Osbourne Lodge Nursery

Parents Newsletter

Mums, dads and families are important to us so newsletters are produced every month to keep you, our customer, updated on what is happening in and around the Nursery

 

November Newsletter 2008

 

Christmas Holiday

The festive season will soon be upon us and I am sending letters out to all parents to ask for the dates that your child will not be in nursery over the holidays, Nursery will be closed on Thursday 25th December, Friday 26th December and Thursday 1st January 2009. I would be grateful if you could let me know the dates as soon as possible so I can organise the children's Christmas parties and staff holidays. 

Christmas Time

The staff will start to prepare the children's Christmas activities soon, if you have any spare cereal boxes could you please bring them into nursery as we use them to put all the children's Christmas art work in to take home, thanks.  

Topic

The new topic from November will be Winter and Christmas, the children will learn about the Christmas story and one of our parents will hopefully come into nursery to talk to the children about this. The children will also learn about the winter season and what happens during this time, for example, hibernation, weather, changes in the environment. 

 Winter Clothes

Due to the implementation of the Foundation phase throughout Wales, the children will be expected to go outside in all weathers which can be such fun, so can all parents bring in water proof outdoor wear, wellies too please!! They can be kept at Nursery for whenever we need them and no doubt have photos to show you.

The foundation phase is all about learning through play so gone are the days of sitting at a table drawing, all activities are laid out for the children to choose what they like to do best. Activities are pre arranged by the staff to support the topic and the staff then help lead the children in play. Paints, sand, water, construction, drawing etc are always available to all the children through out the day making playing more fun and less ridged although the groups still maintain their story time, circle time and individual learning time, just the same as state education nurseries. Information booklets are available in the entrance hall explaining the Foundation Phase and Clare has many topic books which she makes with the children detailing their many fun activities. Please take a look, they are hanging at the bottom of the staircase, these books are valuable to show our inspectors the activities and learning which the children have taken part in and for the children to look back at themselves.

Language and Play Sacks

We are still using the sacks at nursery with the children and have asked parents to feel free to take a sack home if they wish. We haven't had much of a response and we do understand that parents are very busy but we also feel it is very important to maintain home-school links, so we will select 1 child from each group per week and send a sack home for the week. Feel free to have fun with it and share it with older children too.

Sickness

Unfortunately there have been a lot of sickness in nursery and schools for the last few months, CSSIW have now informed Nurseries that we must notify public health if there are more than 2 cases of a particular illness within nursery, that also includes staff. If your child is at any time unwell with a contagious illness such as sickness and diarrhoea, hand , foot and mouth, chicken pox, measles etc, please do not come into nursery as this will only cause the illness to spread. I appreciate that it means taking time off from work but I'm sure you'll agree the children's health must come first, thank you for your continued co-operation, Lisa

Toothbrushes

Can parents please send in new toothbrushes to nursery as it is time to re-new them, if you have recently brought one in this doesn't apply to you. Can new parents please bring a toothbrush and toothpaste for their child to use daily as it reinforces their routine, thank you.

Phones 4 Schools

We are still continuing with our recycling campaign, so if you have any old mobile phones lying around, or your friends and family do, please bring them in. Remember you can claim prizes from Argos for the amount of phones you donate. This will come in handy for that extra Christmas present or something nice for yourself, thanks for your support.

October Newsletter 2008

Feelings of Joy and Sorrow

A few of the boys and girls we said goodbye to this term. Good luck to you all.

(Photo Removed for Privacy reasons)

 

As for the joy we have lots of new children and their families just starting at nursery and we hope we build the same strong bonds with them, and I am sure we will. 'Welcome to you all'.

Clare has returned to nursery, which is great as we were all missing her so much, her new baby boy will soon become our youngest baby for some time, so welcome Caleb.

 

Clare has already started planning for the new topic which is to be 'People who help us'. (do excuse me if the contents of this newsletter are similar to last months but it is for those who have only just started at the nursery.) Nikola is in the process of securing some visits from police and fire fighters. I have also asked one of our granddads if he would come and do story telling with a group of pre-schoolers. Mr Miller who was a teacher at Trevethin Community School for many years (I hope I don't get in trouble for saying that!) has kindly agreed and I am sure it will be great fun for the children, who love visitors who come to nursery.

 

Wedding Bells

On Wednesday 17th Lisa and her partner Darren (who is our very clever 'handy man at nursery') were married in New York, congratulations to the happy couple. As soon as we receive photos of the happy event they will be posted on the notice board. We are all missing Lisa like mad Osbourne Lodge isn't the same without her.

 

 At this time of year we have students from Pontypool college who are in their second year of their Diploma in early years, they have C.R.B. checks and only work under the supervision of nursery nurses. We have two this term in the baby room and they are Cory and Emma and another young lady in the pre-school group, Rebecca.

 

 Just another reminder that your children will need waterproof clothing and footwear. The introduction of foundation stage is geared towards learning through experiences, so the children will be having lots of fun jumping in puddles and making mud pies. So that the children stay safe and enjoy themselves could you send in appropriate clothes, if possible to remain at nursery.

 

 Inspection

Wednesday of this week John Langley from Torfaen Food Safety carried out a routine annual inspection. All was found in excellent order, as expected, as Sharon is not only a fabulous chef but a very strict housekeeper and the kitchen area is pristine. The report for the inspection, and all other such documents such as annual C.S.S.I.W. Estyn and B.E.E.L. reports can be found in the All About Me file which you can look through at any time. The file is on the shelf in the information area in the entrance hall.

 

We have introduced an Environmental Policy to our nursery guide, this is statutory for all public establishments so we thought we would follow their good practice and produce one. The Policy looks at how the Nursery, staff and children help conserve energy, waste and water and produce a sustainable environment.

 

Now just a bit of nagging this month, but it must be done. Children's clothes, please do label them either with tags or just their name on the label. Please do not send them to nursery with expensive or precious clothes because as hard as we try thing do get mislaid or ruined with paint. Next no toys at all to be brought from home please, nursery staff have enough to do without keeping track on your child's toys and once again they may get lost or damaged. There that's it no more nagging ( well not until next month) 

Jane.

 

September 2008 Newsletter

New Topic

The new topic will start on Monday 1st September 2008, the topic will be PEOPLE WHO HELP US. We have arranged visits to the fire station and hopefully the local police station and ambulance station if we can arrange it. The children will learn all about the different types of people who can help us. This year we will start incorporating the foundation phase to include the babies, tots and toddlers, so please make sure you  send in wellies and macs, as the children will be going outside in all weathers!! The topic will be the same throughout nursery and the babies and tots will also learn to recognise basic Welsh words and phrases and start to learn to recognise colours shapes and numbers.

Fones for Schools

We are still running our campaign this year, for new parents we collect all old mobile phones and chargers for recycling, if you bring in a certain amount of phones you can claim a free gift for yourself, I have plenty of bags and information if required. This is an ongoing campaign as it does re-enforce the recycling theme that we have in nursery.

Toys and Clothes

Can parents please not let their child bring toys to nursery, it causes far too many arguments between the children and we haven't really got time at the end of the day to look for toys that have been misplaced in the many boxes of toys. Can you also remember that your child will probably get dirty during the nursery day as we always do lots of activities, please do not send your child into nursery with expensive clothes, or precious items bought by relatives as we cannot be held responsible if they get dirty or damaged, as I'm sure you'll agree your child's welfare is and always will be our main concern. Thank you.

Dap Bags

As we have so many new children starting nursery, we are asking all parents not to bring their own bags in from home as we haven't got enough room on the pegs. All the children will have their own dap bag to keep all personal items in and art work ready to go home.

Nursery opening Times

Just to remind new parents that Nursery opens at 8am, not before. The staff have a lot of work to prepare first thing. If you collect your child after 6pm please be aware that you will be fined £20.00 (late collection fee.) Afternoon sessions do not start until 1pm, please do not come before this time as you will have to wait outside.

Sharon, our cook collects the lunch numbers at 10 am. If you are going to be bringing your child late into nursery or your child will not be coming in, can you please ring nursery as soon as possible. Thank you.

Healthy Eating

As holders of the Torfaen Healthy Early Years Award we have a healthy eating policy in nursery, which means we do not allow children to bring in sweets or unhealthy snacks, these are left in the child's dap bags for when they go home. If you send in a snack for your child please do not to send in sweets etc as we are trying to encourage the children to eat healthy. The children have fruit 3 times per day and the nursery lunch and tea menu is constantly updated by Jane and Sharon to ensure healthy eating at all times. The only exception is birthdays, as it is lovely for the children to have a little party and blow out the candles on their birthday cake!!! 

Nursery Places

The nursery is filling rather quickly this year, we still have places available so if you know anyone who is looking for childcare let them know now so they are not disappointed!!!

It has also been a sad time for us this year as we have lost all our oldest children, they have all gone onto school and we hope that we have prepared them for this new adventure. Most of these children have been with us since they were tiny babies, they will all be missed.

The children will also move groups this month as you will have already been informed. The move has been a gradual process so the children have settled into their new groups very quickly and it helps that all the children know all the staff very well already!

New Faces

Clare will be returning to work in October but Vicky has done an excellent job of filling in for her and you may still see Rhian around after Clare's return as she will be our supply nursery nurse.

There are some new faces around nursery, both children and staff. The new staff have come to us from training companies to start and continue training for qualifications in child care, working alongside our qualified team. This hasn't caused the children any disruptions and the new children who have started have already made lots of friends!!

Website

Our website, which can be found at www.osbournelodge-nursery.co.uk is updated regularly and holds a copy of newsletters, policies and a diary which Nikola tries to update weekly.

 Thanks Lisa

 

August 2008 Newsletter

New Children

We would like to welcome all our new children and hope they have an enjoyable time with us at Nursery, again we will miss all our older children who were with us for many years but know they will have just as much fun in their new schools and nurseries.

 Toys

Can parents please discourage their child from bringing toys into nursery, it causes lots of arguments!!

If you have to bring toys to nursery you must take them home with you when you drop your child off, ask a member of staff to assist if your child won't let you take the toy. If you bring any beakers or cups in can you please leave them in your child's bag as we have so may cups in nursery they can easily get lost. Thanks.

Dap bags and coat pegs

The children's pegs will change in September as lots of our older children will have left by then. There will be a peg key up on the wall but your child's picture will be above the peg. Nikola is making more space for the children's coats on the lower floor which should be ready soon.

Can parents also check their child's dap bag every week to avoid a build up of art work, thanks.

Educational Funding

If your child attends nursery for 4 sessions or more and turns 3 years before September 1st you will be eligible for educational funding, any questions please ask me. The funding will be sent off at the beginning of the new term (September 1st ) and will take a few weeks to go through, I will let you know as soon as it arrives and how much it will be this year.

Topic

The new topic from September will be People who help. We are hoping to organise trips to the fire station in New Inn and to the Police station in Pontypool town centre. We will also incorporate colours, shapes, numbers and Welsh during circle time sessions. All the groups will change in September and we will have younger groups as most of our older children will be leaving during the holidays to start school. I will inform parents individually when their child will move groups and introductory sessions will start during the summer break for the children moving from the tots to toddler group.

 During the nice weather!

Hopefully as the weather is getting slightly better, every Friday the whole nursery will go to the park and have their tea there. If you are collecting your child early on a Friday please let the staff know. The children have loved the picnic for the last few weeks so lets hope the weather holds out for it to continue. Thanks.

Language and play sacks

If any parents have one of our yellow language and play sacks at home could you please return it to nursery. These sacks are for all the children to use in nursery and at home. If you haven't had one of these sacks please let me know, they may come in handy for you during the summer holidays to use at home. There is a list of outstanding sacks on the front door. Thanks.

Phones 4 schools

We are still collecting for PHONES 4 SCHOOLS, if you have or know anyone that may have old mobile phones at home please donate them to nursery. Thanks.

Decorating

Nikola started the re-decorating the hall downstairs this weekend, so apologies if there is a lingering paint smell but the weekends is the only time Nikola can do these jobs and the nursery will continue to look lovely.

Annual Holidays

Don't forget you are entitled to 2 weeks annual holidays at half fees, if you could let me know before the 20th of each month, before invoice day, I would be grateful. Thanks.

First Aid Training

The staff took part in a Paediatric First Aid course on Saturday based at the Nursery. Many staff came from other Nurseries to attend and they enjoyed the day fully. The course continues this weekend where the day will involve a test and demonstrations in order to pass and gain a Paediatric First Aid Certificate. Every child care setting must have 50% of their staff trained for first aid, we are very proud to say that all our staff are trained and have a current certificate or are updating this weekend.

Food Hygiene is very important in the Nursery also with all staff requiring basic Food Hygiene Certificates if they handle food, we are also very proud to say that every staff member has Basic Food Hygiene with 4 holding the level 1 and 2 higher certificates also. The Nursery has achieved and retained the Bronze Award for Food Standards for the past 3 years—

Well Done Everybody for your commitment to quality in the Nursery.

 

July 2008 Newsletter

Annual Holidays

Don't forget that you are due 2 weeks half fees per year so please let me know when you will be going on your summer holidays so I can make sure you get your half fees, please let me know before the 20th of each month so Nikola can allocate the days on your invoices, thanks.

Our Website

Don't forget to visit our website- www.osbournelodge-nursery.co.uk, it has been a tremendous success and we have had lots of enquiries via the site, if you get time take a look, Nikola tries to update the site weekly and a copy of the newsletter is posted on it, so you can keep up to date with what your child has been doing.

Off to School

It is a very sad time for us this year as quite a few of our pre-school group are leaving us to go to " big school", most of these children we have had since they were babies so this will be an exceptionally sad time for us. We hope that we have prepared them enough for this new chapter in their lives and are really going to miss them.

Topic

The topic for the remainder of the term is Holidays and Summer, this will run until 28th July, the topic for the summer break will be re-enforcing all the basics for those children going onto school in September. A copy of the overview is enclosed.

A New Member of Staff

As I'm sure you are all aware, Clare is due to have her baby in August and will be going on maternity leave as of Friday 27th June 2008, we will have a supply nursery nurse in while Clare is off and she will take the toddler group as Vicky will be stepping into Clare's shoes. Rhian is a qualified nursery nurse and we will have her on board as a permanent supply nursery nurse. We would like to wish Clare all the best and will let parents know as soon as the new arrival is here!!

Nicer Weather?

As we are experiencing quite a poor summer, yet again, the staff are taking the children out to the park as often as they can, sometimes we haven't got time to let parents know before hand. We would be grateful if you could let us know if you will be picking your child up early for any reason so we can make sure we are back in time. The improvements in the garden are ongoing and the children love playing out there, especially with the new water system and playhouse.   

Visit from the Firemen

Last Friday we had an arranged visit from the New Inn Firemen to talk to the children, show them their fire fighting equipment and told a story. The visit was fun although the children were a bit shy of the fire men so we are arranging another meeting at the Fire station in a few months for the oldest children.  

Opening times

Just a reminder to parents that nursery does not open until 8am. Please do not arrive before this time as the staff have a lot of preparation to do for the day and do not want to offend any parent by not letting them into nursery.

Session times are: 8am-1pm and 1pm-6pm, or, 8am-6pm. Thanks

Teddy Bears Picnic

The yearly Pre School Playgroup Teddy Bears Picnic is on 9th July in Pontypool Park from 4 –6pm. The picnic is great fun if you are able to make it and everyone is welcome. Nikola recently attended the Cwmbran Picnic where she had a cake decorating table for the children and decorated 96 cakes! The children had a great time with face painting, play dough, Punch and Judy, teddy competitions and side stalls. All this will be at the Pontypool Picnic as well as a bouncy castle and raffle. Every activity is free and the children love it every year.

Kidz Klub Video

These videos of the children are fantastic and features your child in a car or plane with a fun background. If you are interested in the videos please let me know so I can gauge interest before booking them. 

Fees

No one likes chasing payments and you can appreciate, having fees paid on time is crucial to the smooth running of the Nursery, especially with 9 wages to pay at the end every month. We respectfully ask parents to ensure that their fees are paid by the 20th of every month, prior to the new invoices being produced as this cuts down on admin and paper greatly, as well as frees up the cash flow. Many parents have opted to pay weekly which is fine as long as the invoice is paid regularly and is clear by the end of the month. We really do appreciate when occasionally there may be a financial problem but please speak to us as soon as possible to discuss the way forward. If we have agreed any prior arrangements with parents please be assured that these still stand. The Nursery now employs the services of Transnational Corporation Limited (TNC) to help with previous bad debts and late invoices due to the problems it is causing. We will do our best to chase invoices ourselves to keep your accounts up to date, however when an invoice is 40 days late TNC will automatically pick this up as a debt and chase the payment. At this stage TNC includes £40 to chase the debt so we would rather not get to this stage if possible.

Your co operation in this is greatly   appreciated,    Lisa

June 2008 Newsletter 

Melin Homes and Nursery

We have created links between the Nursery and Melin Homes by going over to Aneurin Bevan Court a couple of weeks ago to build up relations between the elderly and young people. Karen Green the co-ordinator for Melin thought that asking nursery age children to help with gardening at the complex would benefit both the elderly and the children. Clare and I took four children over and they really enjoyed planting flowers and drinking lots of squash and eating lots of biscuits. All the children were excellent and made a really good impression, a couple of the residents will be coming into Nursery this month to help with activities and hopefully this will go well too.

   

Fire Officers

The New Inn fire station has been in touch. They would like to come in to Nursery to show the children their fire fighting equipment and uniforms. We will take lots of photos when the visit over the next few weeks.

C.S.S.I.W Inspection

We had our annual inspection on Wednesday 14th May 2008 and it went exceptionally well, as it always does. The children enjoyed Majella Mckenzie coming in to their groups to play with them. Majella was very impressed with all the refurbishment that has been going on both upstairs and down, and felt the staff and children were extremely happy. A big thank you to all parents that sent in their questionnaires, Majella was very impressed with the comments off you. A copy of the report will be available to parents as soon as we have received it, I'll give you further details in next month's newsletter.

Summer Clothes

As the weather is getting warmer can parents start to send in spare summer clothes, sun cream and a swimming costume. We will need these as there will be lots of trips to the park during the summer and paddling pool parties in the garden. Don't forget to let a member of staff know if you will be collecting your child before 3.30pm just in case they have gone to the park for a walk. 

Nursery opening times

Just a reminder that nursery does not open until 8am and closes at 6pm prompt, we are not insured to care for children after these times. If you are going to be late for any reason please remember you will be given a late fine of £20.00.

The morning session ends at 1pm, would all parents that bring their children to the afternoon session please not do so before 1pm, again if any morning session parents collect their child after 1pm they will be given a late fine of £20.00.

If any parent has not had a copy of the late collections policy and would like one please ask me, thanks. 

Parents

Can parents please try to remember to empty their child's dap bag at the end of each week, the children do lots of art work and it is a shame if it gets left in nursery.

Fones 4 schools

We are still collecting old mobile phones to be recycled, we would be grateful for all donations and don't forget you can redeem a prize for yourself depending on how many phones you donate. Please ask any family or friends or even colleagues in work, we really appreciate you help. This activity really reinforces the curriculum being taught to the children.

Computers for schools

Thank you to all parents who gave us the Tesco vouchers, we are still receiving some vouchers so if you have any left please bring them in!!

Garden refurbishment

Nikola is in the process of refurbishing the garden ready for the Summer. There is a new play house, a water play area and an area for the children to grow their flowers. Jodie is busy painting some beautiful murals on the back wall and hopefully it will all be finished soon. We have tadpoles again this year from Sam and Jacobs garden, so the children can watch their development daily and help care for them.

Thanks Lisa

 

May 2008 Newsletter

CSSIW Inspection

Thank you to all parents who have returned their questionnaires to us, please take the time to fill them in, if you haven't already, as the inspector will read them all. The CSSIW inspections are un-notified, the inspector can arrive anytime within the next 3 months and the report will be available shortly after. The report will be made available to parents in the All About Us file in the entrance hall and from a link on our website. We will advise you when it is available.

 

Language and Play Sacks

Could all parents who have had one of our yellow sacks please return it to us as soon as possible as the sacks are due to be collected for evaluation by the L.E.A.

Garden Plans

The decorating of the lower floor is nearly finished, just the hallway and notice boards to do, so our next plan is to make improvements the garden. We have murals, road systems and play houses planned and will start the plans as soon as possible. We need guttering, old tyres and marine ply to make a start so if you have any of these hanging around please let us know and we could collect them. I wish to remind parents that they can use the garden to access the Nursery if required, particularly on a Wednesday when town is busy. Please either ring the red door bell on the lower floor or continue up the steps to the front door. You may also exit via the lower door and leave through the garden, please ensure all doors are securely locked behind you.

Phones 4 Schools

We are continuing with our campaign, so we would be grateful for any old phones that you may have at home. Don't forget that you can get Argos vouchers for however many phones you donate to us. Thanks.

Summer wear

As the weather starts to get warmer, when I'm not sure!!! We would be grateful for you to provide sun tan lotion, swimming costumes or swim nappies and spare shorts and t-shirts for your child. The children love playing in the paddling pool, helping with the flowers and visiting the park and although the children are kept in the shade as much as possible sun lotion is a must every time they go out. Thanks.

Photographs

All the photographs have now been returned to nursery, we hope you are happy with them. We were very happy with the service they provided and the group photo we received. We will be using them again next year but your feedback is gratefully received.

New staff

Shawna is our newest staff member, she is an NVQ level 2 Nursery Assistant and has gone into the toddler group to assist Vicky, who has recently qualified as a Nursery Nurse. Shawna has been to Nursery before, during her college placement, so a lot of our children could remember her!! Shawna will soon be starting her NVQ level 3 in Child Care along with Kelly who has just started hers.

Sharon is due to start her Level 1 and 2 in Food Hygiene in order to prove her knowledge of kitchen practice and to help increase our Bronze Award to Silver Award via the Environmental Health. Sharon, along with most staff have Basic Food Hygiene Awards but we all feel this Award will be credit to Sharon's hard work and dedication to the Nursery.

Jane, myself and Nikola have just started our NVQ level 4 in Child Care Learning and Development and Jodie has started her NVQ level 1, so as you can see we are all busy bees!!

 

Nursery outings

During the Spring and Summer months the staff regularly take the children out to the park, to make  the most of the lovely weather. As the weather changes so quickly, the staff take the children out on the spur of the moment so please let us know if you are collecting your child earlier than normal. If the children do go to the park they will usually be back by 3.30pm for tea. If the staff want to give the children their tea in the park we will let you know in the morning.

Parents

Just some reminders for you:

At 4.45pm each day the toddlers and pre-school children join the babies and tots upstairs, please ring the upstairs bell after this time.

If you arrive at the same time as another parent, especially if you are both on different floors, please ring the appropriate bell to let the staff know that you are on your way.

Please remember to empty your child's dap bag of all their art work, the children take great pride in what they do, so try to remember to take it home.

Once the babies move up into the tots group we will provide dap bags to keep spare clothes and bits and pieces in, so they can be kept in Nursery. There will be no need for you to bring bags in daily so it is easier for you and cuts down on the space needed in the cloakroom for us.    

Please remember we cannot give your child un-prescribed medicines more than once per day, if we feel your child is unwell and we have administered the necessary amount of un-prescribed medicines we will have to contact you and ask you to collect your child.

 

April Newsletter 2008

B.E.E.L Inspection

We had our B.E.E.L inspection (Baby Effective Educational Learning) on Thursday 6th March at 1pm, which went really well. A very big thank you to all the parents who gave up their spare time to talk to the inspector. We will know in May 2008 if we have achieved the quality assurance mark for B.E.E.L.

Fones 4 Schools Campaign

We are still ploughing on with our campaign but it has come to a bit of a standstill at the moment. We would be grateful for any donations of old mobile phones and don't forget you can get some great prizes from Argos depending on how many phones you donate. We also use the campaign to re-enforce recycling with the children. Thanks.

On another note, we are collecting the Tesco, Sainsbury's and now Asda vouchers for schools, the collection boxes are located in the reception area.

Parents

Thank you to all parents who returned their parent questionnaires, we had some wonderful comments and the staff were thrilled, we always maintain the highest possible standard of care for your child and we are glad that you appreciate it, Thank you.

There will be another questionnaire going out after the Easter break for C.S.SI.W as our inspection with them is imminent!!

Photographs

The photographs should be returned to nursery any time now, there was a  

slight delay as some parents hadn't returned their money on time and FOTEK had to come back out to us, please let us knowyour feelings on the photo's as I will be sending an evaluation report to the company in a few weeks time.

New Parents

Nursery does not open until 8 am, please do not arrive at nursery before this time. The morning sessions end at 1pm and the full day sessions end at 6pm, please be at nursery before these times to avoid a fine being imposed. The nursery is insured to care for children from 8am—6pm.

If your child has any contagious illness, please keep him/her at home to avoid the illness spreading through out the nursery. If all of the staff become ill we will have to close the nursery!!

Easter Holiday

Nursery will be closed on Friday 21st March 2008 and Monday 24th March 2008 due to bank holidays. Nursery will open as normal from Tuesday 25th March 2008.

Nursery Improvements

Nikola and Darren ( our handy person ) will be knocking the wall down between the pre-school room and the art room to make one huge dining/ art area. These rooms will also be decorated, so it will all be ready after the Easter break as poor Nikola will be in nursery for the 4 days we are off decorating!!

Topic

You will find a topic overview for the pre school and toddler groups for your records in with your invoice this month, this will cover the topic that started at the beginning of March and will run until May 2008. I am completing a plan of activities for the babies and tots which will be distributed soon. If you wish a copy of the planning for the older groups so you can see what your child will be doing as they get older please let us know.

Head Lice

We have had a few cases of head lice in nursery, but thank fully the parents concerned have been very quick to treat their child and stop the lice spreading through out the nursery, a big thank you to those parents. If you do discover your child has head lice please treat before you bring your child to nursery. To completely break the cycle ( lice re-hatch every 7 days ) you will need to condition and comb ( using a nit comb ) for 20 days, this has proved to be the most effective. The Mayberry chemist in Pontypool provide free head lice treatment, just give your child's name and doctor and you will receive the free treatment.

 

 Hope you all have a lovely Easter break Lisa

March Newsletter 2008

BEEL Inspection

We will be having our BEEL inspection on Thursday March 6th from 1pm. This will only take place for the 0-3 age group and will not disrupt the children at all. The inspector will ask to speak to some parents, so volunteers please!! Jane and I will ask some poor unsuspecting parents if no volunteers have come forward!!!!!! The discussion will only take about 5-10 mins so we would be grateful if you could spare the time, thanks

Language and play sacks

A big thank you to all parents for taking the sacks home to use, there were some lovely comments in the books. If you would like to take these sacks home on a regular basis, or for when you are on holiday etc we would be extremely grateful, the girls use the sacks with the children at nursery so it would be great to have records of the children using the sacks at home.

Sainsbury's Active Kids

We are collecting the vouchers from Sainsbury's this year. If you would like to collect vouchers for us the collection box is in the reception area on the upper floor, thanks

 Parents Questionnaire

Some notices have been put up in nursery for parents as a few concerns came back to us from parent's questionnaires. Just a reminder of the notices:

1.  It is everyones responsibility to make sure the front door is shut, especially as we are closer to the main road than previously. Please ensure you SHUT the door - do not allow it to close and expect it to shut properly.

2. Parents of baby and tots ( upstairs ) please remove your shoes before entering the playroom as chewing gum and all sorts of dirt is being brought in off some visitors shoes, we do have quite a lot of babies crawling at the moment and staff all change into slippers on entering the Nursery!!

Can parents also remember to ring us if your  

child will not be attending nursery, as the dinner numbers are taken at 10-10.30 am, your child is being counted as we assume he/she will be in and the food goes to waste.

Breakfast before coming to nursery is a really good start to the day as we do not have toast until 9.30 am, all the groups are very busy first thing, a piece of toast, a banana to eat in the car can settle a rumbly tummy until break time plus it teaches children a good routine ready for School, thanks.

Another point that came up form the parent questionnaires was that the children weren't having enough vegetables. On a Friday the children have an ' anything goes' day and the children choose what they would like for dinner, the babies and tots have the same but are also offered Jane's dinner which is usually fish and lots of fresh vegetables as well. The babies and tots are given Sharon's dinner to encourage them to feed independently, so we always make sure the children have had plenty to eat.

Thank you for the returned questionnaires, we really do value and appreciate all of your comments both the good and constructive ones. I have put a suggestion box in the reception area for you to make suggestions at any time.

 

 Topic

The topic for March onwards will be nursery rhymes and fairy tales, Clare is in the process of planning the next topic, so the overview will follow in a couple of weeks. A corner of the Imaginary room has been transformed into a fantastic pirates ship thanks to Jody's artwork. The children love playing in there and it will support the topic perfectly. World book day is on March 6th so please find the enclosed voucher for your child.

 Photographs

The photographers were a huge hit with the children, staff and parents and took some beautiful photos, thank you to all parents for turning up and being patient as some children took much longer than others!! We should get the proofs back in a week or so, we look forward to seeing them.

 Velindre Hospital

There are 2 boxes for Easter chicks around nursery with a Galaxy egg inside. The cost of each egg is £1.00 and all proceeds go to the hospital.

 Car Parking

A few parents have mentioned the problems with parking, especially on Osborne Road and on a Wednesday ( market day ). Can I suggest that if you park on the very top floor of the car park you can walk down the ramp which leads on to Osborne Road and nearly outside our front door, Voila!! Much easier for you and safer for your child, give it a try.

 Yellow pages

Don't forget to bring in your old yellow pages as we are participating in this year's Yellow Woods challenge. The nursery or school that collects the most Yellow pages will win a fantastic prize and it reinforces the children's recycling knowledge.

Thanks Lisa

February Newsletter 2008

Photographs

We have arranged for a photographer to come into nursery on Friday 15th February 2008, Jane has looked at the sample photos and is very impressed as she was with the price per pack starting from £29.00 for 4-5 different images, we need 35-40 children for it to be viable for the photographer to come to nursery. The photos are not the usual school portraits but much more natural and fun and you will not be obliged to buy them if you are not happy. If you are interested please write your name on the list in the reception area. You can also visit their website on www.fotekportraits.co.uk.

Congratulations Clare

Clare has recently told us that she is expecting her second child, we are all thrilled for her, Clare will return to nursery after the baby is born as she said she'll miss her children too much!!  

Yellow Pages

We are holding our Yellow woods challenge again this year, to encourage the children and staff to recycle!! Please bring in your old Yellow pages and any of your friends and family as the nursery can get a prize for the most collected Yellow pages.

Thanks

Fones for schools

We are continuing with our campaign to recycle as many mobile phones as we can to stop them being taken to landfill sites, these phones are distributed to third world countries where they are repaired and re-used. Please bring in any mobile phones that you have lying around the house and you can receive a free gift for however many phones you donate. If you are interested please see me for a information pack, thanks Lisa

 

Reminders and notes for new parents

· Please label clothes and belongings.

· Please ensure your child is collected and ready to leave by 6pm. We are not insured to have children on the premises after 6 and the staff work long days and do not appreciate staying after this time. When parents are repeatedly late a £20 fee is charged for late collections to compensate the two staff who have to remain, costs and insurance, so please do not make us inflict this charge as we don't like doing it!!

· FOR NEW PARENTS: Please make sure you give us a routine for your child, as it is very difficult for your child to settle if he/she is out of a routine. We always try to stick to the child's own routine but do find it very hard if we don't know how your child likes to sleep, If a bottle should be warm or cold, if a comforter is needed. Please write any information we need on the back of your registration form or on a piece of paper, thanks.

· Please ensure that the front door is fully locked on entering and leaving. The system is working really well and we are happy with the expansion procedures so far– if you have any suggestions to aid with the major changes please let us know.

· Please be aware that the children's toilets are at the bottom of the corridor on the lower floor and would request parents or older children not to go to this area unless they are with a member of staff in case other children are using the facility and their privacy must be respected. Thank you, nagging over!

· If you are going to collect your child early for any reason please let a member of staff know in the morning or ring nursery so we can have your child ready. Thanks

 Topic

The topic this term is Patterns, Shapes and Sequencing, the older pre-school children are reinforcing knowledge already gained and the toddlers who have moved down are learning new skills. The new children are settling very well into the toddler group and it seems to be working very well with 2-5 year children together downstairs. Clare is still in charge overall but Vicky now has her own group 2-3 years which she is responsible for, Jodie is assisting both groups at the moment.

Half Fees

As the nursery extension is now up and running, Nikola has asked me to let you know that if you know anyone who is looking for childcare and you recommend our nursery, when the child starts in nursery you will be entitled to a week of half fees!!!! See the leaflet—conditions apply

Open day

The nursery open day went very well, it was lovely to see some of our old children and to meet some new ones, there was an article in the Free Press on Wednesday 16th January 08 and in the Argus on 21st January 08.

Refurb Update

Nikola is still hard at work refurbishing downstairs, won't be much longer hopefully!! Our new soft play room looks wonderful. The children thoroughly enjoy going in there. The old baby room is next and should be finished by the end of this week, it is being transformed into an big playroom for all the children to use and part of the wall has been removed to open up the lower floor more. Please ask to have a look as we are really pleased with the progress downstairs.

Thanks, Lisa

January 2008 Newsletter 

 Christmas Break

We would like to take this opportunity to say an big thank you to all parents for their help and support over the last year ,as I'm sure you'll agree the new Osbourne Lodge Nursery looks wonderful and you have all been so patient putting up with all the building work going on, also, thank you for being so understanding with the change in Nursery, children's belongings have gone astray on occasions and we would like to apologise for this, things will settle down soon!!! Myself and Jane make sure that we always give a little extra to help parents and Christmas is always a stressful time of year

New Arrangements

The babies and younger toddlers have now moved in upstairs and have been re-named babies and tots, the age range for these children is 0-2 years, can parents of this age range please remember to use the upstairs buzzer. The older toddlers have stayed downstairs with the pre-school age, the age range for downstairs will be 2-5 years, can parents of this age range please remember to ring the downstairs buzzer.

From 4.45 pm daily, all the children will be upstairs, so can all parents please ring the upstairs buzzer after this time, thanks.

All the new arrangements will be subject to trial and error for a while. If you have any good ideas please have a chat with us—it will take a while to get all the right procedures in place but is so worth it.

New Groups

Upstairs—Babies & Tots

0-1 years—Jane & Kelly

1-2 years—Sam Day & Sam Evens

Downstairs—Toddlers & Pre Schoolers

2-3 years—Vicky & Jody

3-5 years—Clare & Jody

 

All children are still assessed on their needs and will only be moved into the next group when they are ready to do so.

Christmas Holidays

Nursery will close on Monday 24th, Tuesday (We usually open this day but no one will be attending! ) 25th and Wednesday 26th December and Tuesday 1st January 2008 and re-open as normal on Thursday 27th and Friday 28th December. On Monday 31st December nursery will close at 4pm prompt.

 Children's Medicine

Can parents please be aware that we cannot administer un-prescribed medicines such as Calpol, cough medicines etc without parental consent at the time the medicine needs to be given, this means we will have to contact you by phone, we will only give these medicines if we feel it is absolutely necessary. These regulations are set by CSSIW and we have to abide by them. Thanks for your co-operation.

Dap Bags

We are in the process of changing over all the dap bags, so please bear with us. 0-2 children's dap bags will be upstairs, 2-5 children's dap bags will be downstairs, try and remember to check them as the staff put all the children's art work in them.

Congratulations

Big well done to Vicky who has just qualified as a Nursery Nurse on finishing her NVQ3. She has worked really hard and has been at the Nursery for quite some time so we are pleased she will be taking over the running of the toddler group. Well done also goes to Sam Evens who has successfully completed her Level 1 and will be starting her NVQ2 in the New Year. Well done both.

 

Diaries

From the first full week in January the 2-3 year olds will only have diaries weekly, this is due to the increasing amount of children in that group and as discussed before many diaries were not being returned for us to complete. 

Soft Play Room

Nikola and Darren ( our handyman ) will start the refurbishment of the lower floor starting with the toddler room from 22/12/07. The toddler room will be transformed into a soft play room for all the children to use and hopefully it will be ready when the children come back in January, we can't wait!! The old baby will be next being changed into a big playroom for the children on the lower floor and the old cot room being changed into a snug sleep room for the tots and toddlers. All the lower floor improvements will take a while as although each room can now be locked off much can only be done on weekends so please bare with us and you are welcome to see the progress as it happens.

Christmas parties

The children thoroughly enjoyed their parties and were thrilled with Santa's visit. I have taken as many photos as I could, so please don't be disappointed if you don't see your child's photo on display, all the children enjoyed themselves!

Open Day

Just a reminder that we will be having our open day & 10 year anniversary on Saturday 12th January 2008 from 10am until 4pm, please feel free to come along and bring any friends or family with you.

 

Thank you Lisa 20.12.07

 December 2007 Newsletter

Merry Christmas

Christmas will soon be upon us!! The children's Christmas parties will be on Monday 17th December for babies and toddlers 2pm-4pm if your child is not normally in on that day can you please bring your child to nursery at 2pm and collect at 4pm. The pre-school party will be on Friday 21st December 2pm-4pm, the same applies to children who are not normally in on that day, thanks.

Nursery will be closed on Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26th December and on Tuesday 1st January 2008.

Can parents please let me know when your child will be in over the holidays especially Xmas week.

 

 

ESTYN Inspection

We are only 6 weeks away from our 10 Year anniversary at the Nursery and what better time to have our very first Educational Providers Inspection. Everything went very well yesterday even though Clare was quite poorly. The inspection report will be available soon but the feedback was excellent, praising Clare & Vicky for all the hard work they put into educating the Pre schoolers every day and the Nursery as a whole for all the support and input they have. Every area is scored between 1&5 with 1 being exceptional and 5 being totally not met, the nursery scored mainly 2's with a few 3's meaning most areas were above the minimum standard. WELL DONE EVERYONE.

 Daily Diaries

After the Christmas holidays we will no longer be doing daily diaries for the toddlers and pre-school children. We have had lots of diaries not being returned on a daily basis and due to the increasing number of children in these groups, the staff are finding difficulty in having time to complete the diaries. The toddlers will have weekly reports on activities and general comments and the pre-school children will have term topic overviews sent out with the newsletters, the staff will still continue to give you verbal feedback daily, as we have always done and if you need to speak to your child's key worker regarding any aspect of your child's development please do not hesitate to ask!! The babies will continue to have daily diaries.

The pre-school and toddler topic will be Christmas and Winter, this will go on until December 21st 2007. We would be grateful for any empty cereal boxes for the children's art work too!!

Fun Time

The children take part in a great deal of activities at Nursery—some potentially very messy. We try our best but accidents do happen and the children go home painted or dirty from head to toe. We try to remind parents that this is an essential part of a child's development so new or best clothes are not a good idea! Please send your child to Nursery in older clothes or ones which you would not mind if splattered in paint! If your child is going somewhere special after Nursery it is a good idea to keep their best clothes in a bag for later as we find it really unfair to have to exclude a child from their groups activity due to "please don't let them get dirty"

The coat pegs have been rearranged to make more room so could we please have a small photo to go on there. If possible please don't bring massive bags each day , instead you are free to use your child's dap bag for anything which can stay here such as spare clothes, dummies, bottles, blankets etc

 Winter Spare Clothes

As the weather is getting much colder, can you please bring in Winter spare clothes, especially hats, scarves, gloves, as the children will still go out into the garden to play.

Can parents also check their child's dap bag and take home any art work, thanks

Building Work

Finally the building work has finished!! The upstairs looks lovely and Nikola has been busy furnishing and Darren has been putting in our new door entry system, the front door will be in use from next week, so no more horrible steps, thank goodness!!

Parents are still welcome to use the ' old' front door, if they wish, especially those who park at the back of the nursery. Check nursery's website on www.osbournelodge-nursery.co.uk

for updates on the building work.

 

Thanks, Lisa 20.11.07

Expansion Update from Nikola

The last two weeks have been really busy trying to get the upstairs transformed into a Nursery. The whole upstairs has had new floor laid, the intercom and door entry system has been installed and a milk kitchen is nearly complete. I have a site meeting with the landlord and builders on Friday followed by a meeting with our Care Standards Officer. There is still a lot to do but we are getting there!

Increased spaces will be available very soon so we would like existing parents to have first chance to take them—if you require extra days or sessions please book them as soon as possible as the advertising will start soon detailing the expansion. 

Thank you, Nikola 21.11.07

 

November 2007 Newsletter

 

CHRISTMAS CLOSING

Nursery will be closed on the following days:

Tuesday 25th December 2007

Wednesday 26th December 2007

Tuesday 1st January 2008

Nursery will close early on Christmas Eve and New year's Eve but will open as normal on all other days over the Christmas period. I would be grateful if parents could let me know as soon as possible when children will be off over the holidays as I can arrange staff time off, thanks.

 CHRISTMAS PARTIES

I will let you know the dates for the children's Christmas parties in next month's newsletter.

 SPARE CLOTHES

Can parents please make sure they keep their child's dap bag topped up with spare clothes, especially socks.

Keep checking dap bags for your child's art work too!!!!!

Clare has asked for empty cereal boxes to put the children's Christmas art work in so please bring in any spare.

 ESTYN INSPECTION

Our Estyn inspection will be on Tuesday 20th November between 9.30 and 2.30pm. The inspector will be looking at, in particular, the education we provide for the 3's and over but will also look at the standard of education given to the under 3's. The inspector is Mary Dyas and she has assured me that the inspection will not interfere with the children's day.

 BULDING WORK

The scaffolding has finally come down so the children can use the garden to play in again. Thank you all for your patience and understanding while the

building work was going on and thankfully it hasn't bothered the children at all. All the building work will be finished by the end of October then Nikola will go in and get all of the upstairs ready to be inspected by CSSIW. Once the inspection has been approved we can expand fully into upstairs. The layout downstairs will also change as the toddler room will become a soft play area and the dining room and pre-school room will become one big art and dining area. The baby room will become an imaginative room for all the children aged 2-5 to use. This will all take time but at the end of it all the children will have a wonderful new nursery to play in!!!

 MEDICATION

Just to inform parents that we cannot administer any un-prescribed medication such as Calpol or Nurofen unless we feel that it is absolutely necessary to give it. Please do not ask us to give these medicines unnecessarily as CSSIW will not allow us to. If your child has a high temperature or in the babies case is teething, we can administer un-prescribed medicine ONCE during the day, if your child remains unwell after the medicine has been given we will call you and ask you to collect your child immediately. Thank you.

 LATE COLLECTIONS

Please remember that you will be fined for collecting your child late, that is after 1pm or 6pm. You will be given a verbal warning on the first occasion and then a fine will be imposed. If for any reason you know you are going to be late, please arrange some-one to collect your child in plenty of time. Thank you.

 NEW STAFF 

We have a new assistant in the baby room her name is Kelly Moyle and she is qualified to NVQ level 2. Kelly will start her in house training for level 3 by Christmas.

Jodie Hale has returned to nursery, Jodie was with us as a volunteer last year and is starting her training with Talk training working towards her NVQ in childcare, it is lovely to have Jodie back!!

  TOPIC

The topic is still All about me. The children have been learning all about their feelings, emotions and all about their bodies. The children have also learnt how to listen and care for others. This topic will run until the end of November and the next topic will be Winter and Christmas.

 NIGHT LIGHTS

We have a box of night glow sticks for parents to use over Halloween or bonfire night to ensure their children are seen in the dark. The glow sticks are recommended for children over 6 so they are not a toy and should not be chewed but are ideal for hanging on buggies or on toddlers coats. They will be on the fish tank for parents to collect or ask for one when you collect your child.

 WEBSITE

I will be loading a few more photos of the upstairs of the Nursery on our Webster website over the next few days, have a look on www.osbournelodge-nursery.co.uk for a sneak preview.

Webster is an excellent site for anything about Torfaen from voluntary organisations, businesses, groups and news. We are currently featured on the front page. Have a look on www.webster.uk.net|

 

Lisa 20.10.07

 

OCTOBER 2007 NEWSLETTER

ESTYN INSPECTION

Our Estyn inspection will be on Tuesday 20th October 2007 and the inspecting officer will be Mary Dyas. The inspection will cover mainly the education we provide for the 3 year olds but the inspector will also look at the quality of care we provide for all children. If you have any questions concerning the inspection please see myself or Jane.

RECYCLING

We are continuing with the recycling theme and are actively encouraging all of our children to recycle all items including envelopes (except the one's with the windows As T.C.B.C won't take those!) please recycle all information that you receive from us too!!

 WINTER CLOTHES

Can parents please make sure that we have some winter clothes to be left in nursery, especially wellies so the children can go out to play when it is wet.

 PARENT REMINDERS

Can parents please remember to close the front door when arriving and departing nursery, on occasions we have a lot of parents in the entrance hall at any one time and it would be awful if a child managed to get out without anyone noticing!!

Can you also remember to phone us if your child will be coming in late (for lunch numbers, if we do not hear from you by 10.30 we will assume your child will not be in and a lunch will not be cooked), if you will be collecting your child earlier than normal ( so we can make sure your child is ready to go), if someone else is collecting your child other than those stated on the registration form (we will not let your child go until we have had confirmation from you) and finally if your child is not coming in at     all. Please keep in touch!

Can all parents please check their child's dap bag daily for art work and to replenish spare clothes if need be. I have renewed all the children's peg pictures and all children have a dap bag. Can you please not bring bags to nursery as we haven't got the room on the pegs. All the essentials can be left in your child's dap bag. Thanks.

A final big reminder that nursery closes at   6pm, your child needs to be collectedbefore this time and anyone coming after 6pm will be fined £20.00 late collection fine. This also applies to parents collecting their child at 1pm, please do not be late as this will effect the afternoon numbers of children in nursery

Thank you for your co-operation.

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS

Christmas holidays are fast approaching but the Nursery remains open throughout, except for the Bank Holidays- this year we are closed on Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26th December and Tuesday 1st January 2008.

If you know in advance that your child will be away any dates over Christmas please let us know as we can arrange the staff holidays easier by knowing how many children will be present on what days over the festive season.

We will let you know when the children's Christmas parties will be held in next month's newsletter, so please make sure you read them to keep updated!!

In the past parents have been buying Christmas gifts for the staff which we all appreciated but please do not feel that you have to buy all staff something, Christmas gets more and more expensive each year!! If you feel you must buy something a small gift for the nursery would be lovely, a book, puzzle or craft activities. Your verbal praise is just as rewarding for us as a gift, it is nice to know you are happy with the service we provide.

BULIDING WORK

The building work is still underway, thank fully it hasn't been too much of an inconvenience to the children. The builders have told us that the roof should be finished very soon and the scaffolding taken down as soon as this is done. The staircase is the next big job which should only take two days—we are hoping for a Friday and Saturday to minimise disruption. The work will all be done behind screens and a complete risk assessment carried out with the co operation of the builders to ensure safety at all times. 

 

TOPIC

The new topic this term will be ALL ABOUT ME. As the pre-school group is quite young, Clare feels this an important first topic for them. The children will learn about themselves, parts of their body, thoughts and feelings and caring for others. Clare is transforming her imagination area into an opticians and we hoping the local optician will help in the topic.

The sub topics for the term will include Winter and Christmas, which is not that far away!!!!!!

WELSH

Myself and Clare have completed our Welsh level 2 and have just started level 3. Vicky, Jodie, Sam Day, Sam Evens and Kelly ( our new trainee) are all going on a basic Welsh course, so all the staff within the nursery will have had a lot of experience in speaking Welsh.

 FONES 4 SCHOOLS

We haven't been doing well with the campaign for the last 6 months and I do appreciate that parents work long and hard each week but if you could take the time to dig out your old mobile phones, I would really appreciate it. Don't forget that you can collect prizes for the phones that you bring in and it supports our recycling theme.

Thank you for your support.

  HEADLICE

We have had a few cases of head lice again, schools are back in!! Please check your children daily and in case you didn't know you can get free head lice shampoo at Mayberry's chemist for your child. You can also get free Calpol too, it's worth calling in there to find out more.

If we discover head lice while your child is in nursery, we will contact you and ask you to collect your child. You must not bring your child back to nursery until all the lice and eggs have gone. Head lice is now classed as a contagious condition.

 

Thanks, Lisa 20/9/07

 

SEPTEMBER 2007 NEWSLETTER

 FONES 4 SCHOOL

We are still running our campaign this year- for new parents, we collect all old mobile phones and chargers for recycling and if you bring in a certain amount of phones you can claim a free gift for yourself. I have plenty of bags and information if required. This is an ongoing campaign as it does re-enforce the recycling theme that we have in Nursery. We also collect used printer cartridges—boxes for both are supplied in the entrance hall.

HEALTHY EATING

We have a healthy eating policy in Nursery which means we will not allow children to bring in sweets or unhealthy snacks. If you send in a snack for your child please do not to send in sweets etc. as we are trying to encourage the children to eat healthy. The children have fruit 3 times per day and the nursery lunch and tea menu is constantly updated by Jane and Sharon to ensure healthy eating at all times.

TOYS AND CLOTHES

Can parents please not let their child bring toys to Nursery as it causes far too many arguments between the children and we haven't really got time at the end of the day to look for toys that have been misplaced.

Can you also remember that your child will probably get dirty during the nursery day as we always do lots of activities, please do not send your child into nursery with expensive or precious clothes or shoes as we cannot be held responsible if the get dirty or damaged.

Suitable shoes for play was a concern which our CSSIW inspector raised with many children wearing the loveliest fashion shoes which are particularly restrictive or dangerous for running and playing. I'm sure you'll agree your child's welfare is and always will be our main concern so we would be grateful if you could always send your child to nursery in flat shoes or trainers which your child is able to freely play in. Thank you.

DAP BAGS

As we have so many new children starting nursery, we are asking all parents not to bring their own bags in from home as we haven't got enough room on the pegs. All the children will have their own dap bag to keep all personal items in, thank you.

NEW FACES

There are some new faces around nursery, both children and staff. The new staff have come to us from training companies to start and continue training for qualifications in child care. This hasn't caused the children any disruptions and the new children who have started have already made lots of friends!!

The children will also move groups this month as you will have already been informed. The move has been a gradual process so the children have settled into their new groups very quickly and it helps that all the children know all the staff!

NURSERY OPENING TIMES

Just to remind new parents that nursery opens at 8am, not before. The staff have a lot of work to prepare first thing. If you collect your child after 6pm please be aware that you will be fined £20.00 (late collection fee as detailed in our policies.) Afternoon sessions do not start until 1pm, please do not come before this time as you will have to wait outside. Also, can you please wait in the entrance hall as the corridor is much to narrow for parents, staff and children to walk up and down and accidents will occur!!

If you are going to bring your child late into nursery or your child will not be coming in, can you please ring nursery as soon as possible. Sharon collects the lunch numbers at 10 am. Thank you.

NEW TOPIC

The new topic will start on Monday 3rd September 2007, the topic will be ALL ABOUT ME. The children will learn about their bodies, their emotions, caring for others. Most of the topic will be done during circle time as discussions and activities.

NURSERY EXPANSION

The building work has started upstairs and the contractors have assured us that they will keep the disruption to a minimum, the children will still be able to go out to play and the nursery day will not be affected too much. All the contractors who have to enter the Nursery during the day have had their CRB Police checks completed and they will not be allowed to roam around nursery unsupervised. Please be assured that the children's welfare will always be maintained, any problems or concerns please see myself or Jane, thanks.

SAVING ON PAPER    

We at Osbourne Lodge are always thinking of ways to get involved with saving the environment. Nikola thought it may be a good idea to invoice and send newsletters via email, obviously only for those who have email addresses. This would cut down the use of paper by a great deal. Anyway the idea is still in its infancy but we would like to hear your comments on the matter.

 

THANK YOU 20.8.07

 

 AUGUST 2007 NEWSLETTER

CSSIW INSPECTION

The inspection on 16th July was cancelled due to Majella Mckenzie, our inspector, breaking her foot. A new date has been confirmed as Wed 1st August when she will attend Nursery all day to complete our annual inspection. The report will then be available for parents to view at Nursery. 

NEW CHILDREN

We would like to welcome all our new children and hope they have an enjoyable time with us at nursery, again we will miss all our old children who were with us for many years but know they will have just as much fun in their new schools and nurseries.

HEALTHY EATING AWARD

The nursery has just achieved the Torfaen Healthy Eating Award, we participated in the scheme this year as we feel it is very important to encourage the children to eat healthily at an early age. We received a certificate presented by Mike De Val, Director of Education Torfaen. When we get the file back, I will put that on display for parents to have a look at.

 

TOYS

Can parents please discourage their child from bringing toys into nursery, it causes lots of arguments!!

If you have to bring toys to nursery you must take them home with you when you drop your child off, ask a member of staff to assist if your child won't let you take the toy. If you bring any beakers or cups in can you please leave them in your child's bag as we have so may cups in nursery they can easily get lost. Thanks.    

 DAP BAGS AND PEGS

The children's pegs will change in September as lots of our children will have left by then. There will be a peg key up on the wall but your child's picture will be above the peg.

Can parents also check their child's dap bag every week to avoid a build up of art work, thanks.

FUNDING

The funding will be sent off at the beginning of the new term (September 3rd ) and will take a few weeks to go through, I will let you know as soon as it arrives and how much it will be this year. If your child attends nursery for 4 sessions or more and turns 3 before September 1st you will be eligible for this funding, any questions please ask me.

Nursery voucher are another way of saving money on fees—ask Nikola for an info booklet. 

FEE INCREASES

The fees will increase from September 3rd, letters will be sent out with your August invoice, sorry for the delay!!.

Nikola has looked at all the nurseries within Torfaen and we are still the cheapest!!

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!!

As I am sure you are aware, nursery is extremely busy at the moment. We have new children starting, our long standing children leaving and the building work starting upstairs. Jane and I really do appreciate your co-operation and patience at this time as you'll agree the we all have a lot of work to do and can get a little stressed at times, if you need assistance up the steps with children and buggies and you can see we're really busy can you please take the buggy up first and return for the child, we will try to help as much as we can but you must understand there are times when we can't. thanks again!

TOPIC

The new topic from September will be All about me. We thought this is a good start for all the children as most of them have moved groups.

The children will learn about:

Healthy eating—less sweets and more fruit and vegetables

Why it is important to exercise

All round well being—this is to help all of our children develop emotionally, what makes them happy or sad etc

Keeping ourselves safe and bodies healthy– to help the children understand that their behaviour can keep them safe and about the people who keep us safe, policemen etc

There will be a wide range of activities throughout this topic:

Taste testing sessions, songs about fruit and vegetables, action songs and games, lots of circle time discussions ( this provides the children to explore their feelings, confidence building etc), learning about our bodies using the computer, learning about parts of the body, songs related to this, such as, head, shoulders, knees and toes

We think the children will thoroughly enjoy this topic!!

DURING THE NICE WEATHER!

During the spells of nice weather, the staff will be going out to the park with the children, if you are going to collect your child before 3.30pm can you let us know in the morning so we ensure your child is back in time, thanks.

 

Thanks, Lisa

20/07/2007

 

JULY 2007 NEWSLETTER 

OSBOURNE LODGE NURSERY

We post these newsletters every month to parents and this is the first month we have tried it out on our website. The newsletter is usually very bright and colourful but unfortunately this cant be recreated here but we feel it is still useful for parents to view so here goes !

ANNUAL NURSERY TRIPS

We are still in the process of organising the trips but have definitely decided on the venues. The babies will go to Greenmeadow community farm and the toddlers to the Treasure island play centre in Pontypool active living centre to play and have a party afterwards. The pre-school children were given the option of St Fagan's or Treasure island and they picked, you guessed it, Treasure island!! I will send out details as soon as we receive price lists.

OUR WEBSITE

Don't forget to visit our website at www.osbournelodge-nursery.co.uk, it has been a tremendous success as we have had lots of enquiries via the site, if you get time take a look, Nikola updates the site newsletter weekly so you can keep up to date with what your child has been doing.

INVESTORS IN PEOPLE

The nursery has just completed its re-evaluation for the INVESTORS IN PEOPLE quality mark and I am pleased to tell you all that it went exceptionally well and we were given a glowing report, which made Nikola very happy. The girls have worked really hard over the years and we are continually updating our training needs to ensure that your child receive the best possible care and education during their time with us. Well done to us all!!!!

OFF TO SCHOOL

It is a very sad time for us this year as quite a few of our pre-school group are leaving us to go to " big school", most of these children we have had since they were babies so this will be an exceptionally sad time for us. We hope that we have prepared them enough for this new chapter in their lives and are really going to miss them, so if you are passing during the holidays please drop in and see us.

CSSIW INSPECTION

Our annual CSSIW inspection will take place on Monday 16th July 2007, the inspecting officer will be Mrs Majella Mackenzie, the children have met her a few times before so I don't think they will even notice she's here!!

TOPIC

The topic until the end of term is Things we know, Clare is re-enforcing all the development areas through this topic, extra preparation for big school!! We are also doing a Summer mini topic, this covers weather, holidays etc. again, lots of outdoor activities will take place during this topic so please let us know if you intend to pick your child up earlier than normal.

NURSERY OPEN DAY

The nursery will be open for potential customers to visit on Saturday 14th July 2007 at 10am until 4pm, we have chosen Carnival day in the hope that people may wander down to visit us. Jane and myself will be here along with some helpers. If you know anyone who may be  

interested in starting their child in nursery, let them know about our open day.

 BYE, BYE CINEMA

The building work will start soon on the cinema, so unfortunately there will be scaffolding around the nursery which will restrict us from using the garden. We will take the children to the park, library, into the town centre to overcome this. There will be quite a lot of noise on occasions but Nikola will be talking to the contractors before the work starts, to see if we can have a break from the noise during lunchtime so the children can get some rest. If you have any concerns please come and see myself or Jane and please be assured that this will not effect the children or the daily running of the nursery. 

CARNIVALS & PICNICS!

Nikola has been a busy bee over the last few weeks preparing advertising for the nursery, remember the pictures we asked if we could take of your children!!

Nikola had a stall at Cwmbran Carnival with some wonderful photos of the nursery day on display, the carnival was a great success. We shared a stall with Webster, the Torfaen Community website team and a fabulous reflexologist. On Tuesday this week Nikola took part in the PPA Teddy Bears Picnic in Cwmbran, it was great fun with competitions and lots of teddy's! The next Teddy bears picnic is on 11th July in Pontypool Park—all welcome from 4-6pm.

 

Thanks Lisa  20/06/2007