After School Club
The decorations are down, the Christmas playlist has been put away, we’re back after a well-deserved break and still steadily making our way through mountains of chocolate given us by kind parents and children at the end of last term (thank you).
Allow us to officially welcome Grace, Lucius, Lola and Sufi to the team! They joined us just before Christmas and you can expect to see them in “Who’s Who” over the next few newsletters.
We’ve some new toys, games and resources to play with including even more Rubik Cubes, a super-cool modular,wooden Marble Run and stacks of Phoenix Comic and Minecraft Magazines.
Pro-tip: Is your house filling up with loom-band creations brought home from ASC? Do you keep tripping over them? Finding them embedded in your carpet? Do they mysteriously appear in the washing machine after putting a load through? Bring them to us! We’ll disassemble them and surreptitiously put them back into our loom band supply and the whole beautiful cycle can continue!
Holiday Club
Christmas Holiday Club was a solid week of festive fun! Cal thought he’d written a fiendishly tricky festive quiz but critically underestimated the trivia knowledge of our children. Everyone’s favourite quiz-round: the posters of classic Christmas movies invaded by playworkers’ faces. Everyone’s least favourite round: listening to Cal sing carols at the only volume he knows how!
After a treasure hunt, wherein teams followed clues to track down all of Santa’s reindeers, the man himself made two appearances in a specially erected grotto, asking children what they’d like for Christmas and reminding them to be well-behaved until Christmas Day (you’re welcome).
Absence
Please let us know on 07847 479 626 if your child won’t be attending After School Club. This is especially important if your child is in the Junior School because we do not see their teachers. Please also let us know as soon as possible if your child won’t be attending Holiday Club.
Extra-Curricular Clubs and Activities
If your child is attending another club before School’s Out, please can you text the ASC phone 07847 479 626 and include where and when you would like us to pick up your child. If you would like your child to walk themselves over, we would still like you to tells us where they will be and what time we can expect them at School’s Out. You may also need to discuss this arrangement with the staff at your child’s club.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding - we are legally bound to report, record and store records on any safeguarding issues. We also share this info with the child’s school.
School’s Out Henleaze Background Information
Did you know that School’s Out Henleaze is a not-for-profit company? This means that all of the money earned by us is used in pursuing the organisation's objectives and keeping it running.
It was set up in 1991 by a group of working parents who wanted high quality childcare for their children whilst they attended Henleaze Infant and Junior Schools. In the holidays we now take children of all abilities from across Bristol and beyond, and are proud of how welcoming and inclusive our children are.
We are still run by parents, who form the Management Committee. We are grateful for all the work they do, giving up their time to ensure the scheme runs as smoothly as it does. Let us know if you are interested in joining them. admin@schoolsouthenleaze.co.uk
Cold Weather
Finally, the evenings are getting lighter and longer, but it’s still a wet and chilly winter so please make sure your child arrives at After School Club with suitable clothing. We encourage outside play throughout the autumn and winter, so coats are a must.
No Nuts and Sesame
We are a nut-free scheme. When making snacks or packed lunches, do not include any nuts or nut products such as peanut butter or Nutella, and we have also excluded sesame and sesame products such as houmous. We have children with severe allergies to these foods and sending your child in with them can risk their health.
Pick-up time
A polite reminder to parents/carers not to phone to collect their children until you are on the school premises. We understand pick-up time can be a rush but if you phone and have not yet arrived, we have to dedicate a playworker to waiting outside with your child/ren. This occupies a staff member and prevents them going back inside for the next child/children, causing a knock-on effect that results in longer waits for all.
Phone is more efficient than text ! Thank you.
Volunteers
We have a wonderful group of volunteers right now, helping out as part of their Duke of Edinburgh awards on various days. They provide extra helping playing with children (fun!) and tidying up at the end of the day (necessary!). What’s delightful for us is that they all used to come to School’s Out Henleaze when they were at primary school and they just couldn’t keep away. We can’t wait for them to apply for jobs as playworkers in a couple of years.
Lego
“Sophie decided that Lego really could be called the most ingenious toy in the world. But what it had to do with philosophy was beyond her” – Jostein Gaarder, Sophie’s World
Lego truly is a marvel. Creative, versatile and almost indestructible. But it ain’t cheap, even when we buy it second-hand by the kilo. If you have any Lego going unused and unloved at home, we will happily receive any donations of those wonderful plastic bricks.
Who’s Who
Dani has been working with us since November as a playworker alongside studying Philosophy at University. Her favourite part of work is spending time playing with the children. Dani loves art, nature and travel and has recently enjoyed inter-railing around Italy.
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:
“Can we use some paper cups for stacking?”
WE DID:
We bought two sets of competition-ready pro-stacking cups! Bottomless for enhanced airflow, each set comes with its own stacking brace and carry-bag for easy transport and storage.
THANK YOU for your continued support!
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