Newsletter January 2020

Dear parents, we are now almost halfway through another busy & fun academic year! The children have been out in the garden (more about which below) & enjoying this term’s theme of stories & rhymes. Still to come: World Book Day, the Spring play & lots, lots more! There are details below of the forthcoming events, information about the Parent Rota & phonics (& how this relates to ‘show-&-tell’) & how you can raise funds for the pre-school when shopping online. Thank you for your continued support & in the words of Pooh, “The things that make me different are the things that make me.” 

Wendy Perkins (Manager)

Dates for your diary

Mon 3rd Feb – NSPCC Number Week – see details below.

Mon 10th Feb – during the week, keep an eye out for Valentine’s goodies for sale. They will be left in the hallway for people to take & make a donation.

Mon 17th to Fri 21st Feb – half-term break.

Thurs 5th Mar – World Book Day – see details below.

Mon 9th Mar – Sport Relief Big Fun Run – see details below.

Mon 23rd Mar & Thurs 26th Mar – Mothers Day Event – more details to follow

Tues 24th Mar – Spring Play dress rehearsal

Mon 30th Mar & Wed 1st April – Easter Egg Hunt – more details to follow

Tues 31st Mar – Spring Play

Fri 3rd Apr – term ends

Mon 23rd Apr – Summer term begins – pm session only

Tues 24th Apr – am sessions resume

Outdoor play – we are fortunate to be able to offer outdoor play, with the back garden open (unless the weather is particularly bad) almost every day & the children have been out in the garden (coats & hats on!), enjoying the balance bikes, scooters, train table, mud kitchen etc. For health and safety reasons please remember to encourage your child to change from outdoor shoes into their plimsolls or other rubber soled shoes.  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.  Slippers are not suitable for riding a bike or climbing up the steps of the slide, especially if it is wet outside. 

Phonics & ‘show-and-tell’ Fridays: – The children are invited to bring in something (toy, book, photo, object …) beginning with that week’s letter/phonic. This month’s phonics are:

Weeks Commencing

3rd & 10th Feb  – ‘K’

24th Feb & 2nd Mar – ‘L’

9th &16th Mar – ‘M’

23rd &30th Mar – ‘N’

NSPCC Number Week – With around 90 per cent of its income coming from its supporters, including schools, the NSPCC simply couldn’t keep its vital services running without the support of people like you. Every pound you raise will all add up. During the whole of next week, the children & staff are invited to come in with clothing with numbers or shapes &/or bring in maths related toys, games … for a £2 donation to NSPCC (there will be a donation box on the kitchen counter).

World Book Day takes place on Thursday 5th March & we would like to invite you to join us in helping your child to make the most of this special occasion. The children will have the opportunity to dress up (free of charge) as their favourite book character on the day. World Book Day celebrates the joy & value of books & reading, especially for children. To help get them started on their reading journey, your child will be receiving a £1 World Book Day Book Token that can either be exchanged for one of TEN special £1 World Book Day books or used to get £1 off any book costing £2.99 or more. For more information on the books and ideas associated with World Book Day, please visit www.worldbookday.com Children are never too young to start their journey with books, & the benefits of reading are enormous, so we hope, like us, you will use World Book Day to celebrate it with your child.

Sport Relief -‘ Pennies & pounds.’  Official wristbands will be on sale & –

PENNIES WANTED – All children (morning & afternoon) are invited to start collecting & bring in on or by  Friday 16th March, 1p, 2p & 5p coins: the forgotten small change weighing down your purses or pockets. We raised over £50 in just 1 pennies a couple of years ago!

UNWANTED POUNDS –  Sport Relief Big Fun Run. Help shed some pounds with a morning run. THE MORNING SESSION ON MON 9th MARCH WILL START AT Friston Way park AND NOT AT THE PRE-SCHOOL for a couple of laps (walk, run, crawl … in fancy dress if you want) around the park. All parents/carers are welcome & everyone is encouraged to meet at the park by 9:30. The staff will be there to meet you from 9:15. Drinks & snacks for the children will be supplied.  We will be there about 30 – 45 minutes, then the staff will return to pre-school with the children (those that normally attend Monday am sessions) where the pre-school day will continue as normal. Please ensure the children are suitably dressed for the walk back & please ensure you bring their lunch boxes with you to the park: these will be brought back to school by the staff. Sponsor forms are available: get your loved ones to sponsor you &/or your child for the Fun Run.

Help stop germs spreading

CATCH IT Germs spread easily. Always carry tissues and use them to catch your cough or sneeze.

BIN IT Germs can live for several hours on tissues. Dispose of your tissue as soon as possible.

KILL IT Hands can transfer germs to every surface you touch. Clean your hands as soon as you can.

PLEASE ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO CARRY A TISSUE OR TEACH THEM TO CATCH THEIR COUGHS AND SNEEZES IN THEIR UPPER SLEEVE AND NOT THEIR HANDS.

The Parent Rota – As detailed in our prospectus, we believe in working in partnership with parents/carers & whilst there are many opportunities to volunteer & many opportunities throughout the year for you to discuss your child’s progress, the best opportunity is to come in to the pre-school for a morning. You should have received your letter inviting you to come in on The Parent Rota. The rota is on the door & it is a chance for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles … to come into the pre-school.  Feel free to put your name next to as many dates as you like, or if you cannot manage the date given, swap your date with another parent/carer, & record it on the rota. As with any new experience, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it: read your child’s favourite book to the children; parents with English as a second language are encouraged to read to the children in their language which is enjoyed by all, especially their child; come and build a Lego plane; see your child dressed as a princess … the fun can be endless! Experience has shown that coming in on the Parent Rota is an ideal time to spend some quality time with your child. Enjoy it and thank you for your continued support.

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. Children should not bring sweets or wear jewellery to pre-school. Please label all of your child’s belongings, including their bags, lunch boxes & any toys etc that the children bring into the pre-school, especially on Fridays for ‘show-and-tell.’

Bad Weather – Policy on Pre-School opening

In the event of adverse weather, the pre-school will endeavour to remain open during normal pre-school hours.

However, it will be left to the discretion of parents to decide if it is safe for them to make the journey into pre-school or not.

If it is necessary to close the pre-school, for health and safety reasons, a message will be posted on www.kentschoolclosures.co.uk from approximately 7am letting you know if the pre-school is closed. Additionally you can: check on our website www.stlukespre-school.co.uk check www.bbc.co.uk/radiokent (listen on 96.7 & 104.2FM) or www.heart.co.uk/kent (listen on 103.1 & 104.2FM); telephone the pre-school on 01634 819809 (Mrs Perkins will try to update the pre-school’s telephone message if she can safely make it to pre-school); check on Facebook. If the weather becomes adverse during the pre-school day, parents may contact the pre-school for further information or may decide to pick up their children early for safety reasons. If the pre-school has to close early, you will be telephoned.

Shopping with Easyfundraising

Fundraise whilst you shop online. NO COST, NO CATCH. RAISE FREE DONATIONS FOR US EVERY TIME YOU SHOP ONLINE @ easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/stlukesrochester/ 

Collect free donations for us every time you buy something online.

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Help out when you check out – it doesn’t cost you a penny extra. You can make a big difference on everything from groceries to getaways. For example, get up to half price off in the Debenhams Autumn sale and raise up to a 3% donation when you do so … raise a donation of 2.5% when you shop with John Lewis & Partners. THANK YOU.

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