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Birkbees Nursery Newsletter
Dear Parents and Carers,
As we reach the end of the year, we want to say a big thank you to all our children and families for being part of the Birkbees community. It has been a year full of smiles, learning, and lots of growing. We are very proud of how far the children have come and we are grateful for all your support.
Thank you to all our parents for joining in with learning at home. Your help really does make a difference to the children.
We also want to thank everyone for keeping safe in the car park. Please continue to watch out for people walking, avoid parking in front of other cars or in the middle of the spaces, and please do not park on the path outside the gate, as this blocks the view for people leaving the car park. Your care helps keep everyone safe.
A Thank You from Management
We would also like to thank all our staff for their hard work this year. There have been lots of changes since September with the new curriculum, and the team has done a great job getting used to everything and supporting the children.
We also celebrated our staff with a wellbeing breakfast and gave out wellness packs to show how much we appreciate them. We want our families to know how valued our team is.
Thank you again for all your support this year — we look forward to another wonderful year ahead!
📲 Famly App – Update
Since introducing Famly, we’ve been so pleased to see how confidently everyone is using it. Families are now even more connected with nursery life, and it’s been lovely to see parents engaging with updates and sharing messages with the team.
We use Famly newsfeed to share news, event posters, and reminders, so keep an eye on the newsfeed for the latest updates. We also post pictures of the children and their daily activities, as well as events happening in nursery, on our Instagram and Facebook pages — so take a look there too!
If you haven’t already, please make sure your permissions on Famly are up to date to let us know whether your child can appear on social media.
Just a reminder: please update your contacts on Famly if you haven’t already done so. We require three emergency contacts in addition to the parents.
Also, when January invoices are sent out, please check the box at the top of the invoice rather than looking at the monthly breakdowns.
We’ll continue using Famly to keep communication clear and helpful, making sure you always feel informed and involved in your child’s day.
Medication
As we continue to ensure children’s safety and wellbeing, we kindly ask parents to let us know at drop-off if their child has had any medication that morning—especially paracetamol or ibuprofen—and the exact time it was given. This helps us avoid accidental double-dosing and ensures we can monitor your child appropriately throughout the day.
Please also make sure that any medication given at home, or brought into nursery, is recorded on the correct Famly form so our team has accurate and up-to-date information. Your support with this helps us respond safely and quickly should your child become unwell while in our care.
Term Dates, Holidays & Funding
Please take note of the following important dates for your calendar:
💡 Funding-Only Children
- For children attending funded sessions only, the nursery will be closed from Monday 22nd December 2025 to Friday 2nd January 2026 for Christmas holidays.
- The nursery reopens for all children on Monday 5th January 2026.
Christmas Holidays – Monday 22nd December – Friday 2nd January
Nursery closed – Thursday 25th December – Friday 2nd January
Nursery Reopens – Monday 5th January 2026
🎄 Important – Christmas Eve (Wednesday 24th December)
- The nursery will close at 4:00pm on Christmas Eve.
- If there are not many children attending, we may close earlier.
👉 Please let the management team know whether your child will be attending nursery on this day, so we can plan staffing and activities appropriately.
👨👩👧 Family Learning Events
We are pleased to share that our Family Learning sessions have been very successful this year. Parents and carers have given lovely feedback about how much they enjoy being able to step into their child’s learning environment and join in with activities together. It has been wonderful to see children proudly sharing their learning with their families.
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. If you haven’t been able to come along yet but would like to, please let us know what days and times work best for you — we want to make these sessions as accessible as possible for everyone. These events are a great opportunity to celebrate learning and spend some special time together as a family.
🍯 Honeybees Room (Baby Room)
Honeybees would like to celebrate the children’s creativity and ideas in both indoor and outdoor activities, as well as sharing these moments on social media. This term, the team have also welcomed a new staff member, Esha, and will be saying goodbye to Isha, who is leaving the nursery. Despite the changes, the team have been recognised for their good practice across the nursery.
As a team, we have been focused on supporting the children, particularly settling new starters and developing key skills. Highlights have included progress in PSHE development, physical skills, and communication and language for the babies. Some of the babies have shown amazing progress in these areas, which has been wonderful to see.
We are proud of the children’s achievements and look forward to continuing to support their learning and development in the months ahead.
🐝 Bumblebee Room (2-year-old room downstairs)
Bumblebees have experienced quite a few staff changes recently. Despite this, we are proud of the strong and positive relationships that have developed between our staff and the children. With many new children joining us and others transitioning from the baby room, helping everyone settle in has been a challenge — but the team has done a fantastic job.
Our staff have been creating activities that foster children’s learning and curiosity, with a focus on sensory play to ensure all children feel included and engaged.
We are very proud of how the children are settling and exploring, and we look forward to seeing their continued progress.
👑 Queenbees Room (3-4-year-old room downstairs)
Queenbees have been working really hard on using different ways to communicate, including Makaton in everyday interactions. We have also been exploring our emotions and learning how to express feelings such as anger, discussing why we feel this way, and thinking through possible solutions.
We were so pleased to see so many parents attend our Family Learning Event, creating and making memories together. A big thank you to one of our parents for singing and reading a story to the Queenbees children — it was a very special moment. Working together like this has a positive impact on both parents and children, and we look forward to more shared learning experiences.
🐝 2Bees Room (2-year-old room upstairs)
In the 2Bees room, we have been busy creating Hanukkah posters using handprints and ribbon, and the children really enjoyed baking biscuits together. We have also been welcoming new children into the room and helping them settle in. The children have been learning to share, take turns, and play kindly with one another — something we are very proud of.
🐝 Pre-school Stingers (PS@S) (3-4-year-old room, back building)
This term has been very exciting in our preschool! Our new children are settling in well and are enjoying being at Stingers. They are learning daily routines, like brushing their teeth.
We had special visitors too! Coach Cam from the Giants came to teach rugby skills. Hannah, also from the Giants, ran fun dance classes. The children had a great time with both.
We celebrated Diwali and Christmas by visiting a temple and a church. The children enjoyed learning about these festivals.
The children have achieved a lot! Some are now toilet trained. Many are learning to recognise their names, concentrate in class, and join in registration. They are using their imagination in role play, making and building with different materials, and exploring the new play area with more confidence.
We are very proud of all the children and their progress!
🐝 Busy Bees Room (upstairs 3-4-year-old room)
Busybees would like to celebrate how well the children have added toothbrushing into their daily routine at nursery. It has been wonderful to see the children taking responsibility for their oral hygiene and understanding why it is important to look after their teeth.
The children have been practicing brushing with support from the staff and have shown real enthusiasm for this healthy habit. Many of them can now talk about when and why we brush our teeth, and some have even started reminding each other to do so!
We know that good habits start at home as well as at nursery, so we would like to thank parents for supporting these routines and encouraging children to brush their teeth regularly. Working together helps children develop independence and awareness of their health.
We are very proud of the children’s progress and look forward to continuing to make learning about health, hygiene, and self-care fun and engaging in the months ahead.
🏡 Home Learning for All Rooms
This term, we have encouraged families to join in with simple, fun activities at home to support children’s learning — and it has been lovely to see the results.
- November – Helping Hands 🏡
Families helped children think about ways they can contribute at home, such as tidying up, helping in the kitchen, or caring for others. Thank you to everyone who shared ideas, photos, and drawings — the children were very proud of their efforts. - December – Salt Dough Decorations 🎄⭐
Our salt dough activity was a festive favourite. Families made decorations at home and returned them to nursery, where they were proudly displayed on our Christmas tree.
Thank you to all our families for your creativity and support this year. Taking part in home activities helps children build confidence and develop new skills.
Next year, we look forward to sharing more simple activities for families to enjoy together and continuing to support children’s learning at home.
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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