22 Street Lane Nursery - December 2018 Newsletter

December Newsletter

Dear Parents and Carers, It’s the most wonderful time of the year here at 22 Street Nursery. The Christmas tree is up, we have written our letters to Santa; all we need to do is wait for the big man to arrive! We have a very festive month planned for the children including Christmas jumper day, Christmas dinner and our Christmas Party. 2018 has been an extremely special year for 22 Street Lane Nursery with so many special events including our ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted inspection. We would like to thank you all for your continued support and we wish you all a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

December Newsletter

Country of the Month: FINLAND

Throughout December, we will be celebrating Finland with a focus on Santa’s home, Lapland. We will discover the festive magic of Lapland with reindeers, elves, and of course the big man himself! In addition, we will explore the Northern Lights, pine trees, huskie dogs and different types of berries. We will also be learning about the season of Winter including winter animals, and changes in their environment through lots of ice-play activities.

Thank you to those who took the time to vote for November’s Employee of the Month. We have had lots of input and would like to thank the winners for their continued hard work and professionalism - we thank you for your vote! Staff News: Employee of the Month goes to…

Congratulations to this month’s winners:

Paul Moyo

Sophie Connolly

Chloe Powell

We really do value your opinion and need your continued help to recognise the amazing work that our staff undertake each day. If you would like to nominate a member of staff for Employee of the Month, please click on the link below and help pick next month’s winner: www.22streetlanenursery.co.uk/employee-of-the-month-vote/

STAFF NEWS December Newsletter

NEW TO THE CHICKLETS ROOM: Leila Ewan We would like give Leila a big warm welcome to our Chicklets Room, Leila has been with us for over a year and has currently been working in the Ducklings Room, training towards her Level 3 qualification. Leila has nearly completed this and will soon be made a permanent staff member in our Chicklets room. “I am a responsible, caring and conscientious young lady, who is passionate about supporting children through their Early Years’ journey. I have developed many skills, through my studies, and practically in the Ducklings room. I am excited about becoming part of the Chicklets team, and am looking forward to getting to know the children and their families.”

Bec Boxall Bec has returned from Maternity this week in the role of ‘Strategic Implementation Manager’. She will working on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8am - 5pm. Bec is an integral part of the management and will be supporting the wider team in ensuring we maintain Outstanding practice whilst developing new ideas to improve our offering further.

Holly Griffin Congratulations to Holly who is due to complete her Level 3 and qualify on the 15th of December - Holly has worked hard over the past year both working and studying. Well done Holly!

Annabelle Sergeant Sadly, Bella will be leaving 22 Street Lane on Friday 21st December to relocate to Chester. Bella has been a great asset to the Swans team and she will be really missed. We wish her the best of luck for the future and whatever she decides to do next.

NEWS: December Newsletter India and Diwali Celebrations The children had a wonderful time celebrating Diwali, and India as the Country of The Month. The children created rangoli patterns in rice, and designed their own in the mark-making area. They also made special diya lamps to celebrate the festival of lights which they decorated and took home. The children also sampled a variety of Indian-inspired dishes including pakoras, onion bhajis, mango lassis, biriyani curry and poppadoms !

Advent Calendar We were overwhelmed with how many of you donated an advent calendar for the North Leeds Foodbank - we made a number of children very happy! It was a lovely way to teach our children that not everyone is as fortunate as they are, and the importance of giving to others. Thank-you for your generosity.

Children in Need Thank-you for all generous donations, we raised a total of £155.26

Parents First Aid We are looking into holding a Parents First Aid class here at the nursery, potentially on Saturday 26th January or Saturday 6th February. The two-hour course (9.30am – 11.30am) will cover the following: • CPR baby and child • Burns, bleeding, choking • Meningitis awareness • Febrile convulsions • Head bangs • Broken bones The cost of the course is £20.00, and as there is limited availability (12 places), this will be offered on a first come, first served basis. If the course is successful we will look to provide additional dates.

If you are interested, please email Alex at alexandra@22streetlanenursery.co.uk

NEWS: December Newsletter Christmas Dinner: Tuesday 18 th December Our Head Chef Chris will be making the children a scrumptious Christmas dinner of roast turkey with all the trimmings on Tuesday 18th December - yum yum!

Christmas Jumper Day: Friday 14 th December Children are invited to wear their Christmas jumpers on Friday 14th December to support Save the Children - the more festive, the better! All donations would be much appreciated.

Christmas Party Day: Friday 21 st December We will be finishing the year off in style here at 22 Street Lane Nursery with our annual Christmas party, which will include lots of festive games and dancing. The children are welcome to wear their festive party clothes.

Nativity Play: Wednesday 19 th December The Swans’ class have been very busy practising for their nativity, and are looking forward to you to coming to watch on Wednesday 19 th December! If you haven’t already done so, please can you confirm your attendance to Alex at alexandra@22streetlanenursery.co.uk

December Newsletter

Disney Week What a week we’ve had for Disney week - we must say, this has probably been one of the children’s favourites! They had a fun-filled time dressing up as their favourite characters and exploring a variety of Disney films including

Frozen and The Jungle Book . We finished the week off with two very special visitors all the way from Disneyland - Minnie and Mickey Mouse ! Minnie and Mickey loved greeting the children as they arrived at nursery and had a party in the rooms. We wished that they could have stayed for longer but had to go back to Disneyland to see other boys and girls. We are hoping that they might come back and see us next year…

Letters to Santa Next week a magical postbox will be arriving at the nursery that leads directly to Santa’s workshop in Lapland. In the days to come the children will have the opportunity to write and decorate their letters to Santa which they can then post – he cannot wait to find out how nice the boys and girls have been this year!

December Newsletter

Chicklets We would like to give a big warm welcome to all the new chicklets that have joined us over that last few weeks. They are settling well and are having fun exploring their new surroundings; the messy play and the climbing frame are most definitely popular! The Chicklets have spent lots of time exploring the outdoors and enjoyed autumn walks to Roundhay Park. We have seen different animals on our walks including cats, dogs, ducks and swans - we are learning the sounds that they make! The Chicklets celebrated Diwali by painting a tea light holder, and explored the fire-coloured shredded paper for Bonfire Night. We will continue to explore different messy play with shaving foam and ice throughout the winter months.

CHICKLETS

December Newsletter

Ducklings The Ducklings have shown a strong interest in the We're Going on A Bear Hunt story, and have enjoyed listening and joining in with some of the actions and words. This month we set up a sensory bear hunt for the children to explore using a section of the book, turning it into real materials. We used sensory grass for the 'swishy-swishy grass’, compost for the 'squelch-squelch mud’, a water tray for the 'splash-splash river’, gloopy flour-play and foam for the 'swirling whirling snowstorm’, and shredded tissue paper for the 'stumble-trip-struggle-trip forest’. We also made a heuristic den for the 'deep dark cave’, and ended with finding the Ducklings’ teddy bear and running to our big pile of blankets to read the story together. Does your child have a favourite story at home? If so we would love to hear what it is so we can base our activities on the children’s interests. Please speak to your child’s key person.

DUCKLINGS

December Newsletter

Goslings It has been a very eventful November in the Goslings room. We kicked the month off with Bonfire Night: we painted rockets, made firework pictures and enjoyed a scrumptious tea of homemade pie and peas! We then moved on to celebrate our country of the month, India, and Diwali. We explored lots of colourful activities such as henna hand-painting, rice play and mixing colours with paint. We danced, listened to Bollywood music, and tasted different Indian dishes - our favourite was onion bhajis! Towards the end of the month we celebrated America, and Thanksgiving (and were very lucky to have a Thanksgiving lunch!) We also took the opportunity to look and learn about the American flag through various activities. Finally, our Goslings have furthered their interest in learning shapes. To support this we have introduced a Shape of The Week: this week’s shape is the circle! Home Learning: Can your child find something that is a circle shape? Please post your findings on Tapestry so that the children can share these with their friends.

GOSLINGS

December Newsletter

Cygnets The children have been enjoying the weekly yoga sessions with Teacher Debs which are held every Monday afternoon. First, we warm up with deep-breathing exercises using an expanding ball; we follow the ball’s movements and breathe in...and out, and then stretch high up to the sky, and low to the ground. We also learn animal yoga movements such as Butterfly, Mouse, and Dog. At the end of the session, we have relaxation time and listen to music to rest. We have transformed our role-play area into a ‘hairdressers/beauty parlour’, as this has been popular amongst our children. Role-play is an important part of child development as it builds confidence, creativity, communication, physical development, and problem solving. Along with being a fun activity, it allows children to get into character and act out both real-life roles and fictional performances. We are looking for any items that may enhance our role-play area further such as bobbles, mirrors, old jewellery, bags, hats, old make-up brushes, trinkets etc. If you have anything that you would like to donate, please speak to a member of the Cygnets’ team.

CYGNETS

December Newsletter

Swans The Swans have had a very busy month, and started with celebrating Diwali. We decorated the Home Corner by adding lots of Diwali patterns and colours, and allowed the children to act out different roles when exploring the area. We also created our own rangoli patterns using coloured rice, and made diya lamps using salt dough which we mixed and measured ourselves! The following week we had so much fun celebrating Mickey turning 90, and all the children participated in lots of Disney-related activities. We made Mickey and Minnie playdough, practised writing our names in the Frozen writing trays, and even transformed the Home Corner into a magical Frozen castle. At the end of the week we had an extra special visit from Mickey and Minnie - the children really enjoyed meeting them, and danced with them to some of their favourite Disney tunes. We are now very busy practising for our Christmas Nativity, and we can't wait to perform it for you on the 19th December! Home learning: We will be focusing on the letters d , g and o throughout December - can your child find something at home starting with the sound? Please post your pictures on Tapestry.

December Newsletter

Recipe of the Month

Ingredients: For the curry sauce • 2 tablespoons sunflower oil • 2 onions, sliced • 2 red chillies (seeds optional) • 5 garlic cloves, chopped • 2 medium carrots, sliced • 2 tablespoons plain flour • 4 teaspoons curry powder • 600ml chicken stock • 2 teaspoons honey • 4 teaspoons soy sauce • 1 bay leaf • 1 teaspoon garam masala For the breaded chicken • 4 chicken breast fillets, pounded to 1cm thickness • Salt and pepper to taste • 2 tablespoons plain flour • 1 egg, beaten • 100g fine breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs • 230ml of coconut oil for frying

Chicken Katsu Curry with Basmati Rice Method:

Curry Sauce 1. Heat oil in medium non-stick saucepan. Add onion and garlic, and cook until softened. Stir in carrots and cook over low heat for 10 to 12 minutes. 2. Add flour and curry powder; cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in stock until combined. Add honey, soy sauce and bay leaf. Slowly bring to the boil. 3. Turn down heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until sauce thickens, but is still of pouring consistency. Stir in garam masala. Pour the curry sauce through a sieve; return to saucepan and keep on low heat until ready to serve. Breaded Chicken 1. Season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place flour, egg and breadcrumbs in separate bowls and arrange in a row. Coat the chicken breasts in flour, then dip them into the egg. Coat in breadcrumbs, making sure you cover both sides. 2. Heat oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat. Place chicken into hot oil and cook until golden brown, about 3 or 4 minutes on each side. Once cooked, place on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil. 3. Pour curry sauce over chicken. 4. Serve with white rice and enjoy! Garnish with chopped chillies, fresh coriander and spring onion.

December Newsletter

*ATTENTION* Important Information - Please Read

Car Park As you aware, there are double yellow lines outside the nursery which have been put there for the safety of the children. Please can we ask that parents do not park on them, and also be mindful of parking over more than one space in the car park. As you can appreciate we have very limited parking, and so the car park can become very busy. High Temperatures & Fevers Please can we remind parents that children cannot attend nursery if they have a high temperature (over 38 ° C). If a child develops a temperature whilst at nursery, then parents will be called to collect them, as supported by our policies and procedures. We can administer non- prescribed Calpol for a temperature, although we must first receive permission in writing. HMRC Additional Funding Code (3 & 4 year old - 30 hours) If you are eligible and in receipt of additional 3 & 4-year-old funding, look out for a prompt every three months from HMRC to reconfirm your details so that your eligibility can be re-assessed. If you do not do this, please note that we are unable to claim the funding on your behalf. Winter Clothing With the cold months ahead, please can you ensure that your child has appropriate clothing labelled with their name to play outside. Children can play out and explore in all weathers, but a warm coat, waterproof trousers, hats, gloves and scarves would be most suitable for Winter. Could we please suggest that your child have 2-piece outdoor waterproofs if they are toilet trained, as it can be tricky for them to get them on and off. Thank you for your support. Christmas Closure This nursery will close at 12pm on Monday 24 th December (Christmas Eve) and will re-open on Wednesday 2 nd January. If your child will NOT be attending on Christmas Eve, please can you notify us so that we can plan staffing accordingly. Thank you.

December Newsletter ~ Housekeeping

Absence P lease note that we are unable to swap days or offer an alternative day if your child is absent from nursery. We are now extremely busy and it is impossible for us to do this for all children. This is stated in our terms and conditions. Thank-you for your cooperation. Parents Suggestions We continue to welcome all feedback from parents, if you would like to make a suggestion then please post this in our ‘Parents Suggestion Box’ which is based on reception. Alternatively, you can speak to a member of staff. Drop Off and Collection Can we kindly remind you that we open at 7.30 a.m. and cannot accept children into the nursery before this time. We close at 6.00 p.m. and any parents that pick up after this time will be charged. Thank-you for your cooperation. Labels in Clothing To avoid items being lost, please can you ensure that your child’s uniform is clearly labelled including their coats, hats, scarves and wellies. If your child brings gloves to nursery we strongly advise for these to be attached and threaded through their coat to avoid any gloves going missing . Contacting the Nursery Please can we kindly ask parents to try and only call the nursery rooms if necessary. It can be very difficult for the staff to keep coming to the phones when they are trying to look after the children and taking their lunch breaks. Please note if ever we have a concern we would always call so please be assured that they are having a good day unless we call you. Thank-you for your understanding. Wipes Please note that although we provide nappies as part of our offering, wipes are not included in this. It has been noted that lots of children are coming to nursery without nappy wipes. Can we kindly remind parents to ensure that there is always a supply available for your child. Your child’s key person will remind you when they are running low. Moving forwards, we will be charging £15.00 per month to any parents that fails to bring wipes.

December Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Friday 14 th December Christmas Jumper Day

Tuesday 18 th December Christmas Dinner

Wednesday 19 th December Swans Christmas Nativity Play

Friday 21 st December 22SLN Christmas Party

Monday 24 th December - 12pm Nursery Closes for Christmas

Wednesday 2 nd January Nursery RE-OPENS for the New Year!

CONTACT: 03330 43 22 22 info@22streetlanenursery.co.uk 22 Street Lane, Roundhay, Leeds, LS8 2ET

ONLINE: www.22streetlanenursery.co.uk