News and Events
Learning and Teaching in KingsWellies, QueensWellies and West End Wellies
20th September 2024
Over the next few weeks, we will be focusing on a variety of topics in our playrooms. These will include: 1. KINDNESS – Are you a bucket filler or a bucket dipper? 2. The Scottish Daily Mile - we aim to jog, run or walk for up to 15 minutes every day! 3. Macmillan Coffee Mornings- please give us a donation – dates for each setting are posted on Facebook and displayed posters around the settings. 4. Transport – Visits to see various different types of transport! 5. LOTS of Reflection Time in our interest groups; talking about our learning and what we would like to learn with our key workers 6. Child-led improvement groups – Eco group, kindness group, gardening group, playground group, charity group, celebrations group, Xmas group, Makaton champions, Festivals group, enterprise group. We will keep working hard to improve our nursery. 7. Seasons – Autumn and Winter 8. Weather 9. Hibernation – nocturnal, diurnal and crepuscular animals 10. Festivals, traditions and celebrations 11. Grow well choices – making healthy decisions 12. Guy Fawkes – Bonfire night and firework safety 13. 8th September – International literacy day 14. 9th Emergency Services Day (999 Day) 15. 23rd September – International day of sign languages 16. 28th September – National good neighbour day 17. 1st October – World vegetarian day 18. 1st October – International music day 19. 2nd October – International poetry day 20. 4th October – Grandparents day – Look out for our Grandparent and family members Stay and Play dates! 21. 4th October – world smile day 22. 5th October – world teacher day 23. 6th October – world mad hatter day 24. 7th October – world smile day 25. 9th October – fire prevention day 26. 14th October – national dessert day 27. 15th October – global handwashing day 28. 16th October – national dictionary day 29. 16th October – world food day 30. 17th October – national pasta day 31. 20th October – International Chefs day with Chef Lisa 32. 31st October – Halloween. Festival and Celebration news flash to be sent out soon! 33. 31st October – World Cities Day. Learning all about Edinburgh, our capital city and London, the capital city of the UK. 34. 3rd November – Kindness day. LOTS of bucket filling! Have you got any ideas for us? 35. 5th November – Guy Fawkes Day! Marshmallows and songs and sparklers around the fire. 36. 9th November – British pudding day 37. 11th November – Diwali. Festival of lights. 38. 10th November – Remembrance Sunday. Making our own poppies. 39. 13th November – International kindness day 40. 14th November – World Diabetes day 41. 19th November – Road Safety Week – Lots of walks around the local community to practice our road safety! 42. 20th November – Universal children’s day. What are the rights of the child? H 43. 21st November – World hello day. How do we say hello in LOTS of different languages? 44. 28th November – Thanksgiving Day. 45. 30th November – St Andrew’s Day. Celebrating the patron saint of Scotland. Learning about ALL things Scotland and being proud of our Scottish heritage! Remember to wear something Scottish this week. 46. 3rd December – International day of persons with disabilities 47. 4th December – World Conservation day 48. 5th December – World Soil day 49. 9th December – International Xmas Card day 50. 10th December – Human rights day 51. 24th December – Hanukkah begins (Jewish) 52. 25th December – Christmas day 53. 31st December – New Year’s Day
Festivals Traditions, Harvest and all things Autumn
20th September 2024
As part of our Festivals and Traditions topic, we will be celebrating Halloween. We have lots of exciting activities planned. Keep your eyes peeled for our Festivals, Traditions and Autumnal Newsflash. We will also be asking the children what they would like to learn. Throughout this topic we will be learning about: 1. Concepts of light and dark 2. Seasons – Autumn and Winter 3. Colours 4. What is hibernation and which animals hibernate? 5. Harvest thanksgiving 6. Diwali – Festival of Lights 7. Animals – nocturnal, diurnal and crepuscular 8. Pumpkins and tasty treats 9. Halloween 10. Festivals and traditions We will be doing lots of baking and food tasting activities too. We will be dressing up, decorating our pumpkins and partying until we drop! Lots of great fun!
BABY NEWS
20th September 2024
Huge congratulations to Natalie, Emma, Leah and Faith who have all recently announced they are expecting little bundles of joy! We can’t wait to meet all the new Wellies Babies!
Staffing Update
20th September 2024
We always plan to have a number of staff over our ratio every day. This is unlike most other nurseries. This ensures that we can accommodate lots of high quality staff training, holidays and staff absences. Managers and staff will keep you up to date with all of our new staff. You will see our photos up in our receptions and regular updates on Facebook.
Graduation – Class of 2024
20th September 2024
WE really enjoyed our final graduation party. What a ball we had! We asked for a bouncy castle and a Kids Rock party and that is exactly what we got! Parents and staff gave the boys and girls a very well-deserved standing ovation when they left the nursery for the last time. Congratulations everyone!
2024 Graduates
20th September 2024
Best wishes to all of our boys and girls who started school this Summer. We had 50 children leave us to go to school. This was a record! Remember to keep in touch boys and girls and always do your very best in everything that you do!
West End Wellies has opened!
20th September 2024
We absolutely love our new nursery and have had so many lovely well wishes and positive feedback. We hope that you liked our videos and are keeping up to date with our progress on Facebook and our website. Many thanks to the KingsWellies and QueensWellies parents and staff who also visited us on our open days. We loved showing it off to you all.
This is our VERY FIRST newsletter with WEST END WELLIES. Welcome to all our new families joining us
20th September 2024
We have been as busy as usual. We have been completing the Hands Up Travel Survey, planning our Macmillan coffee mornings, working with our extra-curricular teachers, Opening Wellie Jellies Campsite, Opening Wellies Airport, Visiting Wellies Tots Zoo, Keeping fit at Wellies Babies gym classes, Bees and Bumbles International Airport, Bee Bee Creche, Bumbles Lemonade Stand, National Fitness Day, Recycling Week, planting and gardening, learning about the seasons, exploring our senses, how to keep safe, learning all about different minibeasts, learning all about all around the world – all the different countries and their traditions and celebrations, friendships, rules, all about me – getting to know our new families, colours and textures, getting ready for school and moving to our next rooms, visits from lots of important people who help us, talking about our pets and learning about different animals, exploring our local environments with lots of walks, enjoying a lot of outdoor play in our recently vamped gardens! We have also opened our new West End Wellies Nursery and have loved welcoming our new families. We never stop learning!
Aberdeen City Council Pre-School Funding – Session 2024/25 – 1140 hours
02nd August 2024
As per my previous emails, Wellies Nurseries will continue to provide the 1140 FREE hours from August 2024. This equates to 30 hours per week over 38 weeks of the year. Please ensure that you read ALL of the 1140-hour funding information that we send you. We are constantly inundated with queries around this. We provide you with this so that you can adequately plan your finances. There should therefore be no surprises. Regardless whether we work a 38-week model (which we do), a 46 week model or 50 week model, you ALL receive exactly the SAME amount of free hours and funding across the year. It is up to you to choose the nursery and pattern that suits you best. All parents are expected to pay their own invoices outwith the free funded period. We also only accept children who are with us for 52 weeks of the year. We do not accept term-time children only. There is no exception to this. Many thanks.
Nappies and Toilet Training
02nd August 2024
We are making a plea to ALL parents to please support us in ensuring that your children are fully toilet trained by the time that they move into the pre-school rooms (aged three years). Whilst we fully appreciate that all children are individuals, the toddler stage is the most appropriate age for this training milestone to happen. Once in the older rooms, children become much more aware of themselves and wearing nappies can lead to embarrassment. We also really want to focus on lots of high-quality learning and teaching with our older children. Nappy changing takes staff away from this very important part of their job. Our staff are ALL here to help you with this very important milestone. Nappies are also only supplied by us until children reach 3 years old. Parents must then supply their own. Please don’t hesitate to discuss with us and we will provide our full support.