Catrine Early Childhood Centre

Scotland Learns is a fantastic resource for both parents and practitioners.

The link below will take you to a large range of ideas, strategies and experiences that you and your child will love.

https://education.gov.scot/improvement/scotland-learns/search/?l1=Practitioner&l2=Resources%20for%20learning%20at%20home&l3=Early%20level&l4=Literacy%20and%20English&l5=Learning%20activity&SortBy=1

Can you help us by answering a few short questions in the survey below?This should only take 5 minutes maximum and will help us to make improvements on our current practice.

Thank you.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=oyzTzM4Wj0KVQTctawUZKRqhoaEMY8FHkTJQGETc2XZUOUFYQTJXVkxaUVNBUEVTMlVCVFNXU0hCSi4u

Alana Speirs

Depute Manager

 

How are you really? How many times have you heard someone say ‘I’m fine’? One in four people in Scotland experience poor mental health every year. This means that at some point, you or someone you know will need to get help; whether that means talking to someone you trust, getting information online or going to your GP. People may be afraid to ask for help so make sure to pay attention to the signs that someone might be suffering and let them know there is support available to help them through periods of distress or poor mental health. Give yourself time for the conversation and don’t be afraid to ask them directly if they are having suicidal thoughts – remember Ask, Tell, Save a Life. The Samaritans have some great resources on signs to look out for and active listening. For more useful links to support yourself or someone you know click on the NHS link below here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/suicide/ Try some guided mindfulness techniques with organisations such as Calm or Headspace Find out more about mindfulness techniques on our Healthy Working Lives YouTube channel Difficulty sleeping? Sign up at Sleepio

We had a lovely little surprise today when Janet found this little creature wandering in the corridor.

We rescued him, put him into a box and enjoyed exploring what he may be on the promethean board.  We think he may be a common lizard 🤔. We took a walk in the afternoon and found a safe spot in a wooded area to release him.  He looked happy to be back outdoors 💕

Everyone in the ECC has been busy this week designing and naming their own superheroes, the children voted for their favourite today.  Well done to April, your character Safe Sandra is the winner!!! She is going to help us learn all about how we stay safe 💕

Please find information below from the Scottish Government regarding COMMON COLD AND COVID-19 SYMPTOMS :

Coronavirus – Jason Leitch Letter on testing and common colds – 31 August 2020

2020 DFM Letter

Please click on the link for update/information.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-test-and-protect/pages/summary

The children in Group A this week have been so busy making wonderful creations using a variety of materials, their display is looking fantastic!

The children in group B have been painting super pictures of our worry monster and the tiger from the story ‘The Tiger Who Came To Tea’.  Their display is looking great too!

Well done everyone, hope you have an awesome weekend ♥

Ayrshire Speech and Language are now providing online drop in sessions for anyone with any concerns regarding their child’s speech development alongside their helpline service available Monday 9:30am-11:30am and Thursday 2-4pm on 07980919654. To arrange a virtual drop in session, text 07812519298.

Over the past few weeks staff at Catrine ECC have been working extremely hard to get all necessary procedures in place to ensure our centre and practitioners are ready to welcome both Group A and Group B back full time starting next week.

Please read the attached letter for more information and start times.

Move from 600-1140hr Letter

We hope that this helps you as a family to begin to return to places of work, training and further education when they reopen. We also anticipate that the  continuity of attending everyday will help settle the children through continuing to build on relationships as well as becoming more familiar with daily ECC routines.

Next week will be another change in routine for both staff and children, therefore we ask for your continued support during these times while we evaluate each day in an effort to continuously make improvements until we feel we have it “just right”

After a fantastic soft start approach last week we cannot wait to welcome everyone back for 2.5days this week.

Please see below for a reminder of group days and times.

GROUP A – Pink, Purple, Yellow

All day Monday 8.40am – 2.40pm

All day Tuesday

Wednesday AM 8.40am – 11.30am

GROUP B – Green, Blue, Orange

Wednesday PM – 11.50am – 2.40pm

All day Thursday 8.40am – 2.40pm

All day Friday

 

Please note that our MAIN DOOR will open at 12.15pm for anyone who wishes to collect their child after lunch. Staff may also advise shorter sessions for some children in order to help settle and support individuals, building up more gradually to a 6hour day.

If you plan on picking your up child at 12.15pm please ensure you let the ECC know in advance.

We are sooooooo excited !!!!!!

The staff at Catrine ECC worked super hard all day yesterday to get the rooms ready for your soft start week. We CANNOT wait to meet all of our new starts and welcome back our returners 🙂

Reminders for this week …….

• Wednesday 12th – 2hour visits for all children new to the centre.
• Thursday 13th – All Group B children 8.40am – 2.40pm (new starts 9.15am – 11.30am)
• Friday 14th – All Group A children 8.40am – 2.40pm (new starts 9.15am – 11.30am)

 

• Due to current guidelines we would like to remind parent/carers to adhere to social distancing markers during drop off/pick up times.
• Please keep to just 1 parent/carer per child in the playground. Unfortunately we are unable to allow parents into our building at this time – Alana and Lesleyanne will be at our door each day to welcome the children in and take them into their keyworker groups.
• We will be encouraging the children to wash their hands lots while in the ECC as well as following enhancing cleaning procedures around the establishment.
• As always we will be encouraging lots of outdoor play so remember to bring wellies and appropriate clothing for our good old Scottish weather 🙂

Again, we want to take this opportunity to thank you for all of your co-operation at this time.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to get in touch.

 

 

 

From everyone at Catrine ECC – we would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our children who are starting school this morning the very best of luck! Have the best fun ever    xoxox

Please find attached a letter outlining the arrangements for the return/start of children to Catrine ECC, starting from Wednesday 12th August 2020.

It highlights our ‘soft start’ approach for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of next week, aiming for our ECC children joining us for 2 1/2 days per week from Monday 17th August.

I am aware that there is a lot of information to take in, as this start of a new term is different for us all, so please get in touch with either Alana or myself with any issues or concerns. We can’t wait to welcome our children into Catrine ECC – the whole staff is looking forward to hearing about their adventures!  Thanks, Mrs Govans

Catrine ECC letter 08.08.20

Judith.govans@east-ayrshire.gov.uk

alana.speirs@east-ayrshire.gov.uk

Information has been published on the Catrine PS Glow page today outlining the arrangements for our return to school, starting from Wednesday 12th August 2020.

Please note that this information is for our Primary School pupils only, at this time.  We are awaiting further government and EAC guidance before we can share our plans for our ECC.

Alana and I will let you know the details for our children returning to Catrine ECC as soon as possible, and we thank you for your patience and understanding during these unsettled times.

Thanks, Mrs Govans

With the PS and ECC closing today at 1.00pm for the start of the summer holidays, I would like to take this opportunity to say a few thank yous …

Thanks to the staff in both establishments – ELCP practitioners, office staff, Classroom Assistants and teachers –  for their flexibility, enthusiasm and commitment in working together to get organised for our August return.  Our playrooms and classrooms are set up, resources are organised and timetables are done – no doubt there will be changes to be made over the summer and we will continue to update you via our ECC and PS blog and APP.

Special thanks to …

• Helen Hall who has worked throughout this time at Auchinleck Academy kitchen whilst cleaning our PS
• Janet Fleming for working weekly at the Auchinleck Hub along with her ECC committments
• Stuart McCreath for his great help with the physical set-up of our classrooms and PS areas
• Mrs McDicken, Kim and Deborah for their brilliant resource-ordering skills over the last few weeks to ensure that our establishments are well stocked and ready for our pupils to return
• Alana, Depute Manager at Catrine ECC, and Mrs Schendel, Principal Teacher, for the hours spent on groupings, timetabling, staff rotas and planning
• our PS Parent Council for their continued support
• the parents/carers, family and friends of our pupils for your brilliant efforts at home learning during this time – you have organised some truly wonderful learning activities for your children and they have loved spending this time with you
• and last, but by no means least, to the children of Catrine ECC and PS who have risen wonderfully to the challenge of home learning. They had to adapt so quickly to a whole new way of learning, away from their friends, teachers and ECC and school environment and we have missed them every day

At the end of any school year there are always goodbyes to be said too.

At the ECC we wish Marion well as she starts her new job, and at the PS we say goodbye to Miss Robb, Miss Robertson and Mr Speirs as they move onto the next stage of their education careers. I would like to thank them all for their professionalism and dedication to the children of Catrine – they have all been such important members of our staff teams.

Good luck to our Primary 7 pupils as they move onto secondary school – we had a brilliant visit with them and their parents yesterday in our playground and it was great to see them.  We have a ‘proper’ P7 Leavers Day still to come – details to follow …

Good luck to our ECC leavers – we look forward to welcoming our new P1 pupils into Catrine PS and I’m sure our pupils heading to other schools will settle in quickly too.

So I’ll sign off as usual, take care, stay safe and keep in touch.

Mrs Govans x

Judith.govans@east-ayrshire.gov.uk

 

Volume Water Fun

Let’s have some fun today with water. Can you gather some different sized pots/bowls & cups?

Try filling your cup with water and pouring it into your pot or bowl – how many cups of water does it take?

Get a bigger or smaller cup and do the same – does the pot take the same amount of cups to fill it? Keep trying different sized pots or bowls and different sized cups – I’m sure you’ll be surprised by the different amounts it takes to fill each one.

 

Hope you have fun x

Happy, glorious, sunny Thursday morning to you all.

I can’t believe this is the second last day of Term 4 – I’ve thoroughly enjoyed posting my silly tasks for you to try during this time and I’ve loved seeing your posts and photos – they’ve made me smile every Tuesday and Thursday so thank you !

Lots of activity in the ECC this week – staff cleaning resources and setting up playrooms for brilliant learning environments for our August return.  I hope you’ve all had a chance to see the wonderful ‘ECC Virtual Tour’ video produced by the staff – I know they had a great laugh doing their filming!

It was great to meet up with our new P1 parents for an information session at the PS on Tuesday – they had lots of questions and Miss Burleigh and Michelle can’t wait for our 12 new Primary 1 pupils to join us in August – they have so many brilliant activities in store for them.

I know lots of you are waiting for information from the ECC about sessions, days and times for August – please know that we will be in touch as soon as we have a confirmed way forward for our children.  Over the summer, please email Alana or myself with any concerns or questions – we can always access our email and will always get back to you.

Today’s challenge is a singing one and a wee bit different from the PS singing challenge as their song is REALLY fast!  I hope you enjoy hopping, skipping and twirling with this one …

As always, stay safe, take care and keep in touch.  Mrs Govans x

Judith.govans@east-ayrshire.gov.uk

For my last post before the summer I have a fun game that you can try and build to keep you entertained over the summer holidays.

Build a marble run!

                                             

You will need : a carboard box lid or a paper plate, paper, straws, scissors, glue and a marble/small ball.

Step 1 – Cut a few strips of paper (depending on the size of your lid/plate). These will be your tunnels or barriers.

Step 2 – Glue the paper to the cardboard lid/paper plate ensure you leave enough room for your marble to roll through. You could also add some straws to make a track.

Step 3 – Place your marble on the lid/plate and try and move it around your course.

If you make tunnels with the paper on you marble run (like the plate picture above) then you could make the game more challenging. You could add a numbers, letters or even a sum to the top of each tunnel and when your marble goes through the tunnel you need to identify what number/letter or what the answer is to the sum it went under is.

Have fun!

Enjoy the summer holidays see you all soon!