Newsletter November 2023
Welcome back after half term, hope you all had a relaxing break and had lots of fun!!
We are currently in week 2 of a 7 week half term, in the run up to Christmas.
Our topic for this half term is Treetops Activities and includes:
Week 1 w/c 30/10/2023 Sand / Halloween
Week 2 w/c 06/11/2023 Malleable Materials
Week 3 w/c 13/11/2023 Water
Week 4 w/c 20/11/2023 Physical Skills
Week 5 w/c 27/11/2023 Small World
Week 6 w/c 04/12/2023 Construction / Christmas
Week 7 w/c 11/12/2023 Christmas / Party Week
Book of the Week this half term are:
Week 1 The Gingerbread Man
Week 2 The Smartest Giant in Town
Week 3 Supertato
Week 4 Peace at Last
Week 5 A Squash and a Squeeze
Week 6 Father Christmas Needs a Wee
Week 7 The Christmas Story
Interest Table – don’t forget to bring items in for our interest table that link to our weekly topic or book; we can share these items with our friends at circle time.
We have added a new member of staff to the Treetops Team: Rosie. Rosie is a local mum and her children used to attend Treetops. She will be with us on Monday and Wednesday mornings, working closely with children as an enhanced support worker. We also have a student with us on a permanent basis on Mondays and Tuesdays, her name is Jesse.
As the chilly Autumn months are now upon us, can we please ask for children to bring in appropriate shoes and coats - we are still out and about in the garden, as well as the Daily Mile and outings. Also at Treetops, we promote independence with self care including dressing, therefore, we would appreciate the children having shoes with no laces as these are very difficult for children to put on and off themselves.
School application for September 2024 - don’t forget online school application opened on 6th November 2023
Treetops September 2024 - if you have not already spoken to Rhiannon or Terri about your child’s session please do so asap; it may feel like a long way off but we are filling up fast and we would not like anyone to miss out on any sessions.
Bookbags – don’t forget to purchase a Treetops Bookbag to keep all your children’s lovely art work safe! We sell them for £5 – just ask a member of staff.
Christmas clothes – to get into the Christmas spirit, we will be wearing Christmas clothes from December 1st; we would love to see all your Christmas tshirts, jumpers, dresses, hats, scarves, gloves and hair accessories too!!
Christmas Concert – Friday 15th December 2023
Everyone is welcome to join us for a few songs to wish all our families a Merry Christmas. The concert will be held in Burnham Primary School’s new hall, and we start singing at 9:15am.
Please bring your child and any family members along, the more the merrier.
Due to being in the school hall, a member of staff will let you all in through the large black school gates (near reception) at 9:00am, and you can all walk down and find a seat. The gate will be closed just before 9:15am. The school will not allow any late comers to join us, so please be on time.
TREETOPS IS CLOSED UNTIL AFTER THE CONCERT - If Friday is your child’s normal session, please walk them to Treetops after the concert to be signed in by a member of staff. A responsible adult must be with your child until they are signed in.
Dates For Your Diary:
Last day of term: Friday 15th December 2023 (Treetops is closed for Christmas break)
First day of Spring term: Monday 8th January 2024 (Bank holiday Monday 3rd)
February half term: Monday 19th February – Tuesday 27th February (Inset Day on Monday 26th February)
First day of 2nd half term: Tuesday 27th February 2024
Last day of 2nd half term: Thursday 28th March 2024 (Good Friday 29th March)
First day of Summer term: Monday 15th April 2024
Spring Term fees due: Friday 12th January 2024
Friday 1st March 2024
A few reminders;
Please label everything your child brings to Treetops coats, bags, pots etc.
Please shut the red gate behind you when leaving Treetops.
Please wait at the red gate to be waved down by a member of staff at collection times.
We do ask that no mobile phones are used on the Treetops premises
When your child attends please provide them with a fruit or vegetable snack for each session.
Please wait to speak to a member of staff at collection time, if you have any questions or would like a rundown of your child's day. This is a very busy time for the team and our priority is to ensure every child gets to their parent/carer. Once everyone is happily reunited the team will be more than happy to answer any questions or have a chat.
Please only put your child in a pull up if they are actively potty training.
Please no shoes with laces, as we encourage independence when getting dressed and undressed
Newsletter September 2023
Hello and welcome to all our new and returning families. Hope you all had a lovely summer, and are ready for our first half term!!!
Our topic for this half term is ALL ABOUT ME and includes:
Week 1 w/c 04/09/2023 Settling in and getting to know me
Week 2 w/c 11/09/2023 Settling in and getting to know Treetops
Week 3 w/c 18/09/2023 All about me
Week 4 w/c 25/09/2023 All about my family
Week 5 w/c 02/10/2023 All about my home
Week 6 w/c 09/10/2023 Treetops Olympics (more information soon)
Week 7 w/c 16/10/2023 All about my pets/my favourite animals
HOT HOT HOT
With the sun making an appearance this week we would like to say A BIG THANK YOU – we really appreciate you suncreaming your children before their sessions at Treetops, as you can appreciate we have 27 children in every session so this saves us lots of time by only reapplying the cream for the children who attend all day – which means more time to have fun in the sun!! If you childf attends all day, please provide a bottle to stay here.
Treetops Uniform – Daisy Roots, the shoe shop in Burnham High Street; is where you can purchase Treetops t’shirts and jumpers. Please purchase your Treetops book bags from us so your child can transport their amazing creations home safely.
Fruit/Vegetable snack
Please remember to bring in a piece of fruit or vegetable for every session your child attends. Morning and afternoon snack boxes can be found in the foyer to place them in before your session.
Name labels
Please label everything!!! If it can be put down on taken off, please put your child’s name on it. This includes drinks bottles. We aim to return all your belongings at the end of your session; any unnamed items left at Treetops at the end of the day will be placed in the Lost Property box.
Key person
If your child's key person has not had a chance to introduce themselves to you yet, please let a member of the Treetops team know so you can meet your child's key person. This person will be your first point of contact at Treetops.
The Treetops team includes
Sue- Owner
Rhiannon - Manager and Senco
Terri - Manager and Safeguarding officer
Sophie - Preschool practitioner
Lisa - Preschool practitioner
Vicky - Preschool practitioner
Alycia – Preschool practitioner (new to Treetops this year)
Brooke- Preschool assistant
Immy – Play assistant/cover staff (during summer months as at uni)
All of the team's qualifications are available to view in the foyer, along with our brand new key person display (which is under construction so please look out for it)
Tapestry
Tapestry is a fantastic home link that we use at Treetops and your child’s observations will be uploaded to it throughout the term. Please ensure you have activated your child’s account and investigate the app, the team would appreciate any information you would like to add, also if you get time to upload photos too.
Homework The Treetops boards are looking a little empty. We would love to have a picture of your family to go on the family board, and a picture of your child as a baby and a picture of them now for our “then and now'' display.
Dates For Your Diary:
First half term fee payment due: Friday 8th September 2023
Last day of half term: Friday 20th October 2023 (Treetops is closed for one week)
First day of next half term: Monday 30th October 2023
2nd half term fees due: Friday 3rd November 2023
Last day of 2nd half term: Friday 15th December 2023
A few reminders;
• Please shut the red gate behind you when leaving Treetops.
• Please wait at the red gate to be waved down by a member of staff at collection times.
• We do ask that no mobile phones are used on the Treetops premises including the front playground
• Please wait to speak to a member of staff at collection time, if you have any questions or would like a rundown of your child's day. This is a very busy time for the team and our priority is to ensure every child gets to their parent/ carer. Once everyone is happily reunited the team will be more than happy to answer any questions or have a chat.
• Please only put your child in a pull up’s if they are actively potty training.
• Please no shoes with laces, as we encourage independence when getting dressed and undressed
Treetops Pre-school Newsletter April 2023
Dear parents/carers,
Welcome back after the Easter break, we hope you all had a nice rest, and fun with your families, and ate lots of chocolate.
This half term is 6 weeks from Monday 17th April to Friday 26th May 2023.
Our topic this half term is all about the Weather, and includes
Rain Wind Sunshine Cloudy Snow / Ice Rainbow This half term we are having a Song Table of the Week (rather than Book of the Week).
Don’t forget to bring something in for the interest table relating to our weekly topic. The interest table is incorporated into our circle time activities.
Easter Picture Hunt – thank you to everyone who came and took part in our Easter celebrations, it was such a fun morning, and we loved dancing with the Easter bunny!!! We would also like to say a BIG THANK YOU to you all for the monies raised for Treetops - £545.40 – such a huge amount!!! This is the only event we hold to raise money for the setting – half the money will be going back into resources to benefit the children. This year the other half of the money will be going to MS UK via one of the Treetops parents who is taking part in the London Marathon. We would also like to thank everyone who took part in our Easter Bonnet competition; we had lots and lots of lovely bonnets; the Head Boy and Head Girl from the primary school had trouble choosing their favourites!
Green Bags – please speak to a member of staff to purchase a green bag. We find these bags are the best place to put your children’s art work, and keep it safe, to make sure your children get to take their precious masterpiece’s home. It also makes it a lot easier for the staff to put the pictures straight into green bags rather than lots of piles of art work to give out at the end of the sessions. Green bags are £5.00.
Sun cream - As we are now in the summer term, hopefully we will have some glorious weather. We ask for you to apply sun cream to your own child/children before their session please (morning and afternoon). As you can imagine, trying to sun cream 27 children each session takes a long time. If your child is here all day, please bring in a named bottle of sun cream, and we will re-apply for the afternoon session. For Health and Safety reasons NO SUNCREAM means NO OUTDOOR PLAY. We also ask for you to bring in a named sunhat.
Treetops Fun Time – hopefully you have all heard where your children will be attending primary school, please let us know if you haven’t already so we are able to pass any relevant information on to the school. We will continue with Fun Time in the foyer this half term; and all the children who are attending BCPS in September have the benefit of enjoying the reception playground in the morning sessions. If you have any questions, queries or concerns, please see Terri.
Please see Terri if you have not yet signed your funding forms for this term, and don’t forget birth certificates if it is your first term claiming funding for your child.
Spare Clothes – please can we ask for you to bring in a bag with spare clothes for your child. We do have lots of messy play and water play at Treetops, not just toileting accidents. We ask for you to name your child’s clothes – if it can be taken off or put down, it should have a name on it! Can you also provide baby wipes, should these be needed.
KINGS CORONATION CELEBRATIONS – Treetops will be holding a picnic lunch to celebrate on Friday 05th May between 11:30am and 1:30pm. There will be Coronation activities on offer to take part in, and we would like to invite parents in to take part in these celebration with their children.
Other families (who do not normally attend on these days) are welcome to come join in the fun.
Please just let the staff know if you would like to attend, and just bring along a blanket and a picnic.
SPORTS DAY – THURSDAY 22ND JUNE 2023
Please come and meet us on Burnham Primary School’s field (through the red gates) for the races to start at 9:15am. Please remember that during sports day the children must have an adult with them, and are under the supervision and responsibility of their parents and carer. Each keyperson has a team colour so please all parents and children support your team: Rhiannon – green, Terri – purple, Sophie – red, Lisa – orange, Brooke – pink, and Vicky - blue. If Thursday is your child’s usual day, we will ask you to sign your children into Treetops as you leave. A responsible adult must be with your child until they are signed in by a member of staff.
SUMMER CONCERT – THURSDAY 20TH JULY 2023
Everyone is welcome to join us for a few songs to wish all our school leavers a farewell. The concert will be held in Burnham Primary School’s new hall, and will start at 9:15am. Please bring your child and any family members along, the more the merrier. Due to being in the school hall, a member of staff will let you all in through the large black school gates (near reception) at about 9:00am, and you can all walk down and find a seat. If Thursday is your child’s normal session, please walk them to Treetops after the concert to be signed in by a member of staff. A responsible adult must be with your child until they are signed in.
POLITE REMINDERS
Staff are always available for a chat, to talk through any concerns, or if you want to find out about your child’s day. The end of the sessions are always quite busy so we do ask for you to wait around a few minutes while we let the children safely back to their parents; and then feel free to approach any member of staff.
The best way to contact Treetops is to telephone us during our opening hours on 01621 783265. Alternatively you can email us on [email protected] or private message the team through the Facebook page. The email and Facebook are checked regularly during our opening hours and someone will reply to you as soon as possible.
Please keep us updated with any new telephone numbers, emails or addresses. Also please keep us updated with any medical concerns and allergies you child may have.
30 hours Funding – don’t forget to resubmit your 30 hours funding applications this half term. This has to be done by yourselves every term, and is the parent’s responsibility to make sure it is in place, not Treetops. If the funding is not in place you will be charged for additional hours.
Please remember to provide your child with a NAMED drinks bottle during their session – we have 27 children in a session and we often end up with lots of the same types of drinks bottles; this become very confusing for the children and the staff.
Pull ups should only be worn if your child is actively potty training – changing pull ups means the staff have to completely undress and dress the child, and this takes quite a while when you have several children in nappies; this takes the staff away from taking part in all the fun parts of Treetops and time away from the children.
Dates for Diary:
Fees due: Friday 21 April 2023
Last day of half term: Friday 26 May 2023
First day of next half term: Monday 5 June 2023
Treetops is closed Monday 1 May Bank holiday
Treetops is closed Monday 8 May Bank holiday
Kings Coronation Celebration: Friday 5 May 2023 (11:30am – 1:30pm)
Sports Day: Thursday 22 June 2023
Leavers/Summer Concert: Thursday 20 July 2023
Last day of the school year: Friday 21 July 2023
Open Morning: Friday 2 September 2023 (10am until 12pm)
First Day of the new school year Monday 4 September 2023
September is fast approaching!!!! Please speak to Rhiannon or Terri if you would like to increase or change your child’s sessions.
Newsletter February 2023
Hope you all had a lovely half term; the sun was even shinning everyday!!
Our topic for this half term is Farm animals:
Week 1 w/c 20/02/2023 Cows and Pigs
Week 2 w/c 27/02/2023 Horses and Donkeys
Week 3 w/c 06/03/2023 Sheep and Goats
Week 4 w/c 13/03/2023 Chickens and Ducks
Week 5 w/c 20/03/2023 Dogs and Rabbits
Week 6 w/c 27/03/2023 Easter
Book of the Week:
Week 1 The Smartest Giant in Town
Week 2 A Squash and a Squeeze
Week 3 What The Ladybird Heard
Week 4 The Little Red Hen
Week 5 Eid and Ramandan Story
Week 6 Easter Story
Drinks Bottles – please make sure you put your child’s name on their drink bottles. We have lots of bottles that are exactly the same and this is becoming very confusing for the children and the staff.
Valentines Cake Sale – Thank you to everyone who donated and bought cakes for our Valentines cake sale. We raised £59.40 for the Essex Air Ambulance
World Book Day – Thursday 2nd March – this year Treetops will be joining in with World Book Day celebration. Please encourage your children to come dressed as their favourite book character and bring their books in to share with their friends at circle time. If your child does not attend on a Thursday they can dress up at any time that week.
Footwear – children should be wearing appropriate footwear during their session to enable them to play safely. As we promote independence skills at Treetops, we do also ask for your children to wear shoes that they can take off and put on themselves – this includes no laces on shoes.
September 2023 – our sessions are filling up fast, if you have not already requested sessions for September, please speak to Rhiannon or Terri.
Easter Activity Week (w/c 27 March) – we will be having a fun week filled with lots of Easter activities such as Easter Bonnet competition, Easter cake making, Easter cake stall, and more. We will also be holding our annual Easter Picture Hunt - where we invite all the children and parents to join in the fun, hunting easter pictures on the school field. A flyer with more details will be emailed out soon.
School Placement – For September 2023 school starters, you should find out which school placement your child has received just after the Easter holidays. Please let us know when you find out so we can communicate with your schools and organise transition visits.
Parent visit – please let us know if any parents would like to visit the setting; this could be a stay and play with your child, come in and read a story at circle time, cook with the children, talk about your job or show us your pets.
Fee increase from April
3/4 Year Olds
Full Day Session
8:30am until
4:00pm
£39.25
Morning Session
9:00am until 12:00pm
£15.50
Afternoon Session
1:00pm until
4:00pm
£15.50
Lunch Club
12:00pm until 1:00pm
£5.50
Breakfast Club
8:30am until
9:00am
£2.75
2 Year Olds
Full Day Session
8:30am until
4:00pm
£41.25
Morning Session
9:00am until 12:00pm
£16.50
Afternoon Session
1:00pm until
4:00pm
£16.50
Lunch Club
12:00pm until 1:00pm
£5.50
Breakfast Club
8:30am until
9:00am
£2.75
Dates For Your Diary:
World Book Day: Thursday 2nd March 2023
Last day of half term: Friday 31st March 2023
First day of next half term: Monday 17th April 2023
World Book Day: Thursday 2nd March 2023 (closed 2 weeks for Easter holidays)
POLITE REMINDERS:
Pull ups should only be worn if your child is actively potty training. Please name everything that belongs to your child – if it can be taken off or put down, put a name on it. Please provide spare clothes for your child; and wipes for an accidents. Please provide fruit or vegetables for each sessions your child attends. Your child should be wearing suitable clothing at Treetops including shoes. We do ask for no laces as young children can not take theses off and put them on independently. Mobile phones should not be used anywhere on Treetops premises – inside and outside – this is an Ofsted requirement due to Safeguarding. Please let us know, by telephone or email or in advance, if your child is absent for any sickness or holidays.
Newsletter January 2023
Welcome back to all our families!!!! We hope you had a lovely Christmas break, and wish you all a Happy New Year!
Our topic for this half term is SENSES:
Week 1 w/c 09/01/2023 Eyes/Sight
Week 2 w/c 16/01/2023 Ears/Hearing, and Chinese New Year (22/01)
Week 3 w/c 23/01/2023 Tongue/Taste, and Chinese New Year (22/01)
Week 4 w/c 30/01/2023 Hands/Touch
Week 5 w/c 06/02/2023 Nose/Smell
New staff member – hopefully you have all had a chance to meet our newest staff member Vicky. Vicky is a Level 2 qualified Early Years Practitioner, she is from Burnham and has 3 children of her own. Vicky will be working Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
School Readiness Sessions - last week we started our Treetops Fun Time sessions with the children who will be starting school in September 2023. The children take part in small group activities where we will be developing skills which will benefit them when they start school. Photos will be taken during Fun Time, and posted on our closed Parents Page on Facebook, where you will be able to see your child taking part. Any questions or queries, please ask Terri.
School Placement – For September 2023 school starters, you should find out which school placement your child has received just after the Easter holidays. Please let us know when you find out so we can communicate with your schools and organise transition visits.
NUT FREE ENVIRONMENT – Please remember Treetops is a nut free environment. Please can parents ensure their children’s lunchboxes do not contain any nuts or food containing nut products – any food noticeably containing nuts will not be opened and will be sent home in the lunchboxes.
Chinese New Year – Sunday 22nd January – we will be celebrating Chinese New Year on Friday 20th and Monday 23rd of January with some Chinese New Year themed arts and crafts.
Visits and Visitors – at Treetops we try and plan weekly trips out to visit different areas of Burnham. We visit the library, the post office, local shops, the market, the park, and we even visit Sue in the Essex Air Ambulance Chairty shop. If you work in Burnham and would like the children to visit you, please let us know; or if you would like to come into Treetops and talk about your job with the children, this would be fantastic too.
Stay and Play – if you would like to attend a stay and play session with your child/ren to see what they get up to at Treetops, please let us know and a date can be arranged.
Valentines Cake Sale – this year we will be holding a Valentines cake sale to raise money for Essex Air Ambulance. We will be selling cake, in the foyer, on Friday 10th February. Donations would be very welcome.
World Book Day – Thursday 2nd March – this year Treetops will be joining in with World Book Day celebration. Please encourage your children to come dressed as their favourite book character and bring their books in to share with their friends at circle time. If your child does not attend on a Thursday they can dress up at any time that week.
Key person chat - please remember if you would like an update on your child’s progress and development, you can make an appointment to come in and have an informal chat with your child’s keyperson.
September 2023 – our sessions are filling up fast, if you have not already requested sessions for September, please speak to Rhiannon or Terri.
Funding Forms – It is funding form time again. We will be looking out for you all these next 2 weeks to get your signatures. If you are new to funding this term, we will talk your through the forms and we need to see your child’s birth certficate.
Easter Activity Week (w/c 27 March) – we will be having a fun week filled with lots of Easter activities such as Easter Bonnet competition, Easter cake making, Easter cake stall, and more. We will also be holding our annual Easter Picture Hunt - where we invite all the children and parents to join in the fun, hunting easter pictures on the school field.
Dates For Your Diary:
Chinese New Year – Sunday 22nd Jan: Celebrating on Fri 20th and Mon 23rd Jan
Valentines Cake Sale: Friday 10th February
Last day of half term: Friday 10th February 2023
First day of next half term: Monday 20th February 2023
2nd half term fees due: Friday 24th February 2023
World Book Day: Thursday 2nd March 2023
Last day of 2nd half term: Friday 31st March 2023 (closed 2 weeks for Easter holidays)
POLITE REMINDERS:
Pull ups should only be worn if your child is actively potty training. Please name everything that belongs to your child – if it can be taken off or put down, put a name on it. Please provide spare clothes for your child; and wipes for an accidents. Please provide fruit or vegetables for each sessions your child attends. Your child should be wearing suitable clothing at Treetops including shoes. We do ask for no laces as young children can not take theses off and put them on independently. Mobile phones should not be used anywhere on Treetops premises – inside and outside – this is an Ofsted requirement due to Safeguarding. Please let us know, by telephone or email or in advance, if your child is absent for any sickness or holidays.
Treetops Pre-school Newsletter
November 2022
Dear Parents/Carers,
Hope everyone enjoyed their week off, and had a Happy Halloween.
This half term is 7 weeks from:
Monday 31 October to Friday 16 December 2022.
Our topics this half term including last week are:
1.Sand play/ Halloween
2.Malleable play
3.Water play
4.Physical skills
5. Small world play
6. Construction / Christmas
7. Christmas
Please bring something in for our interest table that relates to the topic – we incorporate our interest table into circle time.
Book of the Week – this half term we have introduced Book of the Week. We will be sharing the story with the children everyday, and the children will be encouraged to join in with the repeated parts, and help tell the story with the props. The children will be able to access the story and props throughout their sessions so they can retell the story themselves with their friends. It would be great if you could share the same story at home with your children, and bring in anything related to the story.
Our stories will be:
Last week: The Three Little Pigs
This week: The Gingerbread Man
Week 3: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Week 4: Room on a Broom
Week 5: The Gruffalo
Week 6: Supertato
Week 7: The Nativity / The Christmas Story
Clothing – with the weather turning chilly, please ensure your child has appropriate NAMED clothes and shoes for in the garden. It is warm inside Treetops, but we still venture out in all weather (even if only for a short period). Please ensure the spare clothes in their bags are also named. We do have spare clothes at Treetops for the children to borrow, should they run out of their own; which we ask you to return once they have been washed. Please also return any wellies your child borrows.
Snack – Please remember a piece of fruit/veg for each session your child attends (2 pieces for a full day). Our snack box has been looking very empty lately.
Nappies and Wipes – if your child is in nappies, please ensure they have plenty in their bag; including wipes. When you and your child are ready to start tackling potty training, we are here to help; just bring plenty of spare clothes!!
Christmas Fun –our last week of term will be Christmas fun week. We will be having parties everyday from Wednesday to Friday, on both sessions, and having party food at snack time. Donations of party food will be greatly appreciated. The staff start wearing their Christmas clothing from the 1st of December so we would be really happy to see the children wearing some Christmas clothes too.
Christmas Concert – Thursday 15th December 2022
Everyone is welcome to join us for a few songs to wish all our school leavers a farewell. The concert will be held in Burnham Primary School’s new hall, and we start singing at 9:15am.
Please bring your child and any family members along, the more the merrier.
Due to being in the school hall, a member of staff will let you all in through the large black school gates (near reception) at 9:00am, and you can all walk down and find a seat. The gate will be closed just before 9:15am. The school will not allow any late comers to join us, so please be on time.
TREETOPS IS CLOSED UNTIL AFTER THE CONCERT - If Thursday is your child’s normal session, please walk them to Treetops after the concert to be signed in by a member of staff. A responsible adult must be with your child until they are signed in.
Staffing – as you already know from our email, we are very sad to be saying goodbye to Courtney at the end of this term after over 7 years with us. We are currently advertising for 2 positions within the Treetops Team, however recruitment is proving difficult within Early Years at this present time. We will keep you all up to date with any information, and we will ensure Courtney’s key children are in the best hands.
Dates for Diary:
Last day of term: Friday 16th December 2022
First day of next term: Monday 9th January 2023
Please remember to let us know in person or by phone/email/FB message about any days off for sickness or holiday.
Please let us know if you would like to increase your child’s hours in January; and don’t forget to update (or apply) for your 30 hours funding codes.
November 2022
Dear Parents/Carers,
Hope everyone enjoyed their week off, and had a Happy Halloween.
This half term is 7 weeks from:
Monday 31 October to Friday 16 December 2022.
Our topics this half term including last week are:
1.Sand play/ Halloween
2.Malleable play
3.Water play
4.Physical skills
5. Small world play
6. Construction / Christmas
7. Christmas
Please bring something in for our interest table that relates to the topic – we incorporate our interest table into circle time.
Book of the Week – this half term we have introduced Book of the Week. We will be sharing the story with the children everyday, and the children will be encouraged to join in with the repeated parts, and help tell the story with the props. The children will be able to access the story and props throughout their sessions so they can retell the story themselves with their friends. It would be great if you could share the same story at home with your children, and bring in anything related to the story.
Our stories will be:
Last week: The Three Little Pigs
This week: The Gingerbread Man
Week 3: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Week 4: Room on a Broom
Week 5: The Gruffalo
Week 6: Supertato
Week 7: The Nativity / The Christmas Story
Clothing – with the weather turning chilly, please ensure your child has appropriate NAMED clothes and shoes for in the garden. It is warm inside Treetops, but we still venture out in all weather (even if only for a short period). Please ensure the spare clothes in their bags are also named. We do have spare clothes at Treetops for the children to borrow, should they run out of their own; which we ask you to return once they have been washed. Please also return any wellies your child borrows.
Snack – Please remember a piece of fruit/veg for each session your child attends (2 pieces for a full day). Our snack box has been looking very empty lately.
Nappies and Wipes – if your child is in nappies, please ensure they have plenty in their bag; including wipes. When you and your child are ready to start tackling potty training, we are here to help; just bring plenty of spare clothes!!
Christmas Fun –our last week of term will be Christmas fun week. We will be having parties everyday from Wednesday to Friday, on both sessions, and having party food at snack time. Donations of party food will be greatly appreciated. The staff start wearing their Christmas clothing from the 1st of December so we would be really happy to see the children wearing some Christmas clothes too.
Christmas Concert – Thursday 15th December 2022
Everyone is welcome to join us for a few songs to wish all our school leavers a farewell. The concert will be held in Burnham Primary School’s new hall, and we start singing at 9:15am.
Please bring your child and any family members along, the more the merrier.
Due to being in the school hall, a member of staff will let you all in through the large black school gates (near reception) at 9:00am, and you can all walk down and find a seat. The gate will be closed just before 9:15am. The school will not allow any late comers to join us, so please be on time.
TREETOPS IS CLOSED UNTIL AFTER THE CONCERT - If Thursday is your child’s normal session, please walk them to Treetops after the concert to be signed in by a member of staff. A responsible adult must be with your child until they are signed in.
Staffing – as you already know from our email, we are very sad to be saying goodbye to Courtney at the end of this term after over 7 years with us. We are currently advertising for 2 positions within the Treetops Team, however recruitment is proving difficult within Early Years at this present time. We will keep you all up to date with any information, and we will ensure Courtney’s key children are in the best hands.
Dates for Diary:
Last day of term: Friday 16th December 2022
First day of next term: Monday 9th January 2023
Please remember to let us know in person or by phone/email/FB message about any days off for sickness or holiday.
Please let us know if you would like to increase your child’s hours in January; and don’t forget to update (or apply) for your 30 hours funding codes.