Good afternoon all ,
We are continuing to battle through winter at Craigton - although the snow has mostly gone now(its still stubbornly hanging around in some places) - we are now being warned of stormy conditions - rain and very high winds are forecast for later today and overnight . Despite this , we are still spending some time outdoors when possible - the babies had a lovely walk all around the village yesterday , while the sunflowers ventured to the library to return some resources . Last week everyone joined in building snowmen and sledging in the garden, digging up ice and watching it melt in the water trays ...and even some path clearing!
Late last year , the sunflowers (with some expert advice from Jo - Gardening 4 Kids) put together a plan for creating an orchard at Craigton . This involved identifying a suitable site , measuring the area and making detailed plans , assessing the soil quality and any other factors that would affect fruit tree growth . It was a long project and all the sunflowers contributed to the plans. These were submitted to Grounds For Learning , who were offering free fruit trees and advice to the successful applicants . I am delighted to tell you that we have heard today that we have been accepted for this scheme and will be taking delivery of our saplings next month :-) There will be a lot of work ahead to create the Craigton Orchard , but we're all looking forward to it very much . The progress of the orchard will be documented and will be posted on the GFL website - we'll keep you updated!
Looking ahead - it will be February this week and there's a lot going on then . We have Chinese New Year(the Year of the Snake) on 10th , Shrove Tuesday(that's pancake day!) 12th , Valentines Day(dont forget!!!!!!) 14th . My, that's going to be a busy week! If you and your family celebrate a festival or event that you think we should know about , please tell us ...we like celebrations here ! Speaking of celebrations....congratulations to Catherine(French specialist) and her husband , on the safe arrival of their baby daughter recently . We're all looking forward to meeting her very soon :-)
A reminder to ensure that you close and chain the garden gates every time , and please don't open the doors of the building to anyone - even if you know them - staff need to be aware of who is in the buildings at all times . And please avoid using your mobile phones on the premises .
A request too for sunflower parents - when dropping off/picking up , please go into the main classroom to talk to staff rather than in the lobby area - the staff need to be in the room with the children , and we are trying to discourage the children from leaving the room - this is very tempting for them when there are adults just outside - Thank you
Finally , the nursery will be closed on the following dates this year :
1st April - Easter Monday
6th May - May Day
8th July and 23rd September - Aberdeen holidays
We shall close at 6pm on Monday 23rd December and re-open 8am Monday 6th January
Tuesday 29 January 2013
Thursday 24 January 2013
Car Park Open
Hello ,
the car park has been opened again , but please be aware that there is still a lot of snow there although it is starting to melt - there is a cleared and gritted pathway to the driveway and the garden gate . This is on the RHS of the carpark as you enter . More snow is forecast for some areas tonight so it is possible that we may need to close it again. So please drive slowly just in case the chain is up again- thank you .
Tomorrow we are looking forward to Burn's Night which we have been celebrating all week - the sunflowers(both children and staff) found out what a clootie dumpling is today ( if you don't know its a very stodgy pudding steamed in a cloth- or cloot in scots- Id stick to the haggis if I was you !)
Can I please ask that you ensure that all your children's clothes , boots , slippers etc are marked with their names or initials . The recent snow has been great fun for the children , but has meant many, many , many changes of clothes , and its absolutely impossible to keep track of unnamed items - thank you .
the car park has been opened again , but please be aware that there is still a lot of snow there although it is starting to melt - there is a cleared and gritted pathway to the driveway and the garden gate . This is on the RHS of the carpark as you enter . More snow is forecast for some areas tonight so it is possible that we may need to close it again. So please drive slowly just in case the chain is up again- thank you .
Tomorrow we are looking forward to Burn's Night which we have been celebrating all week - the sunflowers(both children and staff) found out what a clootie dumpling is today ( if you don't know its a very stodgy pudding steamed in a cloth- or cloot in scots- Id stick to the haggis if I was you !)
Can I please ask that you ensure that all your children's clothes , boots , slippers etc are marked with their names or initials . The recent snow has been great fun for the children , but has meant many, many , many changes of clothes , and its absolutely impossible to keep track of unnamed items - thank you .
Tuesday 22 January 2013
Update
Further to the earlier post , Im afraid I spoke too soon !
The snow has descended in Culter . The carpark is now closed until further notice . All roads coming uphill off N. Deeside Road are extremely slippery and cars are getting stuck . The forecast is for more snow and then plummeting temps(possible -5) overnight so it will be even worse in the morning - please drive very , very carefully , and if you dont need to make a journey then please dont .
Stay safe !
The snow has descended in Culter . The carpark is now closed until further notice . All roads coming uphill off N. Deeside Road are extremely slippery and cars are getting stuck . The forecast is for more snow and then plummeting temps(possible -5) overnight so it will be even worse in the morning - please drive very , very carefully , and if you dont need to make a journey then please dont .
Stay safe !
Let it snow!
Good afternoon everyone ,
Yes I know you'll all be fed up hearing about it , but another weather warning has been issued . Its actually ok in Culter today(Tuesday) , but I understand its horrendous in Aberdeenshire and the city has had major traffic disruption today . There's more forecast for tonight(Tuesday) and all day tomorrow.
During bad weather conditions please pick up your children as early as you can . We have several staff who live in Aberdeenshire , and others with children at school , so when roads and schools are closed we have less staff , and we need to ensure that the staff who are here can get home safely .
Please avoid using the carpark in heavy snow/ice - you will get stuck!
Also, please make sure your child has soft soled shoes/slippers for indoor use - its really bad for their feet to be in big winter boots all day - thank you .
As part of the Scottish Executive Health programme , children in their pre-school year have a vision test. We will have the Pre-school Vision screening team here on Tuesday 29th Jan. All children with birth dates between 01/03/08 and 29/02/09 should be tested - information and consent forms for these children have been issued today- please complete these and return asap . If your child does not normally attend on a Tuesday afternoon - please bring them in at 1:30 pm(you will need to stay with them) if you'd like them to be tested .
We've already started celebrating Burn's Night (25th Jan)- the sunflowers enjoyed a lively rendition of some of the Bard's work today - there will be lots more this week, and I suspect that a little haggis tasting will be happening too! Looking further afield - its Australia Day this week too (26th Jan) so we'll be celebrating that too- we do like a celebration at Craigton :-) Unless you know differently, we think that's pretty much it for January - if you do know of anything else we should be aware of , please let us know .
And finally , a reminder of the dates we shall be closed this year :
Easter Monday - 1st April
May Day - 6th May
Aberdeen Holiday - 8th July
Aberdeen holiday - 23rd September
We will close at 6pm on Monday 23rd December and re-open at 8am on Monday 6th Jan 2014
Yes I know you'll all be fed up hearing about it , but another weather warning has been issued . Its actually ok in Culter today(Tuesday) , but I understand its horrendous in Aberdeenshire and the city has had major traffic disruption today . There's more forecast for tonight(Tuesday) and all day tomorrow.
During bad weather conditions please pick up your children as early as you can . We have several staff who live in Aberdeenshire , and others with children at school , so when roads and schools are closed we have less staff , and we need to ensure that the staff who are here can get home safely .
Please avoid using the carpark in heavy snow/ice - you will get stuck!
Also, please make sure your child has soft soled shoes/slippers for indoor use - its really bad for their feet to be in big winter boots all day - thank you .
As part of the Scottish Executive Health programme , children in their pre-school year have a vision test. We will have the Pre-school Vision screening team here on Tuesday 29th Jan. All children with birth dates between 01/03/08 and 29/02/09 should be tested - information and consent forms for these children have been issued today- please complete these and return asap . If your child does not normally attend on a Tuesday afternoon - please bring them in at 1:30 pm(you will need to stay with them) if you'd like them to be tested .
We've already started celebrating Burn's Night (25th Jan)- the sunflowers enjoyed a lively rendition of some of the Bard's work today - there will be lots more this week, and I suspect that a little haggis tasting will be happening too! Looking further afield - its Australia Day this week too (26th Jan) so we'll be celebrating that too- we do like a celebration at Craigton :-) Unless you know differently, we think that's pretty much it for January - if you do know of anything else we should be aware of , please let us know .
And finally , a reminder of the dates we shall be closed this year :
Easter Monday - 1st April
May Day - 6th May
Aberdeen Holiday - 8th July
Aberdeen holiday - 23rd September
We will close at 6pm on Monday 23rd December and re-open at 8am on Monday 6th Jan 2014
Wednesday 16 January 2013
Inspection feedback
Good afternoon everyone ,
hope that you're all managing to stay warm!
We have received the draft report from the Care Inspectorate on our recent inspection(13/12/12) so I am now able to share the grades with you .
We were inspected on 8 Quality Statements , 2 from each Quality Theme . The grading scale goes from 1(unsatisfactory) to 6(excellent) . I am delighted to tell you that we were awarded 4 Grade 5's and 4 Grade 6's .
A full explanation of the grading system , the Quality Themes and Statements , and what exactly we were inspected on is now on display on each department noticeboard (minutes of Parent Forum meeting 09/01/13) and the full report will be displayed once it has been published and will also be available on the Care Inspectorate' website .
Id like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your continued involvement in , and support of the nursery- it really has an impact on the ethos and atmosphere in the setting and its very much appreciated.
But most of all Id like to say a HUGE thank you to every member of staff at Craigton . They are dedicated , hard working, professional and passionate about the care and education they provide for all the Craigton children - this nursery would not be possible without them .....and I'm sure that you and your children appreciate them as much as I do !
The rest of the news is not so good (sorry!) Another weather warning has been issued for Friday with significant snowfalls forecast - please be prepared ! During heavy snow/ice , please avoid using the carpark- you will get stuck!
hope that you're all managing to stay warm!
We have received the draft report from the Care Inspectorate on our recent inspection(13/12/12) so I am now able to share the grades with you .
We were inspected on 8 Quality Statements , 2 from each Quality Theme . The grading scale goes from 1(unsatisfactory) to 6(excellent) . I am delighted to tell you that we were awarded 4 Grade 5's and 4 Grade 6's .
A full explanation of the grading system , the Quality Themes and Statements , and what exactly we were inspected on is now on display on each department noticeboard (minutes of Parent Forum meeting 09/01/13) and the full report will be displayed once it has been published and will also be available on the Care Inspectorate' website .
Id like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your continued involvement in , and support of the nursery- it really has an impact on the ethos and atmosphere in the setting and its very much appreciated.
But most of all Id like to say a HUGE thank you to every member of staff at Craigton . They are dedicated , hard working, professional and passionate about the care and education they provide for all the Craigton children - this nursery would not be possible without them .....and I'm sure that you and your children appreciate them as much as I do !
The rest of the news is not so good (sorry!) Another weather warning has been issued for Friday with significant snowfalls forecast - please be prepared ! During heavy snow/ice , please avoid using the carpark- you will get stuck!
Friday 11 January 2013
Happy New Year
Yes it may be a little late , but Happy New Year to you all !
We've been very busy at Craigton since we returned after the festive break . We've had a term move , so several children are settling into their new departments- enjoying making new friends and new challenges .
We've also had Jenna from PyjamaDrama this week (she's taken over from Dini who was with us last term) as well as our last visit from Catherine for French before the arrival of her baby next week- best wishes from all of us Catherine. French will continue with a new teacher while Catherine is on maternity leave , as well as regular sessions with Maureen throughout the week .
The children have been full of stories about Christmas time - it seems that you have all been very busy and Santa came to everyone! I hope that the adults weren't forgotten? Thanks to all of you who have passed on comments on the Sunflowers Nativity - we're all very glad that you enjoyed it so much - we did too and it was wonderful to see so many parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles , brothers, sisters and cousins there - it really was packed.
The schoolhouse children are looking at 'Me and my Family' at the moment . This is a great opportunity for them to share their home lives with us - please bring in photos of family members for the children to display and share with their friends- they really love doing this .
The sunflowers are continuing with their floorbook exploration of food and cooking - this is leading to some fascinating tangents - Maureen has been kept very busy as our expert baker , and there have been discussions, role play and activities on producing , processing and transporting food , restaurants , cooking and lots more .
Don't forget its time to register your child if they will be going to school this year , or to a school nursery . You need to go to your chosen school with your child's birth certificate and register them to attend in session 2013/14 - letters with more information on this were issued to all parents with children in this age group before Christmas , but you may well have forgotten in all the excitement !
Now that we are all back to normal , it seems that the bugs are back too I'm afraid - I've had reports of 2 children in the schoolhouse with suspected tummy bugs today . Please remember that you must leave 48 hours after the last symptoms before your child can return to nursery- this is the advice given to all schools and care settings by the NHS . Please stick to this exclusion time , as the virus is highly infectious and can affect all the children at the nursery and their families(some of whom may be pregnant or elderly) as well as the staff and their families. Please be extra vigilant with hygiene , particularly hand washing , and please use the hand sanitser in both buildings- thank you .
Can I also remind you not to allow your child to bring toys or other precious objects into nursery unless asked to do so for Show and Tell . We understand that it can be very difficult to persuade them to leave these treasures at home(particularly after Santa has been) , but these invariably are 'borrowed' , lost or broken and this can cause great distress . Please leave them at home - your co-operation would be appreciated .
I know that many of you are super organised and will already be planning your leave for this year , so please note that the nursery will be closed on the following dates:
Monday 1st April - Easter Monday
Monday 6th May- May Day
Monday 8th July - Aberdeen Holiday
Monday 23rd September - Aberdeen Holiday
The dates for the Christmas break will be confirmed later - will let you know asap
And finally ............its still January in Scotland so you shouldn't be surprised to know that the Met Office have issued a weather warning for the NE over the next few days - its forecast that wintry conditions will return(though it does depend which forecast you consult!) So wrap up warm and make sue you have a shovel in your car!
We've been very busy at Craigton since we returned after the festive break . We've had a term move , so several children are settling into their new departments- enjoying making new friends and new challenges .
We've also had Jenna from PyjamaDrama this week (she's taken over from Dini who was with us last term) as well as our last visit from Catherine for French before the arrival of her baby next week- best wishes from all of us Catherine. French will continue with a new teacher while Catherine is on maternity leave , as well as regular sessions with Maureen throughout the week .
The children have been full of stories about Christmas time - it seems that you have all been very busy and Santa came to everyone! I hope that the adults weren't forgotten? Thanks to all of you who have passed on comments on the Sunflowers Nativity - we're all very glad that you enjoyed it so much - we did too and it was wonderful to see so many parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles , brothers, sisters and cousins there - it really was packed.
The schoolhouse children are looking at 'Me and my Family' at the moment . This is a great opportunity for them to share their home lives with us - please bring in photos of family members for the children to display and share with their friends- they really love doing this .
The sunflowers are continuing with their floorbook exploration of food and cooking - this is leading to some fascinating tangents - Maureen has been kept very busy as our expert baker , and there have been discussions, role play and activities on producing , processing and transporting food , restaurants , cooking and lots more .
Don't forget its time to register your child if they will be going to school this year , or to a school nursery . You need to go to your chosen school with your child's birth certificate and register them to attend in session 2013/14 - letters with more information on this were issued to all parents with children in this age group before Christmas , but you may well have forgotten in all the excitement !
Now that we are all back to normal , it seems that the bugs are back too I'm afraid - I've had reports of 2 children in the schoolhouse with suspected tummy bugs today . Please remember that you must leave 48 hours after the last symptoms before your child can return to nursery- this is the advice given to all schools and care settings by the NHS . Please stick to this exclusion time , as the virus is highly infectious and can affect all the children at the nursery and their families(some of whom may be pregnant or elderly) as well as the staff and their families. Please be extra vigilant with hygiene , particularly hand washing , and please use the hand sanitser in both buildings- thank you .
Can I also remind you not to allow your child to bring toys or other precious objects into nursery unless asked to do so for Show and Tell . We understand that it can be very difficult to persuade them to leave these treasures at home(particularly after Santa has been) , but these invariably are 'borrowed' , lost or broken and this can cause great distress . Please leave them at home - your co-operation would be appreciated .
I know that many of you are super organised and will already be planning your leave for this year , so please note that the nursery will be closed on the following dates:
Monday 1st April - Easter Monday
Monday 6th May- May Day
Monday 8th July - Aberdeen Holiday
Monday 23rd September - Aberdeen Holiday
The dates for the Christmas break will be confirmed later - will let you know asap
And finally ............its still January in Scotland so you shouldn't be surprised to know that the Met Office have issued a weather warning for the NE over the next few days - its forecast that wintry conditions will return(though it does depend which forecast you consult!) So wrap up warm and make sue you have a shovel in your car!
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