Welcome to our Nursery information session Thursday 9 th July 2015

Staffing in the Nursery Your child will be welcomed by the following members of staff: Ms M Walsh - Nursery Teacher / SENCo Mrs E. Bell - Early Years Practitioner

Aims of today’s session Provide you with information about how our Nursery works, and what your child is likely to do here Give you general information about the induction arrangements for your child starting Nursery. Answer any questions you may have in an informal ‘Q&A’ session Provide you with a parent’s handbook, full of today’s information and more besides to take home and read.,

Your child will begin the first stage of their school career, working within the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ (also known simply as EYFS). This is a framework for children’s learning and development from birth up to the age of five. Here at St. Bernadette’s, your child will continue to work within the EYFS up until the end of their Reception year.

‘WHAT’ learning is taking place?

Characteristics of Effective Learning …engaged in their play? …motivated to keep trying? …able to think of their own ideas? ‘HOW’ does your child like to learn? Are the children… ?

Child Initiated Learning Your child will be engaged in a play based curriculum. This takes place indoors and out. It would be helpful if you could provide waterproofs, i.e. wellington boots and raincoats as we are outdoors in all weathers. Messy play is also part of the play based curriculum, be prepared for your child to come home messy- it's a vital part of their learning experience.

Adult-led learning activities In each session, we have a structured lesson time. Children explore our topic through the different areas of learning. They then complete activities in small groups. On Wednesdays, we have a music session with our music teacher.

Learning Journals Each child will produce a Learning Journal full of work samples from their year in Nursery, photographs and observations. Parents can contribute to the Learning Journal and celebrate learning at home by completing a 'Star Moment'. These can be found on the noticeboard in Nursery.

Observations These are like snapshots capturing special learning moments for your child in Nursery. When we see learning taking place, we observe what is happening, take note of it and link it all into our curriculum. Progression is clearly shown and detailed.

The Nursery daily routine 8.30a.m. Session begins ~ ‘Busy Fingers’ Time Self Registration Circle Time ~ Register, Calendar and greetings 9.05 – 9.10 Maths Time ~ counting, shapes, songs, numbers Small Group Time ~ Adult led small group activity linked to topic 9.30 – Choosing Time (Child Initiated Learning) Phonics Time ~ Phase 1 phonics Snack and Story Time ~ milk and fruit Prepare to go home ~ Prayers, letters, work 11.30a.m.. End of session

Attending Nursery at St. Bernadette Catholic Primary School Your child will join our morning class to attend 5 days a week. Morning Nursery: 8.30 – 11.30am

General information Start date: Thursday 3rd September at 8.30 am. Nursery uniform is not compulsory but is recommended. It helps the children ‘fit in’ to the wider school community and saves your child’s own clothes from Nursery wear and tear! It is advised that for safety reasons the children do not wear any jewellery.

School Uniform Boys white polo shirt, grey trousers, red school sweatshirt. Girls white polo shirt, grey skirt, red cardigan or school sweatshirt (available from Stevensons in St. Albans) Please remember to label ALL items of clothing with your child’s name. Seasonal Clothing ~ Please provide your child with warm clothing (hats, gloves, coat) as we will continue our outdoor activities on cold days. Also, for hot days they will need sun hats.

Attendance ~ Although there is no legal obligation to attend Nursery, we fully recommend that your child attends regularly. Please inform the school office if your child is unwell and unable to attend. Allergies ~ Please can you complete the attached forms to indicate if your child is allergic to milk/ oranges / strawberries etc.. This is not to be used if they do not like them as we will encourage the children to try the snacks offered.

Reception Class Application Please remember that a place at St Bernadette Nursery does not guarantee your child a place in the Reception Class as this is a separate application that you will need to complete. See Herts Direct for Reception application which you must complete alongside our school application with a priest’s reference.

Information for parents – Newsletters are sent home regularly Check the Nursery Noticeboard in cloakroom area for class news Termly Parent Consultation meetings to discuss progress, plus end of year report We also hold termly Learning Journal Open Mornings- an opportunity for your child to show you their journal. This has been really successful this year and children are very proud to 'show off' their special journal! ERIC reading sessions- invitation for dads/grandads/uncles etc (Mum/nan/auntie is perfectly fine too is no man is available).

‘FABS’ PTA play an active part in the school and welcome new parents at their meetings and events. They often send home newsletters about forthcoming fundraising events. In addition, the school asks parents for a voluntary contribution each term to pay for extra resources such as art materials, messy play materials, fine motor skills activities etc. This is called the ‘Foundation Unit Fund’. Please can you send any money in a sealed and clearly labelled envelope and hand it to a member of staff.

Other activities for your diary The children will be part of the school’s Harvest Festival in the Autumn term. The children will be performing in the Foundation Stage Christmas Play in December. They will be showing their skills in Sports Day in May. There are many other events that the children will share with the rest of the school, keep a close eye on newsletters and our notice board.

Starting Nursery ~ is my child ready? Is my child fully toilet trained? Can they dress themselves? Particularly socks and shoes (P.E. Lessons). Can they zip up their own coat/ put on their own gloves? Are they good at listening to stories? Can they make their needs known? !

It would be helpful if they could do the above independently before starting Nursery. Does your child belong to the local library? Are they part of Bookstart Bear Club? Sharing a book with your child is the greatest gift you can give them as it develops their memory, language, listening skills and quality time with you. Homework for summer

Things to remember Wellies will be needed for outside learning. Please make sure they are labelled. Please complete the address forms for new Tapestry learning journals.

Thank you for coming along today. We look forward to seeing you all back safely and ready to learn in September. Please return the ‘Pupil Information’ forms found in your pack back to the office as soon as possible. See you soon!