Countdown to Christmas!

Good morning everyone ,

Yes indeed it will be December next week so the countdown really is on.

We still have some gift tags left for the Giving Tree appeal - please take one and return your gift by Monday 1st December - these children really will appreciate your gifts as this may be the only christmas cheer they receive this year .

The proofs for the children's xmas cards have arrived - you will find these in your child's folder . These are cards featuring your child's artwork -great for friends  and grandparents! If you'd like to order any , please follow the instructions on the card and return them to us(including the proof copy) by FRIDAY  5th December - orders will be posted that day to ensure the cards are here in time for Christmas .

Continuing on the Christmas theme dont forget two very important dates:

The sunflowers concert is on Wednesday 17th December 3pm . All are invited to enjoy this seasonal spectacular.  Further details will follow nearer the time .

The Craigton  Christmas party will take place on Thursday 18th December 2-4pm . All buttercups and sunflowers are invited to attend , whilst the snowdrops and bluebells have their own more restrained celebration for those children usually attending . I have been in contact with the PR department at the North Pole and have had confirmation that we will have a VIP visitor that day too!

The schoolhouse are still being affected by high temperatures and cold/flu symptoms . If your child becomes unwell whilst at nursery we will call you - please arrange to collect your child as soon as possible if this happens and keep then at home until they are fully recovered(at least 24 hours) . Please also ensure that we have your current phone numbers so we can contact you quickly if needed. We'd really appreciate your co-operation with this  .

And finally , the nursery will close at 6pm on Tuesday 23rd December and re-open 8am Monday 5th January 2015 .

Health notice

Good morning ,

This week we have several  children in the school house with high temperatures and cold/flu symptoms . Can I please remind everyone to please keep your child at home until they are fully recovered and at least 24 hours if they have a temperature . We really appreciate your co-operation in this to help keep the spread of any illness as low as we can and all the children and staff as healthy as possible . Thank you

Parents Evening

Hello everyone ,

a big thank you to all of you who came along on Wednesday for Parents Evening - its was really good to see so many of you here . We all hope that you enjoyed the slightly more relaxed atmosphere and the opportunity to talk to staff about  your children's progress as well as meeting other parents . Many of you also took home the children's folios to share with your family - we do hope you enjoy these but please bring them back !  Don't forget that you don't have to wait for Parents Evening to see the folios - they are available to view at any time.

Thanks also to the sunflowers who have  sent in pictures for the family gallery  - if you haven't yet done this please email to      sunflowers@clns.co.uk  (please do not use this email address for anything else)

Another reminder also to please return  your acknowledgement slips for the new Non prescription medication policy - we need to have  your permission to give any medication to your child/ren .

In order to prepare for any bad weather , the carpark will be having a fresh layer of chuckies  - they will be arriving at 10am on Tuesday 25th (next week) . Our handyman Fred will be working in the carpark from then onwards so the carpark will be closed that morning . Please be very , very careful after that as fresh chuckies can easily be disturbed if you're going too fast or turn abruptly - we don't want any to chipped bodywork or windscreens!  

And finally , dont forget its Christmas lights switch on in Culter on Saturday 22nd(tomorrow) 4-6pm Culter Village Hall . There will be fun and entertainment for all the family so please go along and support your local community.  

Welcome

A big Craigton welcome to Jackie Brawley who has joined us this week as  a part-time Early Years Practitioner. Jackie has previous  experience in school nurseries and as a Home Start volunteer .
She will be with us 3 afternoons a week and will be working on both buildings . Please take the time to introduce yourself - it can take  a while to get to know everyone. Welcome to the team Jackie - we're very pleased to have you with us!  

Audit by Aberdeen City Council

Please see below issued today :

Audit on Quality Childcare Provision in Aberdeen City.

Is it meeting your needs?

It is a requirement of the new Children and Young People Act (Scotland) 2014 that Local Authorities consult and plan in relation to the provision of day care and out of school care.  For more information go to:

 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2014/8/contents/enacted

It is very important that as many parents/carers as possible have an opportunity to comment on the Survey Monkey Link, which will be live until 5.00pm on Friday 19^th December.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9W5KKXM

Please can you add your post code to question 5

Thank you,

Sent on behalf of Stuart Patterson, Early Years Manager.

Elaine Crawford and Muriel Milne

Early Years & Childcare Development Officers

Parents Evening

Good morning everyone ,

A reminder that its Parents Evening this week - Wednesday 6pm to 7:30pm . Please come along to chat to staff about your child's progress , find out what they really do when with us , and to meet other parents . We look forward  to seeing you all .

You should all have received a copy of our new policy on the administration of non prescription medication- please sign and return the reply slip as soon as you can.

The donations for the Giving Tree Appeal have already started arriving . Please remember to hand in your gifts before Monday 1st December when Santa's helpers will collect them- thank you .
If  you are getting organised for the festive season by shopping online , please remember to register with   www.easyfundraising.org.uk   to support us. There are hundreds of retailers signed up for this and each time you shop online  they will donate to our Staff Development Fund . If you download their find and remind tool  it will tell you when you're visiting a participating site so you dont even need to log in. You can also access vouchers and special offers so not only will you be raising funds, you could be saving money too!

We will soon be saying goodbye to Paula(sunflowers) who will be starting a new job. Paula has been with us just over a year and has become a firm favourite with the children . Best of luck with  your new job Paula - we'll miss you! Paula's last day will be Thursday 27th November .

And finally a reminder that the nursery will be closing 6pm on Tuesday 23rd December and re-open 8am Monday 5th January 2015 .

New publication for Families

Please see the press release below for information on a newly launched magazine for families

Welcome to Family Focus Scotland, Scotland’s newest and largest magazine dedicated to serving Parents, Families, Grandparents, Teachers, Carers and all those who have an active interest in the well-being of our future generation.  Due to be launched in November, in time for Christmas, the launch issue will include a wealth of varied content from pregnancy to primary and toddlers to teenagers.  For many people, family focus is the most important part of life and in this launch edition we illustrate that there is no such thing as the average family!  Whether you’re a tight knit twosome or a member of a large sprawling clan, family for most of us is at the heart of everything we do, but the reality of that can mean many different things.  We aim to nurture and support each other, from the moment a pregnancy is announced through to celebrating a long life well lived, with everything possible in between. At the same time, life is made infinitely better by knowing that family is there to care and encourage in turn when we need their help, even if we’re parted by miles and busy with everyday concerns. The flip side to that are those who don’t have that warm and loving family support.  It’s hard to accept that in these enlightened times babies can be neglected, children unloved, adults friendless and the elderly desperately lonely, but that is everyday life for too many people in Scotland.  Yet they are all our families and our responsibility and very often it’s the concentrated effort of communities, concerned professionals and tireless individuals taking the time to notice when things are simply not right and helping to put them in order. Family Focus Scotland aims to shine a spotlight on families today, whether thriving and growing, struggling against adversity, coping with tragedy, celebrating achievements or planning great things.  All the tiny victories, the moments that make everything worthwhile, the great successes and the quiet worries that are the background to most families.  And just like family, Family Focus Scotland aims to make life a little easier, in all sorts of ways. Family Focus Scotland will be edited by Joan McFadden.  Joan is a freelance journalist and regular contributor to The Herald,  as well as other national and international  publications including newspapers, magazines, internet sites and corporate magazines. Joan specialises in human interest features, with particular emphasis on parenting, health and education issues and is a regular radio commentator on these areas.  "I'm really excited about Family Focus Scotland - we're covering so many issues and subjects that mean a great deal to our readers.  Some of it will be light hearted and highly entertaining.  Some offering helpful hints and tips with some covering very emotive and moving situations.  This is family life in Scotland today, often happy, sometimes just routine, occasionally heartbreaking - and always interesting." Family Focus Scotland will also be available in a free digital edition format bringing you the same fantastic content of the print edition, available to read on all mobile and tablet devices including iPad and iPhone.  The digital edition will be enhanced with the addition of both audio and video rich media while offering the benefits of automatically updated editions, zoom functionality, an archive to store all previous issues.

Safety Notice - Car Park

We had a near miss in the carpark yesterday evening as the gate was left wide open and a child ran straight into the carpark ahead of their parent . Please ensure that you close and chain all the gates every time- it only takes a second for a child to dash out there- this is particularity dangerous at this time of year  as its's dark so early now.  
A reminder too that the top carpark is for staff only - please do not go up the drive as there may be children in this area.
Please help us to keep all the children safe by observing these safety rules - your co operation would be much appreciated.

Giving Tree Appeal

Good morning ,

Many of you will already know that every year we take part in the Giving Tree Appeal . This is a charity appeal for gifts for children in this area who for whatever reason will not be waking up to presents on Christmas morning.

We know that this is a very busy and expensive time for all .....there's cards to be written , frantic searches for the last Peppa Pig princess outfit/spiderman watch/Elsa doll or any minions  merchandise  that just cant be found anywhere,  food that you wouldn't dream of buying at any other time and that nobody eats  , untangling tree lights that you packed away so carefully last time , wrapping  of gifts when you've run out of sellotape , and slowly realising that there is no way you'll get a babysitter the weekend before Christmas ....Yet its always worth it in the end ! When you wake on Christmas morning and see the look of wonder and delight on your children's faces , and spend time with your family and friends , all that effort is rewarded . Ahhhhhhhhhh :-)

But please spare a thought for children in this area who are much less fortunate than your own. Children who will not be celebrating in the warmth and security of a loving family , and for whom Santa will not come .

There are gift  tags in each department with the name and age of a child. Please take one , wrap an appropriate gift and attach the tag . This year we have been given tags for older children(up to 17yrs) as these are often overlooked - everyone is happy to donate for under 5's but they really struggle to find donations for  the older children . Please return your gift to us by Monday 1st  December when Santa's helpers will collect them .

Please do this ........you will be giving not just the gift , but some Christmas joy a child who has very little to celebrate in their life ........ And after all , that is really what Christmas is all about . Thank you .

Health notice

Good morning ,

I've just been informed that at least one primary school and nursery  are closed today due to a serious outbreak of the winter vomiting virus .
If your child develops any symptoms , please keep them at home until 48 hours after the last symptoms . NHS also advise that you do not visit your GP with this virus as it is so contagious- please stay at home until fully recovered .
If your child become ill whilst with us , we will call you immediately - please ensure that they are picked up as soon as possible . Your co-operation would be very much appreciated .  

Magic and fireworks!

Hello everyone , 

A big Craigton THANK YOU  to one of our parents , Nir , who came along and entertained the sunflowers with a magic show this morning! He put on an impressive display and the children loved it ! We had no idea you were so talented - thank you :-) ........and if any other parents have hidden talents they'd like to share with us please do - you'll be given a very warm welcome ! 

I'm sure you're all aware that its Guy Fawkes tomorrow (Wed 5th Nov) and I hope that you will all be celebrating at some point . The Scottish Fire service are advising that you attend an organised event -so here's some  information on local events  :

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5

The Aberdeen Winter Festival kicks off in spectacular style with a fireworks display at Aberdeen beach. Pre-fireworks entertainment includes firewalkers and a charity firewalk (see below). The event starts at 6.30pm, with a 20-minute fireworks display set to music from 7.30pm.

Best vantage points for the display are in the areas around the Beach Boulevard and along the Beach Esplanade. Visitors should not bring their own fireworks, and alcohol or fireworks found will be confiscated. A dedicated fireworks park-and-ride service will be available from Bridge of Don, Kingswells and Calder Park.

Inspire Firewalk: Coinciding with Aberdeen’s Bonfire Night fireworks display, brave volunteers are invited to pay £20 and walk on hot coals for charity. Starts from 4.30pm onwards. Queen’s Links, Aberdeen. Contact: 01224 280005.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8

Banchory bonfire and fireworks display, organised by Banchory and District Round Table and taking place in the George V Park. Refreshments available from 6.30pm. Fire lit at 6.30pm; fireworks from 7pm. Admission free, but donations welcome.

Hope you all have fun and stay safe! 

You should all have received a copy of our new policy on administering non-prescribed medication - please ensue that you return the reply slip , and some sunflower parents have not yet returned email information to register on the ILD - please do this asap so we can set up parental access to this resource .  

Don't forget that its Parents Evening on Wednesday 19th November 6pm to 7:30pm - hope to see you all there .