St Mary’s Nursery Mullaghbawn

Parent’s Handbook

2010-2011

Welcome

Welcome to Saint Mary’s Nursery, Mullaghbawn. St Mary’s Nursery unit was officially opened in October 2001. Since its inception, it can boast that every child who has been fortunate to obtain a place has found it a positive, enjoyable experience. It promises to be an important year for your child’s social, emotional, physical and mental development. They will meet new faces, find new friends, experiment with new experiences but most importantly have fun and enjoy their first encounter with a school environment.The up and coming school year promises to be a busy, exciting year for you and your child. We look forward to working with you in order to provide the best possible pre-school experience for your child.

Regards,

Paula ByrneClass Teacher

People you will meet in Nursery:

Mr Peter McDonnell – School principal

Mrs Paula Byrne – Class teacher

Mrs Denise Bellew – Classroom Assistant.

Principles of a Nursery class

Childhood is a stage of life to be enjoyed by all children.

Children have individual differences and needs, which must be recognised and met.

Children need praise and encouragement at all times.

Children have a natural curiosity about life and enjoy exploring.

We recognise parents as the children’s first educators and build on experiences children bring from home.

A child’s understanding comes slowly.

Aims of St Mary’s Nursery class:

St Mary’s will provide a safe, secure, healthy and stimulating environment where there is adequate supervision.

We will ensure appropriate periods of time for learning through sustained involvement in play.

Adults will treat children as individuals and sensitively participate in their play.

Play opportunities will be exciting, purposeful and relevant; they will offer opportunities to explore the environment indoors and outdoors.

We aim to promote and sustain good behaviour and we ask parents to help by insisting on similar standards at home.

General informationAdmissions

In selecting children for admission to the Nursery we apply the criteria as set out by the Southern Education and Library Board’s Handbook, copies of which are available in the school. Starting school is a big step for any child to take. For this reason we have a staggered intake in September, this enables each child to become familiar with his/her environment and makes the whole experience less daunting. The phasing in criteria is as follows:

Any child of a permanent member of school staff, and thereafter admissions will be based on an age criterion beginning with the youngest children first.

During this phasing in period we practise a shorter Nursery day, the Nursery will close at 12.00. No school dinners will be served during this time.The first few days of school are always difficult for both the parent and the child. To assist with this transition period we have certain procedures to follow to help a child settle into Nursery life.

During the first session parents are welcome to stay for a while if their child seems very upset. It is our policy that, so far as possible, Nursery sessions should run in the normal way when a parent or carer is present. On day 2 we have found it easier on the child if the parent begins the routine of leaving the child to the entrance hall.

When a child starts Nursery we are happy to receive telephone calls from parents or carers at all time, (02830888351). We fully understand that parents/carers are concerned about their child’s welfare and are likely to feel upset at leaving him/her if they are not settled. We aim to alleviate these fears but if a child is very upset we will inform the caller, thus giving them the option to call back or indeed call to the class.

If a child remains very upset it is the policy of the Nursery to call the parent/carer to discuss our concern.

Visiting Arrangements

It is our aim to involve parents in their child’s education and to inform them as fully as possible about their child’s progress.Once your child starts school there are many opportunities for staff and parents to meet. The class teacher is available for a quick discussion with parents. Arrangements can be made for a more private discussion by contacting the school principal to arrange an appointment.

A monthly newsletter will keep you informed of the planned topic and chosen colour for each month. We encourage parents to use this information at home to reinforce what the children are learning at school. We have a planned parent/teacher meeting in term 1. In June you will receive a written end of year report on your child , which will also be forwarded to their Primary one teacher.

The Nursery Day

School begins at: 9.05amSchool ends at 1.30pm (Nursery afterschool club runs from 1.30pm until 2pm and only those who have a sibling in Primary1-3 are entitled to avail of this service.)

Children should not arrive to school before 9.00am, as responsibility for their safety cannot be accepted before that. When leaving your child to school it is requested that you leave them to the door of the Nursery.

Snack timeEvery morning we will provide a mid-morning break, this will include a cup of milk or water. We have been involved with the Boost Better Breaks programme for some years now, this allows us to serve snacks that will be beneficial to your child, e.g. toast, fruit, sandwiches or items baked by the children in class. To subsidise this we ask for £7 sterling per month from each child to be brought in on the first Monday of the month in an clearly marked envelope. Any left over money will be put towards treats for the group. E.g. Christmas parties, trips etc.

DinnertimeAs part of the recommended Nursery curriculum children attending Nursery class are expected to take dinners. Dinner time and snack time are important parts of the school day and provide additional learning and social experiences for your child. The meals come from the kitchen in our main school and you will receive a monthly menu. The cost of school meals is £1.80 per day. Dinner money should be paid on a Monday morning to the school secretary whose office is located in the main school building. If you prefer to provide a packed lunch for your child please ensure it is in keeping with our promotion of healthy eating: no fizzy drinks, no crisps or nuts. .If you feel you are entitled to free school meals please contact the school’s secretary for the appropriate forms. Free school meals cannot be offered to children unless the school receives appropriate notification from the Board.

After dinner we try to encourage children to brush their teeth, the Tot’s toothbrushing club provides a toothbrush and paste for each child, we ask you to supply a case to store their brush. If a child’s toothbrush goes missing we will ask you to supply a new one.

Home time.Parents should come to the Nursery door to collect their child. It is extremely important to notify the class teacher if anybody different is collecting the child. We ask you to be punctual when collecting your child as it can cause unnecessary distress if you are late. Please ensure you keep the school informed if there is a change in your contact numbers. If your child misses a day then a note explaining the reason for being absent is required. At home time please check your child’s work box for any notes home or work that your child did to take home.

The First Day – A checklist

Birth Certificate to remain in school.

Registration forms

Consent forms

Health and Allergy Forms

Child’s Personal information

Full school uniform supplied by Daisy, Hill street Newry.

Royal blue sweatshirt Light blue polo shirt Royal blue tracksuit bottoms.

We expect all children to be fully toilet trained. We would like all children to bring a full change of clothes, which will remain in school in bags throughout the year. Please label your child’s bag and clothing.

For safety purposes all children must wear Velcro fastening shoes. Laced up runners are not permitted.

We request that jewellery is not worn to school.

We ask you to put your child’s name on all personal possessions.

Wellington boots to remain in school throughout the year.

A pencil case to store toothbrush.

A waterproof apron.