Welcome to the Nursery Class Page

Autumn term one 

Nursery have been very busy this half term and the children have all settled in extremely well. We started off the term by getting to know our new friends. The children have especially enjoyed beginning each day with singing and stories. Our favourite songs this term have been: 'Say hello from your head to your toes', 'I am special' and our 'Bee-bee-bumblebee' song. 

The guided activities this half term have been focused around our topic 'My World and Me'. We have learned about how we are all special and different, that our families are different and how to manage our feelings- especially what we can do when we are experiencing different emotions. Some of our favourite activities have been washing, drying, dressing and reading to our new babies in the home corner, drawing our own 'feeling monsters' and then making them out of Play-Doh, exploring the school grounds on our autumn walk and drawing portraits of ourselves and our families. Towards the end of the half term, we learned about autumn and all of the changes it brings such as the changing colour of the leaves, animals that are entering hibernation and the significance and importance of Harvest. The children especially enjoyed baking their own hedgehog bread and of course, eating it!

Next term our topic is 'Aspirations and Celebrations'. The children will learn about the jobs that they can do, as well as having the opportunity to discuss some of the jobs that the members of their family do! Throughout the term and towards the end of the half term we will be learning about different celebrations such as Harvest and Christmas.

September 2023

I am so excited to be the Nursery class teacher this academic year! I would like to say a big welcome to all of our students, those who have been with us before and those who are new to Hazlemere Church of England School Nursery. I am a new teacher to the school however I am both pleased and fortunate to have had the pleasure of meeting some parents and new Nursery children, in person, back in the summer term. I hope everyone has had a lovely summer.

This year the class Teaching Assistant is Miss Eastman and on Friday's my class will be covered by Miss Eastman and Miss Button to allow me to undertake my planning and preparation sessions (PPA). The Topic for this half term will be ‘My World and Me’ where we will be discussing our families, our homes and the things we like to do. We will be learning to recognise and name different colours and will be looking at numbers 1-5. We will begin to learn our new classroom routines as well as learning some songs to help us such as the ‘Tidy up time’ and ‘What is the weather today’ songs. Towards the end of term we will begin to learn about autumn and the changes it brings.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me via Tapestry or the school office. I look forward to watching the children flourish this academic year!

Best Wishes, 

Miss Harper

About the Nursery:

The Nursery is situated in our detached Early Years building with plenty of natural light and we are fortunate to have a spacious classroom. There is a large garden for the children to enjoy and we value the opportunity to be outdoors and take our learning outside every day. The Nursery has a large patio where the children can access specific pre-planned activities, mark make on our large chalk board or explore the sand and water trays.

We offer both morning and full school day sessions. Please contact the school office to book your child in for a session, or to discuss further. Healthy snacks and milk are served every day. Please ensure you send your child into Nursery with a bottle of water. These are placed within the classroom for the children to access throughout their session. If your child is staying all day you are able to book a hot lunch. School lunches are booked through ParentPay.  

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We accept children from three years old until school age. We encourage families to visit us as early as possible to register for a place.  

We look forward to seeing you soon!

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How to help young children learn at home

You can help your child to learn through the little things you do with them, for example:

• everyday conversations
• make-believe play
• games with numbers or letters
• reading together
• involving them in the things you are doing, such as household chores, and talking with them about it

Find ideas for new things you can try at Hungry Little Minds.

You do not need to set separate time or plan complicated activities dedicated

to learning. These activities can be incorporated into everyday life and play.

You know your child best. Avoid forcing them into lengthy planned activities if they naturally respond better to a mix of shorter activities. This can stop them getting bored or frustrated and keep them active, interested and learning through things they enjoy.

Keeping a routine

Do not worry about trying to keep to the full routine that your child had in nursery or with their childcare provider. But children will feel more comfortable with a predictable routine, so try to make sure they:

• get up and go to bed at the same time each day
• have regular meal times
• turn off any electronic devices, including the TV, at least an hour before bedtime

Keeping active

Young children should be active for at least 3 hours a day in total.

It is also good to get some fresh air every day. If you do not have a garden and are taking children outside to exercise. 

While inside, there are plenty of things you can do to keep children active, such as:

• playing hide-and-seek
• seeing who can do the most star jumps
• making an obstacle course
• playing music and having a dance-off

Television and using digital devices

There are lots of ways to help your child to learn such as reading together and make-believe play. You can also use what children have watched on television or the internet to help their learning. Talk with them about what they are watching or use their favourite TV characters in other games and activities.

Digital devices such as a laptop, desktop, tablet or smartphone can help some children learn. If your child does use them, try downloading some apps that will help them learn.

Set age-appropriate parental controls on any devices young children are using and supervise their use of websites and apps. See advice on keeping them safe online.

Try sharing things your child makes with your friends and family online and encourage others to do the same. Your child might enjoy seeing things they have made on the screen or seeing what other children have done.

You can also visit Hungry Little Minds for ideas of activities to do together without using a device.