What's On ...

Newsletter - Date 26th April 2010

Topic

This term we are looking at Mini beasts and how plants grow

We decided on this as the last topic ‘The Hungry Caterpillar’ was thoroughly enjoyed by all the children who then questioned the life cycles or other mini beasts and creatures and took great delight in finding spiders and worms etc in the garden. However the children thoroughly also enjoyed planting their own sun flower last term and have been keen in keeping staff up to date on how they are growing so we decided to extend also on this point and hoping to create our own flower/vegetable patch for the children to care for and watch for the changes as these develop.

We had a great start to the topic when we went on our mini beast hunt last week. All the children were eager to search and enjoyed getting their hands dirty.

Through using this topic we are hoping to extend on the child’s knowledge of lifecycles and habitats of the creatures they discover, develop language skills for recalling past events and their likes and dislikes, linking up with others for support, developing friendships. These are just some of the learning outcomes we hope to achieve whilst following this topic as having hands on experiences allow learning outcomes that cannot be planned.

Heuristic Play

As mentioned in the last newsletter we are trying to put together our own resources to allow the children to access ‘Heuristic Play’ on a weekly basis. Thank you for all that has been donated but we still need more. If you are having a clear out then please bring in UN wanted items to the pre-school as this is a session that all the children thoroughly enjoyed and we would love to be available to them again by the end of term.

If you require another list of objects that we are looking for then please ask Sharon.

Dates that we don’t have the village hall

• Monday 3rd May – bank holiday Monday so the Pre-school will not be open.
• Thursday 6th May – The hall is being used for the local election. We will be joining St Tudy School for a morning of activities drop off at the school for 9am and pick up for 12.45pm
• Thursday 27th May – Venue yet to be confirmed. We are hoping to visit one of the local farms.

Half term

The last day of this term will be Thursday 27th May as there is an inset day on the Friday.
We will return Monday 7th June (please note we plan to have photos taken on this day).

Parents open afternoon

We have planned to have an open afternoon on Wednesday 9th June. This is a chance for your child’s Key Person to be able to share with you how your child has been developing and share examples of your child’s work with you. As we know child care could be an issue Jo and Liz are going to be running a play afternoon which allows your child to be cared for whilst you are then able to speak with your child’s Key person.

Parent/Carers helper Rota

There has been a new rota drawn up for parent/helpers who wish to continue. If there are any additional sessions that you can help us out with then please let us know as your help is always gratefully appreciated. We hope that you are enjoying getting into the messy play on offer and being able to see how your child is learning through play. Any feedback from your session with us would be appreciated.

Sainsbury Vouchers

We are now collecting Sainsbury’s Active Kids vouchers. Please ask family and friends if they have any and bring them to the pre-school so we can purchase some additional resources.

Arrival of children

Please note that the village hall doors will not open until 8.50am. At this point you are more than welcome to then come in and make use of the activities on offer; however you must stay with your child until 9am. Our insurance does not cover children being left UN supervised before this time.

Also please ensure you always sign your child in and out of the building.

Policies and Procedures

The preschool has a new set of Policies and Procedures that have been drawn up in conjunction with the Welfare Requirements of the EYFS (early year’s foundation stage). There is a copy next to the signing in book, please make time to have a read of these at your earliest connivance. If you have any questions or concerns then please speak to Sharon.

Upcoming events/information

• Saturday 29th May - "Off the Peg" Fashion Show, St Tudy Village Hall
  This event was a great success last year and we hope that it will be the same this time. Each child has been sent home an envelope containing tickets for the show and more are available if required. However in order for the show to actually go ahead the pre-school has to sell a number of tickets prior to the event. So please can you send in your money for the tickets ASAP so we have an idea of numbers to ensure the show can go ahead. Come along and help show your support for the pre-school.
  
  ** UNFORTUNATELY THIS HAS HAD TO BE CANCELLED **
• Sunday 9th May - Ten Tors
  Once again a team of four will undertake the ten tors challenge for the Pre-school. Let us hope the weather is kind! There is a sponsorship sheet next to the signing in book. Please support our team
• 19th May - Pre-school AGM
  Come along for our annual AGM. It will be held at the school and we welcome all and are keen to attract some more committee members to support our local Pre-school. Times to be confirmed soon
• Wednesday 9th June
  Parent’s /Carers open afternoon. To share with your child’s Key Person, their development and work.
• Saturday 26th June- Coffee morning in the St Tudy Clink
  Come along for a cuppa and a cake - we look forward to seeing you there!
• Sunday 27th June - Joint fun day with St Tudy School
  Come along for some fun and games. 3 - 6pm at the Village playing field.

Thank you for your continuous support

Sharon Crossley
Pre-school supervisor

General Information:

Clothing

Now that the weather is cooler and wetter, please could you ensure that your children come to Pre-school with coats and wellies and waterproof trousers if they have them. We do have some pairs of both but not enough for all.

Childcare Vouchers

We are looking into being able to accept employers’ childcare vouchers. If you work somewhere where they run such a scheme and you would like us to be able to accept them please speak either to Liz Hustwayte or Susie Ballerstedt.

Needs and Wants
We very much want to create a cosy corner in the pre-school setting. If any of you happen to have any spare blankets, sheets, duvets, cushions, etc, they would be very gratefully received!

Also we are always after art and craft bits and bits for junk modelling. Don’t tip it, donate it!!

Baby and Toddler Session
Our Baby and Toddler session runs on a Tuesday morning from 9:15am – 11:30am. If you are stuck for something to do when there is no pre-school why not come along and have a cup of tea and a natter whilst your children play. Price £2.00 per child or £2.50 if 2 or more children. Pre-school children are very welcome.

If you have any ideas or suggestions for activities or trips out next term, please email us or speak to us about your ideas. We would love to hear from you!