March 2023 Parents Newsletter
Dear Parents, Where do we start? It's been a busy couple of months and it's not even our busiest term! The year started by familiarising ourselves with Arctic life. We discussed animal names, learned about different types of penguins, and engaged in science experiments involving ice and hidden arctic animals. We've been outdoors in the woods - we took along some of our dinosaurs, built little dens for them, and learned about prepositions by placing them above, below, on top of, and under logs, leaves, and trees.
We celebrated Chinese New Year by cooking some dumplings and noodles with Mrs. Shah who celebrates Chinese New Year with her family each year. We also created our own special red envelopes and had a go at writing in Chinese!
We have had moments of lovely mild weather and spent longer outdoors during these periods. We’ve taken regular walks around the River Chess, the Orchard, and North Hill Farm. We even managed to create Valentine mandalas on the grounds (please take a look at our Instagram page for up-to-date photos). Love was definitely in the air and the staff created some of their own activities related to hearts!
Mrs. Vanessa Woods and Mrs. Nichola Chauduri joined us this term and enjoyed getting to know all our children. Mrs. Woods has reintroduced sewing to the children. They have created some wonderful embroidery and concentrated really well when using a needle and thread. We also have a new student Miss Natalie Sleeper joining us until the Autumn term. Natalie has been spending time in both rooms getting to know the children.
This term In March we celebrate World Book Week. This is a very special time of year for us as we love to read and go crazy over books! We read in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings. There is so much to learn from books and we hope you all enjoy a book or two with your child each week. Reading will improve your child's vocabulary, and self-esteem, plus help with their imagination. It allows us opportunities for discussion and assists the children in understanding empathy and feelings. It also helps to relax, comfort, and reassure your child on a range of topics that your child might be going through. The children will also be engaging in a variety of book-related activities created by the staff. Including bear hunt balls, creating paw prints, baking gingerbread men, having cups of tea with tigers, and maybe even building their own houses from either straw, sticks, or bricks! (Can you guess the books?). Thank you to all the parents that signed up for coming to read to us during World Book Week. There will be lots more opportunities for you to come in and spend some time with your child.
As Easter approaches we will be holding our annual Easter bonnet competition! We will hold a mini hat fashion show with the children and look forward to seeing some original designs. We hope both the pre-school and baby room will be participating in this event! Watch this space for further information. Welcome to all the children that have slowly transitioned into the pre-school room from the baby room. This is a big step for them and can be overwhelming. We ensure our settling-in process from baby to pre-school is slow, frequent, and at different times of the day. Please note from previous emails the 'Daily Diaries' will only continue for 6 weeks in this room. Please speak to your child's key worker to understand what happens after this.
Notes to Remember
Labelling. Please label all clothing and water bottles. Things will get mixed up, lost, or misplaced so it is really important to label your child's clothing.
Absences. Please ensure you give us a quick call or drop us an email so we know not to expect your child that day.
Pack Lunches. (if providing) Please ensure you provide a healthy packed lunch, no nuts or juice please. If you need any ideas please speak to a member of the team.
Late Pick-Ups. Please make sure you have given us a reliable emergency contact number if you are unable to collect your child or running late.
Clothing. (pre-school only) Please make sure the clothing you bring your child in is easy for them to pull up/down and take on/off. This will enable us to encourage your child to independently dress themselves if needed and take off/put on their shoes/wellies/slippers.
Dates for your Diaries
World Book Week: Monday 27th Feb - Friday 3rd March (please feel free to dress up!)
Comic Relief (Red Nose Day): Friday 17th March (we encourage the children to wear anything red week beginning 13th March and we will be holding a bake sale to raise funds for Comic Relief)
End of Term: Friday 31st March
School reopens for all children: Tuesday 11th April.
Our shed outdoors is almost refurbished and we are looking forward to using it as our staff room, training room, and storage facility. We hope your child is enjoying the Spring term as much as we are! Alpa & Katie