Upcoming Events/Dates for your Diary:

Football  Practice - Monday 5th October 2026​​​

Wild Fangs, Animal Man - Tuesday 6th October 2026

Photographer, Little Urchins – Monday 19th October

Half Term – we will be closed from Monday 26th October to Friday 30th October.

Last Day of Term – Christmas Party Morning – Tuesday 15th December – no afternoon school this day – all children invited whether it is their day or not. More details to follow nearer the time

First day of Spring Term – Monday 4th January 2027

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Think Equal

Think Equal is a project we took part in a few years ago. The project helps children to think about themselves and others. It helps to teach children about social and emotional issues and to engage in healthy relationships with others. I have modified the project to fit in with children’s interests at Cornerstones and we share this with the older children who are more able to understand the concepts we discuss.

This week, we will be sharing the book ‘Amazing Daisy’. The objectives this week is for children to demonstrate self-knowledge and self-esteem and to understand the importance of persistence.

We start each session with some simple children’s yoga moves. This week we will be practicing the elephant and giraffe moves. We finish the session with a calming exercise. This week it is ‘hot drink’ exercise. We encourage the children to pretend to hold a warm drink. They then do a deep breath in, smelling the drink, then breath out through their mouth to ‘blow’ the drink to cool it. This helps to calm and relax the children.

These calming exercises are also used to help children to self-regulate. If they get very upset over something, this helps to calm them so we can calmly discuss whatever problem they have encountered.

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Photographer

The photographer, Little Urchins, will be coming into school on Monday 19th October. If it is not your child’s day, or you would like sibling’s photos taken, the photographer will be here from 8-30am to about 10am. If your child is in that morning, leave your child as usual and a member of staff will take them to have their picture taken. There is no obligation to purchase anything, but they do make excellent Christmas presents for family members.

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Online Safety

Many children enjoy playing online games. As children get older, this often involves speaking with others online and with this comes the potential risk of grooming and exploitation. Speaking to your child from a young age about who they are talking to online and helping them recognise when a conversation may be putting them at risk can help to keep them safe from abuse. The NSPCC has published advice on how to start age-appropriate conversations with your child. In a recent survey carried out by Ofcom, it was reported that 6 in 10 children aged 3 -17 (57%) used live streaming platforms to watch online content. The research found that the platforms used most to watch live streams were YouTube and Tik Tok. The NSPCC has published guidance to help parents and carers understand some of the risks associated. Contact NSPCC online for more information.

Childnet also has internet safety resources for parents and carers with key online safety topics, advice and activities to share with your child.

www.childnet.com/paretn-and-carers

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Drinks

At Cornerstones Pre-School, we promote healthy eating which includes drinks. The British Nutrition Foundation states that water and milk are the best drinks for children as they do not contain free sugars. Drinking sugary drinks can lead to tooth decay and weight gain. Water is a good choice throughout the day because it hydrates without providing extra calories or risking harm to teeth. So, please provide only water in a named drinks bottle. Many of the drinks bottles are the same or very similar, so they need to have your child's name on them.​

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Chat Health

Get advice from the health visiting team by texting 07480 635164. Expect a response within 24 hours. For other help visit your GP or dial 111.

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Applying for a School Place

If your child is due to start at reception in September 2027, the application deadline is Friday 15th January 2027. You must apply online at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/admissions

Please contact schools for their open days which will be carried out this term.