Castle Nursery Markenfield

 

Tuesday 27^th October 2015

 

 

 

Dear Parents and Carers,

 

Can parents please drive slowly in and out of the carpark as there are children that run out. Could we please also ask parents to provide their child with adequate clothing for the weather. 

 

 

 

 

If you haven’t yet made and end of term meeting with your child’s key person could you please do so.

 

 

Please can parents confirm if they are coming to the bonfire evening on 5^th November so that we have an idea on numbers for food.

 

Just a reminder that we still offer play dates. This is where the child’s key worker will come out for a few hours and will join and your child with your daily routine and activities to build on our relationship you and your child.

 

 

 

 

We have some exciting times ahead in our babies and 18-24’s room with both Jamie and Abi starting a project through surrey county council called the Wonder years programme. This will entail us looking at the provision in both rooms and bringing in lots of new ideas. This starts with an Audit of both rooms which will take place on Wednesday 23^rd September.

 

 

 

 

 

You may have noticed a couple of new faces at nursery in the last week; we have had 2 new starters, Ellie in our Bumblebees room and Paula in our Butterflies room. We also have Emily joining Caterpillars on 19^th October.

 

 

 

 

 

As some of you may already be aware Alisha is expecting her first baby and will leave for Maternity on 09^th November, she will be slightly reducing her hours here to 3 days per week from next week.

 

 

 

 

 

Dates for your diary:

 

 

Thursday 12^th & Friday 13^th November – Kids Klub will be here to take a video of the children on a Christmas sleigh. If you would like to attend please see Michelle for a time which would be suitable for you. Kids Klub will be here all day. Please may we ask parents not to dress their children in blue or purple on the day as this will interfere with the colour settings on the film.

 

 

 

Thursday 5^th November – We will be holding a bonfire party between 6pm – 7pm. There will be sparklers and a bonfire for all to enjoy. We will be providing food; if you have any dietary requirements please see Michelle. We look forward to seeing you there!

 

 

Friday 6^th November – Tempest photography here in the morning if you are not in on the day please come along between 9:30-11am and we will fit you in.

Her lag

 

 We shall be closing for Christmas on Thursday 24^th December and will be reopening on Monday 4th January 2016. May we politely ask that all children are picked up by 4pm on Thursday 24^th December so that we can send the staff home early due it being Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Snails

 

 The focus in the snails this week is Sensory, physical development, physical development and exploring the garden. The children will be able to experience a range of activities, including Ict toys , sensory balls, water play, Puppets, Stacking cups and pop up toys. Garden activities this week include sand play, sensory mirrors and water pay. 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 exploring Halloween creating pumpkins and masks. Activities include making masks and pumpkins for our display, Cornflour play, sensory bags, Sponge painting, heuristic play, table painting and Crazy soap play. Garden activities this week include Water play, reading books, riding bikes and Bubble play. 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 – Wednesday

 

Alisha – Monday & Tuesday

 

Holly – Thursday

 

 

Ladybirds

 

 The current interest in the Ladybirds this week is Halloween. The children will have the opportunity to take part in Gluing and sticking, decorating cat masks, Decorating biscuits, Playdough with rollers and decorating bats. Garden activities this week include a bug Hunt, pavement chalking, water play with ducks and dinosaurs in the sand. 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

 

Hannah – Tuesday

 

Andreea - Thursday

 

Bumblebees

 

This week the children will focus on Autumn and Halloween activities. Activities this week include Pumpkin plate printing, Green slime play, decorating bats and pumpkin flesh play Garden activities this week include Balls and bats, Halloween running games, Bikes and cars  and Bubble painting. The story of the week is winnie the witch’.  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 – Thursday

 

Amanda – Wednesday

Butterflies     

 

 

This week the butterflies will focus on Halloween. The activities include Creating bat pictures, Making ghost masks, Halloween cooking and Carving pumpkins. The letter of the week this week is ‘F f ’ and the number of the week is ‘7’. 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                      

 

 

 

Jade – Monday

 

 

 

Tara – Tuesday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leanne – is on annual leave all week

 

 

 

 

 

Michelle is off Friday

 

 

 

 

 Policies

 

Please find attached our Behaviour management policy.

 

 

 

Behaviour Management policy

 

Aim of policy

 

To clearly show how we manage behaviour of the children in our care. This policy will promote, encourage, reinforce and reward positive behaviour, enabling children to develop a sense of appropriate behaviour and a positive self-image.

 

Points to consider

 

Each child is different and will respond to different methods of behaviour management. The child’s key person can support other practitioners in managing behaviour by giving them information about the child.

 

Castle Daycare and Preschool aims to achieve this by:

• Never physically punishing a child. 

• Having a consistent approach to behaviour management and develop effective strategies using positive methods appropriate to the individual child.
• Promoting good behaviour at all times through praise and positive reinforcement.
• Practitioner’s role modelling good behaviour and language.
• Ensuing that all staff, students and anyone else working with the children is aware of how good behaviour is promoted and negative behaviour is addressed.
• Helping the children to understand the consequences of negative behaviour.
• Helping children to challenge bullying, harassment and name calling.
• Encouraging the children to be responsible through activities such as tidying up and creating their own rules.
• Reassuring children that they are valued even if their behaviour is sometimes unacceptable.
• Providing interesting, stimulating and fun activities, children who are not engaged in activities can become bored and misbehave.
• Providing adequate care routines. Children who are hungry or tired can misbehave.

 

Inappropriate behaviour almost invariably occurs when a child’s fundamental needs are frustrated.  The staff should always consider what the child’s needs are and how they can best be met in the Nursery.

Nursery staff will act as appropriate role models and should encourage the development of a positive self-image in the child. 

In order to function acceptably, children need to feel valued and accepted in a group – to feel secure with the adults caring for them and with the routine of the nursery.

Our staff will work with the children to agree acceptable boundaries.  Young children are still very egocentric and much of what society deems desirable, e.g. politeness, honesty, consideration for others, will be recognised and understood through expert role modelling.

We need children to understand what is required of them and why.  Staff at our nurseries need to give consistent messages and guidelines for acceptable behaviour.

Positive methods are more effective than negative ones in shaping the behaviour of children.  Rewards and distractions are preferable to punishment.  Children need to know that despite their inappropriate behaviour we still ‘love’ them.  It is the behaviour we dislike, not the child.  Nursery staff should praise a child whenever they can.  They should give individual time and attention to the child.

 

Staff should encourage children to talk over a problem, anticipate and remove potential problems or re-direct them.  Staff should value the tangible contributions that the child offers, including drawings and pictures brought from home.  Each child should be given the opportunity to ‘shine’ at a particular activity or skill.

 

Children should know that staff like their family.  Staff should develop partnerships with parents and ensure that parents are fully informed about support and the policies and strategies used for managing unacceptable behaviour.

 

Nursery staff should be consistent in their treatment of children; there should be fairness in access to toys, etc.  The same treatment should apply for both the individual and the group.  The rewards given should be consistent – in praise for actions, favours and privileges.  Staff should remember to reward children when they are good.

 

The staff should be aware of making emotional moral judgements.  We believe if a child is labelled; there is a danger of negative expectation.

 

Account must be taken in each case of the age and stage of the child’s development and staff should modify their expectations in light of the child’s level of maturity and ability.  Goals should be specified precisely in language everyone, including the child, can understand.  They should be broken down into small steps, starting with what the child can be relied upon to achieve and building up slowly.