News & events
Mudeford Wood Preschool
Newsletter September 2023
We hope that you and your families have had a lovely summer break, and are feeling refreshed! It has been a pleasure to welcome your children back to preschool, and welcome all of our new families. We are very pleased with how quickly the children have settled in, and we are enjoying seeing the children happily exploring and making friends. Here are some dates for your diary and reminders,please let us know if you have any questions or comments
Dates for your diary:
Thursday 12th October 9.00am-11.00am: Macmillan Coffee morning
Friday 20th October: Paulton’s Park
Monday 23rd October- Friday 27th October: Autumn half-term: Preschool closed
Macmillan Coffee morning
We would like to invite all parents and carers to a Macmillan coffee morning on Thursday 12th October from 9.00am-11.00am. This will be an opportunity for parents and carers to meet each other, as well as to chat to some of the playgroup staff and committee members informally whilst raising money for a good cause. If your child does not attend playgroup that day, you are welcome to bring them along, and younger siblings, friends and family are welcome too. We would really grateful for any cake donations, please drop off at playgroup on Wednesday 11th October, or on Thursday morning. We also need some parent helpers on Thursday morning from 8.30am to help us set up for the morning. Please let us know if you can help 😊
Paultons Park Day Out!
We have arranged discounted tickets for Paultons Park on Friday 20th October! Tickets are £29.50 for adults and £17.50 for children over 1m tall, children under 1 m tall are free. Family and friends are welcome. It is a fun day out for all ages! Please let us know as soon as possible if you would like tickets as we must have a minimum of 15 people to access these great prices. Tickets must be ordered and paid for by Wednesday 11th October. Playgroup will be open as normal for families who cannot attend.
Photos from home
As part of learning about the children we share photos of people and things that are special to them. We find that the children love to look at the photos, and it is a brilliant way to encourage conversation, as well as giving us an opportunity to get to know them better, and for them to learn about other children. Please could you bring in or email the office mwpgoffice@gmail.com some photos (4-8 photos is ideal) that you would be happy for the children to share and keep at preschool. Here are some examples of what to include; your child with family members, friends or pets, your child doing an activity they enjoy, e.g. riding their bike or at the beach, your child celebrating a special event, e.g. birthdays, weddings, holidays. Thank you, we are really excited to see the photos! 😊
What’s happening this half term at preschool…..
This half term is all about settling your children into preschool for the first time or after the summer break. We are getting to know them well, and finding out the type of activities they enjoy. We are focusing on personal, social and emotional development and communication, helping children to build friendships and understand preschool boundaries. We are learning nursery rhymes and actions.
We will be finding out all about Autumn and learning about the seasons changing. Towards the end of this half term, and into November, we will find out about the exciting celebrations at this time of year, such as Bonfire night and Halloween. We will take part in baking, music and crafts.
We will find out about our local woodland and wildlife, and will have visits from the team at the BCP parks foundation. They have already run 4 moth sessions, where they have shown the children some of the moths that they have found in our outdoor area!
We are continuing to take part in football and tennis on a Monday afternoon, Baby Ballet on a Wednesday afternoon, and we have just started gymnastics sessions on a Tuesday afternoon!
Keyworkers….
After half term you will be offered a meeting with your child’s keyworker. You will also receive a report about your child’s development on tapestry. However, if you have any questions, or want to chat about any aspect of your child’s development before that, then please feel free to get in touch at any time. You can phone, email, or talk to them at drop off or pick up time.
Lunch boxes
At playgroup we are talking to the children about ways to be healthy, including healthy eating, thank you for supporting us with this by providing a healthy balanced lunch and avoiding sweets, chocolate and other very salty or sugary foods. Please ensure any food items such as grapes that could cause a choking risk are sliced lengthwise. Please also ensure children have no nuts or nut products such as peanut butter in their lunch boxes, as we have children with nut allergies at playgroup.
Water Bottles
Please ensure your child only has water in their water bottles, no squash or juice please in order to protect their teeth. Children may bring fruit juice, smoothies or milk in their lunchbox. They are also offered milk or water at snack time. Thank you for your support.
Wellies and Coats
As the weather is beginning to turn more Autumnal please can your child bring a named coat to every session, and a pair of named wellies or waterproof shoes? These can stay at playgroup in a carrier bag on their peg, or be brought in each time they are in.
Toys from home
We have noticed some children are coming in with toys and objects from home. Children may bring in a comforter whilst they settle in, but please avoid bringing other items from home, it often leads to upsets if toys get lost, or if other children want to play with their toys.
Naming belongings
Please ensure you name everything your child brings to preschool, including their coat, jumper, bag, water bottle, wellies and lunchbox! It makes it so much easier for staff to ensure belongings do not get lost and go home with the right child.
If you would like to buy ready-made name labels, you can help us raise money for preschool by using the website www.mynametags.com please enter the school ID:38835 for us to receive a donation of 24% of your order value!
Preschool Uniform
We currently have our Mudeford Wood Preschool t-shirts and sweatshirts in stock at preschool, or you can buy them online at myclothing.com T-shirts are £6.00 and Sweatshirts are £10.00. Just let us know if you would like to buy some, we accept cash, card or bank transfer.
Useful websites and information:
The National trust are offering free family tickets to use between 18th September and 20th October. Claim your tickets at the following website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/escape-into-autumn
Dorset Speech and Language services are running a drop-in service ‘Ready, Steady, Chat’. This is open to any parents who have concerns about their child’s speech and language development. Please let us know if you have worries, or if you would like help accessing the service. Please visit the website below for more information;
The BBC also have a great website that gives you lots of ideas to support your child’s speech and language development:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people
If you are currently potty training your child we recommend visiting the ERIC website. It has lots of useful advice and tips:
https://eric.org.uk/potty-training/
If you would like some more ideas or inspiration for your child’s lunchbox we recommend visiting the NHS Healthy families website:
https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/recipes/healthier-lunchboxes/
Support for families
We know the cost of living is putting financial pressure on lots of our families. If you are struggling or need help please feel you can speak to us in confidence. We may be able to help signpost you to organisations that can help such as ones overleaf:
If you receive certain benefits you may be eligible for free vitamins and a prepaid card to buy food and milk for your child? You can apply at this website: https://services.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/apply-for-healthy-start/
If you need support with buying food local charity ‘People’s Pantry’ can help with discounted groceries, please visit their website for more information: https://sycc.org.uk/the-peoples-pantry/
We are a supplier of Christchurch food bank vouchers, which allow you to visit the foodbank for cupboard staples. If you would like some vouchers please let us know in confidence. Find out more information at their website: https://faithworkswessex.org.uk/projects/foodbank/christchurch-food-bank/