I am delighted to welcome your child to Nursery and I am pleased to introduce myself, Miss Bartle as your child’s new class teacher.
In Nursery we are all positive that we have a great year ahead of us! Starting nursery is a big step in your child's development. One of our aims is for your child to learn and develop and of course have lots of fun along the way!
In honour of London hosting the Olympic Games this year we have decided to adopt the colours of the Olympic rings as class names for 2012.
Children in Nursery with Miss Bartle will be known as Rainbow Class.
Routines in Rainbow class
When children arrive they should put their belonging on their pegs and then self-register. This is done by sticking their name on the Rainbow board. The children can then decide the area in which they would like to work in. Parents may need to help their child to settle to an area. Once all children are settled into class on a morning a more formal registration will take place on the carpet.
After our carpet session children will then work in areas/activities of their choice. Activities include adult initiated activities, independent set activities, or child initiated activities. Staff will encourage children to explore the whole environment and monitor the activities that they take part in. Children also choose when to have their daily snack. Near the end of the session all children will help to tidy up. Sessions will end with a group activity and children will be ready to collect at 11.45am.
Children work in both the inside and outside classrooms everyday (rain or shine!).
Please could you ensure that your child has both a coat and a pair of wellies which are clearly named and that can be left at school.
Planning in Rainbow Class
Ideas for planning will continue to be led by the children. From observation and assessment we are able to pick out topics and themes that the children are interested in and we will continue to use questioning to develop their interests and thoughts. Please read our ‘Information board’ where we will share what is happening in Rainbow class. We recognise the importance of parents and staff working together for the benefit of the children and hope you will continue to share the learning with us. Each time a topic changes a ‘Topics’ chart will be put on the notice board to provide you with information. If you have any resources for example books focusing on our topics please feel free to bring these in for the children to share.
Observations in Rainbow Class
We as teachers are constantly observing all children, taking photographs and writing comments. It would be lovely if you as parents could also carry out observations which demonstrate your child learning and developing. We would like to invite you to add any comments/photographs about you child doing activities at home which we don’t see. This would help to create a clearer picture of your child. We have provided ‘Adult Observation’ sheets which can be found on our ‘Information board’.
PE in Rainbow Class:
PE day will be on Tuesday mornings. Please ensure that your child brings the correct kit as outlined in the school prospectus, including suitable footwear. We encourage children to change for PE at school, putting their clothes in their PE baskets. We welcome you to stay and help your child, but our aim is to work towards children being able to undress and dress themselves.
Gregory Bear
Gregory bear in Rainbow Class
In Rainbow class we have a Gregory bear fund, where we ask for a contribution of 50p each week, to help us with activities such as banking, taste testing and extra resources which we may need to buy to support children’s learning, following their interests. Gregory bear is sat on the table next to the door.
Gardening in Rainbow Class:
Our garden continues to be such a valuable resource. The children experience planting, growing, harvesting and eating, the fruit and vegetables that we grow. It is amazing to see young children trying and eating vegetables, just because they have grown them. We would like to ask parents or grandparents if they would be willing to help, this can be planting, weeding, digging etc.
If any parents would like to help within the classroom, reading stories, working with groups with games and puzzles. Please don’t hesitate to discuss suitable days.