Hello and welcome to 2002!

Thankfully it is warmer on the bus now that we have finally had the problem with the heating diagnosed and repaired. Sorry for the delayed start to the term but it was simply too cold to run without the heater working. Hopefully we are over the worst of the weather now but even if there is a cold snap we should be OK. Please make sure that you have completed a registration card though so if we have to cancel the bus (snow drifts?!!) we can let you know.

A BIG THANKYOU to Adrian at A L Engineering at Yaxley for getting the bus fixed over the weekend last month when we had a problem with the brakes. Adrian collected the bus late Friday night and had it mended by Sunday, how about that for service!

We are now coming into the season for fundraising events and I would like to remind you that the committee expects each stop to organise an event of some kind once a year to raise money for the Playbus. This could be a sponsored event (sponsored splash for toddlers in the weather we’ve had recently!), cake stall, quiz, coffee morning or whatever you can manage. If you need any help getting your idea off the ground please feel free to give me a call on 01379 650746, or contact any member of the committee.

Free Places
All children who will have their 4th birthday by December 31st this year are entitled to 5 free sessions per week, starting from Easter, at the pre-school provision of their choice. These free sessions can be divided between a number of providers, the Playbus being one, and by bringing your grant to us we will guarantee a place for your child at the session/s of your choice. Your child will also get an extra half an hour linked to the Early Learning Goals. We have made some special arrangements for the younger siblings of children attending the extra half an hour and you will get full details of this when you complete your funded child’s declaration form.

If you would like to have free sessions for your child on the bus please let Gill or Sara know as soon as possible as there is a deadline, called the Count Day, for us to return forms to claim the payment for these sessions. This term is so short that we are already making plans for the summer term to ensure that we have adequate staff available. Declaration forms for free session/s on the Playbus are available from Gill or Sara.

New Timetable
You will have noticed the changes to the timetable, there are now copies on the bus which have all the dates until the summer, and we have tried to work it so that all villages get a fair number of visits despite the holidays in the future.

Evaluation
There are copies of the evaluation questionnaire on the bus, which we conduct every year. Please do spare a few minutes to fill one in as it provides us with invaluable information which helps with grant applications. All comments and responses will be completely confidential and it gives you the opportunity to tell us what you like about the Playbus service and what you would like to see improved.

Craft Shop
There are craft shop price lists on the bus so please pick up a copy to take home. The craft shop is near the coat hooks, just select what you want and pay Gill or Sara.

Congratulations!
Well done Sara for completing her NVQ Level 3, Early Years Care and Education.

Storytime
Just a reminder about storytime, while the children are having their milk and biscuit and listening to a story you have the opportunity to leave your child for a few minutes and go upstairs for a coffee yourself. It is in the interests of the children for you to go upstairs so they can concentrate on the story and develop their listening skills and independence. If your child is reluctant they can go upstairs with you to avoid disrupting the story. Hot water is in the flasks so you can help yourself to a cup of tea or coffee (25p) or hot chocolate (40p).

Play Sessions
There will be Play Sessions on the Playbus at Thorndon during the Easter holidays as in previous holidays, they will be held on Tuesday 26th March. As usual there will be 2 sessions 10-12am and 1-3 pm and all places will need to be booked and paid for in advance. Please see Gill or Sara if you would like to book a place.

Summer Playscheme
For all those mega-organised amongst you we hope to run the Playscheme again this year and have provisional dates of Monday July 29th until Friday 23rd August, so you can now start planning your children's summer activities with those dates in mind!

Fire Drill
During the summer term Gill and Sara will be carrying out fire drills at every stop to ensure that the bus could be evacuated quickly in the event of an emergency. So be prepared!

Fundraisng events
The Spring Bonnet Parade on 27th April, leaving the Rainbow supermarket car 10 a.m. in Diss to walk to the Playbus in Palgrave replaces the Easter Parade this year as the weather should be a bit more reliable in April. In past years this has been a really good morning with fun and chocolate for all children participating, adults will have to go and buy their chocolate fix from the cake stall! There will also be the usual coffees/teas on sale, raffle and other fundraisng stalls inside the Community Centre so bring all your friends along!

Co-op ‘divi’ number
Another way of fundraising for the Playbus is with our new ‘divi’ number for use when shopping at Co-op stores across East Anglia. We now have an account which means that 3% of the amount you spend can be credited to the Playbus and all you have to do is quote our number. Our ‘divi’ number is 374338 for Peterborough area Co-op stores and 7638 for Ipswich and Norwich area. There are cards on the Playbus which you can carry in your purse. Also don’t forget that up to 10% commission from all purchases on the Amazon.com website (toys, music and books at discount prices) when accessed through our site; www.pyramidsplaybus.org.uk goes to the Playbus. There’s also lots of useful information on our website including term dates, newsletters etc.so log on and have a look.

Dates for your Diary
Tuesday 19th March
Committee meeting

Friday 22nd March
Last day on the road

Tuesday 26th March
Playsessions at Thorndon

Tuesday 9th April
Playbus back on the road.

Saturday 27th April
Spring Bonnet Parade

3rd - 7th June
Half term

Friday 19th July
Last day of term

Monday 29th July - Friday 23rd August
Summer Playscheme

Newsletter MARCH 2002 - Registered Charity No. 283401 - www.pyramidsplaybus.org.uk

Gill Telephone 07836 745050 - Sue Telephone 01379 650746