Morning Routines

I would like to ask all family members/carers who are dropping off in the morning to support children to put their own coats and bags on their pegs. It can be very helpful to talk about the picture on your child’s peg, or the first letter of their name to begin to help children identify where their belongings should go – this is particularly helpful when the children come to find their coats for going outside to play. When the children have put away their belongings and contributed to the snack basket, please assist your child to look for their name on the self-registration board (located to the right of the toilets) before leaving them. These small activities really help us to develop our children’s independence and settle them into the day. Could we also ask that all parents/ carers clearly say goodbye to their children before leaving, this is a vital part of the trust-building process between the Roundabout team and the children.

Bookbags

You have noticed the green book bags with our logo – these are for sale at £3.50 each. We would like to encourage the use of the book bags for artwork, and any other paperwork your child takes home at the end of the session.

Tapestry

Tapestry is the name of the software we use to record your child’s development through an online journal, something we are required to do by Ofsted to track your child’s development.

For all new parents you will have received an e-mail to activate your child’s tapestry account, please note that you only get 48hrs to activate your child’s account once you have received the e-mail. If you haven’t activated your child’s account please let Adele know so that I can send out another e-mail to you.

The staff do spend a lot of time putting observations and photos into your child’s journal; it would be great if you could read the observations and comment on what you have read.

As part of our parent partnership it would be amazing if you could add your own observations and photos on to tapestry, for instance what your child may have done over the weekend with family and friends. Our staff love to read and see what they have bene doing as this also gives your child’s keyworker an insight into their development outside of the setting.

If you have any questions regarding tapestry please see Adele.

Topics

This term we will focus on the topic “My family” so we are going to change the outdoor writing shed to a “Goldilocks and the three bears house”! We will also be making porridge and learn about other cultures and their way of life.

In October we will be covering autumn and Halloween. Please feel free to bring in any media or resources you may have at home relating to the above topics.

Clothing

Can parents please ensure that your child comes to Roundabout with appropriate clothing for the weather. We will be playing outside in all weathers - so wellies, gloves and hats will make being outside more enjoyable on colder days also. Please ensure that they are clearly labelled with your child’s name.

Snack time

Can parents please ensure that they bring in a healthy snack to be placed in the fruit basket, it is looking very sparse at the moment. We at Roundabout like to ensure that your child has a variety of different foods at snack time such as cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, crackers, cheese, raisins and fruit. As long as it is healthy it is fine to bring in.

Allergies

We would like to make you aware that we have a child in the setting with a nut allergy. Therefore, can I ask not put nuts or anything that contains nuts in your child’s lunch as this could put a child at risk? Items such as peanut butter, snack bars can not be brought in; please check also ingredients in dips as they can contain nuts.

If you have any questions regarding the content of your child’s lunch or ingredients you are unsure about please speak to a member of the Roundabout team.

Lunchtime 

Please can you ensure that your child’s packed lunch box/bag is labelled as some lunchboxes look the same which can be confusing for your child.

We are promoting healthy eating so we do ask that you provide a healthy lunch, such as a sandwich or pasta, fruit, cheese, breadsticks, yoghurt, soreen, raisins, pitted olives, etc. Can we ask that only one small chocolate bar and crisps is put in your child’s packed lunch, if they see lots of sugar based treats it does make it very challenging for the staff. All children are encouraged to eat the main first (sandwich, pasta etc) then they can choose other options they have brought.

Safeguarding

The staff and Committee at Roundabout are committed to safeguarding and promoting the well-being of the children; we expect all of our parents to share this commitment.

Can I please remind all parents and carers that your child/ren are your responsibility whilst in the grounds of the school in the morning. We will be responsible for your children once they have been signed in on the Roundabout register, at which point our staff will look after your child in line with our safeguarding policy.

Similarly, once you have signed your child out on Roundabout’s register, we expect the children to be safeguarded by you whilst within the grounds of the school. 

Thank you for your continued support,

Adele and the Roundabout Team

Dates for the academic year