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"Staff provide a stimulating range of activities which ensure children are developing in all areas" Ofsted 2004 |
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Upcoming Events
Latest NewsSeptember 2008 Here we are again at the start of another new term, we said good bye to a number of children at the end of July and sent them off on their way to "big school". We had a leavers' do for them where the children all played games and were given treats (of the edible kind!) to take home - although most didn't make it that far! Those who were leaving also had a portfolio of the things they had done during their time at pre-school to keep. Welcome to everyone who has joined us this year. We do still have some places left at the moment for pre-school, so please do call us if you are interested in finding out more (07944 830370). If you want to try us out, the first session is free. This term we are starting with a new curriculum - The Early Years Foundation Stage. This is something that will apply to all pre-schools from now on. We have recently had an OFSTED report and received a good in all categories You can read the full report on their website (www.ofsted.gov.uk) or contact one of the committee for full details. We will be having our Annual General Meeting on 24th September at 8.00 pm in Sydling Village Hall. We encourage everyone to come along who has some connection with the pre-school or who is interested in helping in some way. Sam Mercer (Preschool Leader) June/July 2008Summer is here for the time being, so please don’t forget to put on the sun cream and hats, we are enjoying being outside as much as possible, however during the hottest days we do have lunch inside between 12-1pm when the sun is at its stongest. This term sees us waving goodbye to all the 4 year olds who are going on to school, we will have a small leavers celebration at 2pm on 17th July. Can all the leavers please stay for this, parents, carers etc welcome. This term also sees us preparing for a change in curriculum from the Foundation stage for 3-5 year olds to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) which covers from birth to 5 years. One of the changes will be that we don’t have a long term plan of topics to cover, but will adapt to the children’s interests weekly which we have started to do already, thereby being able to respond to their interests within a smaller timescale. In order to do this we have to observe a child for a small period of time, discuss our findings and consult with you and your child and then plan an activity which extends their experience and learning further. Every time we do an observation we’ll talk the process through with you, each child will have an observation done on them roughly every 2 – 3 weeks. To ensure we are ready for this change and can attend training preschool there will be no lunch club on Friday 20th June and our final day of term will be Thursday 17th July. Lunch Days- this half terms lunch days and themes will be Thursday 19th June Low Salt lunch, Pitta bread, crackers, cheese, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, fruit smoothie and yogurt. Friday 11th July, 5 a day BBQ, as much fruit and veg as we can get on a skewer also homemade beefburgers. Other events Thursday 26th June 9.45am Group photo, Thursday 3rd July Farm Trip, collected from hall at 9.45 by tractor and trailer Thursday 10th July tour of Cerne Abbas, meet at 9.30 Cerne Abbas Play area. All children are welcome to attend, any parents carers willing to come along will be more than welcome, permission slips to follow nearer the time. Activites for both day will be weather dependant, both will still go ahead, but shelter will be sought in the Barn and Cerne Abbas Village Hall. There will be our annual get together on Sunday 20th July midday onwards, BBQ, raffle and bouncy castle. For those of you who attend the Toddler group, this will continue to run throughout the summer, Wednesday mornings 10-12. May 2008Suddenly the summer term has begun. Scrabbling around for sun hats and reminders about sun cream have become a daily routine, but a very welcome one. At last the heating has gone off and the doors are open wide, allowing us play and learn freely inside and out. Last week the children made a decision to spend the afternoon exploring in the long grass, finding snails with squeals of delight as they slimed across hands and along the ground. It was truly amazing the variety that was found. As for the learning, well, it covered all areas , not just counting the number found but sorting and grouping them into size, colour, pattern and speed!. The children learnt more about living things and took care of them..They picked up felt tips and pens and made spiral patterns on paper, and the constant talking saw their language and speech skills developing. Lets not forget the exercise they had whilst doing this, by running backwards and forwards across the grass avoiding bumping into each other as they put the snails into a collecting tray. Never underestimate what your child is doing, if they have initiated an activity the chances are the learning will be much more relevant and effective. So, no surprise that we will have a week dedicated to snails and creatures living in the long grass later in the term. Superheroes has been another theme this term. Due to the fun the children have had wearing them, we thought it would be good to have a week dedicated to Superhero outfits and the skills that Superheroes have. Litter rescue was one secret mission that we all went on and luckily not too onerous as the village was quite litter free, but that didn’t stop us searching. The good message the children now have is we shouldn’t drop litter and we should pick it up and put it in the bin if we find some. Fast forwarding to the second half of term, we are looking forward to a visit from the Police Community Support Officer, Reception Class teachers as well as going on a tractor ride and our end of term surprise outing. Places are available for September so please give us a call (07944 830370) to find out more. EventsWe have finished the last of our quizzes for the year and raised nearly £100, so thank you to everyone who came along. Our next event is a sponsored walk around the Village on Sunday 8th June, starting at the Village Hall at 11.30 am and finishing with a picnic on the green. You can get sponsorship forms from me or one of the committee, so please either enter your children or sponsor someone else’s! Sam Mercer (Preschool Leader). April 2008 We've had a really busy time recently at Sydling Springs Pre-school. Ken Scott came to have lunch with us and was treated to spaghetti with all the children. Now that the weather is improving we can get out and about around the village a bit more, this week we went on a Dragon Hunt and the children were very pleased to find that dragons do exist in Sydling. Hunting for dragons was all part of our knights and castles themes and earlier in the week we were making helmets, armour and shields from boxes. The parents had fun trying to identify their child from a sea of cardboard! We had a trip into Dorchester this month to visit the museum. I'm not sure which was better, the museum, or the trip on the bus which caused great excitement. Whilst at the museum we spent some time excavating dinosaur bones and making mosaic fish. The children were impressed by the story of the singing cat who kept singing louder and louder. We have several events planned before the end of the school year. The quiz which should have taken place this month has been re-booked for Saturday 17th May at Sydling. It will be the same format as before with teams of 4. Doors open 7.30 pm for an 8.00 pm prompt start.We will be having a sponsored walk / toddle (depending on the age of your children!) around the village to raise funds for the pre-school. This has been planned for Sunday 8th June and you can get forms from Janine Ryan or myself. Everyone is very welcome to take part, whether or not you have a connection with the preschool. The walk will be followed by a picnic (weather permitting!) We will be having a big social event for adults before the end of term, more to follow in next month's Chalkstream. Please remember that if you are ordering anything from Amazon, please use the shop on the Sydling Website as we get a small percentage of every sale. www.sydlingstnicholas.org.uk. Sam Mercer (Preschool Leader). February 2008 Summer is well on its way now and we are all looking forward to getting out and about and exploring our wonderful countryside. We are also taking names for any children who wish to start at the pre-school for either the summer term or the autumn term. Remember children can start as soon as they are two years old, so please give me a call on 07944 830370 if you would like to put your child's name down or would like to visit the pre-school. The first session is free, so you really do have nothing to lose! Our programme of events continues with an Easter Egg hunt on Sunday 16th March from 10 am till 12 noon at The Court at Sydling St Nicholas by kind permission of the Fitzharris family. Entry will be £3 per child and you should go to the village hall first to get a ticket. Teas and cakes will be served at the village hall during the morning. Our next quiz evening will be held at Sydling Village Hall on Saturday 19th April. It's a fun evening for everyone who attends, so sharpen up your wits and come along! Doors open 7.30 pm for a 8.00 pm prompt start. Please bring your own refreshments. We will be holding our big event of the year on Saturday 17th May. More details will follow in due course, but put it in your diaries now as tickets sell out fast. Please do your best to attend any events you can, the pre-school is run for the sake of all the local children and, being a charity, we rely heavily on money we raise at events during the year. Sam Mercer. January 2008 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 -2 -1 - BLAST OFF!!! This term we have been looking at everything to do with space; we have been making rockets and painting moon pictures. Our car has become a rocket, complete with heat tiles glued on to it and we have been flying to and from the moon in it. We have made cheesy moon biscuits - everyone knows the moon is made of cheese! And we have been singing "Five little men in a flying saucer". We have given a warm welcome back to Jen who will be helping us again two mornings a week. Thanks to everyone who helped with the coffee morning, particularly those who do not have a direct connection with the pre-school, and thanks to everyone who came along. We raised almost £190 which is a fantastic amount for the pre-school. Our next event will be a quiz in the village hall at Cerne Abbas on Saturday 9th February, everyone is welcome and it promises to be a great night. Doors open at 7.30pm for an 8.00pm prompt start. We will also be holding an Easter Egg hunt in March, more details in the next Chalkstream. We do still have some spaces, so do let us know if you have a child who you would like to attend the pre-school December 2007 Yet another busy month has passed in which we’ve collected large branches, leaves and twigs for the bonfire (it was great to see so many of the children there on the night). With Christmas coming there’s bound to be an explosion of sparkling glittery crafts being made as well as the jingle of bells. We will celebrate the end of term with a party, roast dinner (including sprouts) and a visit from Father Christmas. Our fundraising efforts continue with the next quiz being held on Saturday 1st December at Sydling Village Hall. Same format as previous events (£10 per team of 4, bring your own drinks, evening includes a raffle) with a prompt 8pm start (doors open 7.30pm). October 2007 We’ve just enjoyed a wonderful journey on tractor and trailer into a hidden valley, looked at a combine and had our snack in an old barn with the distant moo from Manor Farm cows in the background that provided the milk we drink. We’ve learnt what grows on a farm and squashed oats and wheat for flour and porridge and we’ve done this all less than a mile from pre-school. Our many thanks go to John Morris of Huish Farm for helping to arrange this, which is one of three trips we will take this year to experience the seasonal changes which also means that we’ll follow the process of growing, harvesting and eating food from the land. Following the food theme we are again making a monthly lunch, where the children make and prepare their own food. This month we will have multi-grain sandwiches, and homemade blackberry yogurt. Do we have a potential junior master chef in the making? Who knows but we have seen an improvement in their willingness to try foods that they would not otherwise, just because they have been involved in the process of preparation and cooking. Harvest sale Thursday 11th October 11 – 12 Want to return to work but can’t afford child care? As a registered childcare provider we are eligible to receive payment from the government through the ‘working tax credit’. To check out your eligibility Tel 0845 300 3900 or log on www.hmrc.gov/menus/credit.htm for more info, don’t forget we now offer two 5 hour sessions. Are you updating your computer? Ours has just ‘fizzled’ and terminated future use, does anyone out there have a lap top we could replace it with? It would be most gratefully received. Forthcoming Events Keep your diaries free for our
September 2007 Welcome back to the start of another school year, we’ve a few reminders for everyone 1, a piece of fruit or veg to be bought in for snack. This term sees the arrival of several new younger children and we welcome them and their carers to Pre-School, please feel free to sit and chat with us over any concerns you may have. This half terms topic is food and farming, We have changed our admissions policy to reflect the availability of places under the 3 and 4 years old nursery education grant, please read and return the attached is your child is eligible If you child is not eligible due to age or attending over their entitlement you may be eligible for Working tax credit which has a childcare element which would pay pre-school fees. For further info WWW.hmrc.gov/menus/credit.htm or phone 0845 300 3900 or ask Sam who can download and print off information for you (by the time you get this there should be an information advice in the display rack). Don’t forget fundraising plays an important part in making our pre-school sustainable therefore look out for upcoming events. Opening times AGM – we need you, please read the attached. Laptop, and flat screen monitor , if you know of anyone replacing theirs we would love to have an old one, our current computer has just ‘terminated’ ! and it would be lovely to save some space with more up to date equipment. Resources, we strive to make the pre-school as stimulating as possible for all children and in order to do this hire a range of equipment from Treats toy library in Bere Regis as well as regularly rotating our own equipment. Please give us feedback good and bad so we can address any needs your child may have and change our equipment to suit. Lunches This term will be on Trip to Huish Farm. Thursday 20th September. We are being collected by tractor and trailer and will depart the hall at 9.45, when we will go to Huish Farm, Sydling, and then for a tour across the fields where we will see ploughing and some of the crops. And then visit an old settlement of barns. July 2007 What a busy month we have ahead of us! On the 5th of July we are having an open morning, where all parents, new and old, are welcome to join us in play and then find out how this relates to our curriculum. Then there’s our outing to the Dorset Wildlife Trusts headquarters at Brooklands Farm on the 12th of July , and a sports day and leavers presentation, followed by a picnic on the 17th. To all of our leavers going to Charminster, Cerne Abbas and Buckland Newton, we are so proud of all of you and your parents’ achievements, in making you such enjoyable children to care for. This half term’s topic has been summer, which included caterpillars which are still cocoons and being watched daily for any changes. Also summer eating - yes children will eat lettuce! But they might hop around the place like a rabbit afterwards. This month’s lunch that the children have made and eaten has had a low salt focus, Do you know what a child’s RDA for salt is? Age 1-3 = 2grams If your child eats 2 pieces of toast for breakfast = 1g And 2 pieces of bread for lunch = 1g Along with a packet of crisps = .4g -------- Total 2.4 g And they haven’t eaten their main meal yet !! For more info www.salt.gov.uk (based on .5g per slice , different bread has different values please read the labels) You and your child are invited to an Open morning 10 – 12 5th July
Come and join in with our activities See what your child is learning through play Meet other parents May 2007 We have had great excitement this term with a visit from the vet who brought a guinea pig to show us. Lots of squealing went on (from the guinea pig, not the children!) and the children all learned how important it is to look after animals properly. We made our own lunch and plan to make this a regular feature of our sessions in future. We introduced the children to different foods such as tortillas and pittas, which seemed to go down well. As summer now seems to be well on its way, during the rest of the term we plan some summer activities such as playing with water and sand and we will also be watching caterpillars grow into butterflies. Please do remember to let us know if you want to book a place for your child as places are limited. Please call Sam on 07944 830370 to find out more about the pre-school or to book a session. We open from 9.30 till 12.00 noon Tuesday and Friday, with longer sessions on Monday and Thursday till 2.30 pm. At the time of writing, we are about to hold our big social event at the Village Hall. Thanks to everyone who has helped to organise it, particularly the committee members who have worked so hard. New - Video Clips We are testing out the possibility of putting some video clips on the site to supplement our picture gallery. There is currently a test video and we would like to to try it and let us know what happens, good or bad. Your PC will need to have the Flash player loaded in order for the clips to work. The clip is here. Please note, for those not on broadband you may find the clip takes some time to load. If you want to download the Flash player software (free) it can be found here. Please email any comments to admin@sydlingpreschool.co.uk or tell me (Mike) when you see me. Chalkstream newsletter March 2007 Another half term over and spring and Easter are just around the corner. It doesn’t seem possible that Christmas and New Year are such distant memories. However the 15 day festival of Chinese New Year is here and we’ll be celebrating the year of the ‘Golden Pig’ with different crafts and cooking. We’ve also got a week of listening to ‘learn Chinese madarin’ so you never know what phrases the children might be able to help you out with! The rest of this half term is going to be spent exploring spring through the children’s interests and see where this takes us; buds, bulbs and lambs maybe? There’s also Mother’s Day and Easter to fit in and we look forward to working in collaboration with the church to put together a display for the Mothering Sunday Service, please do come and enjoy the children’s work. Don’t forget we are now offering a Monday afternoon session, please do ring 07944 830370if you would like your child to come to us on a Monday afternoon. We will be arranging another open day soon (April) so please do look out for the date in the next Chalkstream. Did you see our library display? We’d appreciate comments, feel free to email through our website www.sydlingpreschool.co.uk. Quiz Date The next quiz to raise funds for the pre-school will be at Sydling village hall on Saturday 24th March, starting at 8pm prompt (doors open at 7.30pm). Everyone and anyone is welcome; you need four contestants per team, but the teams can be made up on the night. There will be a raffle, a prize for the winning team, and tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided - you're also welcome to bring along your own nibbles and drinks. Entry is £2.50 per person. For more information call either Liz Scott on 01300 341 708, or Sarah Richardson on 01300 341 546. There will also be a children's fete there on Saturday 28th April, also raising funds for the preschool. Chalkstream newsletter February 2007 This month our topic is ‘all about me’ , we will be learning the different names of parts of our bodies and making books about our families and where we live. No learning about our bodies would be complete without hand and feet painting, and a week of scrubbing between the toes to get rid the paint! We are now able to offer a new session on Monday afternoons till 2.30, giving parents the flexibility to choose one of four options:
If you would like to book your child into any of these sessions, please let Sam know by calling Sam on 07944830370 On Mondays fortnightly we visit the mobile library which gives the children a chance to choose their own books. The librarian has great patience, just when he thinks we’re all ‘booked out’ another handful of books arrives. Is it the books they like or the beep the scanner makes as the computer register them? Whatever, the whole experience is enjoyed by the children. We’re after some volunteer help. If you have time to spare on a Monday or Tuesday morning, we’d love to have someone to sit on the sofa and read with the children, ring Sam 07944830370 to discuss. Look out for our art display in Dorchester library from 5th Feb – 16th Feb.
There will be another quiz night at Sydling village hall on Saturday 24 March, and a children's fete there on Saturday 28 April, both raising funds for the preschool. Look out too for a future quiz night at Cerne village hall (date to be confirmed).
January 2007 Newsletter
We will finish for half term on Friday 16th February and go back on Monday 26th February. Dates of committee meetings (all 8.00pm unless otherwise stated) Spring term 2007 Monday 15th January Wednesday 28th February Summer term 2007 Wednesday 18th April Monday 11th June The parent rota is on the board in the entrance of the Village Hall during pre-school times. If you can’t do one of your days, please speak to other parents to swap, please don’t ask Sam or other members of staff to re-arrange it for you. Please also remember that if someone other than you is collecting your child, to write it on the board and let us know. This is especially important if that person is not known to us. November 2006 This term’s topic is colour, so parents will find lots of lovely shades of single colour coming home in collages, painting and soup. Yes, soup! Well orange week just wouldn’t be right this time of year without cutting it up and turning it into soup. But we’re not just cooking soup. There will be one lot of birthday biscuits for us all to join in and make for one of the children as well. Would you like the opportunity for your child to try out Sydling Springs pre-school for no charge? We have been issuing free vouchers for parents whose children do not yet attend the pre-school. If you are interested, please contact one of the committee for further details or call the pre-school mobile 07944 830370. We cancelled our meeting to make the decision on a move to Cerne Abbas Village Hall. There were several reasons for this, facilities such as storage and rooms we originally discussed using were no longer available to us. In addtion, George Mortimer , Cerne Abbas Village Hall Secretary, told us that “further, the evolving use of the hall has indicated that there were likely to be insurmountable difficulties in satisfying the respective needs and aspirations of the preschool and others using the hall at the same time.” The quiz on 18th November raised £115. Thanks to all who took part and particularly to those who organised it. There are two more quiz nights to follow, so get them in your diary now – January 27th and March 24th at Sydling Village Hall. Doors will open at 7.30 pm for an 8.00 pm prompt start. Entry is £2.50 per person (pay on the door), four people to a team. We will provide tea and coffee but if you want something stronger or nibbles please feel free to bring them along! October 2006 We’ve all had a great time on bear hunts, we found the deepest, widest puddle and you can imagine what happened – not quite up to our waist, but almost.
September 2006
Sam Mercer August 2006
We have some brilliant news for the start of term, Awards for All have given us a grant of £1,640 for a variety of equipment. This includes cushions and “sag bags”, white boards, story puppets and games. We are so pleased that the children will have some different equipment and toys to use and I am sure that we will get many hours of enjoyment from it. Awards for All is the organisation which gives lottery grants for local groups and we are very grateful to them for their support. During July a number of people associated with the pre-school were very busy with a survey to try to find out what people wanted from a pre-school. We asked those who already use the pre-school as well as those who attend other groups, such as the Topsy Turvy Club in Stratton, Charmister toddler group and the toddlers from Sydling Tadpoles. We thank everyone who has taken the time to fill in a survey form and return it to us. We hope to let you have the full results in the next edition of the Chalkstream. As always, please do contact me if you would like your child to have a place in the pre-school or would simply like to come along and see what we do. You can contact me on 07944 830370. We are looking forward to a fun-packed term when we return in September. July 2006 Slow down, stop, get ready-go! Cars and bikes have been pedalled around outside, stopping at traffic lights and zebra crossings. This term’s transport topic has kept our brains and bodies moving; we’ve hired out bikes for 2p a time for 5 minutes and the children have all enjoyed the car wash with extra bubbles. We used our own transport (legs) on the sponsored walk; the weather was lovely and everyone set out wearing red and white football kit. The children were rewarded at the end with a play and a picnic. Carrying on the transport theme, we also had a chauffer driven tractor and trailer collect us for our farm tour , many thanks to John Morris of Huish Farm who didn’t go ‘faster faster’ which was what the children chanted as we went along the bumpy farm track. They also enjoyed looking around the farm and seeing the lambs. The children, staff and parents who did the tour highly recommend the visit, whether you go on foot or tractor there really is a lot to explore.
Our farm ride We will be celebrating the children’s achievements with an end of term barbecue on Sunday 16th July from 12pm to 2pm. We will be saying goodbye to 9 children and we wish them further great achievements at Cerne Abbas and Charminster first schools. Everyone is welcome to come along to the barbecue, entry is £1 for adults and 50p for children. There will be a bouncy castle and a raffle with lots of great prizes. There will be food and soft drinks on sale but please bring your own alcoholic drinks! Tickets are available in advance from Liz 01300 341708 or Rebecca 01300 341922 or you can pay on the door. Our ‘gallery’ is now open for viewings at Cerne Abbas surgery, you don’t need an appointment just turn up and have a peek, however if you are visiting on ‘official business’ we hope our pictures brighten up your day and speed you on your way to recovery. If you like what you see let us know, POA Sydling Springs Steps Out Children from Sydling Springs Pre-School have been stepping out on a sponsored walk to raise funds for the group. The children, all under 5 years old, set off from the Village Hall in Sydling St Nicholas and walked a mile on a route round the church ending in the park. They were kitted out in red and white football kit, a perfect outfit for a day when England were playing in the World Cup, and ended the event with a game of football at the park. Sam Mercer, Pre-school Leader, says, “We try to do as much physical activity as we can with the children and go for a walk almost every day. Doing a sponsored walk combined the best of both worlds as we also managed to raise money at the same time.” The walk is part of a programme of education on living healthily where the children also learn about how to eat well, including the importance of eating 5 portions of fruit or vegetables a day. The pre-school, which has been running in the village for 40 years, caters for children from 2 years upwards. The most recent Ofsted Report, which rated the pre-school as “very good” in five out of six areas, stated that, “Staff provide a stimulating range of activities which ensure children are developing in all areas. They interact effectively by asking appropriate questions and listening and responding to children.” Pre-school Chair, Liz Scott, says, ”The children really enjoy getting out round the village, it is such an idyllic setting and it perfectly complements the academic work the children do inside.” She adds, “There are still some places left for next term, so if anyone would like their child to learn and play in a beautiful setting, please let us know.”
Our sponsored walk
12th June Committee Meeting An open meeting to discuss a possible move to Cerne Abbas village hall was held on 12th June, please read the letter from the chairman here. June 2006 We love spiders, we really love spiders and snails and anything that creeps and crawls. The last day of term saw the children taking care of their environment, washing walls and scrubbing chalk drawings from the paving, along with polishing the tables and chairs all ready to share the village hall with visitors to the open gardens. June is hopefully bringing us warmer weather when we can start to ‘set up camp outside’ and enjoy all that the summer has to bring. The children will be learning about many kinds of transport this term. One of the highlights will be the tractor and trailer ride with John Morris at Huish Farm. Back at the pre-school they will be making cars and other vehicles from all sorts of materials. They will also be looking at journeys and road safety, so watch your parking - we might even do some ‘traffic warden training’. Events We would like to say a special thank you to all those who helped make our party on 5th May such a success. We would particularly like to thank Rebecca Maslen and her family for all their hard work in organising the event and selling the tickets. As part of our fund raising efforts, the staff, parents and children will be taking part in a sponsored walk on 15th June wearing red and white football kit. It ends at the park with a chance for a play and a picnic. We will be holding a barbecue on Sunday 16th July. More details will follow in the next Chalk Stream, but in the meantime please put the date in your diaries. The Pre-school is open to all children from 2 years old upwards. Come and visit us. For more information please phone Sam 01305 341062 May 2006 Newsletter now online To view the latest newsletter online click here. April 2006 May 2006 Please DO NOT trouble Sam or the other staff about it, thank you. May 2006 Hooray! We’ve said goodbye to the spring term (or winter as it's commonly known), the temperature is starting to rise and daffodils are blooming everywhere. What better time is there for exploring the woods and turning over stones to find insects? This week, snails in jars have had the children squealing as the sliding, one toe’d beasts have slithered up and down the glass. With snails being a delicacy in France, we’ve set up a French cafe with the children trying croissants (very popular), garlic cheese, French bread (not so popular!) and escargots...!! . Did we really? – ask the children! Do you need a reason to get fit? Here’s an incentive, do the ‘Double triathlon’ and raise money for charity whilst doing so. It's for both men and women and takes place at Sherborne Leisure Centre on the 25th June. Women have a 500m swim, a 9 mile cycle ride then a little run or jog of 3 miles. The men have to go a bit further of course!! You can enter as an individual and do it all, or make it a social event and enter as a team doing an event each. Entrance is £5 each and the money goes to the special care baby unit at Yeovil Hospital, and you can collect more through sponsorship. Or you could copy our staff and split it 50/50 with another charity. If you want to know more, or would like an application form, just give us a ring and get in training!! April 2006 "Once upon a time there was a princess, she lived in a castle and the little pigs built her a house made of bricks. You don't make it of straw that would be silly!" Our traditional tales topic has been a great hit with the children, the above quote comes from a child who sat on our "Billy Goat Bridge" (steps and a slide) and wouldn't move no matter what the troll said. We trip trapped over many bridges in Sydling, didn't manage to wake any trolls - but we did wake a dog, there was great excitement amongst the children! All we could see was a nose and whiskers through a hole in the fence. Needless to say many went home with stories of "whiskery" trolls living near the bridge. We've had two birthdays this month, which means cake making - an activity enjoyed by all. The selection of topping always causes great discussion between them all - "Barbie Pink icing or chocolate buttons". Tough decision. Our topic of healthy eating '5 a day' is still proving popular, with more children bringing fruit and vegetables in their lunchbox. We've made winter hotpot (vegetarian) which ties in with out "Enormous Turnip" story and contained as many seasonal root vegetables as possible. The next day we represented this through "collage and 3-dimentional models" which reminds me- Advance notice - please look out in early summer for the display of children's work at the Doctors Surgery in Cerne Abbas. Next terms topic is "minibeasts, spiders, slugs and snails". Be afraid, be very afraid! Many bigger minibeasts are going to hunt you down! Quiz Nights Thanks to everyone who came to one of our quiz nights to help with out fund raising. The quiz night in March raised £125. What's On Please look out for the adverts in the Chalk Stream for further details of The PArty Not To Miss on 5th May. Term Dates Spring term finishes on Friday 31 st March . Summer term starts Tuesday 18 th April, ends Friday 21st July. Half term last day Friday 26 th May, return Monday 5th June. Pre-school activities (Feb 2006) Time has flown by this half term and we’ve all had a great time roaring around like dinosaurs. We were grateful to the community dental health team who came to visit us with Alex and Hilary the crocodiles. The children had a fantastic brushing session with them and took in the message about having healthy teeth. Still on the health theme, the children have been learning about the importance of eating enough fruit and vegetables. They have enjoyed our '5 a day' display and have been singing 'we must eat fruit and vegetables every single day' every time before they eat theirs. We all made a huge fruit salad, from which seconds and even thirds were dished out. This half term we're continuing the healthy eating theme and we’re going to be making edible collages from healthy food. We've no idea what they'll look like, but because the children have made them themselves, they’ll taste delicious! Our main topic for this half tem is traditional tales: The Three Little Pigs, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Jack and the Beanstalk and The Enormous Turnip. This will give us another wonderful opportunity to explore the environment around us, so watch out, we might be trying to ‘blow your house down’ and no doubt there will be lots of bridges you can hear us trip trapping over! Planning ahead to the summer term, we are going to be covering mini beasts and transport, so if you have or see any resources that would be useful to us (freebies) e.g. postcards, leaflets, bus timetables, posters and pictures, they would be most gratefully received! You can drop them off any morning at the Village Hall. We will be holding the third in our series of quiz nights on Saturday 4th March in the Village Hall at 8.00 pm. Entry is £2.50 per person which includes tea/coffee and biscuits at half time. Please bring your own wine! You can come as a complete team of four, or make up a team with others when you get there. We will also be holding a party on Friday 5th May at the Village Hall with the band "The Crack" and a hog roast. Tickets will be limited and full details will follow in the next Chalk Stream, but put the date in your diaries now! Easter Egg Hunt Parent Rota Feb-Mar
If you cannot do the day given please ask other parents to change with you. Please DO NOT trouble Sam or the other staff about it, thank you.
This Terms (Spring 2006) Activities It is "New Year, New Look" for Sydling Springs pre-school with the new equipment we bought using a grant given to us by the Local Network Fund for Children and Young People. We have bought four trolleys on rollers, eight colourful tables, a dolls' house and bikes. So come in and take a peak! This term's topic is Dinosaurs so we'll be looking at Triceratops, Plesiosaur, Tyrannosaurus, Diplodocus, Stegasaurus and many more which the children pronounce so much better than us adults. On Thursday 4th February, the Community Dental Service will be paying us a visit. Tey will be dealing with concerns that parents may have about their children's teeth as well as giving the children an 'interactive display'. A focus for this term (to Easter) will be healthy eating, in particular 'five a day'. That doesn't mean that we will be sending the children home with the message that crisps and chocolate are bad, but we will be teaching them a lesson of 'everything in moderation as part of a balanced diet'. They will certainly be encouraged to think about how many portions of fruit and veg' they have eaten a day. Tesco Vouchers Many thanks to those who had Tesco vouchers to spare last year. We collected 680 vouchers and have ordered a Velcro target ball game and some "rubber feet"! Party We will be holding a party on Friday 5th May with the band the "The Crack" and a hog roast. Tickets will be limited and full details will follow in the next chalkstream and on the website. November Newsletter Our November 2005 Newsletter is now online here. |
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