ORIENTATION
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.
New families are invited to attend orientation from the 27/11 to the 15/12. You may hear your children talking about new friendsJ
2024 ENROLMENTS
As stated in your confirmation email.
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.
POOH’S CORNER CHILDREN
All Pooh’s Corner enrolments finish on Friday 22nd December 2023 (unless January care has been arranged and confirmed with Monique) We will be refunding bonds mid-January 2024. Please let us know via email the bank account you wish to have your bond refunded to.
POOHS CORNER GRADUATION
Poohs Corner Graduation will be on Friday 15th December at Castle Hill Lollipops Playland 6pm-8pm.
An invitation will be sent to Poohs Corner families soon. We look forward to celebrating this wonderful milestone.
STAFF NEWS
We have some new educators; Miss Annaliese, Miss Shannon and Miss Ellie. You will see them in all rooms. Miss Annaliese, Miss Shannon and Miss Ellie are working towards their Certificate three in Children’s Services.
Miss Jess will be completing her final practicum placement for her Early Childhood Degree – Miss Jess will be on placement 20/11/23- 15/12/23 inclusive.
Miss Monique and Mr Simon will be on annual leave 17/11/23 to 24/11/23 inclusive. Miss Allison and Miss Jo will be in the office.
STAFFING ARRANGEMENTS 2024
Miss Allison will be our Director of Hunny Pots ELC from 15th January 2024! Miss Allison has been with Hunny Pots ELC for 11 years and worked in Poohs Corner as our Room leader, Educational leader and Assistant director with Miss Jo. Miss Monique will not be reducing her workload at all – this is to maintain our high standard of care, education and mentoring for our educators. The regulatory paperwork has increased significantly and Monique and Simon will maintain the business, enrolments and maintenance side of Hunny Pots ELC. Miss Allison will focus on the daily running of the centre Monday to Thursday 9am-3pm.
CASUAL BOOKINGS
Please email info@hunnypots.com.au if you are requesting a casual day. We know in the lead up to Christmas etc, an extra day for your child might be required. If we have a vacancy, we are happy to help.
A casual attendance is the same daily fee; please check your activity hours cover the extra day for child care subsidy.
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 physically attend the last day of care (minimum one hour) to receive child care subsidy on your last day.
Quality area 5 – relationships with children
Due to our high level of staffing, our educators get time off the floor to self-assess our centre, based on the different quality areas of the self-assessment tool working document. From their self-assessment we put together key practices that meet the elements under each standard. Below are some examples of our key practices for quality area 5.
5.1.1 – Responsive and meaningful interactions build trusting relationships
which engage and support each child to feel secure, confident and included.
- Staff engage with the children on a day-to-day basis asking them what they would like out in the environment. The children are able to reflect on their day discussing what they liked about today and why and what they would like out or learn tomorrow. The children are involved in the set-up of the experience and where that experience is set up with what materials. This is documented in our curriculum planners.
- Staff sit and engage with the children at the different experiences taking the lead from the children but also finding opportunities for intentional teaching. Educators ask open-ended questions to provoke their thinking and to add to their ideas through extending their play. This can be seen in our curriculum planners and observing our daily interactions.
5.1.2 – The dignity and rights of every child are maintained.
- Our environment is set up to provide different areas for the children who need a quiet space or need areas for active play. We respect it when children are upset to have space to release these emotions and when they are ready to talk through it with an educator.
- The United Nations convention on the right of the child is displayed for staff and families to read. Staff regularly read and reflect on this, adding it to their everyday practice. The rights of the child have been reflected via reflection questions. The educational leader has printed out posters on the rights of the child for educators to read and reflect but to also read to the children as the poster is targeted for children to listen to as well empowering their rights.
- Staff review our behaviour management policy yearly. Staff get to the level of children and listen to them, providing different strategies to help with conflicts or behaviour using a calm voice. Educators redirect the children to a different area to allow them to calm their emotions before discussing. Educational leaders give out different articles to refresh the educators’ practices regarding behaviour management. They use this information to reflect in the planners, room reflection.
5.2.1 – Children are supported to collaborate, learn from and help each other.
- We provide small group experiences where children are given the opportunity to work together to complete an activity e.g., Floor puzzles, construction etc. educators guide and use intentional teaching to help assist giving them strategies.
- In Poohs corner we have a greeting monitor where the children come up and greet their friends by choosing to either high five, fist bump or hug to create a sense of belonging.
- We involve children in collaborative learning through mind maps, co- constructing ideas for different projects/interests at the time. The educators use this information to plan experiences and extend.
- Educators use group times/yarning circles to capture children’s voices and ask questions to extend children’s learning in group situations. books.
5.2.2 – Each child is supported to regulate their own behaviour, respond appropriately to the behaviour of others and communicate effectively to resolve conflicts.
- Poohs corner introduced the zones of regulation incorporate colour zones to represent how they are feeling. We give them the vocabulary to express how they are feeling and give strategies to help with the different emotions. We have these displayed on our wall and we incorporate this language every day and the children are starting to use this as well. We also have our brain break area which has pictures of the different zones and sensory experiences for the children to explore to calm down.
- We have books which talk about emotions, friendships, solving conflicts etc. which are read to the children regularly to help guide the children in solving different conflicts.
Affirmations
Each room read out affirmations daily. Affirmations promote positivity in the room. Positive affirmations help children accept themselves and achieve their dreams. They also help children gain confidence, contribute to a growth mindset and it helps children truly believe in themselves. Poohs corner have had an interest in the affirmations and wanted to create their own. Read some of the children’s affirmations
Atharv- “we love Dharug people and the Dharug land”
Aanya – ‘lay down on the grass and take a breath”
Atreya – “thank you for sharing Dharug land and never ruin Dharag land”
Chelsea – “teachers are the best”
Louis – ‘Police help us”
Finn – “the trees help you breath in our world”
Dhriti – “be yourself and be positive”
END OF YEAR EVENTS
Outdoor classroom day – Thursday 2nd November
Magic Craig show “Preschool is magic” – Monday 6th November at 10.30am for Tiggers children
Remembrance Day – Saturday 11th November
World Kindness Day – Monday 13th November
Living safely with dogs visit – Thursday 16th November 10am for Poohs Corner
Universal Children’s Day – Monday 20th November
Tuesday 5th December – Puddleducks water safety talk 10.30am for 2- 5yrs
Human Rights Day – Sunday 10th December
Anniversary of the Barunya Statement – Wednesday 20th December
Anniversary of the Native Title Act – Friday 22nd December
SAVE THE DATE
Thursday 7th December – Hunny Pots ELC family Christmas party! Wear Christmas clothes! 3pm-5.30pm. More information to come.
Poohs Corner Graduation – Lollipops Playland Castle Hill– Friday 15th December 6pm-8pm. Invitation to come soon.
Fun end of year activities at Hunny Pots ELC – 14th – 21st December – information coming later!.
Centre Closure over the Christmas break – We will be operating up to and including Friday 22nd December and reopening on Monday 8th January 2024. Simon and Monique will be appreciating a break and will be absent from emails/calls 23/12/23 to 7/1/24.