Head of School's message
As part of our ongoing commitment to safeguarding our children and maintaining a calm, respectful environment for all, we would like to share a few important housekeeping reminders.
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We kindly ask that parents and carers do not wait in the foyer area and instead wait outside, as the foyer is a shared working space used throughout the day by staff and visitors.
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Please be mindful when parking on site and ensure that disabled parking bays are kept available for those who require them.
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Mobile phones should never be visible or in use while in the playground area. This supports our safeguarding procedures and helps protect the privacy and safety of all children.
Thank you for your continued support and cooperation in helping us maintain a safe and welcoming environment for everyone.
We are also very excited that our oldest children will be visiting the library next week. This is a wonderful opportunity to further develop their love of books and reading. Libraries are a wonderful resource with some much to offer to the local community.
Dates coming up:
Next week the children in Badger, Robin, Woodpecker and Butterfly groups will be visiting the local library. There will not be any catch up calls next week due to the library visits.
Monday 25th May to Friday 29th May (Nursery Closed) - May Half Term.
Parent/carer consultations will take place the first week back after half term, week beginning 1st June, further information to follow.
Monday 8th June Nursery will have a visit from Ark Farm.
Friday 19th June & Monday 22nd June (Nursery Closed) - Inset & Occasional Days.
Thursday 23rd July - 1pm finish for the Summer Holidays.
Friday 24th July to Tuesday 1st September (Nursery Closed) - Summer Holidays.
Reminders:
Your child/ren should have brought home a library membership form to apply for their own library card. If your child already has a library card, there is no need to complete another form. However, please ensure they bring their library card into Nursery on Monday 18th May so they can borrow a book during their visit. Thank you for your support.
Now that the weather is getting warmer - it is imperative that every child has sun lotion applied before their session. They must also have a sun hat (labelled with their name) with them every day - even if the day starts a little cloudy.
Join our nursery's social media pages to stay connected.
Book & Rhyme of the week
The next Structured Stories Book is "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak.
Next week the story will move into the innovation phase of our Structured Storytelling programme, where the children will make changes to the original story such as characters, settings, or events while maintaining the structure and style of the original text. This will involve activities such as creating story maps and expressing their unique ideas through language, both written and spoken. This phase is essential in fostering a love for storytelling and a deeper understanding of narrative structures.
Our key vocabulary of the text is "Mischief", "Wild", "Private", "Rumpus", "Gnash" and "Supper".
Please see below link to story;
Where The Wild Things Are — 🧌 Read aloud imaginative classic kids book (Caldecott Award Winner)
The Rhyme of the week for next week is "Hickory Dickory Dock."
This rhyme has a Maths focus on time.
Language of the week
We are lucky to have a rich and diverse community with lots of different languages. Do you speak Tagalog or Sinhala? Are you available next week on a Wednesday or Thursday? If your answer is YES, then we'd be delighted to have you reading a story in your home language to the children! They love a Secret Storyteller! We are flexible with the timing so please speak to us if you can come in another day/time.
Please look out for our next week's languages in the newsletter, it might be your home language next!
Learning at home
Spot Clocks Around the Home!
Look for clocks in your house or when out and about. Talk about the numbers and the moving hands. Ask questions such as:
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“What shape is the clock?”
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“Can you see any numbers?”
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“Which hand is moving?”
You can help children begin to understand time words by talking about:
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morning
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lunchtime
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afternoon
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bedtime
For example:
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“We eat breakfast in the morning.”
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“It is bedtime at night.”
Healthy me, Healthy world
As part of our Healthy Me, Healthy World focus on Sustainability, the children are learning how small actions can make a big difference to our planet.
Inspired by the book 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World, the children have been exploring how planting seeds and caring for plants can help the environment. They have learned that plants help to keep our air clean and healthy.
Utilising our wonderful outdoor space, the children have enjoyed planting in the nursery garden and exploring the Treehouse, taking responsibility for watering and caring for the seeds as they begin to grow.
Success story of the week
You may have already heard, but last week we had our very own ‘Wild Thing’ join us in the Nursery garden! Its arrival created lots of excitement and curiosity, with the children eagerly discussing where it may have come from.
Some children believed it had travelled from Where the Wild Things Are, whilst others thought it might be Jack’s cow that had been exchanged for some magic beans!
It was wonderful to see the children so engaged, excited, and making links between the stories and texts we have been reading together.
All absences must be reported to the school either by leaving an absence message or emailing admin@heathlane.herts.sch.uk.
We politely ask that if you plan to take your child out during school time, you notify the Nursery office. For appointments, we ask where possible that these are not during the school day. If this is not avoidable, please kindly share the relevant information for this appointment in order for us to be able to authorise this.
Regular attendance at Nursery is very important, as it helps children build the foundational knowledge and skills they will need as they move through school. Establishing good attendance habits now supports a smoother transition into primary school and helps ensure children develop positive routines that will benefit them throughout their educational journey. Thank you for your continued support in helping your child attend regularly and on time.
