Letter, November 27th: dates, building works

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.