April Newsletter

Newsletter April 2019

Preschool roundup

We now have a landline. Our new number is 01480 810600. Please make a note of this, and also note that we can no longer accept text messages, so please leave an answer phone message or email.

Beans….

The beans that the children planted at the start of half term will be getting sent home this week to carry on being grown at home over Easter, we have attached a form on the children’s bean bag for you to fill out with your child over the Easter holiday to record how they continue to grow, please return these to the preschool after the holiday. Happy growing. ?

If you want to join our Facebook page to see what has been going on at Preschool and keep up to date with recent news, then please ask Nicola or Gemma to add you.

We are hoping for warmer weather soon, so please provide a LABELLED sun hat for your child after Easter. Please remember that you must apply the sun cream before the child attends his/her session. We will only reapply sun cream to children who attend all day and only if you have provided a labelled bottle for us. Don’t forget their labelled water bottle too.

Getting school ready…….

I have recently met with the reception teachers from Buckden School to discuss transitions and how we can help the children to get School Ready; they would like the children to be as independent as possible when they start at school, they suggested you help prepare your child by seeing if they can do the following…

• Blowing and wiping their own nose
• Taking their shoes on and off on their own, and doing the fastening
• To recognise their name and where to locate it on clothing labels when you (the parent) have labelled everything for school!
• Can meet their own toileting needs, inc wiping themselves. (the teachers are unable to aid in this)
• Being able to Sit AND Focus attention for periods of time
• Hold a pencil correctly

These pointers will help your child adjust to school life, so please aid them in the above points and we will be doing our best here.

Can ALL parents who children will be leaving the preschool in July to start school, please provide a PE kit for their child after the Easter Holidays, so we may help prepare the children for these lessons once they start school.

Please remember once you have found out your allocated school to tell us, you should be told in the first week of the Easter holidays, on your return after you inform us, we can then hand out a leavers’ form and start the transition forms.

Theme/Topic…

The theme for after the Easter holidays will be People who Help us. We are currently in the process of asking several visitors to come in over this period to talk to and show the children their professions. Watch this space!

NEW for after Easter….

We already keep the children here very busy with dancing, circuits, library visits, trips to the park, walks around the field, trips to the local shop and the church and so much more; so we thought what else can we squeeze into the week? After Easter, we shall be adding a SHOW Dance session once a week. The 3+ children will learn a dance routine around a mash-up of 3-4 songs!! Exciting times… this will be run by our very own staff member Gemma; who has lots of experience in drama, dance and singing. I can’t wait. ?

Staff news….

I have also arranged for a staff member to attend Forest School Training over the next Term (Summer). We are very excited about the new learning opportunities this will bring our Preschool after the training is completed.

Dates for the Diary….

5^th April – close at 12 pm for Easter

CLOSED 8^th – 22^nd Easter holidays

Monday May 6^th – Closed for Bank Holiday

Friday 24^th May – close at 12 pm for half term

Closed half term week – 27^th – 31^st May

Buckden Village Festival – Saturday 6^th July

Buckfest – 20^th July

Our Committee

Our committee will very soon need more members, as some of our current amazing team will soon be leaving, after dedicating many years to the Preschool, to start their child in school life. A letter has been placed in your child’s drawer with more information on this.

This year will be the 50^th year of the playgroup being open, and as you can read from above we really want to thrive and allow the children to learn at every opportunity. We need a committee in order to stay open, so please join us to help us to keep going. Speak to Sam or Mel (parent liaison) for more details.

Many thanks 

Sam & Team