Dear Families,
SUMMER HOLIDAY CLUB **We are still open for bookings!** It isn’t too late, there is still time to book! Online bookings will stay open until 5pm on Friday 13th July. After this time it is still be possible to make a booking you will need to email Jenny (details above). Places are allocated on a first come first served basis. It looks like it will be our busiest summer yet, so if you would like to make a booking please do so as soon as possible. There is a huge variety of activities on offer each day including craft, sports and games. We also offer day trips, and visits to the cinema and park, as well as some really exciting workshops. For the full programme please visit our website, or look on libacura. SUN
SAFETY The children have had a great time playing in the sun at After School Club recently. There have been water fights, a lot of sweaty children and lots of ice creams eaten! If we are lucky enough to have more amazing weather over the summer holidays please make sure your child has everything they might need to keep them safe on sunny days. Please apply sun cream to your child before they come in. We have lots of sun cream at holiday club, and can help your child apply more throughout the day (or they are welcome to bring their own named bottle if you would prefer). Please also make sure they have a named sun hat. We would also advise all parents to send their child in wearing a top that covers their shoulders. If it is hot we take jugs of cold water and cups outside whilst the children play. We monitor the heat and will bring the children in to cool down as necessary.
BAND’S 40TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS Bristol Association for Neighbourhood Daycare are a local charity who provide free support, training and guidance to playschemes in Bristol. They have been involved with us since we began in 1991- they gave us our initial startup loan of £250! Evelyn, our wonderful Support and Development worker, has been with us since 1995. BAND also provide us with some of our funding to pay for the additional workers we have who look after our disabled children. BAND are turning 40 this summer, and have asked all playschemes to organise a celebratory picnic. We will be having ours on Wednesday 22nd August. We will be taking the children to Quarry park at about 11.30am. We will take blankets to sit on, drinks, a cake and a goody bag from BAND, and the children will be able to eat their packed lunches in the sunshine (hopefully) before having a play. We will be taking rounders, football and some other play equipment too. We are hoping Evelyn will be able to join us!
CINEMA TRIPS We thought you might like to know what happens on cinema days. We eat lunch as usual at 12 and leave holiday club at about 12.45pm. (It depends a bit on the film time!) The children and playworkers all line up and walk in partners all the way up to the Orpheus Cinema, next door to Waitrose. We usually have a whole side of the cinema all to ourselves (sometimes part of the other side too depending on how many of us there are). We take a bottle of water for each child, as well as a treat (usually something like a little box of smarties). The children can sit with their friends, and the Playworkers spread out sitting on the ends of the rows. The children never sit by a member of the public. If a child needs the toilet during the film, a member of staff will take them. Once the film is over we take the children to Fallodon Way park for a play! The children are usually full of energy after sitting in the cinema, and we can play for up to two hours. When the children are ready we take them back to holiday club. Sometimes we will take the children back to Holiday Club in stages, so those that want to play in the park for longer can. We find out what films are on about a week before, and we always email the parents to let them know what we will be watching and at what time.
MOBILE PHONE USE ONSITE School’s Out Henleaze is a ‘Phone Free Zone.’ Phones must be kept completely out of sight in a bag or pocket and may not be used in any circumstances in either the building or our playgrounds. If you do not have a bag or pocket to put your phone in, please leave it at home! This is an OFSTED requirement we are duty bound to enforce.
AFTER SCHOOL CLUB We have been making the most of the sunny weather at After School Club, with lots of exciting activities taking place outside, including tin can bowling, nature rubbings and duck, duck, goose! The children have also been making their own ice lollies using juice and fresh fruit. Inside, the children have made salsa, worked in teams to make structures out of spaghetti and marshmallows, and made ‘Good Friend’ certificates for each other. We are currently in the process of taking the Year 2s up to the Junior playgrounds so they know where to meet us after school next year. If you have any questions about Junior pick-ups please pop in and speak to Jenny or Liam.
WHO’S WHO Roberta is our highly efficient administrator, and has worked with us for over six years. Roberta’s key responsibilities are allocating after school club places, managing the waiting lists and payments, as well as working closely with the Management Committee, Jenny and Liam to ensure the smooth running of the schemes. Roberta mainly works during term time. In the school holidays Roberta enjoys her own family holidays with her husband and children, and long walks with her Dalmatian Juno. Roberta sometimes pops into After School and Holiday Club, if you spot her please say hello!
AFTER SCHOOL CLUB PLACES There are still a few places available on Fridays in September, if you are interested please let Roberta know. The waiting lists on the other days are currently around six months. If you are interested in any other days please let Roberta know and she can add you to the list. If there are any days you no longer need, please let Roberta know as soon as possible so she can offer the place out to another family.
STAFF NEWS Congratulations to Megan and Siobhan who have completed their PGCEs. They are both now fully qualified primary teachers, and have accepted jobs teaching Year 1 children from September. We would also like to say good luck to Naila, who has secured a job as a Play Therapist and will be moving to London. We will miss you lots and would like to thank you for all your hard work over the years. Emily R will be getting married in a couple of weeks (and changing her name to Emily M). We wish you all the best and look forward to seeing lots of pictures of your special day. Cam and Ben L have returned from their travels- much to the excitement of the children!
SOCIAL MEDIA Do you know how private your social media accounts are? Could someone get personal information about your child from your social media account? Each family is unique, and how you choose to keep your children safe will vary from family to family. But we would suggest everyone takes a few minutes to think about how they use social media, and if they are aware of and happy with the privacy settings they have selected.
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 a picnic? (Child request)
WE DID: The children had a great time making picnic food and eating it outside. We will have another picnic before the summer holidays, and we will have lots of picnics during the summer holidays! We are always keen to hear your views. There is a suggestions box at the back of the 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
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