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Dear Parents/Carers,
The theme for the second half of this term is Autumn. The topic will be divided into the following sections:
Week 1 –Autumn colours
Week 2 – Diwali and Fireworks
Week 3 – Autumn leaves
Week 4 – Autumn in the woods and woodland animals
Week 5 – Christmas Cards and decorations
Week 6 – Nativity
Week 7 – Christmas fun!
Dojo.
We hope you are enjoying the photos that we are sending you on Dojo. It has been very strange not to be able to talk to our families on a regular basis so Dojo has been a useful tool to communicate directly with you all. If you have any queries about your children, please feel free to message us using the app, via a phone call or via email and we will answer as soon as possible.
Dropping off and collecting your child from pre-school
Throughout the term we have been operating a system of staggered drop off and collection times. This was to allow for social distancing between families in the car park.
From Monday 2nd November we will be returning to a 9.30am drop off and 12.30pm collection time for all children. (13.30pm if your child attends lunch club)
As there will be more people in the car park at these times and to allow social distancing to continue, we will now be using both doors on the porch.
Your child will be allocated a group, A or B.
Group A should line up along the side of the hall and enter via the steps of the porch.
Group B should line up along the side of the car park (as we have been doing) and enter via the slope.
Children will be admitted alternatively from each group. Parents/carers can then exit via the car park whilst maintaining a distance of 2m.
Please can people park in the designated bays to allow for safe pedestrian access to these areas. Georgina will be sending further information to you over half term.
Nativity
Due to the ongoing situation with the COVID 19 restrictions, the Nativity will be a little different this year.
Sadly, we are unable to invite the parents in to watch the Nativity in person but we are hoping to arrange a way by which you will still be able to see the performance – details to follow later.
Christmas Party
The Christmas party will also be a little different this year. We are hoping to have an entertainer present who will be in a COVID Risk Assessment agreement with the pre-school. All appropriate safeguards will be in place and the entertainer will be at a 2m distance from the children at all times.
Party food will be prepared in advance by staff using PPE (as we currently do at snack time) and served in individual boxes to prevent cross contamination.
Finally, we would like to thank you for your ongoing support for the pre-school. In these challenging times the staff team are working hard to make sure the children are happy and safe in the setting. We are looking forward to a busy fun filled half term!
With best wishes from
The Staff Team
Autumn
The children have adjusted well to the changes we have had to make to ensure the setting is as safe as possible at this current time; they take the additional hand washing in their stride and happily ‘gel’ their hands when asked so most of the children are happy and settled.
We will continue to support those children who have had a disrupted start and are still settling in.
As we practice for the Nativity, we will be mindful of the children who can become self conscious and over whelmed at having to perform for others
During the winter when we cannot use the grassed areas of the garden, we will bring activities such as the climbing frame/ slide into the hall to consolidate the children’s gross motor skills.
We will use construction toys with tools to help promote hand to eye co-ordination as well as activities that promote development of a pincer grip to help with pencil control.
We will be encouraging the children to manage their outdoor clothing independently and there will be a particular focus on blowing noses, using tissues and disposing of them appropriately to keep everyone safe
We will continue to encourage the children to mark make so that they learn to write their own names in their Christmas cards.
Books are always popular and, linked to the theme, there will be an emphasis on stories about Percy the Park Keeper and the changing seasons.
We continue to offer different role play scenarios to stimulate the children’s imagination.
There will be a focus on the colours of autumn and also leaves which we will be using to print with paint and make collage pictures.
Natural materials will be used in the mud kitchen in the garden and also to enhance small world play such as woodland animals.
As we talk about Diwali we will be making firework pictures and looking at Rangoli patterns.
Following recent COVID guidelines, we will be making some changes to whole group singing this term e.g. encouraging quiet singing in small groups.
We will continue to encourage conversation with others during play and promote good listening skills at story time.
We will be learning some new vocabulary in association with the Nativity and Christmas songs
There will be a focus on the changing seasons looking at what happens to the natural world and especially trees in the autumn.
We will be looking at clothing to keep warm using our weather monkey and talking about the weather in songs, stories and puzzles.
There will be interest tables about Diwali and Christmas to stimulate interest in different religious festivals.
During this term we will be looking at size by comparing leaves, volume when collecting acorns in cylinders and length when trying to find the longest stick in the garden.
We will continue to practice counting using puzzles resources and encourage an interest in number recognition by using paint stampers or making a collage
- Encourage your child to put their coat on independently. Practice doing up zips, poppers and buttons
- Help your child to learn to use a tissue to wipe their noses
- Go for a walk in the woods to look at what is happening to the trees
- Collect leaves and use them to learn about colour, size and counting
Thursday 10th December – Nativity performance hopefully via Zoom – details to follow
Thursday 17th December – Christmas Party