Staff

Management

The Board of Directors is made up of volunteers from the Community and Parents/Carers and is responsible for overall direction of the Nursery.  The Board meet monthly to evaluate and monitor the forward plans of the establishment.  If you wish to become a Board Member and help with the continued running of the Nursery, please do not hesitate to let Lesley-Anne know.

Chairperson

Kate Thornton

Board Members

Kim McLauchlan

Kylie Rodgers

Samantha Booth

Samantha McMillan

Sarah-Jane Lawrence

Meet The Staff

Lesley-Anne Roberts

Manager

Dear Parents/Carers,

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and welcome you and your child(ren) to  the Nursery.

Before I took on the role of Apple Tree Nursery Manager, I felt that I had an excellent knowledge and understanding of what a position of leadership was and the qualities needed to be effective and inspirational.

My early days in childcare at Apple Tree began as a student, then I was fortunate to have a post as a Childcare Practitioner with promotion to Depute and finally Manager and so am fortunate to have a holistic view of all position within the setting. I started working at Apple Tree in 2000.

As I progressed with my profession, I was successful in attaining my SVQ Level 4 and then my BA in Childhood Practice.

I consider myself to have the personal skills to provide an engaging environment for your child and family, using my knowledge and experiences.  I have high expectations for all the children in our Nursery and am committed in providing opportunities and experiences to achieve their full potential.

I ensure the staff team remain motivated and continuously attend training courses to support your children’s learning.

Heather Sweet

Depute Manager

Hello there, I am Heather Sweet and I consider myself fortunate after many years (since 1999) in childcare to feel as passionate today about my chosen career.  I am grateful that my role as Depute Manager continues to give me the opportunities to work with the children, the families and a staff team.  I am SVQ Level 4 trained in Childcare learning and development.  I strive on developing my Continued Personal Development and enthusiastically put into practice new skills learned both practically and theoretically.  My role allows me to exhibit a variety of skills such as an effective communicator, a compassionate nature, a good listener, strong leadership skills, a professional manner, with a sense of humour, imaginative and creative person, to name just a few of my qualities.  My goal is to continue to be motivated and provide memorable learning experiences.  We work as a team and nurture each child to succeed and develop skills and knowledge to continue their learning journey.

Abigail Tayler

Company Secretary

Hi, I am Abigail Tayler I began working at Apple Tree in 2019 I have the role of Apple Tree Nursery’s secretary you will find me in the office with an extra big smile. I am very much part of the Nursery team and very much enjoy my daily interaction with the children and their families. I have responsibility for ensuing staff wages are paid, newsletters are typed, invoices are sent out and all other general admin duties.

Stephanie Scott

Baby Room

Hi, I’m Stephanie Scott (Stephers) and am a fully qualified Childcare Practitioner with a vast knowledge and experience in childcare and education.  I keep my Continued Professional Development up to date by regularly attending courses to expand my own knowledge and development to help your child broaden and deepen their learning whilst in my care.  I am creative and thrive in finding interesting, exciting and challenging learning opportunities for your child to participate in.  Delivery of high quality childcare and education is of paramount importance to me and I demonstrate this fully through my working day.  I am approachable, cheerful, caring and thoughtful.  This is shown through the bonds and partnerships we will have during your child’s time at Apple Tree Nursery.

Caitlin Parkins

Baby Room

Hi, I am Caitlin Parkins and I have been working at Apple Tree Nursery since 2017,  I am a fully qualified Child Care Practitioner having completed my SVQ Level III. I am currently studying my BA in child hood and Practice. I am the Forest School leader at Apple Tree, I enjoy sharing my Forest skills and knowledge with the other staff members and regularly visiting our local forest. Our approach to risk means that our children constantly expand on their abilities by solving real-world issues, building self-belief and resilience. I consider myself to be an eager and enthusiastic member of the Apple Tree team.

Charmayne Murphy

Toddler Room

Hi, I am Charmayne Murphy I started working at Apple Tree Nursery in 2019 and have been a fully qualified practitioner since 2020. I have a leadership role in promoting gender equal play and developing each child’s creative journey and ensure each child reaches their full potential.

Yvonne Dunn

Toddler Room

Hi there, I’m Yvonne Dunn and I have been a Child Practitioner at Apple Tree Nursery since June 2009.  I consider myself to be committed to my job, to help the children and develop a safe and stimulating environment to ensure they receive the best possible care, whilst ensuring they are having fun whilst they learn.  I work as part of a team, caring for the children and working alongside the parents/carers.  I therefore consider myself to be reliable, approachable, supportive, thoughtful and am able to provide a high standard of activities and observations, to give the parents/carers continuous feedback regarding their children’s progress and learning journey.  I am also able to share my knowledge and experience with my colleagues and am continuously updating my learning through regular training sessions to ensure that the needs of all the children are being met.

Ellie McMillan

ELC Room

Hi, I am Ellie McMillan, in 2018 I attended Apple Tree on my placement from James Watt Collage, I completed my HNC in 2019 and I am now a fully qualified practitioner. I have a great relationship with all children and staff members. I have a passion for introducing community farming culture to our children, I am a highly organised and motivated practitioner who thrives to ensure we have a high quality learning environment.

Megan McDonald

ELC Room

Hi, I am Megan McDonald I now a fully qualified Childcare practitioner after doing my Apprenticeship at Apple Tree Nursery. I love to learn new skills, I am Apple Tree’s Communication Champion, looking at all areas related to speech, language and communication development and strategies . I am very fortunate to work alongside a very motivated team.

Charlotte Rutherford

ELC Room

Hello there my name is Charlotte Rutherford, I am part of the bank staff. I became a fully qualified child practitioner SVQ 3 in 2020 while I was at college I got the opportunity to do my placement at apple tree nursery I really enjoyed working with the staff and children. Once I completed my course I got offered bank work. I love getting the experience of helping out in all rooms and being part of a great team. Since starting in Apple Tree it has really helped in building my confidence. My children all attended Apple Tree Nursery and I can see why they loved it so much.

Leigha McMillan

Support Worker

Hello, I’m Leigha McMillan, I am an apprentice at Apple Tree Nursery. From a young age I have wanted a career in working with children. I’d like to describe myself as friendly, passionate and caring. I’ve experienced working in all rooms at Apple Tree, meaning that I understand the different stages and ages of children. I really enjoy getting to know each child individually while working at Apple Tree. I have a passion to read to the children and deliver high quality play experiences, as well as supporting them in developing their own skills. I am enthusiastic to learn more each day to improve.

Olivia Kell

Bank Worker

Hi there I’m Olivia Kell and I am delighted to have recently joined the Apple Tree team as an Apprentice. I have already completed a 2 year SVQ 2 childcare course at college and look forward to gaining further experiences at Nursery.

Erica Ledicott

Bank Worker

Hi, I am Erica Ledicott, I have been a bank staff member since 2017.    I have experience of working with babies, toddlers and ELC and am very enthusiastic at providing stimulating, exciting messy play activities and enhancing the construction areas within the nursery.  I am very active and encourage the children to participate in a variety of sporting initiatives.  I consider myself to be very ‘handy’ and happy to challenge myself to repair items/resources etc.  I am highly motivated to continue training and enhance my knowledge of childcare good practice.

Charlene Kane

Bank Worker

Hi I am Charlene Kane, I am a bank staff member and have been a qualified Childcare Practitioner for over since 2008.  I am a friendly, caring and enthusiastic person.  I like to be constantly learning and adapting my practice to ensure I provide the best I can for the child.  I do this by ongoing professional development, attending courses, sharing ideas with other members of staff and looking at new ideas.  I enjoy working as part of a team and am good at problem solving.  I also enjoy my role as a Bookbug Leader and provide Bookbug Sessions in the Nursery.

Leighann Greene

Support Worker

Hello everyone, firstly I’d like to introduce myself, my name is Leighann Greene. I recently joined the team at Apple Tree. Over the last few years I have spent time at college and I have also worked in many different settings locally Achievement Bute and Rothesay Joint Campus. I will be your contact for Health and Well Being, I am setting up an area in reception which I hope will be helpful for everyone. A big focus is going to be on our own and our children’s mental health. Lastly I am a great listener and if anyone just needs a chat or even a rant lets meet and see what we can do to help!

 

Emma MacDonald

Apprentice

Hello I am Emma MacDonald I originally came to the apple tree for the cleaning job that was advertised but then proceeded to become an apprentice working towards my SVQ3 as I have previously attended college for my N.C in early education and childcare which I ended up gaining the qualification of.  I still went ahead with my cleaning job at the apple tree while waiting for my PVG to go through to start in the nursery which let me get to see around the nursery and meet the staff before starting during the day with the children which made me feel calm and confident when starting my apprenticeship.

Megan Hunter

Apprentice

Hello, I am Megan Hunter, currently in the early stages of my Apprenticeship with Apple Tree Nursery. I am so excited to develop and grow with such a comforting and welcoming environment created by the Apple Tree staff and it’s amazing young faces. I would like to describe myself as a caring and exciting person, full of fun and loving experiences to share with the children each day with a warm smile! Before starting my Apprentice I was a co-dance teacher within one of Rothesay dance schools and look forward to sharing my passion and knowledge within aspects of the Nursery. 

Lauren Gilchrist

Apprentice

Hello, I am Lauren Gilchrist, I am currently in the early stages of my apprenticeship at Apple Tree Nursery and am incredibly excited to develop, grow and share experiences within the welcoming and warm environment created by the Apple Tree staff and children. From a young age I have always wanted to pursue a career in working with children and having attended Apple Tree Nursery myself I feel this is a great fit for me.