NOVEMBER/DECEMBER NEWSLETTER I hope this finds you all well and for those of you who have had a break over half term, I hope it has been enjoyable. For those of you who haven't, I'm sure the few weeks between now and Christmas will fly by! We've certainly not been taking it easy over since the start of the school year, with so much going on around the nurseries.

We welcomed many new children in September and have many more settle in since then, which is lovely. As a company, we enjoyed a whole staff team training day at the end of September, which provided inspiration and a lot of 'food for thought' about our environments and how we can make them more communication friendly for all the children. We will be reviewing this with the managers during November to make sure we have really embedded what we learnt.

We also have our new Autumn/Winter menu starting next week, making the most of our favourite dishes and using local, seasonal produce wherever possible. If you would like a copy of the menu, do ask in nursery, or have a look on our website.

Just a reminder that we have lots of photographs of the activities going on at all the nurseries on Facebook, which is a public page which you can share with friends, so do visit 'The Old Station Nursery Group' page and 'like' it, so you will get updates to your own timeline.

I am really pleased to let you know that 3 of our talented staff team have been shortlisted as finalists in the national 'Nursery Management Today' awards, which has already involved them being selected for interview by a panel of industry experts, and the winners will be revealed at dinner in London on 28th November. They are:

Ashleigh Goodwin (Innsworth) - Nursery ApprenticeLynda Bon (Filkins) - Nursery PersonalitySteph Dorling (Faringdon) - Nursery Manager

I am sure you will join me in congratulating them and I will let you know how they get on at the

dinner.

Finally, many parents ask us about how we prepare children to read at nursery, so I have included a short article on the use of phonics, for your information.

Best wishes, Sarah Steel

HEAD OFFICE CONTACT DETAILS:sarahsteel@theoldstationnursery.co.uktel: 07725 049744 (Sarah Steel)finance@theoldstationnursery.co.uktel: 01367 243800 (Lynette Jacobs)emma@theoldstationnursery.co.uktel: 01367 243800 (Emma Pittam)

CHILDREN’S UNIFORMWe now have a range of children’s uniform items available from the same company that provides our staff uniform. If you would like to buy pink or purple polos with our logo on, or purple fleeces, or navy or white sunhats, please have a look at the following website and you can order direct from them:www.pmgschoolwear.co.uk

How can I help my child to get ready to read?

Many parents who have children who have recently started in pre-school will be wondering how they can best help their child to be ready to read once they move into school. Some of you will have heard talk of 'Jolly Phonics' or other

1

schemes, but may not be entirely sure what it all means. Over the last decade the Department for Education has commissioned various research studies to look at why reading ability has dropped off in schools and evidence has led them to promote the use of synthetic phonics for best results. This is a method that teaches children how spoken words are composed of sounds called 'phonemes' and how the letter in words correspond to these phonemes. Synthetic doesn't mean artificial in this context, rather that the sounds are brought together, or synthesized, to make words. Most schools in the UK work with the DfE 'Letters and Sounds' programme, and this requires all children to complete phase 1 of the programme during pre-school and in Reception, although phase 2 will run alongside this in Reception. In our pre-schools we carry out a number of activities to promote the development of phonics with the children, and you may also do these at home.

Phase 1 has 7 aspects, which include: environmental sounds (bees buzzing,

birds tweeting, rain drops falling, traffic noise etc.)

instrumental sounds body percussion (clapping hands,

stamping feet etc.) rhythm and rhyme alliteration (sizzling sausages, luscious

lemons etc.) voice sounds (talking, singing, shouting,

whispering, humming) oral blending and segmenting (mixing

sounds together and then breaking words up into their constituent parts)

So, how can we promote the development of phonics with pre-school children?

Read quality stories of a length appropriate for the child. (Babies enjoy picture books, such as 'That's not my....dinosaur'. Toddlers may enjoy books with more text, but which still hold their attention, such as 'Owl Babies'. By 3, children can cope with more complex stories, such as 'Peace at Last' or 'Room on the Broom'.)

Play word games such as 'sound bingo', matching games, or memory games.

Go on 'listening walks' and talk about the sounds you may expect to hear and what you can actually hear.

When reading stories or rhymes say words in different ways - slow, fast, high, low, quiet, noisy.

Make and exaggerate voices for characters when reading stories.

Experiment with as many different instrumental noises as you can, including bells, shakers, rattles, tambourines etc.

Enjoy some tongue twisters together, such as 'Peter Piper', 'She sells seashells' etc.

Once children start in Reception, they will be introduced to graphemes (the written letters that represent the phoneme, or sound) and will then move on to put these together as they learn to read. In pre-school we are encouraged to work on phonics, but not worry about trying to get the children to be able to write them, as this happens in Phase 2. So, we will encourage children to write their names and to recognise letters and sounds around the room, but 'work sheets' and tracing letters has fallen out of favour.

If you want to know more about our approach to Phonics, do have a chat with your pre-school leader or nursery manager, but hopefully this is a useful guide to what is now considered best practice.

NEWS FROM OUR INNSWORTH NURSERY

As the weather is getting colder (and wetter!) can I please request that all coats, wellies, hats and gloves are clearly labelled with your child’s name? Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) benefit from spending a lot of time learning through playing outside, whatever the weather. This makes a significant contribution to the excellent progress they make, particularly in their personal, social, emotional and physical development as well as their communication skills. Playing outside is wonderful for children: the fresh air, the feeling of space, and the sensory benefits of being in nature. At The Old Station Nursery, we play outside every day, whatever the weather.

HalloweenOn Thursday, 29 October we held our annual Halloween Theme Day:

What a great day we had! The children made cakes and enjoyed Halloween-themed play experiences. Children and staff dressed-up and there were some very scary costumes! We enjoyed a Halloween lunch and Fay (Dexter and Felix’s mum) kindly provided professional face painting. It’s fair to say that the staff team at Innsworth know how to throw a good party! Thank you to all the girls, for all their hard work.

2

Visit by The Queen

Her Majesty, the Queen will be visiting the Allied Rapid Reaction Corp Headquarters at Imjin Barracks in Innsworth on Thursday 5 November. We are honoured to have received an invitation to send a staff member and two Service children to be formally presented to HRH, so Amy Barwick will be representing our nursery on this very special day. Amy has worked at The Old Station Nursery since we opened in 2010 and she has been a huge support to me since I started my managerial role at the end of August - I can think of no one who deserves this honour more. Amy, understandably, is extremely excited and we are hoping to get lots of photographs of the occasion. We will be taking the children to wave ‘good bye’ to The Queen as she leaves Innsworth, so everyone can be part of this exciting occasion. We will be grateful for any parental help with escorting our children from the nursery to The Officers’ Mess. Timings will be confirmed, but will probably be at about 3pm.

November 5th is also, of course, Bonfire Night. For your information, a list of firework displays in Gloucestershire can be found at:

http://www.exploregloucestershire.co.uk/page750.asp

Christmas Photos: Monday, 9 November

Tempest Photography will be coming to nursery to take professional photos of the children on Monday, 9 November. If your child does not normally attend nursery on a Monday, please feel free to bring them along from 8.30 am – 9.30 am or from 1.00 pm – 2.00 pm.

Children in Need: Friday, 13 November

We will, as usual, be fundraising for Children in Need. We will be having a pyjama day - so all children (and staff!) are invited to come to nursery on Friday 13 November wearing their pyjamas. We ask that you, please, make a small donation to Children in Need. We will also be holding a cake sale; the children will be making cakes, to sell in nursery and any donations of cakes would also be gratefully received.

Primary/Infant School Admission September 2016

For those children who are due to start school in September 2016, I would like to make you aware that paperwork for primary/infant admission will be posted out by mid-November 2015. If you have not received a pack by December, then you should contact: School.admissions@gloucestershire.gov.uk Tel: 01452 425407.

Extra-Curricular Activities

Musical Minis

We are extremely fortunate that we are able to offer music sessions to our children. Jo will be coming to The Old Station Nursery on Tuesday afternoons; she will be running three separate sessions, one for each of our age groups. Jo’s music sessions are planned in line with the EYFS and she is a qualified Early Years Teacher, as well as a talented singer.

Tatty Bumpkin Yoga

From next week, Tatty Bumpkin Yoga will be taking place on a Wednesday afternoon instead of Friday. Andrea plans her sessions in line with the EYFS and each session promotes all areas of development, especially physical.

Cookery Club

3

Mel’s cookery club will continue every Thursday morning. This is such a popular session that Mel has now introduced a session for our Babies. We are extremely fortunate to have Mel as a member of our team and thank her for all the work she puts in, much in her own time, to organise exciting and interesting cookery sessions for our children. Mel also links her sessions to the EYFS and with the current topics/interests of the children.

We are extremely fortunate to have a Managing Director who enables us to provide such exciting extra-curricular activities for our children, at no extra cost to our parents/carers. Thank you Sarah!

If you would like your child to have an opportunity to participate in any of the above activities, we do still have nursery spaces available for these particular sessions.

Just a reminder: you can receive £25.00 for recommending our nursery to a friend, who then takes up a place. We have some spaces available on most days, so please spread the word!

Stop the Rot CampaignThe Old Station Nursery Group supports the NDNA’s ‘Stop the Rot’ campaign to encourage good dental health. We have purchased Brush Buses for each room and a (named) toothbrush for each child.

We have started to incorporate tooth brushing into our daily routine: lunch, story, and tooth brushing. The children seem to thoroughly enjoy this particular activity and hopefully it will help reinforce your efforts at home in encouraging good dental health from a very early age.

New Nursery MenuOur new menu cycle starts week commencing 2 November. Our wonderful cook, Jeanie, does not use any processed foods and she aims to use low-salt alternatives. Food provided at nursery does not have high sugar content and Jeanie makes all staple items herself, rather than buying ready-made items. Our Menu Board has been updated with our new menus. You will see that lunchtime puddings have been replaced with fruit and cheese and homemade cakes are included in most afternoon teas. The idea of

having cheese and fruit after lunch is continental, with the added bonus that just a small piece of cheese really helps with dental health.

Christmas Party

Our Christmas lunch/party day will be held on Friday 18 December. Further details will follow in due course.

Nursery Apprentice of the YearNot only has Ashleigh completed her apprenticeship and is now a fully qualified level 3 practitioner, but she has also been short-listed for the NMT awards ‘Apprentice of the Year’. It is really amazing to be a finalist and we are all so very proud of her. Ashleigh attended her interview at the Metropole Hotel in London on 23 October and she will be attending the awards dinner at the end of November. Good luck Ashleigh!

Staffing UpdateSadly, we will be saying ‘goodbye’ to Sophie from our Baby Room, as she seeks career progression and promotion. Sophie’s last day will be Friday, 20 November. We wish Sophie all the best in her new role as a 0-3’s co-ordinator at a setting in Cheltenham.

Steph will be moving to Tots mid-November and Mel will take-on a permanent, full-time position in our Pre-school room commencing 2 November 2015.

We also want to say ‘hello and welcome’ to Clare, who will be starting with us at the beginning of November. Clare will be providing our daily lunch cover in Tots and cover in other rooms when required. We are looking forward to Clare joining our team.

Kiera Wheeler-Clayton has started her level 2 apprenticeship with us. I am sure many of you have met Kiera; she is not a new member to our team as she was bank staff prior to commencing her apprenticeship. It is lovely to have Kiera ‘on board’ and we are fortunate to have her as part of our team.

Finally, from 23 November to 11 December inclusive, Kelly Corley will be at our nursery, on a student placement. Kelly is a 2nd year student at Birmingham City University where she is studying BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies.

Last Day of TermLast day of term, for term-time-only children is Friday, 18 December. The nursery will close on Christmas Eve at 1pm and will re-open on

4

Monday, 4 January 2016 for those children who attend all-year-round. Term-time-only children will return to nursery on Tuesday, 5 January 2016.

What a busy, and exciting, couple of months we have ahead of us! I am fortunate that I have a highly qualified and experienced staff team who consistently aim to provide the very best learning, care and education for your children.

Please remember that we have an ‘open door’ policy here at Innsworth – I try very hard to always be available for a chat and a catch-up with parents/carers. This is your nursery and your input (comments, thoughts, opinions) is valued and appreciated.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

JulieNews from the Baby Room

I would firstly like to thank the parents and children in the baby room for making me feel very welcome in my role as Baby Room Leader.

We have spent the past couple of weeks exploring Halloween; we have captured some wonderful pictures on our Facebook page as well as uploading them to your children's Kinteract.

We will be exploring festivals of light as we move into November, particularly activities around Diwali and bonfire night. We will be basing our play around colours, light and dark, and all things shiny!

The colder weather is officially upon us, and we would encourage parents to provide their children with outdoor waterproofs. This allows the children to explore Mother Nature at her finest, come rain, shine or snow!

We are very excited to extend the baby room, and introduce a "rising two's" group. This group will be an extension of the baby room and will be coordinated by Amy. We hope to ease the transition into the toddler room, by utilising the area outside the baby room for activities and experiences similar to those it in Tots room for our older children. The baby room and Rising Twos will continue to work closely together to ensure the children continue to grow and develop to their full potential.

We would finally like to encourage parents to contribute any of your children's milestones, family pictures, and photographs of your children

onto their Kinteract. This is a great way of sharing experiences with your child's keyworker, and enables us to share those experiences. Please feel free to speak to any of the Baby Room team if you have any questions about Kinteract, or the Rising Two group.

Best wishes,

Nikki

News from Tots

Hello and welcome to the Tots room.

I am very much enjoying my move into the Tots room and both parents and children have made me feel extremely welcome!

This term we have concentrated on a specific theme, which is Halloween. The children have had fun exploring pumpkin seeds, jelly with spiders and an orange gloop. This provides a fantastic sensory experience and provides the chance to ‘explore’ Halloween before the actual day.

We have also been focusing on some new activities, such as teeth brushing and 'Wake & Shake'. This promotes good physical development, self-care ad independence.

As parents/carers, could you please add to your child’s Kinteract an observation about something you have done at the weekend, to help us plan for your child’s interests. This will also offer the chance for your child to discuss and talk about this during group times.

The children are still fascinated with their new room and the equipment is proving popular. This is all from me, however if you have any questions or you would like to talk, please come and find me.

Many thanks,

Amy

News from Pre-schoolThis month we have been looking at the season ‘autumn’. We have been leaf picking in the garden, talking about autumn weather and finding pinecones. We have been exploring our senses, pumpkin carving and leaf printing. Using our hands as handprints, we have made hedgehogs together and have been busy counting how many squirrels are in the garden.

This month we have also looked at Diwali, talking about the festival of light and making our

5

own candleholders to take home. We have seen Rangoli patterns and made a few of our own using coloured rice. Diwali is on 11 November this year and I am going to see if my friend can come in around this day to show the children some Diwali sweets.

We have lots of activities planned for November as we have Guy Fawkes’ Night, National Tartan Day, Armistice Day, Prince Charles’ birthday, Thanksgiving and finally Eid-ul-Adha.

This month we are also going to create firework stencils and create our very own celebration tree.

Best wishes,

Emily

Our Parent Representative

I’m Fiona Tallis and I am the Parent Representative at the Old Station Nursery, Innsworth. My husband and I live in Churchdown with our daughter Olivia, who is 2 years old and is in the Tots room. She has been coming to the Nursery since October 2014.

I balance part time work with looking after Olivia for a couple of days a week, which I love and is the best part of my week. We enjoy playing in the local parks, going to Churchdown library and hanging out in soft play centres, playgroups and feeding the ducks at Slimbridge!

As the Parent Representative, I will take your views and ideas to the Parent Partnership Group meetings and am happy to receive emails or we can have a chat sometime in the Nursery. I can be contacted on fionatallis@gmail.com or please leave a message for me in the office.

I look forward to meeting you all and if you see me at Nursery, please come and introduce yourself and say hi.

Best wishes,

Fiona

Dates for your diary

05/11/15: HRH visit to Imjin Barracks.09/11/15: Tempest Photography Christmas photos.13/11/15: Children in Need: pyjama day and cake sale.18/12/15: Christmas party. Last day of term for term-time-only children.24/12/15: Nursery closes at 1 pm. End of Term.04/01/16: Nursery re-opens.05/01/16: First day back for term-time-only children.

6