Dear Parents and Carers,
Nursery News:
Parent
suggestions
Do
you have any suggestions for our nursery? We have developed a parent suggestion
box by the front door. Please let us know any suggestions and we will discuss
it at our next staff meeting J
Policies
The policies have been reviewed and updated and it would be
great to get some feedback from some of our parents.
You don’t need to read them all if you don’t want to, just
pick the few that interest you the most and let us know what you think.
If
you would be happy to help, let me know and I will email you a copy.
Muddy
Puddle Walk
A
reminder that the Pre-school children are taking part in the Save the Children
- Muddy Puddle Walk next Friday 27th April. It’s a
great way for us to get active and explore the world around us and the money we
raise will help save children’s lives all around the world. There will be a
donation pot in the hallway and a pot for the Pre-school walkers in their room.
Any donation would be appreciated and will help us raise money towards such a
great cause.
Sun
cream and sun hats
As
summer is finally approaching can we please ask you to make sure your child has
a labelled sun cream at nursery and a labelled hat when appropriate.
Up Coming Events
27th April – Muddy Puddle Walk
This weeks activities and events
In 2 Sports – This week at in2sports the children practiced a new sport….
Basketball. The children practiced throwing and catching, then bouncing a ball
up and down the garden. They
finished off with the Mr. Animal game.
French
– During
French this week we have been developing our counting skills and developing our
spring and animals vocabulary J
Forest
school –
This week at Forest School we have been exploring a different part of the
chantry’s close to the nursery. We have been observing the nature around us and
finding the difference in patterns of a fir cone and
a pine cone and discovering bluebells and dandelions.
Next weeks 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:
This week’s planned activities are also on the ILD’S.
Buttercups
Topic of the month: Sign Language
Monday – Sammy’s
group is listening and dancing to English music celebrating St. George’s week.
Tuesday – Jamie’s group will be building their awareness
of animals names and sounds while exploring the happy land farm.
Wednesday
– Hannah’s group is discovering music and sound while exploring the musical
instruments.
Thursday
– Leanne’s group are making red and white biscuits for St. George’s day.
Friday
– Jamie’s group will be making towers and structures with coloured blocks
encouraging hand eye co-ordination and manipulative skills.
Jamie is off Wednesday, Leanne is off Monday, Sammy and Hannah are
in all week.
Bluebells
Topic of the month: Spring
Monday – Maria’s group are developing counting skills while
counting different flower petals.
Tuesday – Ruby’s group will be exploring water and sand in the
garden using their imagination to play.
Wednesday – Megan’s group is playing a game of ‘Simon Says’
encouraging listening and attention skills.
Thursday – Donna’s group are celebrating St. George’s day trying
scones for snack and creating English pictures.
Friday – Chloe’s group will be discovering media while painting in
a large group.
Donna is off Friday, Chloe is off Monday and Tuesday, Megan is on
holiday Monday and off Thursday and Friday, Ruby is in all week. Maria is
covering one of our London nurseries Monday and Friday.
Sunflowers
In the Sunflower room each Key Person plans and implements their
own Key Group activity, but the room works on the same area and aspect to
ensure the activity is individual to each Key Group and therefore meets the
specific Key Group’s individual needs.
This will work alongside their weekly planned activity list which
you can see in the room and on the ILD’S.
Becci’s
group will be selecting a story of their choice to read, throughout the
activity they will be encouraged to talk about what they see and predict what
might happen next.
Almu’s
group is building a knowledge and understanding of CVC words and their sounds.
They will be making it fun while playing a memory game.
Ines’s
group are building literacy skills and an awareness of the world around them
while reading a book about ‘The Life Cycle of Plants’.
The
Sunflowers will also be celebrating St. George’s day this week by reading
stores, listening to music and creating the English flag.
Topic of the month: The life cycle of plants
The letter of the week is: U
The children will be:
Talking about words beginning with U
Painting the letter U on the easel
Drawing umbrellas
Finding the letter U in Alphabet puzzles
The Number of the week is: 13
The children will be:
Talking about the number 13 and what it looks like
Jumping 13 times
Writing the number 13 in the water tray
Playing a number puzzle
The shape of the week is: Triangle
The children will be:
Recognising triangles around the room
Talking about the shape
Counting the sides and corners
Making a triangle shape with our hands
Becci is off Wednesday, Almu is off Thursday and Ines is off
Tuesday.
Jenni and Ottilia are in all week.
I work early shifts every day. So I will get to see you all in the
morning, If you have any queries in the evening please speak to your child’s
Room Leader or Jamie.
Interactive Learning Diary
Don’t forget to check out all the exciting things your child has
done this week, on their ILD profile.
We aim to put at least one observation up per week.
Facebook
Castle Nursery and Preschool Facebook page promotes the company, engages with
parents and team members across our nurseries.
If you would be interested in following this page, here is the
link: https://www.facebook.com/Castle-Nursery-and-Preschool-790319011138020/. We will be
regularly adding events and photos to the page.
Menus
There are no planned changes to this week’s menu.
See attached document for the weekly menu.
If you would like to see a copy of our allergens menu at any time
please ask!
Useful websites
Here are the links for the Surrey Family Information Service, Free
Early Education (the 15 hours funding), Free Early Education for Two year olds
and Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP).
Our Policy of the Week:
Employee Behaviour Policy
Aim
of the policy
To
set the scene for the culture and expectation of our individual employees,
teams and company in safeguarding children.
As
an employee of Childcare & Learning Group, we expect our employees to also
be a child advocate. As a child advocate, your duty is to keep children
safe and to use your voice, when a child can’t, is afraid to, or isn’t being
heard.
You
must:
Act
in the best interest of the children at all times, always putting them in front
of your own personal preferences or convenience.
Keeping children safe is the most fundamental part of our practice and
advocacy.
Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote
the welfare of children and protect them from harm.
Safeguarding means:
·
protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
·
preventing harm to children’s health or development
·
ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
·
taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best
outcomes.
Child protection is part of the safeguarding process.
It focuses on protecting individual children who are suffering or likely to
suffer significant harm.
Safeguarding children includes child protection
procedures, which detail how to respond to concerns about a child.
If you ever have a concern about a child, you must
follow the Safeguarding Children procedures displayed in your setting on the
Safeguarding board, also in the policies, and given to you as part of your
induction and regular updates.
You and your colleagues are required to whistle blow
if you have a concern about the practice of a colleague.
With this in mind, if we are not safe in our practice,
it becomes open to question. A part of keeping children safe, is keeping
ourselves safe too and with thought and good team working practice, this is
very simple to do.
Before you’re signed off /complete end of probation:
You are not to change nappies, toilet, dress, be alone
with or provide any intimate care of the children.
After your signed off probation:
Avoid working alone with children. Sometimes it is
unavoidable, perhaps through transitions or while a colleague leaves the room
temporarily. Ensure that it is for no longer than five minutes (shorter
ideally) and that there is a form of communication for you to reach out if you
need help and that someone else knows you are alone, so they can check up on
you
Always communicate with your colleagues where you are.
They are relying on you to keep them safe too, so before leaving a room check
it is okay first.
Be visible. If there are no viewing windows into your
work/play space, keep doors open. If an open door is not safe, relocate and
discuss the issue with your manager so it can be problem solved.
Avoid enclosed spaces. On rare occasions, when
enclosed spaces are a part of the curriculum, such as sensory rooms, always
work in pairs.
When supervising sleep rooms alone, your colleagues
should be carrying out the ten minute checks. These are to keep you safe from
allegations as well as keeping children safe. Ensure there is a view into your
sleep room and position yourself in a visible place.
When providing intimate care for children, ensure a
child’s privacy and dignity is respected, while talking about what you are
doing. Talking about what you are doing in a fun way, means the child feels
informed and safe and your practice can be overheard and backed up by your
colleagues.
Your personal mobile phone must be switched to silent
and placed in the setting’s mobile phone safe box during your shift. At no time
are personal mobile phones allowed in the children’s spaces of the setting.
It is expected that
all staff, volunteers and students at Castle Nursery should demonstrate an
example of good conduct and behaviour which we all collectively follow:
·
Be friendly, supportive and a
positive role model to everyone; children, parents and other staff.
·
Be motivated, enthusiastic and happy
to do your job.
·
Be flexible, reliable and punctual.
·
Be welcoming to everyone within the
setting; smile, say hello, give eye contact.
·
Keep confidentiality at all
times. Any issues concerning children, their parents, employees,
students, volunteers and visitors should not be discussed outside the setting,
or for any purpose other than professional problem solving and support where
needed with the assigned people.
·
Maintain high standards in safety
and hygiene by keeping the setting safe and clean.
·
Maintain the presentation of the
setting. We are professionals, so we need to present a professional
environment.
·
Maintain personal professional presentation
in a tidy manner reflecting the personal presentation guidelines.
·
Ensure inclusive practise is
provided at all times, giving equal opportunities to everyone within the
setting regardless of their age, gender, race, religion, culture, personal
identity or background.
·
Encourage and role model mutual
respect, manners and general courtesy to other children, professionals, parents
and visitors.
In working
as a team:
·
Be forward thinking. Accept
feedback and use it to improve your practice. We are all on the same team and
we all want the best for our team.
·
Be honest and trustworthy both in
your communications and actions.
·
Be hard working and show initiative
in your work, executing your own ideas and strategies through discussion and
collaboration with others. Provide direction where others need it, with
your support and understanding of others work and learning styles. Not everyone
thinks and works in the same way as you, so you may need to try different
approaches when directing others, to get it right.
·
Be willing to do as directed when
others take the lead, supporting them to achieve their goals, communicating
with each other in a positive manner– both in your needs and in responding to
their needs.
·
Communicate your needs; to your
manager, leaders and colleagues. They don’t know your mind, you need to share
it.
·
Ask for help. Asking for help is a
strength, not a weakness. It shows you want to do better and move your practice
and team forward.
·
Clear up after yourself.
·
Be the team member you want others
to be for you.
·
If you need to leave the room, check
it is a good time with your colleagues. They are relying on you too.
·
Learn from each other. There is no
one in the setting you can’t learn from, be it learning from a leader, a leader
learning from you, you learning from a parent, a child or a visitor.
Parents are our
customers and because this is our work place, we need to be the one to take the
first step, every time and straight away. It is important not to shy from
it, wait or hope for someone else to do it.
At all times, our
parents must feel welcomed, valued, respected and responded to by you–
immediately. Smile, welcome them and start a conversation about their
child.
Like us, parents
are all different. They have different levels of confidence, expectations and
openness. It doesn't matter how open they are with us, we need to
be open with them all the time.
Sometimes, some
parents can feel a little intimidating. Don’t let yourself be intimidated. If
you are having trouble with any parents, talk to your leader or manager and get
some support. They may just have a special trick they can share with you to
help your relationship with the family.
Really work on
tricky parents. Overcoming the hardest parents to approach is the most
satisfying achievement.
It is important to
remember, that what parents all have in common is an immense love and concern
for their children. That concern and love overrides everything and when they
feel that you are delivering for their child a day of love, excitement,
learning and safety, you have won all of their respect, so never be shy to
share what you have been doing with their child to their parents. It is the
magic key.
Get out there and
make every parent feel like your most special parent and their child, your
greatest interest too.
If a colleague is
handing over because you are busy with children, you can reassure parents as
well and back up handovers by demonstrating your talent with children. Let
parents see you singing, creating, dressing up, having fun with their children.
As an early years
practitioner for South Hill, you are considered to be a representative of South
Hill and a professional by families and by the company.
Beyond our
‘in-house’ role, we are still known and needed by our families to present an
image of responsibility and respectability. They trust us with their children
and we need to show they have every right to trust us.
Children see us beyond the setting too. They need to feel safe with us
and so they need us to be responsible and professional when we see them outside
the setting as well.
When leaving the setting, consider the immediate environment, the people
and South Hill’s reputation. Ensure that your conversations, language and
behaviour are respect-worthy and appropriate.
If you are with colleagues outside work, don’t discuss work with them.
It is too easy to breach confidentiality resulting in catastrophic outcomes for
all involved, or at a minimum an opportunity for gossip to be let loose.
It is strongly advised against making connections with parents on any
social media. Parents are not your personal friends, they are your customers
and professional distance needs to be maintained, for your own safety and
privacy as well as theirs.
Too many professionals in early years and beyond have lost their jobs
and compromised their futures by making connections with customers that have
gone bad or weren’t as honest as you thought they were at the start. Sometimes
things go wrong in the customer and provider relationship.
For the sake of your future, you don’t want to be dragged in or
implicated in anything that was not your issue in the first place.
Kind Regards,
Jess, Jamie and the South Hill Team
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