Nursery 2024 - 2025

Welcome to the Nursery Class Page

Here you can explore information about our daily routines and what we’re learning in class.

We hope you’ve had a wonderful and relaxing Whit half-term!
We're excited to begin our final summer term together, filled with fun, engaging lessons and valuable opportunities to strengthen the skills the children need as they prepare to start Reception in September.                                                                             

Our Nursery team this term remains the same. I, Mrs Calderbank, will continue as class teacher. Supporting me will be Mrs Oakes, our part-time teaching assistant, and Mrs Coverley, our full-time teaching assistant. We are also supported by our two midday assistants, Mrs Zahan and Mrs Rehan, who take great care of the children during lunchtime.The children now enjoy their lunch breaks in the reception playground, where they have the opportunity to play alongside the reception children.

This half-term (Summer 2), our topic is Magnificent Minibeasts and Helping Hands. We’ll be exploring the fascinating world of tiny creatures by learning about life cycles, observing animals in their habitats, and using key vocabulary to talk about the natural world around us.

We’ll also be learning about people who help us, which will support children in understanding their environment and the important roles people play in their communities and daily lives.

Additionally, we’ll observe the seasonal changes of Summer, helping children understand how the environment changes and what our bodies need to stay safe, healthy, and strong during the warmer months.

We will be enjoying a variety of stories this half term, with a special focus on The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Super Worm. These engaging stories will be used as a stimulus for our learning across the curriculum. Together, we’ll create a text map using pictures and actions to help us verbally retell and remember the stories.

In RE, our topic for Summer 2 is "Dialogue and Encounter." The children will also visit St Paul's Church, where they will learn about the church community, the roles of the people within it, and be introduced to a variety of different faiths.                      Each week, the children will also take part in a Celebration of the Word, where we’ll reflect on the Sunday Gospel and explore its meaning in a child-friendly way.

With the warmer days fast approaching and children starting to take off their jumpers and cardigans, we kindly ask that all clothing and footwear be clearly labelled with your child’s name. This helps ensure any misplaced items can be returned quickly.

As accidents happen, please also provide a set of spare clothes for your child. These will be kept on their peg and sent home if needed. If your child uses any school spare clothing, we kindly ask that it is washed and returned promptly, as we are currently having a shortage.

The school provides a variety of healthy snacks each day, including fruit, raisins, and milk. Children are also welcome to bring their own water bottles—please make sure these are clearly labelled with your child’s name. To support our commitment to being a healthy school, we kindly ask that bottles contain water only, not juice. If you choose to send in a snack from home, we ask that it follows the school’s healthy eating policy to promote healthy choices for all children.

Nursery Fund - We greatly appreciate any contributions to our Nursery Fund, with a suggested donation of £1 per week. This is entirely optional, and termly donations are also welcome. The fund helps us provide valuable extras that enrich your child’s learning experience, such as additional snacks, cooking ingredients, and extra classroom resources. Your support truly makes a difference.

Your child’s learning journey will continue to be documented through weekly observations on Evidence Me, showcasing their progress with photos, notes, and focused tasks. You can also view their Learning Journey display on the wall in the cloakroom, which highlights achievements from the half term. Parents and carers are welcome to look at these displays at the end of the day, once all children have been safely dismissed.

We also encourage you to share any home learning or special achievements your child has made—these can be added to their Learning Journey display.

The updated EYFS curriculum focuses on understanding each child as a unique learner, supporting their individual development through a combination of play-based activities, group work, and developmental assessments.

Home and Nursery Partnership - We’ll be sending home WOW cards for you to complete. If your child does something impressive at home, jot it down on a card and send it in! Sharing these special moments in class helps boost your child’s confidence, vocabulary, and speaking skills.

We will continue with our Stay and Read sessions on Thursdays, which are always a big hit with the children! It’s a wonderful opportunity for parents and carers to join us and experience the classroom environment alongside the children. There’s no need to book or ask in advance any parent, carer, aunt, uncle, grandma, or grandad is welcome to come along on Thursdays!

We have an open-door policy and are always happy to speak with you. While we’re available at drop-off, pick-up is preferred for longer conversations once all children have been dismissed. You can also email us at:
admin@st-pauls-hyde.tameside.sch.uk
For more in-depth discussions, please arrange an appointment.

If someone other than yourself is collecting your child, please let us know at drop-off or contact the school office. For safety reasons, children will not be released to unfamiliar adults without prior notice. 

We look forward to a fun, successful term with you and your child, and we truly appreciate your ongoing support.

Warm regards,
Mrs Calderbank, Mrs Oakes, and Mrs Coverley