NEWSLETTER FOR SUMMER TERM

We hope you all had a lovely break.

IMPORTANT DATES

Monday 13 th April – Start of term

Thursday 23 rd April – Goodson’s Lodge trip, half the Preschool will be attending

and making flags to celebrate St Georges Day.

Monday 4 th May – Bank holiday. Nursery closed – Full fees apply

Monday 11 th May – Wessex water visit to Preschool to talk about where water

comes from, how we use it and why its important.

Thursday 14 th May – Goodson’s Lodge trip, half the Preschool will be attending

and painting Bee pictures, to celebrate World Bee Day.

Monday 25 th - 29 th May - Half term. Nursery closed Monday 25 th May due to the

bank holiday. Tuesday 26 th , Wednesday 27 th Thursday 28 th & Friday 28 th May are

optional. Funding does not cover this period, and full fees will apply if you

would like your child to attend.

Friday 17 th July – Term ends for funded children. The summer holidays are

optional. Funding does not cover this period, and full fees will apply if you

would like your child to attend.

Wednesday 22 nd – Term ends for non-funded children. The summer holidays are

optional. Funding does not cover this period, and full fees will apply if you

would like your child to attend.

Monday 31 st August – Start of term. Please note Monday 31 st August is a Bank

holiday and the nursery is closed – Full fees apply

September hours

If you are looking to change or increase hours in September, please let us know.

Spaces are filling fast especially in the younger age groups. We also have a

waiting list we are happy to add you to, if you know you would like to increase

your child’s hours further in advance.

FUNDING

Funding for all eligible working parents will be available from 9 months old,

from September 2025. This will be 30 hours, term time only. You will need to

renew your eligibility every 3 months. More information can be found on

Childcare Choices | 30 Hours Childcare, Tax-Free Childcare and More | Help

with Costs | GOV.UK

Please note that funded sessions currently have a £5 per day and £3 per half day

voluntary consumables charge. Funding can be used between 8am and 6pm for

the under 3’s and between 9am and 3pm for the over 3’s.

FARM TRIP

We will be taking the Preschool to Stowford Manor farm this term. The children

will see some animals including watching the cows being milked. We will also

have time for a picnic and a paddle in the river. More information to follow.

WEATHER

The weather is changing all the time; please can you make sure your child is

prepared for whatever the weather may be. Can you please pack a spare change

of clothes (more so if they are toilet training). As we are all hoping for lots of

sunshine could we ask that a hat is placed in your child’s bag and labelled ready

to use, when we need it. On hot days we will be using the garden first thing in

the morning, before it gets too hot. Therefore, we would like to ask you to apply

suncream prior to coming to nursery and we will top it up when required.

GATES

We have seen an increase in parents / carers leaving the gates open whilst

dropping off their children. Can I please remind you that these must be closed to

ensure all the children’s safety.

0-2’S

As we enter the summer term in the 0-2 unit, we will be following our focus

story: Mad about minibeasts.

With a new interest in insects, it has sparked lots of curiosity about the tiny

creatures around us. The children will enjoy exploring the outdoor

environments, searching for minibeasts, and learning about where they live,

looking closely at bug hotels including the one in our garden and in the local

park.

Please can we ask that all children are provided with shoes and weather

appropriate clothing.

TINY TOTS

This term our focus story will be: The very hungry caterpillar.

We will be looking at the life cycles of bugs, making our own life cycle bottles

and even watching real caterpillars turn into butterflies. We will be using our

hand-eye co-ordination by making our own pasta caterpillars, which we will

thread and then paint. We will also be posting the food from the story in

sequence.

We will be continuing to spend lots of time in the garden and exploring the

environment. Could you please ensure your child has more spare clothes in their

bag, as we will also be using water in the garden, as the weather warms up.

PRE SCHOOL

Our new focus book is Jack and the beanstalk whilst also continuing the

children’s love of bugs through Betsy Buglove Saves the Bees. In the last term

we will delving into the ocean with our focus book being ‘Commotion in the

ocean’.

The children will have opportunities to plant their own beans and create their

very own beanstalk! We will be looking at the difference in each of the

children’s beans and talking about what we can see, this gives the children the

opportunity to develop their understanding of maths by comparing one to

another. The children will begin to take on the responsibility for their own bean

looking at the growth and understanding what it needs to grow.

We will be working with all children to help them in their next stages of

development whether this is another year in pre-school or getting ready for

school. The children will be practicing writing their names and forming letters

to enhance their fine motor skills and we will be continuing our sounds and

letters to enhance their letter recognition.

To increase the children’s independence skills, we will be starting ‘PE’ could we

please ask that all Pre-school children come in with a PE kit. This can consist of

a top, shorts or trousers, socks and trainers in a separate bag. These can be left

on your child’s peg as we will be using this daily. Could these please be brought

in by Monday 27/05/2026.

We will be working with the children to recognise their feelings and the feelings

of people around them. We will start this by reading books and noticing the

feelings of the characters in the books. We will then start to look at our own and

other people’s feelings around us explaining that all feelings are valid.

Across the term the preschool children will continue having visits to Goodson’s

Lodge, going out in the community for walks and spending lots of time in the

garden. We will also be having a special party to celebrate the children’s time at

Seesaw, which we hope many of you will attend with your child.

We are very excited for the last term at nursery and ready to have fun enjoying some sunshine

As always thank you for your continued support