1. Newsletter September 2015 Contacts During sessions: - 01604 785123 Out of hours : - 07941 182487 Email: - info@bizzy-bears.com Autumn term Welcome back, we hope you had an enjoyable summer and a big hello to all our new children and their parents who are joining Bizzy Bears this term. This term our themes will be focused on settling the children in to Pre school, our new outdoor area, Autumn and Harvest. Newsletter www.bizzy-bears.com Children’s belongings Please can parents/carers supply their child with a pair of indoor and outdoor shoes which are easy for them to attempt to put on as we encourage all our children to help with getting dressed and undressed. Could we also ask that all coats, Pre school T shirts, sweatshirts, shoes, bags and lunch boxes are named to prevent lost items. Thank you. Two Year old Early funded learning and Three year old funding. Parents of children eligible for the Autumn term funding will need to complete a parent/carer contract which are attached to this letter. You will need to provide your child’s birth certificate (if we do not already have a copy) and a current utility bill displaying your postcode(no older than 3 months). We are required to retain a copy of each child’s birth certificate and utility bill, these will be kept in a safe and secure file only accessible to the Northamptonshire county council when required. As part of the 3 and 4 year old funding, if you are eligible to certain benefits your child may qualify for EYPP a supplement which is paid directly to Bizzy Bears to improve outcomes for all children. To find out if you are eligible please visit the on line eligibility checker at: www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/EYPP. If you are found to be eligible you will be given a reference number which you will need to include on your Parent carer contract. We will be holding open sessions on Monday 14th September at 9.15am and 12.30pm to assist parents in accessing the online eligibility checker. All forms need to be completed and handed in by Thursday 17 th September. Bizzy Bears Preschool Staff For those of you who are new to Bizzy Bears we would like to introduce our staff team: Caroline - I own and am the Manager of Bizzy Bears, you can find me in the setting every day except for Tuesdays which is my day off. I am responsible for the day to day running of the Preschool. l am also the settings Special Educational Needs coordinator, I hold an informal drop in every Wednesday 9.30am-10.00am for parents who have any concerns about their child’s development. Rachel- Deputy Supervisor(Job share Mon, Tue and Wed). Rachel is responsible for the day to day running of the Preschool in my absence. She is also key person of red group. Laura -Deputy Supervisor(Job share Thur, Fri). Laura is responsible for the day to day running of the Preschool in my absence. She is also key person of green group and Special Educational needs assistant. Colleen and Kirstie- Pre school Practitioners, Work with our 3 and 4 year olds in red and green group. Kelly, Louise and Catherine-Preschool Practitioners, work with our 2 year olds in blue and yellow group.

2. Tempest Photography On Wednesday October 7 th we have a photographer coming into Pre-School to take individual and family photographs. All children and families are welcome, the photographer will be at Bizzy Bears from 8.45am until 11.30am. Please see a member of staff to arrange a time slot if your child is not in that day or if you wish your child to have their photograph taken with siblings. If you do not want your child’s photograph taken please inform a member of staff. Children’s On-line Learning Journeys All children attending Bizzy Bears will have a personal on-line Learning Journal which records photos, observations and comments in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage. This builds up a record of your child’s experiences during their time with us. We will be using ‘Tapestry’, a system which is hosted in the UK on secure servers. The benefit to yourselves from ‘Tapestry’ being on-line means you will have secure access (via a website which you login to using your email address and a password) to your child’s Learning Journal. In addition to viewing our contributions, we encourage you to add to it by uploading photos and comments, or commenting on observations made by us. We will be holding an information evening on the 5 th October where we will give parents/carers detailed information on how to view/use your child’s Learning Journal. If you do not have access to e-mail your child is still able to have an online Learning Journal which you can access through the use of Bizzy Bears computer equipment at an agreed time each week/month. Each child will receive a CD with their Learning Journal on when they leave Bizzy Bears. Children’s learning journals will not be active for parents/carers to view before 5 th October but will be updated by staff to enable us to become familiar with the new system. Fee charging policy Please may we remind parents that the Pre school fees are payable on your child’s first session of the week in advance. Payments can be made in setting by cash or cheque, myself, Rachel or Laura will be available to take payments each day at the hatch by the kitchen or you can make a transfer by Internet banking, all bank details are included on your child’s termly invoice. If Pre-School fees are not paid weekly on time a verbal reminder will be given. If payment is not received after the verbal reminder (on the child’s next session) you will be informed in writing that fees must be paid to keep your child’s place at Bizzy Bears. If payment is not received 7 days following the written reminder your child’s place will be suspended until all outstanding fees are paid. Sessions claimed as part of the free entitlement will not be suspended. A copy of all our policies are available in the changing room and also on our website. We also inform parents and carers of any changes to our policies in our monthly newsletters. Pre school website Information on the curriculum, newsletters, important dates, events and our monthly snack menu are included as well as a gallery of the latest activities and events at Bizzy Bears. The password for the picture gallery is autumn2014. You can find us at www.bizzy-bears.com New pages with more information for parents including playdough recipes and song words are to be added soon. Please watch this space! If there is anything you would like added please let us know and don’t forget to leave a message in the guestbook !www.bizzy-bears.com Emergency Procedure Bizzy Bears Pre-school is required to draw up an emergency procedure which is to be followed in the event of an incident within Pre-school hours where we have to vacate the building and are unable to return. To make all parents/carers aware the staff and children will walk the short distance to St Andrews school, Ecton Brook road, Ecton Brook 01604 406486 where parents/carers will be contacted and asked to collect their children. Dates for your diary Thursday 17th September- All 2,3 and 4 year old funding forms to be returned Monday 5 th October- Tapestry on line learning journal information evening. Wednesday 7 th October- Tempest Photography