Our final blog of the year!!

Well, here we are, the last blog of the year. It seemed only yesterday I was coming to visit everyone at home!

It has been a week full of fun and celebration of everything we have achieved during the year and my goodness have we accomplished a lot! On Monday we watched the Year 6 end of year play, Peter Pan. It was absolutely amazing. I can remember the children when they were in nursery so many years ago and now look at them! It was like a West End production and makes me extremely proud.

Wednesday was our end of year Leavers Party (with a visit from a Giant Octopus!). Everyone had a great time! Take a look at our photos!

In the afternoon, we had a movie afternoon…with popcorn!

As you are aware our lovely Michelle is retiring today…a well earned rest is in order. I’m sure you will join me in wishing her a healthy and happy retirement, and to say a massive thank you for all she has done for nursery over the years.

Michelle has written a ‘farewell’ message to everyone.

Hello everyone,

I can’t believe that I am writing my last nursery blog. I am so lucky to have got to spend the last three years with all of the wonderful children and staff at Our Lady’s . I have been privileged to have been involved in educating so mant tiny minds.

I would like to thank all of the children, staff and families for all thier well wishes and gifts! It is lovely to feel so appreciated. Thank you also for all the wonderful memories. They will stay with me forever.

Lots of love

Michelle

Finally, I would like to thank you for choosing Our Lady’s Nursery to be the start of your child’s learning journey. It has been an honour to work alongside your child and with you trust and support. Thank you.

May I also, on behalf of the whole tea. thank you for your kind words and generous gifts. It is truly overwhelming.

Have the most wonderful summer. We will see some of our friends that will be returning to nursery in September, others we will see ‘over the garden wall’ in Reception and some we hope will pop in to see us from time to time as they venture further afield. Once an Our Lady, always and Our Lady.

Take care and God Bless

Barbara

This week...

Welcome to our penultimate blog…we are all feeling a little sad, but we will still be able to see each other in September.

Another busy week of learning…yes, working hard right up until the end! Everyone has completed their learning challenges (we love an opportunity to grow our brains!) so next week we can have week full of plays, parties and FUN, FUN, FUN! We can’t wait!

Worship

During prayer and liturgy this week we have been discussing the word ‘neighbour’ . This Sunday’s Gospel tells us that loving God and our neighbour is the foundation of a good life. Through the parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus showed us how to be truly human and so change the world through love and service, that our neighbour is any person that needs our help regardless of who they are or where they come from. We have been trying really hard to be like the Good Samaritan.by being caring, generous, kind and compassionate. Click here to watch a short video.

Emma’s blog

Hello everyone.

I hope your all enjoying this lovely warm weather.

 I can not believe that this nursery year is coming to an end next week. They do say time flies when your have so much fun, and it's so true. I will miss all the children moving up to reception, but we have made so many fabulous memories. Thank you nursery friends.

 This week we have continued growing our brains with our leaning challenges. We have been matching 4 buttons by either their colour, size or shape, playing a rhyming game to find two objects that rhyme out of our rhyming bag, a shape challenge and tangram puzzles! The list goes on! The children have really loved working out where the shapes fit. They have all become Cooper Crabs with their connection.

We have also been working out numbers that add up to 10. The children worked out that 8 and 2, 9 and 1, 7 and 3, all make 10. Good brain growing everyone.

Have a wonderful weekend, and see you all for our last week before the summer holidays.

Emma

Michelle’s blog

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's blog.

We have really enjoyed our learning challenges this week as we continue to grow our brains.

One of our favourite activities has been the rhyming tray. This was tricky at first but the more we practiced the better we got.

Why not see how many rhyming objects you can find at home.

We then enjoyed a story all about rhymes, it's one of our favourites. Click here.

Have a lovely weekend and we will see you next week for our last week at nursery.

Michelle 

We are looking forward to lots of ‘boisterous joviality and merrymaking’ during the last week, so have a good rest this weekend!

Don’t forget Wednesday morning is our Leavers Beach party. Invitations were send home last week. Please note that the party is for the children only…sorry mums and dads!

Finall,y Mrs. Gregan has a few words she would like to share with everyone as we near the end of the school year. Please click on the button below.

Enjoy St Annes Carnival tomorrow…I think the sun is going to shine!

Stay safe and God Bless

Barbara

This week...

A fabulous week of learning. The children have had lots of challenges to complete.You will be pleaded to know mission accomplished. Phew, it was close!!!

Worship

This week we have been discussing God’s Kingdom and how we should love each other, equally. Our mission if we wish to accept it , is to spread God’s message of love and peace. We can all help God’s Kingdom by being a little bit more like Jesus. Click here to find out more.

Number ten

We have continued to explore ‘10’. We learned that 10 is made up of ten ones and is also one ten!!

We watched Number blocks 10 green bottles video to help us understand! Click here to watch at home.

Michelle’s Blog

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's blog.

The weather has been glorious this week and we have been blessed with our produce in the garden. We have peas aplenty. They are so sweet and juicy and so easy to just pick and eat. We have noticed the pumpkin plants are really growing, we can’t wait to see the pumpkins when they start to grow. It is so wonderful to see how enthusiastic the children are observing how all our fruits and veggies are growing. Why not have a go at home.

We are happy to announce that all 5 of our butterflies have emerged from their cocoons. We fed them some sugary water and picked some flowers from our meadow, to give them some energy We then let them fly free. Keep a look out for butterflies when you are out and about, you never know you might see our butterflies.

Have a lovely weekend 

Michelle 

Emma’s Blog

Hello everyone,

It's been very hot this week but it hasn't stopped us from growing our brains.

 We have some very exciting news, as our super pupa’s (cocoons) have metamorphosised and we have 5 beautiful Painted Lady butterflies. The children were so excited.

We have been working on our fine motor skills this week. The children have had lots of challenges, we have been cutting helping dinosaurs escape from tangled up wool, matching and moving colour balls to the matching cups using only a spoon, pick up shells using tweezers and then moving them to a pot, counting and ordering people into the right correct numbered cars, and lots more. All of these activities will continue to help the children to stretch their hand muscles, use their brains to problem solve and develop perseverance to get the job done!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

See you all on Monday.

Emma

Leavers Party

As is our tradition we will be having a Leavers Party. Each year we like to celebrate our children and their numerous achievements. This year will be a beach party… hopefully in the nursery garden (weather permitting) with lots of water!!! Please come wearing shorts and t-shirts. ready for some summer fun. Everyone is invited to join us on Wednesday 16th July from 9.30 -11.30 am (unless it is your usual session, nursery will be open as usual at 8.45am).

Mini Vinnies Raffle!

On Monday7th July our wonderful Minnie Vinnies will be holding a raffle in support of the RSPCA. Tickets will cost 50p per ticket or £2 for 5 tickets. Prizes donated will include toys, books, chocolate and sweets! Tickets will be on sale outside after school on Monday, please give them you support.

More fun and learning next week!

We hope to see everyone at Family Mass this Sunday 9.30 am at Our Lady’s church.

Stay safe and God Bless

Barbara

This week...

The weather hasn’t been as kind to us this week but we have not been deterred. In between down pours we have been out and about exploring and investigating the whole school environment. Our learning never stops!!

Worship

This week we have been discussing the word ‘church’ and what is means to us as a Catholic community. We talked about the Church being not just a building, but the living Body of Christ, a community of believers united by faith and sacraments, with our Pope as its visible head. It is seen as the means of salvation, a universal community with a divine mission to spread the Gospel. This Sunday’s Gospel celebrates the Feast of St Peter who did great work for the church. Click here to find out more.

Emma’s blog

Hello everyone,

We have been so busy at nursery this week.

We went to visit the tadpoles in their new pond during forest school. They looked so happy in their new home…but still no back legs!!!T.

A few days ago whilst walking my dog along the estuary I found some crab shells. How fortuitous as it fits perfectly with our ‘Under the Sea’ learning thread! W got our our extra strong magnifying glasses and began investigating. The children couldn't believe their eyes, they saw their eyes, legs and claws and we even held them too!

We have some news about our resident caterpillars. They have turned, they are now super pupas in their cocoon! It's a waiting game now for them to metamorphosise in to butterflies, we can't wait! 

The children just love PE with Mr. Nay and Mr. Murray. This week we have been playing ball games in teams. Team A would throw a ball, then the Team B would run and field the ball, a bit like rounders. We then swapped roles. The children had so much fun.

Have a wonderful weekend, and if you are going to Club Day in Lytham, have a great time.

Emma

Michelle’s blog

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's blog.

We have had a wonderful week as we have seen our caterpillars make their cocoons and become super pupas. We are a little worried as some of them are not hanging from the lid but are lying on the floor of their house. We will keep you updated. We watched The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and then we did caterpillar yoga, stretching and wiggling like caterpillars and flapping our wings like butterflies. Click here to listen to the story.

We've also enjoyed role play and dressing up this week…using our imaginations. Role play is so good for children as it gives them the freedom to express themselves and make sense of the world and their experiences. Why not have a look at home, and have a dress up day.

Have a lovely weekend 

Michelle 

Finally, it is with great sadness that I have to tell you that our wonderful Michelle will be leaving us this summer. She has decided to retire and have a well earned rest. I am sure you will agree that she deserves it! Just like like the nursery team I am sure you will like to wish Michelle a happy and healthy retirement and the opportunity to fulfil her wish list of adventures. Thank you Michelle form the bottom of our hearts.

Leavers Party

This years Leavers Party will be on Wednesday 16th July, 9.30-11.30 am. We are hoping for sunny weather so send the children in shorts and t-shirts in readiness for some fun games and dancing!!

Keep a look out in you child’s blue bag for their invitation.

Have a lovely weekend, I will keep a look out for you at Club Day!

Stay safe and God Bless.

Barbara

This week...

Another busy week at school! As soon as the children arrived on Monday they noticed how big our caterpillars had grown! They look like they will be super pupa’s before long! Click here to find our more about the life cycle of a butterfly.

The weather has meant we have been able to be outside lots! The children love to learn in the natural environment. Our flowers are blooming, we have strawberries, blackberries, beans and peas. The pumpkins and squash and corn are also looking promising!

Worship

This week we read the Gospel which focused on Jesus’ gift of bread and fishes and how he fed the 5000. We discussed the word ‘nourish’ and how we eat healthy foods to nourish our bodies but also how else we could be nourished, perhaps a special friendship, being praised praying and by opening our hearts to Jesus. With Jesus’ love we will always be nourished.

We watched a short video about the the feeding of the 5000. Click here to watch.

Jubilee Year of Hope Pledge

The Jubilee Year of Hope, designated for 2025 by Pope Francis, is a special year of pilgrimage and reconciliation within the Catholic Church, emphasizing themes of hope, solidarity, and renewal. A key aspect of this year is the "Jubilee Pledge," where individuals and communities commit to actions that promote justice, love, and peace, both locally and globally. 

The Jubilee Pledge is a personal and communal commitment to living out the values of the Jubilee Year, especially by promoting Catholic Social Teaching. It involves promises to act with justice, love, and peace in everyday life, recognising the dignity of every person and the interconnectedness of the global community. 

This week we visited the worship area in school to think about issues like poverty, injustice, and the impacts of conflict and climate change. Next week we will be writing our collective promises. Examples include caring for creation, working for justice, and promoting forgiveness and reconciliation.

Meet number 10

We have started to investigate the number 10: we found out: Ten is both ten ones and also one ten. This incorporates the concept of unitising. young children needs lots of experience of exchanging ten ones for one ten and recognising their equivalence ( they have the same value). Ten plays a special role in other numbers that follow, e.g. 11 is one ten and one more!

Click here to meet 10.

Under the Sea

This week we have been finding out what creatures live under the see. We have already found out lots of fun facts about whales and sharks! The children are in the process of creating and underwater display!

Click here to find out more!

This is a great story with lots of information… Commotion in the Ocean. Click here.

Forest School

Last Friday we visited Miss Lavelle in Forest School…we LOVE Forest School!

Take a look at what we got up to.

Emma’s Blog

Hello everyone, 

We have been having lots of fun and learning in the sun in nursery this week.

We have some great news, as our caterpillars have been growing this week (there are really big!). The children have loved coming in each day, checking on how they are doing, and watching them change each day. We can't wait to see what happens to them next week.

We have met the number 10 this week which the children have been exited about. They have all been working their brains by putting numbers in order 1 to 10, and working out number puzzles. We love numbers in nursery.

We have started a new topic all about 'under the sea'. We have been looking at different types of marine life, considering what they look like, the sounds they make, and what we think they eat. The children have been creating some wonderful paintings of different marine life to go on the wall. They look so marvellous. Well done children.

Have a fantastic weekend in the sun, and see you all next week.

Emma

Michelle’s Blog

Hello everyone and welcome to this weeks blog

This week we have met number 10 and have practiced counting to 10 at every opportunity. Our favourite was counting 10 jumps. Why not see if your child can do this for you?

We have also grown our brains as we discover creatures that live under the sea, including the 50 toothed shark. We drew our own underwater world in chalk in the garden.

We were excited to find out our strawberries were ready to eat. So we washed them and ate them in the garden. They were delicious!

Work out Wednesday was so much fun, as we got to explore Reception and play with our Reception friends. It's not long now till our oldest children will be in Reception. Check here for some advice on school readiness. Click here. 

Have a wonderful weekend 

Michelle 

Well done to everyone who joined in the Gym Jam Jog this morning! Here are a few snaps!

I said it had been a busy week!!

I think everyone deserves a good rest this weekend. Fingers crossed for good weather.

Stay safe and God Bless

Barbara

Ready Steady Go! Sports Day Special !!!!

Well, we certainly have hit the ground running this half term!

The sun shone and everyone had a fabulous time. We have been practising our fundamental movement skills all year in readiness for this moment. I hope you enjoyed watching as much as we enjoyed taking part.

With regards to our bespoke t-shirts, please remember to press them for three minutes before washing to seal in the colours. Ut would be a shame to lose such wonderful art work.

Take a look at our photos!

Emma’s blog

Hello, and welcome back everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful half term. It has been lovely hearing what you have all been up to over the break.

The children have got right back into nursery life.

A big well done for everyone who took part in Sports Day, it was fantastic! You all have worked so hard preparing yourselves, and we were so lucky the sun was out for us.

 The children have been playing detectives in the garden, finding lots of different mini beasts. They were looking under lots of different objects in the garden. They found spiders, spider eggs, a slug, and lots more, but we also found a magnificent butterfly that had fluffy legs and body. Take a look at the picture and see if you ca find out what kind of butterfly it is!

We have had some visitors delivered to nursery this week, five baby caterpillars for us to look after! We are all excited for what will happen to them and watch their metamorphosis. It's all very exciting.

Have a wonderful weekend and Fathers Day on Sunday.

Emma

Michelle’s blog

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's blog.

I hope you all had a wonderful half-term break and got to spend some time with your friends and family.

This week has been all about Sports day and what a glorious sunny afternoon it was. I am so proud of all the children, they all did brilliantly. Thank you to you all for your support too.

We have been growing our brains this week as we have explored symmetry and patterns. We had a special delivery this week as our caterpillars arrived. We discovered that when they are butterflies they have symmetrical wings, where the pattern is the same on each side. We made our own  butterfly and had to make each wing the same.

Why not go on a butterfly hunt this weekend.

Have a lovely weekend 

Michelle 

Symmetry-Matching

We have been finding our about the life cycle of a butterfly. We noticed that a butterflies wings are the same on each side of its body….they match! Here’s a good game to play at home. Click here.

Have the most wonderful weekend everyone, we will see you on Monday!

Stay safe and God Bless

Barbara

This week...

Last week some of our friends went on a tour of Our Lady’s church with Father Peter. We found out such a lot! Father showed us the font, tabernacle, stained glass windows and all the stations of the cross. Try and ask your child about our tour when you go to Mass on Sunday.

On the way back from church we popped into the social centre for a drink and biscuits, mmmmm. Take a look at our photos

Worship

This week during prayer and liturgy we have been discussing Ascension Day (click here) and Pentecost (click here).

Ascension Day is the 40th day of Easter. It occurs 39 days after Easter Sunday and it focuses on Jesus' ascension after his resurrection, and the message that he gave to his disciples right before he was taken to heaven. It also tells of the coming of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) as promised by Jesus.

The children have been drawing pictures of what they think heaven looks like with Steph, we are going to put them in our Worship book.

We also asked talked about . . .

 our favourite part of God’s world and why they are important to you.

 why it is important the we look after God’s world and how we can do that?

 what you would change about God’s world?

 How could you make God’s world even better?

When we come back after the half term break we are going to go for a walk and find the most amazing thing that God created.

Emma’s Blog

Hello everyone.

I can't believe it’s half-term already! 

We have been very busy painting characters for our display all about 'Once upon a time stories'. The children decided which characters they would like to see on the display. We had Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, Rapunzel, The Big Bad Wolf and many more. All of the characters are from the stories we have been focusing on this half term. They have enjoyed role playing these stories too. We also made a magnificent fairy tale castle with a very long turret for Rapunzel to live in. We used lots of sparkles and metallic paints. It looks so magical, we are so proud of our display.

I hope you all have a fabulous half term. I can't wait to hear what you have all been up to. 

Fingers crossed for the sun to keep shining for us.

 See you all in 2 weeks.

 Emma

Michelle’s blog

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's blog.

This week we have taken part in lots of different fun challenges. We started with the buzz wire game, where the children had to have a steady hand to be able to move along the buzz wire without setting the buzzer off. It was very tricky. We then had a challenge to see if we could carry the most water from one end of the garden from the other using a scoop. We worked in our house teams and concentrated not to spill any. The next challenge was to work together to fill the numicon board. Numicons use physical shapes and tools to represent numbers and maths. They help children to better visualise the relationship and value of numbers. Each Numicon shape represents a specific number.

This activity was tricky as the shapes didn't all fit at first. The children had to work out that some shapes had to be moved and turned make them to fit on the board. However, we did manage it in the end. The last challenge was a subitising quiz where the children had to say how many objects they could see. They said they wanted to challenge you, so here it is. Click here.

Watch out, they are fast 

Have a lovely half term

Michelle 

Sports Day

For the children attending Sports Day on Wednesday 11th June 1.15-3.30 pm; could you please ensure your child is wearing shorts, t-shirt and trainers. Also, could you please bring a named bottle of water please.

Your child will have designed their own t shirt to wear during Sports Day, which we have in nursery. Please note before washing the t shirt you must press it for at least three minutes to seal in the colour.

Gym Jam Jog

Thursday 19th June is our fundraising Gym Jam Jog! Please come to school for 8 am and jog with us around the school field to to raise funds for our PTFA so that we can continue to enhance the school environment. It is great fun so join us and get inloved!!! See you there…bright and early and wearing your gym jams.

Induction for September school starters

Thursday 19th of June 3.45-4.45 pm is also the induction session for children joining Reception at Our Lady’s in September 2025. Pop it in your diary. It’s a great chance to meet the team and visit receptions classroom.

Finally, I hope everyone manages to have a restful half term break and I will see you all on Monday 9th June.

Look after each other and stay safe

God bless

Barbara

This week...

It has been a very different week at nursery. As part of our transition process (yes, it’s hard to believe that some of friends will be moving to Reception in September), we have spent each morning this week with the children and Reception team and it has been wonderful! Everybody learned and played together beautifully. I don’t envisage any upset in September.

Worship

May is the Month of Mary. We have been discussing how Mary is honoured during the month of May. We have talked about:

• Where you can find a Mary worship table in nursery

• What to put on a Mary worship table

• That flowers commonly associated with Mary

• and what else can go on our Mary worship table

  We have also all painted a picture of Mary to put on our Mary’s Month display.

  On Friday this week some of nursery will be joining Reception on a visit and tour of Our Lady’s church with Father Peter. We are hoping to pop in and have refreshments at the Social Centre afterwards. Such a busy day.

Visit from Pemberton’s farm

On Wednesday Farmer Tom brought some of his animals from his farm to show us. He brought Pixie a calf born prematurely in February, twin dairy calves ( one was called Mary, how apt for Mary’s Month!), two lambs (one was called Baaaaarbara!!) and a farm dog called Storm. We watched as Farmer Tom fed the lambs their milk from a bottle, what a lot of noise they made!

Take a look at our photos!

Michelle’s blog

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's blog 

The weather has been glorious this week and we have made the most of every moment. We have carefully tended to our garden this week as we have made sure they have had plenty of water to drink. We also watered the newly planted trees on the school field.

We were excited to meet number block number 9 this week. We have explored different ways of making 9. One of our friends said " it's 3 sets of 3s". Another said "it's a square". Can your child count 9 objects? 

We have been busy practicing for Sports Day. This week we have concentrated on jumping to see how far we can jump. Why not have a jumping contest this weekend. Who can jump the furthest?

Have a lovely weekend 

Michelle 

Emma’s Blog

Hello everyone.

It's been hot this week, but the children have still been having lots of fun.

We decided to use to make cress sandwiches for snack time with the cress that we have been growing. The children buttered their own bread, a great skill for practicing their fine motor skills and for life…we always need toast in the morning!. We then cut and sprinkled the cress on to the bread. The children then had a go at folding the bread in half, which was a bit tricky. The children loved their cress sandwiches, they couldn't believe that they were eating something that they had grown from seeds.

The children have been making castle turrets or towers using shapes. They drew around their chosen shapes then drew someone hiding inside the turret. The children drew their mummies, Rapunzel or their friends in the castle.

I can't believe we only have one week left before we break up for May half term.

Enjoy your sunny/hot weekend everyone.

Emma 

Meet number 9

This week we have started to explore number 9!! Numberblock Nine arrives in Numberland, finds a friend in Four, sings a song about squares... and sneezes! Learn all about the number 9 with Numberblock Nine! Click here to meet 9!

We are learning to:

• Say the counting numbers to 9. The children should recognise the cardinal principle of counting that the last number counted represents the entire set of objects counted.

• Partitioning and combining to 9. At the beginning of the episode Nine is formed from combining One and Eight and then partitioned again.

• 9 and 4 are square numbers. Although the children are not formally introduced to square numbers until much later, this episode provides an opportunity to look at both the structure of squares with 4 equal sides and corners, and square numbers that make a shape with the same number of blocks down as across. Identifying pattern and seeing structure in number is important to early maths development.

Finally, fire up the BBQ for a fun weekend!

Stay safe and God Bless.

This week....

A week of remembrance and celebrations. We have been preparing for our VE Day picnic by putting up the bunting, making union flags to wave and celebratory VE day crowns!! Luckily the sun was out to make the day FANTASTIC. it was so lovely to be out on the field with the whole school. Siblings and friends across the classes were able to eat and play together.

We started the week by watching the video that we looked at for Remembrance Day. The children were able to describe what was happening and how war made them feel and that we had all made a remembering poppy. Click here to watch again at home. We then discussed that when the fighting had finished there was peace in our country and we learnt the sign for ‘peace’. and made a ‘peace wreath’.

Take a look at our wonderful celebration!

Forest school

Last Friday it was our turn for forest school. We absolutely love it. We visited our tadpoles in their new home. Listened to environmental sounds and did some forest bathing under the canopy of the trees. It was so tranquil and calming, although it was tricky to get in to the hammock! As a treat we had juice and Jammy Dodgers!

Emma’s blog

Hello everyone,  

The sunshine is still shining for us all, and the children just love playing and learning in the garden. 

This week, we have been exploring the number 8. The children have been working out how many legs an octopus has (one of our friends brought a cuddly octopus into nursery and was telling their friends about its 8 legs. The children drew their own octopus and counted each leg, making sure they had 8.

As a fine motor activity we made a picture of Rapunzel with her long hair, then clipped and counted 8 pegs on to her long hair! This was tricky but the children ‘had a go’ like Tommy Turtle. 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

See you all on Monday 

Emma 

Michelle’s blog

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's blog.

We have had a very busy week of learning. We have worked very hard practising writing numbers 8. If you would like to practice at home, here is the rhyme; ‘s' to start, looking great, loop back up and there’s your 8’. Don't forget to use your duck fingers. We have also been counting out objects to 8. Why not have a go at home. I'm sure you will be amazed at how well your child can count. Don't forget to touch each object as you count it.

We then had a go at singing the number 8 rap Click here.

Thank you

Have a lovely weekend 

Michelle 

Health and Safety notice

Please remember if you are sending in grapes for snack, please slice them in half lengthwise as they are a serious choking hazard. Click here for an example.

As you can see, another fun week at nursery!

Have a lovely weekend and I will see you all on Monday.

Stay safe and God Bless

Barbara

This week...

The weather keeps getting better and better…and we are loving it! Whenever possible we have chosen to do our learning outdoors. Our tadpoles are getting bigger and bigger, no back legs yet though. On Wednesday Mrs. Tierney took some of the tadpoles to a new home in the forest school garden pond. they all look happy and settled in their new environment.!

The meadow seeds we planted a few weeks ago have germinated and started to grow. The children have been popping to the poly tunnel each day to water the veggies…not shooting yet.

Worship

This week in prayer and liturgy Mrs. Gregan told the story of doubting Thomas. In the Bible, the apostle Thomas initially doubted the accounts of Jesus' resurrection from the other disciples. This story is often used to teach us about faith, trust, and the importance of having a belief system, while also acknowledging that some people may have doubts. We discussed "What do you think it would be like to be Doubting Thomas? Why might he have felt that way?" or "How do we show trust in others in our daily lives?".  Click here to watch a short video about doubting Thomas.

Emma’s Blog

Hello everyone 

We have really enjoyed being outside this week in the sunshine. The sun makes everyone feel so happy, including our tadpoles, which are growing really big now. The children can't wait to see their legs start to grow. 

We read a story called Rapunzel as part of our ‘Once Upon a Time’ learning thread. Rapunzel had very long hair in the story, so we thought we could grow our own Rapunzel ‘hair’ from cress. The children used a plastic see-through cup so they could see when the seeds started to geminate…it didn’t take long. We put cotton wool inside the cup to make a cosy bed for the seeds, gave them a drink of water and put them where it was light and bright. We waited. The children drew Rapunzel’s face on the cup so the cress would represent her hair. Everyday we checked to see if the seeds had germinated, and within 6 days, the children’s Rapunzels all had cress hair! The children used a ruler to see how long the cress had grown. Some of the childrens cress had grown to 12cm long. Here is a video of the story Rapunzel. Enjoy. 

Click here to watch how to grow cress at home.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and enjoy the sunshine.

 Emma 

Michelle’s blog

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's blog.

We have had glorious weather this week and we have made the most of it as we continue to watch the tadpoles grow bigger. We are still waiting for them to start growing legs but they are getting much bigger now. 

We have started our research about all things ‘creepy crawlie’ as we set off on a bug hunt. We found woodlice, slugs, spiders and ants. We hope to find many more. Why don't you go on your own bug hunt? Click here.

We have been practising our positional language skills and checked our learning by having a quiz at home. Click here.

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the weather 

Michelle 

VE Day celebrations

Next Thursday nursery will be joining the whole school for a picnic lunch on the field. If your child is present on that day we are asking if they could wear red, white and blue coloured clothing!!! Let’s hope the sun continues to shine!

Have a fabulous Bank Holiday weekend everyone. I have lots of gardening planned in the sunshine, maybe followed by a little snooze!

See you on Tuesday

Stay safe and God Bless

Barbara

This week...

A sad start to our new term. We have all been saddened by the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday. It was only fitting as we returned to school on Tuesday that we began the Summer term with a dedicated prayer and liturgy, led by Mrs. Gregan. We have opened a book of condolence for both staff children and parents to contribute.

Nursery have been drawing pictures of Pope Francis to add to the book along with their individual finger print. We also wrote: ‘we offer our condolences to sisters and brothers in the Roman Catholic Church . We pray God’s blessing on us all and on all, who like Pope Francis, try to follow Christ in the strength of the Holy Spirit.’

If you can cast your mind back to before the Easter break you will remember that we welcomed the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes into school. She will remain with us until Monday, and this week we have been celebrating the visit by praying in the worship area and by making individual statues of Our Lady of Lourdes to take home. We have tasked each child to place Our Lady next to their beds as they say their prayers each evening. Keep a look out in your child’s school bag this week.

On a happier note we have thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine this week and have been inspired to crack on with our planting. Justine has been taking the gardening club in small groups to the poly tunnel to plant, pumpkins, lettuce, cucumber, radishes, peas and sweetcorn!

The children gave also noticed our meadow seeds are growing and we have flowers on our raspberry canes and strawberry plants! We are hoping for a bumper crop!

Number 8

Numberland is rocked by the arrival of superblock Eight, known to his friends and fans as Octoblock. At the beginning of the episode Eight is formed from combining One and Seven.

Throughout the episode Eight counts his legs saying the number names from 1 to 8. The children should recognise the cardinal principle of counting that the last number counted represents the entire set of objects counted. Click here to meet Octoblock!

Year 5 Charity Donut Sale…mmmmmmmmm

Please give Year 5 your support!!

Who doesn’t like a donut, yummy!!!!!!

Emma’s Blog

Hello everyone, 

Welcome back. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter.

 The children have got right back into nursery with their learning and having lots of fun.

 The children have been recognising sounds we have learnt in their names by using a name card. This will give the children confidence to take ownership of their personal belongings, their trays as well as being able to write their names.

This term’s learning is entitled ‘Once Upon a Time’. We kick started our literacy based learning by turning the treehouse into a wonderful castle, we even made a dragons lair in the dungeon underneath the castle! The children have really enjoyed dressing up and role playing in the castle. The children’s imagination has been wonderful. They have made up so may amazing (and scary) stories!

Everyone helped to design a flag to go on the castle. Of course, we came up with the idea of a dragon, the children love dragons. It had to have fire coming out of his mouth! It looks great flying proudly on our castle. 

At the end of last term, the children showed great interest in looking for mini beasts, and they came across a very large cocoon. The children were really excited and wanted to know what it could be, but we didn't know. This week, the children have found it again. We are going to keep our eyes on it to see what its going to be. Watch this space. 

It has been a fun packed week, and I can't wait for next week. I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

 Emma.

Michelle’s blog

Hello everyone and welcome back after the Easter break. 

Our learning continues as we are still on our journey to reception.

First I would like to give a big warm welcome to our new starters. We are so happy to have you in our nursery family. We hope you have a wonderful time. Just a couple of things to let you know about. All children should have a blue book bag, as these are just the right size for storage and also bringing home children's work. We just don't have the space for big back packs. Also, all children should bring in snacks, one for each session, so they will need two if they are here all day. We promote healthy eating, so a piece of fruit or veggies is perfect. Thank you 

This term we are focusing on literacy and story telling. We have all used our imaginations to retell our favourite stories this week, we might even write one of our own!

We are continuing to practice our writing, concentrating on the sounds that make up our first name. We are getting really good at hearing the which sounds are in our names, moving on from just initial sounds. I can tell the children have been practising their writing at home. Thank you for your support. When your child is writing please remember to tell them to use their "duck fingers". This is the tripod grip.  Click here for more information.

Have a lovely weekend 

Michelle 

I hope the weather stays sunny for the weekend and everyone can make some lovely family memories.

Stay safe and God Bless

Barbara

This week....

Another glorious week in the garden! Our meadow seeds have started to germinate and after the holidays we have lettuce, sweetcorn, radishes cucumber, beans and peas to sow, Mmmm all those yummy veggies, we have also noticed our raspberry cane and strawberries are getting flowers on them!!! Watch this space!

Worship

This week it has been Holy Week in school. We have attended the school assemblies which have depicted Jesus’ journey to the cross. Classes 2-6 have represented the Easter story so movingly using dance, music and words. When we discussed what we had watched the children said they found each depiction very “sad”, but we know it was God’s plan and that Jesus would “come alive again”.

We talked about how the world can be a very strange place at times. Things that we take for granted, simple things like visiting friends, going to a café, sometimes are are no longer possible.  At these times it is easy to become afraid, to feel isolated, to feel the world will never be the same, yet we are called to be a People of Hope. We wondered; How can we hope in these situations? The children said to pray and to believe in Jesus, he would never leave us.

A visit from Rachel

Our friend Rachel came to school on Tuesday to explain the Jewish celebration of the Passover, this was something the children were really curious about during her first visit. We found out that Passover is a major Jewish spring festival commemorating the Israelites' liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt, marked by the avoidance of leavened foods and a special meal called a Seder. We all had a taste of matzah, a flat, unleavened bread which looked and tasted a bit like a cracker.

Emma’s blog

Hello everyone.

What a very busy week we have had. The children are definitely ready for a rest.

The children have been practicing their cutting skills this week, and they have made good progress and have much better control when using scissors. The children have been busy cutting all sorts of objects, like tubes, boxes and bits of craft paper. They have been coming up with their own ideas and creations, for example, telescopes, phones, and even birthday candles. Such fun.  

 In PE this week, Mr. Nay and Mr. Murray introduced golf to the children. It was brilliant! The children really enjoyed using the golf putters, trying to hit the ball between two cones. It was tricky but we kept practicing to get our hold and technique correct. We also have been practicing our running skills, having a go at running in lanes on the field. This was tricky, hopefully, with lots of practice, we will have mastered it by Sports Day!

We have been keeping a keen eye on our tadpoles, looking for any changes. Guess what?! we have noticed that some are starting to get their back legs! It’s amazing! I wonder what they will look like by the time when we return to nursery after the holidays. 

 I hope you all have a wonderful Easter and enjoy your week off.

 Emma 

Michelle’s blog

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's blog 

We have had a very busy week, as we gathered with school each day as we watched the children tell the Easter story. The children were mesmerized as the watched and listened. I'm sure your child will tell you about the performances if you ask them.

We continue to investigate animals and their babies as we took part in a quiz. We got them all correct! Click here to have a go at home.

We also continued our investigation of shadow. We used shadows to draw pictures of our friends and then toy dinosaurs.

We had a lovely picnic on Wednesday as we shared hot cross buns with Reception.

Have a peaceful and restful Easter and we will see you at the start of next term 

Michelle 

After the Easter break we will be introducing our new learning threads ‘Once Upon a time’ and ‘Minibeasts’. Such a lot of learning!!! Take a look at what we have the planned.

Forest School

Last Friday we all went to Forest school with Miss Lavelle. We made clay faces on tree trucks by using natural resources we could find around the garden. There were some scary faces!!!! We then baked bananas and marshmallows on the firepit and had a drink of juice! Mmmmm, thank you Miss Lavelle.

May I take this opportunity to wish everyone and Happy and Holy Easter. Have the most wonderful week off and I will see you all on Tuesday 22nd April.

Stay safe and God Bless.

Barbara

This week...

A fabulous but bust week at nursery…again! The sun has been shining and we have enjoyed every minute of it! We even got the BIG water play out in the garden, it was so much fun!

Mrs. Tierney from year five brought us some frog spawn this week…and we made a pond! Already, the eggs have started to hatch into tadpoles. We have been watching very carefully for when they grow their back legs…then front legs…their tails to shrink… and their lungs to develop. We watched a short video which explained the life cycle of frogs. Click here to watch at home.

Emma’s Blog

Hello everyone. It has been another great week for learning in the sunshine.

We are super excited about our new visitors in the nursery garden. We have a family of tadpoles! A big thank you to Mrs Tierney for bringing them for us.

We have continued to explore Lucky Number 7 this week. The children have been making rainbows in our floor book representing the 7 colours of the rainbow. We have also noticed that each colour of a rainbow matched the colours which make up ‘7’. The children also have been practicing writing number 7.

Here's a number 7 game. Click on number 7 to start the game have fun. Click here.

The children have been very busy in the garden, building with LARGE bricks and Waffle bricks. They have built tall towers and short towers as well as houses. They used their structures to retell the story of The Three Little Pigs! The brick house gave them somewhere to hide from the wolf!!! We also played ‘Wolf’s Coming’…our favourite story! We also played Wolfs Coming in the school castle.

 I cannot believe we have only one week left at nursery before we break up for Easter, see you all on Monday. Have a lovely weekend everyone. 

Emma 

Michelle’s Blog

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's blog 

The sun has definitely been shining this week which has meant much of our learning has taken place outside in the garden.

We continue to be meteorologists as we discovered our shadows only come out in the sun. We will explore more next week.  

We were excited this week as we now have frogspawn in the garden. We are learning about the lifecycle of a frog and this made us think about babies, and how they all have different names. We were surprised to find out that a baby rabbit is called a kitten. We have been painting our own baby animals.

We met number block lucky number 7 last week and this week we continue to practice writing numbers and counting up to 7.

Here is the rhyme if you would like to have a go at home " A line in the sky then down to the ground, that's how lucky 7 can be found". Don't forget your duck fingers!

 Have a lovely weekend and we will see you next week.

Michelle

Worship

This week we have continued our pilgrimage to the cross by going tot the chapel. We took our rosary beads with us to hep us to focus our thoughts. We are trying hard to learn the Our Father and Glory be prayers. Our prayer leaders are a great help.

Next week will be Holy Week in school. Each assembly will be portrayed by year 2 to year 6.

Monday- Palm Sunday

Tuesday- The Last Supper

Wednesday- The Garden of Gethsemane

Thursday- The Crucifixion

Friday- The Resurrection.

They start at 9.15am each morning if you would like to come and join us.

During our final week of the term, we will be joined in school by statues that belong to the Pilgrims of Grace. This special initiative involves three statues of Our Lady of Lourdes, patroness of our diocese, visiting every school in the Diocese of Lancaster. The tour culminates in October with representatives from all our schools gathering at one of three diocesan sites: St. Mary’s, Cleator, St. Mary’s, Ladyewell, or Sacred Heart, Blackpool. During the week we will be coming together to worship alongside the statues before taking them to their next school; St John Vianney. The statute will be positioned in the Worship Area if any of you would like to come and pay your respects.

Also, this Sunday is Family Mass, 9.30 am at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church. We look forward to seeing you.

Lenten Boxes

All Lenten boxes to be sent in by Wednesday at the latest. Thank you for your support.

Easter Egg raffle

Our Easter egg raffle will take place next Friday. If you haven’t yet sent in your money for raffle tickets, don’t worry it’s not too late…remember, you have to be in it to win it!!!!

Easter Holidays

Nursery will close for the Easter holidays next Friday (11th April) at 2 pm and reopen on Tuesday 22nd April.

I’m hoping that the sunshine shines on us all this weekend. Enjoy spending time with loved ones.

Stay safe and God Bless.

Barbara

This week...

A glorious week of learning and glorious weather!

We have planted meadow seeds throughout the garden, we think it will be the most colourful garden in St. Annes. We are also hopeful of some frog spawn, so we have made a pond in readiness!

Meet Lucky number 7

It's a rainy day for a picnic, but when lucky number Seven appears, everything comes up rainbows. Learn all about the number 7 with Numberblock Seven. Click here to watch at home!

We have also been writing ‘7’. Here’s the rhyme to help you at home - ‘a line in the air then down to the ground, that’s how lucky seven is found’.

I have sent home a fab science activity using Skittles sweets….the colours are the same as Luck number 7. Have a go at the experiment!!!

Duckling alert!!!

Duckings have hatched in Mrs. Hotchkiss’s class! On Tuesday and Wednesday we went to visit them.

Before we went we watched how a duckling hatched our of their egg. Everyone was amazed. Click here to watch at home.

When we arrived the ducklings were all have a swim in their pond. Everyone thought they were so very cute…especially when they were splashing around! Take a look.

Emma’s blog

Hello everyone.

It has been another fun packed week of learning and growing our brains. 

The children have been very busy creating their Easter cards this week. We used masking tape to make a cross on the card, and the children painted over the tape on to the card using a in a left to right motion. The children found this so tricky as they wanted to paint up and down, where as using another movement by going across the body whilst painting, engages different muscle groups. This enhances gross motor skills, the same dough as taking the dough across the body in dough disco.

Continuing with our thread learning on changes, we have been monitoring the weather using our weather wheels, and recording the results on our weather chart. We have noticed that that the sunshine column of the chart is currently the tallest at the moment. Let's hope it stays that way!

I hope all of the mummies have a wonderful Mother's Day. Enjoy your day and I will see you all next week. Fingers crossed for more sunshine.

 Emma 

Michelle’s blog

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's blog.

Spring has definitely arrived here at nursery as we have been very busy in the garden, planting, tidying and investigating. We are pleased to see we still have lots of worms in the garden. We have noticed the daffodils are still in full bloom.

We have been meteorologists this week, monitoring the weather using our water collection station. We were excited to find we had collected rain water, good for the garden. It must have rained during the night! We also have been predicting the weather; are we expecting some rain, sunshine, wind or a bit of thunder and lightening this weekend. We watched JoJo and Gran Gran checking the weather forecast, click here

Have a lovely weekend and hope all the mummies enjoy their Mother's Day.

Michelle 

Read, Write Inc

More new sounds! Don’t panic only a few more…for now!

for ‘x’ click here

for ‘z’ click here

for ‘ch’ click here

Coffee Morning at the Social Centre

A group of children went the Social Centre last week. We all did some colouring and had a a drink and biscuit. It was such a treat!

Another great week of fun and learning!

Have a lovely restful Mother’s Day on Sunday and I will see you all on Monday.

Stay safe and God bless.

Barbara

This week...

A sunny week at nursery! It was positively tropical on Thursday, fingers crossed it continues.

I think the sunshine prompted a delivery of sand for big digging outside. Everyone got stuck in to barrow the sand to the sand pit, all hands to the deck including Reception and Mrs. Gregan. We are having another ton delivered next week! We will have more sand than Blackpool beach!

Worship

Over the past week we have been visiting the chapel as part of our pilgrimage to the cross. On Wednesday we read the Gospel which was the parable of the fig tree. Click here to watch. We asked the question; what was wrong with the fig tree?. The fig tree represents God’s people- that is all of us. We are all called to change: to grow and enrich the world around us. In other words to love as Jesus loved. Jesus is like the gardener. He is patient and nurtures us to change for the better.

Kandinsky

This week we explored what it is to be and artist. We chatted about who does painting and drawing at nursery…that meant we are all artists, but all different kinds of artists. We read the story ‘The Dot’ for inspiration. The Dot by Peter H Reynolds : a wonderful story about art and creativity for kids A Terrific story about a girl called Vashti and an her special teacher who encourages during her art class to make beautiful paintings. Click here to listen.

We were now ready to find out about Wassily Kandinsky. Kandinsky said “everything starts from a dot” and one of his most famous paintings did just that! It was a colour study with squares and concentric circles…Kandinsky loved colour and so do we! We decided that everyone would paint a Kandinsky style painting starting with a dot. We would then join them all together to create one huge colour study with squares and concentric circles. It is well on its way to being completed…watch this space.

Emma’s blog

Hello everyone, 

We have had a fantastic week again of fun, learning and more sunshine.

The children have been doing lots of investigating in the garden. As spring has now arrived, it seems there are lots of mini beasts starting to move into our garden. The children have found spiders, millipedes, some baby worms and some juicy big ones (I think the nursery garden must have great soil!).

The children are not afraid of picking the mini beasts up and observing them close up. I can't wait to see what others minibeasts come to join our garden as the weather starts to get warmer. Here's a mini beast guessing game, enjoy. Click here.

We have been ‘having a go’ (like Tommy Turtle) at writing our new letter sounds for our floor book. Some of the sounds have been very tricky, but I think the children have a few favourites that they like to write, such as v and w. The children have been really trying, and have been proud of their achievements. Well done everybody, but keep practising.

The children have been very busy creating their own weather wheel this week, just like the interactive big one on display in nursery. It has been lovely to see the children’s understanding and interpretation of what the children’s knowledge about our wonderful British weather and how it can be represented as an image.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and see you all Monday.

Emma 

Michelle’s blog

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's blog.

We have continued our investigations this week into ‘changes’ as we have used our weather machine to explore the weather each day. We have noticed that we haven't collected any rain this week but it has been sunny and windy. We hoped that we get some rain soon as we know our plants in the garden need sun and rain to grow.

We have enjoyed using our imaginations in the role play area, both inside and out. Imaginative play is so important for the children to explore their world and to work out their place in it. It's also lots of fun dressing up. Maybe you could have fun at home dressing up 

We have also worked hard building obstacle courses in the garden to practice our jumping and landing. Then Mr Nay taught us how to roll the balls along the floor in PE, we were very good at it, he said. We are really looking forward to Sports Day this year.

Such a busy week. Have a lovely weekend and we will see you next week.

Michelle  

Parish Coffee Morning

On Friday a small group of children popped to the Parish Centre to have a drink and biscuit with our parishioners. We did some colouring and had a lovely chat.

Mass

On Monday another small group of children will be joining Year 6 and Reception at Mass in church. This will be the first visit of the year for nursery.

Book Fair

Don’t forget that the Book Fair is in school on Monday and Tuesday. There will also be a 2nd hand book stall. If you have any books that you would like to donate to the sale, please do bring them in on Monday.

Sports Day

I know Sports Day is always a popular date for your calendar, so I am giving your plenty of notice to organise your own calendar.

EYFS (Nursery & Reception) - Wednesday 11th June pm

Little Hearts Matter

As you are aware a couple of weeks ago we had our ‘Dress Up’ charity event. We have all been so very pleased to have heard back from the Little Hears Matter Charity. We received a lovely thank you letter and a certificate of fundraising. This is down to all our wonderful and generous families, thank you again.

Wow!!!

Thank you everyone!

What a fabulous end to an already fabulous week!

I hope that everyone has a lovely weekend and I will see you on Monday. Pray for sunshine.

Stay safe and God bless.

Barbara

This week...

A lovely calm week at nursery. We have completed our Spring display and it looks magnificent. Take a look!

Springtime has arrived!!

Worship

During Lent we are making more time to connect with Jesus by praying more often.

We began the week by finding out more about Jesus’s journey to the cross. We read a short story and then thought how it made us feel. The children used words like “sad”, “worried” and that “it made my tummy feel funny”. Over the next few week we intend to delve deeper into the Easter Story to try and understand why? Click here to watch a short video.

On Monday we will be visiting the stations of the cross which are now hanging in the hall.

Dancing

For the next three Thursday’s we are fortunate to have Miss Amy come to nursery to deliver some dance classes. We are all very excited. Thank you Miss Amy we had a wonderful time!

Emma’s Blog

Hello everyone,

What a wonderful week we have had. We have has so much fun!

Firstly, the children have been on a secret mission, making lots of exciting and wonderful surprises for Mother’s Day. We have been talking about what our mummies favourite colours are, and what our mummy looks like. I can't wait for you to see what your child has made for you, its going to be so special.

To continue our thread learning about change, we have started to explore the weather, how it changes throughout the day and the year. This links perfectly with the magnificent weather station which Michelle has started to make with the children.

We have also started to make parts of a giant weather wheel for a display in nursery. The children have made a sun, some clouds, wind and rain so we can observe changes in the weather throughout the day. Each morning and afternoon, we are going to track on the chart to see what the weather is doing…we are hoping that there is no snow! The children are finding this very interesting. Soon the children will be making their own individual weather wheels, so they can keep a check of the weather at homme too.

Here is a video about the weather, enjoy. Click here.

Have a lovely weekend everyone, and see you all next week.

Emma 

Michelle’s Blog

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's blog.

We continue our theme of ‘changes’ in the seasons as we investigated and explored the weather 

First we learnt some new words to describe the weather that we see. We then wondered how we could remember what the weather is like every day. We designed a wonderful weather machine to catch rainfall. The children had lots of ideas of how they wanted to build it and what they wanted it to do.

I am sure you will agree that it looks quite glorious.

The plan is now to look at the weather and the changes that happen right before our eyes every day. 

Maybe you could keep a weather diary at home 

Have a lovely weekend and we will see you next week 

Michelle 

Read, Write Inc.

We managed to finish the rest of the speed sounds we didn’t do last week. Also, keep a look out for your child’s writing practice sheets. Everyone is working hard to remember the sounds and the rhyme that helps us to write them.

Click here for ‘th’

Click here for ‘y’

Numberblocks- Ice and Dice

One, Two and Three use a dice-making machine to figure out how to give everyone a fair go. They explore the properties of dice and mathematical fairness. Have you got any dice games at home?

Click here to watch.

Forest School

Last Friday we went to forest school. We went on a trip to the poly tunnel to see if there was any signs of growth and then explored the school garden to look at all the spring flowers.

We then sat around the fire pit to listen to a story about a daffodil, sing songs whilst Miss Lavelle played the ukulele and then ate pancakes and marshmallows followed by a nice cup of hot chocolate! Mmmmmmmm.

Easter Events!!!

On Friday 21st March - own clothes day and bring an Easter Egg for the Easter Raffle. Also on this day, Greg Anderson from Lytham Hall will be joining us in school to help the children make a ‘People we love’ planter. These are optional to be made and will cost £6 to cover the cost of the experience. Mrs Nel has popped it on Parent Pay and if you would like your child to be part of it, we will take payment as confirmation. So many have already paid - thank you! Greg will talk the children through the different plants used and each child will make it for someone they love.

Please note that payments must be made on Parent Pay by Tuesday 18th March

As usual nursery and school have been very busy; it is a community full of love, learning and fun!

Have a fantastic weekend everyone and I will see you all on Monday.

Stay safe and God bless

Barbara

This week

Wow, what a week! We have all been so very busy!

Our Spring walk

On Monday we went on a spring walk looking for signs of Spring. We were looking closely for any differences in the nursery garden and around the school. We spotted sticky buds on the trees, lots of daffodils, crocus, and hyacinths growing every where, we even heard bird song. Click here to watch a short video.

We decided that we would paint spring flower pictures for a display in nursery. We also thought it would be a good idea to put blossom on the winter branches we have in our classroom. Watch this space, our display will be ready for next week. Perhaps you could look for signs of spring in your garden.

Shrove Tuesday

On Tuesday we found out about Shrove Tuesday. We talked about getting ready for Lent and why we eat pancakes. Click here to watch a short video.

In the afternoon we made our own dough and practiced tossing pancakes in the garden. They went everywhere, even on a friends head. It was such great fun!

At snack time we ate some real pancakes ( not the ones that had been on the floor!). We sprinkled sugar and lemon on them…they were yummy! Mmmmmm!

Ash Wednesday

On Wednesday we started our journey to the cross. We read the Gospel about Jesus being tempted in the desert. We learned that after being baptised by John the Baptist, Jesus was tempted by the devil after 40 days and nights of fasting in the desert. The tempter then departed and Jesus returned to Galilee to begin his ministry. click here to watch a short video.

When Mrs. Gregan and the school came back from Mass we all received our Ashes. Father Peter said the ashes mark on our forehead was like a badge to show everyone that we were Christians…a bit like our Team Jesus badges.

After lunch we swapped our Lenten Boxes with our partner class (Year 3).We are hopeful that we can have another bumper year collecting for Cafod.

Story time at the library

Also on Wednesday we all took a trip to St Annes library for story time. We lsitened to lots of stories but our favourites were:

The Whales on the bus- click here

The Suitcase- click here

Read Write Inc

We been so busy this week we have not managed to meet our next set of sounds! We have so many to remember now it would be great if you could keep practising at home. Click below to find our what Geraldine Giraffe has to say.

j - click here

v - click here

w - click here

Wolfs coming!

Our favourite story ever! When we went for our Spring walk we played wolf’s coming in the school castle. When the children heard ‘wolf’s coming we had to all run the the castle and hide….arghhhhh!

If you haven’t read the story click here

Our Charity Dress up week!

Such a joyous, fabulous week and that is down to all of you! Thank you SO VERY MUCH. Everyone had enjoyed dressing up this week and we have been blown away by your generosity. We have raised £289.42 for the Little Hearts Matter Charity, which is truly fantastic.

About Little Hearts Matter

Little Hearts Matter is the only charity in the UK dedicated to supporting and empowering anyone affected by the diagnosis of a single ventricle heart condition – or half a working heart. They support families along every step of their journey, from initial diagnosis, through treatments and into life at home.

Their mission is to provide a support and information service that reduces the isolation, fear and the lack of understanding experienced by families when a child is diagnosed with having half a working heart.

Your kindness and willingness to get involved will help this wonderful charity to support children just like our friend Annie.

Emma’s blog

Hello everyone, 

We have had a wonderful week and the weather as been great the sun has been shining, which has been great for learning outside.

We have been on spring walks to the library, looking for signs of spring, and to top it off, the children have had a fantastic week dressing up for Annie's charity, Little Hearts Matter. Thank you everyone for joining in. It has been lovely seeing all the children dressed up as different characters, from cheeky monkeys, a nurse, super heroes to princesses and many more.

Thank you nursery children, and year 3, for the wonderful Lenten boxes. The children are so grateful for their boxes, and can't wait to fill them with money for being helpful at home.

 We have been looking at our new number 6 this week, and the children have been rolling the big dice to find number 6. They had a go at copying the 6 pattern on the dice on to paper using dabber pens. It was tricky as the children got a little carried away with the experience of using the pens.

Here is a matching number game, enjoy!  Click here

Have a lovely weekend, and keep your fingers crossed for the sun to stay out. 

See you all next week  

Emma

Michelle’s blog

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's blog.

We have had such a glorious week dressing up each day for the charity Little Hearts Matter. Thank you all for your generous donations and we have loved all your costumes.

We have had a really busy week! We met with our partner class Year 3 to swap our Lenten boxes for the children to collect their Lenten promises.

We have enjoyed lots of stories this week, including stories at St Annes library.

We have continued to practise recognising the patterns on the dice as we played snakes and ladders. We have also had fun working on maths stories trying to make 6 lots of different ways.

Our learning continued as we learnt new letter sounds. We have nearly learnt all of them, thank you to everyone who is supporting the children at home with this.

On Wednesday we joined up with Reception for our Workout Wednesday as we built big obstacle courses in both our garden and the Reception garden too. 

We continue to practice our funky fingers as this week we tried a Buzz Wire game where we had to have a steady hand and not set the buzzer off. It was very tricky so we are going to keep practicing.

We finished the week by going on a nature walk and looking for signs of spring. We were excited to see lots of flowers popping up all around school. We can't wait to get busy gardening so we can plant some more.

Have a lovely weekend and we will see you next week.

Michelle  

World Book Day

World Book Day 2025 took place this Thursday!

It is an annual celebration of authors, illustrators, books and the joy of reading.

World Book Day provides a fantastic opportunity to focus on reading for pleasure, and by embedding a habit of reading that brings a wide range of benefits.

We had a great day reading our favourite stories and our partner class even came to join in the fun after lunch!

Phew! I wasn’t joking when I said we had a busy week!

I think everyone has earned a well deserved rest this weekend. Fire up the BBQ if the sun shines.

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart.

Stay safe and God bless

Barbara

This week....

Welcome back everyone. It was so lovely yo see the children’s happy faces coming into nursery. I hope you are all well rested as we lots planned for this half term. Our planning was posted on the blog before half term. It helps you to get involved with our learning at home.

A glorious week of sunshine ( maybe just a little bit of inclement weather!) We have taken full advantage of it and spent lots of time in the garden. We are beginning to spot changes occurring too…the garden is coming alive! Next week we have a Spring hunt all around the school. We will be looking for clues that warmer weather is on it’s way. Watch this space!

Worship

This week we have taken the time to reflect on the virtues for this half term…Generous and Grateful. We had a long discussion about what we were grateful for in our lives and how could we be generous with our selves. The children came up with some good ideas that always revolves around being kind and loving, so important. We thought about being generous with our time, not thinking about ourselves first, sharing, in fact everything that being part of Team Jesus should be. I am so very proud.

2025 is a year of Jubilee, and the holy Father chose the theme of “Pilgrims of Hope”. It is a time to re-establish a proper relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation. As Doors of Hope are popping up all over the school we decided to go on our own Pilgrimage of Hope, and to visit all the doors around school. We made a ‘staff of hope’ and carried a candle to light the way to God. We started with the Worship area which as been decorated for the Jubilee. Take a look at our pictures.

Meet Number 6

The Numberblocks make a new friend who likes to roll dice, and with Six in the mix, everything is a game. Learn all about the number 6 with Numberblock Six. Click here to watch.

We have spent lots of time this week recognising the dots on the dice without having to count them (subitising dice patterns for example, ‘I see three spots without counting’) as well as counting from 1-6 using 1-1 correspondence (match one number to each object). This can be tricky as sometimes there is a temptation to race ahead. We have also been learning the number names in order.

Michelle’s blog

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's blog.

It was so nice to see everyone's smiling faces on Tuesday morning as we came back from the half term break. I hope you all had a peaceful and relaxing week, despite the rainy weather.

This week we have continued with our learning as we practiced counting to five, ordering numbers to five and meeting Number block number 6.

We have also continued to develop our fine motor skills by playing a game with pegs. This will help us to develop the muscles in our hands needed to hold a pencil correctly.

On Tuesday we tried to think of words beginning with the letter sounds 's'. We explored the sound bag for 's' and then made a snake as we drew the letter on our friends back 'slither down the snake'

Thank you for sending in your Lenten boxes, we will be swapping them with our friends in our partner class next week.

Have a lovely weekend and we will see you next week 

Michelle 

Emma’s Blog

Hello everyone, and welcome back. I hope you all had a fantastic half term. 

 Firsty, can I say a big thank you for coming to parent's day. It was lovely talking to you all.

 The children have got right back into learning and have been having so much fun.

 On Wednesday, in PE, Mr Nay had us working hard on our ball skills, by throwing balls into buckets, which was tricky. The children loved having a go.

He also played a game like dodge ball, where he rolled lots of balls towards the children when they were walking across the playground. The children had to reach the other side without the ball touching their feet. The children were really good at this and it was Mr Nay who found it tricky trying and get them.

I had a challenge for the children this week. I put a jar with some cars in it out in nursery. The children had to look in the jar and estimate (good word) how many cars they thought were in it. It was tricky but the children enjoyed having a go and we had a range of estimations…only two children got it right…there were 6 cars in the jar. We are now going to make an estimation station so that we can play every day!

 Have a lovely weekend, and see you all on Monday morning.

 Emma

Workout Wednesday

From this week, every Wednesday will be ‘workout Wednesday’ After lunch nursery and reception are going to come together and practise our gross motor skills. We have planned parachute work, friendship band work and large equipment, the list has become endless. Again watch this space.

DON’T FORGET!

Next week is Dress up week!!!!Every day the children and nursery staff can come to school in fancy dress and pay £1 for each day. If you can give more that would be fantastic!

We are hoping to collect donations that we can gift to the Little Hearts Matter charity. LHM is there for families like Annie’s, our nursery friend, to support them though every step of their half a heart journey, we want to help.

Everything they do at Little Hearts Matter is made possible through the support and generosity from people like you. So let’s make this event fun and helpful. Thank you in anticipation.

Lenten boxes

As in previous years we are asking each child during half term to make and decorate a Lenten box. We will then swap them with our partner class (YR3) in readiness to take home and fill as part of our Lenten almsgiving, the children did lots of helpful activities at home to earn money for their boxes. Last year was a bumper year, we collected lots of money to donate to worthy causes. All boxes should be in school by Monday 3rd March.

As you can see we have managed to cram five days worth of learning into four days…phew! Next week is looking like being just as busy.

I hope the sun continues to shine for the weekend and that you have somelovely family time.

Stay safe and God Bless

Barbara

This week...

We have reached Spring half term already, hasn’t it gone quickly? It has been such a busy six weeks, as we do just as much work as we would do in an eight week half term…but we do have lots of fun.

When we return after the holiday we will be exploring ‘changes’ which occur in our environments- Spring, weather, habitats and the natural world to name a few. We will also be going on the journey to Easter along with the whole school community, finishing with Holy week on the last week of the term. This is always an emotional time for the children and the staff. Click on the button below to see our planning.

Worship

This weeks Gospel talked about ‘trust’ (Luke 6:17,20-26). We discussed that there can be lots of things that can trouble our hearts but trusting in God frees us from worrying in this life and assures us of a life forever with God… Jesus wants us to trust in God.

We then sang a new song called ‘I trust in Him’. Click here to sing at home

This week Steph read a story about ‘The Big Umbrella’ that liked to gather people underneath in…no matter who you are. Click here. It reminded us how Jesus gathers us all in too…we could be gathers of people and follow Jesus. It is a wonderful story and opens up some great discussion. Steph and the children have made an umbrella to hang in nursery with us all safely gathered in. Take a look.

Lenten boxes

As in previous years we are asking each child during half term to make and decorate a Lenten box. We will then swap them with our partner class (YR3) in readiness to take home and fill as part of our Lenten almsgiving, the children did lots of helpful activities at home to earn money for their boxes. Last year was a bumper year, we collected lots of money to donate to worthy causes. All boxes should be in school by Monday 3rd March. Good luck and enjoy!

Online Safety week

All this week we have been talking about the digital world from how to stay safe online to how much screen time we should all have. We watched a short video about Smartie the penguin and his new birthday present. We learnt a rhyme about what to do if something worries us online. Click here and then scroll down to access the EYFS A and B stories.

Parents here’s a link you may find useful too, click here.

Little Hearts Matter

This week I sent home an invitation to take part in our charity event- Dress up Week- week commencing 3rd March. Every day that week the children and nursery staff can come to school in fancy dress and pay £1 for each day. If you can give more that would be fantastic!

We are hoping to collect donations that we can gift to the Little Hearts Matter charity. LHM is there for families like Annie’s, our nursery friend, to support them though every step of their half a heart journey, we want to help.

Everything they do at Little Hearts Matter is made possible through the support and generosity from people like you. So let’s make this event fun and helpful. Thank you in anticipation.

Click on the button below to hear from Annie.

Forest school

Last Friday it was our turn to go to forest school…such great fun. We made a huge den to sit inside and sing songs and play musical instruments, Miss Lavelle even played her ukulele. We then made pop corn over the fire pit and drank hot chocolate. Take a look

Emma’s blog

Hello everyone, 

This week has been about online safety week. We have been looking at how we can be safe on our tablets, and what to do if something goes wrong, or we click on something we shouldn't. We now know we have to tell a grown up. Here is a short video about how to be safe. Click here.

The children have decided to take their learning outside by practicing writing letter sounds on the ground with chalk. Some of the children made tracks for their friends to follow and to find 'x marks the spot'. The children have been imagining there was gold, money, or chocolate treasure to find.

The children have also been practicing fundamental movement skills by kicking, throwing underarm and overarm, and catching balls with each other. It is all quite tricky, but the children love ‘having a go’ like Tommy Turtle. The children love Mr. Nay and Mr. Murray’s PE class.

The children really love a book called Wolfs Coming, and Barbara set up a small world area with the theme of the book. I brought a game in, where a wolf is hiding in the bin. The children had to get the rubbish out of the bin without waking the wolf, but if he woke up, he would jump out at you! The children loved playing the game, and so did the nursery ladies.

Have a lovely half term see you all in a week.

 Emma

Hello everyone and welcome to this week’s blog. We have had a shorter week this week, but I think we have still managed to pack in lots of learning.

We have explored numbers this week, practising our counting and ordering skills. We love a challenge and this week the challenge has been to put the numbers in the right order. Some of the children found this tricky, so any practice they can get at home will be hugely beneficial. Here are some games to try at home over half term. Click here.

In Prayer and Liturgy this week, our word of the week was Love. The children were very passionate as they talked about the people that they love. We also painted hearts and shared some sweets with one of our friends who needs a little help with her heart. We were excited to discover that for World Book Day we can dress up all week, with donations going to help other children who need a little help with their hearts too. We had some very animated conversations about costumes, I can’t wait to see everyone in their finery. We watched the Love Monster who had a little trouble sharing. Click here.

Have a lovely half term everyone.

Michelle

Lastly, don’t forget that school doesn’t open until Tuesday 25th February, we will see you then

Have a restful week with your loved ones.

Stay safe and God bless

Barbara

This week...

A great week at nursery! We have been busy tidying the garden in preparation for planting in a few weeks. We have also noticed signs of Spring! We have noticed the daffodils and snowdrops in the nursery garden…warmer days are on the way.

Worship

In this weeks Gospel we explored the word ‘follow’ and what Jesus is asking when he said to Peter that they should be fishers of people. We read from Luke 5:1-11and watched a short video to help us understand the miraculous catch of fish the fishermen landed after following Jesus’ instructions click here to watch. We discussed what a ‘miracle’ is (an unusual or wonderful event that is believed to be caused by the power of God) and if have ever witnessed one.

We learnt that it is important to make the right choice about who or what we follow. Jesus asks each and everyone of us to make following Him our most important priority and that is what we have tried to do this week.

Spa afternoon

On Wednesday afternoon we had a relaxing spa afternoon. We transformed nursery into a Zen area with candles lavender diffusers and dimmed lights. We started by engaging in mindfulness and yoga activities. We then took turns to soak our feet in warm bubbly water and massage our friends hands with soothing hand cream. Everyone was beginning to feel a bit sleepy so we laid down on squishy mats, closed our eyes and placed cool slices of cucumber on them whilst listening to tranquil music….it was sooooo lovely. I hope everyone had a good nights sleep.

Michelle’s blog

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's blog 

We have had such a lovely, chilled week this week as we have enjoyed our very own spa day. This was a lovely experience for the children as we  pampered our friends with a hand massage.

We have continued to develop our fundamental movement skills in PE, concentrating this week on throwing and catching and hopping.

Hopping on one leg is really tricky. Why don't you challenge your child to a hopping race. You can do this anywhere and it's giving your child some much needed practice.

We have also met some new letter sounds this week and have worked hard d to remember these. We have also had time to practice writing these sounds as well.

Our learning has continued as we consolidated our understanding of number five. We have had a go at throwing the dice and saying which number it lands on without counting the spots. This is tricky so any games involving using a dice will help your child to subitise.

Finally, thank you to everyone who has booked appointments for Parents Day on the 14th February. If you haven't, then I do still have a couple of slots available.

Have a lovely weekend 

Michelle

Emma’s blog

Hello everyone, 

We have had a fabulous week of learning. The children have had fun making 5 with their fingers, working out that we can make 5 in different ways. For example 2 on one hand and 3 fingers on the other hand make 5, or 4 and 1 make 5.

The children have been giving each other high 5s, and they have even been drawing around their hands and printing high 5s on their floor book, which looks great. Here is a game I think you will like. Can you feed the teddy 5 or less cakes. Click here.

I'm looking forward to showing you the children’s floor book on Parents Day, as the children have worked so hard. They have really enjoyed getting involved with their book.

We have also been practicing writing some of the sounds that we are leaning. They are tricky, but the children have enjoyed trying to have a go. It really helps to say the rhymes that go with sounds, as this will help the children to learn to write the letters as well as learning the sounds.

I can't believe next week is our last week before we break up for half term. Time flies when you are having so much fun.

Have a wonderful weekend, and see you all on Monday.

 Emma

Numberblocks 5- Holes

For the children who are ready for a challenge! Here’s a short video about addition, subtraction and number bonds to 5. Five and friends discover a hole that makes their heads fall off! Learn how to count up and down and how to add to five with this video. Click here.

Parent Day

This term Parent Day is being held on Friday 14th February. Key persons will be available all day (9.00 am - 3.30 pm) so please sign up for a time slot (20 minutes per family) throughout the day. The appointment sheets will be brought out each evening after school. We look forward to seeing you for a catch up.

Read, write Inc.

This week we have met some more sounds e, l, h, sh, r. The children are getting very good at recognizing the sounds and saying them correctly. We practice them every day! We are still trying to write the sounds and the rhymes are helping. Click on the button below for the sounds placemat to have a practice at home. Don’t forget duck fingers to hold the pencil! Now lets see what Geraldine Giraffe has to say..

Click here for ‘e’

Click here for ‘l’

Click here for ‘h’

Click here for ‘sh’

Click here for ‘r’

Forest School is this Friday. We are hoping to make dens and eat pop corn!! Watch for more on this next week.

Half Term holidays.

School and nursery will be closing for half term on Thursday 13th February and reopening on Tuesday 25th February.

Garden shout out!

If anyone has any seeds, plants or shrubs they are willing to donate to the nursery garden we would be most grateful. Thank you in anticipation.

I hope the suns shines this weekend and we can spend lots of time outdoors. Fingers crossed!

Stay safe and God Bless

Barbara