Head of School's message
This week, we have begun our Structured Stories programme, drawing inspiration from the Talk for Writing approach. Our first story is The Enormous Turnip!
​
We started with the immersion phase, where children have been listening to and exploring the story through play, discussion, and drama. As part of bringing the story to life, we made our own Turnip Soup and took part in a lively Tug of War to act out the word “heave”!
​
Next, we’ll move into the imitation phase, where children will begin to retell the story using actions and pictures to support their understanding. Finally, we’ll reach the innovation phase, where they’ll use their creativity to change and adapt parts of the story.
​
This process helps to develop children’s communication, language, and early literacy skills, while fostering a love of storytelling and imagination.
Dates coming up:
​Inset Day - Friday 24th October. Nursery is closed.
​
​​​​October Half Term - week commencing Monday 27th October. Nursery is closed and will reopen on Monday 3rd November.​
Reminders:
If your child/ren has packed lunch you do not need to send them in with any cutlery (forks or spoons). There is a pot of cutlery on each lunch table for your child/ren to independently help themselves to.
​
As we share our building with the NHS and the Family Centre, please remember that the foyer is reserved for visitors with appointments. We kindly ask parents and carers to wait outside or in their cars (no longer than 10 minutes) during morning drop-off times.
Thank you for your cooperation and for helping us keep the space safe and accessible for everyone.
​​​
Join our nursery's social media pages to stay connected.
​​​
Book & Rhyme of the week
​
Our next Structured Stories Book is "The Enormous Turnip" by Katie Daynes.
Next week the story will move into the imitation phase of Structured Stories, where children will focus on the story structure identifying the beginning, middle and end. This will involve activities such as retelling the story with actions, creating story maps and performing the text aloud. This phase is to provide a solid foundation through understanding and practising the language patterns and structure of the text.
​
Our key vocabulary of the text is "Budge", "Heave", "Enormous", "Supper", "Decide" and "Turnip". Please see below link to story;
Please see below a link to the story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPzeYRLQSwE
​
Next week's Rhyme of the week is 'Here we go round the Mulberry Bush'
​
This Rhyme will support the children's phonics skills by using Sound Patterns and will help to familiarise the children with routines.
​​​​​​
Language of the week
We are lucky to have a rich and diverse community with lots of different languages. Our language of the week is Spanish, which is spoken by a some of our children and their families.
​
Please find below links of how to say "Hello" and "Goodbye" in Spanish. Please practise with your child at home.
​
How to say hello in spanish Hola | How to pronounce | Learning Spanish
​​
Learning at home
What is your morning routine?
​
As your child is getting up and ready in a morning, what actions do they carry out and in which order? eg brushing teeth, getting dressed, eating breakfast, putting on your coat and shoes, leaving your home.
​
This will link in to the Rhyme next week of "Here we go round the Mulberry bush" where we will change the lyrics to explore morning routines.​
​​
​
Healthy me, Healthy world
At nursery, children are still developing their eating skills, so it’s important that all food sent in packed lunches is safe and suitable for little ones. Please remember to cut grapes, cherry tomatoes, and similar foods into quarters (lengthways) to reduce the risk of choking.
​
We also ask that foods such as sausages, carrots, or other firm items be cut into small, manageable pieces.
​
Thank you for helping us keep mealtimes safe and enjoyable for everyone.
Success story of the week
This week, the nursery children embarked on a cooking adventure inspired by their reading of "The Enormous Turnip".
They gathered around the table in the snack area to create their own version of turnip soup. Guided by their keyperson, they learned about turnips' texture and taste while learning skills such as washing, peeling, and combining ingredients.
Once the soup was cooked the moment arrived to taste their creation!
This hands-on experience not only reinforced their understanding of the story but also practised teamwork and healthy eating.
