Sept 2019 Newsletter

Dear parents, At the beginning of term, it is a great pleasure to welcome new children & parents to the pre-school & to welcome back familiar faces of children, & their parents, returning from their Summer Holidays.

It was very sad to see them go, but we wish all the children starting primary school all the very best as they continue their learning journeys. To paraphrase the words of Pearl Jam, “I hope everyday you’ll have a beautiful life, I know you’ll be a star…”

And for those just starting their learning journeys … the fun has just begun!

Maria Hill (Supervisor)

Dates for your diary
? Oct – individual & sibling photos – date tba

? Oct – AGM – date tba
Tues 29th Oct – seasonal dress up day.
Mon 21st to Fri 25th Oct – half-term break

Mon 28th Oct – pre-school re-opens

Thurs 7th Nov – staff training – pre-school closed
Thurs 14th Nov  – Parent Consultations

Fri 15th Nov – Children in Need day
Tues 26th Nov or 3rd Dec – Xmas Play dress rehearsal -date tbc
Sat 7th Dec – Breakfast with Santa
Tues 10th Dec – Xmas Play (am children)
Thurs 12th Dec – Xmas party and end of term.
Fri 13th December – staff only
Mon 6th Jan 2020 – Spring term begins – pm children only

Tues 7th Jan – am children return

Summer developments

Last year finished with a number of great events, including the Teddy Bears’ Picnic & Graduation, which completed another fantastic year of fundraising, enabling us to purchase new screens, kitchenware for the role-play & mud-kitchens, books, artificial grass for the garden, soft play toys & lots more!  Every penny raised goes towards the education and care of the children. See AGM item that follows.

We welcome Mrs Claire Fuller as a new member of staff.

AGM ? OCT 9.30am

Pre-school Committee – We are currently looking for new committee members to take over in this new school year. Some positions are still available. It is essential that the pre-school has a committee to maintain the running of events & all other aspects of the pre-school. If you are interested please speak to Vicki in the office or any member of staff.

YOUR PRE-SCHOOL NEEDS YOU. NO COMMITTEE = NO PRE-SCHOOL.

Water bottles
As part of our Healthy Eating ethos we sell water bottles for the children printed with the St. Luke’s teddy logo. These cost just £1.50 each. All bottles are marked with the child’s name & children are encouraged to take a drink at any time. Bottles are refilled when running low. The bottles need to be collected at the end of each session, washed at home & returned to pre-school at the beginning of the next session. Lastly, a reminder that the bottles should be filled with water only please (no squash).

Lunchbox rules
Please ensure grapes & cocktail sausages are cut in half, as they can be a choking hazard in children under 5 & please no products containing nuts (INCLUDING NUTELLA, NAKD BARS, ETC) due to allergies: although your child may not be affected by nuts, some of those that they interact with may be.
To be healthy it’s very important to eat a balanced diet: more details & some ideas about what to put in your child’s lunchbox, in the booklets & boards in the lobby & @ NHS Change4Life website

Children’s belongings
Please ensure children do not wear their best clothing to pre-school: painting overalls are provided but accidents can still happen. The pre-school has its own design of sweatshirts & t-shirts for sale.
Please label all your child’s belongings to avoid any confusion. This includes any toys etc that the children bring into the pre-school, especially on Fridays at ‘show-and-tell.’
Children should not bring sweets or wear jewellery to pre-school.

‘Show-and-tell’ Fridays
The children are invited to bring in something (toy, book, photo, object …) beginning with that week’s letter/phonic.

Helper of the day
Each day a different child will have the opportunity to count the children in the circle at registration time, to help plate the snacks …

Health & Safety
Handrails – Please do not allow your child to climb the yellow disability handrails, whilst waiting to enter the pre-school or upon exiting the pre-school. There is only concrete to fall on!
Car park entrance/exit – this is for cars. To avoid another (recent) near miss, for your safety & that of your child, please use the pedestrian entrance when walking or wheeling your child to & from pre-school.

Arriving & collecting

Please make sure you arrive & collect your child on time as lateness affects both the running of the pre-school & your child’s routine. If you know you are going to be late, please contact the pre-school on 01634 819809 during session times.

If your child is unwell & will not be attending, please telephone the pre-school before 9.30 on the same day. Calls can be made out of hours to the answer-phone attached to this line. We also need to know the reason why your child is absent, in case there is a contagious illness circulating, so we can inform other parents. Please do not leave a message on Facebook.  Messages left on Facebook page may not reach staff  members. Tell us if you know you are going to be away head of time: just let the staff know when you see them or leave a message on the answerphone

Children must not be left on the premises without a parent/carer before or after the session times as the pre-school’s insurance would be invalidated.  If children are on the premises at any other time, the pre-school cannot assume any responsibility for their care & safety & the parents/carers are solely responsible for them.

Please queue in an orderly manner outside the building, to allow staff to safely set-up inside.  In the case of inclement weather, you may queue in the entrance lobby.

Check the door for any notices/news.

Prior to entering the main hall, for health and safety reasons please encourage your child to change from outdoor shoes into their plimsolls.  If you do forget your child’s plimsolls, there is a pink flowery bag located in the entrance lobby, which has spare plimsolls of various sizes.

Place your child’s lunch bag on the blue trolley.

Place your child’s coat & bag on their named hook on a mobile rack and their shoes beneath –  for the pm children, the named hook on the wall.  This makes it easier for staff to find shoes for outdoor play and (which is encouraged each day and therefore please provide wellies & coats on ‘rainy days’) and outings.

Give your child’s name to the member of staff at the door to the hall so that he/she can be ticked in the register.

Inside the main hall, encourage your child find their name card & stick it below their photo on the big board. This encourages name recognition. Place your child’s drink bottle in one of the red bowls.

Before leaving the building, if someone other than yourself or the regular carer will be collecting your child, please enter their details in the pink  ‘Pick up’ book on the counter in the lobby. This is a very important detail as your child’s security is compromised if staff are unaware when there is a change in the person collecting your child.

When collecting your child, please enter the hall in single file. The children are encouraged to sit on the floor in the rear room (on the carpet in the main hall for the pm children) until their parent/carer is at the front of the line.  This ensures that each child is safely & individually ‘handed over’ & is ticked out on the register.

Afternoon children – as above, except that at the start of the session you will enter the main hall via the back door & exit through the lobby.

Starting Primary School in Sept 2020?
If your child is born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016, they are due to start school in Year R (Reception) in September 2020.

School admission applications open 9am,  Mon 9th Sept.
school applications close 5pm, Wed 15th Jan 2020.
school offer day Thurs 16th Apr 2020

Keep in touch
tel: 01634 819809
email :office@stlukespre-school.co.uk
Website www.stlukespre-school.co.uk – The ‘Calendar’ feature is now activated; it has the ‘Dates for your diary’ & if you click on the event date, all the details (when, where & what) about the event.