Newsletter March 2014
PARENTS’ MATTERS
Thank You!
Staff would like to say a really big thank you to Emily Miller, Jai’s grandmother, for making spring rolls and donating fortune cookies to all the children at Playgroup for Chinese New Year! It really made the occasion extra special!
Polite Notice from Staff Regarding Contact
Please can we remind parents/carers to only use the appropriate channels to communicate with Staff regarding Playgroup issues and extra spaces etcand during normal Playgroup hours. We please ask that you don’t contact staff on their personal Facebook or mobiles. You are very welcome to call Playgroup during opening hours: T: 01452 813316.
Sessions for September 2014
Please make sure you return your forms to Playgroup by March 31st – many thanks!
Friday Afternoon Opening
Many thanks for your feedback regarding potential Friday opening. The Committee and Staff have been discussing the option and will report back to you asap!
Activities
Following on from the email sent out to all parents, if you haven’t already, please do let staff know if you would like your child to attend the Pegga Pig Theatre Trip on Wednesday 4th June 2014, 10am. There is a Sign-Up sheet in the Playgroup Foyer, so if you haven’t had a chance and would like to take part, sign up! All children must be accompanied by their parent/grand-parent or carer.
Extra Sessions
Due to various holidays, there are a number of extra sessions available this term. Please let staff know if you would like to use any of these spaces:Thursday April 24th all day; Monday April 28th afternoon; Tuesday April 29th all day; Thursday May 1st all day; Tuesday May 6th all day; Thursday May 8th all day; Monday May 12th afternoon; Tuesday May 13th all day. Also in June, we have all day Wednesday sessions available. Don’t forget to let a member of staff know if you wish to take advantage of these extra sessions.
Also, if your child is attending extra sessions and you want to pay with cash, please can you place in a sealed envelope with name and amount – thank you!!
Cutting Up Fruit
Just another reminder to cut up any fruit in your child’s lunch boxes – whole grapes, olives, apples can be a serious choking hazard. Many thanks for your cooperation and understanding.
Ballyhoo – Pre-School Ballet
If anyone is interested in pre-school ballet lessons, please contact Heidi from Ballyhoo on 07970 911103. If there is enough interest, Heidi is keen to set up a class in Painswick. There are flyers in Playgroup. Thank you!
Easter Egg Hunt – Volunteers Needed
Further details below, but we really need help on the day of the Easter Egg Hunt, Saturday 19th April 2014. Please sign up on the Volunteers list, which is available to see in the Playgroup foyer. Its our main Fundraiser for the year and we do ask for all parents to donate a few hours of their time to help – it’s an amazing event that you and your children will really enjoy!!
PLEASE VOLUNTEER!!!!!
Central File for Recommended Suppliers
One of the roles of the Committee is to keep the maintenance of our Playgroup building and therefore we are often looking for recommended trade suppliers to take out the work for us. If you feel you have a good plumber, electrician, painter, builder that you would be happy to recommend to Playgroup, please do let us know! We have made it a policy not to use any family members to eliminate any potential issues! Let a member of staff know if you would like to recommend anyone. Thank you!
Next Committee Meeting
Thursday 24th April 2014 – 7.30pm at Playgroup.
COME AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE! You don’t need to be on the Committee to join us! Everybody is welcome! Come and see what we are planning and share your thoughts and ideas. Drinks and nibbles will be provided.
Donations
Playgroup welcomes donations from parents and community groups. As we are a charity these donations are tax deductible. If you have an account with Charities Trust donations can be made online.
FUNDRAISING AND SOCIAL EVENTS
Easter Egg Hunt!
It’s not long now until our Easter Egg Hunt taking place on Saturday April 19th!! Tickets will be available to purchase very soon from Playgroup, The Library and The Falcon – advance tickets will cost £2.50 per child. The event will take place in and around St Mary’s Church Yard and will involve hunting for eggs kindly sponsored by local companies. This year there will be even more activities for the children including a Bouncy Castle, Vintage Pedal Cars, Face Painting as well as the famous Teddy Bear Parachuting from the Church Steeple, so don’t forget to bring your dare devil teddies!!! We will also be having our Easter Hat Competition, which was a huge success last year. Further information will be available in your trays soon, but please do think about a wonderful hat creation for the event – there will be Winner and Runner up Prizes for the Under 5s.
Many thanks for your Chocolate donations – we still need some more so please do donate what you can!
As mentioned above we really need your help on the day to make the event work – it’s a really fun day so please do give us a few hours of your time. We do need the help of the parents at Playgroup – the event can’t take place without you.
All the money raised goes directly to our Playgroup to help maintain the building and keep it the best place for our children to attend and enjoy.
Rags 4 Riches
Playgroup have decided to become involved in the Rags 4 Riches charity campaign. Playgroup will receive 65p per every kilo we donate – items such as clothes/shoes/toys/fabric etc. We will be collecting any of the above items you have donated on the 28th-29th April from Playgroup. If you are having a clear out, we would really appreciate any donations, its for a great cause, thank you!!
Beaty’s Leaving Party
You will now have received the brilliant invitation to the equally brilliant Beaty’s leaving drinks – please could you RSVP to asap! The event takes place on Friday March 28th 2014 at The Painswick Centre.
Summary of Dates
Monday 24th February / Start of Term 4Friday 4th April / End of Term 4
Beaty’s Last Day!
Saturday 19th April / Easter Egg Hunt
Monday 22ndApril / Start of Term 5
Monday 5th May / Bank Holiday
Friday 23rdMay / End of Term 5
Monday 2ndJune / Inset Day – No Playgroup
Tuesday 3rd June / Start of Term 6
Tuesday 22nd July / End of Term 6
Lizzie Gordon, On Behalf of Staff and Committee