Scarlet Fever

We would just like to advise our parents that we have today been informed of a case of scarlet fever in a child who attends pre-school.

Whilst this is usually a mild illness it is not very common nowadays so we thought parents ought to be aware.  Please visit NHS website for more information - www.nhs.uk

Cake Sale Week

This coming week, starting Monday 19th January, we will be having a cake sale week.

We'd like all donations, whether homemade or shop bought, brought into pre-school from Monday onwards.  Cakes will then be on sale at the end of each session all week until we run out!!

All monies raised will go to support our outdoor improvement project with the ultimate aim of getting a pirate ship!!

Many thanks for your continued support, we really do appreciate it.

HENRY - Health, Exercise, Nutrition for the Really Young

Derbyshire County Council have provided us with the following information for our parents;

'We know that being overweight is a major health problem and that the number of overweight adults and children continue to rise.  Younger and younger children are affected and as many as 1 in 4 children now start school overweight.

Would you be interested in finding out more about our HENRY 8 week courses? They run once a week for 3 hours and aim to include information on how weight affects health and why a healthy weight is important. In addition to weight the course also covers the importance of being active and offers hints and tips of what families can do to become more active together as well as receiving charts, place settings showing portion sizes, steps in growing and balancing the plate and other resources.

on completion, parents/carers will have an increased understanding of the knowledge and skills required to equip their children with the ability to resist the pressures of modern life that encourage inactivity and weight gain.

If you are interested please contact;

Robyn Hughes 01629 532079 or robyn.hughes@derbyshire.gov.uk or

Jo Glassbrook 01629 532057 or jo.glassbrook@derbyshire.gov.uk

We look to have around 10 people at each session, the course is free to parents and carers.'

Special Newletter - Outdoor Improvements

OUTDOOR IMPROVEMENTS

At pre-school we are always looking at ways in which we can improve the service we offer all of our parents and most importantly the children.

Research has proved the importance of good outdoor play in children’s development and we have over recent years made great strides in improving out outdoor area.  We have installed alphabet and number boards along with blackboards and weaving frames, we have transformed the original raised beds into a sensory garden and an amazing sandpit and now we want to go even further.

We want to be able to provide a canopy so that children have somewhere they can sit and play in the shade.  We also want a permanent climbing and imaginative play area and this will be in the form of a pirate ship!

These improvements are going to cost around £3500!!! So we need to get fundraising NOW!

Our aim is to install the pirate ship sometime during mid-February so that we can make full use of it as the weather gets warmer (hopefully!).  This means having to pay upfront and trust that we can raise the necessary money before the end of our financial year in July.  We have already made £1000 profit from our Christmas Fair plus small amounts from the photo morning, cake sale and Christmas card project so we are about a third of the way there.

Please see over for an idea of what the pirate ship will look like – we are all very excited!!!

So what can YOU do to help?  Do you have any ideas for fundraising activities? Are you prepared to organise an event/activity? Do you know anyone or any businesses that may be willing to donate or have grants that we can apply for?

Please speak to Jayne if you have any ideas or can help in any way.

Thank You!

Latest Newsletter - 5th January 2015

Hello

Welcome back after the Christmas break we hope that everyone had a lovely Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

Important Dates for your Diary

w/c 12^th January                  -           Dress Up Week

w/c 19^th January                  -           Cake Sale Week

Friday 6^th February             -          End of Term

Monday 16^th February         -           Start of Term

Wednesday 11^th March        -           Inset Day – pre-school will be closed

17^th, 18^th & 19th March       -           Parents Evening

Friday 27^th March                -           End of Term

Monday 13^th April                 -           Start of Term

Session Fees

Invoices for session fees, lunch club and snack have been issued; all invoices are issued for the term up to the 6^th February and should be paid by Wednesday 21^st January 2015.  Late payment of fees will automatically incur a £6.75 penalty fee and continuous failure to pay fees could result in the removal of your child’s place from pre-school.  Please speak to Jayne regarding any payment issues so that this can be avoided – many thanks.

Primary School Applications

If your child was born between 1^st September 2010 and 31^st August 2011 they will be due to start Primary School in the academic year September 2015 – August 2016.  Applications for your child's place at Primary School need to be made through Derbyshire County Council (for those living in Derbyshire) and Nottinghamshire County Council (for those living in Nottinghamshire) by midnight on 15th January 2015.  If anyone has any questions please speak to Jayne.

Term Dates

Please be aware that we follow Derbyshire County Council term dates and as such the dates for our February half term and Easter breaks are different to those for Nottinghamshire County Council.

Upcoming Events

Dress Up Week (w/c 12^th January) – to tie in with our topic of ‘favourite books’ we would like the children to come to pre-school dressed as their favourite character from a book!

Cake Sale Week (w/c 19^th January) – we will be having a cake sale all week (or until we run out of cakes!) so please bring in your donations from Monday 19^th January.  Cakes will be on sale at the end of each session – thank you.

Parents Evenings – these will be held in March and more details will be available after half term.

How to Contact Pre-School

Our phone number is 07960 983423 or email us at; springfieldpreschool@hotmail.co.uk and check our website www.springfieldpreschool.co.uk and Facebook page for up-to-date information.