school, and they will have the opportunity to make some 3D representations of local shops using box modelling materials. Mrs Patterson will be organising a role play supermarket. We will use boxes and packaging, baskets and trolleys, cash registers, play money, pretend credit cards, purses and bags. It will be very popular! We expect the stock to be sold out in minutes! Miss Howe plans to take the children bug hunting in the garden. There are plans to go digging for worms! Children will have clip boards and complete an Autumn hunt, having a check list of things to look for, making marks on a tally sheet to record how many of these things they have found.

Nursery News 9.11.2020

NURSERY NEWS

2020 – Edition 205

Find out About:

A: Phone Line fault fixed

B. Green Group consultations rescheduled

C.Groupcall

D. School Photographer.

E. Keeping warm at school.

F. What the children are learning this week.

G Informing the school if your child is tested for Covid-19 .

A: Phone Line fault fixed.

Our telephone line is now working again. (We had no telephone line here on Tuesday and Wednesday last week.)

B. Main Nursery Green Group consultations rescheduled.

Green Groups Parent Consultations could not go ahead last week as we had no telephone line. The telephone consultations have been rescheduled to take place on Tuesday 10th November. The time you booked will remain the same.

C. Groupcall.

Groupcall is a text alert system. We can use this text system to communicate messages very quickly to all our current families.

We used Groupcall on Tuesday 3rd November to send out a text message to all families, so they knew our phone line was down.

The message is sent to the parent named as the 1st contact on the New Starter Form that parents complete when their child first starts at Willow.

If your family did not receive a groupcall message, please contact the school office and we will look into it.

Please ensure the school has your up to date contact details, including your home address, mobile phone number and email address.

D. School Photographer

A school photographer will be here on Wednesday 11th November, for Main Nursery children, and Thursday 12th November for Catkins children.

E. Keeping warm at school.

Winter is approaching and conditions are becoming generally wetter and colder in the nursery gardens. We go outside every day, in all weather conditions, so please make sure all children are appropriately dressed. A warm winter coat is important, preferably with a hood.

At home, please encourage your child to put their coat on themselves. We know many of the Main Nursery Children have the ability to do this, but they often ask for help. Please try to teach them to fasten their coat for themselves. Mittens are easier for children to put on themselves, rather than gloves. We do not mind helping children to wrap up warm, because they love to play outside. Children enjoy the outside space even when it is freezing!

Our school is generally warm, but unlike your homes we have a lot of outside walls in each classroom and lots of windows. Room 1’s door to outside is opened and closed all day long, so a lot of heat escapes. During the Covid 19 pandemic, we are required to ensure all classrooms are well ventilated. Advice is that windows should be opened, even just very slightly to ensure clean air moves into rooms. This helps to reduce the virus spreading in classrooms.

So, at this time of year consider sending your child to school in warmer clothing than they would need at home.

Please remember to label all items of clothing, especially mittens, hats and scarves, as these often end up on the cloakroom floor. We do not need fancy name tags, just try and put your child’s name on the size/washing instructions tags with biro. Even just your child’s initials or first name on the labels will help narrow things down!

F. What the children are learning this week.

This week, Colour and Light will be the theme across the whole school. Catkins class will be making some firework inspired artwork. Catkins class will have the opportunity to try spinner painting, (Main Nursery tried this last week). A disc of paper is put into the base of a salad spinner. A few drips of different coloured paint are added. The lid is put on. Children turn the handle, making the internal basket spin. The spinning action makes the paint spread out in a spidery fashion. The effect is quite clever, and the children are often surprised by the outcome. Catkins will also be trying scratch painting, scratching paint away to make patterns.

Main Nursery are trying a new art activity, painting onto blocks of ice. Mrs Patterson has frozen a variety of different 3D shaped blocks of ice. Children will use regular ready mixed paint to paint onto the ice. The artwork changes as the ice melts. We have not tried this before so we are looking forward to seeing the end result. Children will be making rocket shapes to represent fireworks. Divali is known as the Festival of Light and fireworks form part of the Divali celebrations. Throughout the year we teach the children about ‘Celebrations’ that some of their classmates may participate in. We also learn about some of the stories and tales behind the celebrations. Main Nursery will be learning about the story of Rama and Sita. Children will be able to make face masks depicting characters from the story and have the opportunity to hear and retell the story.

G. Informing the school if your child is tested for Covid-19 .

So far, we have had no confirmed cases of Covid 19 amongst the staff or pupils at Willow. Cases are becoming more widespread, so we must be prepared to act quickly should we need to track and trace contacts.

So, if your child develops coronavirus symptoms, we would ask that you organise a test for your child.

If the test result comes back positive, please let the school know immediately, even if it is in the school holidays. Send an email to: office@willownursery.co.uk. This email address is monitored during the school holidays.