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Newsletter

Dear Parents/Carers and Children,

September 2023

Welcome to our 1st Newsletter of the school year.

Welcome to Sherwood Preschool! We are pleased to see our existing children and all our new starters.

Our Book of the Half-Term

At Sherwood, we select a book we use as our theme every half term. This half-term book is “Owl Babies” by Martin Waddell. It is a story about three baby owls who need reassurance that their mother will return home to them. This classic story is perfect for this time of year, for young children to grasp that although they come into our setting, their parent or caregiver will always come back to collect them. We will have story times and activities within the environment based on Owl Babies and share ideas on how to incorporate the book at home. Please see our “Sherwood Preschool Croydon” YouTube channel for our video on Owl Babies being read and our Facebook page for photos of our activities and other information.

School Trips

We will be taking part in school trips this half term. We will send out information on these trips before they happen.

Funding

Remember that your child is automatically entitled to 15 hours of funding from the term after their 3rd birthday. If your child is 2 – they may be entitled to 2-year-old funding – please talk to a staff member. If you are a working parent of a three or 4-year-old, you may be eligible for 30 hours of funding. Please speak to Lisa or Jade if you have any questions.

Weather & Clothing

As we have no idea how the weather will be, we may get lots of rain, in which case, please send your child in with a named raincoats and wellies – Or better still, a puddle suit. 

We go out in the garden in ALL WEATHER using the top and bottom garden unless we feel it is dangerous to do so. Please ensure that all clothing is clearly labelled. We ask that all children keep a clearly named bag of spare clothes (including shoes) on their peg in case they need changing whilst in our care.  If your child is in nappies or pull-ups, please leave them a bag of spare nappies and wipes.

Extreme weather closures

If the weather is very bad, it may be necessary to either close the preschool or have revised start/finishing times.  This is to ensure the safety of both the children and staff. We will give as much notice as possible, but the elements are outside our control. 

Drop off and pick up

When bringing your child to preschool, if you wish to discuss something with a staff member, please wait outside the porch until all the children have been welcomed in, the same at pick-up time.  Please be patient when waiting to collect your child or wanting to speak to a staff member.

Uniform

If you wish to purchase additional items – they are available at the following prices: –

T-Shirt £8.00, Sweatshirt £12.00.

You can also order Sherwood uniforms through our website, www.sherwoodpreschoolcroydon.co.uk.

Snack and tissue donations

As we are a charity, and the prices of everything have risen so high, we ask that each family donate £3 every half term to cover fruit and snacks for the children.  If you prefer to donate fruit, that is great too!  We also regularly need donations of tissues and wipes, especially with winter coming up. We will have a lot of runny noses to wipe.

Birthdays

You are welcome to bring in a prepacked cake (not homemade) and candles for us all to celebrate your child’s birthday – please ensure that cakes or any sweets to take home are vegetarian and nut-free.

Session Times

Sessions start at 7.45 am, 9.00 am, 12.30 pm and 3.30 pm, and we can only let children in before these times if previously agreed with the Manager/Deputy. Children must be collected on time: 12.00 pm, 12.30 pm, and 3.30 pm.

Collection after these times will incur a late collection fee of £10 every 10 minutes.  Please don’t be late; children get very upset if they are always the last to be collected.  Please feel free to ask for a copy of our late collection policy. We ask that you provide additional contact numbers in case of an emergency, and we ask that you contact them to collect your child in the event of an emergency or you are running late. Of course, we understand that sometimes it is unavoidable to be late. Please call us ASAP or text us at 07956 065599 or 07947124712 for Afterschool to let us know.

Packed Lunch

As part of our healthy food policy, we encourage and teach our children about “Rainbow Food.” We use this term to cover all fruit and vegetables, their colours and the positive effects it has on our bodies. To help reinforce this, we ask that packed lunches include fruit and vegetables where possible. This is a lovely way of incorporating language and learning into our lunchtimes. 

We ask that you do not include nut products (including peanut butter and chocolate/hazelnut spread), sweets or chewing gum.  If you send your child with grapes, cherry tomatoes, carrots or apples in their lunchbox, please ensure that you cut them vertically in half as they pose a severe choking hazard.

Please see the link for healthy lunch ideas… https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/recipes/healthier-lunchboxes/

Rainbow Lunch (School dinner) on Fridays

On Fridays each week, we can supply a Rainbow lunch (called this, as we try to include as many colourful fruits and vegetables as possible) at the cost of £2. We ask that the money be given to us on Friday in cash. The lunch is alternated each Friday, and parents and caregivers are informed of the lunch provided beforehand. This information is written on our board at the door, posted on our Facebook page, and WhatsApp to everyone. To ensure everyone can be included in our Rainbow Lunches, please let us know if your child has any allergies or intolerances to ensure we can provide a suitable alternative if necessary.

Rainbow lunches on Fridays are NOT compulsory. If you do not want your child to have a school dinner, please bring their packed lunch instead.

Illness

Winter vomiting virus is a nasty bug that can be very debilitating to a small child and dangerous to a baby.  If you are concerned at all, please get in touch with your doctor.  Most children respond well to rest, lots of fluids and Calpol or similar. Unfortunately, it is very easily spread between young children.  

Please pay careful attention to the following: –

  • If your child has been sick or had a tummy bug, they must stay home for at least 48 hours from the last bout of sickness or diarrhoea. They need to have had a normal bowel movement at least 48 hours before they return.
  • If your child is ill enough to require Calpol or ibuprofen, they are not well enough to attend pre-school.
  • Only doctor-prescribed medicines can be given to a child attending the session. A written consent form must be signed by the parent/carer permitting this.
  • If your child becomes unwell whilst at pre-school, they will be given extra care and attention whilst you are contacted. If any of your contact numbers have changed, please let us know.
Fees

Parents and carers will need to pay their fees in advance of their child’s sessions. An invoice for the month ahead will be given at the beginning of each month. Fees must be paid on time. It is very time-consuming chasing payments. Fees can be paid in cash, bank transfer, childcare vouchers or via the Government Tax-Free Childcare scheme. Please speak to Lisa or Jade if you require further payment information.

If you pay by bank transfer or childcare vouchers, please ensure your child’s full name is added as a reference. Fees that are not paid within the term they are due will automatically incur a late charge.  If payments remain late, your sessions will be reduced to only funded ones.  We are aware that most parents pay on time, and thank you for supporting us by doing this.  Please speak to Lisa or Jade privately if you struggle to pay fees. 

Absences due to holidays or illness

Please be aware that parents and caregivers must still pay for absent sessions if you go on holiday during term time. This also applies if your child does not attend the setting due to illness.

Partnership with Parents

We pride ourselves on having close relationships with all our families. Whilst a staff member is available to talk to you at the door each day, an appointment may be necessary if you want to discuss anything at length with your key person. Each term, we have our parent meetings in the playroom, where we can answer any questions regarding your child’s development or give you further information regarding the running of the preschool.

We have a Facebook and Instagram account where you can view photographs of the children busy learning in the setting and see any current information. Please visit our website, www.sherwoodpreschoolcroydon.co.uk. However, we appreciate that only some have access to social media, so we ask that all parents take a minute to look at our notice boards in the porch area for current information regarding the setting. If any important activities or news arise, we will send an email and text around. We will also have a suggestion box on the porch; all ideas are welcome.

If you feel that your child needs further support in some areas, please talk to Lisa or Jade, as we have resources for you to use at home to enhance your child’s learning.

Parent Volunteers

If you want to volunteer during our sessions, please speak to a staff member at the door. We always look for volunteers to share a book or a craft activity with the children!

Stay and Play Sessions

Our introductory Stay and Play sessions were a hit last year so we will continue them. Stay and Play sessions allow parents to come in, speak to staff members and other parents, and play with their children. We hold them at various times of the selected week to ensure parents and carers can attend. We will ensure everyone knows when the first session will take place in due course.

Book Bags

We have a Sherwood Library where you can encourage your child to choose a book to take home to share with you at least once a week.  Please return the book when you have read it, and you can change it for a new one. The books within our library are changed often.

Class Dojo and Facebook

We will be setting up class Dojo. Please look out for the email. You can post pictures of your child’s achievements and talk directly to your child’s key person. We will put activities on the Class Dojo app for you to do with your child at home. If you want further information about this, please talk to Jade. Please check our Facebook page for updates, reminders and pictures of your children.

Breakfast and After School Clubs

For a child to attend our Breakfast and after-school clubs, an application form must be filled out and given to Emma, our Afterschool Club manager, or a staff member so they can be put on our system. Emma also likes to meet the parent or caregiver and child/children before they start to answer any questions, meet the child/children so they know where they will be spending their morning/afternoons and see what their favourite activity might be.  Also, to confirm any allergies/intolerance/food preferences and ensure she knows who will collect the child—Breakfast and After School clubs must be booked through our website, http://www.sherwoodpreschoolcroydon.co.uk. The booking system is on a first-come, first-served basis, and you are not guaranteed a space if you do not book or contact Emma for emergency spaces as soon as possible. Please speak to a staff member regarding Breakfast Club and Emma regarding After School Clubs. If the booking system is full or closed (Bookings close from 2 p.m. on the day), You can contact Emma directly at 07947124712 or email Sherwoodafterschoolclub@gmail.com.

You will be invoiced at the end of each month, and we request this be settled within one week of receiving the invoice to avoid late payment charges. Please get in touch with us if there are any issues.

Other Information
  • If your child is not coming to Sherwood, please text or email us on the day to let us know.
  • We also need to be told, where possible, if your child is going home with someone other than the registered parent/carer. Please ensure that the person collecting your child knows the password.
  • Please do not allow your child to bring in toys from home.
  • If you wish to contact us, please call us on 0208 405 4193, 07956 065599 or e-mail us at Sherwoodpreschool1@gmail.com
  • Afterschool contact; 07947124712 or email Sherwoodafterschoolclub@gmail.com

Useful links

Lisa, Jade and The Sherwood Team