Head of School's message
As we come to the end of another wonderful term, I would like to thank all our children, families, and staff for being such an important part of our nursery community.
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This term, we have continued to place our core values at the heart of everything we do. Ensuring that every child feels safe, valued, and cared for remains our highest priority. We have been so proud to see the children grow in confidence, trying new experiences, expressing themselves, and developing independence each day. Through daily interactions, they have also shown great respect for one another, for our staff, and for their environment.
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These early foundations are essential, and it has been a joy to watch the children flourish in such a positive and nurturing setting.
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As the festive season approaches, we wish you all a time filled with happiness, rest, and special moments with family and friends. Thank you for your continued support and partnership — we look forward to welcoming everyone back in the new term (including some new faces).
Dates coming up:
​Monday 5th January - Stay and Play 1.30pm to 3pm, all families welcome.​
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Tuesday 6th January - Nursery open.​​​​
Reminders:
​The deadline for on-time Primary School Applications is 15 January 2026.
​​​Join our nursery's social media pages to stay connected.
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Book & Rhyme of the week
The next Structured Stories Book is "Lubna and Pebble" by Wendy Meddour.
We will start with the immersion phase of Structured Storytelling, where the children will explore the story through various engaging activities. They will learn about prepositions through participating in physical activities outside. This phase is crucial when developing understanding and language.
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Our key vocabulary of the text is "pebble", "clutch", "flap", "underneath", "beam" and "tight". Please see below link to story;
Please see below a link to the story
The Rhyme of the week when we return in the New Year is going to be "When you're happy and you know it".
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This Rhyme had a focus on phonics and body percussion.
Language of the week
We are lucky to have a rich and diverse community with lots of different languages. Our language of the week when we come back in January will be Shona, which is spoken by some of our children and their families.
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Please find below links of how to say "Hello" and "Goodbye" in Shona. You can practise with your child/ren at home.
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How to say Hello in Shona | Speak Shona Podcast Episode 1
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How to say Goodbye in Shona - Podcast Episode 2 | Speak Shona​​
Learning at home
After the Christmas Holidays we will be linking our new Structured Story to the different places that we live in.
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Please could you take a picture of the building that you live in and email it to admin@heathlane.herts.sch.uk.
Healthy me, Healthy world
The Child Accident Prevention Trust reminds families that Christmas can bring extra hazards for young children, but a few simple precautions can make a big difference. These include choosing age-appropriate toys, being especially careful with button batteries, candles and decorations, keeping hot drinks and cooking activities out of children’s reach, and making sure medicines and cleaning products are safely stored when visiting others. Thoughtful supervision and small safety checks can help everyone enjoy a happy and safe festive season.
Read more here: https://capt.org.uk/6-simple-safety-tips-to-keep-children-safe-this-christmas/
Success story of the week
Winter Lights Festival ✨
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It was wonderful to see so many of our families join us for the Winter Lights Festival last Thursday. The children (and adults!) enjoyed a range of activities, including making clay diya lamps, creating colourful paper lanterns and learning about different festivals and traditions.
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A real highlight was watching the children confidently perform their songs, “When Santa Got Stuck Up the Chimney” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” They should all feel very proud of themselves.
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There was plenty of festive fun decorating biscuits and, of course, the chance to warm up with a hot chocolate.
Thank you for being such an important part of our Heath Lane community and for helping us make these moments so special for the children.
