3 December 2011

  Welcome to the autumn news from Sherington Pre-school, summer is now a long and distant memory and soon It will be all snow and Christmas carols. We'd like to begin with heartfelt congratuletlom to our publicity officer Caroline Barrass and husband Tim on the birth of not-so-little Seth, a healthy and hearty brother for their two girls Nell and Elsie.

  We also welcome some new additions of our own with William, Joel, Ferdy, and Millie joining us this term - we look forward to getting to know them and having fun over the coming weeks.

  Our recent themes "Halloween" and "Bonfire Night" have been a great hit with the children enjoying spooky stories read In the dark, using torches to shine on the walls add to the atmosphere, a traditional vegetable carving that saw them all exploring the seeds and sticky goo inside a pumpkin. The story of Guy Fawkes and the gun power plot saw the children taking great delight in making a card board "Guy" - red face, beard and all. This was then entered into the Sherington Cof E School "Guy" competition for bonfire night celebrations. On the fateful night our "Guy" won first prize and managed to escape punishment by burning to return triumphant to the Pre-school with Charlie on Wednesday 9th November.

  Our new theme of “Buildings” is proving to be very popular with lots of construction play taking place with both cardboard boxes, smaller wooden bricks and the heavier wooden community blocks. Many junk models have been produced among them; a garage for toy cars, a shed for Thomas the Tank and a stable for a favourite toy horse. With all the construction going on we were very happy to welcome in the experts from local construction firm, Osborne. Karen and Mr. Tommy Chambers came, armed with some very fine fleeces for the staff and to present us with a very generous donation of £200 - collected by their staff tuck shop. We are very fortunate to have been hand picked to be the beneficiary of this fundraising and wish to thank Osborne and all their staff for their continued support of Sherington Pre-school. We look forward to being able to have the children learn more about construction and safety through this connection later on in the year.

Our AGM was held on 18th October and our guest speaker was Matthew Peck, Manager of Alban Hill Nursery who spoke on the importance of children understanding where their food comes from and the benefits of getting the chance to plant and harvest for themselves. Matthew was surprised and delighted with what we managed to achieve with the “Home grown in Sherington” project - which was started back in February, planting fruit and vegetables in a local back garden. He admired the work and dedication that has gone into it and was so pleased to see how successful the project has been that he pledged to continue to support it, with expert advice and product where possible, well into 2012 and beyond.

  The children have explored different foods at snack time as a result of this project and our thanks go to Rebecca Constantine for allowing us to visit her pigs earlier in the year and for bringing it full circle by recently supplying us with wonderful home grown sausages! - these were grilled and served with baked beans and the children loved them. We would also like to thank Jane Anne at Sherington Place for allowing the children to pick apples in the garden which have also been eaten at snack time.

  The project will slow over the winter, with the colder weather drawing in but the children have managed to plant garlic and daffodil bulbs as well as acorns and conkers in preparation for spring. And we still have a crop of late potato’s to harvest in time for Christmas!

  Our recent “Open Morning” was well supported; the children’s ‘All about me'’drawings and photographs were displayed - focusing on the personal social and emotional development aspect of the EYFS curriculum. Our next open day will be 31st January 2012

  As we move into December the children will be celebrating Christmas in the usual way. The Nativity play will be on Wednesday 14th December, parents are welcome from 10.45am for coffee and the play will begin at 11.15am, which will be followed by the traditional Xmas raffle draw - to get your tickets speak to Jo or Kay. The traditional Christmas party will be held 15th December, let's hope we've all be good enough for the man in the red outfit to make a visit. Pre School will be closed 16th Dec until 4th January - we look forward to welcoming our parents, staff and pupils back in 2012.

  So from us all at Sherington Pre-school we would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

  To find out more about Sherington Pre-School please take a look at the rest of our website, telephone Jo Tough on 617685/07866409169 or call in to Sherington Village Hall, Church Road, Sherington, any morning Monday to Thursday between 9:15 and 12:15. We look forward to meeting you.

  3 October 2011

  A very warm welcome to the beginning of our Pre-school year, particularly to our new starters Otis, Isla, Isabella and Cameron. We look forward to having fun and getting to know each of them over the coming weeks. Our opening theme is, 'All about me' which provides us with the ideal opportunity to settle-in our new intake and catch up with news from a few familiar faces. We have been listening with interest to the children's exciting stories about what they have been doing during the summer holidays, It seems there have been trips to the seaside a-plenty and, for one lucky little boy, an amazing Journey to visit South Africa.

  Later this term we shall be learning more about Harvest time and food and helping the children make bread and popping corn for our healthy snack bar. Having recently signed up for change4lIfe It is our aim to include even more energetic activities in our school day to keep us all fit and healthy. As part of our on-going 'Home grown' project, Tom's Garden has produced four marrows, French and runner beans, a few strawberries, broad beans and tomatoes. Our most successful vegetable by far has been the potato so we have another crop planned for Christmas!

  Much to the delight of the children, our giant sunflower reached nearly to the sill of Tom's bedroom window and, most surprisingly, it stayed aloft through the recent high-winds. During our first of many garden visits of the Autumn term, the children planted daffodils and, on the return journey, picked blackberries for the snack bar and explored the park for mini beasts. Back at the Village Hall, the high winds have also blown a bumper crop of conkers into the play area. The children have delighted in examining the shiny surfaces, collecting them in blue buckets or wheelbarrows or simply rolling them down the guttering and listening to the noise!

  We would like to extend a big welcome to our new Apprentice, Amy Kitchen, who is studying hard towards her NVQ 3 having gained her NVQ 2 at Milton Keynes College last year. Amy is a delightful and enthusiastic member of our - team and we are most pleased to be able to support her on-going career development and learning in Early Years care. Other staff members will be undertaking additional training in First Aid and all of our staff members have recently completed an online Safeguarding Course as part of their continued professional development.

A parents evening was held on the 20th September and provided a focused opportunity for parents to find out more about how we keep records on the children and monitor their progress using the EYFS curriculum and guidelines. Parents also had chance to meet the staff, members of the committee and other parents. Please note the date of our AGM which will be held at the Village Hall on 18th October from 7.45 'till 9pm. Our guest speaker will be Matthew Peck from Alban Hill Nursery, Sherington.

  To all prospective parents, please save the date for our next Open Morning on 11th October between 9.30 and 11.30am. We look forward to welcoming you and your child and hope you will consider adding your name to our waiting list; we currently accept children from two and a half to four years.

  Our grateful thanks go to Osborne who have most kindly sponsored our new staff fleeces and saved their tuck shop money to donate to our Pre-school. The staff will now be kept cosy whilst supporting the children during their outdoor play and the £150 raised will go a long way to help keep a Pre-school in the local community.

  Finally, beware the squirming cobweb infested fright-fest on the 29th October between 12:30 and 2pm when Sherington Pre-school brings you the all-new, `HAIRY-SCARY SHERINGTON' Halloween event. Please keep a look-out for further information on posters around the village or contact Pre-school staff for ticket details. Everyone is most welcome.

  To find out more about Sherington Pre-School please take a look at the rest of our website, telephone Jo Tough on 617685/07866409169 or call in to Sherington Village Hall, Church Road, Sherington, any morning Monday to Thursday between 9:15 and 12:15. We look forward to meeting you.

  27 May 2011

  As we enter the summer term we are pleased to welcome Jessica Blake who has come to make friends and learn through play. On her very first day at Pre-school Jessica joined the children to walk up to Sherington C of E School to join in the Royal Wedding celebrations on 26th April. Sporting their new high visibility vest displaying our Pre-school logo, part of the Home Grown in Sherington project, the children arrived to activities laid on by the PTFA. There was a lot to do and see with a Union Jack collage, colouring in, cake decorating and crown making activities. The children took packed lunches and sat and ate them together with extra jelly provided, in a lovely red white and blue decorated classroom. Each child was given a commemorative book mark to celebrate the big day.

  Progress is being made in the garden, with our “Home Grown in Sherington” project, with two visits having already taken place to Tom's Garden. So far we have planted potatoes, herbs, tomatoes and strawberries. We will be shortly planting out our own runner beans and french beans that we are growing on at Pre-school together with a salad crop, peas and of course some giant sunflowers that will be planted in the coming couple of weeks. In Pre-school the children have been making a beanstalk using their design and mark making skills to draw leaves and we hope that Jack and the Giant will soon appear along with the other characters of the story.

  We were very pleased recently to be invited to visit a local garden in Church Road, the children enjoyed a lovely afternoon in Barbara Middleton’s beautiful garden where she was very welcoming and enthusiastic, showing us her pond and fish allowing all the children to feed them some food. The children were fascinated with coaxing 'Hoover' as he is called (for obvious reasons) to the top, he was the biggest fish and the children were most impressed! We looked at Barbara's vegetable plot and all the children tasted her delicious lettuce. She then took us on an adventure to see her compost heap hidden at the back of the garden, explaining to the children each part of the process. Another treat was visiting her Art Studio (in the garden) and looking at her wire 'Ram' nestling amongst the trees. Then she showed the children how she cleans the pump in her pond which was a great hit, as lots of squirting of water was involved.

  We are pleased to announce that Jo Tough has recently completed 'Safeguarding modules ' via e-learning tools and has been sharing her Ferre Laevers training, a method of scanning & observing the Children's 'Wellbeing' & 'Involvement' as they play, by presenting her learning’s and training the rest of the staff in this well recognised technique.

Please save the date for our next Sherington Preschool Open Morning on the 14th June between 9:30am and 11:30am. Prospective parents and children are most welcome to call in, join in and see what we’re all about. If you are planning to join us in September, please come along and complete a notice of interest form as spaces are in demand.

  And last but not least we’d like to give our heartfelt congratulations to our new pre school assistant, Tania Harold, who will be jetting off on her honeymoon over the half term period after her marriage to Colin on 27th May. We’d like to wish the happy couple all the best for their future life together.

  To find out more about Sherington Pre-School please take a look at the rest of our website, telephone Jo Tough on 617685/07866409169 or call in to Sherington Village Hall, Church Road, Sherington, any morning Monday to Thursday between 9:15 and 12:15. We look forward to meeting you.

  8 May 2011

A Happy Easter from everyone at Sherington Pre-School.

The run up to Easter has been incredibly exciting. Our newest project, `Homegrown in Sherington', began with our first visit to Tom's Garden on a most glorious sunny day. En route, we were most fortunate to get the chance to call in and see Ali and William's new brood of chickens. The children saw where the chickens live, sleep and lay their eggs, and were able to feed them some corn. Later, at Tom's Garden, we performed a wonderful opening ceremony during which Thomas Thatcher cut the blue ribbon and secured a new name-plaque to his garden gate. This was extra special as the plaque had been made by the children using materials such as sticks and stones.

The children then became engaged in planting two varieties of potato, Rocket and Casablanca, which were supplied to us by the Potato Council. They set the chitted potatoes in compost which they transferred from bags into large black buckets (provided by Alban Hill Nursery) sited on Tom's patio. The children were then given the opportunity to plant herbs including thyme and Welsh onion. They explored each plant and examined the roots before popping them into the holes they had made. We all took turns to water our new potatoes and herbs, and the rest of Tom's garden for that matter, before embarking upon the short walk back to Pre-School! On our return to school, we decorated hard-boiled eggs and held a very competitive egg- rolling contest. Before home-time, the children enjoyed the rewards of a chocolate egg hunt in the play-area outside the village hall.

After the Easter break, we're looking forward to celebrating the Royal Wedding alongside Sherington C of E, to observing the progress of our vegetables and herbs and to continuing our walks to discover the animals, crops and fruit trees in the village. Look out for us in our new high visibility vests!

Please do save the date for our next Sherington Preschool Open Morning on the 14th June between 9:30am and 11:30am. Prospective parents and children are most welcome to call in, join in and see what we're all about.

  15 April 2011

An abundance of great news from Sherington Pre-School this month! Let's start by extending our thanks to everyone involved with the Mad March Hare Affair at the Village Hall on Saturday 12th March. The event was enormous fun and a huge success, raising £400 for the Pre-School. There was a lot to do, see, buy, eat and drink; the children particularly enjoyed decorating eggs, having their faces painted, finding the dormouse and guessing how many chocolates were in the teapot!

Our thanks go to all the stall holders for their support, and to the local residents for coming along, joining in the fun and eating our homemade cakes.

Some of the proceeds from the Mad March Hare Affair will go toward the start-up costs of our new project, 'Home-grown in Sherington'. In Sherington we're fortunate to have a variety of crops, livestock, poultry, vegetables, fruit trees and wild fruits within walking distance. We intend to take the children on a series of fun seasonal-walks, during which they will be able to observe, discover and learn through activity and play. Moreover, we will demonstrate simple ways of getting more exercise whilst encouraging the children to use innovative and memorable ways to communicate and make discoveries outside the usual Pre-School setting.

By participating in these walks, our children will have ample opportunity to explore their surroundings, observe animals and plants, play a part in growing vegetables, take their own digital photographs, collect suitable samples and write or draw reminders of their discoveries in special personalised field-note books. They will learn new skills whilst getting exercise and acquiring vital knowledge about where their food comes from. Incorporating the key principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage' Enabling Environments' we know that being outdoors has a positive impact on children's sense of well-being and helps all aspects of children's development. It offers children freedom to explore and use their senses as they learn about the world around them.

We are now perfectly poised to get this project off the ground, particularly since we had the fabulous news that our recent application to the NHS 'Tackling Obesity' funding was successful. Through this scheme we have been awarded a £500 grant to purchase vital project equipment. This award is fundamental to us bringing our exciting new project to life and we are most grateful to the NHS in Milton Keynes and the PSLA for supporting us. We are still seeking further funds to complete the project so please do contact us if you'd like more information or are interested in helping in any way.

Continuing the good news, Sherington Pre-School has also been fortunate to have been given, as a gift, a pack of new equipment by MK Council. This included a programmable beetle bug, a kid-proof video camera and a set of walkie-talkies. This will make a valuable addition to the ways in which our children learn through play and will come in very handy for our latest theme: Exploring the Senses'. We've had great fun investigating smell, taste and touch through simple activities such as making and eating a fruit salad. We're also looking forward to developing our final theme of this term, 'Easter'.

Finally, please save the date for our next Sherinqton Preschool Open Morning on the 14th June between 9:30am and 11:30am. Prospective parents and children alre most welcome to call in, join in and see what we're all about.

  13 March 2011

Firstly, Sherington Pre-School would like to make very welcome our new-starters, Emmy and Alice. We hope Emmy and Alice have an amazing time learning and playing with us over the coming months.

Since we last wrote, the children have been learning about Chinese New Year. To celebrate the Year of the Rabbit they've been making cards, writing in the Chinese Style and tasting Chinese food from the snack bar.

Right now, we're working really hard, and seeking the necessary funds to develop our exciting new project, 'Home-grown in Sherington'. This project fits neatly in to our overall theme of 'Journeys and Outings' and will see us take the children on a series of exploratory walks around the village. During each outing, they will make their own discoveries and learn about the animals, vegetables, fruit and crops that surround them. If anyone feels they could support this project either financially, or in other ways, then please do contact us.

After the half term break, we'll be veering towards our new topic, 'Trains, Boats and Planes' and then feeling our way around with our project theme 'Senses'. But, if it's loony-laugh-out-loud-larking- about you're after then look no further than the Mad March Hare Affair at the Village Hall: 12 March 2011, 10.30am - 2.00pm

Finally, we're pleased to say that we now have most of our new furniture and equipment in place following our successful grant application to MK Council. The brightly coloured furniture is helping us make distinct pathways and clear circulation opportunities within the hall and supporting the ways in which our children interact whilst encouraging them to explore the setting in full, and learn independently. We know that obtaining this furniture and equipment has been fundamental to us providing an improved setting with more distinct spatial differentiation and where each activity-area is separated by either physical objects or intuitive visual clues. We are very proud to see our Pre-School looking so fabulous and doing so well!

To find out more about Sherington pre-school please take a look at the rest of our website, telephone Jo Tough on 617685 / 07866409169 or call in and see us any morning Monday to Thursday between 9:15 and 12:15. We look forward to meeting you.

  4 February 2011

A Happy New Year from Sherington Pre-school! We'd like to begin by thanking everyone involved in our Christmas fundraising efforts; those who donated prizes for the raffle; those who bought and sold raffle tickets and those who supported our stall at the Christmas Fayre. We are delighted that our parents and the wider community continue to support us with such enthusiasm. Without this charitable support, we would not be able to run our village Pre- School and would miss playing an important role in the development and growth of our amazing children.

After our wonderful Christmas and New Year, we started this term with a fabulously frosty Winter theme. The children have enjoyed making snow collages, and we've been encouraging their growing independence by allowing them the time to practice putting on their own coats, hats, scarves and gloves.

Our next theme, 'Dinosaurs', is soon to be stomping and roaring around the corner much to the delight of the children, and this will be closely followed by a topic that captures and explores the children's 'Favourite Stories'. Moving on to later in February, we're looking forward to a delivery of potato crop which we will be planting and monitoring to develop learning around a theme of, 'Growth and Change'. Towards half term, we will have a fabulous opportunity to explore different cultures as we embark upon activities and play related to the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Early in the New Year, the children were extremely excited to receive a visit from Golf- pro, Danny Poulter. Danny kindly brought in his golf clubs and some air balls to show the children how to stand properly and hit the ball. It was very entertaining particularly when he drove the balls to hit the ceiling. The children were of course, utterly delighted!

Rather excitingly, we have a great date for your social calendar. Please come and join us at the all-new Sherington Pre-School Mad March Hare Affair at the Village Hall on the 12th March 2011, 10:30-2:00pm. It's going to be a fun-filled day for all the family to enjoy. Please save the date and look out for further details on our website or on signs around the village.

Sadly, we have to break up the good news here with a bit of a moan. While we were clearing our outdoor play area we found about twenty beer bottles and cans in and around the children's play house. Could we ask that, in the future, it could be left tidy for the sake of the safety of our Pre-Schoolers who wish to enjoy the area?

On a much lighter note, we are delighted to be able to announce that Sherington Pre-School has been awarded a Quality and Access grant totalling almost £3000 from Milton Keynes Council. This will enable us to purchase brightly coloured tables, new chairs, several floor-coverings, new soft-seating as well as several key pieces of play equipment. We are extremely grateful that the Council has agreed to support our efforts to both improve the quality and accessibility of our setting, and to enhance our delivery of the EYFS curriculum. We hope to have much of this new equipment in place in time for theSherington Preschool Open Morning which will take place on the 15th February between 9:30am and 11:30am. Prospective parents and children are most welcome to call in, join in and see what we're all about.

To find out more about Sherington pre-school please take a look at the rest of our website, telephone Jo Tough on 617685 / 07866409169 or call in and see us any morning Monday to Thursday between 9:15 and 12:15. We look forward to meeting you.

  4 December 2010

It's a busy time at Sherington pre-school! We've rounded off our recent "Space" theme, our plans for Christmas are in full swing and there's lots of fun ahead, including: the pre-school's Christmas Play and end-of-term party; and a fabulous hamper raffle at the Parish Council Christmas Fayre.

The children really enjoyed the 'Space' theme. They had so much fun making colourful, streamer-adorned space rockets; cutting out weird and wobbly green aliens; recreating the surface of the moon; singing starry songs and reading marvellous space-themed stories. We are now eagerly awaiting a visit from some real space scientists from the Open University who have agreed to come in a talk to the children about meteorites and rockets. This extra special visit will provide a marvellous opportunity for the children to see exciting demonstrations and see real space rocks.

The children have also taken great pleasure from an abundance of cooking, making and baking this term. They made their own bread rolls and enjoyed eating them at snack time, and made peppermint creams which they took home in beautifully presented bags.

Right now, the children are bringing their favourite teddies to pre-school and sharing their special stories with us. They've been learning about different types of bears, making models of bear caves, and paintings of bears.

• Looking ahead, the pre-school Christmas Play is scheduled for Wednesday 8th December, and traditionally all the parents and carers are invited to stay and join us for tea, coffee and mince pies.
• On Thursday the 9th December it's party time, with special activities including Christmas colouring and making a crown. There will also be a unique musical extravaganza courtesy of.our very own staff.
• Finally, you'd better look out (and be on your best behaviour) during the run­up to Christmas as Santa will be dropping in to visit the children and hear their Christmas wishes.
• By popular demand, we're also bringing back our fabulous Christmas hamper raffle, with all proceeds going to pre-school. If you're feeling lucky, please come and see our stall at the Sherington Parish Christmas Fayre, or speak with the staff or committee about purchasing tickets.
• Looking forward to the New Year, on January 10lh, we'll kick-off the start of 2011 with the all-new Winter Theme.

  22 October 2010

The children have been discovering what Autumn is all about in the last few weeks. We went for an Autumn walk round our village, enjoying the local countryside and exploring the outdoor environment. The children searched for twigs, colourful leaves and numerous conkers to make some Autumn collages. Our children really enjoyed the freedom and independence on the walk. We picked some blackberries from the hedgerows and ate as many as we picked!

We also took the children for a walk to St Lauds Church the week before the ‘Arts and Crafts’ Exhibition. We had a good look round the Church and sang some harvest songs with the children. On our return to Pre School the children painted some pictures for the exhibition.

At the start of term we all enjoyed an unexpected visit from our community Police Officer. He let the children look in his Police Van and they could ask him questions.

Next we will be looking at Halloween, Space, our space and to coincide with children in need we will have a bear theme. We are going to be planting some crocus bulbs for the children to take home.

We have just had our AGM, where we were able to say a big thank you to the previous committee members, who stepped down as we welcomed the new volunteers, who will continue to drive the Pre School forward. It has been a roller coaster of a year but with our successful ‘Good ‘ Ofsted rating in place we are confident and proud of all that our community Pre School has to offer.

To find out more about Sherington Pre-school please take a look at our website; telephone Jo Tough on 617685/ 07866409169 or pop in and see us any morning Monday to Thursday between 9.15 and 12.15 or Friday 12.30 to 3.30. We look forward to meeting you and your child.

  Updates - 9 September 2010

Our new Welcome Pack is now available: click here.

  Updates - 7 September 2010

Our new Prospectus is now available: click here.

Next Open Day: 14 October 2010, 9.30am-12noon - Further details

  Updates - 5 September 2010

The OFSTED inspector’s new report is now available: click here.

New policies:

• 1.3 Looked after children
• 2.1 Employment and Staffing

New registration form:

• Registration Form   (Microsoft Word - 484kb)

Term dates:

• 2010-2011 term dates

  16 August 2010

We start the autumn term on a high with our “Good” OFSTED rating. We are delighted with this result, achieved through a lot of hard work and dedication from the staff and committee. The Ofsted Inspector said “ The children develop skills for the future as they develop a positive sense of themselves and understand the wider world through their play and communications.”

We welcome everyone back, including our new starters; Daisy, Charlie, Youcef, Calum, Luca, Ella, Albert and Archer, and look forward to helping them to settle in.

We begin the term by learning ‘all about me’ and ‘colours all around us’.

The leavers' play in July where the children told the story of ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ went very well, showing the confidence they had gained ready for their transition to school. It was very emotional saying goodbye to Barbara and Linda, but hope they will come back to read a story or two to the children.

On the last day of term the children took part in Barnados Big Toddle and raised £118! The sun shone for our picnic which was a lovely end to the summer term.

Our healthy snack bar is proving very popular with the children. They enjoy being independent and it teaches them to make healthy choices from the buffet table.

With our commitment to drive the Preschool forward we have extended our session times to start at 9.15 till 12.15 Monday to Thursday, and our Friday session begins with lunch at 12.30 and session finishes at 3.30. Our Admission age has been lowered to 2 years and 6 months which we hope will give parents more flexibility.

Our small community Preschool offers each child individual attention giving them lots of support to settle in. We pride ourselves on getting to know the individual child and parents alike, giving regular feedback on their progress and development throughout their time with us.

Sherington Preschool is a stimulating environment where your child can play, learn and develop, whilst having fun, preparing them well for the transition to school.

To find out more about Sherington Pre-school please take a look at our website; telephone Jo Tough on 617685/ 07866409169 or pop in and see us any morning Monday to Thursday between 9.15 and 11.15 or Friday 12.30 to 3.30. We look forward to meeting you and your child.

HEADLINE NEWS FROM SHERINGTON PRE-SCHOOL – AUGUST 2010

“Back up where we belong”

We are delighted to announce that following our recent return visit from the Oftsed inspector, that we have once more been awarded a Good grading. The staff and committee have worked tirelessly over the past six months to iron out the issues raised at our January 2010 inspection and this has clearly paid off with excellent results. The inspector was extremely impressed with the high standards achieved in a short time and left with the confidence that we will continue to develop our setting and enrich our children’s learning experiences.

Please watch this space for the imminent arrival of the inspector’s new report.

“New lower age of admission means more flexibility for parents”

Following feedback from our prospective parents Sherington Pre-school is pleased to announce that from September 2010 we will be lowering our admission age to 2 years and 6 months. If you are interested in your child attending Sherington Pre-school as soon as he/she turns 2 ½ then please contact us. Please note that your child will be eligible for Nursery Education Funding from the term after he/she turns 3 years; before this time pre-school fees of £10 per session are payable termly.

  9 July 2010

The Summer Fayre on Saturday 26th June raised over £1,000. Photos Page 1 - Photos Page 2.

The complete set of Pre-School policies has been reviewed and updated. They can be downloaded here.

  26 June 2010

The children have really enjoyed our theme of Mini Beasts. Joshua kindly brought in his pet African Snail for his friends to observe and hold. Also this term we have been looking at People who help us with a visit from Newport Pagnell Fire Brigade. Holidays have also been on the agenda giving the children lots of opportunity to get creative.

We had a very successful open morning on the 24th June. Prospective parents were able to look at our photos on display and look at the laptop over a cup of coffee, whilst their little ones enjoyed taking part in the fun and activities.

The children have also participated in the preparations for our biggest fundraiser of the year. The Summer Fayre on the 26th June was opened by KP Dragon from Activity Land much to the children’s delight. The day was a great success, much due to the hard work of the committee members, Parents, and Grand Parents who helped on the day. Thank you to all those who kindly made a donation and those that came to spend money on the day. Special thanks go to Jo Cowley who put so much effort into organising the event.

Our Pre-School leavers play is on Tuesday 13th July. All are invited, there won’t be a dry eye in the house! Refreshments from 10.45 for an 11.15am performance. Raffle and Tombola during refreshments.

We will be saying Goodbye to our older children on Thursday 22nd July as they prepare to start School in September. Farewell to Chloe, Robbie, Jack Jones, Jack Delaney, Emily, Ryan, Mia, Oscar, Claribel, Gemma, Freddie, Mason, Crystal and Joshua. At the end of session all the children are invited to have a Picnic in the Park, Followed by Barnados Pirate Big Toddle.

Farewell to Linda who is leaving at the end of term. We would like to thank her for her contribution to Pre School over the last two years. On behalf of the children and staff we wish her well in her Retirement. We are pleased that Barbara is going to continue with her support of covering Holidays and staff sickness, a heartfelt thank you to you both.

We start the Autumn term on Monday 6th September and welcome our new children and our two new members of staff Zoe and Nicola. Our Pre School session will now be extended. Starting at 9.15 until 12.15am Monday to Thursday. Our Friday sessions are open to all our children and begin at 12.30 until 3.30pm.

On behalf of the Pre-School Staff and committee we would like to wish you all safe and happy holidays.

To find out more about Sherington Pre-school please take a look at our website; telephone Jo Tough on 617685 or pop in and see us any morning Monday to Thursday between 9.15 and 11.45.

  16 May 2010

We have had a very busy month, starting with a surprise visitor from Australia. ‘ Dancing Donna’ presented a fun and fitness programme to music, to which the children participated in song and movement. Beginning with a yoga warm up, followed by some dazzling magic tricks, which they particularly enjoyed! The children sang hello in Spanish, French & Chinese, and finally they were encouraged to express themselves in creative movement and dance. There were lots of smiles and laughter, and the magic left them bewildered and enthralled!

To support our ‘On the Farm’ theme Mr Sharpe, Mr Line and Mr Lusted brought their red, blue and green tractors to the village hall car park. The children went out to inspect the big and small wheels and discovered how very noisy tractors can be!

Jane the librarian from Newport Pagnell Library came to read some exciting stories to the children, which they all enjoyed.

This term we welcome Megan, Polly and Ben and hope they have lots of fun and happy times with us. Our current topic is ‘Growth and Change’. The children are exploring how seeds grow and examining objects using magnifying glasses and a microscope. We have some promising scientists!

Our next Open Morning is on Thursday 24th June from 9.30 to 11.30. If you are interested in your child attending a small rural pre school, please come along and join in the fun and activities on the day. We would love to see you.

Don’t forget that our fund raising Summer Fayre is on Saturday 26th June from 1pm to 4pm in the Village Hall. ‘KP Dragon’ from Activity land will be making a guest appearance! Please come along and bring your purse for a fun and exciting afternoon for all the family.

To find out more about Sherington Pre-school please take a look at our website; telephone Jo Tough on 617685 or pop in and see us any morning Monday to Thursday between 9.15 and 11.45.

  27 March 2010

The children have so much enjoyed all kinds of cookery in our Fun with Food theme that we extended it for a week before moving onto Opposites and Easter. We have recently welcomed Emily and after the holidays Tom and Thomas arrive to join in the fun. The children have made cards for Mothers Day and have been extending their ICT skills by linking the laptop to the printer so that they can print off their work.

Come and support the pre-school on May Day Bank Holiday Monday on the Knoll where we will have a stall for you to visit with fun things to do and buy. Bring your little ones along too to join in the Maypole Dancing!

From September we will have a vacancy for a part time staff member. If you are interested in joining our team please contact Karon Sheen now on 01234 391141 or karon.sheen@hotmail.co.uk to request an application pack. Closing date for applications is 16th April.

Please put Saturday 26th June in your diaries! Sherington Pre-school’s Summer Fayre is our biggest fundraising event of the year and we look forward to support from the whole community. All the usual fun activities and stalls will be there including some exciting new ones. (Please note 8th May date previously printed in March issue of SCAN is incorrect)

To find out more about Sherington Pre-school please take a look at our website; telephone Jo Tough on 617685 or pop in and see us any morning Monday to Thursday between 9.15 and 11.45.

  4 March 2010

In the run up to Half Term we have been encouraging the children to “create 3D structures” as part of their creative development. They have made submarines, castles, a Scooby Do house and even a Ben 10 car. They also made scooters, treasure boxes and diggers, with some needing a little help and others working independently. The children have also been gaining an “awareness of the cultures and beliefs of others” by celebrating Chinese New Year of the Tiger. Activities have included making lanterns, tiger masks, reading tiger stories and trying out chopsticks. Each child was also delighted to be given a small envelope containing a lucky penny to take home.

The staff and committee are disappointed with the recent Oftsed inspector’s report but are working hard to make improvements to our processes that bring them up to the very strict standards now required. We would like to take this opportunity to thank parents for their feedback and fantastic support, and look forward to being justifiably proud of ourselves when the inspector returns.

This term we welcome Amelie and Grace and hope they both have lots of fun and happy times with us. Our next topics are Fun with Food and Opposites which both promise exciting times ahead!

Our annual Spring Fayre has become a Summer Fayre and will now be on Saturday 26th June. Please put this date in your diaries and come and support your pre-school’s biggest fundraising event of the year, without which we couldn’t purchase new toys, books and crafts for the children.

To find out more about Sherington Pre-school please take a look at our website; telephone Jo Tough on 617685 or pop in and see us any morning Monday to Thursday between 9.15 and 11.45.

  Next Open Day: Thursday 11 February 2010, 9.30-11.30am - Further details

  3 February 2010

We continue the Spring Term with themes of Favourite Stories and Fun with Food. Although pre-school had to close for a couple of sessions as parents couldn't get to us, we have been out enjoying the snow in our play area and even bringing some snow indoors to play with and watch it melt.

We have resumed our Fun on Friday sessions for those children who start school in September. This is a valuable session to experience with lots of joint activities with "big school" to ease the transition in the Autumn. We would like to take this opportunity to wish our valued team member Barbara "Get Well Soon" and hope she is back with us very soon as we all miss her, especially the children!

Look out for notices of our upcoming annual Spring Fayre - this is our biggest fundraising event of the year and we look forward to support from the whole community.

To find out more about Sherington Pre-school please take a look at our website; telephone Jo Tough on 617685 or pop in and see us any morning Monday to Thursday between 9.15 and 11.45.

Our next Open Morning is on Thursday February from 9.30 to 11.30. If you are interested in your child attending a small rural pre-school please come along and join in the fun and activities on this day. We would love to see you.

  4 January 2010

We enjoyed our Christmas festivities making lots of things to take home and with all the children providing a memorable Nativity performance. Thank you to Reverend Mandy for coming along to see us that morning.

At our Christmas party with songs and dancing with Toddler Time we had party food and a visit from Father Christmas who took time out from his very busy schedule to bring a small gift for all of us.

We have been busy fundraising and our profit from the MK Community Foundation car raffle and our very own Christmas Hamper raffle have raised impressive sums to help us buy new books and toys. Well done to Sarah Davies and Mary Baker who were the prize winners. Thanks to everyone who supported us in these and also our stalls at the Sherington and North Crawley bazaars.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Alan and Pam Sims from Virginia House Stores who have always supported our fundraising ventures, we will miss them very much.

We say a big thank you to the pre-school staff, committee and parents who have given so much time and support this term and look forward to this continuing in 2010 when our first themes will be 'Toys' and 'Winter'.

Look out for dates of our next Open Morning in February, but in the meantime if you are interested in your child attending Sherington Pre-school please telephone Jo Tough on 617685 for details or take a look at our website. We wish everyone a safe and healthy Happy New Year.