Upcoming Events/Dates for your Diary:

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Football training–Monday 8th December

Wild Fangs, Animal Man – Wednesday 10th December

Christmas Jumper Day – Friday 12th December

Last Day of Term – Christmas Party Morning – Tuesday 16th December – no afternoon school this day –all children invited whether it is their day or not.

First Day of Spring Term – Monday 5th January 2025

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This is the last newsletter of this term. I have a couple of reminders for you

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Packed Lunch – your child will need a packed lunch if they are staying after 12 noon. Could you only put in 1 small treat for your child. All small fruits such as grapes should be cut into quarters as they are a choking hazard. Please no nuts or foodstuff containing nuts

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Primary School Admission – if your child is due to move onto primary school in September, you need to apply for a place by Thursday 15th January 2026

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First day of term – we are back after the Christmas break on Monday 5th January 2026

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Lending Library – please return any books your child has borrowed by Friday 12th December.

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Coughs and colds – there are a lot of bugs going around at the moment. To help prevent the spread of these, if your child is running a temperature and needs Calpol, they need to stay at home. If they have a runny nose but no temperature and they are feeling well, please let them come to school.

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Christmas cards – if your child would like to bring in Christmas cards for their friends, a list of children and staff names are available.

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Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy healthy New Year.

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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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50 Things to do before you're 5

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50 Things To Do before you're 5 is a mobile app that gives parents and carers 50 fantastic experiences to share with their children to help develop their confidence, language and vocabulary and to support them in being ready for the next stage in their education. The 50 activities are low or no cost experiences that include indoor and outdoor activities. Download the app from the Apple App Store or Google play. It is a free app and just search for Hertfordshire.

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Think Equal

The objective for this week is for children to understand that no one should be excluded, to explore friendships with those who are different to them and to recognise feelings and experience empathy. We will be sharing the book ‘Diego’s Great Idea’ and practicing our yoga moves. We will be finishing the sessions with belly breathing or hot chocolate breathing.

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Christmas Jumper Day

We are having a Christmas jumper day on Friday 12th December. We would love to see the children’s Christmas jumpers on this day. If your child does not have a Christmas jumper, we have some Christmas dressing up clothes they could wear.

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