End of Term

Well tomorrow is the last day of term, and what a busy term it has been!  All our new starters have settled in brilliantly, Ofsted paid us a visit and gave us a GOOD rating, we had a fantastic Christmas concert yesterday and a fabulous party today!

And Santa popped by!!

Party time

Big thank you to all the staff and committee who help make pre-school a fun, stimulating and enjoyable place to be.  On behalf of all the team we would like to wish all the children, parents and friends of pre-school a very merry Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year xx

Christmas Party

Well today saw a very successful Christmas concert, all the children did really well.

And tomorrow is our Christmas Party, from 9.30am - 11.30am at Springfield Hall (next door to pre-school, enter off the main road).  There will be Santa, games and food!

Parents are reminded that they will need to take coats home with them for the duration of the party as we have no storage space - thank you.

For those children staying for the afternoon session we will be able to take your child's coat & bag and will ensure that snack during the afternoon is a little earlier than normal and be more substantial to allow for lunch being earlier than normal.

Any questions please contact Jayne.

Christmas Concert

Wednesday 19th December is the day for our annual Christmas concert.  A chance for the children to show off their singing talents in a festive atmosphere!

Just to clarify the arrangements for Wednesday 19th December -

Morning session - 9.15am - 11.45am open as normal

Lunch Club - CANCELLED

12.30pm - children taking part in the concert to be at pre-school, time for getting into costumes and last minute prep!!

1.00pm - Doors open to parents and concert begins.

We estimate that the concert should last no more than 20 minutes in total.  There will be light refreshments available afterwards.

We look forward to seeing lots of you there.

Last Week of Term

Next week, 17th December, is our last week of term and we have a number of events and changes to our normal routine, so just to clarify...

Monday 17th December - Open as normal for morning, lunch club and afternoon
Tuesday 18th December - Open as normal for morning, lunch club and afternoon
Wednesday 19th December - Morning session only - NO LUNCH CLUB
Wednesday 19th December - 1.00pm Christmas Concert (children to be at pre-school for 12.30pm, to allow for costumes etc)
Thursday 20th December - 9.30am - 11.30am Christmas Party at Springfield Hall
Thursday 20th December - NO LUNCH CLUB
Thursday 20th December - Afternoon session as normal
Friday 21st December - Open as normal for morning, lunch club and afternoon

We then close for Christmas and re-open on Tuesday 8th January.

If anyone has any questions around next weeks events please speak to Jayne - thank you!

For Sale...Christmas Decorations

We have a number of Christmas decorations for sale;

Silver Stars - 50p ber box
Silver Baubles - £1 per set of 6
Black & Gold Santa Boot hanging decorations - 50p per box
Glitter Baubles - 50p per box
Baubles & Beads (coloured sets) - £2 per box
Gift Bags - 30p each or 4 for £1

All proceeds go direct to pre-school, please see any staff for details.

Important Notice for Parents

Please be informed that late yesterday a group of travellers took up residency on the council car park adjacent to pre-school.

This means that there is significantly less parking available in the car park and would suggest that parents either park on the street (being as courteous as possible to local residents) or use the Lidl car park over the road.

We will endeavour to operate as normal, although careful consideration will be given to our outdoor play activities and if and when that occurs.  Please rest assured that your children's safety is paramount to pre-school at all times.

We have contacted the council and as far as we understand it is up to the local council (Erewash Borough Council) to handle the matter.  We would recommend that any parent who is concerned about the situation to make contact with the council themselves.

Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

Jayne

Ofsted Inspection

On Tuesday 13th November we were visited by Ofsted for our Early Years Inspection.

We are pleased to announce that we have been awarded a 'GOOD' grading and are very pleased with the report that has been produced which highlighted;

• Children feel safe and secure within the setting because they operate a good organised key person system, which also helps children to form secure attachments and promotes their well-being.
• The staff team work well together, they are enthusiastic and very good role models for the children. They are fully involved and support the children well in their play and learning. The children's progress is good.
• Regular self-evaluation by the manager and staff, with the contribution of parents and children, makes sure that priorities for development are identified and acted on in order to promote a good quality of education and care.

All our parents have been issued with a paper copy of the report and it should appear on the Ofsted website in approximately 15 days time.

We would just like to say a big 'Well Done' to all our staff for achieving such a high standard of care and education and a big thank you to all our parents for their continued support.

Christmas Fayre Success

Many thanks to everyone involved with yesterday's Christmas Fayre; all those involved with the organisation, the setting up and clearing away, the manning of the stalls, to our wonderful Santa and especially to everyone who came along and joined in the fun and spent their hard earned pennies.

We raised an amazing £730!!  Thank you from all the staff, committee and the children, it is only with events like these that we can continue to provide the high quality care and education that our children need and deserve - thank you!

Christmas Fayre

Our Christmas Fayre is on Saturday 24th November from 2pm - 4pm.

Santa will be in his Grotto and there'll be lots of stalls for all the family.  Entrance is £1, for adults only, with a complimentary mulled wine or hot drink!  We have a raffle with some fantastic prizes - a Derby County FC signed football, £50 Boden voucher, beauty and hair vouchers and lots more.  We will also have a Lucky Dip, Bottle Tombola, Sweet Tombola, Cakes stall and even a BBQ!!

All profit from this event goes direct to pre-school so that we can continue to provide high quality care and education for all our children.

Thank you.

Finishing Touches

Over the half term break we were able to add some finishing touches to our outside area;

Many thanks to Darren for taking the time to put these up for us!!

End of Term

Well we've reached the end of our first term this year at pre-school.  We hope everyone has had a fun time and that all our new starters are enjoying their new pre-school.

A big thank you to everyone who supported our cake sale last week which raised £66 and to everyone who ordered Christmas cards which has raised another £49.  Cards should be with us the week beginning the 5th November.

We have a very busy and exciting term coming up with lots of things happening;

• Tuesday 13th November is Photograph Day
• Wednesday 14th November at 7.30pm we will be having a candle party, with all proceeds going direct to pre-school
• Week beginning the 19th November is 'Non-Uniform Week' - the children can come dressed in their favourite outfits and all that we ask for is a bottle of something for our bottle tombola at the upcoming Christmas Fayre
• Saturday 24th November, 2pm - 4pm our annual Christmas Fayre
• Wednesday 19th December at 1pm - Christmas Concert
• Thursday 20th December 9.30am - 11.30am - Christmas Party

It's a good job we have a week off to re-charge our batteries!

We hope everyone has a great week off - Happy Halloween and a safe Bonfire Night!

Cakes!!

A big thank you to everyone who baked and bought cakes this week, you helped raise £66!!!

Wow!  It's really appreciated by all at pre-school and helps us to continue to provide high quality activities for your children to enjoy.

Thank you!

End of Term

Just a reminder that as a Derbyshire pre-school our last day this half term is Friday 26th October, so one more week left!

We then re-open on Monday 5th November.

Thank you.

Cake Sale

This week, 15th October, is Cake Sale week!

Please bring in your donations whether home-made or shop-bought to pre-school and we shall be selling them at the end of each session.  All money raised will go to support our upcoming Christmas activities.

Thank you for your support.

Christmas Card Fundraiser

Remember to get your Christmas card orders back to pre-school for Friday 12th October.

Your children's artwork will be reproduced as high quality cards which make a lovely alternative to store bought cards, and every pack bought earns money for pre-school.

Thank you.

September in Review

We would just like to extend a very warm welcome to all our new starters, and despite a few tears, all are now settling in really well.  We have a few more children to start in October but still have plenty of spaces on most sessions for either new starters or extra sessions for our current children.

Don't forget that 'drop-in' sessions, those extra to your child's normal sessions, are available if needed and are charged at the normal session rate of £6.25.

We had our first committee meeting of the year, as well as our AGM, on Monday 24th September with lots planned for the upcoming months.  All of our parents are encouraged to get involved with our committee in whatever way they can - we always need an extra pair of hands when planning events and 'the more the merrier' really does ring true!  If you would like to get involved please let Jayne know.

We are continuing to look at colours and shapes for the rest of this half term, and the children have been enjoying our 'Fantasyland' area which now has a castle, pirate ship and pirate treasure!

AGM & Committee Meeting

On Monday 24th September we shall be having our first parent committee meeting of the new school year.  It will take place at The Risley Park pub at 8.00pm and will also include our AGM.

The parent committee is a vital part of pre-school life; as a registered charity and a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance it is part of our constitution that we are run by a parent committee.  The committee helps with the overall management of pre-school as well as organise much needed fund raising events.

The purpose of this first meeting is to elect committee members; we need an elected Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and at least two others.  All parents are eligible to stand for any position and we welcome all applicants.  Whilst we have a committee in place at the moment we are in desperate need of a new secretary and extra parents to help spread the responsibility.  Should any parents be interested in joining the committee in whatever capacity please speak to Jayne.

The remainder of the meeting will be to look forward to our first major fundraiser of the year, our annual Christmas Fayre, and start the vital planning needed to make this event a success.

We hope to see lots of you there on Monday night, come along, meet the team, make some new friends and help your child's pre-school continue to flourish - thank you in advance.

Fun in the Sun

So the holidays are over and the sun comes out!!  But it has given us chance to play outside in our new sensory garden...

















We have lots of new fun things to play with....

....with lots of bright colours....

...and some noisy ones too!!

And you can't beat messing about in water!!

Back to School

Just a reminder that pre-school re-opens on Tuesday 4th September!

We look forward to welcoming you all back as well as meeting all our new starters.

Garden Makeover Phase 2

Today saw the next stage in our garden transformation, from this....

to this....

Thank you to Julie, Darren, Phil, Jayne, Sylvia & Anne-Marie who gave up their time today.

Garden Makeover Begins...

So in the burning sunshine we embarked upon our garden makeover today.  We went from this.....

to this......

and all in about 3 hours!!

A big thank you to Julie, Sylvia, Sarah, Jayne & Tony.....and to all our children who were there with us and kept themselves occupied and stayed out of trouble!!

Summer's Here!

Well what a lovely start to the Summer holidays - blue skies and sunshine!!  Fingers crossed it lasts!!

The staff would like to say a big thank you for all the cards and very generous presents that we received at the end of term.  It has been a pleasure to teach all of our children and we wish all those heading for 'big' school lots of luck and happiness - thank you!

We have lots of things planned for the coming year and will be spending some of our holiday getting organised for September as well as re-vamping some of our outdoor garden area.  We have to say a big thank you to Erewash Borough Council who awarded us a grant of £500 which enabled us to buy our new 'flower chalkboards', 'insect mirrors', 'butterfly weaving frame' and our willow tepee.  Following the success of our Summer Fayre we are now in a position to tackle one of the raised beds and perhaps even more.....watch this space!

So, have a very happy, safe and enjoyable holiday and we look forward to seeing you all in September!

Fayre Success

Well would you believe it the sun came out and stayed out yesterday for our Summer Fayre!

Thank you to everyone who came along and supported this event, due to your kind generosity we raised a wonderful £750....we hope this figure may even increase before we reach the end of term!

If you didn't get chance to see our wonderful 'Art Gallery' created by the children you still have chance to buy your children's artwork at a very reasonable £4.50, please see any of the staff who will be only too happy to help.

Next event is our 'End of Year Leavers Concert' on Monday 16th July at 1pm....tissues at the ready!!

Summer Fayre

Well tomorrow is our Summer Fayre.....it's just a shame the weather doesn't seem to realise which season it is!!

But come rain or shine we will be having our annual Summer Fayre from 1.00pm - 3.00pm on Saturday 7th July.  We have special guests Peppa Pig & George to open the fayre at 1.00pm and the chance for a photo or two, then at 2.00pm Sharna Banana will be judging our crown competition and the red carpet will be rolled out for our very own King, Queen, Prince & Princess!!

We will have lots of stalls from cakes to crafts, from tombolas to lucky dips and lots more!  The raffle will be drawn at 2.45pm with some lovely prizes on offer.

We also have our special art gallery created by all the children!  Not to be missed!!

So please find the umbrella and come along and support this event, every penny raised will go direct to support the pre-school with this years focus being our outside area.  Following receipt of a grant from Erewash Borough Council we have started to brighten up our outside with chalkboards, mirrors, weaving frames and willow tepee.  We now want to expand on this and redevelop our garden area to make it more accessible to the children with lots of sensory activities - we can only do this with your support.  So a big thank you in advance from all the staff and committee and most importantly the children for any support you can offer - THANK YOU!

Goodbyes are hard....

Today was a sad day.....we said goodbye to Sharna Banana!

Sharna has worked for pre-school for over 5 years and it is with heavy heart that we bid her farewell.  Sharna has been a wonderful member of our team and will be missed by staff, children and parents.  We would just like to wish her well in her new career and remind her that the door is always open for a cuppa!!

Thanks Sharna for all your hard work, we'll miss you loads so don't forget to come back and visit every once in a while!

Water Fun Time

We have decided to take advantage of the lovely weather by having a 'Water Fun Time' session on Thursday 24th May in the afternoon.

So if your child attends pre-school on a Thursday Afternoon please send them in with their swimming costume, towel, sun hat and sun cream and let the splashing commence!!!

Fundraising Success

Well we were certainly very busy yesterday at pre-school!  Although our 'Sports Day' was affected by the inclement weather we still managed to raise £200 and then we had our Take That Tribute Evening which raised an amazing £720!

A big thank you to everyone involved with both events, especially to our brilliant band 'The Greatest' who gave a fantastic performance and to everyone who came along and joined in the fun.  Everyone at Springfield really appreciates the effort and involvement of so many people to raise so much money in one day.  Events like these ensure that we can continue to provide top quality care and education with the best resources possible - thank you!

Cracking News

Well i'ts all happening at pre-school this week - on Monday we took delivery of 10 eggs courtesy of 'The Happy Chick Company'!

We kept the eggs warm in an incubator

By Wednesday morning we had our first chick

and then we had some more.....

and by Thursday we have 9!!!

So say hello to -
Gary, Mark, Howard, Jason, Robbie, Fred, Bob, Roost & Ruby!!!

Take That Tribute Evening

This Friday, 27th April, is our Take That Tribute Evening at Friesland School hall, Sandiacre from 7.30pm - 11.30pm.  It's all set to be a fantastic night with a DJ to kick the evening off followed by 'The Greatest', our tribute band who performed for us back in November 2010 when we raised over £700 for pre-school.  There will also be a very reasonably priced bar!!

Tickets are only £10 in advance (£12 on the door) so get yours quick, you don't want to miss out on a brilliant night as well as your chance to help raise funds for our pre-school.

Contact Jayne on 07960 983423 or springfieldpreschool@hotmail.co.uk for tickets or more details.

Thanks for all your support, we really appreciate it.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE UPDATE

We have received information that the 'travellers' have moved off the car park as of Friday 13th April.

Therefore pre-school should be unaffected by them and re-open for the Summer Term as planned on Tuesday 17th April (Monday 16th April is an Inset Day).

Many thanks for your patience and understanding in this matter.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR CURRENT PARENTS

Some of you maybe aware that a group of 'travellers' have taken up residency in the council car park adjacent to pre-school.

The travellers moved into the car park on the evening of Sunday 1st April.  We then contacted the council on Monday 2nd April; who informed us that legal proceedings have been initiated to 'move on' the travellers but that this could 'take up to two weeks to forcibly move them on'.

The current situation is that we expect the 'travellers' to be 'moved on' by the end of Tuesday 17th April.

Pre-school is closed on Monday 16th April (Inset Day) and is due to re-open on Tuesday 17th April.  At the present time we still intend to re-open as planned on the Tuesday but should the situation change we will advise all parents via our text service.

Parents are advised to consider their parking arrangements when attending pre-school.

Any problems or questions please do not hesitate to get in contact, either via email on springfieldpreschool@hotmail.co.uk or telephone on 07960 983423.

Thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter,
Jayne & The Team

Holiday!!!

Well it's holiday time again and the weather is up to its usual tricks.....a lovely couple of weeks only to be brought back down to earth with traditional school holiday weather - wet and cold!!

We hope everyone is still enjoying their holidays and would like to wish you all a very Happy Easter!  We hope the Easter Bunny brings you lots of chocolate!!

Back to school....

Well we're back at pre-school tomorrow, Monday 20th February which is also the same day that tickets for our Take That Tribute Evening go on sale!!

'The Greatest' Take That tribute band play for us on Friday 27th April at Friesland School Hall.  There will be a disco, a very reasonably priced bar and of course the band.  The fun starts at 7.30pm and goes on till 11.30pm and all money raised from the evening goes direct to pre-school.

Tickets are £10 in advance (£12 on the door).  This was a very popular night last time the band played for us back in November 2010 so get your tickets early to avoid disappointment!!

Back by popular demand....

Springfield Pre-School is pleased to announce the return of 'The Greatest' Take That tribute band on April 27th 2012!!!

Following a fantastic evening in November 2010 'The Greatest' will return to Friesland School Hall, Sandiacre from 7.30pm - 11.30pm on Friday 27th April.  There will be a disco and very reasonably priced bar with all proceeds from the evening going straight to pre-school.

Tickets will be on sale after February half term priced at £10 each (tickets on the door will be £12) - put it in your diaries now you don't want to miss out on a brilliant night!!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to one and all, here's hoping that everyone has a happy and healthy 2012.

Please remember that Wednesday 4th January is an Inset Day and therefore pre-school re-opens on Thursday 5th January!