Head of School's Message
At Heath Lane, our values of Safe, Confident and Respectful are at the heart of everything we do. They are not simply words displayed around our nursery; they are reflected in the everyday interactions, decisions and experiences that shape our children's lives.
Being Safe means creating an environment where every child feels secure, cared for and able to explore with confidence. It is about knowing our children, understanding their individual needs and ensuring they feel safe enough to take risks, make mistakes and try something new.
Being Confident means nurturing independence, celebrating achievements and giving children the encouragement and opportunities to believe in themselves. Whether it is having a go at something for the first time, expressing an opinion, solving a problem or developing a new skill, we want every child to recognise what they are capable of.
Being Respectful means valuing every child, family and member of our community. We listen to children's voices, celebrate our differences and teach children that their ideas, feelings and contributions matter. We model kindness, empathy and consideration in the way we speak to one another and care for our environment.
Our values are brought to life through the small moments that happen every day: an adult taking time to listen, a child helping a friend, someone persevering with a challenge or a group working together to solve a problem.
As a team, we have a shared responsibility to model these values consistently. Children learn as much from what we do as from what we say.
We are seen. We are heard. We belong.
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Dates coming up:
Week commencing 19th October -
There will not be any catch up calls this week.
The School Photographer is coming in on Wednesday 21st October to take individual children's photographs - if your child doesn't normally attend on a Wednesday please let the office know.
Friday 23rd October - Inset Day - Nursery is closed.
Week commencing Monday 26th October - October Half Term - Nursery is closed and will reopen on Monday 2nd November.
Parent/Carer consultations will take place after the October Half Term - there will not be any catch up calls that week.
Reminders:
Please ensure that all of your child's items are clearly labelled with their name.
Join our nursery's social media pages to stay connected
Book & Rhyme of the week
The 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 "Enormous", "Supper", "Decide", "Heave", "Budge" and "Turnip".
Please see below link to story; The Enormous Turnip - Kids Books Read Aloud
Next week's Rhyme of the week is "Baa Baa Black Sheep".
This rhyme has a focus on maths and numbers 1 to 5.
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 Nepali, which is spoken by some of our children and their families.
Please find below links of how to say "Hello" and "Goodbye" in Nepali. You can practise with your child/ren at home.
how to say hi in nepali - Google Search
Learning At Home
This week, the children have been developing their scissor skills, learning how to hold and use scissors safely as they strengthen the little muscles in their hands and fingers. These skills are important for developing control and coordination, which will support their early writing journey.
Your challenge: Create a Snipping Collage!
At home, invite your child to become a little artist! Using child-safe scissors, provide some scrap paper, old magazines or coloured paper for them to snip into pieces. Encourage your child to cut along lines, snip fringe-like edges or simply explore making their own snips. They can then stick their pieces onto paper to create a colourful collage, a funny monster or a beautiful garden!
How can you support your child?
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Encourage them to hold the scissors correctly and use them safely, with a grown-up nearby at all times.
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Start with short snips and progress to cutting along simple, thick lines if your child is ready.
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Talk about what they are doing, using words such as snip, cut, open, close, straight and curved.
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Most importantly, celebrate their efforts and let them explore at their own pace!
Remember: It is all about the process, not the finished product. Every little snip helps your child build confidence, coordination and independence!
Healthy Me, Healthy World
This half term, our Healthy Me, Healthy World theme focuses on healthy eating. Through stories, play and everyday conversations, we are encouraging children to explore different foods, develop positive attitudes towards eating and begin to understand the importance of making healthy choices. We know that learning is most meaningful when it is shared, so if you are looking for simple and fun ways to continue these conversations at home, the BBC's CBeebies Parenting website has some fantastic ideas, activities and practical advice for families with young children. The activities are easy to incorporate into everyday routines and provide lovely opportunities to talk, explore and learn together through food.
Find out more: CBeebies Parenting - Tips and Advice for Mealtime with babies and toddlers
Success Story of the Week
This has to be our wonderful re-enactment of our Structured Story, The Enormous Turnip!
As part of the immersion phase of our Literacy approach, the children have been exploring a range of exciting, hands-on learning opportunities designed to deepen their understanding of the story, its characters and key vocabulary. The week began with a fantastic staff performance, as our talented and enthusiastic practitioners brought the story to life! The children were absolutely engrossed and have barely stopped talking about the story ever since. It has been wonderful to hear them recalling the characters, retelling events and confidently using new vocabulary such as heaved, turnip, enormous, budge, decide and supper.
The learning continued throughout the week, with the children following a recipe to make their very own turnip soup, engaging in a lively tug-of-war to experience the effort needed to pull up an enormous turnip, and setting the table ready for supper. Each experience has provided meaningful opportunities for the children to connect with the story, develop their language and communication skills, and bring their learning to life through play.
These rich, shared experiences are an important part of nurturing a love of stories and helping our children to become readers for life. By immersing themselves in stories, exploring new vocabulary and creating their own memorable experiences, the children are building the foundations for a lifelong love of reading.
What a fantastic week of storytelling, laughter and learning!
All absences must be reported daily either by leaving an absence voice 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.
