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. We see you Dharug people, we hear you Dharug people, and we thank you Dharug people
DEVELOPMENTAL RECORDS
Half yearly developmental summative assessments have been completed by our educators and overseen by our Educational leaders Miss Allison and Miss Jo. They were printed for their portfolios and available for families to see, set new goals and provide feedback – assisting us with our critical reflection of developmental summative assessments.
Our portfolios are always available for families to view upon request; throughout the year we will send reminders to our families to come and view your children’s portfolio and see their learning journey. The children’s portfolios need to stay at Hunny Pots throughout the year. They are given to families at the end of the year to take home.
We have sent out an invitation for families to come in and view their child’s portfolio during the week 7th July – 11th July. Please see letter that was emailed
FEE INCREASE
Fee increase will occur the week commencing 7th July 2025
| ROOM | AGE GROUP | DAILY RATE
2025 |
| EEYORE’S SPOT | 0-2 YRS | $170 |
| EEYORES SPOT | 2-3YRS | $165 |
| TIGGER’S PLACE | 3-4YRS | $156 |
| POOH’S CORNER | 4-5 YRS | $156 |
Families will receive a new CWA (Complying written agreement) week commencing 7th July – for new fee structure for week commencing 7th July 2025.
CHILDCARE USAGE STATEMENTS
Statements for January to June 2025 will be sent to family’s week commencing 30/6/25.
This shows your usage of care, child care subsidy and absences.
It will be sent from our software HUBHELLO.
STEPS EYE TESTING FOR 4 YEAR OLDS
On Tuesday 26th August we will have NSW Health nurses conducting eye testing for 4 year olds.
Permission forms will be handed out closer to the date.
RE-ENROLMENT FOR 2026
Re-enrolment forms will be handed out in August for 2026 enrolment.
Please start thinking of your 2026 requirements.
PHOTO DAYS
GS imaging will come in (morning) Tuesday 19th and Thursday 21st of August for our school photos.
This is completely optional for families to purchase.
All children attending the days of photos, will have their photos taken for the class photo.
Times and ordering envelopes will be handed out and advised closer to the date.
STAFF TRAINING
Our educators have been busy being involved in different professional development. Below are the different topics the educators have been learning more about. We are very passionate about always reflecting on our practices and improving our knowledge and skills.
Emma and Chloe – toilet training webinar
Shubhi – sleep and rest webinar
Jemma – child psychology and development science
Sohie – child centred rest time
Katelyn – building children sensory play opportunities
Paige – child focused meal times
Rhiannon – embedding compliance in room displays
Rupinder – ensuring assessments of children support their rights
Emily and Jess – creating a cohesive pedagogical approach
Allison – transition to school statements
CHILD SAFETY PRORITY PROGRAM
The NSW Department of Education, as the regulatory authority (NSW Regulatory Authority) for the ECEC sector in NSW, has launched a Child Safety Regulatory Priority Program to support ECEC providers, services and educators to strengthen child safe practice and support to keep children safe and prevent harm and abuse.
From May 2025, the NSW Regulatory Authority’s Child Safety Regulatory Priority Program will focus on supporting providers, service leaders and educators to embed child safe culture, behaviours and practices in ECEC services, and compliance with child safety regulatory requirements.
Child safety is a broad topic that covers many practice areas. The Child Safety Regulatory Priority Program will focus on 5 priority themes key to building a safe environment in ECEC and protecting children from harm and abuse.
The 5 priority themes are
- Staffing and supervision
- Reporting culture
- Safe physical environment
- Relationship with children
- Child safe online environments
At Hunny Pots ELC we pride ourselves on child safety practices. We have policies and procedures in place that look at these 5 themes we have risk assessments that also look at these themes. These are reviewed regularly by our educators and management. Our educators get time off the floor to research, professional development and reflect to improve on our practices. Over the remainder of the year in each newsletter we will elaborate more on these 5 key priority themes.
Staffing and supervision
Staffing and supervision are essential components of ensuring children are safe in ECEC. This theme focuses on robust child safe recruitment and induction processes to ensure all staff in ECEC are suitable to work with children and understand their roles in keeping children safe.
It also highlights the importance of maintaining adequate supervision at all times, and how supervision requirements and educator-to-child ratios work together to create environments that focus on the needs, safety and wellbeing of children.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
We have recently reached out to our surrounding schools Holy Cross and Caddies Creek primary school to organise excursion for our children going to school next year. We are very proud of our partnership we have created with our surrounding schools. This makes the transition to school a smooth one. A small group of children had the opportunity to visit Holy Cross and look at the environment, explore the play ground equipment and read stories in the library. We will continue to organise these excursions for the remainder of the year.
STAFF NEWS
Congratulations to Miss Chloe and Miss Shubhi for completing their Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
Miss Paige will complete her certificate 3 at the end of July. Miss Paige will be continuing her studies of Diploma traineeship
RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN (RAP)
One of our goals we are working on through our RAP
Our Goal is that all Children are active and informed members of their communities, with knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander perspectives. Continue to have a curriculum that is inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. Supporting educators to engage in their own ongoing learning relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and to develop culturally responsive pedagogies and practices.
How is this goal being achieved
Educators have been embedding diverse teaching practices into our program inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives that explicit throughout the EYLF including the vision, principles, practices and outcomes.
Providing adequate resources for educators to incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into the program.
Educators continue to engage in the Reconciliation Action plan training session through Zoom to further develop knowledge on our Reconciliation journey
Educators have access to Koori curriculum Podcast sessions to further continue adequate training and knowledge to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into the program.
Educators have researched 8 Ways of learning into our program through projects, children’s learning, yarning circles, Incursions, Inclusive representation in indoor and outdoor learning environments, special Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander events and celebrations.
WINTER IS COMING
We do go outside in the Winter months – we ask for children to be dressed appropriately for outside play. We encourage active play outside to stay fit and healthy!
We also teach the children to take off clothing layers when inside.
Being outside, having room ventilation decreases the spread of germs.
It also helps us to stay active during the cooler weather.
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’ written notice to the Director.
No notice period accepted in December and January for withdrawing or reducing days.
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. Please attend your last day of attendance for child care subsidy reasons.
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.
ILLNESS
A timely reminder to ensure all children with an illness stay at home to rest and recover.
A very big thank you to our families for your proactive efforts in keeping your unwell children at home. We have certainly noticed many children absent due to colds and flu in the past few weeks. By keeping your children home to rest and recover, you are helping your families and other children in our care by not infecting others.
Please remember, if your child has Panadol or Nurofen in their system, they are not to come to Hunny Pots. You are only masking the symptoms and the illness will spread to other children and our educators.
We are able to administer prescribed antibiotics (after your child has been taking it for 24hours); you will need to complete a medication form (near the sign in/out sheets in foyer).
We are unable to administer any over the counter medication at Hunny Pots e.g.: cough mixtures etc.
We are only able to administer Panadol at Hunny Pots if a child has a temperature of 38 degrees or above and with parent consent/ once and arrange for pick up.
If your child presents any illness symptoms, we will call you to arrange an immediate pick up. They are unable to attend for a full business day eg: sent home on Wednesday – they cannot return until Friday pending on last temperature/symptom.
We will also give you a courtesy call if your child is feeling “off” – no immediate pick up is needed.
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).
These practices are in place to protect all children, families and our educators from the spread of illness.
We thank you in advance for your cooperation.
EVENTS
JULY-
- NAIDOC WEEK 7th – 14th
- NYUNBAR EDUCATION 8TH July
- Teddy bear picnic July 10th THURSDAY
- National pj day 18th July FRIDAY
- National tree day/School tree day 25th July FRIDAY
- Early Learning matters 28th July – 3rd August
AUGUST –
- Aboriginal Children’s Day à 4th August MONDAY
- Dental health week 4th – 10th August
- Crazy scientist show – 7th August THURSDAY
- Red Nose Day à 8th August FRIDAY
- National Science Week à 9th – 17th August
- Book Week à 18th – 23rd August
- Photo Days à 19th and 21st August TUESDAY AND THURSDAY
- Messy makers are coming for Tiggers! Tuesday 26th August
CLOSURE DATES FOR 2025 – Last day for 2025 Friday 19th December 2024 – we reopen Monday 5th January 2026.
Clink on this link for some great podcasts around early learning and the importance of it.
HELPFUL HINT
Now is the time for Poohs Corner families to enroll for school for 2026.
To visit the school for enrolment forms.