Croeso i Meithrin

Welcome to Nursery!

Meithrin: Autumn Term Letter 2026

Dear Parents/Carers, 

Croeso! Welcome back to a new school year. We hope you had a lovely summer filled with lots of happy memories! 

We would like to give a warm welcome to the new children joining us in Nursery for the first time. The children are settling in really happily and have enjoyed meeting new friends. We have already had lots of fun playing and exploring our environment, and we are excited for the new year ahead! 

Our main focus this term will be establishing our daily routines, such as finding our peg to hang up our coats, finding our name for the register, washing our hands before snack and developing other self-help skills such as putting on our shoes and coats independently. We will also be focusing on friendship and talking about sharing, caring and being kind to one another. 

Our topic this term is ‘My Wonderful World!’. We will be exploring ‘Cynefin’ and belonging through a range of learning activities all about ourselves, our families, our Nursery, our local area and the world around us. 

We will be learning all about who we are, what makes us special and the people and places that are important to us. We will be talking about our bodies, our senses, our feelings and our interests, as well as exploring our homes, families and friendships. We will learn about similarities and differences between ourselves and others, helping the children to develop an understanding of what makes each of us unique. 

We will explore Autumn and the changes we see around us, such as the weather, leaves and animals. We will also explore Harvest, birthdays and other special occasions, giving the children opportunities to talk about their own experiences, share what is important to them and learn about the different ways people celebrate. 

The children will be encouraged to help plan and choose topic-enhanced activities, with lots of opportunities for play-based learning, exploration and discovery. Through our play, stories, songs and creative activities, we will develop skills across the six Areas of Learning and Experience (AoLEs). We will also develop our Welsh language through songs, stories and everyday routines. 

We will be reading lots of exciting stories to support our learning, including ‘Funny Bones’ and ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Can You See?’. We will also enjoy a range of stories linked to our learning and children’s interests. 

We love learning from people in our community. We would be delighted to welcome parents, carers and family members into our setting to share their experiences, jobs, hobbies, cultures or special skills with us. We would love for the children to learn more about the wonderful people and communities that are part of their world. 

Ben & Betty 

We will begin the ‘Ben and Betty’ phonics immersion scheme after half term. This follows alphabetical order, beginning with ‘a’ the week after half term. I will let you know more information closer to the time. 

Book Bags 

Nursery children will be able to choose a story book from school to take home and share with you. Story books will then be changed each Monday. New children will also be given a reading record. These are used by staff to record the story book chosen by your child and provide an opportunity for you to comment on your child’s enjoyment of the book and their understanding of the story/text when you share it together. If you wish to purchase a school book bag, these can be ordered from Bergoni. 

Hall Time 

We have Hall Time on a Wednesday and Friday morning. This will be used for a range of physical activities, including gym, dance, yoga, parachute games, Busy Feet and Sticky Kids. 

Please ensure children come to school in suitable clothing for our PE sessions, including T-shirts, leggings and trainers. If possible, please can we ask for trainers without laces to encourage independence when getting changed. Diolch! 

Forest School 

At Pen y Fro, we are very lucky to have such extensive outdoor areas, which give our children the space and freedom to play, explore and learn. There will be a choice of outdoor activities throughout the week, so please ensure that your child brings a named coat to school every day.  

Forest School will be held on a Thursday morning. Please ensure that your child comes to school dressed appropriately for outdoor learning. As our weather can be extremely changeable, please assume that we will be going outside whatever the weather is like first thing, as it often improves throughout the morning. Now that the Autumn term is here, it would also be advisable to send gloves, a hat and a scarf as the weather becomes colder. Forest School will start from Thursday 17th September. 

Amser Snac 

We will stop for a healthy fruit or vegetable snack and water each morning. Please provide your child with a tub of pre-prepared fruit or vegetables and a water bottle. Please ensure that fruit such as grapes and cherry tomatoes are cut appropriately into quarters so that children can eat them safely. Please can snack tubs be clearly labelled with your child’s name. These can be placed on our Snack Trolley outside the classroom each morning. It is also helpful if children are able to open their water bottles independently and recognise their own snack containers. 

Cooking 

Cooking sessions will take place when linked to our focus activities. We kindly ask for a £3.00 contribution towards the cost of ingredients each term. Please can cooking contributions be sent into school by the end of September. We really appreciate your support in helping us to provide these exciting learning experiences and opportunities for the children! 

Things to Remember 

Please ensure that your child has a spare set of clothes in their bag in case of accidents, as well as a coat for colder or wet days.  Again, please ensure that all belongings are clearly labelled with your child’s name. 

Health Concerns 

Please come and speak to us if your child has any allergies that we should be made aware of or if they have any health concerns. 

If your child has Asthma, we will need to keep a spare Asthma pump in school and an Asthma card will need to be completed. Please come and speak to us if you require a form. Diolch! 

A Gentle Reminder 

Finally, just a gentle reminder to please keep special toys at home. 

We know how important these toys can be to your child, but sadly they can sometimes get lost or damaged in Nursery, which can be very upsetting. We have plenty of fun and exciting toys here for all the children to enjoy and share together! 

If you have any concerns or would like to know more about the activities we have planned, please do not hesitate to come and speak to us at any time. 

We look forward to an exciting year of learning, laughing and achieving together at Pen y Fro Nursery! 

Many thanks, 

Mrs Katie VerBruggen & The Nursery Team.