Parent News

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you to the parents who attend the Information on Schools last Friday, I hope this information afternoon has provided you with the relevant information and eases the unknown.

 

If any parent has any of the following items that are no longer in use and would like to donate them to the nursery it will be very much appreciated. Hairdryers, curling tongs, hair rollers, empty shampoo and conditioner bottles, big clips, headbands, brushes, and combs. If you have any of the following items, please may they be passed on to Michelle in the office. Thank you!

 

Pre-school would like to ask parents not to bring in toys from home if these are not your child’s comforter as they get broken or lost. Thank you

 

Thank you for the vast interest for the summer outing to Bocketts Farm on Friday 12^th June.  I will be putting together an itinerary for the day, which you will receive shortly. Any questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact Michelle.

 

We would like to welcome Leanne back from her maternity leave. Leanne will be coming back Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursday mornings and Fridays. Leanne’s first day back is Tuesday 2^nd June.

 

We would also like to wish Naomi an enjoyable start to her maternity leave, Naomi’s last day with us will be Friday 5^th June, ready for her due date in July.

 

We would also like to welcome In2sport who join us this week. In2sport are going to be attending the setting for a sports session with our Pre-schoolers and will hopefully join our 2-3’s aswell in September. The sessions will run every Monday between 1330 and 1430. If you have any queries, again, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

We would like to welcome Cat who will be starting with us as an apprentice in our Bumblebees room. Cat will start with us on Monday 29^th June.

 

Policies

Please find attached our early years foundation stage policy.

 

Snails

The focus in the snails this week continues to be settling in new starters and beginning to make father’s day gifts. The children will be able to experience a range of activities, including creating father’s day gifts, mirror play, custards music class on Friday, playing with the stacking cups, mark making using crayons and exploring the treasure baskets. Garden activities this week include, playing with sensory bottles, exploring with building blocks and playing with ICT toys and musical toys. 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 – Monday

 

Caterpillars

This week the Caterpillars team will focus on summer activities such as sand play and ice play. The children will be encouraged to explore heuristic play, puzzles, pull along toys, mark making with crayons, exploring with the balance pebbles, happy land characters and painting. Outdoor activities this week include sand play with animals, walking with the walkers with support and chalking. 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 – Thursday

Alisha – Friday

 

Ladybirds

The current interest in the Ladybirds this week is ice play. The children will have the opportunity to play with the animal ice kingdom, mark making with pens, using the posting box, gluing and sticking, exploring with frozen compare bears, taking part in string painting, and soft play on Friday afternoon and painting with frozen paint popsicles. Outdoor activities this week include tents and tunnels, water painting, balancing beam, playing with the large blocks and playing on the rollercoaster in the over 2’s garden. 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 – Friday

Naomi – Thursday

 

 

Bumblebees

This week the children will be focusing on cooking, learning phonics, numbers (counting and recognising) and painting. Activities this week include categorising building blocks according to size, painting pictures of vehicles, looking at the colours, gloop and water play, counting our toys, listening to the phonics song and practice them, making crowns, creating a balancing beam using large blocks, gluing and sticking, identifying action words using picture cards as a prompt. Garden activities this week include chalk drawing on the floor, building sand castles, finding different shapes in the garden, ball and hoop games and setting up 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.

 

Days off     

Jani – Friday

Jenni – Tuesday

 

Butterflies     

This week the butterflies are going to focus on animals. The activities include talking about wildlife and living things, talking about the farm and what animals live on a farm, discussing our favourite animals and why, talking about different occupations, who looks after animals. The butterflies will also be reading stories about animals. The children will have the opportunity to make animal masks on Thursday. Animal songs will also be sung throughout the week and making up animal stories. Cooking club this week will take place on Wednesday and the children will be making pig biscuits. Outdoor activities include, role playing the farm on Monday, Tuesday is playing with farm animals and happy land characters, Wednesday’s outdoor play is chalks and water painting, Thursday is balancing games and Friday is spontaneous play. The children will be focusing on the letter of the week, which is, ‘F’ and the number of the week, which is number 14. 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.

 

Pre-school have asked if it is possible for children not to bring in toys from home as they get broken and lost, comforters however are still welcomed.

 

Days off   

Stani – Friday                               

Tara – Tuesday

Jade – Monday

Lee – Forest School all day Monday

 

Early Years Foundation Stage Policy

Aim of Policy

At Castle Daycare & Preschool we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage to provide the children with the best possible start in life. By using the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage we ensure we comply with the requirements and we aim to achieve this to an outstanding level.

 

We deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure quality standards are set in our nurseries, to provide equality of opportunity, to help us to work as partners with parents and other practitioners and professionals, to instil high quality and consistency of care and education, to lay a secure foundation for to promote ‘school readiness’ and to safeguard the children and promote their welfare.

 

 

Points to Consider

 

All of the planning at Castle Daycare & Preschool is based on the principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage. We believe good planning is the key to making children’s learning effective, exciting, varied and progressive. A mixture of adult-led and child-initiated play and activities are used to implement the areas of learning. We use the areas of learning and development to structure how we deliver the activities and experiences for the children whilst they work towards the early learning goals, incorporating the children’s emerging needs and interests. We ensure children’s different ways of learning are reflected in our planning and environment. We promote effective teaching and learning through:

• Playing and exploring – children investigate and experience things and ‘have a go’
• Active learning – children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties and enjoy achievements
• Creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.

 

We measure the children’s progress regularly on a summative and formative basis with parental involvement in the nursery and home settings. We provide the parents/carers with a ‘Progress Check at the Age of Two’ which they are encouraged to share with other relevant professionals. Where a child attends another provision which provides the Early Years Foundation Stage we aim to work with them to complement a good overall programme.

 

 

 

 

The four principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage guide our practice in our nurseries: We ensure:

• Every child is a unique child who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured;
• Children learn to be strong and independent, through positive relationships;
• Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents/carers;
• Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates.

 

 

There are seven areas of learning and development which shape our planning. All areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected. The three prime areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.

The three prime areas are:

• Communication and language
• Physical development
• Personal, social and emotional development

 

We also support children in four specific areas through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied.

The four specific areas are:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the world
• Expressive arts and design

 

 

If a child’s progress in any prime area gives cause for concern we will discuss this with the child’s parents/carers and agree how to support the child. This may include involving other professionals and developing an Individual Educational Plan. For children whose home language is not English we will take reasonable steps to support the use of the child’s home language whilst developing their English language. See the English as an Additional Language policy, EAL.