POSTED > 18.09.2018
Dear Parents
 
Welcome to the start of a new school year and a special welcome to those of you who are starting playschool for the first time.  We all hope your child will enjoy their time with us and have lots of fun along the way.
 
On behalf of all the staff I would like to say a very BIG thank you to everyone for their kind words, generosity and all the lovely gifts we received at the end of the summer term.
 
Please feel free to stay and settle your child and always say good-bye before you leave.  As well as settling in the children, if any existing parents see any ‘new parents’ looking a bit lost as to where to go or what to do, please point them in the right direction.
 
The children have been allocated a key person who will work closely with you and your child and answer any of your questions or concerns.  In some cases there may be a change to your child’s key person due to session changes and/or staff work patterns, in which case you will be notified accordingly.
 
Should you have any concerns about your child’s speech or any other areas of development, please discuss this with Louisa, our Additional Needs Co-Ordinator.  We are able to liaise with other agencies for extra support and also work alongside agencies already involved with your child thus giving your child continuity throughout their development.
 
To encourage all our children with language development we will focus on learning nursery rhymes with the aid of props to help engage the children and children with English as an additional language.  The repetitiveness of these rhymes will assist all the children.  The words to some of our regularly sung nursery rhymes can be found on our website. (www.hamblevillageplayschool.org.uk). 
 
During the first half of this term we will be concentrating on settling in the new children and children returning from the summer break, reinforcing playschool rules and building friendships.  We will be creating All About Me booklets, looking at Harvest Festival and associated occupations; farmer, baker and greengrocer.  During this time we will offer the children a selection of different fruits, vegetables and breads to try, and involve the children in making vegetable soup.  We will end the term with planting bulbs ready for the Spring and taking the children for walks around the village.
 
W/c:  03.09.18   Settling in:  Pre-school rules and routines. 
W/c:  10.09.18   Settling in:  Pre-school rules and routines. 
W/c:  17.09.18   All About Me booklets.
W/c:  24.09.18   All About Me booklets.
W/c:  01.10.18   Harvest.  Occupations.
W/c:  08.10.18   Spring flower bulb planting.  Nature walk – Copse.  Mini beasts.
W/c:  15.10.18   Our village.  Happy village. 
 
Tapestry (On-line Learning Journal):
Please activate your Tapestry account on receipt of the link.  If you experience any problems please see me and I will re-send out a link.
 
Amazing Achievement Slip:
Amazing Achievement slips are available in playschool.  Please complete a slip to enable you to share with us anything your child does outside of playschool such as, riding a bike without stabilizers, sporting achievement, family outing, being kind, sharing; the list is endless.  The children are very proud when we share their achievement to the rest of the group.
 
Free Craft:
Junk modelling is always available to the children.  Please send in cardboard kitchen towel rolls (no toilet rolls or egg boxes please) and any small boxes/pots/containers/milk bottle tops.  Please ensure that all containers are thoroughly washed.
 
Lunch Club:
Please ensure that all lunch is supplied in a container/lunch box clearly named (ideally on the outside) and not loose in a rucksack.  When preparing the lunch box please be mindful of children with allergies, ie no nuts, eggs or kiwi fruit.  Children will be reminded that their lunch box is their own and not to be shared.  The children have approx. 20 mins to eat lunch, so ideally a selection of sandwich/wrap, yoghurt, fruit, cheese, crisps will suffice.  Uneaten food will be returned home to enable you to gauge what your child has eaten.
 
Wet Weather Gear:
When the weather begins to get colder, please ensure that your child arrives at playschool with a named long sleeved coat.  We have waterproof ponchos to go over the children’s coats to enable them to explore outside in the rain.  Please remember to bring in NAMED wellies if it is raining and if possible leave the wellies with us. 
 
Snack:
Please remember to bring in a piece of fruit / vegetable sticks for the children to share at snack time.
 
Facebook:
Don’t forget pre-school has two fb pages.  One ‘HVP Parents’ is a closed group which you have to ask to join and is only open to current parents, the other page is open, but will not include any photos posted by pre-school.  Information, updates, events and reminders are often placed on these pages, so please take the time to have a look.
 
Playschool Committee:
We have a voluntary committee made up of parents, without which playschool could not legally open.  We are always looking for new parents to come on board to support the pre-school.  No experience is required, just a passion for working towards the best possible outcome for Hamble Village Playschool.  As a committee member you will be involved with important decisions involving finances, recruitment, legislation, fundraising, staffing.
 
Parent Noticeboard:
Above the children’s coat hooks is the parent noticeboard.  You will find latest information on 30 hour funding, tax credits, Ofsted, past newsletters.  There is also the parent rota form which you can fill in if you wish to spend a session in pre-school with your child.  All we ask is that you wait until your child has settled at pre-school and not to fill in a session that already has been booked.  Please speak to Julie or Louisa for more information.
 
Diary Dates:
Half Term Week:                     Monday 22 October to Friday 26 October 2018
End of Term:                           Thursday 13 December 2018
Christmas Party*:                    Friday 14 December 2018 - 0900 to 1200
                        *All playschool children invited – no afternoon session
Spring Term begins:                Monday 7 January 2019
 
Inset Days:
Throughout the year we have to close pre-school to hold 5 inset days for staff training.  Where possible we try to minimise the inconvenience by holding them during the holidays.  Therefore, the only inset day which could affect you will be Tuesday 23 April 2019.  Pre-school will be closed on this day.
                         
Playschool Contact Numbers:
If you need to contact playschool please telephone on:
            07708 426134             During sessions
07903 388568             Out of sessions
 
Kind Regards
for HAMBLE VILLAGE PLAYSCHOOL
 
 
 
 
Julie Ash
Manager