Slane Road December Newsletter 2013

Mother Hubbards Newsletter December 2013

                                                

Welcome to all our new children and parents that has started in our Centre since September, we hope you are all settled and enjoying Mother Hubbards.

 

CLICKS

A lot of parents have been asking where we get the “Clicks” that are in our Montessori rooms. The company that supplies the Clicks are Ease, based in Kilkenny, you can contact them on 056/7768033 or www.ease.ie

 

Thank you to all who donated to our Cheerios Breakfast Appeal. It was a great success and we raised €104 for Child line Ireland.

 

Christmas closing dates

Sessional Montessori will finish Friday 20^th of December at 12.00pm, and re open Monday 6^th of January at 9.00am. The centre will be closed for all children from Monday 23rd of December at 6.00pm and re open the 2^nd of January at 7.30am.

  

The photographer visited the centre recently. Please remember that if you do not wish to purchase your child’s photo you are under no obligation.  Photo packs that you received are €25 for 1 10X8 and 2 5X4. For a Group photo (which are displayed on the room doors or copies of your child’s photo, the prices are €10 for 1 10x8 or €5 for 1 5x4. Please return the photos as soon as possible if you do not wish to take them. Thank You!

 

As Santa is coming soon we know you will have playrooms full of toys after Christmas. If you are doing a clear out we would be happy to take old toys

 that are in good condition such as stickle bricks, Lego, dolls, dolls

houses and clothes, small figure dolls, wooden blocks and jigsaws. Thank You!

 

 

As the weather is getting much colder we ask all parents to ensure that their child has a scarf, hat and gloves for outdoor play during the day. To help us bring the children outdoors as much as possible we would appreciate if parents could supply wellies for the full day care children (raincoats are optional too), we aim to bring the children outdoors daily for some fresh air and exercise.  Thank You!

 

Thank you to everyone who participated in Teams Hopes Christmas Shoebox Appeal we received over 10 boxes!!

 

If parents change address or change phone number, mobile or land line, they are asked to inform the centre manager. This is in case, that the centre has to contact the parents.

 

Bernice Dowdall has left Mother Hubbards and we take this opportunity to wish Bernice all the best for the future, she will be missed. We are currently in the recruitment process to fill Bernice’s position.                                                           

 

The Montessori Groups will be having their Christmas Carol singing on the following dates, if your child would like to wear a Santa Hat or Christmas jumper!!!

 

Jenny’s Class  – Wednesday 18^th December at 11.30am

Victoria / Fionnuala’s Class – Friday 20^th December at 11.30am

 

As we are limited on space we have to ask that a maximum of two adults attends per child. We will be serving refreshments for parents on arrival.

 

It’s been our tradition the past few years to make a donation to a local charity  instead of buying the children individual Christmas presents, we will do this again this year. If any parents have a suggestion of a worthy charity please let Karen know. Thank You!

 

And lastly J we have put a request in at Santa’s Head office in the North Pole, to visit all the children at Mother Hubbards, Santa is very busy but assures us that we will receive a visit before Christmas and will confirm date asap, so Parents keep an eye out on the whiteboard in our Hallway.

Topic of the month; Christmas

 

Christmas iced cookies

Ingredients

·         3-3/4 cups all purpose flour

·         1 tsp baking powder

·         1/2 tsp salt

·         1 cup butter or margarine, softened (not melted!)

·         1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

·         2 eggs

·         2 tsp vanilla extract

Cooking Instructions

1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
2. Beat butter or margarine, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl with electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually add flour mixture and stir with wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for two hours.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out circles with a cookie cutter or other round object, such as a glass or round plastic container. Place circles 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 6-8 minutes, checking after 6 minutes. Cookies will be done when edges are lightly browned. Do not allow cookies to get too brown. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Remove from cookies sheets to aluminum foil on a flat surface and allow to cool completely.
5. Using a butter knife, spread white frosting on top of each cookie.
6. Let children decorate the cookies with sprinkles, sugar, and candies.
7. To make holly berry cookies, place two red candies or jelly beans toward the top of the cookie and draw on leaves with green decorator gel.
8. For sugar stars, trees and other shapes, gently place a miniature cookie cutter on top of the cookie after it’s frosted. Carefully sprinkle a small amount of sugar into the cookie cutter with your fingers, being careful not to let the sugar fall outside. Gently remove cookie cutter.
9. You can completely cover a cookie with decorative sugar by holding the frosted cookie upside down and dipping the frosted end into the sugar to coat.
10. Use red decorator gel to write “Ho Ho Ho!” on your cookies.
11. A snowman can be made from candies and fruit roll ups. Cut a strip of fruit roll up, about ½ thick, and twist it into a rope. Place the fruit roll up around the top of the cookie as ear muffs and add jelly beans for the muffs themselves. Decorate face with colored candies.  

From everyone at Mother Hubbards Childcare we would like to wish all our Children and Parents a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!