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New to Nursery |
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Dear Parents and Carers
AIMS OF THE NURSERY
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To encourage positive attitudes to learning and increase independence
and self-confidence
To give the child a sense of self value and of the value of others
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To give the child the social skills necessary to co-operate with
others and form friendships
ü To develop the child’s
use of language, thought and communication
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To develop the child's creative abilities through the use of a variety
of materials
ü To encourage the child’s
natural curiosity about how the world works
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To develop the child’s ability to work as an independent, active
learner by encouraging them to plan, implement and reflect on
experiences
To promote the child’s
physical development
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To develop the child's abilities and skills in ways which provide a
sound basis for later learning
BEFORE STARTING NURSERY
Here are some ways you can help your child to feel more confident when
they start Nursery.
Please teach your child:
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To dress themselves - make the job easier with jogging bottoms and T
shirts and no shoe laces
ü To hang up their coat
ü To drink through a straw
ü To take themselves to the
toilet and cope on their own
ü To wash and dry their
hands
ü To recognise their name
in upper and lower case
(e.g. Mary not
ü To know and repeat
clearly their name
Children need plenty of chances to play with other children so they
can get used to sharing. Leaving your child for an hour or so with
friends or relatives will accustom them to cope without you and help
make the transition from home to Nursery a smooth one.
Your child needs you to listen to them, talk to them and watch them,
they will learn from you. Children make sense of their world by
talking and listening. Talk about what you are doing, what you have
seen and done and where you have been. Answer questions carefully and
honestly.
Sing nursery rhymes and action songs together. Encourage your child to
listen to music, songs and stories. Read stories together and make
this an enjoyable experience. Look at the pictures in the book and
discuss the story.
Increase your child's memory and concentration by playing board and
card games as often as possible. Also do jigsaws and play lotto and
domino games.
Children learn from their experiences, so please take your child out
and about as much as possible.
Allow your child to help around the house and garden: using water at
the sink, measuring, cooking, setting the table, sorting the washing,
digging and planting. These activities offer a wide range of learning
experiences.
NURSERY HOURS
The Nursery is open for two sessions each day:
Morning session
9.00 - 12.00 am
Afternoon session
12.15 - 3.15 pm
Children attend for five morning sessions or five afternoon sessions
per week. The younger half joins the morning session and the older
half joins the afternoon session. We regret it is not possible to mix
attendance between the two sessions, or change sessions from one term
to another. In the best interest of your child, they should not attend
another Nursery or playgroup whilst attending Merry Hill.
Children in the afternoon
session should bring a packed lunch to Nursery with them. This should
include a small carton, or other container of juice which your child
can manage to unscrew, although water is provided. Please do not
include nuts, chocolate or sweets. The packed lunch should be in a
clearly named lunch box.
Starting Nursery is a big step for children; for some this may be
their first time away from home on a regular basis. To enable your
child to settle into the daily routine as quickly as possible we
encourage them to come in to Nursery on their own. Please always
remember to say ‘Goodbye’ to your child at the door before leaving.
Please bring your child to the classroom at the start of each session
and collect them from the classroom at the end of the session. Please
let us know if someone other than you is collecting your child.
Punctuality helps your child understand the importance of time keeping
at an early age. Being on time helps your child to settle into the
Nursery routines, socialise with their peers and sets them up for the
session. To avoid tears at home time, if you are unavoidably delayed,
please telephone the office so we can explain to your child.
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT
Parents are always welcome in the Nursery, but they do need to have
had a Criminal Records Bureau (
FRIENDS OF MERRY HILL (FOMH)
We are fortunate in having an active group of staff and parents who
organise fetes and social events to raise funds for the school.
THE NURSERY CURRICULUM
The children all follow the Foundation Stage Curriculum, which is
based on the national ‘Early Learning Goals’. A wide range of
activities is carefully planned to help the children develop early
skills in the following six areas of learning:
Personal, Social & Emotional Development The children are given
opportunities to work, play and co-operate with others in a variety of
settings. Many activities are provided to enable them to become more
independent and gain in confidence. They will be encouraged to
concentrate, to persevere, to initiate ideas, to solve simple problems
and to ask for help when needed.
The children are expected to be sensitive to the needs and feelings of
others and to show respect for people of other cultures and beliefs.
They learn to take turns, express their own feelings and behave in an
appropriate way, gradually developing their sense of right and wrong.
Communication, Language and Literacy
In small and large groups, the children are encouraged to listen to
each other and talk about their experiences, thoughts and feelings.
Great value is put on reciting rhymes and singing songs. Through
regular story sessions they develop an enjoyment of books and an
awareness of print. Matching and sequencing games are played to
develop concentration, discrimination and memory as an aid to learning
to read. As finger muscles develop, the children will learn to write
their name with appropriate use of upper and lower case letters.
Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy The children use number
rhymes, songs and stories to gain mathematical language and early
number concepts. Through a variety of activities the children learn to
compare, sort, match, order, sequence and count everyday objects. They
will investigate shape and pattern.
Knowledge & Understanding of the World The children are
encouraged to talk about where they live and their environment. They
are given opportunities to observe and explore, to be curious and to
ask questions about why things happen and how they work. Cookery
sessions are much enjoyed, as are the computers.
Physical Development
The Nursery children are fortunate in having a safe outside play area
and use of the School Hall for music and movement and gymnastics.
Through the use of bicycles, wheeled toys, climbing equipment etc. the
children are able to develop large muscle control, co-operative play
and turn-taking skills. They also have the opportunity to use the
climbing equipment on the main playground and school field. In the
classroom, the children use a variety of tools and equipment to
develop small muscle control and hand/eye co-ordination.
Creative Development
Through art, music, dance, stories and imaginative play, the children
gain an increasing ability to use their imagination, to express ideas
and to communicate their feelings.
The Nursery session has a carefully structured routine and includes
daily adult-directed activities and a sustained period of
child-initiated play. Play is children's work and it is through this
that they develop into self reliant, reasoning, questioning,
independent children who will be able to transfer into a Reception
Class with confidence.
‘Learning Journey’
A Learning Journey will document each child’s time in Nursery. Parents
will be able to view, and contribute to, these documents at specific
times during the year.
NURSERY UNIFORM (UNISEX)
The Nursery uniform consists of:
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Black elasticated waist jogging trousers (shorts in the Summer)
(Not trousers with buttons or zips, and for the girls, not skirts or
dresses)
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Any colour T-Shirt
(Not shirts or blouses)
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Any colour jumper or cardigan
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Sensible shoes – preferably with velcro, not laces or buckles, or
shoes with open toes or heels and not ‘Crocs’ or fashion boots
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Coat with a hood
For PE
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Black shorts
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White T-Shirt
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Elastic fronted or velcro plimsolls
A drawstring bag will be provided free of charge by the Friends of
Merry Hill.
Please ensure that all clothing is clearly labelled.
The Nursery uniform is based on the following criteria:
1.
It allows your child to be dressed for an active, fun and safe session
at Nursery where they can use sand, water, play dough, glue and paint
etc without worrying about getting their clothes messy.
2.
It aids independence when getting changed for PE and using the toilet.
3.
It allows your child to play outside throughout the year.
Jewellery is not permitted in the Nursery.
Pierced earrings must be plain studs.
We do have some extra
clothing in case of accidents. However, if your child is happier to
change into clothing they recognise, a spare set kept in their yellow
bookbag would be useful. If we do provide your child with clean
clothing, please return this to us as soon as it has been washed.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
If your child has been unwell overnight the Health Protection Agency
guidelines are that children should not return to school for a full 48
hours from the last episode of diarrhoea or vomiting.
The staff are not permitted to administer medicines so please do not
send these to Nursery. If your child has a specific health problem
please inform the Nursery Staff. If there are any changes in your home
circumstances please let us know as this can often affect a child's
performance, attitude and behaviour in Nursery. Please try to ensure
that your child can go to the toilet unaided and no longer wears
nappies.
The school site and buildings have been designated as ‘No Smoking’
areas. Please note that as some children are wary of dogs, dogs are
not allowed on site at any time.
HEALTHY EATING
In line with our healthy eating policy, the children are supplied with
fruit or vegetables every day. This is shared at Small Group Time.
Milk or water is also available. Parents wishing their children to
have milk should order this before the start of each term.
There is no charge for children under 5 years of age. Please do not
send sweets, biscuits or fruit drinks to have at this time.
TRANSFER TO THE RECEPTION CLASS
Transfer to our Reception Class is not automatic.
Hertfordshire County Council will send you a booklet containing a
Reception Place Application Form at the beginning of the Autumn Term.
If you do not receive this please let me know, as you will not be able
to apply without it.
Parents are notified as to the success of their application during
March.
The criteria for entry to the Reception Class are the same as those
for entry to the Nursery. |