22 Street Lane Nursery - May 2021 Newsletter

Newsletter May

Play • Discovery • Growth

May Newsletter

Dear Parents and Carers, As always, a very big welcome to all our new families who have joined our 22 Street Lane family this month. We are all looking forward to getting to know you better as we learn more about you and your children. The children have had a very busy month here at 22 Street Lane. As Spring is in the air and we’ve been able to enjoy some lovely weather, most of the children have had the opportunity to visit Roundhay Park and see the wonderful fairy houses along the way. There has been plenty of opportunity for outdoor play and even a braai (barbeque) to sample some traditional Zimbabwean-style food too. There was also a special delivery from the Happy Chick Company and the children were able to watch the eggs hatch and see the little chicks grow and develop, which was very exciting for them. Another lovely treat was a special visit from ‘Baabra the little lamb’ who was even able to be fed by some of the children too! We are looking forward to another exciting and fun-filled month with lots of lovely activities planned for the children. To find out more, please read on…

May Newsletter STAFF NEWS

Welcome Back Bec! We are very happy to say that Bec Boxall will be returning to 22 Street Lane from the beginning of May. It will be lovely to have Bec back and we know she can’t wait to see you all again and meet our new families too. Bec will be doing a phased return to work 2 days a week for May and June and then will be back to working Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

New Cygnets Practitioner: Stacey Turner We are pleased to be welcoming Stacey Turner to the Cygnets Room on May 10th! "I am a Qualified Practitioner with a Level 3 qualification in ‘Children’s Care, Learning and Development’. I have great passion for working with children and their families. After completing my childcare qualifications in 2011, I moved on to a different sort of childcare role within hospitality, whilst here I completed my Diploma in Special Education Needs Support.

When my time here came to an end, I decided I would like something more challenging and rewarding, so chose to complete my Level 3 Residential Childcare qualification whilst working with children and young adults with Autism and other learning needs. I then chose to go back into Nursery work as of 2020.” “I moved to Leeds in 2021 and am excited to be working at 22 Street Lane to help the children here grow and develop. In my spare time, I like to spend time with friends and family, I love to be outdoors, travelling and swimming.“

New Chicklets Apprentice: Leah Tordoff We would like to also like to welcome Leah Tordoff to the team, who has joined the Chicklets Room as an apprentice practitioner. "I am a graduate criminology student who decided to start an apprenticeship at 22 Street Lane Nursery to develop new skills and gain experience whilst working with the children. My enjoyment of helping out and going on adventures with my own niece and nephew influenced my new journey with a career in childcare, and I am excited to see where it goes as I develop into my new role."

May Newsletter STAFF NEWS Leila and Holly Departures We are sad to inform you that Leila has now left 22 Street Lane. Leila has decided that she needs to take some time out to work on her recovery after being off. We wish her well and she will be greatly missed by our parents, children and staff.

Holly will also be leaving us at the end of the month to follow a new career in dental nursing. This is something Holly has always wanted to do and when the opportunity came up she felt she needed to take it. We will miss Holly as she is always happy and has a smile on her face, but wish her the best of luck in her new career.

Shannon Muscroft: Level 3 Early Years Qualification We are very happy to let you know that Shannon has now completed her apprenticeship and is fully qualified as an Early Years Practitioner. We are very proud of her and how far she has come since first joining 22 Street Lane. Congratulations Shannon, you are very deserving of the distinction you achieved!

Employee Recognition Award, April 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 March’s award goes to… Rose Seymour, Cygnets Room

May Newsletter NEWS

Country of the Month - Pakistan (12 th - 16 th May) Our Country of the Month ties in beautifully with our Eid Celebrations. Eid al-Fitr, also called the "Festival of Breaking the Fast", is a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide and marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan. The children will have the opportunity to learn about the country of Pakistan, as well as their customs and traditions. Did you know? The name Pakistan, Pak (pure) and stan (land) means ‘land of the pure’ in the Persian and Urdu languages.

Easter Fun and Festive Bonnets The children have enjoyed celebrating Easter and taking part in the Easter Bonnet Parade. There were some lovely entries this year from all the rooms, which made it hard to pick winners. We would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who took part in the competition this year. The children have enjoyed decorating their own bonnets and exploring the garden in search of hidden eggs.

Staff Easter Egg Competition We would like to announce the winner of our Staff Egg competition. With a huge 19 votes, the winner is Shoshanna Hall with her eggs-traordinary Boris Johnson egg. We would like to thank everyone for casting their votes to decide the winner.

May Newsletter NEWS

April Country of the Month (Zimbabwe) Celebrations During April, we celebrated Zimbabwe as our ‘Country of the Month’. The children enjoyed learning about the different landmarks in Zimbabwe such as Victoria Falls and the different animals you can find in the country. The younger children enjoyed exploring different messy play activities in relation to the colours of the flag. All the children had the opportunity to taste the authentic Zimbabwe cuisine made by our Head Chef Chris. They did so well in creating a replica of the Great Zimbabwe Ruins and making their own beaded jewellery!

Vaisakhi Celebrations The children have celebrated the Hindu and Sikh festival of Vaisakhi this month, and have enjoyed learning about the customs and traditions that are carried out during the celebration. The Swans children enjoyed designing their own Vaisakhi jewels that are often found on headbands or can be worn as jewellery. The children were able to select their own decorations to create their own designs.

May Newsletter NEWS

Nursery Photo Day: Monday 7th June We are planning to hold a photo day in June to take individual photos of the children. More information will follow regarding time slots for the different age-groups/siblings groups, as well as for children who do not attend on the day. Summer Parent's Evening: Tuesday 8th & 15th June Like our last two Parent’s Evenings, this will be held via a telephone call. Please remember to book a 10 minute time slot with your child’s key person for the following dates. Tuesday 8th June - Goslings, Swans and Chicklets Tuesday 15th June - Ducklings and Cygnets

Staff Training Day: Wednesday 23rd June (New Date) Please note that there has been a change to the original date on our annual calendar. This training day will now be held on Wednesday 23rd June and not Thursday 24th June as we had previously stated. This is due to circumstances beyond our control and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. Please remember that the nursery will be closed on this day, but we look forward to opening the following day and welcoming everyone back.

Swans Graduation Ceremony: Friday 9th July We’ve already started planning for this big day as it’s always such an exciting day in our annual calendar. So make sure to pop this very important date in your diary, as it’s not one to miss. Our Swans Graduation is always a special event and we hope to make this year's ceremony bigger and better than ever before, with tons of fun activities, big performances and yummy food. We’ll be looking back at the time our Swans spent at 22 Street Lane and wishing them lots of luck in Big School!

May Newsletter NEWS

Sun Cream and Hats With the warmer months ahead, please can you ensure you pack appropriate clothing for you child, such as hats, as well as sun cream for those extra hot days. We would recommend that you provide a sun cream which is ‘Factor 50’ and at least a 4-Star UVA Rating. The sun cream can also be kept at the nursery during the Spring/Summer months.

Our Summer 2021 Menu With the warmer months ahead, we are delighted to introduce our new summer menu for the children. We have taken all the suggestions that were made onboard and have implemented these to create a nutritious and diverse menu! We believe that a healthy nutritious diet is vitally important for growing minds and bodies that’s why our kitchen staff take great pride in preparing nutritious food every day.

Here’s a link to the new 2021 Summer Menu: https://user-oywfmsr.cld.bz/22SLN-Summer-Menu

May Newsletter The Curiosity Approach at 22 Street Lane

The core ethos of The Curiosity Approach is when motivated and mindful educators take time to create beautiful resources for CURIOUS children to explore and investigate. Educating our little ones is a privilege that we must never waste or ignore, so our role is to inspire curious little learners, and as adults, we need to go the extra mile to create the thinkers and doers of the future. We need to personally think outside the box, to use the box and any other loose parts or recycled materials to create incredible opportunities for exploration, discovery and imaginative play. That box could become a train, a space-ship or a boat sailing towards to a tropical island. There is no other reason needed, but for the JOY of following their own thoughts and thinking. To be creative and absorbed in the experience, to be ARTISTS , to collaborate with peers, to discuss, discover, explore and develop inquiry and investigation. Deep learning happening right before our eyes, and at Curiosity Approach settings all pre-determined outcomes are pushed aside, and the results speak for themselves. Because we have TRUST in the children, trust in the process and the proof is in the pudding, rather than what we staple on a display board or send home each day. Children choose to participate if they wish and advance with excitement and curiosity.

Teaching our children through heart and soul is what we must aspire to do. Look closely at their faces, how incredible to witness such pure joy. There’s truly no better reward! “If you don’t love what you do, you won’t do it with much conviction or passion.” ~ Mia Hamm

Continuing our sharing of the A-Z of the Curiosity Approach, we are showcasing C & D this month:

Curious Minds - Babies are born learners, with a natural curiosity to figure out how the world works. Curiosity is the desire to learn. It is an eagerness to explore, discover and figure things out. Early Childhood Educators have a responsibility to support and reinforce this innate curiosity to give children the confidence to develop their own theories about our incredible world. Display - We are advocates for calm, neutral backgrounds for any displays to let the learning shine through, making it visible! The use of natural, earthly tones will also give off a sense of calmness as colour play an important role in the overall aesthetic of a space, it can also impact an individual’s mood, emotional wellbeing, learning and behaviour.

May Newsletter

Dish of the Month

Pad Thai

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

Ingredients

• 250g flat rice noodle • 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

• A good handful of coriander and stalks • 1 red chilli, seeds removed, chopped • 2 lime, zest and juice • 2 tbsp pomace oil • 20 raw tiger prawns, de-shelled, heads and black vein removed • 6 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

• 100g of bean sprouts • 3 tbsp Thai fish sauce • 1 tbsp light soft brown sugar • 2 large free-range eggs, beaten • Lime wedges, to garnish

Method

1. Cook the noodles according to the packet’s instructions, then drain them and set aside. 2. In a pestle and mortar (or blender), make a paste from the garlic, coriander stalks, red chilli and lime zest. 3. Heat the oil in a wok or a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. When the oil is just at smoking point, add the paste and fry for about 1 minute. 4. Add the prawns, half of the spring onions and half of the beansprouts, then stir-fry for 3 minutes. 5. Add the drained noodles and mix thoroughly. Stir in the lime juice, fish sauce and brown sugar, then cook for a further 2 minutes. 6. Pour in the beaten eggs and mix everything together with the noodles until just cooked. 7. Tumble the noodles out onto warmed serving plates and serve garnished with the coriander leaves, lime wedges, as well as the remaining spring onions and bean sprouts.

May Newsletter May Bank Holidays: Monday 3rd & Monday 31st May We would like to remind all our parents and carers that 22 Street Lane Nursery will be closed twice in May during the National Bank Holidays. Please make a note of the following dates in your diary: Monday 3rd May - May Bank Holiday Monday 31st May - Spring Bank Holiday We hope everyone enjoys both of the long weekends next month and we look forward to welcoming the children back on the following day!

May Newsletter Eid Celebrations: Thursday 13th May

Eid al-Fitr, also called the ‘Festival of Breaking the Fast’, is a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of the Fast. As the end of Ramadan will be celebrated on the 12th and 13th of May, we will be sharing the celebrations of Eid with our families by learning about the special food that is eaten, decorations used and the traditions that are followed. If any of our families would like to share their recipes, celebrations and decorations with us, we would love to hear from you!

May Newsletter Chicklets Room News

At the start of the month, we celebrated Easter. The Chicklets enjoyed exploring the different messy play activities that we set up for Easter. They enjoyed searching for the Easter Eggs in the shredded paper tray and putting them into their basket. The children took part in the Easter bonnet competition, and it was lovely to see all the entries! The children have especially enjoyed exploring the outdoor environment this month. The babies have been busy playing with the water wall and watching how the water runs down the different sections. The children have enjoyed splashing in the water and using different containers to pour the water down the slopes. The babies have also loved exploring the heuristic basket outdoors in the tipi and trying on the different sunglasses in hope for some sunshine! We have had lots of different messy play activities on offer this month for the children to explore. One of their favourites was the water play with fresh flower petals. The Chicklets enjoyed feeling the different textures of the flower petals and using the containers to scoop up the petals and water. The children have also been exploring the coloured playdough with heuristic objects. We demonstrated to the children how to make different marks whilst using the natural objects such as pinecones and mark making tools. The Chicklets also had a special visit to the Swans Room at the end of the month to see the baby chicks. The children were mesmerized by the chicks and enjoyed watching them in the pen. They even had the opportunity to stroke the baby chicks too!

CHICKLETS ROOM

May Newsletter

Ducklings Room News

The Ducklings have been very busy during April and have been celebrating lots of exciting events. At the beginning of the month, the Ducklings enjoyed celebrating Easter and were very busy making Easter pictures where they used their fine motor skills to stick and glue the picture together, with a variety of coloured tissue paper. The Ducklings also enjoyed exploring the Easter Egg tuff tray, where they had to hunt in the dried rice for the special Easter Egg. We also had a special visit in the room from the Easter Bunny too! We would like to say a big ‘well done’ to everyone who joined in with the Easter Egg bonnet competition and to our three winners. During the month, the children have enjoyed taking part in different large scale messy play activities. One of the children’s favourite activities was large-scale painting, where the children were stripped down to their nappies so they could explore the texture of the paint on their body as well as the paper itself. The Ducklings were very creative and loved making different marks on the paper. As the weather has started to become nicer, the Ducklings have been going on frequent walks to Roundhay Park. The children enjoyed sitting in the hut in the park and eating their yummy snacks whilst looking at the beautiful trees and flowers. After eating their snack, the children then went towards the little lake and fed the swans and ducks. To end our lovely trip, we went to the Forest School with all the fairy hurts, what fun! We enjoyed exploring the fairy huts that have been built by the local community. We knocked on the doors and found fairies hiding inside the different rooms.

DUCKLINGS ROOM

May Newsletter Goslings Room News

The Goslings started April off unexpectedly in isolation, so we worked to bring the nursery experience to their homes. We held Zoom calls for the children where they joined in with our signing sessions and story times. Each day we set exciting challenges for the children, ranging from treasure hunts to designing song spoons, it was great for us to see what the children got involved in during this time. Since returning to Nursery, it has been a fun-filled Spring month as we learnt about the country of Zimbabwe, which the children have been very interested in learning about the different animals that live there. The children were also shown the lovely sunsets that happen in this country. They recreated their own sunsets by using pastel-coloured paints, as well as using some steady hand-eye co-ordination to glue and stick the wild animal silhouettes on their sunsets. The children have also enjoyed eating traditional Zimbabwe food cooked by our head chef, Chris. The Goslings seemed very inquisitive about some of the new foods they were tasting. To further their learning of the types of food/snacks eaten in Zimbabwe, the children participated in making jelly oranges, which were thoroughly enjoyed as a tasty snack! As the weather has been so glorious this month, the children spent more time in the outdoors. We have had lots of water play activities that have been accessible to keep the children cool and it is always a big hit with the Goslings. The children have ventured to the big garden where we could use our physical skills to play on the slide and the children have become very independent climbing the steps to get the top.

GOSLINGS ROOM

May Newsletter Cygnets Room News

The Cygnets have been very busy throughout April and have enjoyed learning about lots of exciting things. At the start of the month, we celebrated Easter and the children really enjoyed taking part in the Easter Bonnet Parade. It was really lovely to see so many lovely Easter bonnet entries, which made it hard to pick a winner! The Cygnets children really enjoyed taking part in an Easter Egg Hunt in the big garden. The children worked so well as a team and found so many eggs. The Cygnets were so excited after the Easter Egg Hunt as they had a special visit from the Easter Bunny too. Throughout the month, the Cygnets have been exploring all of the different animals that are born in Spring. We have had lots of wonderful activities linked around Spring and the children have had so much fun creating beautiful artwork, as well as talking all about life cycles. The Swans received a very special delivery of some chick eggs, which hatched earlier this month. The Cygnets have had lots of fun learning about how the chick hatches and how it grows into a chicken. The children were very gentle when handling the chicks and made sure to used their little voices around them. As we have also finally entered Spring this month, the Cygnets have been continuing to work alongside the Swans children to begin planting different seeds in the garden. The Cygnets have enjoyed planting their own sunflower seeds, cress and some summer bulbs in the allotments and look forward to watching them grow. We will also be planting some vegetables very soon too.

CYGNETS ROOM

May Newsletter

The Swans have been very busy throughout April, which began with lots of fun Easter-themed activities which the children really enjoyed taking part in, such as our annual Easter Bonnet Parade and competition. There were tons of lovely entries and we’d like to thank everyone who got involved to make some amazingly creative bonnets. The children also enjoyed designing their own bonnets on paper, using a range of media and materials including feathers, sequins, pom-poms and felt tip pens. The Swans also really enjoyed participating in an Easter Egg Hunt in the big garden, running around and working as a team to find as many eggs as they could. We also had a very special visit from the Easter Bunny, which the children loved. During the middle of April, the Swans were all so excited as we received our special delivery of eggs from The Happy Chick Company. It has been so lovely for the children to watch the eggs hatch and luckily they all hatched during the day so lots of the children were lucky enough to watch it happening! When the eggs first arrived, the children all helped to check the temperature of the thermometer and then some of the children remembered to check it throughout the day too. Then, once hatched, all of the Swans have been taking it in turns to help care for the chicks, cleaning out the brooder box and filling up the food and water bowls. As always, the children have also continued taking part in lots of other fun and exciting activities, with a particular emphasis this month on phonics and maths. The children have been practising writing CVC words, beginning to blend simple words when reading books, doing some Lego painting, tracing shapes, and identifying their properties, focusing on patterns using many natural resources and lots more! Swans Room News

SWANS ROOM

May 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. 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.

May Newsletter Upcoming Events

Monday 3 rd May May Day Bank Holiday - Nursery CLOSED Thursday 13 th May Eid Celebrations Monday 31 st May Spring Bank Holiday - Nursery CLOSED Tuesday 8 th June Chicklets, Goslings and Swans Parents Evening Tuesday 16 th June Ducklings and Cygnets Parents Evening Wednesday 23 rd June Team Training Day - Nursery CLOSED

CONTACT US 0333 043 22 22

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