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.
ORIENTATION
Children from Eeyore’s and Tigger’s Place will be participating in orientation if they are moving up a room for 2027. We will do this in small groups to ensure ratios are met. This will start from 17/11/26 – 11/12/26 on selected days and times. If your child has participated in orientation, we will let you know.
New families are invited to attend orientation on selected days and times from 17/11/26 – 11/12/26. You may hear your children talking about new friends.
2027 ENROLMENTS
As stated in your confirmation email.
For existing families: Update of bonds are due by Tuesday 15th September 2026 (via iPay, added to your invoice) to secure your child’s days of attendance for 2027.
Reducing confirmed days for 2026 after Friday 11th September 2026 (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 2027 after Friday 11th September will forfeit your full bond.
Your child’s current enrolment pattern (from September 2026) must be ongoing throughout 2026 to maintain your confirmed 2027 enrolment. Any notice / withdrawal / reduction will void this 2027 confirmation.
POOH’S CORNER CHILDREN
All Pooh’s Corner enrolments finish on Wednesday 23rd December (unless January care has already been arranged and confirmed with Monique). We will be refunding bonds mid January 2027. 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 Thursday 10th December at Castle Hill Lollipops Playland 6pm-8pm.
An invitation has been sent to Poohs Corner families. We look forward to celebrating this wonderful milestone.
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(Please see the below section: A child who has not yet received care or who has ceased receiving care) If the child is withdrawn without notice, three weeks full fees must be paid regardless.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.
NATIONAL CHILD SAFE TRAINING
The National child safety training is mandatory for people working in ECEC
The training supports all people involved in ECEC to meet their legal child safety obligations, strengthen safeguarding practice and reduce harm to children
The training has been developed by the Australian Centre for Child Protection in partnership with the Queensland Government, on behalf of all Australian states and territories and the Australian Government
This is a National Child Safety reform initiative
Our team at Hunny Pots Early Learning Centre have been very proactive with completing courses foundation course 1 and 2 and Advanced training courses 3 and 4.
All paid training for our team predominantly in work hours
On 30/9/26 course 5 was released – for persons with management and control, nominated supervisors and persons in day to day charge
Simon and Monique – Approved Providers / Monique also Nominated Supervisor have completed courses 1,2,3,4 & 5.
The rest of our team of persons in day to day charge have completed this onsite / paid training over the last few weeks
We are also getting or other educators to complete course 5 as this is valuable information for all educators.
Child safe training is very important for our policies, procedures and practices
SELF ASSESSMENT TOOL (SAT)
We have been reflecting on our year in regard to our self-assessment tool. This is something that we pride ourselves on, looking at our key practices, looking at exceeding themes and looking at goals for continuous improvement, this is how we can maintain our exceeding rating. This is done monthly. One of the goals we have implemented this year is looking at our educators becoming, what educators do you want to become. This goal is so important as it allows educators to reflect on their practices to bring new ideas to foster the children’s safety and wellbeing and their learning. Through this goal our educators have been supported to view webinars, have professional collaborative discussions on different topics, and to always unpack different practices. I believe this allows for high quality of care for your children. We will be continuing this goal for next year as we have seen continued growth in our amazing educators.
REPORTS AND TRANSTION STATEMENTS
The educators are busy completing end of year reports and transition to school statements for the children. The educators have loved writing these reports as they can reflect on your child’s learning journey from the start of the year to now. These will be placed in your child’s portfolio which you can read when you are given your child’s portfolio at the end of the year. Regarding transition to school statements, these will be printed off for families to read before we send off to the school your child is attending.
Appraisals
In November, management will be conducting appraisals for all our educators. This is a time for our educators to reflect on their year; reflect on their goals and any future goals they want to work on for next year. Appraisals are a great time to really have a collaborative meeting to celebrate positives and to also continually improve, which we are passionate about.
RAP
We are currently in the process of refreshing our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Drawing on our educators’ progress notes and reflections, we have developed new goals and deliverables to strengthen our ongoing commitment to reconciliation, inclusion, and meaningful connections with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures.
We warmly welcome all families to view our Reconciliation Action Plan, proudly displayed in the foyer, and learn more about the steps we are taking towards reconciliation within our service.
Our educators continue to implement the 8 Ways of Learning through a range of projects and learning experiences across our preschool and school transition programs. These include project-based learning, hands-on activities, group collaboration, outdoor exploration, storytelling, creative arts, and play-based learning. Through these experiences, we aim to create meaningful learning opportunities that encourage children to explore, share knowledge, build connections, and develop an appreciation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and cultures.
Professional development
Our team working our National Child Safe training.
Allison and Monique attended the Australian Child Care Alliance networking meeting/dinner on Monday 19th October, discussing items of start strong funding, child safety reforms, children’s outcomes etc
Allison attended a webinar on assessment and rating to continue and add layers to her knowledge of self assessment and continuous improvement
Allison attended a webinar on slow pedagogy and creating culturally safe and inclusive environments
SUMMARY OF THE YEAR
Eeyores
There has been a lot of growth and development in the Eeyore’s room this year. Through engaging with our books project, our animal project, our transport project and home corner sustainability project, the children have engaged in a wide scope of learning through play. We have had a year of building, exploring, creating, sharing and learning. Each day, the children demonstrate their growing agency as they share with their educators what they would like to play and select their favourite resources to play with. They continue to display their independence and sense of community as they contribute to tidying the room and setting up for meals and play.
In the last 12 months, the children in the Eeyore’s room have strengthened their self-help skills and senses of agency as they display increasing independence in their learning and play. Our zero- to two-year-old children have shown their development as they prepare to transition sleeping in beds, practice their self-regulation skills, and as they actively and independently initiate play. Many of the two- and three-year-olds are showing their readiness to transition to Tiggers next year as they demonstrate their independence in packing their bags, serving their own morning tea, engaging in social play and toilet training.
Tigger’s
Throughout the year in Tigger’s’ Place, our focus has been on supporting children’s learning, development and wellbeing through meaningful play-based experiences. Our advocacy project has centered on promoting self-help skills, independence and emotional regulation, recognising the important role these skills play in building children’s confidence and preparing them for future transitions. Through our everyday routines, intentional teaching and play-based learning, we have encouraged children to make choices, solve problems, build friendships, and develop strategies to manage their emotions. Our exploration of the Zones of Regulation has supported children in recognising their feelings and understanding how to respond to different situations, while providing opportunities to practice positive communication, cooperation and conflict resolution. Alongside this, the children have continued to develop their letter and number recognition through play-based learning experiences, strengthen their fine motor skills through scissor-cutting experiences, and explore their interests in construction, sensory play and puppets. These experiences have fostered creativity, problem-solving, collaboration and a growing sense of independence.
Poohs
Throughout the year, the children in Pooh’s Corner have demonstrated significant growth in their learning, development, and confidence as capable learners. Through their engagement in the school readiness program, children have developed important skills including independence, resilience, communication, problem-solving, and collaboration. Their interests in construction, loose parts, sensory play, creative arts, gardening, flags, and literacy have supported their ability to think critically, explore new ideas, and transfer learning across different experiences. The children have strengthened their social skills through sharing, negotiating, turn-taking, and working cooperatively with peers. Their interest in flags and countries around the world has expanded their understanding of diversity and culture, while gardening experiences have fostered responsibility and an appreciation for the natural environment. Through their love of books by Julia Donaldson, Pamela Allen, and the Do Not Open This Book series, children have developed a strong foundation in literacy, including vocabulary, comprehension, storytelling, and a love of reading. Overall, the children have become increasingly curious, confident, and engaged learners who embrace challenges, make meaningful connections, and approach new experiences with enthusiasm and a positive disposition towards learning.
END OF YEAR EVENTS
- Outdoor Classroom Day 5th November
- Remembrance Day 11th November Wednesday
- Puddle Ducks water safety talk – Wednesday 11th November
- World Kindness Day 13th November Friday
- National Recycling Week 9th – 15th November
December
Fun end of year activities at Hunny Pots ELC – 14th – 18th December – information coming later!.
Tuesday 9th December 3.30pm-5pm– Hunny Pots ELC family Christmas party! Wear Christmas clothes!. Invitation sent to families.
Poohs Corner Graduation – Lollipops Playland Castle Hill– Thursday 10th December 6pm-8pm. Invitation sent to Poohs Corner families.
Centre Closure over the Christmas break – We will be operating up to and including Wednesday 23rd December and reopening on Thursday 7th January 2027. Simon and Monique will be appreciating a break and will be absent from emails/calls 24/12/2026 to 6/1/2027.
Resources
From our health checks for our 4-5 year olds we received an information book called connect and communicate toolkit. This is a very valuable resource. From this we have attached some links for families to give ideas for language and speech ideas. Hope you find them useful