Please click the following link to read our Summer Term newsletter.
May 2023
Dear Parents/Carers,
Welcome to the Summer term at Busy Bees. We hope the children will enjoy a fun filled term and are ready to undertake a wide variety of fun and educational activities.
As part of the EYFS we focus on seven main areas of learning, which are:-
Prime Areas
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Physical Development
- Communication and Language
Specific Areas
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
A useful website for parents/carers is ‘what to expect, when (EYFS )’ www.foundationyears.org.uk
If you would like to learn Jolly Phonics songs and join in with the actions with your child you can find them on You Tube (just type Jolly Phonics songs in the search bar).
Your Child’s Key Person
Each child is allocated a Key Person, this is the person who works closely with your child and monitors their development. It is vital that EVERY parent/carer is aware who their child’s Key Person is and that you have good communication with them. If you are unaware who your child’s Key Person is, please ask your child’s room leader to introduce you to them.
Tapestry
We actively aim to encourage parents/carers to be involved with their child’s progress, it is very important that we have strong links between home and school. As many of you may know we use ‘Tapestry’ as part of our way of recording the children’s developmental records. This has been very successful so far and we have received lots of positive feedback from both parents/carers and our staff. The benefits of using Tapestry include:
- Enables parents /carers to see photos and observations of your child’s learning and experiences
- Share your child’s at-home learning activities with us by putting comments on the ‘Parents Observations’ section
We also put lots of information on Tapestry regarding activities that are taking place within the classroom and nursery.
If you haven’t received your invitation to join Tapestry or have been unsuccessful in joining, please see your child’s key person who will be happy to ensure that you are signed up successfully.
Busy Bees website
If you haven’t looked on our website recently, please take a few minutes occasionally to check it out as we have lots information relating to your child’s class and events taking place within the nursery.
You can see a full list of our team and the classes they work in under the ‘Staff’ section on our website www.busybees-nurseryschool.co.uk
If you have a Facebook account, it is advisable to follow us as we regularly put updates on our page relating to activities and events that are taking place within the nursery.
Healthy Snacks – NO NUTS OR PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN TRACES OF NUTS
As you are aware, each child is required to bring in their own healthy snack each session. May we please stress the emphasis on ‘HEALTHY’
Items for a healthy snack could include:-
PLEASE ENSURE ALL GRAPES ARE CUT IN HALF LENGTH WAYS
- Raisins
- Cereal bars
- Yoghurts
- Crackers etc
Please ensure all snacks are clearly named
Lunches – NO NUTS OR PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN TRACES OF NUTS
If your child stays over the lunchtime period, could we please ask that you also provide a healthy lunch.
Events taking place in the coming months
Parent Consultations
As you will be aware, we have recently held parent/carer consultations. The nursery staff have said how much they enjoyed having the opportunity to speak with you face to face. If you were not able to attend a meeting, but would like to schedule an appointment, or would like to arrange a telephone call, please speak to your child’s Key Person or Room Leader who will be happy to schedule a mutually convenient day/time.
June – Class (whole group) photographs
If your child is not booked in on the day of their class photo, you may bring them in and stay with them whilst they have their picture taken.
Monday 12th June – The Butterfly class – pictures will be taken at 9.30am and 1.30pm
Tuesday 13th June – The Ladybird class – pictures will be taken at 9.30am and 1.30pm
Wednesday 14th June – The Little Chicks class – pictures will be taken at 9.30am and 2.15pm
Thursday 15th June – The Robins class – pictures will be taken at 9.30am and 2.15pm
Friday 16th June – The Bumble Bees class – pictures will be taken at 9.30am and 1.30pm
Little Chicks Teddy Bears Picnic (weather permitting)Thursday 13th July – 11.00am – 12.00noon
PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN FOOD AND BLANKET
Parents/carers of children from the Little Chicks class are invited to join their child and teachers for a picnic on the Busy Bees sports field
July – Presentation days (weather permitting)
PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN FOOD AND BLANKET
Monday 17th July – Ladybirds- 11.00am – 12.30pm
Tuesday 18th July – Robins – 11.00am – 12.30pm
Wednesday 19th July – Butterflies – 11.00am – 12.30pm
Thursday 20th July – Bumble Bees – 11.00am – 12.30pm
Saturday 29th July – Open/ Admissions Day 10.30am – 4.00pm
All parents/carers and visitors are welcome to come in to have a look around and meet the staff and register their child for the new term in September.
Busy Bees items for sale
Children’s Busy Bees T- shirts – £6.00 each
Children’s Busy Bees sweat shirts – £10.00 each
Busy Bees book bags – £5.00 each
Swimming hats – £5.50 each
Swimming bags – £3.00 each
If you would like to purchase any of these items please see your child’s room leader who will be happy to help you.
Can we please ask that ALL items of clothing that your child is likely to remove throughout the day are CLEARLY labelled with your child’s name. These include items such as:
hats, gloves, scarves, coats, cardigans, sweaters, in and outdoor shoes, bags etc.
If your child takes swimming lessons during their time at Busy Bees please also ensure all items of clothing and swimwear are clearly labelled.
Unfortunately we do not have enough room to store items such as wellington boots/indoor shoes/back packs etc, could we please ask that you take your child’s belongings home with you at the end of each session.
Sunscreen, sunhats and water bottles
Hopefully the weather will start warming up soon!, when it does, could you please ensure that your child brings a sunhat to school each session and that you apply a factor 50, waterproof sunscreen to your child prior to them coming to school each session. If your child attends for a full day, could you please provide a bottle of sunscreen which must be kept at school. We will then reapply sunscreen prior to your child going out after lunchtime. Each parent should have signed a ‘Parental Sunscreen Disclaimer’ form, please ensure yours is up to date. Please also ensure that you send your child to school with a water bottle each session and that you take it home again at the end of the session/day. Please note, the children’s water bottles must only contain water and NOT juice. Please ensure ALL items are CLEARLY named
Suitable Footwear
Could we please ask that your child wears closed toed shoes to school, (both in and outdoors). Sandals/ crocs/ open toed shoes are not permitted.
Grant and non grant periods for the rest of 2023 are as follows:
The new grant summer term began on Monday 17th April – Friday 26th May
We are unable to use the grant on Monday 1st May and Monday 8th May due to them being Bank Holidays.
CLOSED – Monday 29th May
Non grant period from Tuesday 30th May – Friday 2nd June (4 days)
Grant will re-start on Monday 5th June – Friday 21stJuly
Grant make up day – for day missed on Monday 1st May will be Monday 31st July
Grant make up day – for day missed on Monday 8th May will be Tuesday 1st August
Non grant period from Monday 24th July – Friday 1stSeptember
Grant will re- start on Monday 4th September – Friday 20th October
Non grant period from Monday 23rd October – Friday 27th October
Grant will re-start on Monday 30th October – Friday 15th December
Non grant period from Monday 18th December – Friday 22nd December
CLOSED – Monday 25th December – Friday 29th December (1 WEEK)
We would like to welcome Samantha Melia (Sam) to our administration team. Sam has a wealth of experience in admin and finance, and we very much look forward to her becoming part of the Busy Bees team.
Kirsty’s office hours are: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 8.00am – 6.00pm
Sam’s office hours are: Thursday and Friday 10.00am – 3.00pm
You can reach both Kirsty and Sam on Kirsty’s email address which is [email protected]
Spare clothes
We often run out of spare clothes such as underwear, socks, trousers, leggings etc. If you have any spare which you could donate to us, they would be greatly appreciated.
If your child borrows any clothes from Busy Bees, could we please ask that you return them A.S.A.P once they have been washed.
Extracurricular activities
Swimming Lessons
Swimming lessons take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays each week – Cost – £7.00 per lesson.
We are happy for you to come in and watch your child swim, please see your child’s room leader for further information regarding this.
Forest School
Each class has the opportunity to spend a morning and an afternoon session throughout the week at our onsite Forest School. Our Forest School sessions are led by Miss Naomi. During the session the children will play games, are able to explore their natural environment. Naomi plans various focussed activities with specific learning outcomes. The children have snacks, they listen to stories and rhymes and become confident and familiar with the outdoor environment and the various weather conditions throughout the changing seasons. During wet/muddy days could we please ask that you provide an all in one waterproof rain suit (clearly named). If you would like to come in and help with a forest school session, please speak to your child’s room leader who will be happy to arrange this with you.
Busy Bees car park
During peak pick up and drop off periods- 8.50am – 9.45am. 11.15am – 1.15pm and 3.00pm – 3.50pm the Busy Bees car park is only to be used for parents who have younger siblings to bring in with them or for parents/carers whose vehicle carries a disability badge. All other parents/carers please use the large car park next to the church. If you do use the Busy Bees car park please do not park there for long periods of time.
Could we please ask that you do not park on the pavements outside the nursery as it makes it very difficult for people to get past with pushchairs and obstructs the view of people coming out of the driveway. It is also against the law to park on pavements!!!
CAN WE PLEASE REMIND YOU NOT TO LEAVE VALUABLES UNACCOMPANIED IN YOUR CAR AT ANYTIME
We would like to mention a few safety points relating to the well-being of your children
1 – If you wish for your child to go home with anyone else, please fill in a ‘parental permission form’ which can be obtained from either your child’s classroom or Sharon in the office. The nominated person must have a valid I.D
2 – Please ensure that gates are closed securely behind you at ALL times when entering and leaving the premises.
3 – Please do not allow your child to run ahead of you whilst leaving the premises (especially in the car park).
4 – Please do not leave children unattended in cars in the Busy Bees car park. It goes without saying that the possible consequences could be serious.
5 – It is vitally important that you update your contact details every time they change so that we have good communication in emergency situations. Please ensure you ask your child’s room leader for a change of information form whenever your details change.
6 – For safety reasons, please DO NOT allow your child/ren to use the climbing frame and play equipment in the front play area. This equipment is only to be used during session time, with Busy Bees staff monitoring the children.
7 – Due to several children attending who have nut allergies, could we please ask that you carefully check your child does not bring any nuts or food with nut traces to school with them. Could you also please ensure that if they have eaten nuts prior to them coming to school, you wash their hands and face thoroughly before bringing them into the classroom.
Our sickness policy
Please do not send your child to school if they are unwell as it puts other group members at risk of catching an infection. If your child is not well enough to participate in their daily activities they should not attend school that day. If a child has had diarrhoea or sickness please do not send them to school for 48 hours since their last attack /symptom. Please contact us via telephone or email if your child is absent due to being unwell, so that we are aware of any illnesses going around. (Please refer to our Sickness Policy on our website for further information on illnesses).
Policies
We have many of our policies on our website, along with a full list of all of our policies. If the policy you require is not displayed on our website please ask a member of staff who will be happy to provide you with a copy.
SENDco information
Lorna Barker is our SENDco (Special Educational Needs + Disability Co-ordinator) Lucie Craigen is our Deputy SENDco. If you have any concerns relating to your child please speak to either Lorna or Lucie.
Attached to this newsletter, you will find a list of Local Support Groups that you may find useful for advice or support. If you, or members within your family need support with issues relating to poverty, bereavement or mental health, to name a few, or there are any other struggles you are facing, please contact a member of the management team or speak with your child’s key person or room leader (whoever you feel most comfortable talking to) who will signpost you to hopefully getting the help and support you need.
With best wishes
Lorna Barker Rachel Davies
Nursery Manager Operations Manager
“Our setting is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of
children, young people and adults at all times and expects everybody
working within this setting to share this commitment “
ues relating to poverty, bereavement or mental health, to name a few, or there are any other struggles you are facing, please contact a member of the management team or speak with your child’s key person or room leader (whoever you feel most comfortable talking to) who will signpost you to hopefully getting the help and support you need.
With best wishes
Lorna Barker, Nursery Manager – Rachel Davies, Operations Manager
“Our setting is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of
children, young people and adults at all times and expects everybody
working within this setting to share this commitment “