Our Latest News

September newsletter 2023
 
Hello one and all,
 
Welcome back returners, you are now our “Big Children”! We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 6th September at 9.15. Please remember to bring back a bag with a change of clothes etc. that can stay on your child’s peg and can be replenished accordingly.
And welcome to our newbies. There are a lot of you as we had the majority of our older ones head off this year. I know you have all received a Home Visit date, so you will get to meet your Key Person properly and also either Katie or myself will be accompanying them. Your child will be able to have a little play with their key person and we will have the chance to go over your “All about Me” documents that you will hopefully have filled out. If you have your child’s birth certificate to hand, with both parents’ names on, that would really be helpful and one less thing for you to remember when they start!
So, you will also have your start date by now. These are staggered but since there are so many starters, we need to do it in a way that will make the transition for your child, as well as the settling of all the children, as smooth as possible. You have many forms to fill in which will keep you busy as your child explores. Please refer back to the Settling in Policy, as we have to be very mindful of the children who are struggling with separation and are missing their parents, so we ask you to keep a “low profile” when in our nursery to benefit all the children.
 
So, the day the returners stat back, on 6th, coincides with National Read a book day. How very appropriate as we know how much a lot of your littles love to be read to or to read themselves. We really encourage the children to turn the pages and voice their own version of a familiar story or use the pictures as prompts and explore their own imaginations and literacy. This is such an important part of reading as it is not just the written word but exploring our rich language and encouraging children to have confidence to do so.
 
It is also Zero Waste week, so we will be reminding the children of the importance of recycling, composting, and throwing away the general waste including their used tissues. We have a great Nose Blowing area with tissues, sanitiser a mirror and a bin to really impress on them the importance of “catch it, bin it, kill it” which we still adhere to, as well as sneezing and coughing into our elbows. The mirror is obviously for them to see if they have any leftovers!!!! Please be aware we do have an immunocompromised child joining us this year, so we earnestly ask you to monitor your child’s health and if they need Calpol, please do not send them in.
 
We have had changes to the Early Years’ Foundation Stage (EYFS) and ratios for 2-year-olds are now 1:5 instead of 1:4. This does not affect our staffing as we have ample ratios, with four of our staff with teaching qualifications (Dare I boast that I have two post graduate qualifications?) Nicola with a level 2 neuroscience and self-regulation in Early Years, and Charlotte imminently to become a Forest School Level 3 leader. Wow! I hear you gasp in awe; your children have a lot of qualified staff. But as we all know, it’s not just the qualifications as we have by far the best, most dedicated, and experienced team who are looking out for your child and for you and your families. I must say, the community spirit in our nursery is wonderful and I know I am biased, but I am very proud and privileged to have such a team. Oh dear, I’m making myself cry. It is quite embarrassing at times, my tearful incontinence. My boys mock me saying I am like Keith Brymer Jones, the judge on The Great Pottery Throw Down. I don’t think they mean in looks!!!! I do love that programme and I admire his unedited tears as he sees the worth in peoples’ efforts. I can refer it back to the Early Years Ethos that it is not about the outcome, but the process. Although that’s not quite the case on the Throw Down. So, I’ll back track there. And fear not! I do not cry all the time. That would be highly unprofessional and rather disturbing to be honest! However, Katie got me a throw down pottery experience for my birthday of yore and we have finally found a date, so we shall update you after Friday 8th about the “process” and not necessarily about the “outcome”!!
 
Going back to EYFS changes, there is focus on safe eating practices whereby the setting must have “‘adequate supervision’ while children are eating meals and must be within sight and hearing of an adult.” I’m surprised this is an additional recommendation as it is a necessity by our standards. We have had this procedure forever as we realise that eating snack and lunch is not only an important physical need but also a really important Personal and Social development area and we would never leave children unattended to eat. That does remind me to remind you to bring in their own named water bottle and a named piece of fruit or a healthy snack for mid-morning. The returners will be starting immediately for lunch, but the new children will be advised when it will be appropriate for them to stay. We need to build up their time with us to make sure they are settled before they stay for lunch.
 
I feel it is important to share updates and new policies with you all, so we have a truly transparent partnership. We all feel that communication is essential for the children and also for us all to feel safe and respected. These are values we want for our children, so where better to start than to actually model these values? Our policies and procedures are on the website, but it is all change soon as the new website is being launched. Bear with us!
 
I am still in Dorset, in our static, but will be heading home on Thursday to a house with no kitchen but many expectations for October! I will be attending Richard Brown’s Commemorative Memorial Service as he sadly passed away this summer. Mabel, his little girl was with us, and I have been in contact with Holly, his wife. Katie and myself are attending on Friday, with great sadness but also with joy for the wonderful Daddy and member of the Community that he was, as well as my neighbour for a long while.
 
My eldest is heading off to Bristol UWE on 16th to study architecture (says super proud yet distraught Mum!) and Sam is back at the Ashcombe for his final year on Tuesday. Wow! They were little tots at St Paul’s Church Nursery all those years ago. They are still best mates with a lot of the children they were at Nursery with. I find that so warming and I love watching this pattern continue as children thrive and then move on within a really supportive community.
 
Right, enough waffle.
 
See you all soon. And any questions please email nursery@stpauls.org.uk and Naomi will answer or pass on any queries. Please give us a bit of time to respond as this is the last of our holiday too!
 
Love Jacquie, Katie, Nicola, Juliette, Charlotte, Katie B and Naomi (The dream team!)
 
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