Week commencing 1st December

Dear Parents

 

Christmas Events

The Christmas party is next Friday (5^th) from 3.30-5pm

All the children are welcome, if it’s not their normal day in with us they will need to be accompanied by an adult. If you child is in on this day you are also very welcome to come in!

We will be playing party games, having a party tea and meeting Father Christmas.

 

The nativity plays are the following week so make sure you have signed up. It will be very busy so please can you leave coats etc. in the cars where possible.

You will be able to take photographs but we ask you not to share photos of the other children. If you would rather your child not have their photo taken, it will mean they will not be able to take part in the play.

 

The Nursery will be closing at 4pm on Christmas Eve and re-opening as normal on Monday 5^th January

 

Staff news

Sadly Sophie has decided to move back home to be closer to her family. Her last day with us will be Christmas Eve. I am sure you will join us in wishing her all the best and she has promised to pop in when she comes back to Guildford.

Hopefully most of you have met Shula and Maria our new staff members, the staff will continue to introduce them to you over the next few weeks.

Both ladies have level 3 qualifications and are settling in very well.

 

Winter clothing

As it has now got colder and wetter please can you make sure your child has the right clothing to go outside. We do go outside everyday so please can you make sure your child has a winter coat, hat and gloves.

We do have some spare wellies but if you are able to bring some in that would be great!

 

Useful websites:

Here are the links for the Surrey Family Information Service, Free Early Education (the 15 hours funding) and Free Early Education for Two year olds.

 

www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fee
www.surreycc.gov.uk/feet

 

Menus

Next Friday is going to be a party tea.

 

This week’s activities

Each key person will be responsible for designing an activity based on their key children’s needs; however, all children who are in on that day will have the opportunity to access the activity too.

If the key person is on holiday or off, another staff member will be able to lead the activity in their place so that the children do not miss out.

For more information on the Early Years Foundation stage, the guidance we use to support our planning and practice, please visit:

http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/ 

 

This week’s planned activities are also are now on the ILD’S

 

Buttercups

Monday –  Nilem’s group is exploring the toddle boxes and they build their large physical skills

Tuesday – Leanne’s group are learning about shapes as they explore shape puzzles

Wednesday – Magda’s group is exploring the toy trains and copying the sounds they make.

Thursday – Charlotte’s group will be looking at different faces and talking about being happy or sad

Friday – Megan’s group is getting creative as they finger paint

Charlotte is off Monday and Friday, Leanne is off Thursday, Magda is off Tuesday, Nilem is off Friday and Megan is in all week.

 

Bluebells

Monday – Donna’s group are learning about being healthy as they wash their hands before meals

Tuesday – Donna’s group is getting imaginative as they use the dressing up clothes

Wednesday – Rose’s group has been inspired by the Great British Bake Off and will be cooking some yummy treats.

Thursday – Rose’s group are using the mini motors to practice counting

Friday – Chloe’s group is exploring light and dark as they use torches in the dark cot room

Donna is off Friday, Chloe is off Wednesday and Rose and Maria are in all week

 

Sunflowers

Books of the fortnight

1^st – 8^th December – A Bad Start for Father Christmas by Sarah Hayes

15^th- 22^nd December –The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore

 

The Sunflowers have one detailed weekly focused activity to ensure all the children have the opportunity to take part in it.

This will work alongside their weekly planned activity list which you can see in the room and on the ILD’S.

This week’s activity is: Expressing their creativity by making Seasonal Crafts

The learning intentions are:

To be able to self-select their own designs

To develop creative skills

To be able to discuss the different types of materials they have chosen

To be able to use tools such as paint brushes with skill

 

The letter of the week is:  D

This week’s activities are:

·         Looking at words beginning with D

·         Practising writing the letter D

·         Drawing pictures of dinosaurs

·         Playing games with Dice

·         Singing Five Little Ducks

 

Jess is off Friday, Sophie is off Monday and Becci is in all week

 

Caroline and the South Hill team x

Outdoor Policy

Outdoor Policy

 

Aim of policy

 

Castle Nursery believes children should have the opportunity to explore the outdoor environment for long periods of time and children know they can play outside every day and when they choose too. This policy shows how we aim to do this. This policy links to Every Child Matters (2003) and The Early Years Foundation Stage (2012)

 

Points to consider

 

 

·         The outdoor environment will enable the children to enjoy a rich environment full of irresistible stimuli, real experiences, hands on experiences with nature and explore open ended play. Whilst doing so they will be covering all areas of Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

 

·         The outdoor environment will enable children to take risks and challenges in a safe and secure environment. Staff will ensure rules for outside are clear and consistent to manage behaviour and safety.

 

·         Staff must ensure children have adequate protection taking into account the weather, children’s age and stage of development to ensure play can continue. Children should have sun cream applied before coming to nursery and re applied frequently throughout the day. Sun cream should be supplied by the parents and a bottle kept at nursery along with a sunhat. Warm clothes and wellies should also be supplied in other weathers.

 

·         The outdoor provision supports inclusion and meets the children’s individual needs in which it offers a variety of experiences for the children to participate in.

 

·         The children have the opportunity to access the outdoor area every session.

 

·         The outdoor area will be risk assessed regularly.

week commencing 24th November

Dear Parents

 

Children in Need

Congratulations to the Parry Family and the Jessop family for jointly winning the Children in Need Quiz. Thank you to everyone who joined in as we raised over £100!

Here are the answers to our quiz:

Which senior staff member is related to “Jonesy” from Dad’s Army? - Charlotte

Which senior staff member has a phobia of fruit – Caroline

Which Senior staff member wrote off her car then went out and bought the exact same car in the exact same colour? – Jess

Which baby team member leaves her coffee overnight to drink cold in the morning? - Julia

Which baby team member walked on to the DOWN escalator when trying to go UP?- Nilem

Which baby team member knocked out her front tooth aged 12 playing basketball at school? – Magda

Which baby team member had to go to A & E as a child because she was pretending to get married and got a washer stuck on her finger? - Megan

Which Bluebell team member Is still obsessed with Barbie at the age of 26? - Rose

Which Bluebell team member climbed the great wall of China - Donna

Which Bluebell team member recently had to jump out of the living room window after she locked herself INSIDE her house? - Leanne

Which Bluebell team member drank a spider that fell in her hot chocolate? - Chloe

Which Sunflower team member whilst she was at nursery put a stone up her nose and had to go to hospital to get it removed? - Sophie

Which Sunflower team member used to be a singer in a band whilst at college? - Becci

Which Sunflower team member got lost in Death valley after running out of petrol in 40 degree heat? – Alison

 

 

Interactive learning Diaries

Everyone should be up and running on the ILD’S now. Thank you to everyone who has already sent in their observations from home.

Every child has a guide to the Early Years Foundation stage codes on their ILD observations but here is another copy so you know which learning area we are covering:

 

PSED – personal, social and emotional education

CL - Communication and Language

PD – physical development

L – Literacy

M – Maths

UW – understanding the world

EA – Expressive Arts

 

Christmas Closures

Just a quick reminder that we are closing on Christmas Eve at 4pm and then open again as usual on Monday 5^th January.

 

Useful websites:

Here are the links for the Surrey Family Information Service, Free Early Education (the 15 hours funding) and Free Early Education for Two year olds.

 

www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fee
www.surreycc.gov.uk/feet

 

Menus

There are no planned changes to this week’s menu.

 

This week’s activities

Each key person will be responsible for designing an activity based on their key children’s needs; however, all children who are in on that day will have the opportunity to access the activity too.

If the key person is on holiday or off, another staff member will be able to lead the activity in their place so that the children do not miss out.

For more information on the Early Years Foundation stage, the guidance we use to support our planning and practice, please visit:

http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/ 

 

This week’s planned activities are also are now on the ILD’S

 

Buttercups

Monday – Megan is supporting the physical development of the children as they use the toddle boxes

Tuesday – Nilem’s group are exploring a range of toys with buttons and flaps

Wednesday – Leanne’s group will be rolling the ball to each other in small groups as they build social skills

Thursday – Charlotte’s group is finding different objects as they build listening and speaking skills

Friday – Magda’s group will be making their own car models

Charlotte is off Tuesday, Leanne is off Friday, Magda is off Tuesday, Nilem is off Friday and Megan is off Wednesday and Thursday

 

Bluebells

Monday – Rose’s group is exploring ICT  equipment

Tuesday – Donna’s group will be developing gross motor skills as they use play dough.

Wednesday – Donna’s group is talking about their feelings as they play with the emotion dolls

Thursday – Rose’s group are using their listening skills as they follow instructions

Friday – Chloe’s group will be taking their own photos with the cameras and ipads

Donna is off Friday, Rose is in all week, Chloe is off Thursday and Maria is in all week

 

Sunflowers

Books of the fortnight

17-24^th November – Victoria’s Day by Maria de Fatima Campos

 

The Sunflowers have one detailed weekly focused activity to ensure all the children have the opportunity to take part in it.

This will work alongside their weekly planned activity list which you can see in the room and on the ILD’S.

This week’s activity is: Looking at their favourite stories and why they like them.

 

This week the Sunflowers will be:

Developing their attention span as they listen to stories

Suggesting how the story may end

Recognising familiar words in books

Giving meaning to marks as they make their own pictures to go with their story

Writing their own names

 

 

The Letter of the week is : C

 

The activities this week will be:

Talking about words beginning with C

Setting up the C stencils on the whiteboard

Singing Christmas songs

Creating pictures of different foods that begin with C

Making Cat/Car pictures

Jess is off Friday and on Training on Tuesday, Sophie is off Monday and Becci is in all week.

Have a good weekend!

Outings policy

Outings policy

 

Aim of policy

 

To give clear guidance when taking the children out of the nursery on outings.

Castle Daycare & Preschool encourages appropriate outings for all children.  Regular walks and visits within the local community all contribute to a child’s learning.

Points to consider

For all outings on foot or by vehicle the following procedures must be followed:

·               Written permission must be obtained at the time of registration of the child.  Authorisation must be checked prior to the outing.

 

·         A risk assessment must be done prior to the outing – taking into account hazards such as transportation, live animals and zoos, illness etc.

 

·               Clear details of destination, route and expected times for arrival and departure should be left at the Nursery. 

 

·               Staffing ratios must be maintained at: 2-3 years maximum 10 children ratio 1:2. 3-5 years maximum 30 children ratio 1:4. 5 year plus, maximum 30 children ratio 1:8. Ratios stated are the maximum limits, smaller ratios maybe required. The Manager will decide on outings ratios on an individual basis after doing a risk assessment.

 

·               A first aider must be present and a suitable first aid box must be taken. Any treatments for allergies or medical conditions must be taken in a clearly labelled container with medicine administration form.

 

·               The senior person in charge must be aware of the lost/missing child policy and be confident to take appropriate action if needed.

 

·               Contact details, allergy information and any other relevant details on each child to be taken.

 

·               A member of staff must take a mobile phone with them in case of emergency.

 

·               The children must be counted before setting off (on the coach/mini bus if used) and counting must be ongoing at regular intervals throughout the outing. If the group is broken up into sub-groups a designated person in charge must be assigned and that person is responsible for counting the children at regular intervals.

·               A label must be attached to all children showing the name of the nursery and telephone number of the Nursery. Additionally it should also show the mobile telephone number of one of the staff members on the outing. This label must be displayed on the child in a manner which is visible and is not easily removed by the child.

·               Toilet facilities must be provided for the children at regular intervals.

·               Food and drinks must be provided at similar times to those in the Nursery and additional drinks should be offered if the weather is warm or if energetic exercise is part of the day.

·               Meeting points must be pre-designated and times arranged when all the party should assemble. These must be strictly adhered to.

·               Transport must be fully insured; drivers' details satisfactory and all seats must have 3 point safety harnesses or equivalent. The maximum seat capacity of the vehicle must not be exceeded.

·               All children should have spare clothing.

·               At the conclusion of each outing the staff member in charge will complete a review of the outing noting the following

·               Any particular problems with transport (e.g. coach arriving late, no seat belts etc).

·               Any particular problems with the venue (e.g. nowhere to shelter during rain).

·               Any particular problems with specific children (illness, distress, etc).

·               Educational benefits of the visit.

·               Comments from parents and recommendations for future visits.

 

Prior to each new outing the Senior Practitioner / Practitioner in charge of the outing will refer back to the reviews and take accounts of comments when preparing for the next outing.

Week commencing 17th November

Dear Parents

 

End of term reports

We are now going to add our end of term summary reports to the ILD’S. These are short reports we do on each child to assess how they have progressed each term. If you have any comments on these reports you can talk to your child’s key person or write something yourself on the ILD.

Thank you to the parents who have added information on to their child’s ILD. We hope you will all be doing that soon so we can create a true picture of your child’s learning journey in their early years.

I still have some parents who have not signed up to the ILD yet, it is really important that you do so. If you need another form or have any questions please let me know.

 

Funding forms

It’s that time of the term again when I send out the forms for the funding. The Sunflowers teams are giving these out along with the information guide if this is the first time we will claim funding for your child. I have also attached an information guide to this email.

 

Illness

We still have a nasty cough/temperature bug going around. It has mainly been affecting the Sunflowers and Babies so please be aware.

 

 

Useful websites:

Here are the links for the Surrey Family Information Service, Free Early Education (the 15 hours funding) and Free Early Education for Two year olds.

 

www.surreycc.gov.uk/fis
www.surreycc.gov.uk/fee
www.surreycc.gov.uk/feet

 

Menus

There are no planned changes to this week’s menu.

 

This week’s activities

Each key person will be responsible for designing an activity based on their key children’s needs; however, all children who are in on that day will have the opportunity to access the activity too.

If the key person is on holiday or off, another staff member will be able to lead the activity in their place so that the children do not miss out.

For more information on the Early Years Foundation stage, the guidance we use to support our planning and practice, please visit:

http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/ 

 

This week’s planned activities are also are now on the ILD’S

 

Buttercups

Monday – Charlotte’s group will be playing a selecting and naming game.

Tuesday – Nilem’s group is exploring corn flour gloop using spoons

Wednesday – Julia’s group are reading the story “The Hungry Caterpillar”

Thursday – Charlotte’s group is playing a hiding and finding game using the tins.

Friday – Magda’s group will be playing with the dolls in the garden

Charlotte is off Monday, Thursday and Friday, Julia is off Thursday, Magda is off Monday and Tuesday and Nilem is off Friday

 

Bluebells

Monday – Donna’s group is playing with the toy train track and learning how to make their own tracks.

Tuesday – Leanne’s group will be developing their independence skills as they scrape their own plates at lunch time.

Wednesday – Rose’s group are choosing their own books and using the pictures to tell the story.

Thursday – Donna’s group will be singing songs at circle time.

Friday – Chloe’s group is looking at shapes and seeing which ones they know.

Donna is off Friday, Leanne is off Wednesday, Chloe is off Thursday and Rose is in all week

 

Sunflowers

Books of the fortnight

17-24^th November – Victoria’s Day by Maria de Fatima Campos

 

The Sunflowers have one detailed weekly focused activity to ensure all the children have the opportunity to take part in it.

This will work alongside their weekly planned activity list which you can see in the room and on the ILD’S.

This week’s activity is: Reading the story “Victoria’s Day” and talking about what they do in a day.

 

The Learning intentions are:

To develop listening and attention skills

To talk about their day to day routine

To notice similarities between themselves and others

To talk openly with others

To be able to ask questions

To be able to express their feelings appropriately

 

The Letter of the week is: B

 

The activities we will be doing are:

Talking about words that begin with B

Going on a Bear hunt

Using the letter B stencils

Bouncing balls to each other

Drawing bees

Playing the ‘Brown Bear’ game

Painting with brown and blue paint

 

Jess is off Friday, Becci is off Monday and Tuesday and Sophie is off Monday

Nappy changing procedure

Nappy changing procedure

 

Aim of policy

 

To demonstrate how to change a nappy to the highest standard.

 

Points to consider

 

Never leave a child unattended on a high level nappy changing unit

 

Make sure you have everything ready and to hand before you start. 

You will need:

Baby wipes if used or cotton wool, bowl and warm water

Clean nappy

Nappy sack if used

Spare clothes if needed

Barrier cream if required

Disposable gloves

Apron

 

1.      Wash your hands.

 

2.      Put on apron and always wear disposable gloves for each change.

 

3.      Place baby on changing mat.

 

4.      Remove nappy and gently wipe away soiling with wipes/cotton wool & water.

 

5.      Clean baby’s bottom with wipes/cotton wool & water.  Girl’s bottoms should be wiped from front to back.

 

6.      Put on clean nappy and change clothing if required.

 

7.      Roll dirty nappy up, ready for disposal.

 

8.      Dispose of nappy, wipes, gloves according to nursery system.

 

9.      Wash your hands thoroughly.

 

10.  Wipe over mat with diluted disinfectant spray.

 

11. Check under mat and wipe area if needed.

 

12. Remove apron/tabard and discard.

 

13. The last thing you should do before leaving the change area is wash your hands.

 

Leave area clean and tidy for next change

 

 

Nappy change time should be a caring and sociable time. Make sure you engage with the child as you change them. Nappy change time is also a time for bonding with the child and should be seen as a fun experience for both the practitioner and child.

 

See the Surrey Guidance for intimate care and toileting information at

 

http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/171923/Guidance-for-intimate-care-and-toileting.pdf