Please also remember to read the weekly school Newsletter for whole school and local community updates. 

Dates for the Diary

22nd April 2024 - Earth Day

8th May 2024 - Trip to the church

26th April 2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

We started off the week in darkness! There was no computer, no Interactive Whiteboard, we couldn't put the fish tube on in the calm corner, we had no kettle (Miss Whittaker and Mrs Barber had to use a flask!) and we couldn't charge up the remote control cars, when they had run out of power! We did all of this for Earth Day and we talked about taking care of our world. During the day we shared a new story by Lucy Cousins 'A Good Place' about four insects who are looking for a good place to live. It was difficult for the insects in a world with litter, busy roads and bug spray! Eventually they did find a good place. We went to look in our garden to see if we are providing a good place for the insects. We think that we are. We also provided the tadpoles and water snails with clean water. The children watched as the tadpoles and water snails were put into a net and the water was emptied and changed. 

Jack and the Beanstalk has continued to be shared this week and it has been lovely to hear the children's versions from their Home Learning. We have retold the story, together, changing the characters. The children took part in using the rhyming words that the Giant uses and they joined in with actions that we have added. 

We have added to the learning by sharing a book 'Beans on Toast' which tells us about the journey of a bean from stalk to plate. Beans really do go on a long journey. Ask your child to tell you about it. Of course we had to have Beans on Toast and the children helped Mrs Barber to follow simple instructions so that this could be made.

We have been playing a 'Jack and the Beanstalk' die game this week with the children being encouraged to take turns, count dots/recognise numerals (1-4), and to move along the track.  The aim was to reach the top of the Beanstalk. Please continue with these types of games at home. Snakes and Ladders is always a good one to play.

The letter sound that we have focused on this week is 'd'. Everyday we are practicing our sounds. 

Have a lovely weekend

Miss Whittaker

19th April 2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

Hello and welcome back to the final term. The children have come back happy and refreshed and it seems like we have not been away.

The children have had their name cards this week, we have now included forename and surname. We would like the children to learn how to recognise both names. I'm sure they will pick this up quickly when they are being encouraged to read this, every day. 

We have recapped on our class rules and we are reiterating that we need to be kind to all creatures that God has created for us. At the moment we have been joined in the classroom by more living creatures that we are taking care of, for a short while. We have got some tadpoles and also some water snails. They have come from the garden pond of a pupil that was previously in Nursery. The children have been showing an interest and hopefully we will get to see some changes in the tadpoles. 

Our overarching topic for this half term is 'Journeys' and the story we are focusing on this week is 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. Unfortunately, the Beanstalks that we grew last half term did not survive being re-potted and going outside so we have planted five more. The children have had a guess at which bean will grow into a Beanstalk, first. The children have made 'Magic Bean Stew' with Mrs Barber and this has gone down a treat. The majority of children loved it and wanted more! I have added the recipe below.   The magic part was that the beans we put in disappeared (they do not know that the stew was blended up!) The children have been encouraged to think about Jack's Journey to the castle in the clouds and to think about what happens at the beginning, middle and end of the story. 

The letter sound we have focused on this week was 'm'. This introduced Miguel the mighty meerkat who sat on a mound. Of course, this led to us researching what a Meerkat and a mound is. I have given the children each a sheet today with the sounds that we are learning, in Nursery, throughout the remainder of this year. It also includes the mnemonics for each sound so that you can practice forming the letters, at home.

As part or our RE learning we have been learning a story, from the Bible, about what happened on Easter Day in the morning. We also, finally, cracked open our Easter Egg that we had had on the Prayer table since the start of Lent and shared it out. We waited a long time for that. 

Have a lovely weekend

Miss Whittaker

22nd March 2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

We are growing in love, kindness caring and goodness during this special time, Lent. We have demonstrated our care for the living world, looking after our ducklings and we have been tending to our grass heads. They have had a trim (the grass heads not the ducks!). There is so much new life in our garden and Spring is really here.

The children have been problem solving with the song 'Five Little Ducks' and we have been sharing a few duck related books. We have talked about the different body parts of a duck, comparing them to our bodies. We noticed that the ducklings have webbed feet, wings, and knees that bend a different way to ours. The children also spotted that the ducklings have eyes on the side of their heads. We have had so much fun with the ducklings watching them swim, eat and run around our classroom.  Today we have said goodbye to the ducklings as they carry on their adventures with new duckling friends, at the farm.

Yesterday the children did some super scooting to raise money for our Lenten charity, Catholic Children's Society. They worked really hard to see how many laps of the scooter park they could do in 15 minutes. In the morning the children had an assembly with a lady from the Catholic Children's Society who talked with them about how the money that they raise will help other children. Please send in Sponsored Scoot money and purple boxes by next Wednesday 27th March (this is the latest date, earlier would be better!) as the money will be collected. 

Have a great weekend

Miss Whittaker

15th March 2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

What an egg-citing week we have had. If you haven't already heard...we had a special delivery of five eggs, on Tuesday. The children were each asked about what they thought may be growing inside the eggs. This was after sharing the book 'The Odd Egg' and after we had looked at some photos of some creatures that do lay eggs . We We had some very interesting predictions! When the eggs arrived they were put inside an Incubator and we talked about why this was. We had to wait but not for very long...I will share updates on class-dojo. 

This week we have also been exploring the beans that have been growing. It is amazing the speed at which they have grown. On Thursday we used cubes to measure them. Ask your child to tell you what we found out. Which bean was the tallest?

This week the children have been learning about the 'p' sound.  We have been learning a rhyme about Pietro Parrot and we have been thinking of different words that start with this sound. We have been segmenting and blending, using Robot arms and we have been thinking about the written formation, of the letter. 

Counting and problem solving takes place everyday, in Nursery. This week we have been reciting numbers from any starting point, below ten, thinking about what number comes next and continuing the number recital until ten. We have also been learning a number rhyme about '5 Little Eggs in an Incubator'. This has included the children taking one away and showing the correct number of fingers. 

This week we have shared the story 'Pantosaurus' and watched the video, which I have included below.  We will continue to revisit this over the coming months, teaching the children the importance of not showing others their private parts.

Next week the children will be taking part in a Sponsored Scoot. This is to raise money for our Lenten Charity, Catholic Children's Society. The children will have brought home their sponsor form and any donations will be appreciated. 

Have a good weekend

Miss Whittaker

8th March 2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

What a busy week we have had; sharing stories, a workshop, a parade, preparing a gift for Mother's Day, planting bulbs, observing the change in our beans and grass heads... we have done a lot.

The children have each shared their favourite story and they were enthusiastic in doing so. We are continuing to embed the vocabulary 'front cover, back cover, spine, title, page, illustration, author, blurb' and we do this when sharing stories. The children looked great in their costumes, on Thursday and the children showed off their brilliant costumes. 

The children took part in a 'Where the Wild Things Are' workshop and they were amazing at putting a sequence of actions together as we retold the story. We have some fierce Wild Things in our Nursery!

We have been sharing the stories 'My Mum' and 'My Mum is Fantastic' whilst we have been thinking about that very special day that happens on Sunday, Mother's Day! The children printed with vegetables and fruit to create their mummy a very special flower painting and I can assure you that lots of love went into creating these. The children did their own designs. We have also been learning a song, hopefully they will sing this to you...

There have been some big changes in our Grass heads. Some of them have got a lot of hair (grass!) The children have been looking after them carefully as we grow in love during Lent. The beans in our 'Wonder Windows' have also started to change. Ask your child which has changed the most.

Thank-you so much for the wonderful plant donations. The children and Mrs Barber have been busy planting around the garden. Spring is definitely upon us, we have had some lovely sunny days this week and the garden is starting to bloom. 

The children have been introduced to the 't' sound, this week. We are practicing blending and segmenting words that begin with this sound. The children have been encouraged to write the letter.

Next Wednesday the remainder of the school have Parent Consultations. As you are aware we are not involved in this. The Nursery school will remain in school. If you plan on picking your child up at 1.15pm could you please let me/Mrs Barber know in advance. 

Have a great weekend and to the mums, I wish you a special day on Sunday,

Miss Whittaker

1st March 2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

This week we are continuing to grow in love, during Lent.

The children have been given the responsibility of looking after a grass head, that they have created. Ask your child how they made their grass head. They will be reminded to water their seeds. 

The Daffodils that we were observing last week are continuing to be in flower but we did notice that they are starting to change. We will continue to observe them, very carefully. We have been learning a number rhyme about Daffodils and we have been doing a little problem solving along the way, adding one more. 

Mrs Barber went to the shops and she got us a bird stand, birdfeeder and some bird food. We had to follow the instructions to put the  bird stand together and we found a suitable place to put it in our garden. Hopefully we will see some smaller birds feed from it soon; we do see them from time to time. Mrs Barber also brought in a few plants that have been added to our outdoor area. We would be very grateful for any donations of outdoor plants that you may have going spare. It's the time of year when we get busy planting. 

We have been sharing the story 'Jasper's Beanstalk' and we have set up a Bean investigation, in our Wonder Windows. We want to find out what a seed needs to grow. The children have played a game of beans, in the hall. We have made different shapes and movements, with our body, responding to instructions. For example, we run on the spot for 'runner bean', we wibble and wobble our bodies for 'jelly bean', we make our body small and tuck in for baked bean'.

The letter sound 'a' has been a focus, this week. The children have been encouraged to listen for the 'a' sound at the start of the words. We have been using robot arms to segment and blend words and we have been looking at the grapheme (what the sound looks like, so the letter shape 'a').  We have had to research a 'leaf cutter ant' this week as the rhyme that we learnt was all about this amazing ant that lives in a colony and can lift 50 times it's weight!

Next week is Book week and it is usually a busy one. We have a visit from a Theatre company on Tuesday and they will share with us 'Where the Wild Things Are' and on World Book Day, on Thursday; the children are expected to come to school dressed as a word. 

Have a great weekend

Miss Whittaker

23rd February 2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

The children came back refreshed and ready to learn. 

This week we have been learning about Jesus' Baptism and we have told the story of Jesus going into the Wilderness/desert for forty days and forty nights. We will revisit this over the coming weeks. The Prayer Table has had the colour changed to purple as we wait for Easter to arrive. Lent is a very important time as we grow in love to follow in Jesus' footsteps. The children were happy to see that an Easter Egg  and a packet of biscuits have been added to the Prayer Table. We have to wait until after Easter to share these. Oh, the temptation! We will be counting the days until Easter. 

Spring has started to arrive in the garden. The Daffodils are starting to bloom and the children went on a walk to find more Daffodils, around the school. Did you know that Daffodils come in a variety of colours? Two bunches of closed Daffodils were purchased and the children were asked to predict what colour petals may bloom out of the bud. We have used the vocabulary stem, bulb, petals, flower, corona and crown to describe a Daffodil. The children have been encouraged to count the petals (there are six) and to look at the Daffodil carefully, before painting a picture of it. The children will be learning about New Life, this half term. We will be exploring growing in more detail. I have been asked a few times if we will be getting a special egg delivery, this year. The answer is yes but please try to keep this information from your child. It's always a nice surprise when the eggs get delivered and we predict what will be inside. Could it be a crocodile, snake or even an Ostrich... it's fun to guess! 

This week the children have been learning about the letter 's'. We have been learning some rhymes about Sid the silly, slithering snake and we have been tapping out the rhythms of rhymes. The number four has become our focus and on a wet, miserable day we treated ourselves to the an episode of the 'Number Blocks' number four.  This was inspired by a child making the number block ten during his explorations. From this episode so much discussion arose about squares and the different ways that we could put four snap cubes, together. We also used the language of one more/one less. 

At the end of the day we have been choosing a story from a small selection by voting. The most popular choice has been read. This has encouraged children to make decisions as well as allowing us to count and to see which book is the most popular. 

Have a great weekend

Miss Whittaker

9th February 2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

Can you believe that we have completed the first Spring half term? Time is flying by...

This week we have focused on learning about Chinese New Year and Mardi Gras (Shrove Tuesday). The children have been learning the story 'The Great Race' learning about the twelve animals that took part in the race. We have shared two versions of the story. One story had thirteen animals that started the race. I wonder if your child could tell you more about it. The children have been finding out more about how Chinese New Year is celebrated. This year is the year of the Dragon. We found out that some of the children were born in the Year of the Rat and others the Year of the Pig. Maybe you could find out what animal year the rest of your family were born in. I was born in the Year of the Monkey and Mrs Barber was born in the Year of the Dragon.  We have been making paper lanterns, developing our scissor skills and they have been hung in the classroom. 

This week we have been thinking about the Children's Mental Health theme 'My Voice Matters'. We have been telling them that their voice does matter and we have shared a story 'Speak Up! You can make a difference by Nathan Bryon & Dapo Adeola'.  The children thought about what matters to them/what makes them happy and we made a swirl with our thoughts in this. 

As we know Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday are during the half term holiday, next week. The children have been learning about Mardi Gras, making pancakes and masks and we will be taking part in a parade. 

Have a wonderful half term.

Miss Whittaker

2nd February 2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

This week we have been busy bakers. On Tuesday the children made some delicious bread rolls (I hope that they shared some with you because they really were yummy!), on Wednesday the children made (and ate) Jam Tarts and on Thursday it was the day of the Gingerbread man. The story that we have been sharing...The Gingerbread Man! The children have been joining in with the singing, retelling and we have been learning different versions of the story. Whilst baking we have been weighing, counting, thinking of the initial sounds in words, talking about what is happening and so much more. We have been rolling, kneading, mixing, squeezing, chilling and baking...busy, busy bakers!

What story would you like to share? This week we have done a little voting and we have been counting up the results to find out which story was the most popular choice, each day. We then read the story which won the vote. Everyday we are learning to recognise our name and the children are being encouraged to mark make their name on their creations. 

Have a great weekend

Miss Whittaker

26th January 2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

This week we have been sharing the story 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff'. The children have been very engaged with the story telling and they have been using the resources available to retell the story. The children have been encouraged to talk about the characters,  the emotions of the characters and the setting of the story. We have thought of alternative endings and the children have been encouraged to think up their own versions of the story. During our hall time we took on the role of goats moving from one side of the hall to the other as a troll (Mrs Barber) tried to catch us. 

The children have been thinking about words that rhyme. We shared a story about a goat and thought about words that sounded similar for example, coat, boat, moat, float. The children also took part in an activity that involved listening out for the initial sound in words. Mr Troll had decided that he no longer wanted to eat goats he only wanted to eat things that had the initial sound 't'.

The snack has been counted and sorted and we shared it out between Goldilocks and Mr Troll. We checked to see if they had the same amount or who had more/less/fewer quantities. When counting we demonstrate pointing at each object and assigning that object a number. When children recite numbers too quickly we encourage them to slow down. 

We have got eight new scooters and the children have been taken out, in small groups, to explore these. Mrs Barber has been encouraging the use of a brake and using the handle to steer. The children have also been thinking about others around them, when scooting. 

During our RE learning we have been sharing from the Bible. This week we shared Mark (10:16) when Jesus blesses the children. We talked about what Jesus did. We will continue with this next week. We have also been learning the 'Glory Be' and another end of the day prayer. Maybe you could ask your child about this.

Please note that we will have a 'Stay and Play' next Friday. The gate will be opened at 2.15pm . Please note that this is not a time to talk about your child's progress. Younger siblings are welcome to join but they remain the responsibility of parents/carers.

Have a lovely weekend

Miss Whittaker

19th January 2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

This week we have been sharing the story 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'. We have been thinking about the setting, the characters and we have talked about what was happening in the story. The children have been encouraged to think about the characters feeling's and we talked about why we shouldn't do what Goldilocks did!

The children made porridge with Mrs Barber and we have been thinking about the number three. What the numeral looks like and what three objects look like. We have been using size language and we have been sharing a Goldilocks song. We also thought about the rhyme 'Baa baa black sheep' and counted the characters and bags of wool required. This led into a very interesting conversation about wool and where it comes from. This week we have been thinking about the initial sound of words and we focused on objects beginning with the 'b' sound for example bear, bowl, bed, banana... We are also encouraging the children to listen for rhyming pairs when stories are shared. 

It's been a cold week and we have noticed that a lot of the children have wanted to stay inside or at least shortened their outdoor time. We took the opportunity to set up some freezing investigations. There has been lots of ice to explore. 

We would like to invite you to a Stay and Play on Friday 2nd February 2024. This will start at 2.15pm and we will open the Nursery gate at this time. The session  will finish at the end of the school day.  This is an opportunity for you to come and play with your child in the Nursery setting and to see what they like to do during the day.  It's not an opportunity for grown-ups to chat about their child's progress with Nursery adults. Younger siblings are welcome to join but they will remain your responsibility. 

Have a great weekend

Miss Whittaker

12th January 2024

Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome back to the Spring Term. 

This week we have focused on the Three Magi's (Wisemen/King's) journey to see the newborn baby Jesus. We have acted out the story, retold the story and we even explored the scent of Frankincense and Myrrh. We even explored Mrs Barber's shiny gold rings!  We talked about the Magi's journey and how they followed a star travelling on camels. They went across deserts, across the sea, over mountains and through dark valleys to reach the special baby. We changed our Prayer Table (twice) to follow the Liturgical calendar (from purple, to white/gold, to green). 

The children are being encouraged to think about the initial sounds that they can hear in a word. This week we have been thinking about words that begin with a 's' sound for example 'sausage', 'sun', 'sock' etc. We were lucky enough to see a little snow and ice in the garden so of course we had to explore that. 

We have been re-settling into our routine and our daily Nursery life and we have been thinking about our class rules. This week we have found that we have had to remind a lot of children about washing their hands after going to the toilet. Please continue to encourage independence with personal hygiene, at home. We are now running out of spare clothes. Please send in any that you may have at home. Please also encourage your child to put on their own coats, hats and scarves. You can imagine that getting ready to go outside is taking a longer amount of time than in the warmer months; what with the many accessories that are required for cold weather. 

This half term we will be learning some Traditional Tales as part of our learning and towards the end of the short half term (five weeks in total!) we will be sharing the Chinese New Year story. We will be retelling the stories and also thinking up our own versions. The children will be taking part in activities based around the stories. Next week is Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Have a great weekend

Miss Whittaker

22nd December 2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

Have safe travels, enjoy the break and we will see you on the 8th January 2024!

Best wishes

Miss Whittaker

15th December 2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

Thank-you for joining us this morning. The children put on a wonderful show and they did really well to remember the words and the actions. Mrs Barber and I are super proud. We hope that you enjoyed it. A big thank-you to Father Christmas/Santa for joining us too! 

This week we have been busy preparing for the show. We created the lovely hats that were on display, this morning. The children did well to print a pattern before adding the glitter! They decorated some bauble shapes that could be seen hanging down in the classroom, using handwriting patterns and they made the delicious mini-muffins that were served up today. 

A big thank-you for the gifts that Mrs Barber, Mrs Davies and I received; it was a lovely surprise and they were much appreciated 

We hope you have a restful weekend.

Miss Whittaker

8th December 2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

What a wonderful experience the children had at the Theatre, yesterday. Mrs Barber and I were super proud of the children, they represented our school fantastically. The show was lovely and it was evident that the children enjoyed it. Thank-you so much to the parents who came with us. We hope that you enjoyed it as much as we did.

This week we have been thinking about the journey that Mary and Joseph had to make to get to Bethlehem. We discussed if this journey was the same as us going to the theatre. We did quite a bit of google mapping prior to our trip so it was good to see that we journeyed on roads and not rocky pathways! We have been continuing with our learning of the Nativity. The children have been practising our songs and words for our performance next week and we have been busy preparing for Christmas. Each day we are opening our Advent Calendar and this is helping us to tell the story of the Nativity. Next week more preparations, decorations and story telling will be done. It's a great time of the year! 

I have requested that the children wear a Christmas jumper for the performance, next Friday. It would be great if you could join in the festivities and wear one as well. You are invited to join us for some refreshments after the performance and we will be joined by a special guest. Festivities will be over by 10am. Unfortunately, we do have to limit the number of guests per child to two. The performance is in the classroom and it can get a little overcrowded if too many attend. It is usually recorded and sent to you so this can be shared with other family members. 

Have a great weekend

Miss Whittaker

1st December 2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

We are on the countdown to Christmas! It's a wonderful time of the year and already the children are getting ready to celebrate. 

It was a frosty start to the morning and for a short time, there were small snowflakes falling from the sky. So exciting.

This week the children have been introduced to Mary, Angel Gabriel and Joseph. We have been learning a song about the Angel Gabriel visiting Mary and we talked about how Mary went to see Joseph, to tell him the good news. This is the story so far...we will continue this next week. The children know that Christmas is Jesus' birthday and that we are in Advent, a time for waiting. The Prayer Table now has a purple cloth and Father Jim is wearing his purple vestments. We have added an Advent Wreath to the Prayer Table and the children have been making Angels. We have an Advent calendar and today we opened number one.

We have used clay to make decorations for our tree  (they have been painted and glitter added) and today the children have been using the colours red and white to create a pattern on a candy cane. 

Today, an Elf magically appeared in the classroom. We can't touch the Elf has it's magical powers will disappear but we know it is carefully watching and listening to us, sending messages back to Santa/Father Christmas. The children have also been given a Christmas tree that will be decorated in many ways over the coming weeks. 

Next week we will continue learning about the Nativity and we will be excited about our trip to the Waterman's Centre, on Thursday. 

We hope to see you on Sunday, at the Christmas Fair. Please be at the stage for 12.10pm. 

Have a wonderful weekend.

Miss Whittaker

24th November 2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

This week the children have been thinking more about celebrations. We have been learning about birthday celebrations and we started to learn about another Festival of Light, Hanukkah. 

The children have been sharing their Home-Wow learning, with their friends and we looked at the many photos and drawings. We helped Mr Troll to celebrate his 4th birthday and we put up decorations, sang happy birthday and many playdough cakes were made. We shared some books about birthday celebrations and we thought about how we feel when we celebrate. 

The children made chapattis with Mrs Barber, on Wednesday (this was from our Diwali learning, last week) and they enjoyed them with a mango/raita dip. On Thursday the children made Potato Latkes and these were served with apple sauce. These were enjoyed as well. As part of our Hannukah learning we shared the books 'Eight Candles to Light' and 'The Hanukkah Mice' and we have been learning about a Menorah. We will continue our Hanukkah learning on Monday. 

The school Christmas Fair is on Sunday 3rd December and the Nursery children have been asked to sing. We will be on stage at 12.15pm We hope that you can join us. 

We are off to the Waterman Centre on the 7th December. Please make sure that you have returned the school trip form by Monday 27th November. I have handed out more forms to the children who we have not had forms for.

Have a great weekend

Miss whittaker

17th November 2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

This week we have been thinking about Autumn and we were very lucky on Monday because it was 'raining' leaves in the playground. It was such a blustery day and it really added to our learning. Have you ever tried to catch a leaf falling from a tree, before it hits the ground? We tried, it's really tricky! The children were happy to show the leaves that they had found on their Autumn walk and we created some lovely leaf people with them. We looked very carefully at the illustrations in the book 'Leaf Man' to see what creatures we could see made out of leaves. We shared the story 'The Leaf Thief' and this helped us to learn more about what is happening to the leaves. Maybe your child could sing the 'Autumn Leaf' song that we have been learning. It's to the tune 'London Bridge Is falling Down'. We moved like leaves falling from trees and we used instruments that we could shake (maraca, tambourine, jingle bells) to create some lovely sounds. 

The children have been introduced to the Festival of Lights 'Diwali'. You can find out more by watching clips on cbeebies 'Let's Celebrate'.    https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/watch/lets-celebrate-diwali

The children learnt a shortened story about Rama and Sita and they helped to make Rangoli Patterns and they decorated hand shapes. The children made some wonderful Diva lamps and we started to learn a dance. We shared the books 'The Best Diwali Ever' and 'Chapatti Moon'. Unfortunately, Mrs Barber has been unwell so we didn't get to make Chapatti's. When she gets back we will do this. 

Next week we will be thinking about how we celebrate our birthday and another Festival of Light, Hanukkah.

The weather has suddenly turned bitter and colder this week. The children need suitable coats in school. We go out in all weathers. Can I also please remind you that all clothing MUST be named. 

Have a great weekend

Miss Whittaker

10th November 2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

It's been a quieter week in Nursery and those that have been ill have been missed. We wish you all a speedy recovery. There are lot's of coughs/colds doing the rounds and we are reinforcing catching coughs and sneezes in a tissue or into your arm. Washing hands is very important and this is also being reinforced. 

Just a reminder, we go out in all weathers. Please ensure that your child has a warm, blue coat in school. The classroom is also starting to get cooler. We have windows/doors open throughout the day so maybe add a vest under your child's uniform. 

This week we have focused our learning around Autumn and Remembrance Day. We have been thinking about the Autumnal changes that we can see and there are lots of leaves in the garden at the moment. Your child's Home learning is to go on an Autumnal walk. We want them to find leaves, of different shapes, sizes and colours so that we can make a leaf person, next week. We have started to explore the story Leaf Man and this learning will continue into next week. 

As I write this salt dough 'Poppies' are drying out in the oven. This is a long process! The children created their poppy using the correct colours and they looked carefully at a poppy as they made them. The children have also printed poppy pictures by using potatoes and adding poppy seeds for the centre. These are now on display in the classroom.  We have been learning a poem about a Poppy and we have been learning a song. 

Have a great weekend

Miss Whittaker

Poppy Song

(tune: Lavenders Blue)

See in the fields (blossom, blossom)

Red poppies grow.

Signs of new life (blossom, blossom)

Letting us know…

Time to fall quiet (blossom, blossom)

For all who died.

Time now for hope (blossom, blossom)

Time now for life.

See in the fields (blossom, blossom)

Red poppies grow.

Signs of new life (blossom, blossom)

Now let peace flow.

3rd November 2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome back. The children have settled back into the Nursery routine and we are ready for a busy half term. Over the next few weeks we will be covering our theme 'Let's Celebrate'. We will be learning about different celebrations, Autumnal changes  and we will be focusing on Advent/Christmas towards the end of this month.

This week we have been exploring a Pumpkin and other squash. We investigated the smell, size, the feel (both inside and out) and we explored what is inside.  We shared the story 'Meg's Veg' and we thought about where pumpkins come from. Mrs Barber made Squash Bread, with the children and this led to an investigation of a Butternut squash. The Squash Bread was delicious and the children ate it all, a lovely Autumnal treat. The recipe we followed calls it pumpkin Bread but we called it Squash Bread as we used a Butternut Squash  https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/pumpkin-ginger-teabread

In November we remember and on Wednesday as part of our learning about All Saints Day the children started to learn a little about Saint Peter and Saint Mary. Of course we did a little marching to 'Oh When the Saints'. We will continue to reinforce this learning next week as well as thinking about Remembrance Day. 

We started to think about fireworks and we have been moving like a firework and thinking about the different sounds that they make. 

The children have been introduced to the bikes/scooters/balls etc in the big playground. They have had fun exploring the new surroundings and they are adapting well to the change.

Please be reminded that we go outside in all weather and it is a great time to encourage your child to put on their own coat.

Have a great weekend

Miss Whittaker

20th October 2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

Thank-you so much for attending Parent Consultations, it was lovely to meet with you all. Mrs Barber and I are here to chat with you, should the need arise. The end of the day is usually best for us as in the morning it can be quite busy and our priority is to settle the children in.

This week we have been finishing off the story of Creation and thinking about how God loves each and everyone of us. The children have been encouraged to think about what they like about the story of Creation and we have been explaining that God hasn't created everything in the world, for example, Ninja Turtles (!), aeroplanes and houses but he has created the people that helped to make these. The children have each created a drawing of what they like about the world that God created. 

The children have made yummy Spider Sandwiches, with Mrs Barber and they have been up to the hall to play some spidery games.  We also had to squeeze in making a Christmas card for the MCCA; I'm sure you will be seeing the finished product soon. So, if you're child talks about a Christmas tree hand print or sings a Christmas tree version of Incy Wincy Spider, this is why.

The children have had a great half term and I would suggest a good rest. Next half term is very busy in the run up to Christmas. I have booked for the children to go to the Watermans Centre (I will send out the information for this after the half term) to watch a Christmas production and we will have our very own Christmas Show to prepare for. 

Have a great half term

Miss Whittaker

13th October 2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

This week we have been continuing with our Spider topic and we have been exploring the shapes triangle, rectangle, circle and square. We have been making many of these shapes using different loose parts (conkers, nuts and bolts, sticks and stones). The children have been helping to sort and match shapes and we have been drawing shapes and cutting them out. Mrs Barber made shape toast, with the children and they used cutters to achieve this.

The Spidery Bounce is continuing to be popular and this week the children have been learning the story 'Little Miss Muffet'. In the version that we share poor Miss Muffet has a pear taken by a bear, a carrot taken by a parrot, a banana taken by a llama, some rice taken by mice etc and of course a spider does come and sit down beside her!

As part of our RE learning we have continued with the story of Creation; introducing days 3, 4, and 5. The Creation story will be the main focus for learning next week.

Every morning the children are self-registering by finding their own name and putting it under the emotion that they are feeling. For this we have a Colour Monster chart and this is based on the story 'Colour Monster', which we have also continued to share this week. 

The Nursery children do go outside in all weathers. Please can you make sure that your child has a coat in school, everyday. The weather is starting to turn wetter and cooler.

Parent Consultations take place next Wednesday. Please make sure that you have made an appointment. The school closes at 1.15pm and your child MUST be picked up at this time.

Have a great weekend

Miss Whittaker 

6th October 2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

This week we have been looking for spiders, sharing spider books, singing spider songs and making spiders. The children created some wonderful play-dough spiders. The children have been encouraged to sort spiders, by size, we have explored how to play different instruments and we have had our first visit to the hall (whilst not eating lunch), to play a spidery game. The children have been enjoying the various 'Incy Wincy Spider' stories and the book 'Aaaarrgghh Spider'. 

This is a fun song that the children are enjoying... 'Andy's Spidery Bounce'  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M6Khe9KgHc

We have started to think about the story of Creation, as part of our RE learning; we have made it to Day Three and this will continue next week. We have also been thinking about how our family is special to us. The children have been introduced to the 'Colour Monster' book, a story about feelings and emotions. We use this book as a reference when we are self-registering and this will be continued to be reinforced over the coming weeks. 

The children have been given their Home-Wow book you can find the learning under 'Home Learning'. 

Have a great weekend

Miss Whittaker

29th September 2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

Give your child a huge clap, they have all done so well in their first full week of Nursery. The children are adapting well to the Nursery routine and to the full day. It does take a bit of getting used to and I am sure that there will be many tired children. 

This week we have been thinking about Harvest. We shared the story the 'Enormous Turnip', changing it to the 'Enormous Carrot'. We have been singing the 'Enormous Turnip' song, the Carrot soup song and we have used props to retell the stories. On Thursday the children joined Mrs Barber in the kitchen to make carrot soup. The ingredients used were a swede (I couldn't find a turnip!), carrots, an onion, garlic and a vegetable stock cube. Mrs Barber also added a little Turmeric. The children helped to slice the vegetables before it was added to a large pot. We have watched a very old educational video this week, 'Come outside-Carrots' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6Zk_B8_UbI. Through watching this we discovered where carrots come from and the journey that they take before we eat them. Before eating our carrot soup we thanked God for the food that he created for us. 

We are continuing to reinforce our Nursery rules. Please continue to encourage your child about managing their personal hygiene, just a gentle reminder to wash their hands after going to the toilet and before they eat. We have shared the story 'Germs are not for Sharing' and we have been thinking about catching our coughs and sneezes.

A huge thank-you for the wonderful Harvest collection that came in this morning. It was great to see and thank-you for getting involved. 

Have a great weekend

Miss Whittaker

22nd September 2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

Please find attached below a copy of the 'Meet the Teacher' presentation, from last night. 

This week the children have been great. They are now staying for lunch and today they stayed until 2pm. They are doing well. Next week, they will be staying for a full day. Prepare for your child to be tired when they come home. 

This week we are continuing to introduce our Nursery Rules, we have been getting used to the routine and we have been learning about using kind hands. 

Next week we will continue with settling the children in and we will be thinking about Harvest.

Please ensure that you have logged into Class Dojo and please sign up for the class Whatsapp group.

Have a great weekend

Miss Whittaker

15th September 2023

Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome to Genesis class. 

What a great first week we have had. I am pleased to say that the children appear to be settling in nicely and they are starting to adapt to Nursery life. You may find that your child may be reluctant to come into school. This is all part of settling as they realise that they will be coming to school five days a week. In our experience we find that this is short lived and will soon pass. 

This week we have been introducing 'Whole Body Listening' and this will be reinforced throughout the year. We have been learning our Nursery prayers, singing songs and sharing stories. The children have been exploring inside and out and next week we will start to learn some of our Nursery rules. The children are being encouraged to tidy up and this will also be reinforced everyday, throughout the year. 

On Monday I will hand out 'Class Dojo' logins and the school will use this system to communicate with you.  

Please can I request that if there is a late change to pick-up arrangements that you phone the office and not email. I check my emails at the start, middle and end of the day. If an email is sent during teaching times it will not be seen by me but if you phone the office they will pass on the message. 

We look forward to welcoming you back next week. We will continue to be part time for the following week. I know that this may be an inconvenience for you but it does benefit the settling in for your child. 

Have a great weekend

Miss Whittaker