Weekly Bulletin 28 September 2023

28th September 2023

We hope you and your children have had a good week.

Now that your children have started at Homerton we want to draw your attention to our social media accounts, where we will be posting some news, events and examples of life at Homerton. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by clicking these links or by searching Homerton Early Years Centre on any of these platforms.

If you would like to please also sign up to your class What’sApp parent group, run by the parent governors, the QR codes to join your group are displayed on the board at the front of the Centre.

The children are all starting to settle in well here at Homerton.  Please be reassured that it is very normal for some children to take longer than others to settle. Please don’t worry if your child needs some extra time to get to know us all and the routines of Homerton. I thought it might be useful for you to have a look at this helpful tips sheet below.

Homerton Early Years Centre – How to settle children- tips for parents

If your child has difficulty separating from you don’t worry, this is a normal part of their development. Some take longer than others to settle, and a child who appears confident may experience problems later e.g. just after a holiday. All staff are very experienced in supporting children (and their parents!) through separation issues, and are on hand to advise you.

Do:

·         Tell staff your child’s favourite activities so they can prepare for her/his arrival.

·         Talk to your child positively about coming to Nursery e.g. “It’s time to go to Nursery now, I wonder if there will be painting out today?” (Substitute with favourite activity).

·         Make your expectation clear to your child e.g. “We’ve talked about what a lovely time you’ll have, we have to get ready now.”

·         Try to arrive on time so your child sees you leaving with other parents.

·         Keep to the same routine every day.

·         Your child’s staff will greet you at the door, focusing on your child.

·         Tell him/her that you are going and that you’ll be back later.

·         Give your child a kiss and a cuddle and leave promptly.

·         Your child will then enter the classroom (do support at this stage if still needed), hang up their coat and find their individual name card – staff will support with this where needed.

·         Please feel reassured that staff have years of experience in how to best settle children and will work with you to provide the support they need.

Your positive attitude and having a familiar routine will be reassuring for your child.

Please try to avoid

·         Taking off your own coat.

·         Engaging in lengthy conversations with your child about leaving.

·         Picking your child up or keeping cuddling him/her.

·         Talking about separation issues in front of your child.

·         Saying goodbye and then coming back repeatedly.

·         Being in an area where your child can see you if staff have asked you to stay on-site during initial settling period but not to be in view.

Often these actions give your child mixed messages

Drop off and pick up points for children from Monday 2^nd October.

Nest parents and children please come through our main entrance and through the Centre for drop off and pick up.

Nursery parents and children

East, South Red and West classes please use the park entrance for both drop off in the morning, and pick up in the afternoon. If you child is in South room morning class then please continue to drop off via the park gate in the morning, and pick up from the front entrance at 11.45am.

Breakfast Club at Homerton

If your child is coming for breakfast please be aware that food is served between 8.00-8.30, this is followed by a play session prior to children going to class.  (Please be aware Breakfast club needs to be booked in advance and is already very full).

Snack time

Children at Homerton enjoy sharing snack together during their session with us.  Please can you send in a snack either on a weekly, or daily basis, for the children to enjoy at this very sociable time. We aim to make the snack very healthy so fruit, vegetables, bread sticks or oatcakes are very welcome.  Please don’t bring in salty or sweet treats like crisps, chocolates or sweets and please be aware we are a nut/sesame seed free school due to possible allergies.

Please let class teams and the office know if your child has any particular allergies or dietary needs.

As I mentioned last week we are focusing on our Core story of Owl Babies by Martin Waddell this half of term.  Perhaps you would enjoy sharing the story through pictures with your child – they may even be able to tell you the story!

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

In class we are enjoying reading and exploring our core story Owl Babies by Martin Waddell – a warm and reassuring book about separating from loved ones, finding ways to cope and being reunited again. A story about owls is also a nice way to start the year since the Homerton logo is an owl. In the story we encounter …

a Mummy owl             and some baby owls         who live in a

nest       in a tree . One day, the babies wake up to find their

owl mother is gone. After worrying a bit,   (“I want my Mummy” says Bill, the youngest owl), they guess she has gone to find some miceto eat and she does soon comes back   to feed them. The youngest owl is delighted to see her and ends the story saying “I love my Mummy!”    .

You and your children might like to chat about this story together – they might be able to share with you what they remember or like about the story or you could use these pictures as a prompt to talk about it.

You might also like to look at some pictures of owls in a wildlife book or online together. www.rspb.org.uk has some lovely pictures and information about owls in their Bird Guide.

Wednesday 18^th October – Wear it Pink Cancer – A charity fundraising cake stall – Please can we ask you to make, or buy a cake, to support this event

Half Term holiday – Monday 23rd-27^th October. 

Holiday club will be running – please book in with Mel if you need this.

Monday 30th October – The Centre is closed for staff training day

Tuesday 31^st October – Term re-starts