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Westminster School Highlights - October 18, 2024

  • 11 mins

Weekly Newsletter: Important Updates

We have a few updates and reminders for you this week:

Welcome to Connor: We are excited to welcome Connor to our nursery team! Connor has joined us as a full-time team member in the baby room, and we are thrilled to have him on board. Please feel free to say hello when you see him!

Sadia's Holiday: Our Manager, Sadia, will be on holiday from the 21st of October until the 6th of November. In her absence, Xiaoxi, our Deputy Manager, will be available to assist you with any queries or support you may need. Please feel free to reach out to her during this time.

Half Term Holiday: For our children who attend term-time only, the half-term holiday will take place from Monday, 28th October to Friday, 1st November. We hope the children enjoy their break!

Christmas Holiday: Our nursery will close for the Christmas break on Tuesday, 24th December. We will have a staff inset day on Thursday, 2nd January, and the nursery will reopen on Friday, 3rd January.

For children attending term-time only, the nursery will be closed from Monday, 23rd December to Friday, 3rd January.

30 Hours Free Childcare: The 30 hours free childcare scheme in England is available to eligible working parents and carers of children aged 3 to 4. If you are eligible for this funding for the next term, please make sure to apply and send us your code by 31st December. You can apply here: Childcare Choices.

Quicklinks: For your convenience, all the links and resources you need can be found here: Quicklinks. Be sure to check it for easy access to essential information.


Halloween Fun and Learning in the Baby Room

This week in the Baby Room, we embraced the Halloween spirit with a range of exciting activities designed to be both fun and educational for our little ones.

One of the highlights was the Witches Brew activity. The children had a fantastic time stirring a pot of colourful ingredients, pretending to create their own spooky concoctions.

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This sensory-rich experience engaged their senses of sight, touch, and sound as they explored the vibrant colors and listened to the stirring sounds.

Activities like this support their sensory development by introducing them to new textures and stimulating their curiosity.

As they stirred the brew, we also introduced some spooky words.

The children were encouraged to say these words out loud, helping to build their vocabulary and communication skills in a playful and engaging way.

Even the youngest babies benefited from hearing new sounds, which supports their early language development.

Repeating words and sounds fosters their understanding of language and boosts their confidence in communicating.

The act of stirring the pot also helped the babies develop fine motor skills.

This fun activity required them to use their hands and arms, improving their hand-eye coordination.

These physical movements are essential for the development of motor skills that will eventually help with tasks such as holding utensils or drawing.

In addition to the sensory and motor benefits, this activity also supported their cognitive development.

By experiencing cause and effect—such as seeing the ingredients mix together as they stirred—the children learned valuable lessons about how their actions can change their environment.

This kind of play helps strengthen their problem-solving skills and cognitive understanding.

We’re thrilled with the progress we’re seeing in the Baby Room as the children continue to grow through play-based learning activities like these.

Their confidence, language skills, and sensory awareness are all developing beautifully, and we look forward to more exciting learning adventures next week!

Our partnership with Little Village

As an early years education and childcare institution, we put great value on helping children in need.

This is why we partnered with Little Village, an organization that helps babies and young children living in poverty all across London.

Want to help us give them the things they need? Donate to Little Village below!

Blue Dragons Newsletter

Exciting Learning Adventures

This week, the Blue Dragons have been busy exploring, creating, and learning through a range of fun and meaningful activities. Here's a look at what we've been up to:

Rainbow Tunnel Exploration

The children loved diving into an exciting physical activity this week—crawling through our colourful rainbow tunnels!

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Using their imaginations, they pretended to be different animals, with bears being a popular choice.

As they moved through the tunnels, they mimicked the animal movements, sparking both creativity and coordination.

This engaging activity not only supported their physical development but also encouraged social interaction, as they shared their favorite animals with friends and imitated the movements together.

It was wonderful to see them grow in confidence while expanding their knowledge of the animal kingdom through imaginative play.

Want to be part of our next interactive plays and activities? Increase your hours now so you don't miss out!

Celebrating Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month, we held a special art activity to introduce the children to the colors and symbols that represent this important celebration.

They were given a variety of textured arts and crafts materials to cut, arrange, and design on a large green sheet.

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This hands-on activity encouraged the children to experiment with different textures, shapes, and colors, promoting their fine motor skills as they cut and glued their materials.

Along the way, we discussed the importance of Black History Month, emphasizing the values of diversity, inclusion, and respect for all cultures.

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It was a meaningful and creative way to introduce the children to important concepts of cultural appreciation.

Halloween-Themed Educational Fun

As we get into the spirit of Halloween, the Blue Dragons enjoyed a series of fun and educational Halloween-themed activities.

A favorite was creating pumpkin-shaped play dough, where the children used their imaginations to mold and design pumpkins, boosting their creativity and fine motor skills.

We also incorporated language learning by counting pumpkins in both Mandarin and English, enhancing their bilingual abilities in a fun, festive way.

One of the highlights was a sensory game where the children searched for hidden pumpkin ghosts beneath different textures, promoting sensory exploration and problem-solving.

These activities were not only engaging but also offered great opportunities for social interaction and teamwork.

Exploring North American Culture

This week, we also took the children on a cultural journey to explore North American traditions, focusing on the significance of traditional clothing.

The children learned about Native American headdresses and how they were used in ceremonies and everyday life.

After discussing the meaning behind these traditional designs, the children got creative by making their own personalized headbands using various art supplies.

This activity helped foster cultural appreciation, while also developing their creativity and fine motor skills.

It was a wonderful way to introduce them to the rich heritage of North American cultures.

We’re excited about all the growth we’ve seen this week as the Blue Dragons continue to learn through play and hands-on experiences.

Stay tuned for more exciting learning adventures next week!

Preschool Room Weekly Newsletter

Exploring North America and More!

This week, our preschoolers have been on an exciting learning adventure, exploring the world around them through a variety of fun and educational activities!

Exploring North America

The children continued their journey of discovering North America, focusing on countries like Canada and the United States.

We explored the cultures and geography of these nations, and the children were thrilled to identify them on the map!

This activity not only enhanced their global awareness but also sparked conversations about travel and the unique features of each country.

Festivals and Crafts

In our arts and crafts session, we embraced the autumn season by creating festive pumpkins.

The children enjoyed painting and decorating their very own pumpkins, which they proudly used to embellish their peg pictures.

This creative activity brought a wonderful seasonal atmosphere to our classroom and allowed the children to express their artistic talents.

Mathematics Fun

In mathematics, we explored 3D shapes, focusing on cones.

The children had great fun role-playing as chefs selling ice cream cones, which introduced them to the concept of money and basic transactions.

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This hands-on activity also helped reinforce their understanding of numbers 1 to 5 as we reviewed counting and simple math concepts in a playful, engaging way.

Phonics Progress

In phonics, we continued practicing the letter 'u', and we’re thrilled to see that most of the children can now confidently write it!

Their progress is fantastic, and next week, we’ll be moving on to the exciting milestone of learning how to write their own names—something we’re all looking forward to!

Mandarin Review

This week in Mandarin, we revisited vocabulary around transportation (交通), autumn (秋天), and colors (颜色).

These review sessions helped reinforce the children’s understanding of common words, as they continue to grow their Mandarin language skills through songs, stories, and interactive learning.

Story of the Week

Our story this week was Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs, a huge hit with the children!

They were captivated by the different types of dinosaurs in the story, and we had lively discussions about their favorite dinosaurs.

It was wonderful to see their imaginations take flight as they learned more about these fascinating prehistoric creatures.

Music Magic

Our Friday music session with Ella Sparkle was once again a highlight of the week!

The children sang, danced, and played instruments, helping them develop a sense of rhythm and musicality.

It’s always a joy to see them express themselves through music and have so much fun in the process.

We are incredibly proud of all the children’s hard work and progress this week. We’re excited for another week of learning, creativity, and fun ahead!

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