 It is with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to two long-serving members of our team:
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Cath Jones, the Leader at Bryn Awel and Ty Coch, will be leaving us on 11 October after an incredible 14 years of dedicated service.
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Jenna Wilcox, one of our Childcare Assistants, departed on 5 September to pursue a new opportunity after an impressive 23 years of commitment and care.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to both Cath and Jenna for their contributions and wish them every success in their new roles.
 We are thrilled to announce that Chloe Jeremiah, one of the team's Early Language Intervention Workers, has successfully completed her Master’s in Education. Chloe will be attending her graduation ceremony on the 29th of October. This milestone is a testament to her hard work, dedication, and passion for education. Congratulation Chloe!!
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We are thrilled to share some exciting news about recent promotions within our team:
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Kerry Bailey has been promoted to the position of Family Worker.
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Ciara Marrow, who started with us through our trainee programme, has successfully secured the role of Early Years Support Worker.
Congratulations to both Kerry and Ciara! We wish you every success in your new roles.
R…unstoppable!
A huge congratulations to North Team Family Worker Aimie Pate for successfully completing Cardiff’s Half Marathon on Sunday, 6th October. Aimie, you should never have doubted yourself – we’re incredibly proud of you! Also Louise Saddler, who completed it for the 8th time.
You are both such an inspiration! Could this be the start of an Early Years marathon group? 🏃♂️🏃♀️
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 September was a bustling month filled with several exciting team events.
Firstly, our Childcare teams returned to work after the summer holidays and kicked off the term by attending Vanguard Systems Thinking training at Ty Penallta. It was a highly successful day and a fantastic opportunity for everyone to come together. Huge thanks to the team for their enthusiasm and engagement. Stay tuned for the next round of dates, which will be announced soon.
Next, we had our Caerphilly Council Early Years Team Day at Blackwood Miners Institute. The day focused on the ALN-NET Act, with updates on the EYITP survey and Mobilising Team Caerphilly. Although it was a bit of a squeeze, it was wonderful to have the entire team in one place to share updates and ideas. A big thank you to everyone for participating in the team-building activities – who knew there were so many competitive people in Early Years! Preparations for next year’s ‘more challenging’ quiz are already underway.
Lastly, but certainly not least, we held our three Zone Meetings. All were well attended, and our speed dating activity provided a great opportunity for everyone to network with colleagues and partners within their Zone. The day focused on the changes in the process of accessing Flying Start Outreach placements, which everyone agreed was a positive step forward for our most vulnerable families. The dates for the next meetings have already been shared. If you haven’t received them, please contact Stacy Price.
The Welsh Government is conducting a survey to understand the SLCN of pandemic-era children aged 5 to 8 and in full-time schooling.
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the way we all live, learn, and work. Enforced social restrictions, the introduction of new ways of learning, and changes to assessments all have potentially long-lasting consequences, many of which are still beginning to emerge.
The Welsh Government, in collaboration with Bangor University and the University of South Wales (USW), is now conducting surveys for those who care for pandemic-era children who are now aged 5 to 8 and in full-time schooling.
The survey for parents or carers is available on 'Jisc Online Surveys'
The closing date for returns is 21 October 2024.
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 As the half-term break approaches, parents, carers and children can look forward to a series of fun-filled events across the county borough designed to entertain and engage kids of all ages.
For more details visit our Family Information Service (FIS) webpage.
 This year’s Recycle Week theme is ‘Rescue Me’. The campaign will run from 14 - 20 October 2024, focusing on rescuing recyclable items from heading to the rubbish bin.
The campaigns main message is that by recycling at least one extra item as part of our daily recycling routine will make a huge difference.
In last months bulletin we featured information about the new commercial recycling rules, requiring us to separate all recycling into four categories: food waste, paper and card, cans and plastics, and glass. As a reminder, please note the following improvements we all need to address:
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Designated Bins Only: We can only use the designated bins provided. We cannot dispose of additional shredding, boxes, plastic, etc. If there is additional waste at any site, please contact Chloe Teagle.
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Clean Food Containers: All food containers should be washed out before placing them in the bins.
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No Kitchen Roll or Blue Roll: Please do not place kitchen roll or blue roll in the recycling bins.
Thank you to everyone for your support.
 Reminder of Key Dates for Childcare and Early Education Applications:
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Flying Start Childcare: Children born between 1 September 2022 and 31 December 2022 in a Flying Start postcode can apply now. Parent can apply here: https://www.caerphillyearlyyears.co.uk/flyingstart
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Early Years Education (January and April 2025): Children whose 3rd birthday falls between 1 September 2024 and 31 March 2025 can apply now. The closing date is 25 October 2024. Parent can apply here: Early years education and starting school - Caerphilly Early Years. (Note: To support families, we have added a list of schools offering Early Years Education to our website.)
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Nursery 2025: Applications are open for children turning 3 between 1 September 2024 and 31 August 2025 to start nursery in September. The closing date is 21 February 2025. Parent can apply here: https://www.caerphilly.gov.uk/schooladmissions
 Parenting Week 2024, themed “Special Moments,” will be celebrated from Monday, October 21st to Friday, October 25th. As part of the festivities, Parents Connect Wales is hosting a webinar titled “Parents’ Voice across the Four Nations” on Wednesday, October 23rd at 10:00 AM.
This webinar will feature key speakers from across the UK, providing valuable insights and discussions on parenting. It’s a great opportunity to connect with other parents and professionals, share experiences, and learn from experts.
For more details and to register for the event, you can visit the Eventbrite page.
Parents Connect Wales Webinar : Parents’ Voice across the Four Nations Tickets, Wed, Oct 23, 2024 at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite
 It’s never too early to use more than one language with your little one. From birth, children can learn more than one language. The most important things are to:
- Use the language you are most comfortable with
- Use languages in a way that feels natural for you
- Give lots of opportunities to hear each language
- Have fun learning together
You can find this strategy in the 10 tips to help me learn to talk booklet.
For more information on interacting with young children, visit https://gov.wales/talk-with-me
We all need to complete the “Cyber Ninjas” information security refresher course.
Here's how:
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Visit the website: Go to https://www.matobolearning.co.uk/
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Log in: Enter your work email address and click “Log in”.
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Select your group: Choose “Caerphilly CBC - Refresher Course” and click Confirm.
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Complete the course: View the modules in English or Welsh.
Make sure to complete the course by 7 October.
If you encounter any issues, contact ITSecurity@caerphilly.gov.uk.
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All children aged 2 and 3 years (age on 31 August 2024) are eligible for a free flu vaccination in the form of a LAIV nasal spray. However, not all parents are aware of this or take up the offer.
Flu can be very serious for children. Please help to raise awareness of the importance of flu vaccination by talking to the parents you work with. Parents can talk to their Health Visitor, GP or practice nurse for information.
You can print our poster to display at your setting or hand out to parents.
More info: https://phw.nhs.wales/fluvaccine
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 Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) affects the chest and lungs, and can cause very serious illness for young children
From September 2024, an RSV vaccine will be offered to all women who are 28 or more weeks pregnant. This vaccine will help to protect their newborn baby from RSV when they at their most vulnerable to the virus.
Find out more here: RSV Vaccination for pregnant women - Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (nhs.wales)
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Coffi Cymraeg for Learners will take place at 1.30pm and Coffi Cymraeg for Welsh speakers will take place at 2.30pm on Friday, 18th October in the Training Room at CBI Parc-y-Felin.
Come and join us to learn more about training, practise your skills and network with supportive Welsh speaking colleagues within the team.
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