School Admissions

Hi,

I hope everyone is keeping safe and well. I am busy this week completing school readiness documents to be shared with schools to ease the transition. If you have not already please could you email myself on s.dodd@stmarysblackburn.ac.uk to let me know which school your child will be attending Sept 2020. Please note the park nursery is still closed until September 2020.

Thank You

Sarah

Activities to do with your child before starting School

Dear Parents

We know that starting school can feel scary for you and your child. These are also different times and the uncertainty of lockdown means you might be worrying that your child won’t be ready for reception. Don’t panic!

Here are some things you can do with your child at home over the coming weeks to help make sure they are just as ready to start reception as they would otherwise have been.

We’re not expecting you to be teachers and we understand that not everyone will find the time to do all of these activities – that’s fine. Try to fit them where possible into your daily routines.

To help your child develop independence, get them used to doing the following at home:

o   Getting dressed independently every day – practise closing buttons, putting on socks and shoes on the right feet, putting coat on and zipping up

o   Going to the toilet and wiping their bottom on their own – simple clothing like elasticated waistbands are easier to get on and off

o   Cutting food using a ‘real’ knife and fork (make sure this is supervised)

o   Tidying up their toys and helping with simple household jobs – giving them responsibilities will help them to become more independent

o   Help them to recognise their name in writing eg create a coat and shoe peg at home with their name on it to help get them used to having something similar at school – it seems like a simple thing but it’ll help when we ask your child to go and fetch their coat!

You can practise some of the activities your child would have done in early years in your own home to help make sure they develop social skills and feel more ready when reception starts:

o   Do turn-taking activities such as playing with a toy – this helps them to get used to taking turns and also to understand the concept of sharing; board games

o   Get your child used to eating with others even if it’s just a snack

o   Lots of the learning in reception happens through play. Get down onto the carpet so you’re at their level and enjoy some play with your child.

o   Follow their lead with what they’re doing or how they’re playing.

o   Then, try to get them to follow your lead and also create games together. This will help them to get used to playing and engaging with other children.

Routines and consistency helps children to adapt and this will help ease the transition into reception. About 4 weeks before the start of reception, try to set a morning routine with your child. You can start with small steps and gradually add to the routine:

o   Get up at the same time every day.

o   Have a full breakfast.

o   Get dressed up in the school uniform and put on ‘school’ shoes.

o   Prepare a ‘school bag’ and/or ‘school lunch box’– you can choose one together if you don’t have one yet.

o   Visit the school - look up the route to school and if it’s walking distance try it out – point to the school and tell your child they’ll be going there soon.

o   Talk about starting school - look at photos/videos of the teacher if virtual tours are available on school websites. 

o   Be positive and reassure your child by discussing any worries they may have. 

o   Watch videos about starting school and play the starting school games.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/collections/starting-primary-school/1

Help your child to learn at home by spending time with them

o   Have everyday conversations

o   Play lots of games with numbers or letters

o   Share stories and read together - reading to your child improves their vocabulary and listening skills, and acting out stories is a great way to practise communication.

o   Play I spy ….

o   Sing lots of nursery rhymes including number rhymes and learn new ones

o   Enjoy the outdoors and go for lots of walks - every day if you can.

o   Go on number hunts and look for letters and words around your local area.

o   Take pictures and make memories.

Home Learning Ideas for Parents of 0-5’s

	Website Link: www.hungrylittleminds.campaign.gov.uk Simple, fun activities from new born to 5 years.   Select age group for your child to access activities.
	Website Link:  small-talk.org.uk Select the age group for your child and get lots of ideas for chatting, playing and reading.  You can sign up to receive updates.
	Website Link:  www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people Tiny Happy People helps develop your child’s communication skills.  Explore simple activities and play ideas, also lots of tips and advice.
	Education Development Trust (EDT) and Elklan, have developed Family Resources, fun and friendly guides for parents to support their 2-4 year-old's communication skills.
	Website Link: www.literacytrust.org.uk/family-zone Scroll down to what age is your child (birth – 4) and learn more including videos and stories and games.
	Website Link:  Libraries From Home  An online resources of fantastic remote services that libraries are delivering to people across the country.  The website pulls together some of the excellent rhyme times, story times and Lego clubs to keep children engaged and support early literacy and creative thinking.

Apps for Under 5’s

There are lots of things you can do to support your child:

Explore together This can be a fantastic way to find out what your child enjoys doing online, as well as having fun and learning together.

Talk to your child about their online experiences Start and continue regular conversations about what they enjoy doing online, introducing online safety messages so that if your child sees anything online which makes them feel worried, they can tell you or another adult they trust.

Supervise your child while they’re online: Keep the devices your child uses in communal areas.  Children under 5 should not access the internet unsupervised in private spaces, such as alone in their bedroom

Parental controls: Make use of the parental controls available on your home broadband and any internet enabled device in your home.  Ref: internet matters site If you need any help setting up parental controls, you can also call up the NSPCC/O2 Helpline or visit an O2 store.

SafeSearch: The use of ‘SafeSearch’ is recommended for use with young children. Look out for the ‘Settings’ button on your web browser homepage, which is often shaped like a small cog.

Set boundaries: As a family you can agree a set of rules, such as locations in the house where devices can be used, times of day your child can use devices, or which age appropriate apps or websites they can access. Use passwords.  Switch off at least an hour before bedtime.

Lead by example: Get into good habits - model the digital habits you expect from your child (for example, no tablets during meal-times)

Look out for quality marks that an independent educational panel

believe have good educational value.

             

CBeebies Storytime is filled with free interactive story books and bedtime stories for young children and is a great way to enjoy reading with your little one. The library is always growing, with amazing stories featuring all the CBeebies’ favourites. Age: 0-5  Platform: Apple, Android, Amazon

Lingumi provides a focus on spoken and communicative English. The app provides sets of learning games, speech recognition games and video-based games to help the child grow their grammar and get them speaking their first words.  Age: 2-5  Platform: Apple, Android

CBeebies Playtime Island contains a wide range of fun and educational games to help children understand the world around them and support the development of core skills. Children can play along with all of CBeebies’ most popular characters. Age: 0-5  Platform: Apple, Android, Amazon

Beat the Heat

The Heat Health Watch Service has issued a level two warning for North West England , with very warm weather expected.

We are back!

The children in Sarah's 'bubble' this morning have been building robots, being 'road workers', 'cooking dinner', and joining in 'ready steady go' games. There has been plenty of smiles and giggles. 

Parent update

Dear Parents,

The Director of Public Health, Blackburn with Darwen Council has advised schools and nurseries to open to all children from 22nd June 20.

Woop woop!

The children who were coming back week commencing 8th June will return on 22nd, those who were returning 15th june will start on week commencing 29th June. Please look on the nursery blog for updated Risk Assessment and please watch the video (https://youtu.be/4D95Obfzmp4) of new procedures for dropping off children.

See you soon

Tracy x

A message from the snow queen

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=253916659377755&id=109524260483663&sfnsn=scwspwa&extid=Y3XHBoo7bD92jhQ4&d=w&vh=e

Follow 'Dream it Events UK' on Facebook for more.

Family Resources

https://www.earlyyearspdp.com/course/view.php?id=30&utm_source=Foundation+Years&utm_campaign=9b4c6747c9-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_03_21_05_01_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8f9a6de061-9b4c6747c9-321587653&mc_cid=9b4c6747c9&mc_eid=ce9ccff161

Walking Challenge

I have been doing lots of walking during lockdown. I challenge you and your family to go for a nice local walk and send me photographs of where you have been. 

I will be asking all the staff to send me a photo of their local walk too. 

We miss seeing your photos so please send them to t.ellett@stmarysblackburn.ac.uk

School Readiness Assessment

Dear Parents,

This document is the 'school readiness' assessment which is carried out on children going to school each academic year.

We assess the children in the Autumn Term to identify next steps for key workers to focus on, this is then repeated in the Summer Term to measure the children's progress. The information gained is shared with the child's reception teacher and forms part of the transition to school.

As the nursery has been closed for the past 12 weeks, some children may not have been practicing these essential skills in preparation for school life. We are asking you to use this document and continue to encourage the development of these targets, which were agreed collectively between Blackburn with Darwen Early Years providers and local schools. This will help with the transition from nursery to school for your child.

Thank you 

Stay Safe

Tracy

School Readiness statement	Emerging	Developing	Secure
I can put on my own coat and fasten it.
I can go to the toilet by myself and wash my hands afterwards.
I can confidently say goodbye when I am left with an adult that I know will look after me.
I have made good friends and can happily talk to other children and adults.
I can share and take turns in a group.
I can sit and listen for a short while.
I can answer a simple question about a story.
I can tidy up after myself and look after my things.
I am happy to speak to others about my wants, needs and feelings.
I can follow simple instructions.
I can retell a past event (something that has happened to me).
I can feed myself and enjoy a range of healthy foods.
I can dress and undress myself as well as putting on and taking off my shoes.
I can follow rules at home and nursery and will be able to do this at school
I enjoy listening to stories and singing rhymes.
I can hold a pencil and enjoy making marks.
My word level count is