NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2013 WELCOME We would like to welcome Sylvie Robinson into the Baby Nursery and Haydn Davies into Toddlers. We hope they settle quickly and enjoy their time with us.

TERM DATES SPRING TERM 2013 th

7 March – World Book Day th 10 March Mothering Sunday th 15 March Red Toes Day

Term Ends Thursday, 28th March SUMMER TERM 2013 Term Starts Monday, 15th April Half Term Week 27th - 31th May Term Ends Friday, 19th July AUTUMN TERM 2013 Term Starts Monday, 2nd Sept Half Term Week 28th Oct – 1st Nov Term Ends Friday 20th December SPRING TERM 2014 Term Starts Monday, 6th January Half Term Week 17th – 21st February Term Ends Friday, 11th April SUMMER TERM 2014 Term Starts Monday 28th April Half Term Week 26th – 30th May Term Ends Friday, 18th July

EASTER SERVICE Everyone is warmly invited to our special Service at St. Mary’s Church Ross on Maundy Thursday, 28th March at 4.00. The Purple Class will retell the Easter Story and the children and Staff Choir will perform their Easter Songs. The Service will conclude with a …..

GRAND EASTER BONNET PARADE when all our children will parade their beautiful homemade Easter Bonnets around the Church accompanied by a visiting Easter Bunny who will give out the Easter Eggs. We look forward to seeing you all for this fabulous event. We have 50 plain straw Easter Bonnets for sale in nursery for £1 each [for The Gambia Appeal] to save parents time in obtaining them.

WELCOME NEW STAFF We extend a warm welcome to Elaine Redding who has just joined the Oak House Team. Elaine holds the Foundation Degree in Early Years and has been a well known and highly respected Registered Childminder in Ross for many years but has now decided to enjoy the support and camaraderie of being part of an Early Years Team. She will be spending time in each department to become familiar with the whole nursery before settling into a leadership role within the Baby Nursery in September.

KINDERGARTEN THE ORANGE CLASS have had great fun following one child’s initial interest, they have been finding our about our Solar System and learning about the Planets, the earth, the sun and the moon. We have approached this in a fun way by making and decorating ‘planets’, space ships and aliens as well as dressing up as Astronauts in their Space Station Role Play area as they learnt to count down to take off!! The children also made Pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, measuring, mixing and stirring the ingredients, before cooking the batter in the kitchen and joining with the Purple Class children for Pancake Races.

THE PURPLE CLASS have been celebrating Chinese New Year, using chopsticks, making lanterns and attempting Chinese Writing! They made a Chinese Take-away in their Role Play Area and dressed up in traditional Chinese costumes. The children enjoyed making Fortune Cookies and watched a DVD about a child in China celebrating Chinese New Year in their family home. We were thrilled that two parents were able to come in to tell us all about China and to show us artefacts, foods and tell stories about Chinese New Year.

TODDLER NURSERY THE BLUE AND YELLOW ROOMS have been focussing on the lovely book called “Where’s My Teddy” this month. They brought in their teddy bears from home and we have been comparing them in size, weight, appearance and texture! We also held lots of delightful “Teddy Bears’ Tea Parties”.

PARENTS’ EVENING REMINDER

THE RED ROOM children have been talking about “The Post

Please make your appointments with Class Staff: Monday, 11th March RED ROOM Tuesday, 12th March ORANGE CLASS Wednesday, 13th March BLUE ROOM Thursday, 14th March YELLOW ROOM

Office. They watched the Early Vision DVD, posted a letter themselves to their Class which they opened together. They set up a role-play Post Office and have been sorting letters Into different sized envelopes, putting on Stamps and ‘writing’ their names and addresses! They have also enjoyed trying to wrap up parcels of different weights and sizes ready to send to each other!

POLICIES ON THE WEBSITE Please access the Password Protected PDF Policy Documents on the website – go to Parents – Nursery Policies to find them – and use the Password that has been personally emailed to you, our nursery parents. Please remember they are OUR policies and we want YOU to share your views and help us to make them as effective as possible. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with me on [email protected]

TRAINING Sue, Linda, Liz & Rachel are attending a County Leaders & Managers’ Briefing on Friday 1st March at the Hereford Education Centre - “Enabling children to Reach their Full Potential”. Sue & Linda will be attending the NDNA Regional Conference on the 7th March regarding the EYFS & Ofsted Most Staff are attending the Local Partnership Meeting at Ross Children’s Centre on the evening of the 5th March

PARENTS’ LIASISON MEETING There will be a parents’ liaison meeting on Tuesday, 26th March at Oak House between at 4.00 and 5.00 pm. So you can be free to join us, your child or children are welcome to come into the nursery for tea with us if they are not already here . Please let Linda know if you can come – so we have an idea of numbers for catering.

BABY NURSERY The babies have continued to have fun in the Multi Sensory and Soft Play Room, on walks around the village and through lots of different messy play materials including shaving foam and cornflakes.

SPONSORED EVENTS FOR RED TOES DAY During the week 11th to the 15th March [Red Nose Day[ we will be celebrating Red TOES Day in aid of The Gambia Appeal. We will be wearing, making and doing ‘RED’ things and the Kindergarten Children will join in a Sponsored Build, while the Toddlers and Babies take part in a Sponsored Bounce. Sponsorship Forms will be issued shortly with all money going to raise money for Mosquito Nets and other vital resources at our Pre-School in the Gambia. Please go to our website to see an Updated Report on our Gambia Appeal following the visit by Neil Griffiths over half term and the photographs that he has brought back for us. Many thanks Sue Marshall [Nursery Head]

Oak House, Brampton Abbotts, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. HR9 7JD www.oakhousenurseryschool.co.uk

NEWSLETTER – MARCH 2013 BABY NURSERY IN PICTURES

Oak House, Brampton Abbotts, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. HR9 7JD www.oakhousenurseryschool.co.uk

NEWSLETTER – MARCH 2013 BABY NURSERY IN PICTURES

Oak House, Brampton Abbotts, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. HR9 7JD www.oakhousenurseryschool.co.uk

NEWSLETTER – MARCH 2013 TODDLER NURSERY IN PICTURES

This is the Toddlers’ NEW Climbing Frame and Slide which they are loving …………….

Oak House, Brampton Abbotts, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. HR9 7JD www.oakhousenurseryschool.co.uk

NEWSLETTER – MARCH 2013 TODDLER NURSERY IN PICTURES

Oak House, Brampton Abbotts, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. HR9 7JD www.oakhousenurseryschool.co.uk

NEWSLETTER – MARCH 2013 KINDERGARTEN IN PICTURES

Oak House, Brampton Abbotts, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. HR9 7JD www.oakhousenurseryschool.co.uk