Holmsdale Manor

Today our Gold Award plaque from the Green Tree School Award arrived! It's a beautiful piece of oak. Now to decide where to put it!

We are recruiting! Our ideal candidate is a highly motivated, enthusiastic practitioner. We are looking for a full time member of staff (but may consider part time) and require someone able to work all year round (not term time only).
Staff are required to work some early (7.30am) and some late (6pm) shifts during the week. There is flexibility regarding which age group the successful applicant will work with. Salary dependent on level of qualification and other skills.
A g...ood working knowledge of the EYFS and child development is a must. Enjoying time spent outdoors is also very important as we have extensive grounds, the children spend a lot of time outdoors at the setting and at Forest School and our staff are expected to facilitate and enhance this- if you prefer to be inside, this is not the job for you.
Ideally we would prefer a candidate with a minimum of a Level 3 qualification, who is prepared to train further in future- we support our staff to develop their skills continually. Familiarity with writing observations, learning journeys and progress summaries, and a high level of literacy skills is preferred.
We are keen to recruit highly qualified staff so would also consider higher level qualifications- many of our staff are graduates/teachers/EYPs/EYTs. We may offer Forest School training to the right candidate.
Please share with family and friends who may be interested!
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Good news! We have finally reached the Gold Level of the Green Tree Schools Award, a Woodland Trust scheme. We should be receiving a lovely wooden plaque shortly!

The butterfly release! These butterflies are called "Painted Ladies". They are naturally found in the UK and migrate over long distances. They are known as the most spectacular migrating butterflies observed in Britain and Ireland. Each year, they spread north from the desert edges of North Africa, the Middle East, and central Asia, moving into mainland Europe and reaching Britain and Ireland as it becomes warm enough.

Exciting news from the Barn- their butterflies have emerged! We'd like to say thanks to one of the parents, who brought in a "Butterfly Pavilion" and caterpillars for us. Three emerged yesterday and there are four this morning!

Huge thanks to one of the parents at the nursery, Wayne, who owns Floorstock, a company which sells wood and laminate floor supplies. People who've been to the Baby Cabin recently may have noticed how great the floor looks! Wayne gave up the whole bank holiday weekend to sand, fill and re-seal our Baby Cabin floor. We are thrilled with the result and with his generosity! Thank you so much.
https://www.facebook.com/floorstock/ https://www.floorstock.co.uk/

This week we are taking part in the Peppa Pig Muddy Puddle Walk! (Although we are taking extra water to Forest School to create puddles, as it is so dry at the moment!)
Also, owing to the lovely weather and increasing UV index please send sun hats and new sun cream! Please apply sun cream in the morning before dropping off - ideally the once a day suncream. We will then reapply if necessary. (If you forget one day and haven't already let us know then please give us a call!)

Today the Barn pre-school children have enjoyed exploring "what it is like to be in a painting"! A quote from one of the children: "I'm going to paint a rainbow moon!"

A request! We are looking for small plant pots or plug plant trays, so that when we prick out our seedlings, we can pot up the spares. Does anyone have any left over from last year, that they don't need? We hope to have a small plant sale to raise funds for next year's gardening resources. It would be great if we could re-use some, to minimise plastic waste.

A few more photos from the Barn and Hayloft's Forest School adventures last month!

Our mushroom growing kits have arrived- so this year's mushroom growing competition can commence!

One of our 2019 projects- our gardening opportunities!
We are currently taking part in the RHS School Gardening Awards. At the moment we are at Level 3 and looking forward to receiving our certificate and prizes!
We are now working towards Level 4, and the new raised beds are starting to show signs of life. We also have lots of seedlings coming through in the new greenhouse. The children from the toddler and pre-school rooms have been planting seeds with Shelley this week- ...lots of opportunities to develop skills including gross and fine motor, maths, language, and understanding of the world around them.
We are looking forward to harvesting the produce and seeing what meals our chef can include them in!
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We have just received an email letting us know that we have been nominated for the EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE section of the NICHE business awards. We've no idea who's nominated us (please do let us know if it was you!) but thank you very much for the nomination!

Photos taken at Football Coaching (yesterday afternoon)

Did you catch the BBC Radio Leicester news piece which was broadcast live this morning from the nursery? If not, tune in on replay if you'd like to hear it!
https://twitter.com/HelenMcLive/status/11 23485348863070210…

We are pleased to announce that our food hygiene standards have been inspected today and we have retained our 5 star rating. Thanks to our wonderful chef Madeleine for all her ongoing hard work!