Latest Pre-School Newsletter
BILLERICAY CATHOLIC PRE-SCHOOL NEWSLETTER –FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020
WEEK OF 2ND – 6TH MARCH
It is World Book Day on the 5th March and the children are invited to come in during the above week dressed as a character from their favourite book, bringing in a £1 donation. Each child will receive a £1 book token and an Usborne leaflet. There will be an Osborne Book Fair in the foyer on Monday afternoon the 2nd March from 2 pm and the vouchers can be redeemed there. The more books parents buy (via leaflet or the Fair) the more FREE books the Pre-school will get.
WEDNESDAY 4TH MARCH – FUNDRAISING SPRING FAIR
Pre-school will be open as usual on this day.
You should all have received a letter regarding this with more details. If you have not had one please ask the Supervisor.
WEDNESDAY MORNING 18TH MARCH AND THURSDAY AFTERNOON 19TH MARCH
As a special treat for Mothers Day the children will be preparing various cakes and treats during the above sessions for mums/carers to return to Pre-school to enjoy with a cup of coffee.
Children who attend on Wednesdays should be brought in at normal time. Mums/Carers should come back at 11.15
Children who attend all day on Thursday will stay for lunch club as usual and children who attend Thursday afternoon only should be brought in at 12.30 pm as usual.
Mums/carers should come back at 2 pm
If your child does not come in on a Wednesday morning or Thursday afternoon, please speak to the Supervisor and we will arrange for them to come in on either of the above sessions at a later time so they can help prepare the cakes and treats.
EASTER HOLIDAYS
Our last day of term will be Friday 3rd April. We will then be closed for 2 weeks and come back on Monday 20th April.
PRE-SCHOOL FEES
If your child is not yet eligible for Free Early Years Entitlement for 3- 4 year olds, i.e. they have not reached their 3rd birthday before the 31st December 2019, fees are now due for the six week period 24thth February – 3rd April. Lunch club fees are £2.50 per session.
We also ask for a voluntary contribution towards the children's snacks of 50p per session.
An invoice for your fees will be available for you to collect in the foyer during the first week of term. This will show the total amount of your fees.
The amount of the voluntary contribution for snacks will be shown separately.
CHILDREN IN RECEIPT OF FREE EARLY YEARS ENTITLMENT FOR -4 YEAR OLDS AND 30 HOUR ENTITLEMENT
You will receive an invoice detailing the number of funded hours you are claiming with us and the amount of any unfunded hours you have ageed to pay for
VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION FOR CHILDREN'S SNACKS
We also ask for a voluntary contribution of 50p per session for the children's snacks.
This will not be shown on your invoice.
As an example: If your child attends 2 sssions a week this would amount to £1 a week x 6 weeks = £6
If your child attends 3 sessions a week this would amount to £1.50 a week x 6 weeks = £9
FREE EARLY YEARS ENTITLEMENT FOR 3-4 YEAR OLDS FOR THE SUMMER TERM
All children who will be three years old before the 31st March 2020 inclusive are eligible for 15 hours a week Free Early Years Entitlement from the beginning of the Summer term commencing on the 20 April 2020.
You will need to complete a Summer Term Parent/Carer Agreement Form. We will make these available soon.
30 HOURS EXTENDED ENTITLEMENT FOR 3-4 YEAR OLDS
You will need to check on line to see if you are eligible to register for this. Please note the expiry date for registering.
We have leaflets available in the foyer and on the notice board with more details
We are only able to offer 21.5 hours due to availability of the premises.
FUNDING FOR TWO YEAR OLDS
The Pre-school is eligible to offer funding the term after your child’s second birthday if you meet certain financial criteria. Everyone should have received details of this. If you have not yet had this please ask the Supervisor.
ATTENDANCE AT PRE-SCHOOL
Please remember that we require that you let us know when your child is going to be absent from Pre-school, together with an explanation for their absence.
You can do this by telephoning or texting the Pre-school on 07980411925 or by email at billericaycatholicpreschool@gmail.com
If we do not hear from you it is our policy to contact you within one hour of the Pre-school opening.
PRE-SCHOOL WAITING LIST
Please remember to complete a registration form for any younger siblings not yet on our waiting list. It is never too early to put your child’s name down.
CONTENTS OF CHILDREN'S LUNCH BOXES – CHOKING HAZARDS AND FOOD ALLERGIES
We have been strongly adised, to avoid choking hazards in children, to insist that grapes are cut into four lengthways, cherry tomatoes are cut into small pieces, cocktail sausages are cut lengthways and cucumber is cut into batons.
We must also ask, due to a child having a severe allergy, that you avoid including any food containing nuts or traces of nuts
in your cfhild's lunch box.
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CHILDREN’S SHOE BAGS
We have several children attending Pre-school who have severe food allergies and we must insist that you do not put food of any kind, medicines, inhalers, creams, hand gel or any other inappropriate items in your child’s shoe bag as these are accessible to other children when they are getting ready to go home
OUTDOOR PLAY
Please remember to leave a pair of suitable shoes in your child’s bag to change into for outdoor play and a warm coat. It would be a great help if you could put your child’s name in their indoor and outdoor shoes and coat.
LINKS WITH HOME BOARD
If your child has any special outings, experiences or achievements that you would like to share with us, e.g. photos, leaflets on places they have been etc. please send them in and we will display them on our board.
DISPOSAL OF CHILDREN’S NAPPIES
We have been asked by the Hall Committee to remind parents that any soiled nappies must be disposed of in the bin provided in the disabled toilet.
PAPER FOR DRAWING AND PAINTING We are running low on paper for the children to draw and paint on and would be grateful for any unwanted A4 or larger size paper or rolls of paper. It doesn’t matter if there is printing on the reverse
Please continue to send in suitable items for the children to use for collage, e.g. cereal boxes, kitchen roll tubes, unwanted pasta and rice, ribbon, wool, old birthday cards, yoghurt pots, etc. Please note that we are unable to accept toilet roll tubes or egg boxes
This term the children will be learning all about new life, how things grow and what is under the ground. As well as opportunities for lots of child- initiated activities and fun, we have adult-led activities and experiences planned for each week as follows:
24th Feb. - The children will be planting sunflower seeds in their own individual pots to take home and
watch grow.
We would be grateful for any photos of their progress or bring them in for showing time. We will be
explaining how plants grow from seeds and bulbs under the ground and talking about what else lives
under the ground.
2nd Mar - The children will be learning what baby animals are called and look like when they are first born and
how they change as they grow. They will be matching babies to their mothers. If you have any photos
of family pets as kittens, puppies, etc. please send them in. Please do not send in any irreplaceable photos
We will also be doing sponge printing with animal shapes.
9th Mar. This week we would like the children to bring in photos of themselves as a baby – one to stick on a
photo frame they will be making and one to put on our display board. We will be talking about how
. they have changed and grown. PLEASE DO NOT SEND IN ANY IRREPLACEABLE PHOTOS
AS THEY MIGHT GET DAMAGED AS THE CHILDREN WILL BE USING GLUE.
16th Mar. - On Monday and Tuesday this week we will be making cards and explaining to the children about Mothers Day
and how the routine of the Pre-school will be changed on Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon
Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon the children will be preparing various cakes and treats
for mums/carers to come back into Pre-school to enjoy.
23rd Mar. This week the children will be learning about which creatures start life inside an egg and they will
be printing with oval shapes. They will also be exploring the difference between raw and hard boiled
eggs and whisking egg whites.
30th Mar. This week we will be learning the traditions of Easter and how it is celebrated in different countries all over
the world. We will be making Easter cards and Easter Hat. Each child will receive an Easter Egg this week.
LETTER TABLE
We will be starting this half term with the letter “U” and continuing through the alphabet each week.
We would like the children to bring in suitable items beginning with each week’s letter to encourage them to practise linking sounds to letters. Please put your child’s name on any items they bring in.
Please see the display board in the foyer for each week’s letter.
We would also like to encourage the children to bring in any items of particular interest to themselves for “show and tell” time.
Term Dates for 2019
Open: Monday 24th February
Last day of term: Friday 3rd April
Summer Term
Open: Monday 20th April
Last day of term: Friday 22nd May (Friday 8th May is a Bank Holiday)
Half Term: Monday 25th May – Friday 29th May
Open: Monday 1st June
Last day of term: Wednesday 22nd July
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Weather
Pre-School is open today
CLOSURE DUE TO SNOW
In the event of heavy snow, please check our face book page to see if Pre-school is open. You will also be sent an email.
Pre-School is open today
CLOSURE DUE TO SNOW
In the event of heavy snow, please check our face book page to see if Pre-school is open. You will also be sent an email.
Fundraising
Our last fundraising event was the Christmas Hamper Raffle. We raising an amazing amount of £208 which will go towards purchasing a new shed and some more outdoor equipment for the Pre-School. Also a big "thank you" to all hte members of the Pre-school committee who worked so hard in obtaining prizes and selling tickets for the raffle.
Our last fundraising event was the Christmas Hamper Raffle. We raising an amazing amount of £208 which will go towards purchasing a new shed and some more outdoor equipment for the Pre-School. Also a big "thank you" to all hte members of the Pre-school committee who worked so hard in obtaining prizes and selling tickets for the raffle.
