Newsletter August 15
Staff news: We are very sadly saying goodbye to
Nicola Dutton our Deputy Manager at the end of
August as she moves onto pastures new. Nicola
has been with us since April 2013 and has been
an asset to the team bringing lots of new ideas
and supporting staff in developing all areas of
our day care. We will all miss her and wish her
well in her new venture.
We are in the process of recruiting a new Deputy
Manager and will let you know when we have
successfully filled the post.
We have made slight changes to the
management structure in the Baby unit. Instead
of having one room leader overseeing the whole
of the unit, we now have 1 senior day care
assistant in Buttons room – Jane Parker, and 1
in the Bows room – Joanne Huby. Joanne and
Jane are working well together to develop the
rooms and support staff in their roles.
We have 2 new staff members on board, both of
whom you will probably have met already;
Megan Jones-Brook is a qualified nursery nurse
and works as one of our regular supply staff.
Jade Rady is currently working towards a child
care qualification and will work full time with all
age groups.
Donna Whiteman will return from maternity
leave at the beginning of September.
Nursery Rhyme board in Buttons and Bows: we are
currently placing a focus on traditional action rhymes and
songs and will put the current ones on the board inside
the baby room entrance. Songs and rhymes are a very
important part in your child’s language development,
their ability to listen and to their emotional and social
development, so if you would like to further support this
at home please feel free to take a copy of the words from
the board.
Our ‘Look what we are doing this week in Wrappers’
board is placed in the corridor just outside the Wrappers
room. This includes weekly activities such as baking (and
the recipe), songs, rhymes and words that will be
introduced and that you can use to help to support your
child’s learning at home. Other items for your
information will also be displayed e.g. a request for
photos of your family to help with an ‘all about me’
display.
Safeguarding: Despite previous requests, we
still find that some (albeit a minority) parents
are permitting other parents and visitors to
enter the building as they leave. Please ensure
that when you are leaving you do not allow
anyone to enter unless a member of staff is
there to authorise entry. When you are
entering the building, please wait until a
member of staff lets you in. Coming in as
another parent leaves may save you a minute
in time, and letting in another visitor may seem
polite, but this poses a serious safety risk for
your child and every other person in the
building.
Please help us to maintain a safe and secure
environment for your child by adhering to
this request. Thankyou.
Wrappers leavers: we always find this time of
year very emotional as we say goodbye to all the
children who are off to ‘big school’ in September.
Many of these children have been with us since
babies and it’s really nice to see them leave us
having grown up so much and with the skills they
need to start them on the next step in their life
journey. Good luck to all of those
children, please come back and see
us in your school uniform!
Mobile phone: There are some times
when it is unavoidable that the day care
office is unmanned and the phone
cannot be answered. We have therefore
purchased a mobile phone that will be
turned on each day that we are open
from 7.45am to 6pm and will be with a
staff member at all times.
If you need to speak to us, please call
the main office number first: 01924
303290 (option 2 day care). You can
leave a message on the answer machine
and someone will get back to you as
soon as possible. However if your call is
urgent please call the mobile number
07948 419774.
Photographs: We have arranged for Fiona from Strawberry Shortcake Photography to come into
setting again on Thursday 29th October to take photos that will be ready in plenty of time for
Christmas. All children in setting on that day will have their photos taken and there will be limited
slots for you to bring children who do not normally attend on Thursdays.
Fiona came into setting last year and produced some really stunning pictures at a good price.
Please look out for a separate letter with further details closer to the time.
Resources required:
Staff in all age groups are busy rejuvenating
and developing the outdoor areas and are in
need of items that many of us have at home
and may not need. If you have any of the
following items that you would be willing to
donate to our (mud free) mud kitchens, den
building, sand and water areas etc. we would
really appreciate you bringing them in:
Children’s bags/ ruck sacks, brightly coloured
light weight fabric drapes (large pieces), long
garden canes, wooden bowls and utensils,
metal goblets, teapots and other vessels, free
standing wooden clothes horse (like your
Mum/Granny had) to make tents and dens.
Squash balls. Natural items like pine cones,
large pebbles and shells. 1-2” thick slices of
tree trunks/thick branches.
We are also collecting clean, empty cardboard
boxes etc. for junk box modelling and
containers from items such as shampoo,
creams, food items that we can use in our
various role play areas. All will be very
gratefully received. Thank you.
Naming clothing: It is a good idea to
clearly name all your child’s belongings in a
prominent place. We have recently had some
items of clothing taken home by the wrong
child and these have not always been
returned. Please check that you have not
taken an item by mistake.
Coat pegs in Buttons and Bows: we have
had the numbered coat peg system in place
for some time but some parents are not
using it. When placing your child’s
belongings on a peg, please place their coat
peg on the appropriate number on the board
above the pegs. This helps staff to know
which coats etc. belong to your child.
Building works:
There has been substantial disruption to access in
and around the building over the last few months,
most recently with the current works at the front of
the building for a new reception area. Hopefully this
will be completed within the next few weeks and we
would like to extend our thanks for your cooperation
and patience throughout the various works.
Funds raised for us, at no cost (and very little effort) to you:
mynametags is a company specialising in iron on and sticky name tags for clothing and accessories. I
(Marie) have used them for the last few years and can vouch for their quality and speed of delivery. They
can be found at www.mynametags.com. When ordering please quote our setting code 18439 and this
will raise up to £2 per purchase for day care.
When buying goods online, from your weekly supermarket shop to goods from high street stores, utilities,
insurance and holidays, there is a range of over 2700 retailers who will make a donation to us at no extra
cost to you. Simply register with easyfundraising.org.uk and nominate Crigglestone Day Care as your
chosen good cause. Then every time you make a purchase through the easyfundraising website the
retailer makes a percentage payment to us.
It’s easy… and every little helps us to provide additional resources for our children.
We plan to create Christmas tea towels and cards with the children again this year. Further information
will follow closer to the time.
Bank Holiday Closure: We will be closed for the bank holiday on Monday 31st August.