Caterpillar to Butterfly

We finally have a family of beautiful butterflies and we have released them into the park so watch out when you see an orange and black butterfly, it may just be one of ours.

We are currently watching our tadpoles transform, please feel free to pop in and take a look.

Toddle Waddle Guests

We had some very special guests join us for our Todde Waddle picnic. We invited our friends from Holly Mount Nursing home who came to join us for a jam scone and chat to the children. It is lovely to form relationships with our local community.

Amanda's Fast

Thank you so much for all the support and best wishes I have received during Ramadan. People have been incredibly kind with their sponsors for Cancer Research as soon as I have collected and counted all the money I will let you know how much has been raised. I have had a few ups and downs while fasting, with a couple of days being particularly difficult but even in our very hot weather I was determined and committed to doing the full fast alongside everyone else. I am proud of my journey and have prayed for everyone else fasting along the way. It has been a very humbling experience. I have been very lucky to be invited to join in a traditional Eid celebration and I am very thankful for the Dalal family for inviting me to share their special occasion. Best wishes everyone for a wonderful Eid, have fun with your families.

Amanda x

Toddle Waddle

We would like to say a huge thank you to all our parents and family members who joined us on our Toddle Waddle on Thursday. We got a little wet in the morning but that didn't stop us and we moved our picnic to indoors tucking into lots of lovely treats. Thank you to everyone who has been collecting sponsors for our Banardos charity.

What Banardos believe

At Barnardo’s we believe in children – no matter who they are, what they have done or what they have been through. We will ensure their needs are met and their voices are heard.
This belief started with our pioneering founder, Thomas Barnardo, who stood up for the most vulnerable children in society. We continue to fight for the UK’s most vulnerable children to realise his dream of a world where no child is turned away.
Our vision is his vision – a world where no child is turned away.
Our purpose is to transform the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable children.
Our mission

• Reach and help those children whose voices are unheard and whose needs are unmet.
• Defend, safeguard and support them at key moments to change their lives for the better.
• Fight to change policy, practice and public opinion.
• Inspire our people and partners to unite behind our purpose.
• We value and embrace diversity, and are committed to creating a society for our staff, our volunteers and the children we work with that is free from discrimination, victimisation and harassment.

Give with confidence

Barnardo’s is regulated by the Charity Commission. Being a registered charity means that we must always be accountable and transparent.


We will be collecting the rest of the sponsor money and counting it over this next week. Please ensure all your sponsor money is handed in and we will let you know how much money we have raised. Thank you so much again.

Parent's sessions

Thank you to all those parents who took time out of their busy lives to attend our parent's sessions. We hope you had an opportunity to discuss your child's progress with their key worker. The key workers work very hard over the year observing and recording children's development and planning activities to help them progress in all seven areas of development. I am amazingly proud of my team for the hard work and commitment they put into your child's Learning Journals. For the children going to school this Sept, Learning Journals can be purchased for a price of £3.00. This price contributes to the costs of printing photographs, observations and plastic wallets. We hope you all take these home as a keepsake of your child's journey at St Marys @ The Park.

If you have not yet completed your Partnership with Parents Questionnaire then please do so and return it to nursery. We pride ourselves at all our St Marys sites in striving to provide the best quality childcare and education and we are always moving forward with improvements so we take feedback from our parents seriously. Feedback will be given once all questionnaires are returned. Thank you.

Eid Mubarak

St Marys @ The Park would like to take this opportunity to wish all our children, parents and their families a truly wonderful Eid, we hope you have a lovely time celebrating with all your family and friends. Eid Mubarak to all x

Hot Weather

As the weather is so hot at the moment, there are times we have changed our nursery routine. Drinking water is always available to children at all times if they want it. Drinks are also given routinely to prevent dehydration. Sometimes the children are kept inside and we play out when we feel it is the cooler part of the session. Please support us with this weather by ensuring your children have sun cream applied and bring a hat to play out in. Thank you.

Toddle Waddle 2017

 

Thursday 22^nd June is our Annual Toddle Waddle. This will involve a walk around the park and end with a summer tea party on the grass next to nursery. We are carrying out our Toddle Waddle to raise money for Barnardos, a charity that supports children who are in great need. Please collect as many sponsors as possible from your family and friends over this next week. We are inviting parents and family members to join us for our walk around the park. We will be leaving nursery at 1.15pm so please ensure you arrives before 1.15pm. Please dress your child in shorts and t shirt for our Toddle Waddle. If you have any questions please speak to the nursery team.

www.barnardos.org.uk

Hand, Foot and Mouth

We have had a case of Hand, Foot and Mouth in nursery. There is usually no need for medical treatment but there is information below for you to read.

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common infection that causes mouth ulcers and spots on the hands and feet.

It's most common in young children – particularly those under 10 – but can affect older children and adults as well.

Hand, foot and mouth disease can be unpleasant, but it will usually clear up by itself within 7 to 10 days. You can normally look after yourself or your child at home.

The infection is not related to foot and mouth disease, which affects cattle, sheep and pigs.

Symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease

The symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease usually develop between three and five days after being exposed to the infection.

The first symptoms may include:

• a high temperature (fever), usually around 38-39C (100.4-102.2F)
• a general sense of feeling unwell
• loss of appetite
• coughing
• abdominal pain
• a sore throat and mouth 

Mouth ulcers

 

 

After one or two days, red spots appear on the tongue and inside the mouth.

These quickly develop into larger yellow-grey mouth ulcers with red edges.

The ulcers can be painful and make eating, drinking and swallowing difficult. They should pass within a week.

Spotty rash and blisters

 

 

Soon after the mouth ulcers appear, you'll probably notice a rash made up of small, raised red spots on the skin.

These typically develop on the fingers, the backs or palms of the hand, the soles of the feet, and occasionally on the buttocks and groin.

 

 

The spots may then turn into small blisters with a grey centre.

The spots and blisters can sometimes be itchy or uncomfortable and typically last up to 10 days.

What to do if you or your child has hand, foot and mouth disease

If you have hand, foot and mouth disease, the best thing to do is to stay at home until you're feeling better. There's no cure for it, so you have to let it run its course.

To help ease your or your child's symptoms:

• drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration – water or milk are ideal; it may help to give a baby smaller but more frequent bottle or breast milk feeds
• eat soft foods such as mashed potatoes, yoghurt and soups if eating and swallowing is uncomfortable – avoid hot, acidic or spicy foods and drinks
• take over-the-counter painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, to ease a sore throat and fever – aspirin shouldn't be given to children under the age of 16.
• try gargling with warm, salty water to relieve discomfort from mouth ulcers – it's important not to swallow the mixture, so this isn't recommended for young children
• alternatively, use mouth gels, rinses or sprays for mouth ulcers – these are available from pharmacies, but aren't routinely recommended, and some aren't suitable for young children; ask your pharmacist for advice and make sure you read the instructions first

 

When to get medical advice

You don't usually need medical attention if you think you or your child has hand, foot and mouth disease. The infection will usually pass in 7 to 10 days, and there isn't much your doctor can do.

Antibiotics won't help as hand, foot and mouth disease is caused by a virus.

If you're unsure whether you or your child has hand, foot and mouth disease, you can call NHS 111 or your GP for advice.

You should also get medical advice if:

• your child is unable or unwilling to drink any fluids
• your child has signs of dehydration, such as unresponsiveness, passing small amounts of urine or no urine at all, or cold hands and feet
• your child develops fits (seizures), confusion, weakness or a loss of consciousness
• your child is under three months old and has a temperature of 38C (101F) or above, or is between three and six months old and has a temperature of 39C (102F) or above
• the skin becomes very painful, red, swollen and hot, or there's a discharge of pus
• the symptoms are getting worse or haven't improved after 7 to 10 days

 

May Attendance

Congratulations to the children who received certificates for attending every nursery session in May, you have learnt lots of interesting and exciting things.

Happy Fathers Day

Happy Father's Day to all our Daddies out there. The children have been busy this week making tie Father's Day cards that our Daddies can actually wear. With the pre-school children we have used this opportunity to teach them about pattern. The children have been encouraged to observe a pattern using 3 different colours and then practitioners have supported them in carrying on the pattern to decorate their tie. The children have also been encouraged to write their name on the back, holding their pencil in the correct position. They have also been encouraged to form their letters correctly starting in the correct position to complete their letter. We hope you enjoy your cards and have a lovely weekend.