Early Years Department
The Early Years Department at Villa Grimani International School is located in its own separate building within the school grounds.
It comprises of 3 departments:-
Pre- Nursery – children aged 1-3 years
Nursery 1 – children aged 3-4
Nursery 2 – children aged 4-5
The first week’s induction programme
The Early Years department staff at Villa Grimani International School want your child’s entry into the Nursery to be a smooth one. Your child needs to feel safe, secure and cared for in this new and different environment. As children they will very quickly learn that coming to this ‘new’ Nursery is a fun and enjoyable experience and the nursery staff soon become a second family. To ease your child’s entry into, perhaps their first experience away from home or their first English speaking experience we offer a gradual entry programme into Pre- Nursery and Nursery 1 and for new children entering Nursery 2. You will be informed of the day on which your child will start school and exactly how the entry programme works, DURING THE SUMMER HOLIDAY.
General advice
Please remember, this experience may seem traumatic at the time but it WILL pass and very soon your child will be running through the door to get to Nursery! It is perfectly normal to see a change in your child’s mood, sleeping and eating habits during the initial phase of starting Nursery when she/he is getting used to being in a new school environment especially after the long summer holiday.
It is also possible that at times your child will say she/he does not want to go to school. This is perfectly normal; often children need a few weeks or even months to adapt to their new environment. We advise you to remain calm, to continue bringing your child to school and to not give in to their requests to stay at home. Please do not lie to your child, be calm, clear and firm. In the morning bring your child to school, help them take off their coat and bag, tell them you are leaving, give them a kiss and GO! The more agitated, sad or nervous you are the more your child will cling to you and cry. Parents often feel more anxious about the situation than the children….the children are the ones left to have all the fun, we are the ones left worrying at the school gates about our ‘babies’! Just try and remember, this is a transitional phase that every child and every parent in the world has to go through. Please support the Nursery staff and they will support you and your child.
Items to be provided to the school
Please ensure ALL your child’s belongings are labelled clearly with their name.
Pre- Nursery/Nido
- 2 FULL changes of clothes in a drawstring bag, + plastic bags for wet clothes
- 2 plastic bibs
- 2 towels for nappy changing
- Non-slip socks or slippers/crocs
- 1 plastic drinking cup or bottle to remain at school
- 1 pack of nappies to be supplied as necessary
- 1 pack of wet wipes, to be supplied as necessary
- Nappy cream (if used)
- Cot or bed sheets – 1 under sheet, 1 top sheet, 1 blanket, 1 small pillow and pillow case
- 1 plastic apron for messy activities
- 8 passport size photographs
- 1 pair of wellington boots and outdoor plastic trousers (optional)
- 1 plastic paged folder – 60 pages – (New children only)
- 1 diary or note book for communications
- 1 A4 plastic wallet with closable flap
Nursery 1
- A diary, ONLY if your child travels home on the school bus
- 2 complete changes of clothes (not necessarily school uniform but similar colours) in a drawstring bag + plastic bags for wet clothes.
- 1 under sheet, 1 top sheet, 1 blanket, 1 small pillow and pillow case (beds measure 134cmx58cm).
- 1 pair of non-slip socks for P.E.
- 1 pair of Wellington boots
- 1 pair of outdoor plastic trousers.(optional, but advised)
- 1 PLASTIC apron for messy activities
- 1 plastic drinking cup
- 8 passport size photographs
- 1 family photograph
- 1 pair of slippers or ‘Croc’ style shoes for indoor wear
- 1 ‘plastic paged folder’- 60 pages (New children only)
- An A4 plastic wallet with a closable flap.
Nursery 2
- A diary, ONLY if your child travels home on the school bus
- 2 complete changes of clothes (not necessarily school uniform but similar colours) in a drawstring bag + plastic bags for wet clothes.
- 1 under sheet, 1 top sheet, 1 blanket, 1 small pillow and pillow case (beds measure 134cmx58cm) IF you wish your child to sleep at school.
- 1 pair of slip socks for P.E.
- A pair of outdoor plastic trousers (optional, but advised)
- A pair of Wellington boots
- 1 PLASTIC apron for messy activities
- 1 plastic drinking cup
- 8 passport size photographs
- A family photograph
- An A4 plastic wallet with a closable flap.
- A4 ring binder and plastic wallets
- 2 whiteboard markers
How to apply
It is possible to enrol your child at Villa Grimani at any point during the academic year providing there are spaces available. Children are accepted from Italian, foreign and international schools. They may be asked to sit an entry test and meet with staff on a few occasions to gage their level of English and to decide in which class they should be placed. Children entering with little or no English are given individual support from our support teachers in and out of the classroom.