Mother
Hubbards Newsletter
November/December
2014
Happy
Birthday
This
month we would like to wish a big happy birthday to all the children who
celebrate their birthday with us!
Children
are more than welcome to celebrate their birthday with us in the centre and the
parents may send in a cake and some treats if they wish.
All
baked goods must be shop bought and unopened in the original packaging due to
haacp guidelines. Also, please do not send in hard sweets or nuts that children
could easily choke on. Thank you for your cooperation on this topic.
Facebook Competion
Please keep an eye out on our facebook page for a competion
we will be running for the month of December. Please follow the link to be in
with a chance.
Winner will be announced on the 17th of December Get liking and sharing everyone. Good luck!
Winner will be announced on the 17th of December Get liking and sharing everyone. Good luck!
Reminders
Just a
reminder that the crèche will close on the 19th of December at 6.00pm
sharp and re-open on Monday the 5th of January at 8.30am.
- The last day of term for ECCE and
Montessori is Friday the 19th of December at 12.00am.We will
return 5th January 2015.
- Please remember to close
the front door when you are leaving to ensure the safety of all children.
- If you have not already
brought in a spare set of clothes for your child please do so as soon as
possible. It is very important that we have them in case of accidents.
Please remember to label all your child’s belongings and school bags to
prevent mix up.
- Just a reminder that the
ECCE Montessori session runs from 9am until 12pm. Please ensure children
are not dropped off before 9am and are collected at 12pm. All children
must be accompanied to the room by an adult and may only be collected by a
parent or an adult who has been named on the booking form. If someone is
collecting your child who is not named on the booking form, please let us
know in advance.
- Outdoor Play forms a large
part of our curriculum and has significant importance in a child’s
holistic development. We try to
incorporate outdoor play as often as possible and children should be well
enough to go outside if they are attending crèche. We cannot allow children to stay inside
unaccompanied whilst others are outside playing and there would be no
space for them in other groups due to staff/child ratios. Please send coats/scarves/hats etc with
your children and we will ensure they wear them when going outside.
- Children are encouraged to
bring healthy lunches. Chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks are discouraged
and we would appreciate your co-operation on this.
We will
be having a Christmas party for our Montessori group on the 17th of December,
lots of yummy treats and Christmas music.
Weather
As the
weather is getting colder could all parents please send in a suitable coat and
a hat, scarf and gloves for their child for outdoor play. Wellies and raincoats should be provided for
wet days. You can label these items and
leave them in the centre if you wish to do so.
Can the
afterschool parents please ensure your child is dressed for the cold weather.
As we walk the children to school it is important that they have a hat, scarf
and gloves.
Christmas Charity Appeal
This year Mother Hubbards Navan has decided
to organise a Christmas present appeal for the women’s refuge association in
Navan and St. Vincent de Paul. Your child’s teacher will give you a letter with
further information on how to be a part of this worthy cause. These letters
will also be up on our doors for all to see. Parents are under no obligation to
participate in this appeal. If however you are in a position to participate, we
greatly appreciate your generosity in brightening up another family’s 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
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a
medium sized bowl. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Using a butter knife, spread white frosting on top
of each cookie.
- Let children decorate the cookies with sprinkles,
sugar, and candies.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Use red decorator gel to write “Ho Ho Ho!” on your
cookies.
- 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.
Merry
Christmas
We would like to take
this opportunity to wish all our parents and children a very Merry Christmas
and a happy and healthy 2015. Thank you all for you continuous support and care
throughout the year. We are very lucky to have such a wonderful family here at
mother Hubbards childcare, and we Thank you kindly for all you do.
Mother Hubbard’s,
151 Blackcastle lodge,
flowerhill,
Navan
Co. Meath
046-9070558