Announcing the Big 7th July Tenth Birthday Party
A great afternoon out for your diary - We will be celebrating our 10th year as a Nursery on Saturday 7th July between 2 and 4.30pm. BANES have given us permission to use Henrietta Gardens for a picnic and celebrations.

More details to follow but the cake is on order, entertainers almost booked, bouncy castle, face painting, games, competitions in the frame. All children who have attended our nursery are invited to join you and yours. It is not a fund raising activity so there is no charge. Cold drinks will be available and party food for the children. We may have a famous face to open the celebrations and wish us a happy birthday, but if not it will still be a fun time for everyone. Watch out for final details next week.

The Mews News Sheet - June 2001
	Download as a word document (.doc)
	Download as acrobat reader document (.pdf)

Staff Changes Congratulations to Rachel Bond who will be joint senior co-ordinator with Sally and Helen who share the other senior co-ordinator post. This will take effect from 1st July. More news about how this arrangement will work after we have had our first meeting.

Details of the Management Committee Meeting (6 June 2001)
New Admissions Criteria
Several parents asked the committee to revise the admissions criteria for the play clubs. The main suggestions and outcomes were as follows:

1. Give equal priority to those already using the play club with the children who are leaving the nursery to start school. This was agreed and changed accordingly

2. It was felt that the current criteria discriminated against children whose parents worked part time. At present those requiring the play club for 5 days have priority. It was acknowledged that there is a problem. Children who were settled in at the play club might not be allocated or reallocated places if there was no ‘match’ - 2 + 3 days Monday to Friday between two requests for the particular days required.

It was decided to retain the existing priorities. Prior to these being introduced the mismatch between part time places had resulted in some sessions not been taken up so resources were under utilised. At the same time several parents whose requests for full time care were blocked so they had to find alternatives for some nights. By prioritising five-day and five-day matches, children would not have to get used to two settings in one week.

There was a further criteria added - where a child has used the holiday clubs during the year they will be given priority over a child who had not.

See the revised admission criteria here and download pdf or word copies.

Booking Places in Advance
Please book your child’s place in time or you will unfortunately loose it to another on the waiting list! It was reported that difficulties were being experienced in persuading parents to book places for the After School Club and Holiday Clubs by the time requested. It was agreed that the time scale for requests be changed to 1st April and that no reminders would be sent out in future. There is a long waiting list for places and it was deemed unfair to hold up the allocation process for those who failed to respond to written requests.

Minutes of the meeting will be displayed on the notice boards in due course.

Can You Help?
We really do need parents who are able to offer their services as members of the committee and at least some who are able to take on key positions. At the moment only one post, - the minute’s secretary is held by a parent. Either a member of the hotel staff or a member of the original steering committee holds all other positions. In the past we have had excellent treasurers from the parents, and there is a desperate need for some one to compile this news sheet every month or so.

Please help or we will have to accept the unfortunate consequence that the committee is not being run in the way it was designed – to represent parents views and to take part in the decision making process which affects your child.

What to be Chairperson?
Sylvia Back is taking on other responsibilities from July this year. She has given notice that she will not be standing to be elected next September so there will be a vacancy for Chairperson. The next meeting is the AGM to be followed by a meeting of the new committee. These will be held on Thursday, 13 September 2001 at 7pm in the hotel conference centre. Please let us have you nominations by 10th September.

Spotted the new Summer Menus yet?
They are displayed on the notice board so let us know what you think. Bring in you child’s favourite recipe. Lena will be happy to see if it can be included.

Risk Assessment
We are about to review and record our risk assessment. Have you any expertise in this? Tell a member of staff. It would help just to have some one to edit it for us.

Coffee Morning and Bring and Buy
To be held in the Salvation Army Coffee Lounge, 10 am to 12 pm Saturday, 8 September 2001. Offers of help gratefully accepted see Sally or Helen for the Nursery or Rachel in the Play Club

Catch up on old Mews News	WEB	PDF	WORD
Mews News Sheet - December 2000
Mews News Sheet - February 2001
Mews News Sheet - June 2001