Head of School's Message
As we reach the end of this half term, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the impact of our core values — Safe, Confidence, and Respect — at Heath Lane Nursery. These values have been at the heart of everything we do, shaping a positive and nurturing environment where our youngest learners can thrive.
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Ensuring that our children feel safe is always our top priority. Through gentle routines, caring relationships, and engaging activities, we have created a space where every child knows they are valued and supported. By feeling secure in their surroundings, they have been able to explore, learn, and grow with confidence.
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Concentrating upon confidence, we have seen incredible progress in the way the children express themselves, try new experiences, and develop their independence. Whether it’s sharing their thoughts in group discussions, engaging in creative play, or mastering new skills, their confidence is growing day by day.
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Lastly, we have focused on respect — for ourselves, for each other, and for our environment. Through daily interactions, stories, and adult-led activities, our children are learning the importance of kindness, listening, and taking care of their surroundings.
Thank you for your continued support in reinforcing these values at home.
Together, we are laying the foundation for a lifelong love of learning and strong character development. Have a lovely half term break and we look forward to welcoming you back on Monday 24th February.
Dates coming up:
February Half Term (Nursery Closed) - Monday 17th February to Friday 21st February 2025
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Trip to the local Library - week commencing 24th February.
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Week commencing 3rd March - our duckling eggs will be arriving. The children will get the opportunity to watch them hatch into ducklings.
Reminders:
Please ensure that you have completed and returned your child's Library Membership Form by Monday 24th February. Also, if your child already has a membership card, please ensure that we have been informed and your child is sent in with their Library Card.
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We ask that you avoid picking your child up between 3pm and 3.30pm as we do not have spare staff to facilitate this. All staff are actively involved in planned activities with the children and it is very disruptive for all concerned. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with this.
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If you go on a walk during the half term if possible can you please collect natural resources such as pine cones, leaves, stones, twigs and wild fallen petals. These are to be used in our mud kitchen area to make recipes and enhance our imaginative play.
Book & Rhyme of the week
The first week after the February half- term (wb 24/02/25) we will immerse ourselves in poetry. We will be learning to listen to and recite a poem; practice using our voices to express different emotions and actions in the poem; working together to perform it for our friends.
This week your child will have brought home in their book bag a copy of the poem that their group will be focusing on. The poetry book is "A Great Big Cuddle, Poems for the very young", link attached below.
During the half term please read and enjoy it together.
If you speak an additional language at home you could also find some children's poems on that language and enjoy the expressiveness and richness of language that poetry brings.
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A Great Big Cuddle: Poems for the Very Young by Michael Rosen, Illustrated by Chris Riddell
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Our Rhyme of the Week for for after Half Term is: "Five Currant Buns".
In these sessions the children are also learning the Makaton signs to the lyrics.
Please find below link to the Rhyme of the Week:​
Language of the week
We are lucky to have a rich and diverse community with lots of different languages. Our language of the week is Tamil, which a few of our pupils including Razzan and Aadam speak. Please find below links of how to say "Hello" and "Goodbye" in Tamil. Please practise with your child at home.
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Learning At Home
Each Thursday, the Story Sacks and Busy Finger packs will be found outside main reception. There is a display to show you which group’s turn it is and a signing out sheet for the Story Bag and Busy Fingers packs.
Please return all Story Bags and Busy Fingers Packs into the return’s basket by the following Tuesday, so staff can check and stock up any resources.
After half term, on Thursday 27th February the borrowing groups are:
Busy Fingers - Dormouse & Woodpeckers
Story Bags - Butterflies & Robins
Success Story of the Week
This week the children embarked on an exciting Commando Joe mission with a focus on "Excellence." Their task was to design and build a vehicle for themselves and the Runaway Chapatti to evade the hungry tiger—what an adventure it was!
Using creativity, teamwork, problem solving and maths skills the children planned a vehicle that could accommodate everyone, ensuring their chapatti was safe. The children's clever ideas and collective effort were brilliantly displayed!
