1. Important Dates Autumn Term 2015 Beginning of new term Wednesday 2 nd September Harvest Celebrations21 st – 22 nd October Half term 26 th – 30 th October PhotographerTo be Confirmed 2-6/11 Christmas PerformanceMonday 7 th December* Thur 11.00am, Mon 5pmThursday 10 th December* Christmas PartyFriday 18 th December Last day of term Friday 18 th December Inset dayMonday 4 th January Spring Term startsTuesday 5 th January Committee : If you are interested about joining our committee please speak to either Paula Metcalfe or any of the team. c/o Offley Endowed School School Lane Gt Offley Herts SG5 3AT Tel: 01462 768606 offleypreschool@hotmail.co.uk www.offley-preschool.org Page 1 of 2 September 2015 This is the first newsletter of the new term. The first few weeks will offer many challenges, settling new children and welcoming back many more. The dynamics will have changed as our younger children become our older ones. We value your thoughts and suggestions so please let us know if you feel we could improve anything. Please use our website and sign up for our closed group facebook page. We send weekly reminders via facebook and email,keeping the website updated with photos of our many activities as well as key dates throughout the year. If you have any suggestions as to improve what we display please speak to a member of staff. I am always available if you would like to discuss any issues or concerns regarding your child and am usually at Preschool by 8.20am. Regards Paula Metcalfe. Website Harvest Celebrations As Harvest indicates a turn in Weather, darker nights, colder days. We will be working with the children to produce a Harvest card to be placed alongside something else (as yet we are unsure what). Please think of the elderly near to you, would they like to receive such a gift? We thought it would be nice to deliver them at the end of term, delivered by the children themselves. So first please think if you know of anyone who might like one. Thank you for your continued support, let us make some of our neighbours smile. We plan to take the children out into the community at least once a month. All children will be involved. We will need permission slips and appropriate clothing for your child. (We will go in the cold, light rain and snow, just not in torrential rain). Facebook and email will keep you informed. Children will walk on our walking ladders, please feel free to join us. Village walks Autumn 1-2015 New Session format Over the holidays the staff have been working on restructuring our session, part of this involves self registration. From September the children will find their named spoon and move it from one area and place it in another. They will do this throughout the day, for snack, lunch and home. We hope this will catch on quickly, help develop gross and fine motor skills. From day one the children will still have free flow, both in and out but the session will have a different feel, they will start with a morning song, shake the sleepy blues away. We will sit for registration, moving off for small group (show and tell, letters and sounds and specific tasks) before being introduced to the activities available. The children will then move off to play.

2. Page 2 of 2 September 2015 Offley Pre-school Staff: Paula Metcalfe, Sara Page, Elaine Wood, Claire Pin and Hayley Nevill. IMPORTANT INFORMATION Please notify us as soon as possible to any information changes. To become more environmentally friendly we would like to send as much information out as possible via email. PLEASE MAKE SURE WE HAVE A CORRECT EMAIL ADDRESS. Website www.offley-preschool.orgwww.offley-preschool.org Please take a look when you get a chance. The website is updated frequently. We welcome any comments or suggestions. Just a reminder that in line with our Safeguarding policy, mobile phones are not to be used on the premises. Your child will not be handed over to you until you have hung up your conversation, Please refrain from having your phone out on site. Thank you. Mobile Phones Policy on Sickness reminder: Children must remain off of school until they have been 24HOURS clear of all symptoms. (Other settings including main school insist on 48 hours). Coughs and colds are fine if your child feels well enough for school. Opening Hours for 2015/2016 Our opening hours are Mon, Fri 8.50-1pm and Tue, Wed, Thur 8.50-3pm. We offer one off additional sessions when required – PAYMENT MUST BE MADE ON THE DAY. Collection of children If for any reason you cannot collect your child, we need to know who is coming in your place, for everyone's protection we will ask for a password. Understanding that many children go to play at friends houses, you may feel it unnecessary that we ask when your child goes home with another Childs parent. Again this is just good practice, making all staff aware. As emergencies happen, last minute changes, we are asking that every child at pre-school has a password, this will resolve safeguarding issues. Key Person Allocation – Staff sessions Due to numbers and staff session allocations it has meant that some children have had to change Key Person. Those affected will be informed as we return. Every member of staff monitors ALL children and makes notes of achievements. The staff member (Key person) is responsible for setting targets, building a special bond and producing the information in the Learning journeys. As manager I then collate this information and plot the individual children inline with Hertfordshire Guidelines. For your information staff sessions are : Paula Metcalfe – Every session although not always in ratio Sara Page – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday mornings Elaine Wood – Monday, Friday mornings and Tuesday, Wednesday afternoons Claire Pin – Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday mornings and Thursday afternoons Hayley Nevill – Wednesday and Thursday Mornings Fundraising Being a charity, we rely on fundraising to enhance what we can offer children. Also aware that money cannot stretch to everything we try to look for alternative methods of fundraising and include events that can involve the wider community. We have an evening planned on the 12 th September, a live band and hog roast at Lilley village hall, tickets £15. We would also like to arrange an evening of adult Bingo (money prizes) and for this to become a regular event. We will need some assistance and support, so please join us.

3. Term Dates for 2015/2016 These dates have been set using the Hertfordshire school suggested dates Wednesday 2 nd September to Friday 18 th December 2015 Spring Term 2016 Half Term Monday 26 th October to Friday 30 th October 2015 Autumn Term 2015 Summer Term 2016 Wednesday 2 nd September 2015First day of term Monday 4 th January 2016 to Friday 1 st April 2016 Half Term Monday 15 th February to Friday 19 th February 2016 Tuesday 5 th January 2016First day of term Inset DayMonday 4 th January 2016 Monday 18 th April 2016 to Friday 22 nd July 2015 Half Term Monday 30 th May to Friday 3 rd June 2016 Friday 27 th November 2015 First day of termTuesday 19 th April 2016 Inset DayMonday 18 th April 2016 Inset Day Training Day Monday 25 th July 2016 Friday 1 st July 2016 Reserved for Training seminar (Date not released yet)

4. Autumn 2015 Name....................................................... These are the toys and games I enjoy playing with: I have visited many places recently these include: Something I can do now that I couldn’t do before: Please fill in the form below to be returned and placed in your Childs learning journey: