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

Dates for the Diary

15th December 2023- 9am - Children to perform Christmas Show for parents

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