Santa on the Farm Donations

Could you support our Santa on the Farm event by donating some much-needed items? We’re looking forward to our Swanwick Santa on the Farm event on Saturday 9th December, 10am – 1.15pm. 

This is our biggest fundraising event of the year and we’d love your help to make the event as successful as possible. This year we have decided to change how we send out our requests for donations to the event. We have compiled a list of all the donated items that we’d really like to receive - these will help us to run some of the stalls and raise money for pre-school. All of the dates and item requests are below, and you will receive an update weekly by text as a gentle reminder. All donated items will be very much appreciated. In addition, we’re also currently contacting local businesses and organisations for donations to our Christmas raffle. If you know any businesses/organisations who may wish to support us, please do let us know. Please see below the following dates when we would really appreciate the following donations: The week of the 13th November – We would appreciate items for our Tombola and toys; this can be any unwanted gift, things left over from party bags, toiletries, etc. The week of the 20th November – We would appreciate Bottles (unopened) of wine, beer, bubble bath, shampoo, soft drinks, ketchup, etc. The week of the 27th November– We would appreciate Chocolate; this can be boxes of chocolate, bars, gift bags, biscuits, etc. The week of the 4th December – We would appreciate donations for the Cake Stall; this can be bought cakes, Christmas goods or home baked. If you are donating home baked cakes could we please have them on Friday 8th December to ensure they are fresh. Please place donations in the box by the entrance to Pre School. We would like to thank you for your continued support for Pre-school and we look forward to seeing you at the Santa on the Farm on 9th December. Kind regards, The Committee

Coffee morning & committee

Saturday 24th September at 10.00am -11.30am is our welcome coffee morning, this is a great opportunity for families to take a look around and meet other families with children at pre school. Members of staff and committee will be available on the day to speak to and answer any questions you might have. This year a number of our committee members are leaving, after many years on the committee. We are looking to recruit new members to join our friendly group. We are committee run and parent/carer involvement is crucial to our continued existence and success. Volunteering for your pre-school offers an ideal opportunity for you to become actively and practically involved in your child’s early years, make a difference to how your pre-school is managed, meet other parents and the satisfaction of giving something back to your local community. As pre school is committee run it cannot operate without enough members. If you are interested in joining come along on Saturday and see us, or email Alison Pickering on treasurer.swanwickpreschool@gmail.com who will be happy to answer any questions you have. We look forward to welcoming you all to pre school, if for any reason you cannot make this date, parents evening will take place in October, where you would have the opportunity to visit. Kind regards The Committee

Notice of AGM

COMPANY NUMBER: 4646503 SWANWICK PRE SCHOOL NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING This is notice of our 2023 Annual General Meeting will be held at Swanwick Pre School on Thursday 28th September 2023 at 8.00pm to: 1. Look at the Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023 2. Receive the annual report of the Committee and the annual report of the Manager. 3. Elect Pedley and Co as Accountants for the following year. 4. Elect Members of the Committee BY ORDER OF THE COMMITTEE (i.e. THE DIRECTORS OF THE COMPANY) Martin Dye ( Chair) Lindsay Wharton-Howett (Secretary) Dated: 9th September 2023 Registered Office: Pentrich Road Swanwick DE55 1BN NOTE: 1. As a member of Swanwick Pre School you can appoint a proxy to attend and vote for you but the proxy will not be counted in the numbers needed for a valid meeting. A proxy need not be another parent. 2. To be valid, you must give your Form of Proxy to a member of staff – addressed to the Committee Chair not less than 48 hours before the time of the meeting.

Newsletter Summer 1

Summer 1 newsletter End of term On Thursday we break up for the spring bank holiday break. We hope you all have a restful time and we look forward to seeing you back at Pre School on Monday 5th June 2023 Fundraising Update This half-term we have been so pleased to make full use of our lovely new kitchen, which was installed over the Easter holidays. This has enabled staff to be able to do cooking activities with the children. We are now fundraising to enhance our outdoor play area and would like to thank all parents and carers for your recent generous contributions: · The Christmas bauble decoration competition raised a wonderful £110 · The sponsored obstacle course raised an absolutely amazing £1,050! A very big thank you also to Becky from Enchanted Memories Photography who kindly donated £100 to pre-school from the recent photography session. Finally, we raised a brilliant £190 at the Quiz Night in March held at The Steampacket and we would like to thank everyone who attended and The Steampacket for their ongoing, generous support. Getting ready for school To help your child get ready for the transition to big school it is important you help them gain some independence. Please let them practise putting on their own shoes and coats, and to use their cutlery independently at meals times. This will be a huge benefit to your child when they start school. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make sure that your children’s clothes are clearly labelled with their full name – especially coats, sweatshirts and hats! As well as bags, toys and umbrellas. Holidays Please remember if you are going on holiday in term time, we need a holiday form completing to comply with DCC funding. Warmer weather As the warmer weather begins could we please ask that children have sun cream applied before coming to pre-school and a sun hat, with their name clearly written on it. Tummy bugs & Absence from Pre School If your child suffers from sickness or diarrhoea, please do not send them back to Pre School until 48 hours after the last episode. If your child can't attend Pre School for any reason, please call us on 01773 607885 and let us know and the reason for absence. We need to record absences for safeguarding and to comply with our Derbyshire County Council contract for funding. Summer Term Thursday 25th May break up and return on Monday 5th June 21st July break up for the summer break. Monday 4th September return to Pre School from the summer break. Committee We are a committee run Pre–school, always looking to welcome new members. As a committee we work closely with the staff on the overall management, development and smooth running of the Pre-School. It is essential for us to have a full committee in order for the pre-school to continue operating. There are many benefits to being a committee member, including gaining new skills, meeting new people and making a valuable contribution to the local community. If you are interested in joining the committee, please email our Administrator/Treasurer on treasurer.swanwickpreschool@gmail.com or speak to a member of staff.

Ofsted Inspection March 30th 2023

27 April 2023 To All Parents / Carers Re: Ofsted Inspection of Swanwick Pre School Further to the Inspection conducted 30 March 2023 by Ofsted’s representative, we are pleased to write and confirm the positive results of Ofsted’s findings: o Overall Effectiveness – Good o The Quality of Education – Good o Behaviour & Attitudes – Good o Personal Development – Good o Leadership & Management – Good o Overall Effectiveness at Previous Inspection – Good The results are testament to the professionalism, skill, and continued hard work of all the staff members at the setting. We will continue to strive to achieve the best for all the young children who attend Swanwick Pre School. Yours faithfully Martin Dye Swanwick Pre-School Chair

Spring Newsletter

Spring Newsletter End of term On Friday we break up for our Easter break. We hope you all have a restful time and we look forward to seeing you back at Pre School on Monday 17th April. Sponsored Obstacle Course A big thank you to all of our children for taking part in the Sponsored Obstacle Course. Don't forget to bring your sponsor money to Pre-School before we break up. The committee would like to thank everyone for their support for this event. The money raised will go towards improving our outdoor learning resources New Kitchen We are excited that after all the amazing fundraising, we have reached our target and our new kitchen is being fitted over the Easter holiday. A big thank you to everyone who has contributed to our fundraising campaign. Getting ready for school On the 17th April you will be finding out which school your child will be attending. To help your child get ready for the transition to big school it is important you help them gain some independence. Please let them practise putting on their own shoes and coats, and to use their cutlery independently at meals times. This will be a huge benefit to your child when they start school. Teachers from Swanwick Primary School will be visiting Pre-School after Easter. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make sure that your children’s clothes are clearly labelled with their full name – especially coats, sweatshirts and hats! As well as bags, toys and umbrellas. Holidays Please remember if you are going on holiday in term time, we need a holiday form completing to comply with DCC funding. Tummy bugs & Absence from Pre School If your child suffers from sickness or diarrhoea, please do not send them back to Pre School until 48 hours after the last episode. If your child can't attend Pre School for any reason, please call us on 01773 607885 and let us know and the reason for absence. We need to record absences for safeguarding and to comply with our Derbyshire County Council contract for funding. Summer Term 17th April return to Pre School 1st May Day Bank Holiday Monday 8th May Kings Coronation Bank Holiday Thursday 25th May break up and return on Monday 5th June 21st July break up for the summer break.

Sponsored Obstacle Course

Sponsored Obstacle Course week commencing Monday 13th March 2023 As many of you know Swanwick Pre-School is not funded by the local council and therefore all costs for maintaining, renovating and daily overheads have to be met by us. We are funded through the fees paid and DCC payments for 3- and 4-year-olds. Our only other source of income comes from fundraising held throughout the year and occasionally grants, which we may be lucky enough to be awarded. In order to continue and maintain this work and improve equipment we try to hold an event where all children can get involved and take part to support the work of the volunteer committee. For 2023 we have chosen to organise a sponsored obstacle course and hope that all Pre-School children will take part and help raise as much money as possible. This year we are fundraising to purchase new equipment to enhance our outdoor learning area. Learning outside the classroom supports the development of healthy and active lifestyles by offering children opportunities for physical activity, freedom and movement, and promoting a sense of wellbeing. Outdoor play also supports children’s problem-solving skills and nurtures their creativity, as well as providing rich opportunities for developing their imagination. These will be held during your child’s regular sessions during the week of the 13th March 2023. No special dress code is required, however please ensure your child comes to school that week in ‘easy to move in’ clothing and footwear.