OAKWOOD HOUSE PARENT CHRISTMAS NEWSLETTER 2024

As the festive period is now in full swing I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our lovely families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year along with the very best of wishes and good health for 2025.

December is always a truly magical time in nursery we feel blessed to bring sparkle and curiosity into our daily learning. The children have all joined in and taken part in decorating our entrance Christmas tree, I am sure you’ll agree it looks very festive. We have taken this opportunity to introduce lots of new and exciting language across all ages.

Thank you to all our families who have attended our festive activities, The Rex cinema showing of The Grinch was a very popular and thoroughly enjoyed by the children and their grownups. Thank you to The Grinch who made a special visit to bring the experience to life. Please don’t forget to share your photos with us.

Our Christmas party was also a huge success it was lovely to see so many families enjoying themselves, having a dance and spreading Christmas cheer. Thankyou’s go out to all our wonderful staff members who gave up their weekend to make this happen, to all our families who donated and cooked such wonderful food to create a delightful Christmas buffet and finally the biggest thank you to the main man himself, Santa who visited the children to hand out a special gift for all our children.

Winter Wonderland

The recent snow fall turned our forest into a Winter Wonderland which brought aww and wonder to the children as they experienced the snow first hand, many for the first time. This spontaneous opportunity for the children to have fun outdoors exploring the snow, its temperature, texture and how it melts when held.

They became very creative when building with the snow and created some fabulous snowmen using various objects they collected from the garden to decorate them. They learnt about the complexities of problem solving as they moulded the snow into different designs. This type of play in its organic form; experimenting, discovering, problem solving, negotiating, and creating all wrapped up with the emotion of joy is priceless.

National Smile Week

During national smile week we were very fortunate to have one of our parents participate in our children’s learning experiences as they visited with a dental role play resources.

The preschool children were given the opportunity to role play with special dental equipment to bring visiting the dentist to life. The children explored one another's teeth, spoke about oral hygiene and were even given a new toothbrush and toothpaste to taken home.

The visits from parents sharing in their knowledge of job roles, interests and celebrations have been a valuable enrichment to the children’s learning opportunities and allow us to continue to work together to strengthen our parent partnerships. We hope to see many more of you invited into the nursery during the upcoming months ahead.

Charity

The spirit of giving has been clear to see throughout the nursery enabling us to come together to help the charities through a variety of events, by giving a little to help others less fortunate and spreading Christmas cheer. The selection box collection for the wellbeing Centre was very much appreciated, we have overwhelmed by your generosity.

The lucky winners of the Granny Square blankets are Emily at Oakwood House, Willow at Holly Bank and Astrid at Portland House.

Thank you to everyone who bought raffle tickets we raised a huge £232.00 for our nominated charity Candle Lighters

Learning focus

Babies had festive fun when parents attended the Christmas Stay and Play session, we are sure this was the busiest Stay and Play this year. These sessions are a truly valuable experience which give parents the opportunity to explore the nursery environment as their child would do through the three prime areas of learning. Thank you for giving up your time to attend.

Toddlers celebrated National Nursery Rhyme week in true style, learning and acting out new rhymes, this has been an invaluable learning experience for the children which has been cemented at home as parents have continued to repeat the new rhymes shared.

‘Did you know nursery rhymes promote singing and socialising. They help our actions and motor skills too! The rhyming and pronunciation encourages children to explore language. Repeating songs is a great way to learn counting, sequences and early numeracy. It’s also great fun’

Staff Training Day

Following our Annual Autumn Training Day with the amazing Debi Keyte-Hartland, the preschool November Parents Stay and Play session was based around STEAM Approaches with everyday materials.

To cascade this information our parents and children explored lights, patterns and shadows using shiny card, iridescent objects with torches to make transcendent art. Everyone had an amazing time, thank you as always to our parents for making these events so successful.

Portland Nurseries Annual Staff Training Day | Portland Nurseries

Internal Audits

You may have noticed senior managers visiting our nursery recently. They have been conducting internal audits to ensure we maintain the highest standards of care and education. Our commitment to being an Outstanding nursery involves continuous reflection and improvement. Action points from these audits then form part of our Quality Improvement Plans, which help us identify areas for enhancement and celebrate our successes. By constantly evaluating and refining our practices, we aim to provide the best possible environment for your children to learn and grow.

Annual Award

We are thrilled to share that we recently held our annual awards party, a cherished tradition where we come together to celebrate the incredible dedication and hard work of our staff. Recognising and appreciating our team's efforts is essential, as their passion and commitment directly impact the nurturing and enriching environment we provide for your children. By celebrating our staff, we not only acknowledge their outstanding contributions but also inspire continuous growth and excellence within our nursery community. Their unwavering care helps to ensure that your little ones receive the best possible start in their educational journey. This year our Educator of the Year was awarded to Sarah.

Christmas Community Library

Our Christmas Community Library is now open and looking all festive with a lovely range of Christmas books for you all to borrow. Please could we ask that these are returned once read so that the next family can enjoy them.

Christmas dates and closures

The nursery will close on Tuesday 24th December at 6pm and will reopen on Thursday 2nd January at 7.30pm

Thank you to everyone who has already confirmed their child’s attendance/non-attendance over the festive season this has allowed us to authorise more annual leave to our practitioners allowing them to spend time with their own families. If you haven’t already let us know and you are planning to keep your child at home in the lead up to Christmas please could you let us know.

Stay and Plays

Monday 13th January - Preschool 4 til 5pm

Thursday 16th January - Babies 4 til 5pm

Thursday 30th January - Toddlers 4 til 5pm

Events

Monday 13^th January - Lohri - Punjabi festival to celebrate the passing of winter solstice

Monday 20^th January – Penguin awareness day

24^th – 26 January Big Garden Bird watch

Clothing

Parents, please bring in to nursery during the winter months ahead;

• Wellingtons- correct size
• Fleece to go under nursery outdoor coats
• Hats, scarves and gloves
• Bag with several changes of seasonal clothes

Please ensure you have labelled clearly with your child’s name.