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Birkbees Newsletter – September 2025
Birkbees Nursery Newsletter
Dear Parents and Carers,
A very warm welcome back after the summer break! We are excited to start a brand-new term with your children and introduce our revised curriculum, which follows the updated EYFS guidelines. A copy of the curriculum will be sent out alongside this newsletter for you to look through at home.
📲 Important Update: Switching from ParentZone to Famly
From the end of September, we will be leaving the ParentZone platform. Instead, we will now be using Famly, which is simple, easy to use, and allows you to access all your child’s information in one place.
On Famly you will be able to:
- View your child’s observations and updates
- Complete medication and accident forms
- Contact your child’s key person
- Request holidays and notify us of absences
You should have received an email invitation to create your Famly account.
Please take a few minutes to:
- Set up your login
- Fill in your child’s details
- Add parent/carer information
- Provide emergency contacts
That’s all we need for now.
Thank you for your support in helping us make this transition smooth and positive for everyone!
🌱 Our Intent This Term
This term, our learning will focus on:
- Identity, emotions & family connections
- Nature walks and collecting seasonal treasures
- Recycling and self-care routines
💛 Core Values
Our values guide everything we do, and this term we will be focusing on:
- Wellbeing & Empathy – Expressing feelings, helping others, and building friendships
- Connection with Nature – Observing seasonal changes and caring for living things
- Curiosity & Independence – Encouraging questioning, problem-solving, and exploration
- Sustainability & Responsibility – Recycling, composting, and food awareness
📚 Weekly Themes
Each week we will introduce five new words and explore the following themes. Keep a look out for these words!
We have already been busy with:
- All About Me – Settling in, hand washing, recognising feelings, exploring the environment
- My Family & Home – Talking about families, role play, turn-taking games
- Senses in Nature – Exploring outdoors, dressing for the weather, collecting natural items, noticing colours and textures
Coming up next:
- Harvest Time – Fruits and vegetables, where food comes from, farm animals, sharing, and starting recycling
- Homes Around the World – Different types of homes, animal shelters, noticing differences
- Autumn Colours – Leaves, trees, composting, planting
- Light & Dark – Day and night, shadows, plus a special Diwali temple visit
- Being Kind – Friendships, helping others, making positive choices, preparing snacks, Diwali party food
📦 Harvest Collection
Week commencing Monday 29th September we will be collecting tinned or packaged food to share with our local community. Thank you for your support!
📚 Books for this Half Term
- The Colour Monster / We’re All Wonders
- Pumpkin Soup / A Squash and a Squeeze
👨👩👧 Family Learning Events
We would love for you to join us for our upcoming Family Learning sessions this term.📌 Exact times for each session will be confirmed closer to the date.
These events are a wonderful opportunity to join in your child’s learning, celebrate together, and spend special time as a family.
📅 The specific dates for each room are listed below.
🍯 Honeybees Room (Baby Room)
- Tuesday 30th September – Soup Making 🥕🍲 – Chopping ingredients at nursery to take home and cook.
- Monday 6th October – Autumn Themed Activities 🍂🎨
- Wednesday 15th October – Glass Lanterns (Diwali) 🪔✨
- Friday 14th November – Peace & Remembrance 🌹🕊️
- Thursday 27th November – Science Activities 🔬💡
- Tuesday 2nd December – Christmas Decorations 🎄⭐
🐝 Bumblebee Room (2-year-old room downstairs)
- Tuesday 1st October – Soup Making 🥕🍲
- Monday 14th October – Autumn Themed Activities 🍂🎨
- Tuesday 22nd October – Glass Lanterns (Diwali) 🪔✨
- Monday 10th November – Remembrance & Peace 🌹🕊️
- Tuesday 26th November – Science Activities 🔬💡
- Monday 1st December – Christmas Theme 🎄⭐
👑 Queenbees Room (3/4-year-old room downstairs)
- Tuesday 30th September, 2–3 pm – Meet & Greet 🤝 (plus Makaton signs)
- Thursday 23rd October, 2–3 pm – Diwali: Decorating Candles 🕯️
- Tuesday 25th November, 10–11 am – “Winter is Coming”: Houses for Animals 🦔❄️
- Wednesday 10th December, 10–11 am – Sparkle & Snow: Snow Globes ❄️✨
🐝 2Bees Room (2-year-old room upstairs)
- Monday 29th September – Cutting Fruit & Veg for Soup 🥕🍏
- Wednesday 15th October – Autumn Colours & Textures 🍂🎨
- Tuesday 21st October – Glass Lanterns (Diwali) 🪔✨
- Monday 10th November – Remembrance Day 🌹🕊️
- Tuesday 26th November – Science Experiments 🔬💡
- Monday 8th December – Christmas Decorations & Tablecloth 🎄⭐
🐝 Pre-school Stingers (PS@S) (3/4-year-old room, back building)
- Thursday 2nd October – Cutting Fruit & Veg for Soup 🥕🍅
- Tuesday 14th October – Autumn Nature Walk 🍂👣
- Wednesday 22nd October – Glass Lanterns (Diwali) 🪔✨
- Monday 10th November – Remembrance Day 🌹🕊️
- Wednesday 19th November – Litter Picking ♻️🚮
- Thursday 27th November – Science Experiments 🔬💡
- Monday 8th December – Decorating Tablecloth & Christmas Decorations 🎄⭐
🐝 Busy Bees Room (upstairs 3/4-year-old room)
- Tuesday 30th September – Chopping Vegetables for Autumn Soup 🥕🍲
- Monday 6th October – Stay & Play: Making Dens 🌲⛺
- Monday 20th October – Glass Lanterns (Diwali) 🪔🍂
- Tuesday 4th November – Fizzy Fireworks 🎆🔬
- Tuesday 18th November – Recycling & Litter Picking ♻️🚮
- Sunday 8th December – Making Party Hats 🎄🎉 – Create festive party hats for our Christmas party.
🏡 Home Learning for All Rooms
We encourage families to join in with these simple, fun activities at home to support learning and development:
- Family Photos 🖼️
If you haven’t done so already, please bring in a family photo. We will use these to talk about who is special to us and share photos, drawings, or stories about your child and their family. This supports confidence, belonging, and links to our “All About Me” theme. - September – Autumn Bags 🍂
Children will be given a bag to take on an autumn walk with their family. Collect seasonal treasures such as leaves, pinecones, conkers, and bring them back to nursery to share. - October – Kindness Chain 🤲
Talk at home about how to be kind. Write down your child’s ideas or kind acts and return them to nursery. Teachers will join these together to create a Kindness Chain with the children. - November – Helping Hands 🏡
Encourage your child to think of ways they can help at home—tidying up, helping in the kitchen, or caring for others. Share their ideas, photos, or drawings with us. - December – Salt Dough Decorations 🎄⭐
We will send out the salt dough recipe on Monday 24th November. Please make your festive creations at home and return them to nursery by Friday 5th December. These will be proudly displayed on the Christmas tree for everyone to enjoy.
Parent Notices & Reminder
✔ Running Late? Call ahead to avoid late collection fees (£10 for the first 15 minutes, then £1 per minute).
✔ Breakfast Deadline: Breakfast is served until 8:15 AM only.
✔ No Toys from Home: To prevent loss or distraction, children should not bring personal toys.
✔ Sickness: Please ring the nursery on each day your child is unwell to inform us.
Funding & Childcare Updates
- 30 Hours Funding Deadline: Apply by 31st December 2025 if your child turns 3 before this date.
- 15 Hours Funding: If your child is aged 2 or 3, they may be eligible for 15 hours of funded childcare per week. Please check your eligibility and apply as soon as possible to secure a place.
- Funding for Babies: Some families may be eligible for funded childcare for babies under 2 years old, depending on their circumstances. Please speak to our team for more information on how to apply.
- More Info: Visit www.childcarechoices.gov.uk for eligibility details.
Contact Information
📍 Birkbees Day Care LTD
📞 01484 453354
📍 Address: 65a Halifax Old Rd, Hillhouse, Huddersfield HD1 6EE
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