Mrs Jones, Ms O'Connor & Mrs Krzyzewska
Welcome to Nursery at St Augustine’s School!
We hope that your child’s time in our Nursery setting will be a wonderful start in your child’s learning journey. The morning Nursery session times are 8:40-11:40 and 12:25-15:25 in the afternoon with the full days running from 8:40-15:25. If your child is staying for full days (see the 30 hours entitlement information or the ‘pay to stay’ letter) they will need to bring in a packed lunch with them. Please collect your child promptly.
Topics Throughout the Year
Over the year we will be teaching a different topic each half term so there will be plenty of exciting opportunities for your child to learn new things and also share existing knowledge. Topics we will be covering are:
Within these topics we will be theming our learning around a different book each week – a mixture of fiction, non-fiction and poetry each half term so the children will cover a wide range of different texts, some new, some they may already be familiar with.
As a parent/carer, you have a vitally important role to play in your child’s learning and as a school we really appreciate the support from and collaboration with all our parents. We love to celebrate your child’s successes and keep you involved in your child’s progress across the year. We do this in a variety of ways such as:
WOW moments! We would love to hear about those special moments your child experiences out of school such as riding a bike, independently getting dressed or learning to swim. We would like to celebrate and record these moments in their home learning book which will be sent home with them.
Snack
All children will be provided with milk and fruit each day. Please do not send snack with your child as we have allergies in some children. Children are allowed to bring a water bottle if they wish.
Star of the week
To celebrate achievements in Nursery we have a ‘star of the week.’ If your child is chosen as star of the week they will receive a certificate and will also chose a prize from our star box.
Settling in
For many children, the point when their parents leaves is the most traumatic – sometimes for the parent too! No one wishes to see a child upset but, although it is upsetting, a quick exit is often the best option. Most children settle down once their parent is out of view and they have had some special time with a member of staff and their favourite story or game. Once the children become familiar with the setting, this should begin to happen less frequently.
REMEMBER: if your child does not settle after you’ve gone, we WILL ring you! (They generally do though.)
A good way to check your child is ready for day ahead is to ensure that they are well-rested at home. An early night is a good way to make sure that your child is ready to face the day.
We appreciate that not all children are toilet trained before they come into Nursery and we are equipped to deal with this. However, this does take away from valuable teaching and learning time. If your child is not quite there with toileting why not take the time in the holidays to practise?
Helping at home
We really appreciate and understand the importance of the support we get from home. When supporting your little ones at home, communication is key. Talking with your child, counting everyday objects, noticing changes in the local environment and recognising letters and digits around them are all easy but effective way helping to develop your children listening, attention and communication skills.
To help your child with their reading we ask you to share stories with them as often as possible, your child will be coming home with a school reading book each week and their own reading diary, if you could write in this when you read your child’s school book with them, and we will know to swap their book.
We also send a ‘home adventure’ book home every week. We will put an activity in the book based on the work we have been doing that week so that you can encourage your child to talk about what they have been learning about and further embed their understanding.
Attendance
Although attendance in not compulsory in Nursery we encourage you to bring you child in as much as possible. Establishing regular routines for your children at an early age is extremely important benefitting both you and your children as they progress through their school life. We want to promote good attendance throughout school starting with our very youngest pupils and limit the chances of poor attendance, which will have a negative effect on their enjoyment and achievement. Our aim is to help your child reach their full potential by attending school as much as possible.
Finally…
We look forward to welcoming you and your child into our learning community and we endeavour to ensure that your child feels happy, safe and secure whilst learning with us.
Please work with us and come to us if you feel you have any concerns. We are always here to answer any questions or queries you have about your little one starting school.
Thank you
The Foundation Stage Team
