2011-2012 – Hecklegirth Nursery

What have you enjoyed in Nursery?

As we come to the end of another fantastic year in our Nursery, we asked the children what they have enjoyed. Although they find it difficult to reflect back to experiences that seem long ago to them, most children were able to talk about what they have liked best. As you can see from the range of ideas, everyone takes something different from their time in Nursery but each child has developed in their own individual way.

Thank you again to all our families for their wonderful support this year. We have all been overwhelmed by the very kind and touching sentiments that have been expressed to us over the past week and feel very lucky to have worked and played with your children this year.

Have a great holiday and do please keep in touch with us through our blog if your child is moving on to a new school. We love to hear about their progress.

What did you enjoy in Nursery?

Rohan: I liked the butterflies when we let them go.

Jack V.: outside, running around and having a good time.

Finlay: having the graduation concert.

Mischa: I liked playing in the beach and having snack.

Jordy: I liked letting the butterflies out and I liked Trotter’s and I liked everything in Nursery and I’ll miss it.

Ryan: playing with the trains.

Mya: the whiteboard’s really good.

Courtney: playing in the beach.

Layton: I liked when we were learning about Loch Ness and Chinese New Year.

Iona: I liked playing on the big board.

Sam L.: I’ll miss it all.

Jaylin: I like everything. It’s just good.

Paige: playing on the whiteboard

Eleanor: the big whiteboard.

Jack T.: playing on the bikes outside.

Natan: drawing.

Katie: reading a story.

Leah: the house corner. The café was the best.

Liam: the beach is the best.

Reece: jig-saws.

Bye Bye Butterflies

After great anticipation, all our butterflies finally emerged from their cocoons, much to the delight of the children and some parents who have been following their progress. On Monday we were able to release them in the Nursery garden. After a little hesitation, each one flew off to their new life to the happy cheers and waves of the children and staff.

We hope that these photos capture the moment as it was certainly a very exciting and happy one for everyone.

Happy Graduation

Lots of happy, smiling faces greeted our parents on Friday when we held a small graduation ceremony to celebrate the end of our year in Nursery. The children were very excited to sing for their families and they certainly showed themselves to be ‘confident individuals’ and ‘effective contributors’ as they performed their songs and then came individually on to the stage to shake hands and receive their certificates from Miss Wilson. We felt very proud of them all.

Thank you, as always, to all our families for fantastic support in everything we do. The children have been delightful to work with this year and we will miss all those who are moving on.

Snack in the Dinner Hall

Last week we enjoyed our snack in the school dinner hall which was another opportunity to build the children’s confidence. We have had some great discussions with them about having their lunch in school when they move to Primary 1 and this certainly seems to be one of the most exciting things that they are looking forward to, regardless of which school they are moving to.

Brilliant Buddies

Thank you to Primary 6 for being brilliant buddies to the children who will start Primary 1 at Hecklegirth in August. They have written lovely, thoughtful letters to some of our Nursery children and their families and they certainly made the children feel at ease when they came to play with them last week.

Thank you to Mrs. Johnstone, Miss Dennis and Primary 6 for smoothing the transition process for our children. We feel sure that their families appreciate your kindness.

The Olympic Torch

What an exciting day we had when the Olympic torch came to Annan. Despite rainy weather, lots of us arrived very early in Nursery to go, with the rest of the school, to cheer on the Olympic torch. It was even more exciting because Rohan’s Mummy was the torchbearer who carried it past us. We made sure that we gave her a huge cheer and waved our flags to support her.

After the torch, everyone made their way to the Victoria Hall where we had a snack and enjoyed a “Sticky Kids” show, along with lots of other nurseries. There was a lot of singing along and actions to keep us amused and some children were even invited on to the stage.

The excitement did not end there because the next day Rohan’s Mummy brought in the actual Olympic torch for us to see and hold which was fantastic. We hope that everyone remembers these events in years to come as it was certainly a very special occasion. Well done to Rohan’s Mummy and thank you for bringing in your torch – we all really appreciate it.

Olympikidz

As the Olympic torch made its way towards Annan last week, we had a fun sport session in the hall organised by the Sports Development Officer. “Olympikidz” provided a good taster of several activities and got us in the mood for the Olympic Games. Hurdles, javelin, skipping through hoops and jumping skills were all great fun and it was lovely to have some parents join us as leaders of our teams which were Olympic countries. Thanks to everyone who helped to make this a great experience for our children – we appreciate your help and support.

Our Cocoons Have Been Made

The exciting news at the end of last week was that our caterpillars decided that it was time to make their cocoons. We watched carefully as one by one they made their way to the top of the tub, curled up and formed their own little cocoons. They are now safe and sound in the net, with some juicy pieces of orange waiting for them when they emerge. Hopefully, our beautiful butterflies should arrive soon.

Stay Safe

After our visit from P.C. Leggat who talked to us about “Stranger Danger” and staying safe on the roads, Stuart, the local coastguard paid us a visit to talk about staying safe near water. The children did well in their discussions to produce some ideas of their own about potential dangers at the river or on the beach.

If you click on the photos below you should be able to read some of their ideas, as recorded in our “Thinking Books”.

“Trotter’s” Take Two

Our visit to “Trotter’s World of Animals” on Thursday seemed to be enjoyed by the afternoon children as much as by the morning children earlier in the week. The weather was kind to us yet again and the children made us very proud of Hecklegirth Nursery. They all had a great time and behaved beautifully. As you can see from the photos, there were a few exhausted children who fell asleep on the way home, tired but happy. Thank you again to all the parents who came with us: without your support, this trip would not have been possible.

Click on the photos to make them bigger.