22 Street Lane Nursery - March 2021 Newsletter

Newsletter March

Play • Discovery • Growth

March Newsletter

Dear Parents and Carers, Welcome to our March newsletter, and as always, a big welcome to our new families who have joined us recently. The children have had a very busy month with lot to celebrate and fun-filled days themed around Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, Pancake Day and exploring China! We are very excited for March, hopefully we can put the cold and snow behind us and look forward to warmer weather with Spring fast approaching. It’s so exciting to see the lovely spring flowers peeking through to add a bit of colour to everything. With the approach of Spring, we also have so many festivities lined up this month including World Book Day, St. David’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, the Holi Festival, Mothering Sunday and Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day! We will also be exploring Ireland – a.k.a. The Emerald Isle - as our Country of the Month, with a special focus on celebrating St Patrick’s Day, listening to traditional Irish music and even trying a bit of Irish dancing too. Watch out Riverdance! To find out more, please read on…

March Newsletter STAFF NEWS

New Bank Staff We would like to welcome a few new staff members to 22 Street Lane Nursery, who will support the team as Bank Staff. You may have already seen some of their friendly faces in the rooms already and we look forward to working with them all.

Maisie Mellor I love working with children of all ages, helping them grow through all stages of their development is something I am very passionate about. I am currently studying towards a degree in Psychology and Child Development and working at 22SLN alongside this is a brilliant opportunity to have. Lotty Loveridge After studying BA (Hons) Dance & Drama, I began teaching classes and workshops for children of various ages, which really highlighted my love of helping children grow and develop socially as well as emotionally. I'm excited to continue nurturing children on their individual journeys at 22 Street Lane Nursery.

Erin Billbrough I am currently studying for my Level 3 Childcare qualification at college and am excited for the opportunity to across the different age groups at 22 Street Lane.

Chelsea Binns I am due to start my Primary Education PGCE with QTS in September at the University of Huddersfield. I’m currently in my last year at Leeds Arts University studying BA Hons Fine Art. In preparation for my Teacher Training year, I look forward to joining the 22 Street Lane Nursery team!

March Newsletter NEWS

Upcoming Events There are so many exciting celebrations and events this month, and the staff are already exciting with the special things lined up for the children.

St. David’s Day - 1st March On this day we will be looking at the celebrations in Wales, with a focus on the lovely different traditional meals, music and emblems.

Comic Relief: Red Nose Day - 19th March We need more smiles in our lives, so get your red noses on and let’s all have some fun! We would like to make our own ‘happy bunting’ so please bring in a photo of your child, with a red nose or deely boppers on, and of course their biggest smiles. Please could we have these in by Monday 15th March at the latest. We have another activity up our sleeves, but we will let you have more details about this later on. Keep an eye out on Tapestry for updates!

Employee Recognition Award, February 2021

Please visit our website to place for vote for next month: https://www.22streetlanenursery.co.uk/employee-recognition-award-vote/ Thank you to all the parents who took the time to vote for the staff member they feel deserves the ‘Employee Recognition Award’. We believe our staff should be recognised for delivering outstanding care and education each and their continued hard work. We are delighted to announce that February’s award goes to… Charlotte Baker, Cygnets Room

March Newsletter NEWS

Team Training Day Reminder We would like to remind parents that our next team training day will be on Thursday 24th June. As a result, the nursery will be closed for that day and reopen on Friday 25th June. Mother’s Day Tea Party Update March is the time to celebrate Mothers, with Mother’s Day falling on March 19th this year. Unfortunately, we are unable to hold our usual tea party due to the current COVID-19 guideline, but hopefully once normality returns to our lives, we will be able to offer these lovely activities once again.

Forest School & Yoga Sessions Our Swans children have been taking part in Forest School Sessions. We are very lucky to have the fabulous Roundhay Park nearby which supports this interest! The children love investigating nature and experiencing the different opportunities the forest offers. The children have recently taken part in mindfulness yoga sessions too. They enjoyed the opportunity to stretch and see what different positions they could manage by copying the practitioners. These sessions also encouraged some quiet time too.

March Newsletter NEWS

Country of the Month - Ireland Throughout March we will be celebrating Ireland as our Country of the Month. Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle because it is so green and rains for a good chunk of the year. The children will be learning about the Harp, which is the national symbol of Ireland and traditional Celtic music which features fiddles, tin whistles and harps, and who can resist giving Irish Dancing a go! I am sure many of you have seen Riverdance. Did you know? St. Patrick was not actually Irish, he was in fact English. Legend has it that he chased all the snakes from Ireland, but scientists say the country has never had any records of wild snakes inhabiting the country.

Valentine’s Day Celebrations We had a day full of love at nursery preparing for Valentine’s Day. The children made their own cards and gifts, enjoyed exploring pink and red rose petals, as well as making their own perfume potions. The babies really enjoyed sticking together bits of pink feathers and tissue paper to decorate their heart shapes. There were heart shapes everywhere and the younger children enjoyed using these to make heart shape cookies out of playdough. Some of the children even made their own real heart-shaped biscuits to take home and enjoy as a treat. ❤

March Newsletter NEWS

Country of the Month Chinese New Year and China Celebrations What a lovely time everyone had exploring China and celebrating Chinese New Year! The children enjoyed making decorative fans, lanterns and dragons, some of which we displayed in the hallway. Chris made some lovely duck pancakes and some of the children made their own spring rolls to take home. There was also a ‘no fork’ day in Cygnets and it was amazing how all the children managed to use their chopsticks.

Pancake Day Activities The children had lots of fun experimenting with their own playdough pancakes. They rolled them out, patted them flat and selected their own toppings. Some of the older children even had a go at flipping them over, which is great practice for their hand/eye co-ordination. Some of the children made their own proper pancake mixture using flour, eggs and milk and enjoyed mixing it all together in the tuff tray.

March Newsletter

Walk For Autism Fundraiser One of our little Swans has been diagnosed with Autism and his mum Marie is doing a sponsored walk to raise money for the Autism Initiatives Group. Please see attached message from Marie. In October 2020 (after years of tests and assessments) Rian was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC). This confirms what I have suspected for some time and now means Rian can get the help and support he deserves. His diagnosis is by no means a definition of him - Rían is still the same funny, gorgeous, intelligent and loving blue eyed boy he has always been. Rian just sees the world differently. He has differences and difficulties with social interaction, social communication, play and behaviour. He is fascinated by numbers and books. While it was hard to hear the words “ He fits the criteria for an Autism diagnosis”, I always knew he was extra special. A diagnosis means he can get the help and support he is entitled to and is a step in the right direction. Being able to tell people he has a diagnosis of Autism, helps people to understand Rían and the world he lives in. I wouldn’t change him for the world but I would change the world for him. We have been through so much together and we still have hurdles to climb but I love him more and more each day and can not wait to watch him grow. He makes my heart burst with pride. Raising Awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder has always been important to me, but now more than ever so I decided to take on the challenge to ‘ Walk for Autism.’ This is a sponsored walk over 8 days (10,000 steps a day.) Any sponsors will be gratefully received and will go towards helping children and adults like Rian. All money raised will go to Autism Initiatives Group - providing support for children and adults with Autism. I’m doing this challenge for 3 reasons: For my Son, to raise awareness of Autism and to keep fit. To sponsor me and help me raise my target please click the link below. You can either donate one of the suggested amounts or add your own amount. www.walkforautism.co.uk/fundraisers/mariegilligan/walk-for-autism Thank you so much. Marie and Rian

March Newsletter

Dish of the Month

Shredded Crispy Duck and Pancakes

See our past selections on: 22streetlanenursery.co.uk/dish-of-the-month/

Ingredients

• 4 duck legs • 12 Chinese pancakes • 60g of Hoisin sauce • 4 spring onions, shredded • 1 cucumber, thinly sliced

For the marinade

• ½ cup spring onion (75 g), chopped • ½ cup ginger (25 g), finely diced • 2 tablespoons of salt • 2 tablespoons of Chinese five spice • 2 tablespoons of soft brown sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 ° C (320 ° F). 2. Lightly score into the skin of the duck legs. 3. In boiling hot water, add vinegar and sugar, then stir. Submerge the duck legs in the glaze mix for 20 seconds. 4. Pat the duck legs dry with kitchen roll. Mix them well all the marinade ingredients and give the duck legs a good rub in the marinade. 5. On a cooling rack set over a baking tray, place a bed of the marinade then put the duck legs on top. Make sure they are skin side up. 6. Roast the duck legs for 30 minutes on 160 ° C. Then turn up the oven to 200 ° C and roast the duck for another 20 minutes. 7. Rest the duck legs for 10 minutes, then shred them with two forks. 8. Serve with Chinese pancakes, hoisin sauce, shredded spring onions, and sliced cucumber.

March Newsletter World Book Day: Thursday 4th March

High quality interactions between adults (parents, carers or teachers) and young children represent valuable opportunities to both support language development. We will be celebrating World Book Day and books on Thursday 4th March. Children will also receive a £1 tokens to swap for a World Book Day book! Each room will be arranging their own dress up and stories, so look out from posts on Tapestry about them shortly.

March Newsletter St. Patrick’s Day: Wednesday 17th March

On Wednesday 17th March, we will be celebrating the Irish cultural celebration ‘St Patrick’s Day’, to help us celebrate, please wear lots of lucky green!

March Newsletter Holi Colour Festival: Monday 29th March

Holi is a vibrant Hindu festival that celebrates Spring, love, and new life. Holi is known as the festival of colour and is celebrated with singing, dancing and throwing powder paint. We are inviting the children to wear their brightest clothes (that you won’t mind getting messy) so we can share in the celebrations too!

March Newsletter Easter Egg Hunt: Thursday 1st April

We will be holding our annual 22 Street Lane Easter Egg Hunt at the start of April. The children will have the chance to explore the nursery garden and search for all the eggs hidden around. We have also planned a fun-filled range of other Easter activities during the week and will be holding our regular Easter Bonnet Competition on Tuesday 6th April!

March Newsletter Chicklets Room News

The Chicklets have shown a real interest in animals this month, so we have explored this by setting up our farm provocation station for the children to engage with. They enjoyed feeling the sensory pouches with different materials in from the farm, such as hay and wool. The babies also enjoyed picking out the animals from the metal tub and learning about the different sounds they make. The Chicklets have also been going on walks to Roundhay Park in the buggies this month. They have stopped off at the lake to have a snack and say “hello” to the Swans! They really enjoyed spotting the dogs in the park and seeing the water fountain at the small lake. We have been busy celebrating Valentine’s Day this month. The babies all got very creative and enjoyed making a special card for their mummies and daddies. They all took part in a painting, gluing and sticking activity to make their love heart creations. We hope you all enjoyed seeing your cards. The Chicklets have also enjoyed celebrating Chinese New Year this month. They had the chance to taste different Chinese foods specially made by our Chef Chris, which they all loved. They enjoyed taking part in different messy play activities such as rice play with chopsticks, red shaving foam and painting.

CHICKLETS ROOM

March Newsletter

Ducklings Room News

We started the month off with making yummy fruit skewers out of watermelon, pineapple and orange. The Ducklings used their fine motor skills to cut shapes out of the fruit and place them on to the skewers, with a little help, which we then enjoyed for our snack. They were so yummy! One of the Ducklings favourite stories to read at the moment is 'The Gruffalo' so we set up a Gruffalo area following on the children's interests. The Ducklings loved getting involved in the brown water and exploring the leaves and twigs, they also enjoyed building a cave for the Gruffalo using natural resources such as twigs, leaves, pinecones and stones. We then all enjoyed reading the Gruffalo story together. Some of the Ducklings enjoyed a nice walk to Roundhay Park when the weather improved later in the month. We enjoyed having our snack and reading a story in the hut when we got there. We sang ‘5 Little Ducks’ as we walked around and enjoyed looking for the detail in our environment. We spotted ducks, dogs, birds, water, trees and bikes. We all also enjoyed celebrating Pancake Day! We enjoyed having pancakes for our snack with crème fraiche and fresh fruit. We then set up an activity in the afternoon and the Ducklings got involved in sensory play with flour, eggshells, egg cartons and metal pots.

DUCKLINGS ROOM

March Newsletter Goslings Room News

The Goslings have had a very busy month celebrating and learning about many different festivals and celebrations. Throughout the month we have been exploring China and incorporated their celebration of ‘Chinese New Year’ into our fun activities. We engaged in Chinese dress-up, explored traditional Chinese food and got messy by playing with noodles using chopsticks. It was interesting to learn that Pandas are native to China and we loved watching videos of them, as well as painting our own using potato prints and setting up a mini-forest for the Pandas to live in. Other celebrations have consisted of Valentine’s Day and Pancake Day, which the Goslings thoroughly enjoyed being a part of. Water play is one of our favourite activities, so we added flowers and hearts to the red water to create perfumes. The Goslings also took home their lovely Valentine’s card creations and heart- shaped biscuits to share with the people they love. We had good fun practicing our pancake tossing skills using playdough and pans on Pancake Day too! Our topic of interests this month have been cooking at home and visiting the fairy houses at Roundhay Park. This led us to cook our own pizzas at Nursery where we were able to taste and smell the ingredients, as well as being able to make our own choices of what we wanted to add to our pizzas. We have also engaged in fairy hunts and setting up fairy gardens to create our own houses for the fairies.

GOSLINGS ROOM

March Newsletter Cygnets Room News

The Cygnets have had so much fun exploring dinosaurs. They explored all different types of dinosaurs and really enjoyed playing in our dinosaur swamp. The Cygnets also enjoyed making their own fossils and discussing what fossils actually are. All the children then had the chance to create their own dinosaurs using playdough, paint, and natural objects from around the room. The Cygnets have had so much fun celebrating China as the Country of the Month! It was exciting to learn all about Chinese traditions and the children have really enjoyed learning some Chinese traditional dancing. The children have been making lots of wonderful crafts such as lanterns, fans, and a huge Chinese dragon. The best part was dancing with the dragon on Chinese New Year. The Cygnets sat down to a home-cooked Chinese meal where fortune cookies and chopsticks were available for the children. Each one of the children used the chopsticks to eat their meal in their own way and did so well at finding different ways to pick the food up. It has been such a busy month and the children have had so much fun celebrating Pancake Day. The children were given the ingredients to explore in the tuff tray and made their own pancake mixtures. Playdough was available for the children to make their own Pancake designs with lots of natural resources to create their own toppings.

CYGNETS ROOM

March Newsletter

Swans Room News

The Swans have been very busy throughout February and have enjoyed learning about lots of exciting things. Our Country of the Month this month was China, as we celebrated Chinese New Year. This year was the Year of the Ox, and the children enjoyed learning all about the traditions followed, foods eaten and so on over the course of the week. The children were busy exploring a messy tuff tray which looked like the Chinese flag, making Chinese Lanterns, designing dragon pictures, exploring red Chinese New Year themed playdough, making Giant Panda pictures (as Panda’s originate from China) and lots more! To end the month the children have been taking part in Pirate Week! The Swans children enjoyed a very exciting and fun filled Pirate Day, coming to Nursery dressed up as pirates, embarking on a treasure hunt and writing letters in a bottle to Pirate Pete! The children have also been designing their very own treasure maps and pirate designs. As always, the children have also continued taking part in weekly woodwork sessions, as we continue our next project - making our own bird house. If you have any spare logs of wood at home that you would be able to donate, that would be fantastic! We have also been providing lots of baking activities for the children, making some cinnamon shortbreads, and a banana and ginger cake. We have been participating in lots of other phonics and maths activities, including threading, practising our 1:1 correspondence skills using a range of objects, large scale mark making outside and lots more!

SWANS ROOM

March Newsletter

*ATTENTION* Important Information - Please Read

Car Park As you are 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 when parking on Park Lane that you do not park over the driveways of the residents there. Many of them are Key Workers who need immediate access from their homes when called out. There have been a few vehicles obstructing their driveways recently. Drop Off and Collection Can we kindly remind you that we open at 7.30 am and close at 6.00 pm and any parents who pick up after this time will be charged. We would just like to also remind you that the side gate to the Goslings, Cygnets and Swans areas will be locked between 9.00 am and 4.00 pm and should you drop off or collect outside of these times, it will be necessary to contact reception to arrange for someone to unlock the gate. High Temperatures and Fevers Please can we kindly remind parents that children cannot attend nursery if they have a high temperature (37.6 ° C). If a child develops a temperature whilst at nursery, parents will be called to collect them, as supported by our policies and procedures. Due to the guidance from National Health England, children who have a high temperature and a cough will be asked to have a Covid-19 test with a negative result required before returning to the setting.

March Newsletter

*ATTENTION* Important Information - Please Read

HMRC Additional Funding Code (3- & 4-year-olds - 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. Absence Please 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 co- operation. 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.

March Newsletter Upcoming Events

Monday 1 st March St. David’s Day Thursday 4 th March World Book Day Wednesday 17 th March St. Patrick’s Day Friday 19 th March Comic Relief: Red Nose Day Monday 29 th March Holi Colour Festival Thursday 1 st April Easter Egg Hunt Friday 2 nd & Monday 5 th April Good Friday & Easter Monday - Nursery CLOSED

CONTACT US 0333 043 22 22

www.22streetlanenursery.co.uk info@22streetlanenursery.co.uk