What's Happening at Pre-School w/c 24th May 2021

Phonics

For those children moving onto Reception Year in September we have started to look at letters and the sounds they make. We follow the Jolly Phonics method of teaching the letter sounds by using objects, actions and songs. While it is important that children know the 'names' of the letters it is crucial that they know the sounds that each letter makes as this is an integral part of learning to read.

Here is a link to the Jolly Phonics website if you'd like to know more about this way of learning https://www.jollylearning.co.uk/

This week we will be recapping all the letters learnt so far this term from A to J.

Focus Activity

The focus this week will be on life cycles and in particular that of caterpillars and frogs.

We will be using lots of different ways to talk about the different stages of life cycles. We will be acting them out through our drama play including movement; we will be singing songs including action songs; our story time will encompass frogs and caterpillars and our sand play will have lots of relevant animals to explore and talk about.

Messy Play

This week the focus will be on our creative area and we will be trying out all sorts of different activities

Baking Activity

This week we will be icing biscuits.

Oh and of course it's Sponsored Bounce week!!

Wow, it's going to be a busy week!

What’s Happening at Pre-School - w/c 17th May 2021

Phonics

For those children moving onto Reception Year in September we have started to look at letters and the sounds they make. We follow the Jolly Phonics method of teaching the letter sounds by using objects, actions and songs. While it is important that children know the 'names' of the letters it is crucial that they know the sounds that each letter makes as this is an integral part of learning to read.

Here is a link to the Jolly Phonics website if you'd like to know more about this way of learning https://www.jollylearning.co.uk/

We will be working our way through the alphabet and this week we will be looking at I & J while recapping our knowledge from the last few weeks.

Focus Activity

This week we will be looking at children's physical development. For our younger children we will be looking at simple gross movement activities while for our older children we will be looking at more intricate movements, for example putting on and off their socks and shoes, this in turn will help with their independent skills especially for those moving onto reception year.

We will have an obstacle course for children to test their skills and for our older children this may involve some more unusual, or trickier, activities which will require them to think critically as well as risk assess the best approach.

Along with this we will also continue our conversation about healthy eating; the foods we eat, the minerals and vitamins, what is a healthy food and how we take care of ourselves.

Water Play

It will be water play week, this week, from simple pouring skills to the more complex puzzles of capacity and volume.

What time is it?

We always talk about the time of the day but this week we will be playing 'What Time is it Mr Wolf' to expand this even further.

We hope this information is of use but please get in touch if you have any questions (please use Tapestry).

Newsletter - 12th May 2021

Important Dates 

w/c 24th May - Sponsored Bounce

Friday 28th May - End of Term

Monday 7th June - Start of Term

w/c 12th July - Summer Fun Week

Wednesday 21st July - last day of pre-school before the Summer holidays

Thursday 22nd July - End of Term & Inset Day (pre-school is closed)

Session Availability & Claiming Funding

For those children staying with us in September we can confirm that all sessions have been allocated as per your requests, should you require any changes then please drop us an email. 

If your child has only recently started at pre-school we will be contacting you in a few weeks time to confirm which sessions you'd like for September, if you already know what you would like then please let us know by email.

Parents are reminded to visit www.childcarechoices.gov.uk to establish what they may be entitled to claim. Any parent wishing to claim the ‘30 Hours Childcare’ for the first time must ensure they apply in plenty of time and receive their code before 31st August. Those parents who already have their code must ensure that the code is ‘re-confirmed’ every three months otherwise we will be unable to access the correct funding on your behalf. 

Please remember that funding is also available for some two year olds. Please visit https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/early-years-childcare/early-learning-free-places/free-places-two/free-childcare-for-two-year-olds.aspx to find out if you are eligible.

Any problems or questions please speak to Jayne or Julie as soon as possible, thank you.

Early Drop Off - 8.45am

If you would like to take advantage of being able to drop your child off a little earlier at pre-school at 8.45am then the cost is just £2.35 per day. If you are interested, please email to confirm availability.

Sponsored Bounce - w/c 24th May 2021

During the last week of this term we will be holding a Sponsored Bounce . All children will get the chance to take part in what we hope will be a really fun event. They may be bouncing on our trampoline, bouncing balls, bouncing on our space hoppers or perhaps just bouncing on two feet! But bouncing will definitely be involved!  All money raised from this event will be used to enhance some of our existing resources now that we have to pack away all of our equipment every day and re-set again every morning. This means that we need equipment that is easy to move, durable and can pack away efficiently. As we get used to packing away, we are re-assessing what we need and what will work best to ensure the children get the best possible experience while at Springfield. We are also looking into updating our technology so that we can keep your child's learning journals updated as quickly and as smartly as possible.

Please remember to get your sponsor form completed and back to us by Friday 21st May, thank you 🙂

Committee - Springfield Needs YOU!

Pre-school is a registered charity and as such must be overseen by a voluntary management committee which is made up primarily from parents. As we approach the end of this academic year, we have parents leaving pre-school and so we need new committee members to come on board and help shape the future of Springfield.

Being part of our committee is a vital part of Springfield Pre-School; the committee helps oversee how we operate as well as organise the essential fundraising that is crucial to our survival. If you would like to know more about what being a committee member is all about then please follow this link or drop us an email. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-uIJLps3zXkpJZSW-FVRElLxTD3Z8CJnmuku1X4cfaM/edit?usp=sharing

Sun hats, sun-cream & raincoats

Well, it's that time of year when we hope for warm days and sunshine and inevitably get wet instead! But whatever the weather please make sure your child comes to pre-school prepared. A raincoat is always a must because we do go outside whatever the weather. Sun-cream should be applied before your child comes in to pre-school and we will top it up during the day if needed; we do have a supply of sun-cream at pre-school but should you prefer us to use your own please send in a supply, clearly labelled with your child's name, that we can keep here. And don't forget those ever-so important sun hats to help keep your little ones cool when the temperatures rise 🌞

How to Contact Pre-School

Our phone number is 07960 983423 (Monday to Friday, 8.45am to 3.00pm) or email us at springfieldpreschool@hotmail.co.uk 

You can also check our website www.springfieldpreschool.co.uk and Facebook page for up-to-date information. You can also find us on Twitter and Instagram.

What's Happening at Pre-School - w/c 10th May 2021

What’s Happening at Pre-School - w/c 10th May 2021

Phonics

For those children moving onto Reception Year in September we have started to look at letters and the sounds they make. We follow the Jolly Phonics method of teaching the letter sounds by using objects, actions and songs. While it is important that children know the 'names' of the letters it is crucial that they know the sounds that each letter makes as this is an integral part of learning to read.

Here is a link to the Jolly Phonics website if you'd like to know more about this way of learning https://www.jollylearning.co.uk/

We will be working our way through the alphabet and this week we will be looking at G & H while recapping our knowledge from the last couple of weeks.

Focus Activity

This week we will be having a focus on maths. With our older children who will be moving to reception year we will look at length and weight. Measuring and weighing items to see which is longer, shorter, heavier or lighter.

For our younger children we will be categorising objects; we will sort items by colour, by size or by theme.

Physical Play

Our trampoline will be out all week as we practise our bouncing skills ahead of our sponsored bounce in a couple of weeks time! We will also be using balloons in our movement activities.

Cooking Activity

Over the course of the Summer term we will be doing various cooking/food activities each week. To ensure that children get the most out of this activity we will be doing small groups once a week. Every child will have the chance to take part in one of these activities over the course of the term. This week we will be making vegetable muffins.

We hope this information is of use but please get in touch if you have any questions.

What's Happening at Pre-School - w/c 3rd May 2021

Well, we have a short week ahead; Monday is a bank holiday and then Tuesday is an Inset Day and pre-school will therefore be closed for both of these days.

Phonics

For those children moving onto Reception Year in September we have started to look at letters and the sounds they make. We follow the Jolly Phonics method of teaching the letter sounds by using objects, actions and songs. While it is important that children know the 'names' of the letters it is crucial that they know the sounds that each letter makes as this is an integral part of learning to read.

Here is a link to the Jolly Phonics website if you'd like to know more about this way of learning https://www.jollylearning.co.uk/

We will be working our way through the alphabet and this week we will be looking at E & F while recapping our knowledge from the last couple of weeks.

Focus Activity

We will be continuing to play the game 'Kim's Game'. This game involves memory recall and a child's ability to observe and remember details. Items are placed on a tray which the child looks at, the tray is covered and an item removed. Once uncovered the child has to work out which item has disappeared.

With our older children we will be incorporating numbers and shapes so that we can consolidate our learning from last term. For our younger children we will use simple, familiar objects.

Messy Play

Each session we will be getting messy, this could be anything from shaving foam to cornflour. Messy play not only stimulates the senses but it also helps with fine motor control which in turn will help with our writing skills.

Cooking Activity

Over the course of the Summer term we will be doing various cooking/food activities each week. To ensure that children get the most out of this activity we will be doing small groups once a week. Every child will have the chance to take part in one of these activities over the course of the term. This week we will be making fruit kebabs.

We hope this information is of use but please get in touch if you have any questions.