Kate Greenaway Nursery School & Children's Centre

News Letter 13th Oct 2010

2010-10-15T10:17:00.001Z

It’s Autumn!
The children in the nursery and stay and play sessions have started to notice the change in the season. Please do bring in any interesting leaves, pine cones, seeds or nuts and berries for the children to explore.

Developmental Movement Play
We now have four practitioners who have been fully trained in ‘developmental movement play’ an approach to physical and emotional development for young children. The ‘DMP’ approach influences practice across the centre, including allowing children to move freely indoors and out (with safety considerations) and to have bare feet whenever that’s possible. If you’d like to know more about DMP please do talk to Jacki in nursery or look out for our DMP notice board and leaflets, coming soon!

Celebrate Black History Month
We’re now nearly half way through October but there’s still time to get involved in the celebration of Black History Month in Islington. At Kate Greenaway we’ve been to two performances of the ‘Handa’s Surprise’ story and in nursery the children have been re telling the story and enjoying African music.
There are still some events for families including an African Caribbean children’s book extravaganza on Saturday the 23rd and an evening of celebrations at the Town hall on Friday the 29th with food, music and poetry. Have a look at Islington Council’s website or call 0207 832 5818 for information or to book.

Newsletter 14th September 2010

2010-09-15T09:20:00.002Z

Nursery News

Review day
We have a review day on Thursday 30th September, to enable key people to meet with parents the nursery is closed to all core day children.

Photographers in the Nursery
We have been asked by both Professor Tina Bruce CBE (renowned early years specialist) and The Thomas Coram research centre if they can use our lovely nursery to take photographs for up coming publications. Tina and her photographer will be in nursery on Wednesday 22nd & Thursday 23rd September and the Thomas Coram photographer will be here on the 1st October.
You will be given a slip to sign to give permission for your child to be included in these events.

Wet weather
As it becomes more like autumn the weather is likely to get wetter, we have lots of waterproofs for out in the garden but we are short of wellington boots. If your child has some at home they would like to wear at nursery please write their name inside before bringing them to nursery. If you have any that no longer fit and would like to donate them to the nursery we would love to have them.

Eid Celebrations
We will be celebrating Eid-al Fitr on Thursday 16th September in the ‘Being a Parent’ stay and play (10-12am). We’ll have information about the meaning of Eid and some special snacks and activities. The Nursery children will also be learning all about Eid. If your family celebrates Eid and you’d like to share with the children what your traditions are please do let us know.
Pilates Class £2, Open to all parents
We are supporting a Pilates class that runs weekly at Barnsbury Community Hall on Wednesdays 9.30-10.30. The class is suitable for all levels of fitness and there are still places left. Please ask Jan or Luisa if you’d like to know more.

Reminder: Important Dates
Wednesday 1st Sept
Nursery closed for all children

Thursday 2nd September
Nursery open for all children

Thursday 30th Sept
Review Day

Tuesday 5th October
Development morning

Mon 25th to Friday 29th Oct
Half term (nursery closed to term time children)

Monday 1st November
Development Morning

Friday 19th November
Nursery closed for all children

Thursday 9th December
Review Day

Friday 17th December
Last day of school term

Wed 22nd Dec to Tues 4th Jan
Nursery closed Christmas break

Tuesday 4th January 2011
Nursery Closed for all children

Wednesday 5th January
Nursery open for all children

Friday 4th February
Development morning

Mon 21st to Fri 25th Feb
Half term (nursery closed to term time children)

Thursday 4th March
Review Day

Tuesday 15th March
Development Morning

Friday 8th April
Easter holidays (nursery closed to term time children)

Friday 22nd April
Good Friday (nursery closed to all children)

Monday 25th April
Easter Monday (nursery closed to all children)

Tuesday 26th April
Nursery Closed for all children

Wednesday 27th April
Nursery open for all children

Friday 20th May
Development Morning

Thursday 17th June
Review Day

Monday 20th June
Development Morning

Monday 4th July
Nursery closed for all children

Friday 22nd July
Last day of school term

* On Development Mornings, the nursery is closed all morning and opens at 1pm. ** On Review Days the nursery is closed so that we can meet with every parent and carer to review each child’s development. The nursery stays open for children with extended day/year places.

July 20th

2010-07-21T08:18:00.002Z

July 20th 2010

Happy Holidays!
Nursery finishes for children with term time places this Friday (if you are unsure whether your child has a place over the Summer please ask). Some of our staff will also be taking their holidays so we say goodbye to Jacki, Denise, Michele, Maggie, Sarah, Flutura, Stacey and Libby until September. Justin is taking some time out to travel next term so we will say goodbye to him on August 16th until January 1st 2011.

Picnic
Thanks for everyone who joined us for the Kate Greenaway annual picnic on Friday and brought food to share. See our termly newsletter for more…

Trips out for families during the summer
We are offering three local outings for families this summer. We’ll be going to Coram Fields, the Islington Play day in Finsbury Park and to Camley st. Natural Park on three Wednesday mornings.

Race for Life
Lizzie and Michele will be taking part in the race for life on Sunday 25th July at Finsbury Park dressed as bumble bees to raise money for cancer research. They have been hard at training as they are sponsored by many of the local community; Caledonian road tube station staff and customers at Alveria’s café on Caledonian road have kindly sponsored them so far. Photographs to follow ….

Key dates for next term, Please put them in your diaries

Inset days- school closed to all children
Wednesday 1st September 2010
Friday 19th November 2010
Tuesday 4th January 2011
Tuesday 26th April 2011
Monday 4th July 2011

Development Mornings- School closed between 9am-1pm to core day children (Extended day children in as usual)
Tuesday 5th October 2010
Monday 1st November 2010
Friday 4th February 2011
Tuesday 15th March 2011
Friday 20th May 2011
Monday 20th June 2011

13th July 2010

2010-07-13T16:03:00.000Z

Don’t Forget our Picnic 3.30-5.30 this Friday at KG!

Summer Stay and Play Programme July 26th to August 13th
We have teamed up with our neighbours Bemerton Children’s Centre to offer a joint programme of Stay and play sessions every weekday morning (Monday to Friday) at Barnard Park One O’ Clock club starting at 10am. The One O’clock club takes over at 12.30 so the session is open right up to 3pm. All children aged five and under with their Mums Dads and Carers are very welcome. We’ll be offering a variety of activities for young children including sand, water, balls, bikes, craft activities and much more.

At Kate Greenaway we’ll still be offering Tiny Tots stay and play sessions on Monday afternoons for children aged 0-18months from 1-3pm on July 26th and August the 2nd with the last session on the 9th of August. We’ll also be open on Saturdays 10.30-12.30 on the 24th and 31st of August with the last Saturday on the 7th of August for children aged 6 and under.

Free Swimming lessons for children under five are being offered at Cally Pool in July, please book at Cally Pool Reception and see the poster on our notice board for more details. There will also be Tuesday sessions hosted by Bemerton CC, give them a call to book (02075274806).

We’ll end our Summer stay and play programme on Friday 13th of August and reopen with a revised programme in the week beginning September the 5th. We’ll be giving out the Autumn programme as soon as its ready.
There is a free Play day for all children at Highbury Fields on Wednesday August 4th from 10am and look out for your copy of Heatwave magazine or have a look at Islington councils’ website for loads of ideas for activities for children of all ages over the summer.

Leavers Ceremony for nursery children going to School
On Thursday the 22nd of July at 2.30 we are cordially inviting all parents of children who will be moving on in September to join us. We’ll be holding small group celebrations to wish the children lots of luck and present them with their profile books, then holding a picnic celebration tea outside (weather permitting!) for all the children to finish at 3.30. Please let Michele know if you’re able to come.

Meeting for New Parents-help needed
On Tuesday July 20th we have invited parents of children who will be new to Nursery in September to come in and find out more about the centre.
We need one or two Mums, Dads or carers of children who already attend to come along and help us welcome the new families and answer any questions they may have. Let Jan know if you are interested, thanks.

July 6th 2010

2010-07-08T08:34:00.001Z

Tuesday 6th of July

Picnic next week!
Don’t forget the wonderful annual Kate Greenaway Picnic next Friday the 16th of July from 3.30-5.30.
All families with young children are welcome, siblings included of course (we just ask that you keep an eye on all your children please). Please bring some food to share, the more international the dishes the better!

Summer Stay and Play programme
This year we’ve teamed up with our neighbours Bemerton Children’s Centre to offer a stay and play every day from 10-1.00 Monday to Friday at Barnard Park 1 o’clock club. All children under five are very welcome, starting Monday the 26th of July for three weeks, finishing on Friday August 13th. We’ll also still be offering our Saturday sessions at Kate Greenaway up to and including August 7th.

Are you thinking about working with children?
We will be offering an introductory course to working with children in the Autumn. The course runs for a morning a week for 10 weeks and includes support to think about returning to work and training and 12 hours experience in a nursery placement. Unfortunately we are not able to offer a crèche so participants will need to arrange their own childcare.
Places are limited so please let Jan, Kara or Liz know if you are interested. More information will be available very soon.
Birthdays in Nursery

We love to celebrate all the children’s birthdays in the nursery. When it is your child’s birthday your key person will arrange to bake a cake with them and share it with a small group of children they know well.

Mums, Dads and Carers are very welcome to come in and join their child’s celebration. We ask families not to bring anything in, just to share the cake we bake here. Please do talk to your child’s key person or to Jan or Michele if you’d like to know more.

News from the nursery
The nursery team will be arranging some end of term trips to Freightliners farm and we’d like to invite as many Mums, Dads and carers to join us as possible. Parents make a huge difference when they are able to attend trips making them more fun for everyone. If you think you may be able to help please let Michele know.

28th June 2010

2010-07-01T21:11:00.000Z

Ofsted Inspection Outcome

We are very proud to share with parents that following the inspection on Tuesday 15th of June Ofsted has judged Kate Greenaway to be an outstanding Nursery School.
We’d like to say a huge thank you for all the support we received from parents, especially if you completed the questionnaire or took some time to talk to the inspector.
You will find a letter to the children from the Ofsted inspector attached and there are copies of the report available in the foyer- if your child is on role and you would like your own copy please speak to Michele or Marie who will print you one.

Letter from Andrea, Acting Chair of Governors

Dear Parents
I would like to congratulate all staff for their hard work and for the fantastic ‘outstanding’ rating from Ofsted.
I am very proud and pleased that my children and so many others can benefit from the high quality service, dedication and care of the staff.
Well done,
Andrea

Reminder for Core Day Parents in Nursery

We would like to politely remind all Mums, Dads and Carers who collect their children at 3.30 to please make sure that you arrive and leave as promptly as possible. This is because it is difficult for us to offer tea to the extended day children at 3.45 when there are children waiting to be collected.
We know it can be hard to collect, talk to staff, pick up pictures etc. promptly so we will be finishing our group times by 3.20, please do feel free to come in from this time onwards.
If you are finding it difficult to pick up at 3.20 please talk to Michele or Jan.

Summer Picnic

Our annual Summer Picnic will be on Friday July 16th 3.30-5.30. We’d love everyone who comes to nursery or to stay and play to come and join us for a picnic in the centre’s gardens. Please bring some food to share, the more international the better!
We’ll make sure that there are plenty of things for young children to do. Older siblings are welcome of course, but we ask Parents to please be responsible for all their children. See you there!

News Letter June 7th 2010

2010-06-08T13:14:00.002Z

Tuesday 8th of June 2010

Message from the Governors

Dear Parents

I am pleased to inform you that Fiona Godfrey will be joining Kate Greenaway as the new Head of the Nursery School and Children’s Centre. She is highly qualified and experienced and is looking forward to getting to know everyone at Kate Greenaway.
Fiona is currently the Headteacher at Ambler Children’s Centre where she has been the Head for nearly four years. Prior to that she was the Deputy Head at Willow Children’s Centre and spent nearly 5 years as the Head of Foundation Stage at North Haringey Infant School.
Jan and Michele have been doing an excellent job in the absence of a head and will continue to do so until Fiona’s start date, which is still to be confirmed but is likely to be later in the Autumn.

Best wishes
Andrea Ledward
Acting Chair of Governors

Friday June 11th is National Book Start Day!

Kate Greenaway and Bemerton Children’s Centres are joining together to offer a free fun morning to celebrate in Barnard Park from 10am on Friday, open to all local families with children under five. This year’s theme is The Seaside so we’ll be sharing seaside stories and playing in the sand and water, in between bouncing on the bouncy castle of course!
Please do come and join us.
If your child is 18months-3 and you think you haven’t had your book start pack yet come along with your red book to collect it.

Friday 11th June
The nursery is going seaside crazy on Friday to celebrate Book Start Day.
We’ll have loads of activities to do with the sea like fishing games, looking at shells through the microscope, loads of sand and water activities, songs and rhymes and even a healthy version of fish and chips for lunch.
Bring your red book if you haven’t received your 18-36mth book start pack.
See overleaf for a seaside song to sing at home and nursery.

2010-05-19T09:44:00.001Z

May 19th 2010

Thinking about benefits, studying or work?

Are you interested in thinking about training or returning to work? Or maybe you want to be sure that you are getting your full entitlement to benefits or find out if you can afford childcare? There is a new local organisation to help families think through their choices called Islington Working for Parents. Marius from IWP is at Kate Greenaway every Thursday morning between 10 and 12 to meet parents and offer free support and advice about benefits, training and employment. If you’d like to know more please do come and meet him on Thursdays or ask Liz, Kara, Jan or Michele to find out more.

This Friday is the end of Adult Learners Week and City and Islington College are holding Fun Day Friday for parents and children, 3.30-6pm at the Centre for lifelong learning, 28-42 Blackstock Road. There will be loads for children to do, family entertainment and lots of information and for adults thinking about studying or returning to work. Pick up a leaflet from reception or simply go along.

Get Ready for Sunny Days

If you have a child in nursery please do make sure that they bring a sunhat and come with some covering on their shoulders (a t-shirt rather than a vest when possible). We will provide sun cream but many parents prefer to bring their own, if this is you please do bring it asap so we’re all ready when the sun finally shines….

Here We Grow Again!

Venti, our extra special gardening teacher has been helping the children plant out lots of plants for families to take home as part of our annual ‘Here We Grow’ project. Families have taken tomatoes, beans and pumpkins to grow on window ledges, balconies or in any corner with a little light. If you’d like to take part but haven’t got your plant yet let us know. We can offer some tips for getting the best out of your plants and we hope everyone will let us know how they get on.

KGE 11th May 2010

2010-05-10T16:24:00.006Z

Tuesday 11th May 2010
Dear parents and carers,

Whole Centre Closure
Just a reminder for all families that the centre will be closed on Monday 17th May all day for staff training. We will re-open to all children on Tuesday 18th May at the usual time.

Fluoride Varnishing programme
Kate Greenaway is one of the first Children’s Centre’s in Islington to offer this free programme for children aged 3. An oral health professional is coming to the nursery and stay & play sessions on Thursday & Friday this week (13th & 14th) from 9am to tell parents more about the programme which we hope to offer to all interested families at the end of May. Please do ask Jan or Michele to find out more before then.

Late collection of Children
Children with core day places finish nursery at 3:30pm
Please remember that you need to be at nursery at 3:25 to give yourself time for a handover discussion with your key person and to collect your child’s things. After 3:30 is late and makes it very difficult for both the children and the staff team who are trying to organise the end of day session for the extended day children. If you would like any more information about this please speak to Michele or Jan.

Toys and other personal items in nursery
We are becoming over whelmed by the number of toys the children are bringing into nursery. Please try to limit items from home to special transitional items that have been agreed by your key person. It is impossible for the staff team to keep an eye on toys from home and very difficult for the children when they are lost or if the children do not want to share them.

New March Newsletter out now

2010-03-27T16:54:00.002Z

Our March newsletter is out, including coverage of the 50th Birthday party. You can read it here (opens as a PDF).

Coverage of our 50th birthday party

2010-03-21T18:41:00.004Z

In case you missed it...

Islington Tribune

Islington Council

Cally Labour Councillors

Islington Children's Services news (front cover and page 4)

15th March 2010

2010-03-15T11:40:00.004Z

Don’t forget - it’s Review Day on Thursday

Your key person will have spoken to you about Review Day, when we arrange to meet every parent so we can focus on how each child is getting on, and how we can work together to help each child make further progress.

On Review Day children with core day places just come for a crèche place whilst you meet with your key person. Children with extended day places attend as normal. If you are unsure of anything please speak to your key person or email Michele.

We need a new parent governor

Lucy, Petra’s mother, is coming to the end of her period as a parent governor very soon. So we are looking for a new parent governor to join the governing body.

Being a governor is a really good way of supporting the development of the nursery school and children’s centre. The governing body has responsibility for strategic development, budget and staffing, with day to day leadership and management in the hands of the headteacher. It is an important role.

You do not need any special training or experience to be a parent governor – Islington offers a training programme, and the governing body is friendly and helpful to newcomers!

If you are interested, or want to find out more, please email Marie with your name and your child's name. A member of the governing body will then be in touch with you shortly.

10th March 2010

2010-03-10T07:39:00.001Z

Celebrating 50 years of Kate Greenaway Nursery School

All this week, we are celebrating Kate Greenaway’s Golden Birthday – and we hope you will be able to join in with some of the celebrations.

The nursery school is named after the children’s author and illustrator Kate Greenaway, who grew up in Islington in the 19th Century.

So our celebrations are focussed on children’s books and literature. We are working with local schools, the schools’ library service, and Lewis Carroll library.

All this week children are making books and telling stories through video.

Today (Wednesday) London zoo are coming to tell stories with animals

On Friday girls from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School are bringing the multi-lingual books they have created for the children into nursery, and will be sharing them.

On Friday we are inviting children to come dressed up as their favourite book character. Home-made stuff is great – there is no need to have a full costume. We’d prefer no TV characters, Batman suits etc as the focus is on books.

Friday evening (6pm-8pm) we are holding an event at The Guardian (King’s Place, York Way) on the history and future of the nursery school. The main speaker will be Professor Tina Bruce (who works closely with us) and there will be a panel discussion at the end chaired by Polly Toynbee. If you would like a ticket, please ask Julian. More details here.

On Saturday we are open from 10.30am to 2.30pm for a day of storytelling, songs and music, face painting and more – so come along if you are free. There will be activities for older children at Lewis Carroll Library. More details here.

We hope you will come along and enjoy one or more of these events.

March 3rd 2010

2010-03-02T14:41:00.001Z

How well do children get on after they leave Kate Greenaway?

Islington Council has recently followed up the outcomes for children who attend the Children’s Centres. We are very pleased to let you know that children from Kate Greenaway go on to do very well in primary school.

Our aim is to provide a high-quality nursery education planned around play (indoors and outdoors), together with a strong emphasis on care (the key person approach) on helping children to develop positive behaviour.

We employ qualified nursery education workers (at level 3) and early years teachers because research evidence shows that the level of staff training directly affects the development and learning of the children.

At the end of their reception year, all children are assessed using the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile. A score of 78 points or more is considered by the Department of Children, Schools and Families to show that the child is “developing well”.

8 out of 10 children from Kate Greenaway achieve a score of 78 points or more. This is much higher than the level for Islington as a whole. Nationally, 75% of children reach this level, so you can see we are also ahead of the rest of the country too.

Of course, we have to be careful about numbers, results and targets for such young children.
For us, the important thing is that children enjoy nursery and the company of other children. By working with parents, we aim to help children to develop their learning.

We are very pleased to be able to say that all the evidence shows that your child is getting the best possible start by coming to Kate Greenaway.

The staff team at Kate Greenaway

P.S. Do you want to feedback your views and shape the direction of Kate Greenaway?

Don’t forget to come to the Parent Forum, this Saturday at 10.30am.

23rd February 2010

2010-02-22T15:33:00.002Z

Did your child go home in nursery boots during the snowy weather?

We are running really low on boots in nursery, and we think that some are missing because children went home in them when it was snowy and they did not come back.
Please could you check at home, and return boots if you have them. Having the boots here allows children to enjoy the garden when it’s wet and muddy.

Also, if you have old wellington boots that no longer fit your child – we’d love to have them!

Thanks, Michele

Update: front garden

As you can probably see, work has not quite gone to plan with the front garden. The bad weather has delayed progress and it will be at least another week before the garden is reopened.

Because of this, the Pod will be closed all week, and all our Stay and Plays are cancelled except for the Friday and Saturday groups. We are sorry to do this, but there is no other safe or sensible option.

If it keeps raining then it is possible there will be even more delays – we will let you know.

New Children’s Centre programme

Don’t forget to check out our new programme. We have new services running at the Barnsbury Community Hall, including classes for people learning English as an Additional Language (ESOL) and an even bigger and better exercise/Pilates class.

News, and key dates, February 10th 2010

2010-02-10T11:22:00.003Z

Closure of the Pod for works to the garden

The Pod will be closed all next week for all users. This means that the Monday and Thursday Stay and Plays are cancelled. The Friday Stay and Play will go ahead as usual, with parents and children using the main nursery entrance. We are having a sand and water garden, willow tunnel, music area and growing beds installed in the front garden, and look forward to much-improved play facilities there ready for the spring and summer.

Important dates

If you child has a core day place, then Friday is the last day of nursery before half term. We start back on Monday 22nd February. If your child has an extended day/year place, then nursery continues as normal next week. But please note the change to the last day of the extended summer nursery, which is now confirmed by Islington as Monday 16th August. Please check the complete list of dates below:

Reminder: Key dates at Kate Greenaway 2009-2010

Monday 15 – Friday 19th February inclusive
School half term

Monday 1st March
Development Morning Closure *

Thursday 18th March
Review Day **

Thursday 1st April
Last day of spring term

Monday 19th April
First day of summer term

Monday 10th May
Development Morning Closure *

Monday 17th May
Whole centre and nursery closed for training and development

Thursday 27th May
Review Day **

Monday 31st May – Friday 4th June inclusive
School half term

Monday 21st June
Development Morning Closure *

Friday 23rd July
Last day of summer term

Please note this changed date: Monday 16th August
Last day of extended year summer scheme (confirmed)

School term starts in Islington on Wednesday 1st September, when all schools are closed for training and development. We will confirm the first day back for children once next year’s dates have been agreed.

* On Development Mornings, the nursery is closed all morning and opens at 1pm.

** On Review Days the nursery is closed so that we can meet with every parent and carer to review each child’s development. The nursery stays open for children with extended day/year places.

10th February 2010

2010-02-10T11:19:00.002Z

Leaving Kate Greenaway

Dear parents and carers

I’m writing to let you know formally that I will be leaving Kate Greenaway at the end of this term and taking up a new post in Tower Hamlets in the summer. I can’t begin to say in a short space how much I have enjoyed being headteacher here at Kate Greenaway, getting to know so many children and families, and being supported so well by the staff team, governing body and so many others in the local community. I have learnt more since I came here in 2003 than in any other part of my career, and I’ll always hold a special affection for Kate Greenaway and the whole community in North Kings Cross. There is a letter from Lucy, our chair of governors, below.

Julian

Dear parents

We are writing to let you know that our Headteacher Julian Grenier has found a new job with Tower Hamlets as their Early Years adviser. This means he will be leaving Kate Greenaway at the end of March. Julian has made a big impact on the lives of so many families in our community. He has made Kate Greenaway into a special place for all of us, always focusing on how he can ensure the Centre does the very best for our children. We will all be sad to see him go but we wish him the very best for his next steps and hope that the new job will be fulfilling for him.

The Governing Body is now seeking a new permanent Headteacher from the Autumn Term 2010 or earlier. We are currently making interim arrangements to take responsibility for Kate Greenaway after Julian leaves until the new Headteacher starts.

The Governors wish to appoint a Headteacher who will take forward and build on Julian’s work and lead the strong and highly skilled staff team that we have in place.

As soon as we have more news for you, we will be in touch

With best wishes

Lucy Lloyd, Chair of Governors

On behalf of Kate Greenaway Nursery School and Children’s Centre Governors

February newsletter out now

2010-02-09T21:57:00.002Z

Read our latest newsletter here (opens in a new window as a PDF)

2nd February 2010

2010-02-02T08:17:00.002Z

Help urgently required: visits to the Natural History Museum

We are planning to take all the three and four year olds to the Natural History Museum over the next month. But in order to do this, we need help.

Please talk to Michele if you are able to come along and help – there will be a list of dates going up soon.

We will be walking up to Caledonian Road Station and then getting the Piccadilly Line to South Kensington before spending time in the museum, especially in the dinosaur area.

Children travel free on the tube, but you will need to bring your Oyster card. You and your child will also need to bring a packed lunch with you. We do not recommend bringing a buggy.

The trip will be a great experience for the children, and they will be learning from the minute they set off up the road, use the lift at the station and follow the tube map.

The children need a high level of supervision – please volunteer some of your time if you can.

Under Fives Dental Health promotion

Did you know that Islington has one of the highest levels of tooth decay and tooth extraction amongst children in the whole country?

Dental problems in childhood can be painful and can affect children’s early speech.

On Thursday February 25th we are holding a dental health promotion event in the morning from 10am to 11.30am.

Come along and:

Get free advice
Register with a dentist (all treatment for children is free on the NHS)
Pick up a free toothbrush and toothpaste for your child

For more information – contact Liz

Find more information about registering with a dentist for free treatment here.

25th January 2010

2010-01-25T08:05:00.000Z

Important reminder: arrival times for children in the morning
At Kate Greenaway we have a flexible dropping-off system for all children. This is planned to help parents and staff settle children in, and also to help parents who have older children in school – we know you can’t be in two places at the same time!

But please remember that all children with morning places need to be in nursery by 9.30am. The reason for this, is that we want all the children to be able to take part in the day’s activities, and if children arrive throughout the morning the group becomes unsettled. It is also difficult for children who arrive later, as often the others are already formed in groups and busy.

If your child has a medical appointment or another reason to be late, we understand of course.

But otherwise please help the smooth running of Kate Greenaway by making sure that your child arrives by 9.30am at the very latest. This includes all children – babies, toddlers, 3 and 4 year olds, children with termtime places and children with extended day/year places.

Free theatre production for 2 to 5 year olds
Lewis Carroll Library on Copenhagen Street are hosting the Court Theatre Training Company on Friday 29th January.

They are producing short plays for 2 to 5 year olds on Myths and Fairytales – Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood and more…

It’s free for any parent to come along with their child, starting at 10am. If you would like to take your own child, then please let your key person know during the week (by Wednesday at the latest) – thanks.

We will also take a small group over from Kate Greenaway: if you would like to help us with this, then please let Michele know.

12th January 2010

2010-01-12T09:14:00.001Z

Staffing update

I would like to start the newsletter by introducing Anna to all parents and carers. Anna is working with us this term for three days a week as an additional nursery teacher, whilst Michele covers some of Jan’s responsibilities. Jan remains at Golden Lane this term as their interim head.

On Friday, our cook Yogi started her maternity leave – so I know that everyone will join with me in wishing her well. We are interviewing for a temporary cook this week.
We have a new Turkish-speaking Bilingual Family Support and Outreach worker, Duygu, working with us and the other local Children’s Centres. Duygu is holding a breakfast for Turkish-speaking families on Tuesday January 26th, 9am-10am, here at Kate Greenaway.

Snow

I am sure you were pleased at the efforts of everyone on the staff team to keep the nursery running all last week. We would like to thank parents of children with extended day places for agreeing to pick children up early during the period of severe weather.

Reminder: choosing a reception class for your child

All parents and carers are welcome to our meeting about choosing your child’s school, on Tuesday 19th January starting at 9.30am.

Parents wanted for telephone interviews
£20 in high street vouchers paid

The Family & Parenting Institute, and the Campaign for Learning, two independent charities, are looking for mothers, fathers and carers of 2, 3 and 4 year old children who are taking up childcare funding for the first time in January 2010, to be interviewed on the phone about what kind of support they need or would like to help their children learn and develop.

You will receive £20 in high street vouchers-accepted in Argos, M&S, Sainsburys and many more shops - for two, half hour interviews, one before the end of Jan and one 6 months later, at times to suit you. For more information:

n Ask Julian at Kate Greenaway for more details or
n Contact: National Family and Parenting Institute, The Provider Influence Team, Freepost, LON 12668, NW5 1YR

Email PI@familyandparenting.org

Telephone 020 7424 3481

5th January 2010 - Happy New Year from Kate Greenaway

2010-01-05T09:57:00.004Z

New children settling in

This term we have 10 new children settling in to the Nursery and the Baby Nest. Awe stagger settling in to make sure that we can give plenty of attention to each child, and also to minimise the disruption to children already on roll. However, during this period the staff will be giving extra attention to the new children and this can be a little unsettling to children on roll. Please speak to your key person if you feel this is affecting your child.

Choosing a primary school for your child
If your child was born between 1 September 2005 and 31 August 2006 you will need to apply for a primary school place for September 2010/January 2011. You can ask for a paper form by calling 0207 527 5515 or you can apply online.

We are holding a workshop with Islington’s School Choice team here on Tuesday January 19th at 9.30am. At the workshop, you can ask questions about the best ways to go about choosing your child’s primary school and share ideas with other parents. Please remember that you must submit your form by Tuesday 2nd February 2010

Reminder of key dates, etc
Please check the list of dates below.

New Children’s Centre Programme
As well as continuing all our popular services, we have added swimming and an adult exercise class to our programme. Please have a look here (opens as a PDF in a new window) or pick up a copy from the front desk and find out what we’re offering for families.

Do you have a Maclaren buggy? Order your free elbow joint hinge covers
You may find the following information from their website useful:

Elbow joint hinge covers To obtain a set of hinge covers please go to http://covers.maclaren.co.uk/ and fill out the order form.

What are the basic precautions?

The main instructions are to:
Keep children clear of the stroller during opening and folding.
Always use the safety harness.
Always apply the brakes when stationary.
Never leave your child unattended – even with the harness fastened.
Don’t overload the buggy. Heavy items hanging from the handles can cause it to topple over.
Don’t let children play or climb on a stroller and don’t carry a second child on a stroller designed for one child.
Negotiate curbs carefully. Wherever possible always carry a stroller down flights of stairs.

...

You should also keep the buggy clean and check that it is good working order before you use it. If you have any problems, contact us on 01327 841320 (between 9am and 5pm) or contact one of our service centres (listed on our website).

Reminder: Key dates at Kate Greenaway 2010

Tuesday 5th January 2010
First day of Spring Term

Tuesday 19th January 2010
9.30am workshop: choosing a primary school for your child

Monday 25th January 2010
Development Morning Closure *

Monday 15 – Friday 19th February inclusive
School half term

Monday 1st March
Development Morning Closure *

Thursday 18th March
Review Day **

Thursday 1st April
Last day of spring term

Monday 19th April
First day of summer term

Monday 10th May
Development Morning Closure *

Monday 17th May
Whole centre and nursery closed for training and development

Thursday 27th May
Review Day **

Monday 31st May – Friday 4th June inclusive
School half term

Monday 21st June
Development Morning Closure *

Friday 23rd July
Last day of summer term

Friday 13th August
Last day of extended year summer scheme.

On both Development Mornings and Review Days, the nursery remains open for children with extended day/year places

* On Development Mornings, the nursery is closed all morning and opens at 1pm.

** On Review Days the nursery is closed so that we can meet with every parent and carer to review each child’s development.

New Community Services Programme out NOW

2009-12-20T22:26:00.002Z

Our new Community Services programme is available to download here. The new programme is bigger and better - as well as continuing all our popular services, we are adding a weekly swim and exercise class.

December 2009 newsletter

2009-12-13T16:04:00.002Z

Our latest newsletter has just been published; you can read it here (opens as a PDF).

7th December

2009-12-07T13:45:00.000Z

Party Season at Kate Greenaway

Just to remind everyone…the Christmas Party for children on roll in the nursery is on Friday this week, from 3.30pm-5.30pm. We hope you will be able to come and stay or drop in with your child. There will be food to share, and also a puppet show for the children.

The end of year party for all children in our reach is on Saturday 19th December, 10.30am-12.30pm. All families with children under 5 are welcome to come along, and there will be food and music from around the world to enjoy as well as the usual programme of Saturday events.

If you would like to help set up either or both of these events, or help clear up at the end – then please let any member of staff know.

Even better, if you have a great idea for a stall or children’s activity – please let us know.

Swimming sessions
We are planning to book the small pool at Cally Pool for a session every week in the new year, and we are consulting parents about the best day and time to book. If you are interested, please sign up this week in the front office. The sessions will include a swimming instructor, and you will need to come into the water with your child (though you do not have to be able to swim).

Advance notice: closure of the Pod and front garden
From our most recent parent consultation, we know that many of you would like improvements to the front garden so that there is more available at Stay and Plays. We have successfully bid for money, and in the new year work will be going on to install a sand and water play area, climbing equipment, more storage, and more vegetable growing areas.

We don’t have a date yet for the works, but please be aware that the Pod and garden will be closing for Stay and Plays for one to two weeks early in the new year.

1st December 2009

2009-11-30T13:14:00.002Z

Christmas Celebration at Kate Greenaway

We are planning a special Christmas celebration with the children on Friday 11th December, running from 3.30-5.30pm. We will be sharing food and having activities and stalls for children. If you’ve got ideas for stalls or want to help out in any way, then please let Julian or Michele know. The children will be cooking during the day to make food to share. We hope that if your child usually goes home at 3.30pm (or 11.45am) you will come and enjoy the celebration. If your child has an extended day place, then we hope you might be able to leave work early and come and join in with your child.

All children on roll are welcome, whatever day they normally come in.

Job vacancies at Kate Greenaway

We have two vacancies at the moment.

We need a part time Early Years teacher to work with us next term, 3 days a week. This post will help Michele to cover Jan’s secondment to Golden Lane, which continues for another term.
We also need a temporary cook for the Community Kitchen to cover Yogi’s maternity leave next year.

If you know anyone who would be interested – please let them know.

Job details are on our website.

Filming at Kate Greenaway

Please see an important message, below:

To all parents at Kate Greenaway Nursery

Would you be willing to help with an important new project that Kate Greenaway nursery is involved in?

I’m Julie, from a young people’s charity called Young People in Focus. We are helping young mums and dads who are in prison to learn how to play with their children. The project is funded by the Big Lottery.

Many young people in prison come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and may not have had very good experiences of playing when they were younger.

So now that they are parents, many are unsure about how to play with their child. This DVD will help support them, showing children of different ages (from babies to pre-school children) playing with toys, books, and games, and making things. The DVD will then be shown in prisons as part of a parenting course for young people.

Kate Greenaway Children’s Centre and Islington Council has agreed to help us with this important project. The filming will take place on one day at Kate Greenaway nursery. The children will be filmed playing in all the usual ways that they do at nursery. The Kate Greenaway nursery won’t be named on the DVD.

On the day of the filming, you will be asked to fill in a consent form if you are willing for your child to take part in the filming. If you don’t want your child to be filmed on that day, that’s absolutely fine too. It’s your choice. However, we do hope you will be willing to help us with this important work.

If you have any questions, please speak to Julian Grenier (headteacher).

Thank you!

Julie Shepherd

I am running the project at Young People in Focus so if you want to find out more you can call me (Julie Shepherd) on 01273 647324 (direct line with voicemail) You can also look at our website to find out more about us www.youngpeopleinfocus.org.uk

New jobs at Kate Greenaway

2009-11-28T14:18:00.002Z

We are advertising for two posts:

a cook for our community kitchen (temporary, to cover a maternity leave until the end of July 2010)
a part time, 3-day per week teacher for the nursery school (temporary, to cover the secondment of our deputy Jan to Golden Lane, until the end of the Spring Term)

To read the job packs for these posts and to apply on line, please visit our website

24th November 2009

2009-11-24T01:06:00.002Z

Dear parents and carers

Parent Forum

Thanks to everyone who came to the Parent Forum meeting on Saturday 14^th. As promised, here is a rundown of some of the main issues that were raised:

Can we have more sessions around employment and Job Centre Plus?
More English classes for people who are learning English as an additional language (ESOL classes)
Could we have a weekday swimming session – hire Cally Pool just for families living in the Kate Greenaway reach?
Pilates/yoga/aerobics – with crèche
First Aid course for parents – with crèche
Can we have more speakers attending groups e.g. Family Information Services, School Admissions, Libraries etc.
More on Developmental Movement Play
Can we have a Suggestions Box?

We’ll get back to you on all these issues soon. Julian and Kara

Parking on the estate

We’ve had a couple of incidents recently when residents have been angry or upset because their car has been boxed in by nursery parents dropping off or picking up children.

Please remember that you should not enter the estate in your car. If you need to use your car, then please use the meter bays on Copenhagen Street. Cars parked on the estate without permits may be clamped by Parking Control Services

We rely on the support and help of our local community in many ways – for example, parents of disabled children need special exemptions to be able to bring their cars to the nursery. So please help us maintain good relations – thanks.

17th November

2009-11-17T07:47:00.002Z

Reminder: we are closed for all children this Friday for training and development and we are having a Development Morning on Monday 30th November.

To help you keep up to date, our newsletter KGE comes out every Tuesday in termtime and you can also read it by logging onto our website, http://www.kategreenaway.ik.org/. Please make a note of the important dates for the year ahead which are reprinted overleaf. If you are unsure about anything, please ask your key person or any other member of staff.

BikeStart

Thanks to all the parents and carers who have signed up for a taster BikeStart session. BikeStart is our scheme to encourage children to ride 2-wheel bikes, and we’re running it thanks for the support of TFL and the London Cycling Campaign. The scheme includes Saturday bike sessions for children aged up to 6, a link with Copenhagen and St Andrew’s Primary Schools, and special sessions at Kate Greenaway every Monday and Thursday afternoon.

We are looking for parent volunteers to help the children with the bikes on Mondays and Thursdays, 1.30-2.30pm. If you would like to help out then please speak to Julian or Michele.

Your child’s learning and development Birth to Five

If you didn’t get a copy of this last week, then please pick one up from the lobby. Other parents have said that it gives helpful advice and ideas.

Reminder: Key dates at Kate Greenaway 2009-2010

Friday 20th November
Whole centre and nursery closed for training and development

Monday 30th November
Development Morning Closure *

Friday 18th December
Last day of winter term

24th December – 1st January inclusive
Nursery closed for all children

Monday 4th January 2010
Whole centre and nursery closed for training and development

Tuesday 5th January 2010
First day of Spring Term

Monday 25th January 2010
Development Morning Closure *

Monday 15 – Friday 19th February inclusive
School half term

Monday 1st March
Development Morning Closure *

Thursday 18th March
Review Day **

Thursday 1st April
Last day of spring term

Monday 19th April
First day of summer term

Monday 10th May
Development Morning Closure *

Monday 17th May
Whole centre and nursery closed for training and development

Thursday 27th May
Review Day **

Monday 31st May – Friday 4th June inclusive
School half term

Monday 21st June
Development Morning Closure *

Friday 23rd July
Last day of summer term

Friday 13th August
Planned last day of extended year summer scheme (to be confirmed)

* On Development Mornings, the nursery is closed all morning and opens at 1pm. ** On Review Days the nursery is closed so that we can meet with every parent and carer to review each child’s development. The nursery stays open for children with extended day/year places.

Monday 9th November, 2009

2009-11-08T17:10:00.002Z

Remember it’s Review Day - Thursday November 12th

If you have a core day termtime place, then you will have an appointment to meet with your key person to talk about your child’s development and learning. Your child will only come to nursery for a crèche place during your appointment time. This enables staff to meet with all parents and carers.

If you have an extended day/year place, then your child attends as normal and your key person will make an arrangement to meet with you.

At the meeting, you will have a chance to discuss how you think your child is getting on and find out about her or his learning and development in nursery. You and your key person will agree on how to help your child’s next steps of learning. If you have any worries about your child then please do feel confident to talk these through with your key person.

You will also get a free copy of a new publication about children’s development and learning from birth to five years old, which has been developed with the involvement of Kate Greenaway. You can also download this publication here.

Could we be greener?

Yes, we could.

Kate Greenaway is involved in Islington’s Sustainable Schools programme and we are looking at ways to be more environmentally friendly. We have already taken some steps e.g. the emphasis on outdoor play and growing vegetables; our mains water dispenser which reduces use of bottled water; recycling printer cartridges etc. We are currently working to recycle much more of our waste and will be involving the children in this. In the near future we are planning to increase our use of local and seasonal ingredients in the kitchen, to have a fruit and vegetable sale from the nursery once a week, and to set up a Freecycling scheme so parents can pass on children’s toys, clothes and equipment they no longer need. If you have any ideas – please let us know.

19th October 2009

2009-10-20T08:27:00.002Z

Governor election

The results of our recent Parent Governor elections were very close with Helen and Heleanna winning, so they will both join the governing body. We are really delighted that so many of you voted. Thanks to everyone who took part.

Lucy Lloyd, chair of the governing body

School half term and other closures

Don’t forget that the last day of the school term is this Friday (23rd October). There is a week’s holiday so children return on Monday 2nd November.

This does not affect you if your child has an extended day/year place.

The nursery is closed for all children on Friday November 20th (for staff training and development).

BikeStart

We are extending our popular BikeStart scheme soon.

BikeStart (funded by the London Cycle Campaign) is a scheme to encourage children to learn to ride two-wheel pedal bikes without stabilisers. In order to build up to riding these bikes, we have a number of wooden bikes (without pedals) and wooden trolleys to encourage children’s confidence and develop their balance.

As well as four Saturday sessions, we are going to offer special sessions for children on roll after half term. These sessions will be on Monday afternoons 1pm-2pm, and Thursday afternoons 1.30-2.30pm (with reception children from St Andrew’s Primary School).

We really need some parent volunteers to make this project go well. If you are keen to get children riding bikes, and can come to one or both weekly sessions - then please let Julian or Michele know. The children will need help with helmets and general confidence-building – you can make a real difference.

9th October 2009

2009-10-09T15:01:00.002Z

Stand out from the crowd: free workshops

Are you interested in returning to work or training for a job? Would you like some advice and support?

We are planning to offer a series of free workshops for personal, employment and career development.

If you would like to know more, there is information in the front lobby, and Simon from the Career Orienteer service will be coming to speak to parents and answers your questions next Friday from 10am. Please come along if you would like to find out more about this new project.

Problems with buggy storage

Earlier this week, the wrong buggy was accidentally taken from the store in front of the nursery by a parent. As many of us have the same buggies etc, it is easy to do this. But it was distressing for the parent concerned and gave rise to the worry that the buggy might have been stolen. So we need to try to minimise the chance of this happening again.

Please note that buggies and any other property are left in the nursery at your own risk. If you would like to lock your buggy to the rail using a bike or other lock, then we are happy for you to do this. Please fold up your buggy before locking it, so that others can do the same if they choose to.

The buggy area is close to reception and is generally watched over. However, if you are leaving a child’s bike you may wish to lock it up. Small scooters that fold up or anything else small can be left in the front office, again at your own risk.

Julian

October 5th

2009-10-02T16:05:00.002Z

Governing Body

We are holding an election for a parent governor later this week.

The Governing Body is in charge of the overall direction of the Nursery School and Children’s Centre. So it’s important and can make a real difference to the lives of children and their families.
We think that the role of parent governor is really vital – after all parents have real first-hand knowledge of what’s best for their children. All the governors work to help the development of Kate Greenaway, and help us to improve through support and challenge.

So, when you get the letter later this week please don’t forget to have your say and cast your vote. There is one vote for each parent – so if we have two parents registered for a child, then each parent can vote; if you are a lone parent then you will get a single vote.

It’s Children’s Book Week

We are celebrating Children’s Book Week with trips to the local bookshop (Borders) and to the Lewis Carroll Library.

The theme of Children’s Book Week is Words and Pictures.

Books are so important to children’s development and learning – and such fun, too. So we hope lots of parents and carers will join us in the trips out next week. Don’t forget you can borrow books from the nursery collection and also from the library rack next to Marie’s desk. During the week we will be encouraging families to sign up for the local library – which is free and entitles you to borrow books and more.

If you have not had your free BookStart pack – please ask Michele for yours. If your child is over 4 years old then you get the next pack, the Treasure Box, which we can also give you.
So – ask for yours today, don’t miss out!

Children’s illnesses – ‘flu, Chicken Pox, etc

We have a child on roll now who has serious health difficulties, making him very vulnerable to ordinary infections and illnesses.

If you keep your child off nursery because of ‘flu, Chicken Pox or another infection – please could you call and let us know as soon as possible, and then we can let the parent and health team know too.

Julian

September 28th 2009

2009-09-25T15:48:00.002Z

Dear parents and carers,

It feels like the first month of the new term is flying past. We are enjoying getting to know the new children and settling them in, helping children move from Baby Nest to the Nursery, and settling the other children back.

Don’t forget that you can see the weekly planning for both the teams on their display boards, so you know what experiences are being planned for your child’s group.

If your child is in the Baby Nest then we will ask you regularly about what your child is doing at home, so we can link home and nursery together as well as possible. If this trial in the Baby Nest goes well, then we will extend it to the Nursery too.

If you have any worries or concerns about your child’s development – however small – then do feel free to talk to your key person. We can often help your child with a bit of extra support, and can also involve other professionals like the speech and language therapist or psychologist with your agreement.

Open Day and launch of the Community Kitchen

Our open day on Friday 18th was a really big success – so thank you, everyone who came, brought food and joined in. We had over 100 people sharing the picnic in the garden and the launch of the kitchen went really well.

Later this term, we are going to be launching the next phase of the Community Kitchen. We will be running groups, drop-ins and taster sessions for parents interested in cooking and healthy eating. We are also planning to sell some good directly from the kitchen, and will be looking into running other food events at Kate Greenaway.

The children’s lunches are now going very well, with fresher and better meals and more staff sitting with the children.

If you would like to get involved in the Community Kitchen or you have more ideas – then please let us know, we are always eager to hear from you.

Letter about Swine Flu at Kate Greenaway: 24th September 2009

2009-09-24T15:14:00.002Z

You can read our latest letter about swine flu here.

9th July 2009

2009-07-09T08:19:00.001Z

Calling all parents…

Are you interested in getting more involved?

We have space for parents on our Governing Body. We meet every term and support the staff in making decisions about the nursery school and children's centre and planning for the future.

Some parents have already expressed an interest.

If you would like to as well please let Julian know by Tuesday 14 July and we will get in touch to talk to you about what it would involve. It's a great chance to find out more about Kate Greenaway and great for your CV too.

You can also find out more about being a school governor here.

Lucy Lloyd - Chair of the Governing Body
Andrea Ledward – Vice Chair of the Governing Body

Kate Greenaway Fun Day and picnic

A big thank you for everyone who came along, and special thanks for course to all those who helped to set up and tidy up at the end. We thought it was a really successful event, especially as it looked like it was going to rain for the most of the morning! We’ll give you an exact figure for how much we raised once we have taken all the expenses off, but it’s around £250. We will put it towards the development of the Pod garden, where we are planning to have a willow tunnel installed and a sand garden built during the next 12 months.

We’re already planning our next event, which is going to be on Friday September 18th. On that day, we are planning to launch our Community Kitchen and have stalls focussing on cooking and eating, and helping children to stay healthy. If you have any good ideas or would like to help plan this event – please contact Julian.

6th July 2009

2009-07-06T09:24:00.001Z

This week there is a full summer newsletter, not just KG Express - you can read it here.

June 24th 2009

2009-06-24T10:03:00.002Z

Parent Survey 2009

During this week and next, your key person will give you a copy of Islington’s Annual Survey. We hope you will be able to spend a few minutes filling the form in.

The surveys are then sent to Islington, who collate the findings – no-one here at Kate Greenaway sees them.

It is helpful to everyone if you give your views as clearly and honestly as possible; then we will know from Islington’s feedback what we are doing well, and what we should do better. There is a handwritten number on your form and envelope but this does not link it to you – each block of forms we give out is numbered, so that if there are groups of parents and users who are not responding, we can give out more forms or encourage returns.

But it is optional, and entirely your decision.

Last year we got a very high response rate – so please, if you have a few minutes, fill in a survey and return it in the envelope provided.

If you want a form: drop into Kate Greenaway and ask for one at the office, or phone Family Information Service on 020 7527 5959.

You can have the document in large print, Braille, audiotape or in another language.

There is no option to complete the form online, but you can email Family Information Service who can send you a copy.

Reminder: Important Dates

Friday 3rd July
Summer Fun Day and Picnic

Monday 20th July
Last day of school summer term

17th August — 4th September (inclusive)
Nursery closed for all children

Monday 7th September
First day of the winter term

Monday 22nd September
Development Morning Closure *

Monday 26th-Friday 30th October
School half term

Thursday 12th November
Review Day **

Monday 30th November
Development Morning Closure *

Friday 18th December
Last day of winter term

24th December – 1st January (inclusive)
Nursery closed for all children

Monday 4th January 2010
First day of spring term

Monday 15 – Friday 19th February
School half term

Thursday 1st April
Last day of spring term

* On Development Mornings, the nursery is closed all morning and opens at 1pm. ** On Review Days the nursery is closed so that we can meet with every parent and carer to review each child’s development. The nursery stays open for children with extended day/year places.

22nd June 2009

2009-06-19T13:16:00.002Z

Summer Fun Day

On Friday 3rd July it’s our Summer Fun day and picnic at Kate Greenaway. We are looking to go better than last year’s event, which was a fantastic get-together of over a hundred people sharing food and enjoying the garden.

The event runs from 3.30pm-6pm. We are planning to offer:

Lots of food to enjoy from different cultures and cooking styles
Face painting
Henna
Lucky dip
Smoothie and barbecue stall
Plant sale

Have you got any good ideas for a stall or an event? You might be able to help provide music, dance or other entertainment, or have a good idea for a stall? If so, then please talk to or email Julian or Michele. We will also be looking for parents to bring food to share with others.

Staffing update

There are a few changes happening to our staffing over the next few months.

Jan will be interim acting head of the Golden Lane Children’s Centre next term. Although we’ll really miss Jan for the term, I know that all the staff are really thrilled for her that she has been asked to take this post on, in recognition of all her achievements at Kate Greenaway.

Karen will be taking over as the team leader for Baby Nest, and Debbie will be taking on Karen’s post of leading on the extended day/year provision.

Anontella will be moving to Baby Nest, too, with Vicky moving to the Nursery Team temporarily whilst we recruit for a permanent member of staff.

In January 2010, Stacey will be returning from her maternity leave to resume her post with the Baby Nest team. We are nearly all set to get the Community Kitchen up and running from September, when we plan to take on cooking meals here and a whole range of other things, too, including selling lunches and ready-prepared meals to families.

Julian

12th June 2009

2009-06-11T13:15:00.001Z

Review Day: we’re sorry

We unfortunately had to reschedule the Review Day for most children because we had under-estimated how much time it would take to put together the reports for the leavers and make sure we had the right information ready about all the other children, too. We made every effort to tell each parent in person, but we’re sorry if anyone got missed out and also sorry if it has caused you inconvenience.

We are meeting with all the parents of children who are leaving this week, and we will meet everyone else on Monday 22nd June. This means that if your child has a core day place, there will not be the usual nursery day on the 22nd, just a "crèche place" so you can meet with your key person. Families with extended day/year places are not affected, and staff will make individual arrangements to meet that group of parents.

The new date: Review Day for children with Core Day places is Monday 22nd June.

Please remember that Monday 15th June (this Monday coming) is a staff development morning. This means that nursery opens at 1pm for children with Core Day places.

Parentline Plus

Financial pressures can put families under strain, and with the current economic times, some families will be affected. Parentline Plus (funded by the Departments for Children, Schools and Families) offers parents emotional support and signposting to specialist advice on any issue from difficult toddlers to challenging teens and family rows.

Many parents have found Parentline Plus' 24-hour, free and confidential helpline 0808 800 2222 invaluable.

1st June 2009

2009-06-01T07:25:00.003Z

Sunny weather

Although we have a well-shaded garden it’s still important to make sure that children do not get too much sun.

• Children must wear a T-shirt or other top which covers their shoulders (not vests, not strappy tops or dresses please).

• Children should also bring a hat to wear in the garden – you might want to label it with your child’s name.

• Please put plenty of sun cream on your child before the start of the day. We have some SP 15 sunscreen which we can put on children during the day, but we prefer it if your child has her or his own bottle of sunscreen.

For more information, go to NHS Direct

Dates

Important dates 2009-2010

Thursday 11th June
Review Day **

Monday 22nd June
Development Morning Closure *

Friday 3rd July
Summer Fun Day and Picnic

Monday 20th July
Last day of summer term

17th August — 4th September (inclusive)
Nursery closed for all children

Monday 7th September
First day of the winter term

Monday 22nd September
Development Morning Closure *

Monday 26th-Friday 30th October
School half term

Thursday 12th November
Review Day **

Monday 30th November
Development Morning Closure *

Friday 18th December
Last day of winter term

24th December – 1st January (inclusive)
Nursery closed for all children

Monday 4th January 2010
First day of spring term

Monday 15 – Friday 19th February
School half term

Thursday 1st April
Last day of spring term

* On Development Mornings, the nursery is closed all morning and opens at 1pm. ** On Review Days the nursery is closed so that we can meet with every parent and carer to review each child’s development. The nursery stays open for children with extended day/year places.

See Islington Term Dates 2009-2010

18th May 2009

2009-05-18T07:16:00.002Z

Parents as First Teachers

Are you looking for some information or advice about

· Toilet training?
· Dealing with Tantrums?
· Sleep?
· Bilingualism?
· Managing fussy eating?
· Dental health?
· What might come next in your child’s development (3’s and under)?

Any family using any service at Kate Greenaway Nursery School and Children’s Centre can pick up advice on any of the above topics from the Parents as First Teachers programme (PAFT).

We currently have three staff trained to offer advice and information from PAFT (Jan, Dawn and Liz) and Kara, Kulwinder, Eileen, Yussef, Sadia and Fatema will be joining us soon. The programme includes clear information sheets on these popular topics for parents (and many more) and also information on what to expect at each stage of development for children from birth to three.

There are two ways to pick up some information or discuss a parenting issue with us, either come along to the PAFT stay and play group on Thursday between 10 and 12 (you don’t have to have your child with you if they are in nursery) or simply ask one of us to arrange a time to meet with you.

For more information contact Jan.

More information about PAFT is available here.

Reminder about dates

We are closed for all children on Thursday and Friday this week, for staff training and development.

School half term is Monday 25th-Friday 29th May inclusive. Children with extended day/year place continue to attend during this week - but don’t forget that
Monday 25th May is a Bank Holiday.

If you are not sure about anything please ask your key person.

12th May 2009

2009-05-12T07:20:00.001Z

Starting school

If your child is four years old before 31st August 2009, then you will have been notified of your primary school place by Islington. If you have not, or you have any questions or problems with school admissions, please let Julian or Michele know.

Transition to primary school is a really important step for all children. This is how we work with schools to support the children:

The school will arrange a time for your child to visit, see the classroom, playground, dining hall etc and usually meet the classteacher. Please let us know if your child is visiting her or his school: then your key person can talk to your child in nursery about it.
We encourage the reception teacher and/or teaching assistant to come and visit the children here at Kate Greenaway, too.
If your child has special educational needs, we will arrange a transition meeting between our staff and the school staff.
We will complete an end of nursery report, which you contribute to, and which is then sent to the primary school.
We will give your child’s Profile Book to you, and we encourage you to share this with the reception teacher.

Asthma in childhood

We are running an Information Morning here at Kate Greenaway on Thursday May 14th from 10am-12pm with a specialist asthma nurse. You can find out about the best ways to administer medication, advice on exercise for asthmatic children, and how to spot the signs that your child’s asthma is getting worse and needs medical attention.

Anyone who has worried about their child’s breathing or had to take their child to A&E knows how distressing this can be, so if this affects you please come along on Thursday.

5th May 2009

2009-05-05T07:52:00.003Z

Swine Flu Alert

I am sure you are aware of the current alert about swine flu, and you will be receiving information from the government about this during this week.

There is currently no need for nurseries, schools etc to close or to take any special actions. The best thing we can all do is to follow basic hygiene precautions, including:

Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible
Disposing of dirty tissues promptly and carefully
Maintaining good basic hygiene, for example washing hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to face or to other people
Cleaning hard surfaces (e.g. door handles) frequently using a normal cleaning product
Making sure children follow this advice

If your child shows flu symptoms, please keep him or her off nursery until better and either contact your GP by phone for advice or contact NHS Direct.

Please do not take your child to the GP surgery unless you are advised to do so. For up to date, local advice contact Islington council.

Swine Flu Information from central government is available on 0880 1 513 513 and here.

African Bag Gardens at Kate Greenaway

In the community team we are having a go at creating some African Bag Gardens this year. We got the idea (and the sacks!) from Send a Cow, a charity that supports people in some African countries to grow food in small spaces. We have been planting seeds for radishes, rocket, beans and sunflowers with lots of families who attend stay and play groups at the Centre and we plan to transfer them to our bag gardens very soon.

Check out bag gardens from Send a Cow and then check out our gardens! If anyone has a supply of smallish rocks (about half a brick size) to help us make the sacks stable please let Jan know.

Thank you!

Community Kitchen - vacancy for a nursery cook

2009-04-29T16:14:00.004Z

Community Kitchen Cook: advert text

Read all about the Community Kitchen campaign in Nursery World

Scale 6 – £25,263 - £26,742 pro rata, 25 hours per week

Do you share our passion about offering babies, toddlers and young children the very best food whilst they are in nursery? Do you have the skills to work with children, parents and other professionals to make a real difference to families’ health and wellbeing in inner London?

Kate Greenaway is a delightful Nursery School and Children’s Centre with 51 places for children aged from six months to rising five year olds, close to King’s Cross station in Central London. We are developing an exciting new project, the “Community Kitchen”, in partnership with the Duke of Cambridge, a local award-winning organic restaurant.

You will be working with an assistant to prepare and cook fresh meals every day for the children on roll, using seasonal and mainly organic ingredients. You will be part of an experienced and supportive staff team and working in a friendly, child-centred, community-focussed environment. You will have specialist support, advice and ongoing training from the team at Duke of Cambridge.

You will need to be a good, creative cook, with knowledge of and interest in food and nutrition. You will need to have some experience of running a kitchen (sourcing food, planning menus, financial control). Knowledge of health and hygiene standards and statutory requirements is essential.

You will be required to plan, source, and cook healthy, nutritionally-balanced meals for children and staff, with a particular attention to reflecting the cultural diversity of the neighbourhood. As well as managing the whole process of preparing and cooking meals for the nursery, you will be involving children in food preparation and cooking, and helping to run cook and eat workshops and other events with parents.

The successful application will be passionate about food from growing and sourcing through to the use of local and seasonal produce, and have a keen interest in the environment, recycling and the use of organic produce. A commitment to working with and inspiring children and families will be vital.

If you are excited by the unique opportunity as we are, we hope you will apply for the post. Please note that you must use the Application Form: we will not accept CVs.

If you are interested in this post, we hope you will be able to come and visit on Tuesday 5th May between 9.30am-11am.

You can also discuss the post informally by contacting Julian Grenier, headteacher at Kate Greenaway, on 0207 527 4853 or send me an email

To apply for this post please contact the Recruitment Team on 020 7527 5812 or by email, quoting ref: ED/5079. Please note: you cannot obtain an application pack for this post until Tuesday 5th May. The application pack will include the full details for the post.

Closing date 5pm 13th May.

Shortlisting morning of 14th May.

Selection process (interview and practical tests) 19th May.

Kate Greenaway Nursery and Children’s Centre is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Letter to applicants

Dear applicant

Thank you for your interest in the post of Community Cook at Kate Greenaway Nursery School and Children’s Centre. I hope you will find the application process works smoothly for you and I look forward to reading your application.

About Kate Greenaway

We are a small Nursery School and Children’s Centre located close to Kings Cross. We have 51 places for children aged from 6 months to rising 5 years old. We think that Kate Greenaway is a good place to work, with a highly committed and friendly staff team and excellent relationships with parents. As soon as you come in, there is a special atmosphere – very focussed on what is best for young children, with a strong emphasis on play and enjoying our fantastic garden. There is a very full and popular programme of groups for parents and carers with young children, too.

If you agree that “seeing is believing”, then please come along to our open morning on Tuesday 5th May, 9.30-11am, when you can have a tour and also meet Tascha, the chef from the Duke of Cambridge.

To find out more, have a look at our website, email me or phone for an informal discussion (all contact details are in the letter heading above).

About the Community Kitchen

We are really excited by this new project, which is all about improving the quality of the food at nursery, and working with parents and the wider community to promote healthy eating.

We start with enjoyment and participation – children relishing meals which are freshly cooked and prepared with locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients, and taking part in vegetable growing and good preparation. So you will need to enjoy the company of young children and be ready to be patient, take time with them, and involve them (with the support of the nursery staff, of course). You will also be enthusiastic about working with small groups of parents, and doing informal cooking and tasting sessions as part of our “Stay and Play” programme. Occasionally you may be asked to work on a weekend or evening.

Working closely with the Duke of Cambridge, you will be devising nutritionally-balanced menus which are appropriate for the age-group and which celebrate the ethnic and cultural diversity of the neighbourhood.

You will also have a firm grip on costs in the kitchen and help to raise extra revenue, for example by selling fresh and frozen meals to staff and parents.

Your people-skills will be very good – you will need to support, encourage and manage the assistant cook, work closely with nursery staff and parents, and have lots of initiative and flexibility.

A few words about the application form
Please note the following points, Make sure you submit a good application form that does you justice!

• Please read the guidance from Islington Council carefully, and follow the advice given.
• Please do not submit a CV – we will not consider it. You must outline your skills and experience in your personal statement. We would prefer this to be typed and the maximum length we recommend is 2 pages of A4.
• We are committed to safer recruitment. This means that you must give 2 referees, one of whom is your current or most recent employer. You must also provide a full employment history without any gaps.
• Please make sure you can be free for the whole of Tuesday 19th May for the selection process, should you be shortlisted.

Thanks once again for your interest in this post.

Julian Grenier

27th April 2009

2009-04-27T07:36:00.001Z

Here we Grow

We are planning to repeat our popular ‘Here we grow’ project from last summer, so we will be having sessions during the nursery day when you can come and work with Venti in our lovely garden.

The first of these sessions is on Thursday 30th April between 9:00 and 11:30am, please speak to you key person if you would like to come along. If you took part last year, please dig out your old pots and return them so you can plant something new for this summer.

Sunny weather

On sunny days, to prevent your child from getting sunburn or sunstroke please make sure your child is wearing a T-shirt that covers their shoulders, a hat and that you have applied sun cream. You can bring sun cream to nursery to be applied during the day, please remember to label the bottle with your child’s name and give it to your key person.

The children have been engaging in lots of water play; check their bags to make sure they have a change of clothes.

Keeley

Sadly for us, Keeley is going to be leaving Kate Greenaway later this term (in June). Keeley is an excellent nursery education worker, and we wish her well with her plans.

Community Feast on Wednesday at York Way Community Centre

This Wednesday In York Way Community hall we are holding a fabulous ‘Community Feast’.

Some local families are coming in to cook some traditional dishes from Somalia, Bangladesh and Eritrea and we’ll some provide other snacks too so everyone can have a taste.

EVERYONE is welcome to join in at 11.30-12.25 in the hall or you can join us at the stay and play session in the pod anytime from 10 am and we’ll walk over together at 11.25. Hope to see you there!

20th April 2009

2009-04-20T07:17:00.004Z

Welcome back…

to everyone who has been off over Easter. Today is the first day of the school summer term in Islington and we have plenty going on for the next few weeks at Kate Greenaway.

The Tree House is nearly complete in the garden, and we expect children to be able to play on it later in the week as a reward for all the sawing, shaving and sanding they did last month. Our approach to outdoor play was recently featured in The Guardian and on Play England’s website .

We’re also delighted that we have been shortlisted for an architecture award (the RIBA award) for the recent refurbishment at the front.

The kitchen

If you’ve been here a few years you will know about the Community Kitchen Campaign when parents got together to get us our of the Scolarest catering contract and to raise money for a new kitchen. We currently get our meals from Thornhill Primary School, but by the end of this term cooking should move on-site. We will be distributing a survey about nursery meals soon to catch up on parents’ views.

The 175th Anniversary of the Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Demonstration: music, stalls and children’s entertainment in Edward Square this Saturday

175 years ago, over 100,000 people gathered for the start of a march in Copenhagen Fields to defend Trade Union Rights – the six Tolpuddle Martyrs from Dorset had been sentenced to seven years transportation into slavery in Australia for forming a Trade Union.

On Saturday, this great demonstration will be commemorated in Edward Square (just around the corner from here on Copenhagen Street) with stalls, music and celebrations from 1.30pm. Kate Greenaway is organising children’s entertainment and we hope you will stop by and enjoy the day as well as remembering the people who took a stand all those year ago. Read more here.

30th March 2009

2009-03-30T07:14:00.003Z

Our new toy library launches on Thursday

Kate Greenaway has a new Toy Library. It’s free to join, you just have to register and then you can borrow toys, books and other resources for your child to play and learn with for a week.

We are having a launch event on Thursday 2nd April from 10am-12pm. The Toy Library will then be open every Monday and Friday morning.

If you would like more information, then please email Jan

Important dates 2009-2010
Friday April 3rd
Last day of the Spring Term
(We are open for children with extended day/year places)

Monday April 20th
First day of the Summer Term

Monday May 11th
Development Morning Closure*

Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd May
Kate Greenaway is closed for all children for staff training

Monday 25th-Friday 29th May inclusive
School half term (We are open for children with extended day/year places)

Thursday 11th June
Review Day*

Monday June 22nd
Development Morning Closure*

Friday July 3rd
Summer Fun Day and Picnic

Monday July 20th
Last day of Summer term
(We are open for children with extended day/year places)

Monday August 17th-Friday 4th September (inclusive)
We are closed for all children

Monday 7th September
First day of the winter term

Monday 22nd September
Development Morning Closure*

Monday 26th-Friday 30th October inclusive
School half term
(We are open for children with extended day/year places)

Thursday 12th November
Review Day*

Monday 30th November
Development Morning Closure*

Friday 18th December
Last day of the winter term
(We are open for children with extended day/year places)

Wednesday 23rd December
Last day of nursery for children with extended day/year places

Monday 4th January 2010
First day of the Spring Term

* On Development Mornings the nursery is closed for the morning and opens at 1pm.
* On Review Days the nursery is closed and children only attend for a crèche place during the meeting.
The nursery is open as usual for children with extended day/year places on both Development Mornings and Review Days.

March 16th 2009

2009-03-16T08:30:00.002Z

Monday 16th March, 2009

Can you help us build the new climbing frame?

On Tuesday 17th March we are building our new climbing frame with the help of the children. This means that children aged 3 and over will get an amazing chance to use real woodworking tools and build a real structure.

To make this event work well, we need parents to come and help and work with the children. All parent helpers will also get an opportunity to do some of the work themselves, too. We are expecting this event to be publicised in the council’s newspaper and in the local press, so look out for a good story about Kate Greenaway over the next few weeks.

More news about the garden

We are currently planning a new scheme with St Andrew’s school to enable Reception children at St Andrews to use the garden for one session a week in a group of 6. The aim of this project is to build better links across the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) which states that children though to the end of Reception should access a play-based curriculum with plenty of opportunities for outdoor play.

Reviewing your child’s development and learning
If you have not yet had your review, please speak to your key person to book a time.

News from the Community Services

From this Saturday, the 21st of March, Kate Greenaway will be open every Saturday between 10.30am and 12.30pm for all children aged 0-5 and their Mums, Dads and Carers.

‘Bikestart’ our popular stay and play session with a focus on bikes will run for the first two Saturdays. We are also hoping that we also get a visit from some local fire fighters too, complete with fire engine!

Following Bikestart we’ll be offering fun stay and play sessions in the nursery with full access to our huge garden. On Saturday the 4th of April we will be giving free goody bags to everyone who can come as well as having a music session with guitar and instruments. Hope to see you there!
Jan

New Climbing Frame

2009-03-09T13:01:00.003Z

Please check the next posting for the regular edition of KG Express

Can you help us build our new climbing frame?

On Tuesday 17th March we are building our new climbing frame with the help of the children. This means that children aged 3 and over will get an amazing chance to use real woodworking tools and build a real structure.

The workshops are very carefully managed and a formal risk assessment has been completed. Pictures of the contractor, Touch Wood, working with children on a previous structure are on display at Kate Greenaway.

To make this event work well, we need parents to come and help and work with the children. All parent helpers will also get an opportunity to do some of the work themselves, too. We need parents for slots of half an hour at a time throughout the day, at the following times:

9am-9.30am
9.30-10am
10-10.30am
11-11.30am
11.30am-12pm
1-1.30pm
1.30-2pm
2-2.30pm

If you are able to come, please let your key person know today or as soon as possible. If you have any questions about the sessions, please contact Julian.

9th March 2009

2009-03-09T07:54:00.005Z

Review Day is on Thursday 12th March

The purpose of our Review Day system is to ensure that all parents are kept fully up to date with their children’s development and learning in nursery. It is also an important chance for us to learn from you about your child’s development at home. Together, we will then plan to support your child’s development and learning through our planning system.

What to expect

Your key person will make an arrangement to see you on Thursday (if you have an extended day/year place the appointment may be on another day). You will have a chance to look at the most recent observations and assessment of your child and talk about then with your key person. Your key person will discuss what sort of help, experiences and activities will help your child to keep learning and developing.

If you have any worries or concerns about your child, the meeting is a good time to raise these. Remember that as a Children’s Centre we can arrange for you to see the Clinical Child Psychologist or the Speech and Language Therapist – so just ask if you have any concerns about your child’s speech, language, behaviour, sleeping or feeding routines, or emotional development. If your child is learning English as an additional language we have an excellent booklet which Antonella has just written as part of her work towards a degree in Early Childhood Studies.

Arrangements:

Children with extended day/year places attend as normal.

Nursery is closed for children with a core day place (9am-3.30pm) although they do have a crèche place during the meeting only.

World Book Day

We had a really successful World Book Day celebration on Thursday – thank you to the many parents and carers who helped out with the trip to Borders. We are planning to take all the children who missed out on separate trips to the shop. We really need parents to support this, so please contact Michele if you can help.

March 2nd 2009

2009-03-02T13:49:00.001Z

It’s World Book Day on Thursday 5th March

We are celebrating the day with Lewis Carroll Library, and by taking groups of nursery children to Borders Books (opposite Chapel Market). We have a free £1 Book Token for every child. You can either buy a special £1 children’s book, or put the token towards another book you want.

To make the trip a success, we need lots of parents to come with us so that the children can enjoy looking through the Children’s Book section of the shop and can choose a book to buy with their token. If you have some free time on Thursday please speak to Michele – your help will be much appreciated.

During the week, the children will also be making their own books in the nursery, and taking part in lots of experiences to give them a really good introduction to early reading and enjoying children’s literature.

Julian

Community Psychology at Kate Greenaway

Dawn Cutler is our local community psychologist and is often at the Centre. She is a specialist in issues such as sleep, food, behaviour and toilet training as well as exploring how it feels to be a parent. She often supports parents who are struggling with a particular issue or in setting routines or boundaries with their children. She is available for free one to one sessions with parents, just ask a member of the community team.

Dawn also regularly attends our Thursday ‘Being a parent’ stay and play (10am-12pm) and our groups for young babies, so you can also drop in and meet her there.

Ask Jan, Dawn or Liz if you would like more information.

23rd February 2009

2009-02-23T08:00:00.001Z

Monday 23rd February 2009

Dear parents and carers,

Do you want to know more about your child’s speech and language? Do you have any worries or concerns?

You can get free, informal advice from a speech therapist at Kate Greenaway.

Fiona (speech and language therapist) joins in our Monday Stay and Play session every fortnight and is available to give advice and information about language development to any parent who drops into the group. You can also book a half hour individual appointment with her - just ask one of the community team.

For expectant mothers and their families and those with young babies the Speech and Language Therapy service also offer a special session called ‘Bumps to Six Months’ all about early language development.

The next one is at Killick Street Health Centre on February 27th 10.30am-12.00pm, you can book a place or just turn up.

Dates for the term ahead

Thursday 12th March
Review Day
We will be offering parents and carers a meeting with their child’s key person.
The nursery is closed for children with a core day termtime place (9am-3.30pm) - we offer a crèche place during the meeting. For children with extended day places we are open as normal.

Monday 23rd March
Development Morning
The nursery is closed for the morning for children with core day termtime places (9am-3.30pm) – we open at 1pm. This closure is to enable staff training and development

Friday 3rd April
Last day of school term

February 2nd 2009

2009-01-31T16:35:00.002Z

News from the nursery

Dear parents and carers,

Firstly, an apology for the missed issues of KGe. We have been really badly affected by staff sickness over the last fortnight, but we hope we have come through the worst of the winter bug now.

Despite all that, we have made a good start to our “Science Fortnight”. Most of the key groups have now visited the Science Museum, with one more trip on Tuesday, and we have really appreciated parent support for these visits. It’s sometimes hard to know which is the best part of the trip – the tube, the museum or the packed lunch! We have heard children asking fascinating questions, watched them making sense of Tube Maps and Oyster cards, and seen how they excited they have been by the water, light and sound play at the museum. Don’t forget that if you want to go back with your child, the Science Museum is absolutely free and tube travel is free for young children too.
Julian and Michele

News from the Community Services

Calling first-time parents

Do you know anyone who has recently had their first child?

We are running a short course for first time parents at Killick Street Health Centre at 10.30am on Fridays (January 30-February 27th).

We plan to offer a wide range of information to families including development in the first year, feeding and weaning, sleep, dental health, play and information about local services for families with young children. We offer all this information through our stay and play sessions too, so families who can’t make Fridays or who have older children can pick up what they need there. Please ask any member of the community team if you’d like to know more or come along on Friday!

Jan

12th January 2009

2009-01-10T17:25:00.001Z

WELCOME back to Kate Greenaway, and a warm welcome also to all new parents and carers. KG Express comes out every Monday, and you can also read it on our blog www.kategreenaway.blogspot.com. On the back of this sheet are the key dates for the rest of the school year. This term, we also welcome Kara to the Community Services team. Sarah and Maggi are now working in Baby Nest, with Stacey on maternity leave.

Science Fortnight 26^th Jan- 6^th Feb

The children learn about science and the natural world through meaningful and exciting experiences. We are having a Science fortnight to extend the children’s interests in water play, the weather, materials, how things work, and what happens when I do this……?

As part of our focus we are also going to visit the Science Museum. There are three visits booked so children can go in small groups with their key person. We will need about 4 parents per visit to help us although we are very happy to take more parents along. Please look out for information and speak to your key person if you would like to come with us. Michele

News from the Community Services

We have started the year with a new programme of ‘stay and play’ groups which run every morning from 10-12 and are open to everyone with a child aged 0-5. On Thursdays our theme is ‘being a parent’. Drop in (with or without your child!) to find our more about common issues that face parents such as tantrums, sleep and eating problems, toilet training and much more. We also have all sorts of information about child development and ideas for activities to try at home.

News from the nursery

We listen and talk to children throughout the whole nursery session, and at key group time we put a special focus on communication. Please don’t come through to collect your child until 11.45am or 3.30pm – if you collect your child early or go into nursery, the children get distracted. If you need to pick an older child up from school, then please could you come at 3pm before the group starts?

Dates for 2009

2009-01-05T10:58:00.001Z

First day of spring term (all children)
Monday January 5th

Development morning*
Monday 19th January

Closure for training and development
Friday February 13th

Half term for children with termtime places
16th-20th February (inclusive)

Review Day*
Thursday 12th March

Development morning*
Monday 23rd March

Last day of spring term for children with termtime places
Friday April 3rd

First day of summer term for children with termtime places
Monday 20th April

Development morning*
Monday May 11th

Closure for training and development
21st-22nd May

Half term for children with termtime places
25th-29th May (inclusive)

Development morning*
Monday June 15th

Last day of term for children with termtime places
Monday 20th July

Last day of extended nursery
Friday 14th August

*On Development Mornings and Review Days we are closed for children with core day places for the morning. Children with extended day places attend a crèche provision in the morning.

Kate Greenaway Express 15.12.2008

2008-12-15T08:16:00.001Z

Monday 15th December, 2008

Dear parents and carers

End of term

Thank you very much to everyone who brought food and helped out at the party on Friday – it felt like a lovely way of getting towards the end of the winter term. If you want to enter the raffle for the big basket of beauty products please buy a ticket off Marie or Luisa.

At the end of this term, we are saying goodbye to four children who are going to primary school – Jacob, Masierullah, George and Louis. I know that all the staff will join me in wishing them well in their move to school: we’ll also miss them and their families (though George’s sister Maggie continues at Kate Greenaway).

The school term ends on Friday 19th December. The last day for children with extended day/year places is Tuesday 23rd December. On behalf of all the staff team and the governing body, I’d like to wish you a good holiday (when it starts…)

Julian

Key dates for next term

Monday 5th January Start of term

Monday 19th January Development Morning *

Friday 13th February Staff training: we are closed for all children

Monday 16th- Friday 20th February School Half term

Monday 23rd March Development Morning *

Friday 3rd April Last day of school term

*On Development Mornings, children with core day (termtime) places do not attend in the morning. This enables the staff team to meet and train together. Children with extended day/year places attend as normal with a crèche provision here in the morning.

8th December 2008

2008-12-08T08:16:00.002Z

Dear parents and carers

New Programme of Community Services

The community team have put together a new programme for January 2009. The latest building programme included extending the garden around the community space (or ‘pod’) which means we can now offer stay and play sessions almost everyday that are open to any family with children under five.

We will also offer more Saturday sessions and more ‘specialised’ sessions including classes for adults, activities for young babies, and a new group for children with special educational needs.
You can pick up a new programme from reception or ask Kulwinder, Dawn, Liz, Luisa, Jan or anyone in the community team.

Jan

P.S don’t forget on Friday it’s Kate Greenaway’s Christmas Party this week, from 3.30pm-6pm. We hope that as many families as possible can come and have fun together. See you there…

News from the Community Services

Jenny Davis is the Childminding Network Co-ordinator for three Islington Children’s Centres and is based at Kate Greenaway. To join the network a Childminder has to pass a set of quality assurance standards and maintain a high quality of service (in addition to meeting OFSTED requirements). Jenny is available to give advice to families on choosing and finding a local childminder, including network childminders. You can get in touch with her via Luisa in the office or email jenny.davis@islington.gov.uk

News from the nursery
The children have been enjoying celebrating their birthdays in their key groups this term.
We don’t do big whole-nursery parties because they can get overwhelming for the younger children especially. Key group celebrations happen in the children’s special areas; the children share cake and/or fruit.

Michele

KG Express 1st December 2008

2008-12-08T08:08:00.002Z

Sickness at nursery

We are currently experiencing high levels of sickness amongst the children here – and this is reflected across Islington. We are taking a number of steps to reduce the spread of infection in nursery. Please remember that if your child has vomiting or diarrhoea then she or he should not return to nursery for 48 hours. If your child is sick and has to be picked up from nursery, then the First Aider will advise you on the soonest day your child can return.

I understand that it is difficult to juggle family commitments, jobs, deadlines and having a sick child at home.

But the more we can reduce the spread of infection, the less sickness we will have – which will benefit everyone. The nursery school’s policy on winter sickness has been previously given out this term (please ask if you would like another copy). The policy on high temperatures is attached to this newsletter.

Babies and young children at Kate Greenaway with fevers (high temperatures)

Introduction: information from NHS Direct

A normal temperature is between 36-36.8ºC (96.8-98.24ºF). In children, any temperature of 38°C (100.4°F) or above is considered high and is classed as a fever.

To find out if your child has a fever, a First Aider at Kate Greenaway will use the special ear thermometer.Most fevers are caused by infection or other illness. Fever helps the body fight infections by stimulating natural defence mechanisms. Conditions that can cause fevers are flu, ear infections, roseola (a virus causing a temperature and rash), tonsillitis, kidney or urinary infections, or any of the common childhood diseases such as measles, mumps, chicken pox and whooping cough.Occasionally, a high temperature can happen if a young child (especially newborn) is overdressed in a hot environment because they can't regulate their own body temperature. Teething may also cause a slight rise in body temperature. Babies and children can sometimes get a fever within 48 hours of being immunised.

Kate Greenaway Policy

If babies and children appear unwell then this is referred to a qualified First Aider. The First Aider will take and record the child’s temperature.

The overall judgement of the First Aider is paramount. If a First Aider judges that a child is too unwell to be in nursery, then the head or person deputising will be informed and parents contacted to pick the child up.

If a child’s temperature is over 38ºC then parents will be contacted and asked to pick the child up. At the time of contact the parent should be informed of the temperature and should be asked for an estimated arrival time at Kate Greenaway.

If the child is unusually sleepy, won't take fluids or has other worrying symptoms, such as an unusual rash, headache, neck stiffness or difficulty breathing, then the parent will be strongly advised to take the child immediately to the GP/seek medical advice. If necessary the First Aider will phone 999 for an ambulance if the parent is not close to the nursery and the child’s state is deteriorating.

Febrile convulsions are fits (seizures) that sometimes happen in children (between 6 months and 6 years) who have high temperature. They can happen as a result of any illness that causes a high temperature, over 39C (102F) and can be worrying because they look similar to an epileptic fit. If the fit goes on for more than 4- 5 minutes, or there is a second fit, the First Aider will call 999 for an ambulance. In all cases, the parent will be strongly advised to take the child to the GP/seek medical advice after a fit.

In all cases, when the parent picks the child up the First Aider should give advice on treatment, seeking medical advice, and whether the child should attend the next day. Children are expected to stay off if advised, unless contrary advice is given by the GP. Calpol can be administered to children if it has been prescribed by a GP.

Children with a low temperature

Sometimes the temperature of babies and young children can drop below the normal range. If a child has a low temperature then:

Wrap the child up with further layers of clothing;

Encourage the child to move around (but not so much as to raise a sweat which will cause the temperature to fall again);

Do not rub or massage the child

The overall judgement of the First Aider is paramount. If a First Aider judges that a child is too unwell to be in nursery, then the head or person deputising will be informed and parents contacted to pick the child up.

News from the Community Services

Dad’s group

Did you know that Dad’s Group runs the first Saturday in every month? The next group is this week, Saturday December 6th, 10am-12. This is a free friendly group open to all Dads and male carers (step dads, uncles, granddads…) and their under fives and offers access to the big nursery garden and loads of fun activities. In the new year we plan to join forces with Bemerton Children’s Centre and offer some free swimming lessons for Dads and babies/children at the Cally Pool, watch this space for more details! (or ask Jan or Dean).

Jan

News from Nursery

Handa’s Surprise

We have tickets to see a performance of the wonderful story Handa’s Surprise on Friday afternoon. If you would like to come with your child please meet at the nursery at 1.30pm. There is no cost for the tickets.

Review Day

Please remember to check with your key person about your child’s review.

Michele

KG Express 24.11.08

2008-11-23T11:05:00.000Z

News from the nursery

Dear parents and carers,

Recently the children have been very interested in transport and vehicles. When using the large blocks in the garden the children have been building buses, trains, aeroplanes and superhero cars.

To develop and support this interest we have planned to take the children on short trips out on the bus and to Kings Cross train station to look more closely at the trains. Real life, first hand experiences are very important to a child’s learning and development. By developing children’s interest in buses and trains we are enabling them to become more deeply involved in construction and block play as well as introducing print and numbers in real situations.

If you would like to accompany us on any of these short outings please let your key person know.

Michele

News from the Community Services

Cost price art materials!

Young children learn a huge amount by playing with messy and sensory materials like paint and clay but we know that sometimes it can be difficult to offer these activities at home.

To help out, we run a dedicated Art and Messy Play Group at Vittoria Primary School every Tuesday afternoon in term-time (2-3pm). All children under five and their parents and carers are very welcome. From January the group will be running at Kate Greenaway.

For more information please ask Jan or any member of the Community team. We will also offer cost price art materials from our Art Shop at the entrance to Kate Greenaway every Thursday morning, 9 o’clock to midday. The materials we sell are most half the price of what you’d pay at the shops.

Jan

KG Express 17.11.2008

2008-11-15T19:49:00.002Z

Visit from Sir Jim Rose

Thanks to the parents who talked to Sir Jim Rose who came to visit on Wednesday last week. He has been asked by the government to review the Primary School curriculum and he came to Kate Greenaway to find out more about early years. The curriculum your child receives at Primary School will be shaped by the Rose Review, and he was especially interested in our garden and how children learn outside, in play, and in Developmental Movement Play. After leaving he commented: “We came away greatly impressed by the quality of what we saw, especially the responses of the children and their parents to the dedicated staff and highly professional calibre of leadership that were all too evident. Please thank everyone on my behalf.”

News from the Community Services

Have you heard about our new service 'Parents as First Teachers' (PAFT)? If you are pregnant or have a baby or child under three and live locally to Kate Greenaway you can take part in PAFT. A project worker will visit monthly (or more often if you like) and bring a fun activity for you to do with your child/children which is closely matched to their developmental and learning needs. We will also bring along information about local services for families and about common childhood issues such as tantrums or toilet training.

Please ask Jan or Liz to find out more - jan.stillaway@islington.gov.uk or liz.dolan@islington.gov.uk

Kate Greenaway Express 10.11.2008

2008-11-10T07:52:00.003Z

Monday 10th November, 2008
Dear parents and carers,

This is the first issue of KG express, which you can pick up every week from the nursery, or read online at www.kategreenaway.blogspot.com.

Review Day
We are returning to holding a Review Day every term, so you can be sure you get a chance to discuss your child's progress and wellbeing every term. This term's Review Day will be on the 2nd of December. Children with termtime places will have a crèche place that day i.e. your child will come into nursery during the meeting, and will not have their usual place.

What do you think of Kate Greenaway?

We hope that we are always open to feedback - where we do things well, it's good to hear. If we don't do well, we would like to improve. Over the next two weeks we will be distributing our Parent Survey. It’s anonymous, and is analysed by independent staff working for Islington's Children's Services. It really is a chance for you to get your views across. Also, by completing the survey, you will be automatically entered into a raffle with a top prize of £25.
Julian

News from the Community Services

We are offering the following NEW services:

Money Matters: starts Tuesday 11th, 1pm-3pm, for 4 weeks with free crèche.

Saturday Dads’ Club: first Saturday morning of the month, 10am-12pm, with brunch and lots of fun things for children to do

and don’t forget that our current programme has something on every day – pick a flyer up from the office

Jan

News from the nursery
The children are enjoying using recycled materials to create complex and exciting models, so much so that we have run out of things to use.
Could you please bring us your empty cereal boxes, kitchen roll tubes, yoghurt pots etc so we can continue to be creative.

Michele

End of term letter (July 2008) and dates for the year ahead

2008-07-18T07:26:00.002Z

Dear parents and carers

Staffing update

Hayley Just to remind you that Wednesday 23rd July is not only the last day of school term, but also Hayley’s last day with us. Hayley came as a temporary teacher when Sanchia left at the end of December. She has done a fantastic job here at Kate Greenaway, and we would like to wish her well in her new post as a Reception Teacher. Our new assistant head, Michele, starts in September.

Erin, our temporary nursery education worker with the Community Service Team, is also finishing at the end of this term.

Liz I am pleased to tell you that Liz has been appointed as our additional Family Support and Outreach Worker. She will start this in September, and will continue to work full time at Kate Greenaway in her new role. I will let you know who is replacing Liz in the nursery team as soon as possible.

Jan I’m sure you’ll join me in congratulating Jan on achieving the new National Professional Qualification in Integrated Centre Leadership.

Kate Greenaway Summer Scheme

This year we are putting on a summer scheme for all children up to five years old living in the neighbourhood. We also have an advance notice flyer for our Community Services next term. You are very welcome to use any of our Community Services.

Yours sincerely

Julian Grenier

Dates for 2008-2009

As we are coming near to the end of term, here are the term and closure dates for the year ahead.

Last day of summer term (for children with termtime places)
Wednesday 23rd July

Last day of the extended nursery provision
Friday August 15th

Closure for staff training and development
Monday and Tuesday 1st and 2nd September

First day of winter term (all children)
Wednesday September 3rd 2008

Half term (for children with termtime places)
Monday-Friday 27th-31st October 2008

Last day of winter term (for children with termtime places)
Friday 19th December 2008

Last day of extended nursery
Tuesday 23rd December 2008

First day of spring term (all children)
Monday 5th January 2009

Closure for training and development
Friday 13th January 2009

Half term (for children with termtime places)
Monday-Friday 16th-20th February 2009

End of spring term (for children with termtime places)
Friday 3rd April 2009

Start of summer term (for children with termtime places)
Monday 20th April 2009

Closure for training and development
Thursday and Friday 21st and 22nd May

Half term (for children with termtime places)
Monday-Friday 25th-29th May 2009

Last day of term (for children with termtime places)
Monday 20th July 2009

Last day of extended nursery
Friday August 14th 2009

This list does not include dates for:

Bank holidays
Development mornings
Review Days

We will distribute those dates at the start of next term

Summer Fun Day

2008-06-24T13:34:00.001Z

Dear Parents
Our Summer Fun Day – 4 July, 2008, 4-6pm
This is just a quick note to let you know about our Kate Greenaway Annual Summer Fun DAay. This will be in the garden on Friday 4 July from 4-6pm. As well as lovely food there will be face painting and activities for the children, and information stalls. We are having a cake stall (baked by the children) and dairy/gluten free cakes, too. There will also be a massive Jack and the Beanstalk corner and storytelling, and lots more …
We hope you will all come and enjoy yourselves, so if you collect your child early in the afternoon please stay on, and if your child stays on after 3.30 please come early if you can for the barbecue.
We’ve had a couple of offers from parents to run stalls; if you would like to do a stall, or like to help out generally, that would be very welcome. Please speak to Dawn, or to me.
Looking forward to seeing you all on July 4th.
Yours sincerely

Julian Grenier

Letter to parents, 31 January 2008

2008-01-31T12:46:00.001Z

Dear parents and carers

Ofsted report Our Ofsted report has now been published and you should have a copy. If you have not got it – please ask Marie or Louise. It’s a very positive report that reflects well on the hard work that the staff and the governing body have done to develop high standards of nursery education at Kate Greenaway. As a staff, we continue to feel very fortunate to have such an engaged and committed group of parents. Thank you for all your support.

School travel plan I have tried to speak to as many parents as possible about our School Travel Plan. This piece of work is about finding out how families come to Kate Greenaway, and to look at whether there are any improvements to the local environment that would encourage children and parents to walk, cycle or use public transport to get to the nursery. If you have any ideas about this, I would really like to hear them.

So far 28 parents have answered the survey questions. 19 parents walk all the way from home with their children, 2 children come by bike, 5 by car, and 2 by bus.

Parents have made the following comments about walking/cycling to Kate Greenaway:

· Drivers going along Copenhagen Street need to slow down
· Need and extra Pelican Crossing near the path into York Way Court
· Cyclists go through red lights and cycle too fast near children
· Signs telling drivers to be aware of children on Copenhagen Street and in the estate would help
· There is a lot of dog mess on the pavements which young children can step in
· Walking in would be good for my fitness, but when it’s raining…
· Pavements are uneven and children end up falling over and hurting themselves
· We need more and better bike lanes
· The 274 bus service is not regular enough
· Roadworks mean that pavements are closed off or narrowed down so much you can’t get a buggy through – e.g. on York Way between Kings Cross and Copenhagen Street.

Please let me know your views. When the travel plan is written we will then be asking parents to consider what changes we should ask Transport for London to make. There is funding for this work.

Julian Grenier

Letter, November 27th: dates, building works

2007-11-27T17:15:00.001Z

Dear parents and carers

Changes to dates and arrangements

I am writing to give you the following updates:

End of the building project We had been hoping to get the front entrance back this week. However it now looks like it will be next week when the internal works are completed. In the meantime, please continue to use the temporary garden entrance.

Cancellation of International Evening We had planned our usual evening celebration for families for next Thursday, 6th December. However because of the problems with the building works, we have no guarantee that we will have the entrance and the spaces we need. With regret, this event has now been cancelled – but we plan to organise a replacement in the new year.

Development Morning We are still going ahead with staff training on Wednesday 5th December but the nursery will remain open for all children as usual. We are trying to minimise the disruption for families.

With apologies for all the changes!

Julian Grenier

Flexible childcare

2007-11-14T12:28:00.000Z

Dear parents and carers

Consultation on providing more flexible childcare

If you would like to respond to this by email then please copy the following text, paste into an email, write in your replies and send to marie.mason@islington.gov.uk

We are currently considering whether it would be helpful to parents if we offered some more flexibility in the places we offer. If there is enough interest then we will aim to pilot this as a scheme, starting in January 2008.

Please note that at the moment it is not certain that we will go ahead, as it depends on some funding and staffing issues being sorted out.

This scheme will only apply to parents and carers whose children have a core day place and who receive more than £545.34 through the Child Tax Credit scheme. We are planning to offer parents and carers the opportunity to book the following additional hours:

8am-9am
£2.50
Termtime only

3.30pm-5pm
£3.75
Termtime only

Lunchtime (11.45am-1pm)
£3.10 + cost of lunch
Termtime only

1 hour booking (minimum of 2 consecutive hours per day)
£2.50
School holidays only

All bookings would be subject to their being an available place – we cannot go over our registered numbers of children at any time.

If you are interested please could you fill out the form on the other side of this letter and return it to Marie. This is just so that we can get an idea of the level of interest – there would be no obligation for you to take up on the scheme because you had shown interest.

Julian Grenier

FEEDBACK FORM

First, please check that you would be eligible for this scheme:

• Your child has a morning/afternoon/core day place
• You receive £545.34 per year, or more, through the Child Tax Credit scheme

Please could you answer the following questions, which will help us to see if there is enough demand for the scheme:

How old is your child?

Would you be interested in having additional hours through this scheme for your child?

Please tick which sessions you would be most likely to want (tick as many as apply):

8am-9am (only if your child normally starts at 9am)

Lunch time

3.30pm-5pm

Sessions in school holidays

Are there other ways where a more flexible offer could better meet your needs? Any other comments?

Letter to all parents: building works, Ofsted, dates

2007-11-14T12:12:00.000Z

Dear parents and carers

Building works at Kate Greenaway
What can I say…apart from the fact that the works are continuing to over-run. I’m sorry for the disruption this is causing, and I can assure you that everything possible is being done to ensure that the works are completed as quickly as possible.

I am pleased to say that we now have the full nursery area back in use, and that in general the nursery education and care we are offering to the children remains very good, despite the circumstances, thanks to the hard work and commitment of the staff team.

Headlice
We have a few cases of headlice at the moment. Please see the earlier blog entry for advice and information. Please check your child’s hair every day, so that we can all get on top of this.

Ofsted report
We have now had our official letter from Ofsted, following their visit on 12th October. It is a real tribute to the whole staff team that we got a second “Outstanding” grade for our work.

Nice though this is, we feel that there is still a lot to do and we continue to value feedback from parents – letting us know what you think we do well, and also what we should improve. I hope you’ll read the whole letter, but here are some of our best bits…

• Children revel in the wonderful outdoor learning environment, the garden experiences are of an exemplary standard
• Babies…are an integral part of this family environment, enjoying their diverse activities and the older children who often watch and encourage them
• Resources are exciting and encourage children to be active and independent learners
• Those with learning difficulties and disabilities are fully integrated and included
• There is clear strategic vision and practical management and leadership which strives to reach the whole community in imaginative ways.

Nursery dates
Please can I remind you of the following dates:

Monday 26th November Nursery closed for all children
Training and development for staff

Wednesday 5th December Development morning
Children with morning-only places have no nursery.
Children with core day places have a 1pm-3.30pm place (no morning).
We are open for children with extended day places as usual.

Thursday 6th December International Evening from 4pm-6.30pm More details soon!

Wednesday 19th December Last day of the Islington school term

Friday 21st December Last day of the extended nursery provision

Wednesday 2nd January 2008 Extended nursery re-starts

Thursday 3rd January First day of Islington school term

Monday February 18th-Friday February 22nd Islington school half term

Friday 21st and Monday 24th March Nursery closed for all children
Good Friday and Easter Monday bank holidays

Friday 4th April Last day of the Islington school term

Monday 21st April First day of Islington school term

Monday 5th May Nursery closed for all children
May Day bank holiday

Monday 26th May-Friday 30th May Islington school half term

Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd June Nursery closed for all children
Training and development for staff

Wednesday 23rd July Last day of the Islington school term

Friday 15th August Last day of the extended nursery provision

Outbreak of measles

2007-09-19T13:07:00.000Z

Dear Parents

I am writing to inform you that a number of children within Islington have been diagnosed with measles over the last few weeks. Measles is a highly infectious illness. Children with measles are usually quite ill and in some circumstances complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis, can develop. Professionals working with young children are concerned to prevent any more cases or a large outbreak occurring.

Children who have received the full course of the MMR vaccine (two doses, the first one at one year of age and the second one before school entry) are protected; however, there are still many children who have not yet been immunised or have not received the two doses and could therefore catch measles.

MMR immunisation is the safest way for parents to protect their children against measles, mumps and rubella, which are diseases that can be serious for babies, young children and their families. Not all children respond adequately to a single dose of vaccine, so to ensure protection children need to receive two doses of MMR. Children who were not immunised before starting school can be protected by receiving MMR at any age

For an appointment to discuss MMR vaccination or to bring your child for MMR or any other childhood immunisation, please contact your GP, Practice Nurse, Health Visitor or School Nurse. You can also obtain additional information from:
• NHS Direct by calling 0845 46 47 and asking them to send you a “MMR parent pack” (free of charge)
• The internet at www.mmrthefacts.nhs.uk

If you suspect your child has measles infection it is important you consult your GP. If your GP confirms that measles is the most likely cause of illness you must inform the school and your child should remain away from school for 5 days from the onset of the rash.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Yours sincerely

Julian Grenier

Report to the governing body

2007-09-17T16:27:00.000Z

You can read the latest report to the governing body at Kate Greenaway here

You'll need Microsoft Word to read it. If you don't have Word, then you can download Word viewer for free.

If you are interested in becoming a governor - we have some vacancies. Please contact Kate Greenaway Nursery School by phone (020 7527 4850) or email julian.grenier@islington.gov.uk for an informal discussion and more information.

Problems with the building works

2007-08-31T14:37:00.000Z

Unfortunately, building works at KG are running late and so we are not going to be able to start the new term normally. Apologies to all parents and families for the inconvenience this is likely to cause.

We are planning for all children with extended day/year places to start back as planned on Thursday 6th September. Meanwhile, we will be trying to make places available for as many other children as possible and we will be in touch with parents and carers during the week of 3rd September for an update.

The children's areas at Kate Greenaway are planned to reopen in full on Monday 17th September, when all children can come back on roll as normal.

The following letter has gone out to all parents:

Dear parents and carers

I am writing to you because there has unfortunately been a delay in the progress of the building works at Kate Greenaway.

As a result of circumstances which are outside my control, the toilets in the main nursery room are not yet ready for use. Without the toilets we are not able to take your child back into the nursery next week, as planned.

The toilets are now due to be completed by Monday 17th September which is when the nursery will definitely reopen for all children.

I am aware that this is a long delay and I am doing everything I can to make alternative arrangements. If it is possible for your child to return before Monday 18th then I will contact you by phone to let you know.

In the meantime, please accept my apologies for this problem. If you would like to speak to me about it, please phone me on 020 7527 4850 after 9am from Tuesday 5th September. In the meantime, I can assure you that I will do everything I can to make arrangements for you and your child.

Yours sincerely

Julian Grenier

Information about headlice

2007-06-29T13:01:00.001Z

There are some cases of headlice going round Kate Greenaway at the moment. I know that some parents have checked their child’s hair and treated the headlice – only to find that their child has picked them up again a few days later. Unfortunately headlice are a fact of life in all schools in England – there is only one solution, which is for everyone to check their child’s hair every day, looking carefully for lice or eggs.

Head lice are tiny grey-brown, wingless insects, which live by sucking blood from the scalp. Their eggs are known as nits and they are laid glued to the base of hairs, and look like tiny white specks. Infestation often causes itching of the scalp, but may also go unnoticed. If you suspect head lice, check the base of hairs for eggs and comb the hair over a piece of white paper to see if you can spot any dark mature lice.
If you or your children have head lice you should check the rest of the family, and tell close friends and your child’s key person.
We recommend two approaches to treating lice: either over-the-counter medication, from a chemist, or using the “bug-busting” approach with conditioner and use of a nit-comb.

Bug busting

Wet combing, or ‘bug-busting’ is used to remove lice without using chemical treatments. This method can be helpful because head lice are growing increasingly resistant to the insecticides used to remove them. The best procedure is as follows:
• wash the hair as normal,
• apply lots of conditioner (this causes the lice to lose their grip on the hair),
• comb the hair through with a normal comb first,
• with a fine tooth nit comb, comb from the roots along the complete length of the hair and after each stroke check the comb for lice and wipe it clean. Work methodically over the whole head for at least 30 minutes,
• rinse the hair as normal, and
• repeat every three days for at least two weeks.
Do not use medicated lotions or rinses ‘just in case’, for example in close friends or family members. They should only be used if live lice are found. Regular combing of hair using the bug-busting method can help with early detection as well as treatment.
If you want more help or guidance then the best thing to do is to make an appointment to see the practice nurse at your GP surgery, or speak to the pharmacist at the chemist’s.

Minutes of the governing body, April 2007

2007-06-04T15:06:00.000Z

Minutes of the meeting of the Governors of Kate Greenaway Nursery School, held in the school, York Way Court, Copenhagen Street, London N1 0UH on, Monday 30 April 2007 at 6.30pm.

PRESENT

Phyllis Richardson Chair
Julian Grenier Headteacher
Fiona Dodd
Lucy Lloyd
Sanchia Lyon
Peter Warren

ALSO PRESENT

Judy Okello Clerk to the Governors
Georgette Djaba Observer

1. APOLOGIES/CONSENT FOR ABSENCE

Apologies were received and consent given to absence from Carole Warden and Maggi Mahoney.

RECEIVED

2. COMPOSITION OF THE GOVERNING BODY, COMMITTEES AND LINK GOVERNORS

Information on the current composition, committee membership and link appointments had been previously circulated to governors.

Cllr Dorrie Valery had not attended a meeting since January 2005 and her term of office would lapse if she did not attend the next governing body meeting. The governors enquired about the arrangements for appointing a governor to the possible LEA vacancy.

Governors noted the outstanding community vacancy and were asked to consider appropriate people for filling it. The headteacher had been in touch with Ms Georgette Djaba, an active local resident, but was not sure whether she would have the time commitment. Ms Djaba joined the meeting later to introduce herself to the governing body and offered to support the nursery wherever required. It was suggested that people with links to children/community or with health/social services perspective would be useful to the governing body. All governors were asked to pursue any possible candidates / put out a feel for different people and feedback to the chair.

Following the poor attendance at the committees, the chair questioned whether the governing body should continue to work with committees, which required governors to feel committed/make the effort to attend meetings and to have committee structures that worked. It would be practical not to have a committee structure if the cycle of meetings was problematic for governors. It was proposed that all matters should be dealt with at full governing body meetings, including ad hoc extra ordinary meetings when necessary. This arrangement would be reviewed in the spring term.

After discussion,

RESOLVED: that the committee structures should be abolished and this arrangement should be reviewed in the spring term.

3. MINUTES AND MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES

i) Minutes of the meeting held on 29 January 2007 had been circulated prior to the meeting.

After discussion,

RESOLVED: that the minutes be signed as a true record.

4. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The date of the next meeting had previously been agreed for 24 September 2007.

After discussion,

RECEIVED

5. HEADTEACHER’S REPORT

A report by the Headteacher had been circulated prior to the meeting.

In addition the written report, the following was drawn to the attention of governors:

i) Budget Monitoring

Large amounts had been carried forward over the last two years, which was earmarked for the new build. However, the budget would be tight as a result of staff regarding. The school was now entering a period when the budget will be tougher and in a more realistic place. They were leaving an era of planning projects and moving into maintenance.

ii) Community Kitchen Campaign

The community kitchen group was looking at proposals for consulting parents and considering sources of additional funding. A business plan was required to make the project work. The headteacher was cautiously optimistic that they could manage their own kitchen and that it was the ideal time to do this. Islington Council had agreed to extend the decision of whether to opt into the borough-wide contract until the end the current term.

iii) Staffing

The staff team was now much bigger, following some good appointments, but also more challenging to manage. The nursery was full and the uptake of programmes very high but the downside to this was the potential effect on staff morale. The change to the late start on Thursday was going well and would not be reinstated because parents had vigorously expressed their unhappiness with the arrangement. Parents did have an understanding of what the time was being used for the late mornings but the reality was that many working parents did not the option of flexible working which could accommodate the late starts. The core function of a children’s centre is to cater for working parents. It was also not ethical to put something to consultation to parents knowing that their views would be ignored. In the larger staff more formal systems of working were required and more major changes were expected in the future. Increasingly parents wanted more flexibility and staff had to find different ways of meeting and getting together. This was an experimental period and some of the systems would not work. However, it also provided a coaching role for the senior management team. The staff were very competent and these changes would help them grow and develop at the same time.

iv) Building News

The building works were progressing satisfactorily and the job had now gone out to tender. A meeting would be convened to update governors once the outcome of the tenders was known.

iv) Children’s Centre Developments

A detailed report on the new style of programmes had yet to be completed. The response to the support groups was very positive. There were concerns around the multi-agency approach to child protection issues and this was being resolved through mediation.

v) School Improvement Plan

The four-year SIP had been circulated to all governors. The key point noted was regular governing body involvement in monitoring/evaluation. There was a definite cycle of what governors should receive and when in order to made a valuable contribution. The governing body was also required to make more of an effort in visiting and getting involved into the school. Governors were asked to make targeted visits once a term on a particular theme, which involved meeting with subject coordinators. Governors were asked to arrange convenient dates for visits with Sanchia Lyon as follows:

Lucy Lloyd /Georgette Djaba to visit after half term
Shakyra Dowling & Peter Warren to visit in the autumn term (focus on teaching & learning)
Phyllis Richardson to visit in the spring term (provisionally)

Governors were also asked to support the parent’s groups. Lucy Lloyd agreed to do this. The next parents conference would be held on 29 September 2007.

vi) Curriculum & Care

A report on the core experiences at Kate Greenaway was laid on the table.

vii) Attendance

Islington had one of the worst attendance levels in the country at primary level and although nursery attendance was not statutory, it was felt that it was important to encourage good attendance and timekeeping. It was agreed that families would be asked to phone in if they were going to be late and the nursery would adopt a better monitoring process to follow up on children who are consistently late or missing for no compelling reason.

viii) Fire drill

A fire drill took place; evacuation time was 1 minute. This was a vast improvement from the previous drill.

iii) School closure

None reported.

After discussion,

RECEIVED

6. BUDGET 2007/08

A budget summary report for 2007/08 was laid on the table.

After discussion,

RESOLVED: that the draft budget for 2007/08 be approved.

7. REPORTS FROM THE DIRECTOR OF EDCUATION SERVICES FOR ACTION

Reports from the Director of Education Services were previously circulated.

i) New Model Sickness Absence Management Policy for Schools

Governors were asked to consider adopting the new model policy.

ii) New Model Organisational Change Policy for Schools

Governors were asked to consider adopting the new model policy.

iii) Extended Services in Schools

Noted

iv) Planned Changes to Exclusion Procedures fromSeptember 2007

Noted

After discussion,

RESOLVED: that the new model sickness absence management and organisational change policies for schools be adopted.

8. REPORT BACK FROM COMMITTEES

i) Personnel Committee

A note of the meeting held on 5 March 2007 had been circulated prior to the meeting.

After discussion,

RECEIVED

9. GOVERNORS’ VISITS

There were no visits reported.

10. DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING PROGRAMME

Governors were reminded of the previously circulated programme for the Summer term.

The chair recommended training on extended services and support for parent governors. Governors were also encouraged to visit CEA@Islington’s website for useful information.

After discussion,

RECEIVED

11. CHAIR’S REPORT

There was no report from the Chair to consider.

12. AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE NEXT MEETING AND ANY OTHER BUSINESS

i) Any Other Business

A planned visit with the publicity consultant, Andrew Smith, was taking place on 10 May 2007 at 10am to which governors were invited.

After discussion,

RECEIVED

About chicken pox - and also a reminder of key dates coming up

2007-05-18T17:26:00.000Z

This letter had an attached leaflet about Parentline's Just Ask - because instructions aren't included service.

Parentline Plus say: You can contact us about anything that is worrying you. Parents call and email us about a range of issues affecting them and their families from having a new baby, starting a new relationship and disagreements in the family, to issues with teenagers, school, homework and eating patterns.
www.parentlineplus.org.uk
parentsupport@parentlineplus.org.uk
Freephone 0808 800 2222 (24 hours a day)

Firstly, as you probably know we have lots of cases of chicken pox at the nursery. Chicken pox is not a serious illness, but it can be uncomfortable for children. Some recommended ways to help your child include:

• use paracetamol (Calpol) to relieve pain and keep the temperature down
• warm baths every few hours (without any soap or bubble bath) can be soothing; so can calamine lotion
• ice lollies help if your child has a sore throat and if she or he is reluctant to drink
• antihistamine helps if the spots are especially itchy
• keeping your child’s nails short reduces the risk of excessive scratching

There has been conflicting information about judging when your child is ready to return to nursery. The Health Protection Agency recommends that children can return to school or nursery once the blisters have fully crusted over, this usually happens 5-7 days after the first scab appears. After the last scab has burst and crusted, children are no longer considered infectious.

If you know you are pregnant, or it’s possible you could be pregnant – it’s no problem if you have had chicken pox before. But if you haven’t had it, or you’re not sure, then please make an appointment to see your GP as chicken pox can be dangerous in pregnancy for you and the unborn child.

Important dates

Half term

Monday 28th May – Friday 1st June (inclusive). We remain open if you have an extended day/year place – please check in the office or with your key person if you are not sure.

Nursery picnic and funday

Saturday 16th June from 12pm-2pm. Fun…food…stalls – we hope you can come and join in with the fun. If you’d like to help out or run a stall – please speak to Jan or Julian. We are raising money to support our community kitchen project.

Development morning - 19th June

If you have a core day place, then we are closed in the morning but open from 1pm as usual. If you have a morning-only place then we are closed. Extended day/year places – open as usual.

End of term – Friday 20th July

Closure for the extended day/year service: Friday August 17th

Start of the autumn term (all children): Wednesday 5th September

Parent conference – Saturday 29th September from 11am-2pm

Last year we had a really successful parent conference. Parents gave their views and suggestions on lots of important issues and this has directly informed some of the changes introduced during the year. Please come and have your say about Kate Greenaway.

Letter to parents, 10th May 2007

2007-05-10T12:33:00.000Z

Dear parents and carers

Firstly, I wanted to let you know that the staff team had a very valuable 2 days of training and development on Wednesday and Thursday last week. The 5 days per year we close, as a school, are really important because they enable us to keep developing and trying to improve the education and care we offer all the children. Our focus was on how staff record and monitor children’s learning and development, and how we can involve parents and carers in this.

Attendance at Kate Greenaway

We want to do everything we can, to ensure that children attend as much as possible and get the fullest benefit of their place here.

If your child is ill, or if there is another reason why your child will not be able to attend nursery – please phone us to let us know.

If we don’t hear from you, then Marie will call you during the day to check everything is OK with you and your child.

We follow Islington’s policy on attendance and late collection, which can lead to the place for your child being reduced in hours or withdrawn if you are consistently late. This is not something any of the staff at Kate Greenaway want to happen – so please help us by being on time.

We know that sometimes there are special circumstances which might make it difficult for you to ensure your child comes to nursery every day. Because we now have an outreach and family support service we might be able to help you if this is the case – speak to your key person or to Dawn if you could do with some extra help to make sure your child comes regularly to nursery.

Start of the day

Attendance is important, and it’s also important to do everything you can to ensure your child comes to nursery on time.

For children with a core day or morning place: we have a flexible drop-off time between 9am-9.30am every day (don’t forget that we now open as normal on Thursdays, not late). The reason for the flexible start is that if you have a child at primary school you can’t be in two places at once! So you can drop your older child off first, then come here. If you don’t have a child in another school then it will help your child if you come every morning at 9am. Coming at 9am every day instead of 9.30am will give your child nearly 100 extra hours of nursery education every year. Please do everything you can to arrive at 9.30am at the latest – if you are regularly late, then your child is missing out on her or his entitlement to a full nursery place.

If you come early (before 9am) you are welcome to take your child to the sofa-end of the Foundation Room and share a book there. Please note that the staff are either very busy with the children already here, or are busy setting up for the day ahead.

For children with extended day/year places – we recognise that you are away from your child a lot during the week, so if you have a chance for a later start to work you may wish to spend some extra time with your child. If you want to do this, then please make sure you phone before 9.30am so we know when to expect your child in nursery. Unless it’s an exceptional circumstance it’s best not to come any later than 10am – it’s difficult for children who arrive late to get involved in the morning’s play and experiences, and they can end up feeling left out.

If you come early (before 8am) you are welcome to take your child to the sofa-end of the Foundation Room and share a book there. Please note that the staff are busy setting up for the day ahead – they only have a short time to do this.

End of day

Please can you help the smooth running of Kate Greenaway by picking your child up on time.

If your child has a core day place, then she or he needs to be picked up at 3.30pm. Although we have a late programme, we do not have enough staff for extra children on top. If you know you are going to be unavoidably late, as a one-off, then let us know so we can prepare your child.

If there is anything here you would like to discuss – please let me know, and I will arrange to meet with you.

News for parents and carers

2007-03-26T15:23:00.000Z

Key dates

This term ends on Friday 30th March and the Summer Term will begin on Monday 16th April.

Half term is Monday 28th May to Friday 1st June (inclusive).

The summer term ends on Friday 20th July.

We are closed for 2 days for training and development: Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd May. The nursery is closed for all children.

Kate Greenaway stays open for children with extended day/year places once the school Spring Term ends, except for the two bank holidays (6th and 9th April) when we are closed.

In the summer, we will close on 17th August for two weeks and reopen for children on Wednesday 5th September.

Thursday late start and new development mornings

From 16th April onwards we are ending the late-start system on Thursday mornings. Your child will now start at the same time every day of the week.

However we have two “development mornings” next term on Friday 18th May and Tuesday 19th June. On development mornings, we will offer your child her or his normal hours.

Fees

From April 1st, fees are payable to Kate Greenaway Nursery School. We charge fees for every day, including training days, with the exception of Bank Holidays and the August closure. Parents are charged for training and development days. This is all in line with Islington’s policy and the contract with parents.

Parking

Please could you remember not to park in York Way Court when you are dropping off/picking up your child. There have been continued complaints to Home for Islington, who have a mobile clamping unit. Please use meter parking instead. Thanks.

Staff news

Sanchia will return to Kate Greenaway next term, following her secondment to Moreland Primary School and Fortune Park Children’s Centre.
Heidi will be leaving Kate Greenaway after covering Sanchia for this term; she will be travelling on and then returning to New Zealand. Heidi has done a fantastic job this term as a temporary teacher, and I know that staff, children and families will all miss her.
New staff for the Children’s Centre (extended services) are currently being appointed.

Children’s Centre

We are currently finalising our Children’s Centre programme and will be distributing details about this later in April.

Kitchen Campaign

Lots of parents are now getting behind the Kitchen Campaign. Kate Greenaway wants to opt out of Scolarest and other contract catering arrangements and have its own kitchen, to cook fresh healthy food for children. The Community Kitchen will also be open for parents to learn more about healthy cooking and snack preparation. It will provide healthy snacks for Stay and Plays, and sell prepared meals and snacks to parents. The Kitchen Campaign group is working hard to make sure that the kitchen will be able to do enough business to pay for itself. If you would like to get involved – please talk to Jan. We are now very likely to achieve this aim, thanks to the support of parents.

Rebuild

We are aiming to rebuild the front of the building to provide a better reception space, and also working space for Children’s Centre staff. We are also planning an Art Workshop (in the front garden) and a base for community cycling. We are planning to have bikes to lend to families (adult and children).

Once we have firm details of when the work will be taking place, parents will be informed.

Julian Grenier

Training and Development Day

2007-02-27T18:19:00.000Z

Kate Greenaway was closed on Monday 26th for training and development. We spent the day developing our approach to integrated work for children and families.
By integrated work, we mean that as a Children's Centre we don't just want to provide a whole range of services under one roof.
We want to have an approach to working with families which is consistent, and built on values and principles (rather than whatever happens to be this month's special flavour, or having an "anything goes" approach.
The planning which came out of the day will be posted as soon as it's written up.
In the meantime here's our statement of "what we stand for".

What we stand for

Here for every child – now

We do all we can to help children feel wanted and secure so that they can develop and learn. We plan for close attachments and relationships with children on roll in the nursery. We see children as strong and competent learners and we stand up for their right to play in early childhood. We treasure children for who they are, not what anyone wants them to be. We work closely with parents to help children develop self-discipline, self-motivation and an awareness and respect for others.
We try to make ourselves accessible and helpful to parents who are having a difficult or hard time.

"We have a duty to support the development of the child's personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential."
UN Declaration – Rights of the Child

"To move, to run, to find things out by new movements, to feel one's life in every limb, that is the life of early childhood."
Margaret Macmillan

"Love in infancy and childhood is as important for mental health as are vitamins and protein for physical health."
John Bowlby

Helping the development of a strong community around Kings Cross

Strong, energetic, lively and curious children grow up in strong families and strong communities. Unlike most other public services, we are directly accountable to our local community – Kate Greenaway is run by a governing body, with democratically elected parent governors.
Our roots in the neighbourhood are nourished by the involvement and commitment of local people.
We have particular expertise and knowledge about young children; but we do not always know best.
We are especially committed to education for all children and adults as a way to self-fulfilment and wellbeing.
We are unreservedly on the side of families with young children.

"It takes a whole village to raise a child."
Traditional African proverb, quoted by Chinua Achebe

"Unless both power to choose and opportunity for choice are present no child, woman or man is free."
Christian Schiller

"It is not for professionals to tell families how to bring up their children."
Tina Bruce

A staff team achieving things to be proud of

We are committed to new ways of working with children and families, breaking down the traditional barriers between health, social services and education. We think that professionals need to listen carefully to families and work in ways to help families overcome difficulties and disadvantage.
A strong, creative and energetic staff team is essential to the success of Kate Greenaway. Staff should feel that they are valued, and that they have sufficient time and energy for their personal lives whilst dedicating themselves to the service of local children and their families.

"There is a need for better and more multi-professional exchange, dialogue and integrated working."
Tina Bruce

Everything connects
We want everything to connect at Kate Greenaway. We value and promote education for children, parents and the staff team. We value quality provision for play in the nursery, in Stay and Play groups, and during home visits and outreach work. We think that all children and all adults have the capacity to overcome disadvantage, difficulties and problems for themselves, with the right help and support. Our commitment to respecting each family, encouraging choice and promoting equal opportunities shapes everything we do.

"We have a duty to help prepare children for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin."
UN Declaration – Rights of the Child

Parent Conference and Governing Body

2007-02-23T10:45:00.000Z

You can read about the views and ideas put forward in the parent conference by clicking here.
You can also read the minutes of the latest meeting of the Governing Body here. The decisions taken by the governors took full account of the findings from the Parent Conference. Parent governors on the governing body are democratically elected by the full parent body and help to represent parental views. We place a strong emphasis on parent involvement in decision making. We try to be open and accountable - so we publish minutes and decisions for everyone to see. If you'd like to find out more about the governing body then email julian.grenier@islington.gov.uk

To read the documents linked to above you will need to have Microsoft Word installed on your computer. If you don't have it, you can download the Word Viewer which is free.

First posting

2007-02-23T10:40:00.000Z

Welcome to the first posting on our blog...We have been doing some work for the last few months on how we are going to communicate better with parents and the local community and this is one of the suggestions we are following up. The blog should help everyone keep up to date with news and developments at Kate Greenaway - and also encourage parents and others to post their own views and comments. Here we go...