Dear Families,
***SPACES AVAILABLE AT AFTER SCHOOL CLUB*** We now only have spaces available in After School Club on Friday, and a couple of Monday places up to the half term. There is a short waiting list on other days. If you are interested in any of these spaces or being put on the waiting list please let Roberta know. Over the next month we will begin the task of setting up the September after school club registrations. Look out for your booking details to verify and give notice as necessary, sohenleaze@gmail.com.
MAY HOLIDAY CLUB ***NOW OPEN FOR BOOKINGS!*** The children did a fabulous job helping us to plan lots of exciting activities for the May Holiday Club. The theme is ‘When I grow up I want to be...’. The children chose a chef, an athlete, a performer and an explorer! We will be making pizzas, having a limbo competition, making musical instruments and having a drama workshop. We will also be making our own treasure maps and going on a treasure hunt! We are really lucky that our holiday club is so well used, but it does mean that lots of days fill up several weeks before the start of each holiday. We strongly recommend booking as early as possible. Places are allocated on a first come first served basis, and if we are full we operate a waiting list.
FREE PLAY We are a free play setting! This means that the children can choose and direct their own play. They can choose whether they want to play inside or out, whether they want to join in with an organised game or activity or whether they want to hang out with their friends or just sit and read a book in the Quiet Area. We provide the children with a huge range of toys, equipment and resources and some amazing Playworkers to play with, if they wish to. Free play allows the children to develop their imaginations, independence, social skills and so much more. It is also really fun! If your children have any requests or suggestions for equipment they would like us to purchase, or activities they would like us to run, please let us know.
EASTER HOLIDAY CLUB We had a lovely couple of weeks with the children, despite the mixed weather! We enjoyed our day trip to Noah’s Ark Zoo- we saw lots of animals in between rain showers, and spent a lot of time playing in the play barn. We also had a really fun, sunny afternoon in the park, after watching Peter Rabbit at the cinema. The Sensory Truck was really popular- the children had lots of fun playing in the ball pool, and exploring all the different lights and sensory toys. We also loved sewing little rabbits in the Soft Toy workshop. The children also enjoyed den building outside and we all had lots of fun playing limbo. We also baked flower biscuits, learnt to write our names in hieroglyphics and did a lot of dressing up! There are lots of photos on our Facebook page for you to check out!
Here are some comments from the children: “I liked seeing the horses. We stroked their coats. My horse liked it- he looked at me!” Florrie, aged 6 “My favourite part of holiday club was playing table football- I was the match man!” Isaac aged 7 “I really liked going to see the elephants. They did smell but I liked watching them reach into their mouths with their trunks.” Ruby, aged 9 “I made Egyptian jewellery. It was really fun and quite therapeutic making the beads with my friend.” Martha aged 8
SCHOOL CAR PARK Please can we remind everyone that the school car parks are only to be used if you have an access requirement. If you have an access requirement and need to park in the school car park please let Jenny or Liam know, if you haven’t already.
DRESSING UP CLOTHES The children are really into dressing up at the moment! Does anyone have any unwanted dressing up clothes or accessories they could donate to us? They do not need to be in perfect condition. If you do please drop them into either Jenny or Liam. Thank you!
MEDICATION It is really important that all prescribed medication is in it’s original packaging with the pharmacists label on it. This is so that we can ensure we are giving the correct child the correct dosage. (This includes asthma inhalers.) We are sometimes able to administer over the counter medication that has not been prescribed, such as Calpol or travel sickness pills. This will be discussed on an individual basis. If you would like any further information, please speak to Jenny.
SPENDING MONEY ON TRIPS We are happy for children to bring a couple of pounds with them on outdoor day trips, to purchase something like a small souvenir or ice cream. We will help the children look after their money, and guide them in making a sensible purchase, but ultimately it is the child’s responsibility! Not all children bring spending money with them- usually it is less than 1 in 4- so please do not feel under any pressure to provide your child with spending money.
We do not allow children to take spending money to the cinema or park- instead we provide all children with a drink of water and a snack.
CANCELLING HOLIDAY CLUB PLACES Please note that once booked, holiday club places cannot be cancelled. Only in exceptional circumstances we will consider cancelling a booked place.
WHO’S WHO Cal is one of our Senior Playworkers. He has a background in drama, and can often be found dressed up and acting out a story with a group of very excited children. Cal has a responsibility for organising the outdoor play space, as well as supporting Jenny and Liam with some administrative tasks. Cal’s favourite part of the job is story time, and when he isn’t at School’s Out he likes to make interesting theatre and dance pieces.
Next time you are in come and say hello!
STAFF NEWS We are delighted to welcome Will and Jess to our team. Will volunteered with us a couple of years ago, and the children have been excited to see his return! Jess has been volunteering with us for the last few years and is already a familiar face for many of the children.
Tom and Zack are both starting work towards their Level 2 Playwork qualifications.
FACEBOOK Our Facebook page is the best way to keep up to date with holiday club availability, and everything else your children are getting up to!
Our Facebook page can also be viewed on the home page of our website.
YOU SAID, WE DID Each newsletter we will share with you how we have responded to feedback from either an adult or a child. Your feedback is very important to us, and we welcome your comments. YOU SAID: Please can we have some Rubik’s cubes at After School Club? (Child request)
WE DID: The Year 5 children helped Jenny choose a variety of Rubik’s cubes to order. These are available for the children to use at both After School and Holiday Club.
We are always keen to hear your views. There is a suggestions box at the back of the ASC dining hall, or pop in for a chat.
THANK YOU for your continued support.
School’s Out Henleaze is a company limited by guarantee and is registered in England and Wales (No. 5757674). Registered address: 236 Henleaze Road, Henleaze, Bristol BS9 4NG