Parent News

Dear Parents and Carer,

Shortly we shall be asking some of you if you would kindly volunteer to read some of our policies and procedures which are in the process of being reviewed.  If you are interested in helping us with this please could you email Michelle.

We have set ourselves a challenge of making an igloo out of two litre milk cartons which is big enough for the children to play in.  Could we therefore ask any of you who buy this size of milk to bring in your empties. Thank you

We still have places available on our parent first aid course, Friday 27^th February.  If anyone would like to book a place, please see Michelle.

Policies

Please find attached policy on parents as partners.

Snails

The focus in the snails this week is various activities focusing on Valentine’s Day, Shrove Tuesday and Chinese New Year. The children will have the opportunity to create and decorate a Valentine’s Day card, using balls and paint to explore different marks, exploring sensory bottles, creating a dragon for Chinese New Year by painting our hands, exploring the mirrors by playing peek-a-boo and exploring the ICT toys that lift flaps and pushing buttons. Outdoor activities include exploring the sensory shapes, rattles and looking at books.

Planned activities within the Snails surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Amy – Day off Monday

Caterpillars

This week the Caterpillars team will focus on singing and action rhymes. Activities this week will include heuristic play, exploring cornflour, painting, exploring touch and feel books, gluing and sticking, puppet play, custards music class on Friday and mark making with crayons. An additional focus this week is creating Valentine’s Day cards. The book of the week is ‘Caterpillars rhyme book’.

 Planned activities within the Caterpillars surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Days off       

Jamie – Friday

Alisha – Tuesday

Ladybirds

The current interest in the Ladybirds this week is role play. The children will have the opportunity to decorate boxes, take part in a teddy bears picnic, exploring textured sand in paint, dressing up, painting with rollers, singing with puppets, bathing babies and playing with the interest baskets. Outdoor activities include pushchairs and dollies, water play with bubbles and containers, chalking in the garden and building towers with duplo. The story of the week is ‘Jolly Olly octopus’.

Planned activities within the ladybirds surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Days off  

Abi – Thursday

Naomi – Friday

Maria - Monday

Bumblebees

This week the children will be focusing on painting, singing, posting items and mark making with pens. Creative activities this week include cling film painting, soap and tissue play, bubble painting, bin bag painting, mark making on the easel and string painting. Activities this week include building with duplo, making a den in our role play area, animal play in the water tray, posting letters we have made, making dragon masks for Chinese New Year, reading the story of the week which is ‘Elephant pants’ and having a puppet show. The children will also take part in making pizzas and making sandwiches in which we will be eating for tea. Outdoor activities this week include running games, little sports stars (Monday afternoon), hula hoops and ball games, parachute games, water play with the pipes and completing an obstacle course.

Planned activities within the Bumblebees surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning which is now displayed on the large notice board outside the Bumblebees room.

Days off     

Jani – Friday

Jenni – Office based Monday, day off Thursday

Hannah – Annual leave Friday

Butterflies     

This week the butterflies will continue to focus on fruits and vegetables. The activities include discussing what we like to eat, printing with vegetables, vegetable leaf rubbings with Cabbage, Kale, Spinach and Lettuce, creating a collage using seeds for our display and making fruit smoothies. Activities this week also include exploring colour changes, looking at different fruits talking about the textures, smells and patterns, discussing healthy eating and the need for various foods. Outdoor activities this week are throwing games, assault course, playing hide and seek, bikes and balls, bubble play, playing with sand and dinosaurs, water play, balancing games and drawing with chalk. The children will be focusing on the letter of the week, which is, ‘G’ and the number of the week, which is number 5.

Planned activities within the Butterflies surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Days off   

Stani – Friday                                   

Tara – Monday, training on Thursday

Juan – Wednesday

Lee – out all day on Thursday

Jade - Monday

 

Michelle is day off Friday.

Parents as partners

 

Aim of policy

 

To give clear guidance on how we value and recognise Parents as the first educators and as our partners in supporting and nurturing the children.

 

Points to consider

 

Through this policy and the appointment of professional staff, we aim to make parents/carers feel comfortable in our nurseries and that the staff team are friendly, approachable and attentive to their needs and the needs of their children.

Castle Daycare and Preschool aim to achieve this by:

 

1. Having an ‘Open door’ policy to parents/carers.

 

2. Consulting and seeking guidance from parents/carers when planning and implementing child care practices.

 

3. Parents/carers having the opportunity to discuss and review their children’s progress at regular developmental evenings or at any other time.

 

4. Parents/carers will have access to their children’s records at all times.

 

5. Informing all parents/carers of the policies, procedures and guidelines the nursery operates by.

 

6. Establishing  varied and effective parents/carers methods of communication

 

7.      Ensuring that all Parents/carers are provided with the opportunity to actively participate in all aspects of the nursery. Where appropriate this will, include the review and implementation of policies and delivery of services to their children.

 

8. Giving the parents regular opportunities to feedback on their child’s progress and developmental stages

 

9. By giving detailed daily feedback to the parents

 

10. Having a regular blog/newsletter for parents

 

11. Having regular parents social events such as sports days, picnics and bbq’s.

 

12.  Having a clear complaints policy

 

13.  Supporting the parents as well as the children through transition times.