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