Good afternoon everyone ,
We have all been very busy at Craigton recently - the children have been spending time outdoors(despite the weather) Den building continues to be very popular- the children have been using canes, logs , tarpaulins , blankets , guttering , plant pots as well as the existing structures in the garden to make wonderful covered areas which have sparked off some very imaginative play . We have had , castles and boats , supermarkets and garages , trains and bus stations and even a restaurant using the outdoor kitchen - these have helped to develop all areas - physical skills , problem solving , co-operation , negotiation and language skills as well as giving opportunities to explore mathematical and science concepts ....and its been great fun too! We will continue to spend time outdoors every day whenever possible , so please ensure that your child has suitable outdoor clothing every day. As we move into Autumn this means warm waterproof jackets and trousers/suits , and boots or wellies . They will also need a change of clothes each day as they will get wet and muddy outdoors(and some soft soled shoes or slippers for indoors) .
The snowdrops, bluebells and buttercups have also had the opportunity to explore the wonderful world of minibeasts , inspired by the huge amount of creatures that have been resident in our garden this 'summer'- there have been some particularly impressive slugs this year! Over the next few weeks they will be focusing on literacy and numeracy , with lots of stories, rhymes and songs to encourage language development and early numeracy skills .
Meanwhile the sunflowers have been investigating all things to do with trains . We are using floorbooks in this department - this is a way for the children to contribute their ideas - these are discussed in groups and noted in the floorbooks , along with comments and pictures by the children . The development of any topic can be seen in the floorbooks(including some often fascinating tangents!) When not in use , the current floorbook is on display on the table in the entrance area , so please have a look at them . We will soon be expanding this with mindmaps for parents , so you can add your own suggestions or share interesting information with the entire class . This year the sunflowers will also be focusing on a particular experience/outcome in the CfE so that these can be covered in depth . The current focus is Health and Wellbeing 0-04 - this is about understanding your own feelings and having respect for the feelings of others. There's a lot going on at the moment that will affect the children( some starting school, others moving into new departments) and this focus gives them lots of opportunities to discuss how these transitions affect them all and to begin to be able to manage change . For more information on CfE , please visit http://www.bexcellent.org.uk/ this a great site for both parents and children explaining the CfE .
Staff news : the sunflowers will be joined by a new nursery assistant next week . Chantel Brown recently left school , and is really looking forward to getting to know all the sunflowers and their families. We said goodbye to Emily and Cari recently , and Jen will be finishing this week too - they have all been with us over the summer but now have to go back to Uni and college to continue with their studies.
Its also time for our self evaluation to be submitted to the Care Inspectorate . This does take some time to complete and we would like your contributions too . Copies of last years evaluation will be on display in each department by the end of this week . Please have a look through this , and if you have anything you'd like to comment on or add, please email marion.barker@clns.co.uk before 19th September so I can include them in our submission. - Thank you
One of our Craigton parents , Alison Siggins , is trying to get a group together to start a Foot Stars programme for 2-3yr olds on Mondays at Peterculter Sports Centre . Foot Stars provide coaching to young children in the early stages of football through imaginary
play that children can relate to in everyday life. For more info please visit http://www.footstars.co.uk/. If you're interested , please contact Alison at alison_siggins@hotmail.com
Dont forget that you can leave your own comments on the blog , or add an instant reaction by checking the boxes under each entry - you will need to visit the blogspot to do this http://craigtonlodgenursery.blogspot.co.uk/
And finally a reminder that the nursery will be closed for the local holiday on Monday 24th September . We shall also close at 6pm on Friday 21st December re-opening 8am Thursday 3rd Jan 2013
Wednesday 29 August 2012
Monday 27 August 2012
Good afternoon ,
Many of you will know of Lava Jewellery Design on North Deeside Road . You may also know that Duncan , Jacqui and their daughter Erika are a past Craigton family and still keep in touch with us :-) It seems that Erika has inherited her parents talents , has begun to design and make her own jewellery and is now preparing for her first exhibition to celebrate the studio's first anniversary. Pieces are priced between £1 and £5 and proceeds will be donated to Alfie Milne's Trust and Culter School funds .
The exhibition will run for three days only so please go along Thursday September 6th 6-8pm , Friday 7th 9:30 am to 5:30pm or Saturday 8th 9:30am to 2pm . Best wishes for a successful exhibition from all of us , Erika!
We have had several incidents recently of children arriving at nursery with food in hand- May I please remind you that this is not permitted under any circumstances . We have several children attending the nursery with allergies- in some cases these are severe and any reaction is potentially life threatening . We carefully monitor all food and other materials in the nursery when any of these children are with us to ensure that they do not come in contact with anything that may cause them harm - please help us to do this by not bringing food into the nursery , or allowing your children to do so. It may only be a biscuit or a little chocolate , but they could cause serious reactions to another child .
We also ask that you don't bring cakes/sweets etc on birthdays or other occasions for the same reason. These will not be distributed at nursery and will be returned to you - we do always celebrate the children's birthdays and will often bake some treats here - but we have all the 'free-from' ingredients and recipes to ensure the children's safety . Your co-operation would be very much appreciated - Thank you .
The first Parent Forum meeting of this school year will be on Wednesday 5th September . If you have anything you'd like raised at this meeting , please see any member of the forum - this year they are : Dawn Blessing , Erin Brown , Hazel Farquhar , Claire Molloy and Alison Siggins . We'll have a photo display as soon as possible after the meeting so you can spot them , if you dont already know them!
Another appeal to ask you sign up with easyfundraising.org.uk please . If you do this , almost every time you shop online you will be raising funds for the nursery- it doesn't cost you a penny , and you'll be able to access discount codes and special offers from 100's of retailers so could even save. And if you download their find and remind tool(which raises 50p) you don't even have to log onto the site - it will tell you if you're visiting a participating retailer - there are hundreds of these - including ebay , Amazon , John Lewis , Debenhams, Boots etc . Its a brilliant way to raise funds with absolutely minimal effort - we currently have 18 supporters who have raised over £200 this year , just by signing up - please join us !
And finally .... a reminder that the nursery will be closed on Monday 24th September
Many of you will know of Lava Jewellery Design on North Deeside Road . You may also know that Duncan , Jacqui and their daughter Erika are a past Craigton family and still keep in touch with us :-) It seems that Erika has inherited her parents talents , has begun to design and make her own jewellery and is now preparing for her first exhibition to celebrate the studio's first anniversary. Pieces are priced between £1 and £5 and proceeds will be donated to Alfie Milne's Trust and Culter School funds .
The exhibition will run for three days only so please go along Thursday September 6th 6-8pm , Friday 7th 9:30 am to 5:30pm or Saturday 8th 9:30am to 2pm . Best wishes for a successful exhibition from all of us , Erika!
We have had several incidents recently of children arriving at nursery with food in hand- May I please remind you that this is not permitted under any circumstances . We have several children attending the nursery with allergies- in some cases these are severe and any reaction is potentially life threatening . We carefully monitor all food and other materials in the nursery when any of these children are with us to ensure that they do not come in contact with anything that may cause them harm - please help us to do this by not bringing food into the nursery , or allowing your children to do so. It may only be a biscuit or a little chocolate , but they could cause serious reactions to another child .
We also ask that you don't bring cakes/sweets etc on birthdays or other occasions for the same reason. These will not be distributed at nursery and will be returned to you - we do always celebrate the children's birthdays and will often bake some treats here - but we have all the 'free-from' ingredients and recipes to ensure the children's safety . Your co-operation would be very much appreciated - Thank you .
The first Parent Forum meeting of this school year will be on Wednesday 5th September . If you have anything you'd like raised at this meeting , please see any member of the forum - this year they are : Dawn Blessing , Erin Brown , Hazel Farquhar , Claire Molloy and Alison Siggins . We'll have a photo display as soon as possible after the meeting so you can spot them , if you dont already know them!
Another appeal to ask you sign up with easyfundraising.org.uk please . If you do this , almost every time you shop online you will be raising funds for the nursery- it doesn't cost you a penny , and you'll be able to access discount codes and special offers from 100's of retailers so could even save. And if you download their find and remind tool(which raises 50p) you don't even have to log onto the site - it will tell you if you're visiting a participating retailer - there are hundreds of these - including ebay , Amazon , John Lewis , Debenhams, Boots etc . Its a brilliant way to raise funds with absolutely minimal effort - we currently have 18 supporters who have raised over £200 this year , just by signing up - please join us !
And finally .... a reminder that the nursery will be closed on Monday 24th September
Thursday 16 August 2012
Good afternoon
Hello everyone ,
We are enjoying some much needed sunshine today - all the children have been out in the garden this morning , making the most of some long awaited summer weather. We've also been out and about the past two weeks - both the sunflowers and the buttercups have made trips to the library , and we all had a picnic in the playing fields too . There have been walks around the village , visits to the post office to send letters and parcels and much excitement watching the workmen with their digger and other machines on School Road .
All the children have continued to look after the plants in the garden , and Jo from Gardening 4 Kids will be here tomorrow to help us harvest our produce- we are hoping for a bumper crop! .
We have also had quite a few goodbyes to say , as children have left us to go to 'big' school - there will be more of these over the next week too - its always an emotional time for us as well as the families- some children have been with us since they were babies , others are the 2nd or even 3rd child in a Craigton family and its always hard to say goodbye. However , all these children are ready to move on , and we wish you well for the future - please come back and see us ! A huge thank you from all of us for the lovely goodbye and thank you gifts , and for donations to the Staff Development Fund - very much appreciated :-)
We shall also be saying goodbye to some staff soon too. Jen and Emily have been with us all summer and will now be returning to their BEd studies in Edinburgh , while Cari will be going to college in Aberdeen - its been lovely having you with us and we hope to see you all again very soon. But we will also have the return of term -time staff - Debbie came back this week and Charlotte will be returning next week !
Looking ahead to the coming school year , we are currently piloting a new web based observation and assessment tool for pre-school children which we hope will give both children and parents the opportunity to become more involved in sharing and recording information on the children's development - more will be issued about this once the staff have had a chance to become familiar with the system , and get rid of any glitches !
We observe , assess and chart the development of all the children in the nursery , and use this information to develop individual plans for each child, supporting them to reach their individual potential in all areas of their development . In the Schoolhouse , we follow the guidance given in 'Pre- Birth to 3' and in the PS building , the CfE . Information on these is on display on the noticeboards in each building. We do need your input too though , so please share your child's experiences with us - each child has a home book which we'd like to be updated regularly - just take it home with you and tell us what you did at the weekend- pictures would be great too! Please talk to staff in your child's department if you'd like more information.
I have only had 2 volunteers for this years Parent Forum , so at the moment we are unable to go ahead with this . It would be a great pity if we couldn't continue the Forum as its a very good way of encouraging communication between parents and the nursery. So , please contact me if you'd like to join - its only 4 meetings over a year and I'd like to get started as soon as possible . Thank you .
Some reminders:
Please call to let us know of your child will not be attending nursery for any reason , or if someone other than the usual person will be collecting them . We will call you to check if we are not expecting someone , even if we know them .
Please ensure that you close and chain the garden gates each time , and that the doors to both building are closed behind you . Please do not open the doors to anyone else , even another parent - staff need to be aware of who is in the building at all times .
Please drive very , very slowly in the carpark , and do not climb over the fences/gates or allow your child to do so.
Your co-operation for the above is needed to ensure the safety and security of all the children at the nursery - thank you .
Don't forget that you can leave instant comments on the blog , or write your own - you will need to log onto the blogspot to do this http://craigtonlodgenursery.blogspot.co.uk/ it would be really useful to have your feedback . Also , if you'd like anything posted on here - a charity event you are involved in , some amazing news , or just a new family friendly place you have found , please let me know and I'll add it next time .
And finally ,
We shall be closed on Monday 24th September for the Aberdeen Holiday and from 6pm on Friday 21st December til 8am on Thursday 3rd January 2013
We are enjoying some much needed sunshine today - all the children have been out in the garden this morning , making the most of some long awaited summer weather. We've also been out and about the past two weeks - both the sunflowers and the buttercups have made trips to the library , and we all had a picnic in the playing fields too . There have been walks around the village , visits to the post office to send letters and parcels and much excitement watching the workmen with their digger and other machines on School Road .
All the children have continued to look after the plants in the garden , and Jo from Gardening 4 Kids will be here tomorrow to help us harvest our produce- we are hoping for a bumper crop! .
We have also had quite a few goodbyes to say , as children have left us to go to 'big' school - there will be more of these over the next week too - its always an emotional time for us as well as the families- some children have been with us since they were babies , others are the 2nd or even 3rd child in a Craigton family and its always hard to say goodbye. However , all these children are ready to move on , and we wish you well for the future - please come back and see us ! A huge thank you from all of us for the lovely goodbye and thank you gifts , and for donations to the Staff Development Fund - very much appreciated :-)
We shall also be saying goodbye to some staff soon too. Jen and Emily have been with us all summer and will now be returning to their BEd studies in Edinburgh , while Cari will be going to college in Aberdeen - its been lovely having you with us and we hope to see you all again very soon. But we will also have the return of term -time staff - Debbie came back this week and Charlotte will be returning next week !
Looking ahead to the coming school year , we are currently piloting a new web based observation and assessment tool for pre-school children which we hope will give both children and parents the opportunity to become more involved in sharing and recording information on the children's development - more will be issued about this once the staff have had a chance to become familiar with the system , and get rid of any glitches !
We observe , assess and chart the development of all the children in the nursery , and use this information to develop individual plans for each child, supporting them to reach their individual potential in all areas of their development . In the Schoolhouse , we follow the guidance given in 'Pre- Birth to 3' and in the PS building , the CfE . Information on these is on display on the noticeboards in each building. We do need your input too though , so please share your child's experiences with us - each child has a home book which we'd like to be updated regularly - just take it home with you and tell us what you did at the weekend- pictures would be great too! Please talk to staff in your child's department if you'd like more information.
I have only had 2 volunteers for this years Parent Forum , so at the moment we are unable to go ahead with this . It would be a great pity if we couldn't continue the Forum as its a very good way of encouraging communication between parents and the nursery. So , please contact me if you'd like to join - its only 4 meetings over a year and I'd like to get started as soon as possible . Thank you .
Some reminders:
Please call to let us know of your child will not be attending nursery for any reason , or if someone other than the usual person will be collecting them . We will call you to check if we are not expecting someone , even if we know them .
Please ensure that you close and chain the garden gates each time , and that the doors to both building are closed behind you . Please do not open the doors to anyone else , even another parent - staff need to be aware of who is in the building at all times .
Please drive very , very slowly in the carpark , and do not climb over the fences/gates or allow your child to do so.
Your co-operation for the above is needed to ensure the safety and security of all the children at the nursery - thank you .
Don't forget that you can leave instant comments on the blog , or write your own - you will need to log onto the blogspot to do this http://craigtonlodgenursery.blogspot.co.uk/ it would be really useful to have your feedback . Also , if you'd like anything posted on here - a charity event you are involved in , some amazing news , or just a new family friendly place you have found , please let me know and I'll add it next time .
And finally ,
We shall be closed on Monday 24th September for the Aberdeen Holiday and from 6pm on Friday 21st December til 8am on Thursday 3rd January 2013
Monday 6 August 2012
Health notice
Good afternoon ,
We have several children in the sunflowers reporting tummy bugs over the weekend . Please be aware of the symptoms , and remember that you need to allow 48hrs after the last symptoms before your child can return to nursery, and if your child becomes ill whilst with us , we will call you and ask you to take them home asap . Tummy bugs are highly contagious so please be extra vigilant in your hygiene, especially handwashing - don't forget that we have hand sanitiser units in both buildings for everyone's use . Thank you.
I am still looking for volunteers to form this years Parents Forum - please contact me very soon if you're interested in joining as I'm hoping to have the first meeting towards the end of this month .
I'll look forward to hearing from you !
We have several children in the sunflowers reporting tummy bugs over the weekend . Please be aware of the symptoms , and remember that you need to allow 48hrs after the last symptoms before your child can return to nursery, and if your child becomes ill whilst with us , we will call you and ask you to take them home asap . Tummy bugs are highly contagious so please be extra vigilant in your hygiene, especially handwashing - don't forget that we have hand sanitiser units in both buildings for everyone's use . Thank you.
I am still looking for volunteers to form this years Parents Forum - please contact me very soon if you're interested in joining as I'm hoping to have the first meeting towards the end of this month .
I'll look forward to hearing from you !
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
