Health notice

Hello again ,

we have just been informed of a confirmed case of croup in the schoolhouse . This is an infection of the voicebox/windpipe and is usually caused by a virus  Please see the following link for further information

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/croup

Giving Tree(Final) Appeal

Hello everyone ,

we still have some gift tags left for the Giving Tree Appeal - please ensure that any gifts are returned on Friday (or first thing Monday morning at the very latest) as Santa's helpers will be collecting them on Monday .

Happy St. Andrew's Day to you all on Saturday - for those of you who don't know that's the patron saint of Scotland and cause for celebration of all things scottish  :-) so expect scottish music , stories , flags and tartan on show, haggis tasting and maybe some shortbread being baked !

Please note that I will not be in nursery Thursday and Friday this week(28th and 29th) Emails will not be monitored or answered on those days so please call us on 01224 733980 if you need to tell us anything ,

Our search for Santa is still on , so please let us know if you know of anyone willing to help us - Thank you

Play on the Shortest Day

Aberdeen Play Forum have organised a play event on Saturday 21st December 11am to 3pm at Duthie Park . There will be free activities for children and families. The event will go ahead whatever the weather , but please note that some activities are weather dependant . For more information please contact
Jennifer.brownlie@aberlour.org.uk   07772226617

There are still a few giving tree tags left - please ensure all gifts are returned by this Friday.......... . And while we're in the Christmas mood , we have an urgent Santa appeal . Our regular Santa will not be able to make it along to the xmas party this year , so we need a jolly volunteer to step into his sleigh . If you know of any Santa who will be free to come along on Thursday 19th December around 3pm for approx half an hour and hand out gifts to the Craigton children , please let me know as soon as possible . Santa outfit and jingle bells supplied - will need own boots! Magic reindeer optional.

More about Christmas - we encourage all the children and staff at Craigton to reduce , reuse and recycle. So if you or your children wish to send cards to others at nursery , can we please  ask that you send just one for the whole group- these will then be displayed so that all the children can see the cards, and will be recycled afterwards - thank you .

Those of you like me who loathe shopping at the best of times , but particularly at this time of year(did I hear a bah humbug!) will no doubt be doing a great deal of online shopping over the next few weeks . Gotta love the internet :-) If so , please sign up to
https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/support-a-good-cause/    then every time you buy online , you will be raising money for our Staff Development Fund . There are thousands of retailers participating including the major supermarkets , travel agents , John Lewis , Debenhams , Amazon and many  more . It doesn't cost you a penny - they regularly have voucher deals and special promotions so could even save you some money . If you download the find and remind toolbar , this will tell you when you a visiting a  participating retailer so you dont even need to go onto  the site - and doing this will raise 50p . The amounts donated each time are small, but they really add up . We currently have 19 supporters who over the past two years have raised over £700 - just by shopping online . Please join us .

Reminders of those important festive dates :
Sunflowers Xmas Concert - Wednesday 18th December 3pm
Xmas party : Thursday 19th December 2-4pm
We shall close at 6pm Monday 23rd December and re-open 8am Monday 6th January

Health Notice

We have had one confirmed and one suspected case of Hand , Foot and Mouth in the schoolhouse building - please see this link for further information .
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/hand-foot-and-mouth-disease-leaflet

We also have  a new case of chicken pox which we thought  had gone !
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/chickenpox-in-children-under-12

This is the worst time of year for the spread of virus and infections , so please help us to keep this as low as we can . Be extra vigilant with your hygiene - particularly handwashing ( we have hand sanitisers in both buildings - please make use of them) and if your child is unwell , please keep them at home until they are recovered .

We do still have some gift tags left for the Giving Tree Appeal - please bring back any gifts by this Friday as they will be collected on Monday - thank you

Culter Christmas Lights

Yes indeed its that time of year again!

The Culter  Christmas Lights will be switched on this Saturday 23rd November . Please go along to the village hall 4-6pm and join in the celebrations. There will be carol singing accompanied by the Granite City Brass Band, mulled wine and mince pies , a magic show and I have heard a rumour that there will be an appearance by a very very very special  visitor ! So go along , have some fun , support your local community , and get into the festive spirit :-)
while on matters festive - There are still a few gift tags available for the Giving tree appeal - please do this very soon as the gifts need to be back to us by next Friday 29th November ready for collection by Santa's helpers on Monday 2nd December - thank you .


Some reminders :
Please do not allow your child to arrive eating/drinking or to bring food/drink into nursery . We have several children with severe allergies attending the nursery. We take great care to ensure that these children (and all the others) do not come into contact with anything that may cause them harm, but we cannot do this if food items are brought in . It may only be a biscuit crumb , but this could potentially be life threatening to some children- we'd very much appreciate your co-operation with this .  
Please ensure that you close and chain the garden gates every time you use them . Please consider that it could be your child that runs out into the carpark or the road because the gate was not chained.  It only takes seconds for this to happen and is easily prevented by ensuring the gates are chained .

We saw our first snow of the season this week. The children had great  fun with our sledges , as well as activities with coloured snow , and discussions on how quickly it would melt(and why) when brought indoors. Though it has now gone , I'm sure it wont be the last we see . Please be aware that in bad weather , we may need to close the nursery early  to allow staff to travel home safely or because staff are not able to get here . We may close the carpark if there is a lot of snow or its very icy- make sure you enter very slowly as the chain may be up . Please ensure that you visit the blogspot on those days to check updates - there is a delay in posts being emailed to you , but they appear immediately on the blogspot    http://craigtonlodgenursery.blogspot.co.uk/

And finally some dates for your diary :
The sunflowers Christmas concert : Wednesday 18th December 3pm
Craigton Christmas Party : Thursday 19th December 2-4pm . All sunflowers and buttercups are invited to this - the babies  have their own more restrained celebrations for those children normally attending .
Please note that as this is such a busy time  , we are unable to accommodate extra sessions all that week .
More information about these two very exciting events will be issued nearer the time .

The nursery will close at 6pm on Monday 22nd December and reopen 8am Monday 6th January 2014

Parents Evening

A big thank you to all of you who made it along to Parent's evening yesterday and helped to make it such a success. We always enjoy this event - its great to have an opportunity to talk to parents (especially the ones we don't see often) and to show you what your children have  been doing whilst here . Its especially useful to get your feedback and we all really appreciate you coming along . Don't worry if you weren't able to attend - you are welcome to take your child's folio home to have a look through(though please bring it back) Remember that you don't need to wait for Parents evening to view these- they are available any time .

A reminder that the Giving Tree Appeal is under way and the gift tags are going very quickly - so if you'd like to participate , please get yours asap . The gifts need to be returned by Friday 29th November as Santa's helpers will be collecting them on Monday 2nd December.  

And it looks like the tummy bug has arrived - we have had 2 reported cases today . Please be extra vigilant regarding hygiene especially hand washing( we have hand sanitiser units in both buildings) and observe the 48 hour exclusion time to help us limit the spread of this bug as much as we can - we'd very much appreciate your co-operation with this - thank you .

Giving Tree Appeal

Many of you will know that every year we support the Giving Tree Appeal organised by the Instant Neighbour charity . This is a scheme to collect and distribute Christmas presents to children in this area who would otherwise go without .

We are all aware that times are hard just now , and this time of year is busy and very expensive for all. But please join in this appeal . Every year I attempt to tug at your heart strings to encourage you to donate a gift and each year we are all bowled over by your generous response .

So ......as you once again cant believe that its only 6 weeks to go , as you write out hundreds of cards, battle through the ever  increasing crowds trying to find the perfect gifts for all your family , stand in very long queues in the post office because you missed the last posting dates overseas, start panicking as you realise its increasingly unlikely you'll get a babysitter the weekend before Xmas  , and begin to stock up on weird and wonderful foods that you wouldn't buy at any other time of year and that nobody will eat . As you wonder where everyone will sit for the big Xmas lunch and if the giant turkey will fit into your oven, as you struggle to wrap presents after midnight when the children are asleep , your sticky tape keeps splitting and you cant find  the gift tags.......and on and on it goes .

But  of course all that stress will be worth it  , as you tuck the children into bed on Christmas Eve , their eyes sparking with visions of Santa making his way to them and  when you see the look of wonder and joy on their  faces on Christmas morning once he has been  , safe and happy , surrounded by a loving family .

Please spare a thought during those times for children in this area who are much less fortunate than your own , and for whom Santa will not come .

In each department  there are gift tags with a child's name and age . Please take one , wrap an appropriate gift , attach the tag and return it to us by FRIDAY 29th November , as Santa's helpers will be collecting them on Monday 2nd December .

This really is what Christmas is all about - taking a little time and effort to help bring  joy to a child who sorely needs it

Parents Evening

A final reminder to come along tomorrow evening between 6pm and 7:30pm for Parents Evening .This is an opportunity for you to talk to staff about your child's progress and, find out in more detail what they do here( we all know when asked what did you do at nursery the answer is invariably 'nothing' or 'don t know') You can also see  some of the activities on offer to the children , look through your child's folio and meet other parents. We look forward to seeing you there.

 

Health alert

Hello everyone ,

we have had another confirmed case of chickenpox in the schoolhouse building . Please the the following link for symptoms    http://www.patient.co.uk/health/chickenpox-in-children-under-12

I have also been informed by a parent that there is a nasty tummy bug going around in the local schools so please be on the lookout for this too (and thank you for the info!) . Don't forget that children must not return to nursery after having a tummy bug for 48 hours after the symptoms have stopped .

As we are heading into winter and all kinds of bugs and viruses , can I please remind you it is our policy that a child who has a temperature or has been given medication to reduce it , will not be admitted to nursery.  If  your child becomes unwell whilst here , we will contact you and ask you to take them home- please arrange to do this as soon as possible . High temperatures in young children can have serious consequences .Whilst we do appreciate that you are working , an unwell child should rest at home until recovered .
We have Health Protection Scotland/NHS Exclusion criteria on display in both buildings - if you are unsure , please check with staff . Please observe the exclusion times so that we can limit the spread of these infections as much as we can- these infections affect all the children (and their families), visitors(some of whom will be elderly or pregnant and so at higher risk) , and all the staff and their families . Your co-operation would be very much appreciated.

A reminder too,  not to allow your child to bring toys or other precious items from home , unless specifically asked to do so . These items are invariably 'borrowed' , lost or broken , and this often causes distress . Please leave them at home .

Sunflower parents - thank you for your feedback on the ILD - can we ask though that only those parents who have been asked to do so by staff leave comments on the system for the time being. Whilst we appreciate your enthusiasm , we are monitoring this during the trial , and can only handle a small number at the moment - once we go live next year , you will all be able to comment as much as you like !

Don't forget Parents Evening next week - Thursday 14th Nov - come along anytime between 6pm and 7:30pm- hope to see you all there .

And finally some dates for your diary for the up coming winter festival celebrations
Sunflowers Concert - afternoon Wednesday 18th December
Christmas Party - afternoon Thursday 19th December - all buttercups and sunflowers are invited to this.
Times tbc and further details will be issued nearer the time , but we've already had parents asking for these dates!
We will close at 6pm on Monday 23rd December and re-open 8am Monday 6th January 2014

After Halloween !

Thank you to everyone who came along in their Halloween costumes this week , and for bringing in your homemade lanterns for us all to see - you have been busy! We had a huge array of outfits - there were witches and dragons , pirates and ghosts , cats and bats , pumpkins and princesses, superheros and ninjas and many more - well done to you all for your efforts!

And next we have Guy Fawkes - if you're going to a firework display this weekend , wrap up warm , have a great time and dont forget the sparklers!

We have had several cases of a mystery malaise in the sunflowers this week . Children have been out of sorts , easily upset and quite tired , accompanied by a slightly raised temperature - so far it doesnt seem to develop into anything more serious- just be aware that there's something going around .

Following recent staff appraisals , I am delighted to tell you that Maureen(sunflowers) is now a Senior Early Years Practitioner . Maureen has been with us at Craigton since 2003 and has spent time in all departments . She has completed all her training here , achieving CCLD Level II in 2007 and CCLD III early last year . Maureen was the first staff member to be part funded for her qualification by the Staff Development Fund, which you all contribute so generously to -  this has given a valued and experienced member of staff the opportunity to extend her knowledge and skills and now assume a senior role in the nursery . So thank you all for your support - it really does have an impact on the nursery .................and congratulations Maureen !

Don't forget its Parents Evening on Thursday 14th November 6pm to7:30pm - we look forward to seeing you all then .
Thanks for all your feedback so far on the ILD - we shall be asking for more detailed feedback after the trail , but your comments have been very helpful and much appreciated!

Don't forget to tell us if your child wont be coming to nursery for any reason at all - its important that we know who will be here each day , and in the case of illness we may need to alert other parents - we'd really appreciate your help in this - thank  you .

Have a lovely weekend- enjoy the fireworks!