Newsletter – January 2020

Welcome!

From Fiona and all the staff at Green Trees

 A warm welcome back to all our returning children and families; we hope you had a lovely Christmas and enjoyed spending time together.

We also say a big, ‘Welcome’ to all our new families who will be joining us over the coming weeks and hope you enjoy your time with us.

Dear Parents/Carers

I would like to introduce myself – my name is Fiona Murdoch and I am the new Head of Centre of Green Trees Nursery. I started my new role in December and have met some of our children and families.  I am looking forward to getting to know you all over the coming weeks.  Please pop in and say hello – my door is always open.

 

Health and Safety – Changes of Clothes

Due to Health and Safety Regulations we are not able to provide changes of clothes for children if they have a toileting accident or get a little messy during their nursery day. Children feel more comfortable and secure in their own clothing. Please ensure you provide plenty of changes of clothes for your child, particularly if they are toilet training.  This should be stored in a suitable bag and can be stored on your child’s peg.  Please ensure that all personal belongings are labelled. Plastic carrier bags are a risk to children and cannot be used to store your child’s belongings.

What if my child needs changed and they have no clothes?

If your child does not have their own change of clothes we will contact you and ask that you bring a change of clothes to the nursery.

Contact Details

It is extremely important that we have up to date contact details for your child. There may be times when we need to contact you while your child is at nursery. Please ensure you keep us informed of any changes to these details immediately. This includes contact details for emergency contacts detailed on your application/enrolment form. Thank you.

Allergies & Medication

We have a number of children at Green Trees that have different allergies. Please do not store any food stuffs or medication in your child’s bag. This can be a risk to other children.

If your child requires medication when at nursery, please speak with a manager who will discuss this with you and ensure the relevant paperwork is completed prior to any medication being administered. Please be aware this may take time to complete. Medication cannot be stored or administered without the correct paperwork being completed.

Ready for Nursery    

Please help us to ensure your child is ready to enjoy their nursery day.

As the weather changes we ask that you ensure your child is dressed appropriately to access outdoor play – a warm jacket, a jumper or cardigan to provide an extra layer, warmer boots/shoes or wellies. If you can provide a pair of indoor shoes, this will allow your child to change out of their outdoor shoes when playing indoors.

If you child is not yet toilet trained please ensure they have their own nappies, wipes and nappy sacks. We are not able to bulk store nappies, so please speak with your child’s key worker regularly to ensure we do not run out!

If your child has no nappies we will contact you and ask that you bring nappies to the nursery.

Important Dates Ahead

Tuesday 14^th January                           Pantomime – Aladdin

Friday 31^st January                              Trip to the Science Centre – morning

Friday 7^th February                              In-Service Day 5 (closed for all children)

Monday 10^th February                          Mid Term Break (Closed for Term Time children only)

 

Tuesday 11^th February                          Mid Term Break (Closed for Term Time children only)

Wednesday 12^th February                     In-Service Day 6 (closed for all children)

Friday 28^th February                            Trip to Science Centre – Afternoon

Friday 3^rd April                                    Zoo Lab – Spring Workshop (morning & afternoon)

Monday 6^th to Friday 17^th April            Spring Break (closed for Term Time children only)

Friday 10^th & Monday 13^th April            Easter Weekend  (closed for all children)

Friday 8^th May                                     Public Holiday (closed for all children)

Monday 11^th May                                  In-Service Day 7 (closed for all children)

Friday 22^nd & Monday 25^th May            Public Holiday (closed for all children)

Wednesday 24^th June                           Last day of term for Term Time children only

Monday 20^th July                                 Glasgow Fair Public Holiday (closed for all children)

Dear Parents/Carers

October is here and the colder weather is moving in. Please remember to keep your child dressed for this weather. A jacket with a hood is good and warmer boots/ shoes or wellies are a good idea, especially as they will continue to spend time outdoors. Please encourage your child to hang up their jackets in the cloakroom as this helps us keep track of them. We are also encouraging children to become independent in their self- help skills by putting on their own jackets and shoes when going outside. This is something you could help your child with at home. We will also be encouraging good hygiene through flushing the toilet and washing hands after they have visited the toilet.

Parent Meetings:

These meetings will take place this month please book a slot with your child’s Key Worker.

 

Bedtime Story Bags

We hope to complete our programme of all children taking a story bag home for a bedtime story. Your child may choose a book and share it with you at home for a week.

If you have not joined the local library in Bridgeton please do so they have a great selection of books to choose from.

 

We are starting to prepare for Christmas. We are looking to buy presents and we use the nursery funds for this. As we have cut the weekly amount of money we asked you to donate we are

short of funds. Therefore we are planning to hold a fund raising event in the coming weeks. Look out for more information.

 

Parent Partners  

 

We are keen to get as many parents as possible involved in our nursery – it is for parents as well as children! Many of our parents have spent time in the nursery and told us they really enjoyed it. We hope to have a group of parents help us clean up our garden and prepare it for winter – can you help? Our Family Room in the main building is ready for parents to drop in for a chat and a coffee – it’s good to talk so please come along.

 

The photographer will be visiting the nursery this month- it’s a busy month! Look out for dates and times. Your child’s Key Worker will have these soon.

 

Hallowe’en

This is a tradition of our country. We will be participating in this with a day of fun activities and stories. If children wish they may dress up. However, we ask that your child does not wear any masks or small parts to their costumes. This is for health and safety reasons as well as the emotional wellbeing of all children. Some children are frightened by the level of change and surprise and some do not really understand the whole “joke” situation of ghosts etc. Thank you.

Dear Parents/Carers,

 

March has arrived with a wintery reminder of the force of Mother Nature!! Fingers crossed for warmer and drier weather. The children are enjoying the last few weeks of this term with a focus on energetic play to help lead a healthy life as well as literacy and numeracy skills.  They will be developing these life skills through exploring their interests as well as the local community. If you have any ideas for an outing please share them with us.

 

Our Toddler Team will be exploring the seasonal changes in their world. They will also be busy moving to music and enjoying lots of stories and rhymes. Why don’t you spend a short time in the playroom sharing a story with the children? We would love to see you!

 

 Our PATHS programme supporting children’s skill in managing their feelings and emotions has been making steady progress. Please look at our PATHS walls for more information. We are also finalising our arrangements for our parent’s information meetings around giving safe messages to our children; the focus will be on on how to make good decisions about their personal safety. Look out for more information. Look for the PANTS RULE! Coming soon!

Nursery Toys and resources – parents please help!

We continue to spend time and effort on developing children’s skills in caring for our resources and putting them away when finished. This again is a very important life skill as well as helping them develop good learning habits. Please support this by encouraging your child to tidy up their toys at home and keep their rooms tidy. Let us know how they are doing so we can celebrate their efforts. Thank you.

Garden    

As we approach spring our thoughts turn to spring cleaning our garden and planting vegetables and flowers for the summer. We need your help so please come along and join us in our garden –we really need your help. Our outdoor learning area is in need of a total revamp. Old wooden items need removing and new ones need put in place. So please come along and join us as we try to grow our outdoor area for our young children where they can explore and grow in a safe and secure but exciting area! Everyone is welcome!

Busy playing – OH SORRY LEARNING!

Sometimes our children are so focused on what they are doing that they forget to visit the toilets or look at how wet they have become in the excitement of exploring their world! We have now run out of spare clothes to change your child, so please, please help us by handing back any spare clothes you may have been given — or give any spare clothes you may have. Thank you.

 

Diary Dates

 

Easter Holidays                 Mon.1-12 April 2019

(Inclusive- for Term Time children)

 

Easter weekend                                   Fri. 19 –Mon 22 April (Inclusive for all

children)

Return to school                        Tues. 23 April

 

May Day                                   Mon 6 May (closed for all

children)

 

In-service Day 5                       Tues 7 May (closed for all

children)

 

May Weekend                           Fri 24 and Mon 27 May

(closed for all children)

 

Last day, term time children       Friday 28 June

 

Thank you

Mrs Evans and Staff

 

 

Dear Parents/Carers,

We have had a very busy start to the year with lots of groups and activities on the go. If you want to find out more about these, or if you want to be a part of our groups, please speak to a member of staff.

Our “coffee n chat” groups have started but as yet no-one has joined us for a chat. This month we will be holding our informal chats on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the first hour of each session. This will allow us the chance to talk about the way forward for the nursery in terms of the new extended hours.

Keeping your child safe!

As we are settling into our new hours may I give you a gentle reminder that it is a good idea to have only one parent bring each child into the playrooms. This greatly helps staff monitor the children and keeps the playrooms from becoming too busy, especially at welcome and home times. Thank you.

Healthy and safe.

Following on from the above we are planning to start a new project focusing on children knowing how to keep themselves safe from harm. We have had training in Early Protective Measures and something called The Pants Rule. This is all about helping children keep themselves safe. You can find more information on this on the NSPC website. Also before we begin this work we will have several information meetings with parents to share this very child friendly approach. It is all about helping children make good decisions about how to keep safe. Watch out for more information in the coming weeks.

 

 

Second Mid Term                      Mon. 11 and Tues 12 Feb

In –service Day 4                       Wed 13 Feb

 

Easter Holidays                 Mon.1-12 April 2019

(Inclusive- for Term Time children)

 

Easter weekend                                  Fri. 19 –Mon 22 April (Inclusive for all

children)

Return to school                        Tues. 23 April

 

May Day                                   Mon 6 May (closed for all

children)

 

In-service Day 5                       Tues 7 May (closed for all

children)

May Weekend                           Fri 24 and Mon 27 May

(closed for all children)

 

Please note that school will close on Friday 28

June 2019 (Term Time children only)

Thank you

Mrs Evans and Staff

Dear Parents/Carers

October is here and with it the colder weather is moving in. Please remember to keep your child dressed for this weather. A jacket with a hood is good and warmer boots/ shoes or wellies are a good idea, especially as they will continue to spend time outdoors. Please encourage your child to hang up their jackets in the cloakroom as this helps us keep track of them. We are also encouraging children to become independent in their self- help skills by putting on their own jackets and shoes when going outside. This is something you could help your child with at home. We will also be encouraging good hygiene through flushing the toilet and washing hands after they have visited the toilet.

Parent Meetings:

These meetings will take place this month please book a slot with your child’s Key Worker.

 

Bedtime Story Bags

We hope to complete our programme of all children taking a story bag home for a bedtime story. Your child may choose a book and share it with you at home for a week.

If you have not joined the local library in Bridgeton please do so they have a great selection of books to choose from.

Parent Partners  

We are keen to get as many parents as possible involved in our nursery – it is for parents as well as children! Many of our parents have spent time in the nursery and told us they really enjoyed it. We have a group of parents in our Early Words Talk sessions and this is going very well. We also hope to have a group of parents help us clean up our garden and prepare it for winter – can you help? Our parent’s Room in the extension is ready for parents to drop in for a chat and a coffee – it’s good to talk so please come along.

 

Photographer

The photographer will be visiting the nursery this month- it’s a busy month! Look out for dates and times. Your child’s Key Worker will have these soon.

Hallowe’en

This is a tradition of our country. We will be participating in this with a day of fun activities and stories. If children wish they may dress up. However, we ask that your child does not wear any masks or small parts to their costumes. This is for health and safety reasons as well as the emotional wellbeing of all children. Some children are frightened by the level of change and surprise and some do not really understand the whole “joke” situation of ghosts etc. Thank you.  These celebrations will be on Wednesday 31st October.

School Holidays for 2018—2019

In-service Day 3                      Fri 12 October

First Mid Term Holiday            Mon 15—Fri 19 October

(inclusive -Term Time children only)

 

Christmas Show for Parents     Fri 14 December

Christmas Parties                      Wed 19 December

Christmas holidays                  Thurs 20 Dec—Fri 4 Jan                 (inclusive for Term Time children only)

Extended hours families will stop on Monday 24^th December

Please note that school will stop at 2.30 on Thursday

20 Dec for Term Time children

Return to school for extended hours: Thurs 3 Jan 2019    

Return to school term time:                 Mon 7 Jan 2019

 

Second Mid Term                      Mon 11 and Tues 12 Feb

In –service Day 4                       Wed 13 Feb

 

Easter Holidays                 Mon 1-12 April 2019

(Inclusive- for Term Time children)

 

Easter weekend                                    Fri 19 –Mon 22 April

(Inclusive for all  children)

Return to school                        Tues 23 April

 

May Day                                   Mon 6 May5

 

In-service Day 5                       Tues 7 May (closed for all

children)

May Weekend                           Fri 24 and Mon 27 May

(closed for all children)

Please note that school will close at 1.00 on Friday 28

June 2019 (Term Time children only)

Thank you

Mrs Evans and Staff

 

Dear Parents/Carers

 A warm welcome back to all our returning children and families; we hope you had a lovely summer and enjoyed all the good weather.

We have a new Team Leader who will be supporting all staff with developing children’s learning. Her name is Kate and she has curly hair, just like Wendy! Do stop and say hello when you meet her in the playrooms. Her picture will be added to our staff walls. Congratulations and welcome to Kate! We also extend a very warm welcome to all our new children and families. We hope you enjoy your time with us.

As we prefer to buy our own snack we will continue to ask for a donation of £2.50 every week for this. This also allows the children to have some say in the choosing and, at times, buying of the food. The rest of the money goes towards items for baking, parties and outings. Snack is an important daily routine for all children. They enjoy sharing this experience with their friends and they learn so many life skills through this part of their day. Children will have the chance to plan and visit local shops to buy the snack for the nursery. They will learn more about healthy diet and making good choices, the role of money and how it needs to be used, as well as where food comes from and how it reaches our shops.

Snack money will be collected on Mondays in the main office or in the small office in the extension. Thank you.

Spare Clothes

Please remember to put your child’s name on any clothing. This will help us keep track of items for you.

 

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for current news or information on our television screen or on our school App on your phone.

 

To ensure the safe hand over or collection of your child please note the following rules:

• • No mobile phones in use in the nursery

• Older brothers and sisters may come into the playroom, but must be respectful of our safety rules

 

• Always speak to your child’s Key Worker at welcome and home time
• Always sign your child in or out
• Registration times are the first fifteen minutes at the beginning of the session
• Collection of children is during the last fifteen minutes of the session

There are very good reasons for this and Mrs Evans or any member of staff will be happy to discuss these with you.

School Holidays for 2018—2019

 

September Weekend                       Fri 21 and Mon 24 Sept

In-service Day 3                       Fri 12 Oct (closed for all children)

First Mid Term Holiday                            Mon 15—Fri 19 Oct (inclusive -Term Time children only)

 

Christmas Show for Parents        Fri 14 December

Christmas Parties                      Wed 19 December

Christmas holidays                       Thurs 20 Dec— Fri 4 Jan                  (inclusive for Term Time children only)

Please note that school will stop at 2.30 on Thursday

20 Dec for Term Time children.      

Return to school                               Mon 7 Jan 2019

 

Second Mid Term                             Mon 11 and Tues 12 Feb 2019

In –service Day 4                        Wed 13 Feb (closed for all children)

 

Easter Holidays                                Mon 1-12 April 2019

(Inclusive- for Term Time children)

Please note that school will stop at 2.30 on Friday

29 March for Term Time children.

Return to school                               Monday 15 April 2019

Easter weekend                           Fri 19 –Mon 22 April (Inclusive for all children)

Return to school                               Tues 23 April

 

May Day                                             Mon 6 May (closed for all children)

In-service Day 5                               Tues 7 May (closed for all

children)

May Weekend                                   Fri 24 and Mon 27 May

(closed for all children)

Please note that school will close at 1.00 on Friday 28

June 2019 (Term Time children only).

Thank you

Mrs Evans and Staff

Dear parents/Carers

We are now into our last term of school. Our older children are very excited and, perhaps a little anxious, about moving on to big school! Please encourage your child to talk about this important event and try to include things that will be the same as well as things that will be different. This will help ease any anxiety they might be feeling.

Snack Fund

A big “thank you” to all our parents who support our nursery by paying their snack fund. We have been able to provide different foods for snack to encourage healthy eating as well as many interesting recipes for cooking. This is very popular with all children. We are at present preparing for our Family Fun Day and we will be using this money to ensure this is a fun filled day which you and your child will always remember! So please support us with your time as well as your contributions.

End of Year Concerts and Fun Day: 3-5 Team

Wow! Exciting times ahead for our children and families! They are moving on and we are very proud of each and every one of them. It’s time to move on and we are ready!! Our End of Year Celebrations are in full preparation mode as we speak! The children want to dress up for this concert and we have suggested that if they wish to sport “crazy hair” then they can do so.

We are also busy taking photographs of children in our gowns and mortars for those who wish a copy. Look out for more information on our notice boards. Tickets for this concert are free and will be allocated two per child. Additional tickets, if available, will be given out nearer to the date.

Transition Time

 Throughout the past weeks all our children have had opportunities to play and explore all areas of the nursery. Our leavers have also had opportunities to meet new staff and visit our two main feeder primary schools. Now we feel that most of our children are ready and excited to meet the new challenges with confidence and a sense of wonder at what might happen! How wonderful for the adults who are lucky to be partners on this journey of the world through the eyes of your child. Thank you.

 

Dates for the diary:

 June 15: Nursery Family Fun Day

 June 22: End of Year Concert  (3-5 Team)

 Last Day of term: Tuesday 26, June 2018

(We will close at 1.00p.m.on that day for Term Time children).

 School re-opens for all children  on Wednesday 15 August 2018

Tea Party for School Leavers on Thursday 16th August at 2.30pm

 On behalf of all staff, I wish you and your family a very happy and enjoyable summer holiday full of sunshine and time together! See you in August! For those moving on, “Good Luck” and “see you soon”!

 Thank you for your continued support,

 Mrs Evans and Staff

Dear Parents/Carers,

 

As we move into our last term of the year we begin to think about summer fun, growing up and moving on. We also begin to work towards all our children engaging in more outings. This is an enjoyable and valued opportunity for children to learn and grow. However, we need your help for these to happen, so please make yourself known to staff if you are able to help. Look out for more information soon. Also if you have any suggestions for an outing let us know.

 Our Toddler Team will be busy exploring their world through their senses with music being the main interest.

 The 3-5 Teams will be further exploring moving onto school and how to be a good friend. They will talk about their feelings and who to go to for help if they need it.

 It’s good to talk – so join us in our parent’s room in the extension to chat about things that you are worried about or would like to share with other parents. Our first request was for parents to chat about their feelings of their child going to school.

End of Year Concert

The children will also be busy deciding what they would like to do for our popular end of year concert. We use this event to celebrate all children’s achievements over the year. We approach this time of year as a time of celebration and excitement for all children who will be continuing on their learning journey – some in another school and others back with us for another year. We look forward to sharing this lovely time with you. Date on back page!

 

Please look out for letters and appointment times for last parent meetings. These are a good opportunity to chat about your child’s time with us as well as the next steps in their learning and development. These start the week beginning 21 May, times to be arranged.

 

Diary dates for 2018

 

Return to school                        Mon. 16 April

May Day                                   Mon 7 May

In-service Day 5                       Tues. 8 May (closed for all

children)

May Weekend                           Fri 25 and Mon 28 May

 

Fun Day                                     Fri 15 June

End of Year Shows                     Fri 22 June

 

School closes for Term Time children: June 26 at 1:00p.m.

Dear Parents/Carers,

 

March has arrived with a blast!! Fingers crossed for warmer and drier weather. The children are enjoying the last few weeks of the term and the 3-5Team are busy gearing up for their shop. Parents remember to visit their shop on a Friday (once every plan) and support your child’s work. This has been a very good learning experience for the children as they find out about food, healthy living and the importance of money in our daily lives

 

Our 3-5 teams are also developing children’s skills in early literacy and language as well as numeracy. They will be developing these life skills through exploring their interests as well as the local community. If you have any ideas for an outing please share it with us.

 

Our Toddler Team will be exploring the money through a small shop in the playroom. They are also busy investigating moving things and carry them in a range of items (e.g. bags, bowls etc.). The children are very interested in mark making and will have a wide range of resources to explore this interest. You can get your child to help you carry the shoppi9ng in bags or tidy up the house by gathering objects into baskets etc.

 

Our PATHS programme supporting children’s skill in managing their feelings and emotions has been making steady progress. Please look at our PATHS walls for more information.

Sports Relief Friday 23, March  

 

To support the work of this charity we will be holding a parent and child keep fit session or a moving to music session! Look out for more details soon. Donate a £1 and come with your comfy shoes and joggies on and ready to join the fun. We will have face paints available on the day as well.

Nursery Toys and resources – parents please help!

 

We continue to spend time and effort on developing children’s skills in caring for our resources and putting them away when finished. This again is a very important life skill as well as helping them develop good learning habits. Please support this by encouraging your child to tidy up their toys at home and keep their rooms tidy. Let us know how they are doing so we can celebrate their efforts. Thank you.

 

Garden    

As we approach spring our thoughts turn to spring cleaning our garden and planting vegetables and flowers for the summer. We need your help so please come along and join us in our garden – tea and coffee and scones or toast cooked on the campfire will be on offer!!

 

We have been very lucky to have a star parent partner who has led created and managed the building of a garden shed for the children to use. They are very excited about this and are already using it to help them get ready for outdoor play. A very big “Thank you” to Riley’s dad James and his friend Alex. All of this work has been completed without any cost to the nursery. Well done and thank you!

Now we would like other parents to join this very small but happy group who are working with us. We also have Magda’s mum Agnieszka who is a librarian. She is sorting out all our books and repairing those which are damaged. Can you help? Please speak to staff and we will help you spend time in the nursery. Most parents who stay and play or help say that it is a great way to be a part of their child’s life and that they had FUN!

Diary Dates

Diary dates for 2018

 

Sport Relief Exercise Day   Fri. 23 March

 

Easter Parties:                    Wed. 28 March

 

Easter weekend               Fri 30-Mon 2 April inclusive

                                 for all children

 

Spring Holiday                          Mon 2 Apr—Fri. 13 April

(Inclusive- for Term Time children)

 

Return to school                        Mon. 16 April

May Day                                   Mon 7 May

In-service Day 5                       Tues. 8 May (closed for all

children)

May Weekend                           Fri 25 and Mon 28 May

 

School closes for Term Time children: June 26 at 1:00p.m.

 

 

Mrs Evans and Staff

 

 

Parents/Carers

As of next week we will be starting plan four. During this plan we will be focusing on money and shopping. This will include learning about how money is saved and spent. The children will have the opportunity to visit local shops and will be learning about what is on offer within their local community. They will also be creating their own maps of the local area. Room one’s focus will be around the “bakery”, baking their own produce and starting their own small bakers shop. Room two will be using “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” story as a focus. They will also be learning about money and shopping but they will be learning about fruit and how it grows. They will be starting their own fruit shop. As always there will be ample opportunities for parents to get involved. Please see your child’s keyworker for details. 

  Children will be developing their skills and knowledge of the concepts of numbers and using them to organise their world. You also play a very important role in your child’s learning. Here are a few suggestions for this month:

 

• Let your child help you when out shopping; can they count how many potatoes or apples you want and put them in a bag?
• Talk about where you shop, what you buy and the money you need to buy things. Your child will have the opportunity to participate in educational outings during the months of February, March and April. All children in the 3-5 year rooms will be involved. These outings can only take place if we have parent helpers. Please let staff know if you are able to help. We would like to say a huge thank you to parents who have already taken part.

Toddlers

Our toddlers will be exploring new resources within the play room. A favourite at the moment is the new train set! The children have shown an interest in using pennies; putting them in their bags and pretending to go shopping. We will be expanding on this interest by visiting local shops to buy food for snack. They also have a huge interest in painting which will be a focus during this plan.

 

Clothes

Please ensure your child has a change of clothes on their peg as we have a limited stock available. A change is always handy as the children are outdoors every day. Socks, pants and trousers/Joggers/leggings are of particular importance.

 

The toddler staff have asked that, if possible, children wear soft shoes without laces at nursery. This will help them become more independent. Also, if your child has a pair of wellies these would be useful to have at nursery.

 

Parent’s Groups

Our “coffee n chat” groups are up and running. Please come and join us. Coffee and a friendly chat with other parents will be available every Thursday in the Parent’s Room in the extension. Come on in, relax and chat.

 

PATHS Session – 3-5 Teams

The children would like you to join them for a PATHS session; this is very popular and really helps the children talk about and manage their feelings. Please speak to a member of staff about how and when you can come in for a short session with your child.

 

Diary dates for 2018

 

Easter weekend: Fri 30^th March – Mon 2^nd April inclusive

for all children.

Easter weekend: Mon 2^nd April – Fri 13^th April inclusive

for term time children.

Return to school: Mon 16^th April.

May Day holiday: Mon 7^th May (all children)

In-service day 5: Tues 8^th May (all children)

May weekend: Fri 25^th and Mon 28^th May (all children)

Nursery closes for Term Time children: Tues 26^th June

(at 1pm)