ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Indigenous Acknowledgement: Here is the land, here is the sky. Here are my friends and here am I. We thank you Dharug people for the land on which we learn and play. Hand up, hands down. We are on Dharug ground.
ENROLMENTS
We sincerely thank you for your ongoing enrolments at Hunny Pots ELC.
Enrolment confirmations have been sent to existing families.
We will be sending enrolment confirmations for 2024 to new families in September.
For existing families: Update of bonds are due by Tuesday 19th September 2023 (via iPay, added to your invoice) to secure your child’s days of attendance for 2024.
Reducing confirmed days for 2024 after Tuesday 19th September 2023 (eg: reducing days from 5 days to 2 days) will mean you to forfeit your bond for the days reduced.
Withdrawing your child’s enrolment for 2024 after Tuesday 19th September will forfeit your full bond.
Your child’s current enrolment pattern (from September 2023) must be ongoing throughout 2023 to maintain your confirmed 2024 enrolment. Any notice / withdrawal / reduction will void this 2024 confirmation.
ORIENTATION
Over the coming months, children from Eeyores and Tiggers Place will be participating in orientation if they are moving up a room for 2024. We will do this in small groups to ensure ratios are being met. If your child has participated in orientation, we will let you know. We will be working closely with all families on any strategies to assist with our transitions.
New children starting in 2024, will have orientation in November & December.
SUN PROTECTION/CLOTHING
Heading into Spring, the change of season; Please remember, our Sun Protection Policy states for all children to wear a broad brimmed, legionnaire’s style hat, or bucket style hat – NO BASEBALL HATS ALOWED.
Also, children must wear clothing that covers their shoulders – NO SINGLETS, STRAP DRESSES, MUSCLE TOPS OR THONGS ALLOWED.
This is to encourage lifelong sun protection skills for your child.
TRANSITION TO SCHOOL STATEMENTS
We are continuing to implement Transition to School Statements for the children going to school next year. We are using the Digital format/ portal – consent forms have been completed by families.
These Transition to School Statements is for active Pooh’s Corner enrolments going to school in 2024.
Our Pooh’s Corner teachers will be working on the statements – with family consent, these statements will be sent to the school through the NSW Department of Education portal.
We are honored to be working again in partnership with families and schools to transition our children to school in 2024.
SELF ASSESSMENT/ QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
Early Learning Centres have to follow the National Quality Framework (NQF). The NQF aims to raise quality and drive continuous improvement and consistency in children education and care. The NQF is broken down into Education and care services National Law, Education and care services National regulations, National Quality standards, Approved learning frameworks and the Assessment and Rating process by the regulatory authority.
We embed and use our self-assessment tool working document to assess compliance against the regulations, assess our key practices against the 7 quality areas and we set goals to make sure we have that continuous improvement.
The NSW department of education have been working on developing a digital portal where we can upload our self-assessment tool and continually add to it. Hunny Pots ELC has the wonderful opportunity to be part of the trial of the digital portal. Monique and Allison did a webinar about the portal trial and we have been looking at it and starting to add our self-assessment tool working document to it. We have been liaising with Naomi a field officer from the quality support team from the Early Childhood Directorate. She has been providing valuable feedback to really show case our amazing key practices we implement on a day-to-day basis.
We will continue to keep you updated with how we are going with the trial of the digital portal.
LUNCHBOX DAYS/CRUNCH AND SIP FOR POOHS CORNER
Coming up we have our Lunchbox and crunch and sip days. This is part of our school readiness program and vital for children and families.
Please read the email sent to Poohs Corner families for more information (also displayed in our foyer)
RECIPE TO SHARE – HEALTHY LAMB BURGERS
Ingredients:
1kg lamb mince
1 onion diced
2 carrots grated
2 zucchinis grated
1 tin of lentils drained, rinsed and mashed
Tomato sauce
BBQ sauce
Italian herbs, garlic
Breadcrumbs
Method: Mix together onion, carrots, zucchini, lentils, sauces, garlic and herbs well
Mix in the lamb mince, add enough breadcrumbs to make a firm mixture
Use wet hands, roll into large (meatloaf style) logs, slice into burger patties
Place onto greased oven trays and bake at 180C for approx. 20 mins until cooked
Serve on wholemeal bread with tomato slices, shredded lettuce and sauce.
WITHDRAWAL OF YOUR CHILD/REDUCING DAYS
Parents must give at least three weeks written notice to the Director before withdrawing their child from Hunny Pots. If the child does not attend the centre during this period, fees are still payable (please see the below section: A child who has not yet received care or who has ceased receiving care) If the child is withdrawn without notice, three weeks full fees must be paid regardless.
Parents may reduce their child’s days of attendance by giving three weeks’ notice to the Director.
No notice period accepted in December and January for withdrawing or reducing days.
A child who has not yet received care or who has ceased receiving care
Below is from the Child Care Handbook Australian Government Department of Education and Training:
Child Care Subsidy will not be paid for absences where a provider charges a family to reserve a place for a child who has not yet physically started care.
If a child is booked in to start at a service on a particular date, and does not start on that day, no Child Care Subsidy will be paid until the child physically attends a session of care.
Similarly, a child care service is taken to have permanently ceased providing care for a child on the day the child last physically attends a session of care. This means that Child Care Subsidy will not be paid for absences submitted after a child last physically attends a session of care.
If a family has confirmed their child’s last day at a service, but that child does not attend their last booked sessions of care, no Child Care Subsidy will be paid for any days after the child’s last physical attendance at the service.
If a provider continues to charge fees for sessions on days after a child has left the service because the family did not give the agreed period of notice, Child Care Subsidy will not be payable for these sessions of care. If absences are reported in the above circumstances and Child Care Subsidy is incorrectly paid, these amounts will be recovered from the service.
You must attend the last day of care to receive child care subsidy on your last day.
UPCOMING EVENTS
1/9/23 – Father’s Day – We are hosting a special Father’s day afternoon tea on Friday 1st September 2.30-3.30pm. It is also Jersey Day – all children and dads can wear a jersey!
6/9/23 – On Wednesday 6th September, Early Childhood Educators Day. A wonderful day to acknowledge and appreciate our special educators.
6/9/23– Indigenous Literacy Day
7/9/23 – On Thursday 7th September we have Caddies Creek coming to Hunny Pots ELC to speak to families about Transitioning to School at 6pm.
8/9/23 – International Literacy Day
14/9/23 – Thursday 14/9 wear YELLLOW for RUOK day
17/9/23 – On Tuesday 17th September Energetic minds will be visiting for a SCIENCE show “Old Mc Donald and the great barn” starting at 9.45am.
19/9/23 – Talk like a Pirate day – you can dress up as a Pirate too!
22/9/23 – Friday 22/9 Messy Makers coming for Eeyores! 10am
16/10/23 – World Food Day
16-22/10/23 – National Water Week
20/10/23 – On Friday 20th October, to wear a bright shirt for Loud Shirt Day. Raising awareness for Deaf and hearing impaired.
27/10/23 – On Friday 27th October, Wear RED for Day for Daniel.
31/10/23 – On Tuesday 31st October, we have the Recycle man Show coming to Hunny Pots ELC for a 10am and 10.45am show/s.
Centre Closure over the Christmas break – We will be operating up to and including Friday 22nd December 2023 and reopening on Monday 8th January 2024.