Village Voice Oct / Nov 2019 Issue 194

save our staff waistlines we sold the remainder
of our cakes after school so this brilliant amount
of money will certainly grow!
A big focus for us currently is raising the
profile of our Eco Schools credentials. To really
highlight this we will be holding an Outdoor
Day on 2nd October with each activity
developing a ‘green skill’. Children will be
coming in prepared to build camps, tend our
garden and planted areas and create bird feeders
to keep our feathered friends happy over the
coming months. These connections with nature
in a meaningful way help children understand
that we can all make an important contribution,
however small.
Our newly elected School Council will be
concentrating on how we can save energy in
school and recycle or upcycle resources. We are
involving them in decision making about
whether it is better to buy new wooden benches
(destroying trees/sustainable wood?) or recycled
plastic ones. These skills and this wider world
awareness is vital for our children to grow into
responsible citizens who will protect the planet
for future generations.
The photograph below shows a group of our
Year 2 children proudly displaying the
Gardening Club tomato crop. Over the coming
weeks we will be planting some vegetables to
over-winter and hopefully enjoy these crops as
part of their lunch in the spring term! Wendy Todd,
Interim Headteacher
The Village Pre-school
In July we said goodbye to 33 children who left
to move on to big school. Our last day was very
www.pennandtylersgreen.org.uk
Village Voice October/November 2019
emotional and ended with a Tot’s Disco for the
children and parents.
The new term has started quietly which has
been lovely for the new children settling in.
We have an exciting programme of activities
planned for this year: Halloween table top sale,
Christmas party with the elderly and Christmas
panto, Easter party, Mother’s and Father’s day
activities and Forest School throughout the year.
We do still have spaces available for this year.
We offer places to children ages 2 - 4 years &
30 hours free childcare can be provided for
those who are eligible. Check here for your
eligibility https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.
Contact Nicky Lovegrove (Manager) for further details or to
arrange a visit 01494 817093.
Little Oaks Nurseries
Little Oaks teachers gathered en masse for a
training day ahead of the autumn term. Ben
Kingston-Hughes, of Inspired Children, led us
through a journey incorporating Growth
Mindsets and Resilience, Positive Play, Loose
Parts* and Adventurous Play, and How Children
See Us. This left the team buzzing with
enthusiasm for our new cohorts of children!
Please read Ben’s article to understand a little
more of our play philosophy. www.little-oaks.
org * Loose parts are materials that can be
moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up,
and taken apart and put back together in
multiple ways. They are materials with no
specific set of directions that can be used alone
or combined with other materials. Loose parts
can be natural or synthetic.
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