Moving into 2023

Spring Term

The Nursery Team

This term, as well as welcoming some new children to Nursery, we will also be starting some new activities:

Write Dance: Once a week the children will take part in a session of Write Dance in the Early Years.  This is a movement-based programme designed to develop children’s gross and fine motor co-ordination.  It uses music, rhythm, story, song, rhyme, sensory play and dance to teach the essential skills necessary for handwriting.  These skills include: co-ordination; rhythm; wrist strength and flexibility; balance between tension and relaxation; flowing, angular, circular movements; control of speed and direction of movements; control of pressure; concentration.   If your child talks about “scrimbling”, this is a word coined for Write Dance and means working on a writing surface using a range of marks and movements.

Class Worship: The children will take part in weekly Class Worship sessions.  This involves them gathering in a circle and taking responsibility for setting out and clearing away resources used to make a prayer focus in the centre of the circle.  The children listen to the Word of God and then have an opportunity to reflect on the Word and take away a Mission – something for them to carry out after the Class Worship.  Often the Mission involves sharing with their family the story they heard that day, so please do ask your child about Class Worship.

Phonics: We will also be starting small group phonics sessions following the Letters and Sounds programme.  This aims to build children’s speaking and listening skills in addition to preparing them for learning to read by developing their phonic knowledge and skills.  Activities are divided into seven aspects:  environmental sounds, instrumental sounds, body sounds, rhythm and rhyme, alliteration, voice sounds and finally oral blending and segmenting.

We will also cover four RE topics: Being A Sacramental People, Judaism, From Lent to Easter and Islam.  Other topics will be child-initiated and will include work on child chosen popular stories which will incorporate the seven areas of Learning and Development which make up the EYFS curriculum.  

Thank you for your donations of plain biscuits for the children to enjoy at the end of the day at story time.  If everybody provides one packet, it should only be necessary for this to be done once a term.

Thank you also for the £1 weekly voluntary contribution that goes towards consumable items such as flour for play dough and other messy/malleable play items.  Your contribution helps to keep your child’s nursery well resourced.

Finally, although the weather will be cold at the start of the term, we do encourage all the children to spend some time each day exploring and playing outside so please ensure your child has a warm coat, hat and gloves (clearly labelled with their name).  Please also ensure that your child keeps a change of clothes in the nursery and remember to replace this if they are changed during the day.

Autumn 1

Welcome to Nursery

At the start of the Autumn term we are very pleased to welcome the youngest of the children into our school.  The focus this term is very much on supporting them to settle in to their new learning environment, make friends and become familiar with the daily routines.

The children start and finish their day in their designated room – either St Nicholas class or St Anthony class – but for the rest of the time they have free-flow play throughout the Nursery and the outdoor area.  Your child will be allocated their own key person, but as all staff in Nursery have dealings with all the children, you are welcome to speak with any member of staff regarding any queries you may have.

The Nursery Team

We will shortly be setting up a system for the children to start taking reading books home.  To do this they will need a school bag and there will be an opportunity for your child to choose a book with you on arrival in the morning.

Prayer is an important part of our school day and to help your child develop their approach to praying they will have the opportunity to bring home the class Prayer Bear once or twice a term, which they keep overnight and bring back to school the next day.  The children are always excited for their turn so it is important that it is returned promptly to ensure everybody gets their turn.  

This half term in RE we will cover the topic Beginnings, which will include the story of Noah and the Flood.  Other topics will include Harvest Festival, autumn art, some traditional tales  and child initiated topics based on their interests.

Please ensure that your child keeps a change of clothes in Nursery at all times and remember to replace them if your child is changed.  We have a limited supply of clothes that we can use when necessary and are always grateful for donations of underwear, tights, socks and trousers that your child has grown out of.  The children come together at 3pm to share an afternoon snack at story time and we are very grateful for donations of plain biscuits (digestives or rich tea) to have at this time.  If everybody brings in one packet, it should only be necessary to do this once per half term.

We will post photos of some of the activities your child takes part in at Nursery on the website or on the online learning platform Seesaw, for which the children's individual log in details will be allocated and forwarded to you shortly.   Please remember to check for updates so that your child can share these experiences with you.