EASTER HAT PARADE-
Thursday 28th March – Easter Hat Parade 2.15pm-3.30pm for all children
Please make your child’s hat at home to bring along.
The parade will commence promptly at 2.15pm, followed by afternoon tea and conclude at 3.30pm. This is for all children – if your child doesn’t attend on a Thursday and you would like to come along, we would love for you to join us! Come and meet the teachers 😊
An Invitation will be sent out soon.
Please be aware of car parking during this school pick up time.
PRE SCHOOL PROGRAM
In Tigger’s Place; Each child’s learning will be based on their interests, strengths and guided by the educators through intentional teaching. Our preschool program helps the children to develop a range of skills. We will be focussing on their Social, Self- help, Literacy, Numeracy, cutting and Physical skills. Pre-school learning is embedded in our daily program and routines. Holistic learning happens every day within the routine.
This year we have enrolled in a trial for pre-school and school readiness programs, where we get NSW Government funding for new resources to support the pre- School program and educator professional-development for example webinars or research.
Our preschool structured program starts 4th March – an email was sent to families in February providing information on our preschool learning.
How does the pre-school program work?
Tigger’s room will have two to three educators in the room based on ratios. Two groups of children will have two set educators to guide and support the children to learn new skills. There will be an educator floating between the groups where needed, redirecting and encouraging the children who may need guidance. This educator will assess the situation and engage the children in interest-based learning providing similar Pre-school program skills-based learning, e.g in home corner play, will use their intentional teaching skills to teach your child through play, being inclusive.
The children will participate in our pre – school program every second day e.g. One week we will conduct pre-school program on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The following week we will have pre- School program on Tuesday and Thursday. This allows all children to be involved in the program.
Families are to be aware that our individual learning, day to day concepts and learning are embedded into our everyday program.
SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAM
In Poohs Corner we are eligible for NSW Government funding as a structured school readiness program. Our school readiness program is called ‘School Train’. It will be starting Monday 4th March. An email was sent out in February providing you the information about happens in our school train program and what days we run the program and information on show and tell. We are very excited to start this program with your children.
To continue with our connection with our surrounding schools and to always reflect on other ways to prepare your children for the transition to school, we have organised again with Holy Cross for a small group of year 6 students to come and visit weekly when we are conducting our school train program. The year 6 students will join the groups and assist the children in completing the task with the guidance of the educators. This will start in term 2. What an amazing experience for your children to experience. When your children start kindergarten they are usually paired up with a buddy from an older grade. This is fantastic for your children to be exposed to this now.
School readiness skills are implemented everyday, all day through our curriculum. Our school train program is only a small part of the skills your children learn through our curriculum. Check out our curriculum planners to see all the amazing learning your child is doing to prepare them for that transition to big school.
In our foyer we will display this week’s letter of the week and next week’s letter. We will post this on our face book page so you can keep track what letter we are learning about and what letter object you need to bring in for show and tell eg. Aa you could bring in an aeroplane, apple etc.
CHILD SAFE STANDARDS
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCR) outline that children and young people have a right to be safe and cared for, no matter where they are or who they are with. Children have the right to be protected from violence, abuse or neglect. When working with children and young people, it is important to understand children’s rights and needs.
At Hunny Pots ELC, we are advocates for children and have a strong commitment to child safety and establishing and maintaining a child safe environment. Children’s safety and wellbeing are paramount. Hunny Pots ELC embeds the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and promotes a culture of safety and wellbeing to minimise the risk of child abuse or harm to children whilst promoting children’s sense of security and belonging. (NQF October 2023)
The Royal Commission developed the Child Safe Standards to articulate the essential components of a child safe organisation. The Child Safe Standards should guide what organisations need to do to be child safe. By establishing what is best practice and setting benchmarks to chart progress, organisations work towards becoming child safe.
We are currently reading and understanding the child safe standards. Our risk and safety Officers Sophie and Chloe with the guidance of Allison are providing reflective questions and opportunities to read through the 10 standards. This is a goal we have set in our SAT for quality area 2. We will be working through the document this year reflecting and setting goals.
Throughout the year in our newsletters, we will inform our families about the different standards and how it can be seen at Hunny Pots ELC.
RAP
Did you know that our 3rd Edition of RAP has been published and we are proud to announce this to our Hunny Pots families.
We are working on the following goals and deliverables and your input to our Rap journey will be appreciated and valued. Below are some of the goals that we are working on.
Goal: Build Relationships with community:
Children to develop understanding of the value and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, perspectives, and cultures, including their unique connection to the land, waters, and skies. At Hunny Pots Early Learning Centre, we will continue to develop cultural responsiveness as a Centre to show our respect for diversity, through our program to show inclusion for all children and families.
Deliverables:
- Continue with providing Cultural experiences led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- Children to further develop their knowledge of the land and art, music stories and language.
LEARNING THROUGH THE DAY
At Hunny Pots ELC the children are learning so much on a day to day basis. We plan experiences based on children’s interests, projects that are occurring at the moment and goals we are working on with your child. A daybook is sent out daily which is only a small snippet of the day. Each room also has a curriculum planner which you can view upon drop off and pick up to see all the other experiences that have occurred during the day and what experiences your child has explored. We endeavor to cover all our children in the daybook across the week. If you don’t see your child’s name in the daybook it doesn’t mean they haven’t done anything for that day. They still have been busy exploring and learning, so make sure you check our curriculum planners. If you have any questions, please come and see our educators.
STAFF TRAINING
Webinars
| Emma | Thinking holistically at learning activities 1/2/24 |
| Amanda | What next, extending 8/2/24 |
| Chloe | Child safe risk assessment 1/2/24
Connecting the dots 15/2 |
| Jemma | Agency in infants 7/2/24 |
| Katelyn | Child focused curriculum decisions 8/2/24 |
| Shubhi | Looking at your curriculum from a childs perspectives 8/2/24 |
| Rupinder | Child focused curriculum decisions 9/2/24 |
| Rhiannon | Phoenix support for educators 8/2/24 |
| Annaliese | Looking at the curriculum from a childs perspective 8/2 |
| Rokaya | Connecting the dots 15/2/24 |
Our team will participate in CPR refresher training on the 14th March 2024.
GROUP CARE RATIOS
Our Early Learning Centre is a Long day Care Centre. This means we are open for a longer day and follow the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011.
Long Day Care Services are a group care environment. This means we follow ratios of:
0–2-year old’s – one teacher for every four children
2–3-year old’s – one teacher for every five children
3–5-year old’s – one teacher for every ten children
These ratios are for the teachers who are actively supervising the children.
Group care means that whilst we plan individually and have small group interactions, our care isn’t one to one.
To cover the day, we have our educators starting and finishing at different times. We have staggered starting times and then again staggered finishing times.
During the late afternoon, as our educators are leaving for the day, we have less teachers (still maintaining effective supervision and ratios) It can be difficult to get into lengthy conversations as our supervision is our first priority. If you would like more information and time to speak to an educator, please send through an email and we can organize a suitable time.
If you have any questions about group care – please speak to Monique.
Our staffing includes Certificate three educators, working towards their Diploma, Diploma trained and Early Childhood Teachers. We have not only more educators than required but also more qualifications than required.
Having extra staffing allows us to provide consistency to our children and families, have our teams working better with regular staffing, allow for effective time off the floor to program and mentor.
Consistency of staffing is important to us to develop relationships, a high quality of care and a high level of learning for your children.
We are a service that is extremely proud of what we offer – a high standard of education, care, love and a resource to families. Providing individualised care for interest based learning and holistic based developmental curriculums that are linked closely to our Early Years Learning Framework.
CHILD CARE SUBSIDY
Each child has 42 allowable absences each financial year, to claim child care subsidy for an absence – holidays, day off, illness etc.
Your absences can be seen on your invoice that you receive each fortnight, and on your statements that we send every 6 months.
Number of children in care assists your child care subsidy – please click on the link for more information. https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/your-number-children-care-can-affect-your-higher-child-care-subsidy?context=41186
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. Please attend the last day
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.
IMMUNISATION = ENROLMENT
Please ensure that throughout the year if your child receives an immunisation e.g.: 12 months, 18months or 4years, you will need to provide your child’s immunisation status record to us.
Due to Government regulations, we are unable to enroll unimmunised children – failure to provide immunisation records = no enrolment.
You are required to keep your child at home for 24hours to monitor any side effects after immunisation/flu shot etc (please see policy).
We appreciate your cooperation.
FRUIT FOR TIGGER’S AND POOH’S CORNER
Please remember to bring in a piece of fruit each day your child attends and place in the baskets in the foyer (otherwise bring in a bigger piece of fruit e.g.: watermelon, pineapple, rockmelon for the week)
AFTERNOON PICK UP
The afternoons can get busy when multiple parents are picking up at the same time. Our peak pick up time is 5pm-6pm. In the afternoon our staff are there to maintain our ratios with the children. In the afternoon, we take pride in informing you about your child’s day, however, educators aren’t able to have long detailed conversations with you due to us maintaining quality interactions and our ratios. If you want to have more of a detailed conversation with your child’s educator, please feel free to arrange a time where we can organise to have an educator off the floor to talk you.
Supervision and interactions are our priority.
UPCOMING EVENTS
CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY – SUNDAY 3rd MARCH – What will you do to clean up our community? Let us know what you will do in our weekend books.
CRAZY HAIR DAY – Wednesday 6th March Come with CRAZY hair – it can be coloured, a cool hairstyle etc. GOLD COIN DONATION FOR THE LEUKEMIA FOUNDATION
MURU MITTIGAR CULTURAL VISIT – Monday 11th March at 10am.
GLOBAL RECYCLING DAY – Monday 18th March
WORLD STORYTELLING DAY – Wednesday 20TH MARCH – bring in your favourite story. Would any parents/ families like to come in to read a story?
CLOSE THE GAP (Aboriginal awareness) & HARMONY DAY – Thursday 21st March. To show their support for cultural diversity and an inclusive Australia, we ask that children/educators wear orange clothing and/or accessory (e.g., orange ribbon, socks, hair clips etc.) as orange is the colour chosen to represent Harmony Week.
RAMADAN – 10/3- 8/4.
HOLI – Thursday 25TH MARCH – come dressed in colours for a fun filled day.
EASTER HAT PARADE-
Thursday 28th March – Easter Hat Parade 2.15pm-3.30pm for all children
Please make your child’s hat at home to bring along. The parade will commence promptly at 2.15pm, followed by afternoon tea and conclude at 3.30pm. This is for all children – if your child doesn’t attend on a Thursday and you would like to come along, we would love for you to join us! Come and meet the teachers 😊
An Invitation will be sent out soon.
Please be aware of car parking during this school pick up time.
WEAR BLUE FOR AUTISM – Tuesday 2nd April – come dressed in blue
MAGIC CRAIG SHOW – Dental Hygiene on Thursday 4th April at 10am
WORLD HEALTH DAY – Sunday 7TH APRIL
EID Eid al-fitr – Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th April
Baisakhi Sikh – Saturday 13th April
TAMIL NEW YEAR – Sunday 14TH APRIL
ANZAC DAY – (day 25/4/23) recognised at Hunny Pots ELC on Wednesday 24th April.
ALLERGY WEEK – 24TH-28TH APRIL
NATURE PLAY WEEK – 16TH-24TH APRIL
EARTH DAY – Monday 22nd April
CLOSURE – This years closures dates are:
Last day Friday 20th December 2024 – reopening Monday 6th January 2025.