Hanover Street ELC Newsletter, January 2022
Hanover Street Early Learning & Childcare (ELC) Newsletter
JANUARY 2022
Beach Boulevard, Aberdeen, AB24 5HN
Telephone: – 01224 569880 Nursery Mobile: – 07741 236509
E-mail : – hanover@aberdeencity.gov.uk Website: – hanover.aberdeen.sch.uk Twitter : – @HanoverStSch
I can’t believe it’s nearly the end of January of our new year, 2022!
I hope you are all well and staying safe and cosy in these tricky times. I for one am glad of the mornings getting lighter!
I have a few key updates for you all – I really appreciate your time in reading this. 😊
The ELC team – staffing – FURTHER UPDATES
Firstly, I want to sincerely thank you and your children, and of course the staff, for their resilience and support at this challenging time. The expansion of nursery hours, the Council requiring more staff, and COVID absences, etc have all dealt a difficult hand to all concerned.
I know there have been many unfamiliar faces in the playground at drop off and pick up time, as we seek and receive supply staff when required. This can be unsettling for you and your children. We completely understand this, and I want to reassure you that our team is doing all we can to support children and families through these times of change. We very much thank you for your patience and realism.
So… some further staffing updates for you. I’ll start with the good news 😊, and finish with the sad ☹.
😊 We will soon welcome:
Ms Nicola Milne – she will work with us Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm
We have already welcomed Miss Cornelia Afouda and Ms Rachael Evans. Cornelia is a supply EYP, here long term, and Rachael is here as a Support Worker. Cornelia will work Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm and Rachael will work with us Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm
☹ And sadly, we will soon say goodbye to Mrs Morag Scott, one of our EYPs. Morag has worked at Hanover Street Nursery for 6 years now. She has been a brilliant member of the team, and brought a passion for creative and exploratory learning, and a keen interest in additional support needs and inclusion.
This is the longest Morag has worked in one establishment by a good couple of years, so it will be a hard “cheerio” for us all. But this time, Morag has chosen a new challenge! She will be working in the NHS as an Occupational Therapy Healthcare Support Worker. Here, she will use her excellent knowledge of child development to support children on a 1-1 and family basis, as part of the Child Development Team. Her last working day at Hanover Street will be Thursday 3 February 2022.
I wish to take this opportunity to truly thank Morag. Her commitment to the children, their families, their care and learning has been incredible. She has been flexible and supportive in times of change, always looking forward in development and learning, alongside being a great mum to her 3 boys and 2 dogs, and a staunch Aberdeen FC supporter – quite a commitment! Good luck, Morag. The NHS are incredibly lucky to be getting you on their team, and we wish you nothing but the best for your new chapter! We love you and will miss you!
We will welcome some other staff in the interim period, to cover Morag’s days, until her replacement is appointed. Mrs Gauld will also be working some extra time too!
The ELC team – students
After a slight delay due to COVID restrictions, a student from NesCol, Jane Lin, has now joined us. She will be here for more or the less the whole nursery year – some blocks of whole weeks, but mostly a Monday and Tuesday.
Daily Routine
Due to the changes in staffing, etc, we have adapted our daily routine slightly.
Now, every day when the children come into nursery, we have a very quick “good morning” time in their Key Groups. Then, together in the Key Group, they will take part in a short, planned activity with their Key Worker. This will allow focused time for observing specific skills in action, etc. Then, afterwards, children will participate in their free-flow play, the children leading their play and learning.
Key Group Changes & Lining Up
To support these more focused Key Group learning times, we have made some adjustments to the Key Groups. The children are now familiar with being in either Group 1, Group 2 or Group 3. (We will name these groups something more child-friendly in time.)
So, for lining up, from Monday 31 January, children will line up in these new key groups. Please support us in supporting your children with this change. Thank you. 😊
Seesaw Feedback
Our use of the SeeSaw app has now been in place for some time. The ELC team has been experimenting with uploading videos, voice comments, etc, as well as the usual pictures.
To inform us of how this helps you and your child, we’d like to receive some feedback regarding what you see on SeeSaw. Please answer the short survey that will be sent out to families soon.
COVID Support
As the Covid pandemic gradually turns into an endemic, the impact on people and families continues. Please, if you or your family are finding things difficult, do let your Key Worker know. We have some supports we can guide you to in order support you and your family. We are all here to help each other. Look at the Council website page here: https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services/coronavirus-covid-19 for latest information.
Useful Reminders…
| January 2022 | February 2022 | March/April 2022 |
| Thursday 6 January:
Start of Term |
Monday 14th February:
Valentine’s Day Monday 14th February: Mid-Term Holiday Tuesday 15 February: Inservice day Wednesday 16 February: Inservice Day |
Friday 1 April:
End of Term |
Thank you for your time in reading this newsletter!
Miss Gillian Forbes, DHT 😊
