2013

Blog update – Friday 4^th January:

Happy New Year:

Clover Court Nursery and Pre-school would like to wish all of our parents/carers a very Happy New Year!

Calendar of Events:

Hopefully you should all have received a copy of our Calendar of Events for 2013 via e-mail. If you would like a paper copy, then please ask we have plenty printed off. Here are a few dates for your diaries:

·        January 18^th (Friday) World Religion Day

·        February 12^th (Tuesday) Pancake Day

·        February 14^th (Thursday) Valentine’s Day Crafts

·        March 8^th (Friday) Mother’s Day Crafts

·        March 15^th (Friday) Red Nose Day

·        March 18^th (Monday) St. Patrick’s Day

·        March 25^th (W/c) Easter Celebrations

Open Evening:

We have organised an Open Evening for Tuesday 29^th January. The evening will allow you to meet with your child’s Key Person; share their Learning Journals and have an input I their Next Steps for learning and development.

Please speak to your child’s Key Person to arrange a time slot.

Please ensure that you have completed the Shared Input Forms and returned them to your child’s Key Person prior to the Open Evening.

ICT Resources:

We are currently focusing on building up our ICT resources for the learning and development area of Understanding the World.

Could we please ask parents to have a look at home and at work for any old, disused ICT equipment, such as; cameras, phones, keyboards etc.

 

Louise and the team at Clover Court.

Christmas 2012

Blog update Friday 7^th December

Christmas Concert:

We are all very much looking forward to our Christmas concerts next week. The children have enjoyed practising the songs and rehearsing ready to perform in front of their parents.

We are asking parents to dress their children up (or bring something in to be changed into) in anything related to the festive period, whether you choose to just focus on the colours of Christmas, it’s completely up to you!

If you are unsure which day your child is participating in the concert, please ask a member of staff. The concert will start at 2.30 on each afternoon, and you’ll be invited to stay for mince pies and mulled wine once the concert has finished.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Christmas Menu:

Monday 17^th:
Lunch: Christmas Dinner – Roast Turkey, roast potatoes and vegetables
Pudding: Ice cream and red berry sauce

Tuesday 18^th:

Lunch: Vegetable curry and rice

Dinner: Fromage frais

Wednesday 19^th:

Lunch: Festive lattice, potatoes and vegetables

Pudding: Rice pudding

Thursday 20^th:

Lunch: Spaghetti Bolognese
Pudding: bananas and custard

Friday 21^st:

Lunch: Fish cakes, potatoes and peas
Pudding: Butterscotch tart

Christmas activities update:

On Thursday the 13^th December, we had originally booked Magic Marty, but we have now decided to book a different entertainer instead. The Purple Teapot Puppet Company will be visiting us;

‘The Purple Teapot Puppet Company specialises in providing customised shows for children between the ages 2 to 8 and incorporates songs, music, magic and of course, puppets.’

Pre-school Painting:

As some of you may have noticed, pre-school’s ‘Oak Room’ has now been decorated with a fresh coat of paint. We have chosen a neutral blend of colours with regards to the paint, and are working on new displays and visual stimulation to provide an element of vibrancy. We are hoping to also have our ‘Willow Room’ decorated at the beginning of next year.

Cold Weather:

As we have been experiencing some colder weather spells recently, could we please remind parents/carers to make sure that their children bring labelled hats, scarves and gloves etc with them as we still like to provide the children with the option of accessing our outdoor learning environments as part of our free-flow provision.

Staff news

Some of you may know Taylor who has worked for us here at Clover Court to cover staff holidays for a while. Taylor has decided to become a more permanent member of staff within Clover Court and will now be taking over Jo key group within Nursery. Taylor will be introducing herself over the next few weeks please don’t be shy come and say hello.

You may remember Karon who worked in the baby suite; she went on maternity leave last year sadly she will not be returning to Clover Court so we hope you join us in wishing her all the best for the future.

Christmas Events

We have some wonderful events for the children to participate in December and you should have received a Christmas schedule if you have not yet received one please speak to a member of staff to obtain one.

Christmas Opening times

Christmas Eve: Closing at 1600

Closed 25^th December until the 1^st January 2013

We will re-open on the 2^nd January at 0700 am

Ofsted

We recently had our Ofsted inspection which was based on the new statutory framework which was implemented Sep 2012. We are proud to inform you the overall inspection was Good based on the following findings:

. Good relationships exist with parents and their effective ways of seeking their views about their children’s care and the sharing of ideas and activities to promote children’s learning

Children’s creativity is fully enhanced throughout the nursery as the staff provides good opportunities for them to explore different media both indoors and outdoors.

There is strong leadership and management team who provide a clear vision for the future development of the setting. Staffs are well supported and monitored to ensure that good standards are maintained.

Staff has a secure knowledge and understanding of the early Years Foundation Stage and help children to make good progress in their learning. All staff recognises the importance of working with children’s interests and developing individualised planning.

If you would like a copy of the report please ask a member of staff.

                                      Louise and the Clover Court Team

Clover Court Blog Update – Friday 2^nd November 2012:

Announcements:

We are all very pleased to announce that Amandeep gave birth to a gorgeous, healthy, baby girl on Saturday 27^th October, weighing 5lbs. Amandeep and her partner are yet to decide on a name for her.

Head lice:

We have identified a few cases of head lice within the setting. If you notice that your child has head lice, please follow the advice stated below:

·         Hair should be combed through thoroughly when wet using a specifically designed head lice comb.

·         Use medicated lotions (only if you have spotted a live louse within your child’s hair).

To minimise the risk of your child developing an infestation:

·         Hair should be combed through thoroughly on a weekly basis using a head lice comb.

·         Long hair should be tied back.

Children in Need:

On Friday 16^th November, Clover Court will be supporting Children in Need by holding a ‘Spotty Day’. We will all be dressing up in spotty clothing and participating in associated activities. Please look out for our Children in Need posters for more details.

Christmas Celebrations:

We are currently compiling our Christmas Celebration schedule which includes:

·         Clover Court Christmas Concert – Monday 10^th, Tuesday 11^th and Wednesday 12^th – letters will be issued to confirm which date your child will be participating in the concert. Parents/carers will be encouraged to come along and support their child/children in the concert.

·         Magic Marty – Friday 14^th (time to be confirmed).

·         Santa’s Grotto – Tuesday 18^th

Please look out for our two week Christmas schedule for further details.

Parents Evening:

We have planned our next Parent’s Evening for Tuesday 29^th January.

This evening will provide you with an opportunity to get together with your child’s Key Person; share their Learning Journal, discuss progress and have an input into their ‘next steps’ for learning and development for the Spring Term.

 

Kelly - Deputy Manager and the Clover Court Team

Staff update

Staff news

As from the 5^th November, Jo T from the nursery room will be joining the preschool team. This will be a wonderful transition for all the children transferring from nursery to preschool to see a familiar face. Jo worked with the preschool age group a few years ago and is looking forward to implementing some new ideas.

Some more exciting news… Sam K of the nursery room is expecting her first baby in April 2013, here at Clover Court pregnancy seems to come in 2’s so watch this space…

You may remember Stacey F from preschool; she went on maternity leave last year; sadly she will not be returning to Clover Court so we hope you join us in wishing her all the best for the future.

Lost Property

Missing Items:

Dark red cardigan with frilly bits on sleeves and trim – back to school range

Purple gap leggings - 18 to 24 months

If you find these items please return to a member of staff

 

Louise and the Clover Court Team

Food for Thought..... ???

Child’s Play

Oh, what a busy morning

 

I’ve been playing with the dough and with a little help upon a card, I learned to sew.

 I helped my friend “Nurse Sarah” to perform an operation,

Then fixed the track together for my train and built a station. I popped inside the Wendy house to make a cup of tea, and i stood by the cooker making lunch for twenty- three!

I completed three whole jigsaws

I played a new board game. I had a turn on all the bikes, the slide and the climbing frame.

I handed around the biscuits at milk and biscuit time, then listened to the story and sang a nursery rhyme.

But now the mornings over and the mummies are all waiting,

I hope my mummy doesn’t say –

“I wish you had done a painting” 

Blog update w/c 1^st October:

Jeans for Genes Day – Friday 5^th October:

On Friday 5^th October Clover Court Nursery and Pre-school will be celebrating Jeans for Genes day. Please dress your child in jeans/denim clothing if you would like them to participate in the event. We will be collecting donations for the Jeans for Genes charity; £1 per child. All practitioners will be joining in by wearing jeans and Jeans for Genes day t-shirts and will be donating £2 each.

Planned activities include:

·         Making a denim dolly

·         Making a denim collage

If you have any old/spare jeans/denim material, please could you bring them in as we require it for our planned activities.

Halloween Celebrations – Wednesday 31^st October:

On Wednesday 31^st October Clover Court Nursery and Pre-school will be celebrating Halloween. We will all be dressing up in fancy dress Halloween themed costumes.

Planned activities include:

·         Face Painting

·         Making and decorating Halloween themed biscuits

·         Fancy dress competition

·         Designing decorations

·         Pumpkin carving

If you would like to book your child in for any extra sessions please speak to Louise or Kelly.

Louise and the team at Clover Court