Welcome from Deborah, Head of Centre.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for welcoming me to Glen Family Centre and to say hello to those I have not yet managed to meet.

I come to Glen at a time when planned changes to the centre are in place and staff are already making plans to support children and families through these changes. I understand that this may be an uncertain time for many and would encourageyou to come and see me individually or pop along to the next ‘Coffee and Chat’ session to discuss any concerns.

Although no major changes will be made to the Centre until the end of this academic year, there will be minor adaptations to enable us to make best use of the space we have available. I will keep you up to date via the newsletter, notice board and the staff. Again, should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to come and see me or speak to a member of the management team.

I look forward to working with you and your children as we take Glen Family Centre forward.

Kind regards,

Deborah Blackhurst

Coffee and Chat

Deborah will be holding Coffee and Chat sessions on Wednesday 6th March. These sessions will mainly be an opportunity to meet and chat but will also be an opportunity to discuss the children’s transitions in relation to moving on in August.

Session times: 10.30 – 11.30am2.30 – 3.30pm

7.00 – 8.00pm*

* This evening session is intended to give working parents the opportunity to attend. It will only take place if parents indicate they wish to do so. A tear off slip is attached to this newsletter for you to complete and return.

Changes to Playrooms

To maximise the space we have available some changes will be made to the allocation of playrooms. These changes will ensure the individual needs of children continue to be met while giving all children more space in which to explore, develop and enhance their learning.

Existing room allocation

(please note these diagrams are not to scale and are merely given as a representation of the nursery play areas)

Outdoor area / Moonbeams / Store
Sunbeams / Sparkles / Home Visiting Teacher/
Speech and Language Therapy room
Toilet
Corridor
Kitchen
Stars
Children’s toilet / Cloak room / Entrance / Offices / Staff room

New room allocation from Monday 4th March

Outdoor area / Sunbeams / Store
Moonbeams / Sunbeams / Home Visiting Teacher/
Speech and Language Therapy room
Toilet
Corridor / Sparkles / Stars
Kitchen
Stars
Children’s toilet / Cloak room / Entrance / Offices / Staff room

Children Progressing

As we are moving rooms we are taking this opportunity to move some of the children who are ready to progress to the next stage of their learning. If the Management Team and your child’s key worker feel your child is ready to progress someone will discuss this with you soon.

Inspection Report

You may remember the Care Inspectorate carried out an unannounced inspection of the Centre in November 2012. The inspectors’ report was very positive and identified many strengths. It has now been finalised and can be accessed online at To find our report you should click on ‘find a service’ and enter ‘Glen Family Centre’ in the ‘service name’ box before clicking search. You can then download the report.

A paper copy has also been placed in the entrance area of the Centre. Please do not remove this copy. If you would like your own copy please ask Sarah in the office and she can arrange this for you.

Thank you to all the parents who completed questionnaires prior to the inspection. The inspectors fed back some of the comments from the questionnaires and the staff greatly appreciated the kind words and recognition of their work.

Nursery Teacher

Fiona Hanvey has now gone off on maternity leave. We all wish her well and await news of the patter of tiny little feet.

Unfortunately we have not yet been able to identify a replacement teacher within the authority. As a result we are now looking to advertise the temporary post at the earliest opportunity.

While having a teacher within the nursery benefits the children and provides other staff with support in relation to curriculum planning and assessment, please be reassured that learning and teaching will not be adversely affected. Child Development Officers here at Glen are very experienced, skilled and well qualified and can lead Pre 5 learning effectively until a replacement teacher is appointed.

Transitions

Our transition programme is a very important part of preparing children to move on to pastures new. Usually this involves children who are going on to primary school; however this year, with the changes being made at Glen, children will also be leaving us to go on to other nurseries. Please come along to one of the ‘Coffee and Chat’ sessions to share your ideas on transition or speak to one of the team.

Pram Shelter

The pram shelter will soon be fitted with a padlock to make it more secure throughout the day. The janitor will unlock the shelter at the beginning and end of each nursery session to allow parents access. Could we ask that all prams are stored in the shelter and not brought in to the nursery? The nursery is a very busy place with lots of equipment. Additional prams can make it difficult for staff to move around safely with children and equipment and can be a hazard should we need to evacuate the building in an emergency.

Please check our website for other information about what is new!

If you have any questions regarding anything in the newsletter please see Claire Smith or Margaret Harper-Abdullah.

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I will be attending the evening Coffee and Chat session on Thursday 6th March

7 – 8pm

Name……………………………………………………..

Child’s Name…………………………………………