Term 1 Newsletter

It has been a privilege to welcome children and families into Redcliffe Nursery School over the last few weeks. We are seeing the benefits of the home visits and settling in sessions which have enabled the children to build relationships and confidence steadily and securely, so thank you for letting us in to your homes. We know the children benefit from this, as it supports them to build a relationship with their Key Person and feel excited about coming in. It also enables us to gain a better understanding and be able to celebrate their home life, culture and heritage.

From the Blackbirds Team

As a team, we are immensely proud of how well all of the children have settled in to their new nursery life. We have truly admired how quickly they have adapted to a new environment and following our daily routine. It is great to see the wonderful relationships they have built not only with their Key Person, but with all of the adults. We are also beginning to see friendships and shared interests emerge. We are really looking forward to all of the play, fun and rich learning ahead.  

We have now started gently introducing the routine of the day to the children (please see our routine of the day attached to the end of the newsletter).

The children have regular opportunities for rich and varied music experiences here in Blackbirds. We have incorporated two ‘singing time’ sessions throughout our day. We truly see how our singing sessions provide a great tool for encouraging self-expression and as an inclusive, uplifting activity that can be accessed by all children, at whatever stage of development, and it builds self-esteem and relationships with others. The team has already had conversations with several of you and you’ve let us know that some of the children are singing our songs at home. If you have any songs that you particularly enjoy singing at home, please let us know and we can add it to our Blackbirds playlist, that we play throughout the day, and hopefully learn to sing together. 

As the children are becoming more and more settled, they will now have both snack times with their Key Person and another group. We considered this part of the day a ‘focus time’ for the children, where they have rich conversations with adults and other children. Your child’s snack time will be located in an area of the room – this is where you will greet your child at the end of their nursery session. 

The children have shown great curiosity as they explore a variety of interests, each bringing their unique ideas and ways of play to their day. It has been wonderful watching and being alongside the children’s rich play experiences. The children have been enjoying exploring and manipulating clay, making fresh orange juice with juicers, positively challenging themselves in the garden and discovering different spaces and resources in the room. We look forward to seeing what the children enjoy playing with next term.  

A few reminders:  

• Blackbirds Christmas Stay and Play – Wednesday 17^th December 2025. More information regarding the stay and play will be sent out to you prior to the event. 

• Speech and Language drop in - appointment only - held at the nursery – Wednesday 5^th November 2025 (9.30am and 12pm) - If you would like to attend this please speak with Alex, Lou and/ or I and we can add your name to the list. There are limited spaces so please show your interest in this early on next term to avoid disappointment. We will be holding another drop in during January 2026 (DTC) also so if you would like to attend this session instead, please do let us know. 

• Bristol parent carers coffee morning – Wednesday 19^th November 2025 (9am) – this will be held at the Nursery. Please let the admin team know if you are interested in attending and/ or your child’s key   person.  

• Bags, coats and lunch boxes – please clearly label your child’s bag/ lunchbox. 
• Please remember that mobile phones are not to be used once you have gone through reception into the Seagulls or Blackbirds rooms.
• Please provide water in your child’s water bottle – no squash or fruit juice please.
• Please ensure you bring a bag in with a full spare change of clothes and wellies, as well as shoes, especially if it is raining.
• Please be aware if you are late to collect your child a £10 late fee will be issued. The main session end time is 3.05pm.
• Tea club – please remember that 5pm and 5.30pm are the finish times for tea club. If you would like a handover conversation, then please arrive 5-10 minutes before your child’s finish time. Staff need to leave tea club at 5.30pm.
• Parking - please note that the car park is for the residents and a tow scheme is in place. We recommend using the on road pay and display bays for free 30 minutes to drop off and collect your children.
• Please check Facebook, Instagram and the website regularly. We are aiming to post photos (non-identifiable) of what the children have been enjoying each week.
• Sickness reporting - Please call the office on 0117 9030334 within 30 minutes of your child's session start time to advise us of reason for absence. If your child has sickness/diarrhoea, please keep them at home for at least 48 hours after their last bout. If your child has a fever, please keep them home for at least 24 hours, or until the fever is gone and they are well enough to return.

• We warmly welcome you to come in and visit us in Blackbirds to share your cultures and traditions. We strongly believe in learning from each other and building an inclusive and safe environment for all. If you would like to come in and spend some time with us, please let your child’s key person know and we will facilitate this for you

If you have any questions regarding what has been mentioned in this newsletter, or would like a further discussion, please do speak with your child’s Key Person. Alex and I are also more than happy to speak with you and help where we can. 

I would like to personally thank you all for helping the team settle your child in to nursery life during the first term. It is lovely seeing them all build warm relationships with their Key Person and with each other.  

Thank you for your continued support.  

Best wishes,  

Kerry, Alex, Yasmin, Helen, Antonia, Laurie, Maddy, Natasha, Carmen, Zoe and Layla.  

Additional Dates for your Diary

• Half Term is between the 27^th October – 31^st October so the Nursery will be closed.
• We have an INSET DAY and will be closed for staff training on 3^rd December, 28^th January, 18^th March and 10^th June 2026.
  We will be back open on Monday 3^rd November.
• We close for the Christmas break on Friday 19^th December and Term 3 starts on 5^th January 2026.

We look forward to the year ahead with you. Please keep an eye out for further communication from myself and your child’s Key Person.

Warm wishes,