from the office - woodlands child care...woodlands child care centre newsletter june 2019 from the...
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Woodlands Child Care Centre Newsletter June 2019
FROM THE OFFICE
Reflecting back on what has kept us busy
since our first newsletter this year it is no
wonder time has gone by so quickly. We
have been extremely busy with new
enrolment enquiries in the Babies room. I
am quite sure all families in the Babies room
will wholeheartedly agree that Bec and
Karen have been absolutely amazing in how
they have managed the orientation and
settling in of so many new children, building
relationships with the parents and securing
written comments on the Storypark stories.
All of this whilst taking time out to meet
families who are in decision making process
of where to enrol. It has been noted by
quite a few families that it is very reassuring
to see Bec and Karen with the children at
their level, engaging with them and
facilitating interactions with their peers. Not
all of our new enrolments are in the Babies
Room. We welcome…… in Toddlers and ….
In Kindy….. A number of these families have
made a big move from interstate or from
overseas. We are more than happy to help
any of our new families make new
friendships so children can play while
parents get to know each other outside of
the Centre. I really liked the Play Date Card
that Kiki has used in Kindy to invite new
friends to play outside of the Centre.
As an aside here, the utlilisation of the Centre
has improved dramatically since a number of
our parents jumped online to post their
reviews of the Centre. Nothing speaks louder
than personal recommendations and we just
can’t thank you enough. I know this has
made a significant increase to the number of
enquiries we have because I ask people when
they first phone us. Thank you.
I really want to make a fuss of our casuals. I
keep asking Chizu if she is ready to take on
more hours because she is so reliable,
capable, and always works to a high standard.
She thinks ahead and always checks in if she
thinks something is not quite right. We are
very lucky to have her, even though her
personal commitments prevent her from
taking on more hours. She is very well liked
by the children and her contribution to the
team is as highly valued.
Jo also works during lunch cover and we
have recently discovered she is a terrific asset
in facilitating the children’s learning of
Chinese through the ELLA program. Gina,
Emma and Kersten are our other casual
educators. Their willingness to work around
their own commitments has made it possible
for us to avoid using agency staff. I consider
this to be one of our finest bragging points –
it is very uncommon to work in a centre
where there are no emergency relief staff
from agencies. I make an effort to emphasise
this to families enquiring about out centre.
Room news and staff
Room Babies room: With Bec and Karen forging a very strong working relationship, the Babies
team have gone from strength to strength since Karen commenced with us in January. Bec
has been a very willing and quick learner. Kellie and Karen have worked together as owners
of their own Centre in the past, and Karen has always been very proactive to teach her
assistants everything she can. Lucky Bec, to have this opportunity.
I would like to mention a very special thank you to them. It has been very busy at
times with new enrolment enquiries and visits to the room. They have welcomed
many new families, helped them with settling in their children whilst maintaining
routines and learning for all children.
In addition to this, Karen has also taught us all to use Storypark!
Babies are now preparing their room routines for a few new faces as of 1st July – some being
siblings of older children in the centre in addition to new families with children who will be
on two sleeps a day. Please be reassured all children’s needs will be met - they will all thrive
with the careful planning and attention to detail. I am confident of that.
TODDLERS ROOM: Kerry is now working with Tahani in Toddlers Room during this period
where the room is quite busy. This move took place as of June.
KINDY ROOM: Gina remains in Kindy, along with Kersten and Emma as regular assistants.
We have had two adverts on SEEK – one for an Early Childhood
Teacher and more recently, we have been interviewing for an
Assistant Manager. Although we did not find a teacher through the
advert for an Early Childhood Teacher, we are actually receiving
applications from suitably qualified teachers for the Assistant
Manager Position ….. Go Figure….. Fingers Crossed.
We will be hosting two Year 10 Students from St Stephens School Duncraig for their week long work
experience as of 1 July 2019. Kellie knows both girls very well – Emma is Kellie’s 15 year old daughter
and her class mate, Holly, is also very keen to spend the week with us.
We have also
been working on
a new Website
and signage
Fee Increase…..Please note the impending fee increase has
been held to a mere $6.00 a day as of 8th July 2019. The daily
fee will be $134 and the full time daily rate will be $126
STAFF HOLIDAYS: Please go to the back page for info on staff holidays
MORE BABY
NEWS … Guess
who is having a
baby.?
Congratulations to
Bec! ! This is terrific
news for you and
Tristan. Their baby
is due late in
October. We look
forward to being a
small part of your
family as it grows.
xxxxx
BABIES BABIES and more BABIES
It’s been a hive of activity here in our Babies room with lots of fun
learning experiences enjoyed by all. We have taken the Babies on a
Colour journey, exploring colour in a variety of ways allowing the
Babies to experience all areas of our Curriculum.
We welcomed Lochlyn in March to the room, followed by Ryan in
April. Our April program featured the colour BLUE , we celebrated
Easter, recognised ANZAC DAY and Earth Hour Day by turning off all
our lights - letting the natural light to shine in. Turning our air
conditioner off allowed the fresh air to blow through our room .
Succulents and herbs where also a highlight of the day - the Babies
enjoyed planting them into pots.
May has been lots of fun as we explored the colour BROWN and
PURPLE. We recognised our wonderful Mummys for Mothers Day
with presents and a beautiful Mothers Day afternoon Tea. Our
Mummy's relaxed with cupcakes and light refreshments, enjoying
the opportunity to chat with other mums and to see their children
playing with their friends. Other special events recognised this
month included Food Allergy Day, PIRATE’S DAY and National
RECONCILIATION WEEK. The Babies enjoyed our turtle activities for
World Ocean’s Day.
Julieta and Samuel started with us in May. There is a lot of love in
this room, as you can see when you observe the Babies enjoying all
the fun toys and activities and making new friendships.
Over the next month we will continue to support the Babies interest
in COLOUR through Marine Life. We will also pause along the way
to support some important days in our calendar. We will be
planning for International Yoga Day , NAIDOC WEEK and National
Pyjama Day where we can come dressed in our Pyjamas and
support children in Foster Care.
A big thankyou to all our families for your ongoing support - Bec and
I are so happy you are enjoying our Babies Program. We get quite
excited when we see our international community on Storypark.
Love Kaz and Bec
Speaking
of
Babies…
….
NEW FRIENDS IN THE NEAR
FUTURE
We look forward to sharing
and learning together with
new friends in the months
between July and October =
Seren, Twins Mia and Jacob,
Oisins sister Sky- Rose,
Sienna’s sister Imogen, and
Azaria’s brother Raphael.
Luca will be with as of
October.
As the children are gaining in confidence, we are now seeing some very interesting and funny personalities. The children are developing socially, working on building friendships with the other children in the group, which is beautiful to see.
As we get to know all the children better, we are observing that a particularly strong interest of theirs is group times with singing, and stories. The children are now able to sit for up to and over 20 minutes at a time, which is a very long time for toddlers, but an amazing opportunity to work on our language and communication skills.
The skill of attending for longer and longer periods of time is very important for preparation to enter school down the track, but also assist the development of effective auditory learning, not to mention the social learning of turn-taking, listening, sitting next to each other cooperatively while sharing in fun experiences. We will continue to develop this with small and simple group games to enhance each child’s ability to wait to take their turn, share and negotiate in play with their friends. Celebrating each other’s successes is another focus of our group.
Another source of great enjoyment for the children are dramatic play experiences with dress ups, and in particular the child-initiated focus of caring for babies. We are currently extending this interest by providing more baby props and dress ups.
Happy Mother’s Day to all our lovely Mums
On 10th May we had a special morning tea to celebrate Mother’s Day. There was a lot of yummy food for all of us to share! We also made flower press stamping that the toddlers placed in a photo frame for our mummies. Thank you for our mummies for joining with us!
Reconciliation Week
For Reconciliation Week we did hand spray painting using earthy colours. We also had a look
at some traditional Indigenous artwork. As you read through the newsletter you will come
across a story from Kellie, raising some valid points around teaching our very young children
about Aboriginal culture. We certainly don’t want to be offensive by suggesting simple
activities like looking at traditional art works is all there is to be valued in Aboriginal Culture.
However, as you will see from Kellie’s story, it can be very difficult to know if we are in fact
achieving what we set out to do in this endeavour.
NEWS FROM THE TODDLERS ROOM
Firstly, we would all like to extend a warm
welcome to our new friends Freyja, Levi,
Willow, Kingsley and Aron. We also had our
toddlers Ethan and Azaria graduating to the
Kindy room. Romeo and Ava have moved up
into our room from Babies.
KINDY NEWS
Hello Kindy families. We have been super busy
since the start of the year. Welcome to our new
Kindy Kids who are new to the Centre – Kai,
Audrey, Kiki and Nehan and to Ethan, Sahra and
Azaria who have stepped up from Toddlers room.
Our new playmates have made friends very quickly.
Along with the daily stories, did you know you
can also see what is planned in the program for
Kindy Room on the Storypark app.
Amongst the many things in our program, the
children have been especially interested in
Occupations, the first of which was hairdressing.
The hairdressing doll’s heads have been treated to
the whole works of washing, cutting and styling.
And we have enjoyed styling each other’s hair!
We have set up a hospital inside our room, used
bandages and medical equipment to look after one
another. It has been a beautiful window into how
the children care for each other. Using our light
board we have extended our understandings by
looking at lots of different xrays.
We have also been looking at other jobs within our
community – to this end we will be following the
kindy children’s interests over the coming weeks.
A constant feature of our program is the focus on
fine motor and gross motor skill development.
Literacy, language and numeracy are woven into
every nook and cranny of our day, aiming to equip
children with foundation skills for school.
INTRODUCING ELLA PROGRAM
Early Languages Learning Australia is a
digital, play-based language learning
program for preschool children. This
Australian Government initiative inspires
children by driving a genuine interest in
a new language and culture.
We were so pleased our application for
this program was approved. We
nominated Chinese as the language to
learn. Kindy Room has completed App 1
and 2, where we learnt about greetings
and colours. Each Kindy child has their
own unique avatar. A photo pops up
when they open the app and they can
navigate their own learning. We support
this learning with more activities in our
daily routines.
We have just commenced App 3, where
we are learning about numbers. The
children have shown great interest, and
a real aptitude for learning Chinese.
We must mention the tremendous
contribution of Jo in helping the children
with this. She has cousins in Malaysia
and she has learned some Chinese by
communicating with them. In turn, Jo
has been able to help our Kindy children.
As a team we would to build a mud kitchen. This is something we are very excited about and
would love our parents to be involved. Donations of unwanted kitchen items would be
appreciated. We may even approach the Karrinyup Men’s Shed for help with constructing a
durable and functional kitchen. Lastly, we are always happy to hear from our parents especially
if you have any requests or suggestions for particular learning experiences for the children.
Anecdote from Kellie
Going back to when Karen and I operated our own Centre, one of our employees, who was of
Aboriginal decent, had a daughter who’s father was also of Aboriginal heritage. Today I am going
to call little girl Tamara. My daughter, Emma, is a little older than Tamara, and they played
together quite often either at Tamara’s house, or when Tamara would sleep at our house. The
furnishings, photos and decorations in their house gave no clues to their heritage. One day, when
Emma was in Year 2 she randomly told me that Tamara stands and looks at the sun. By this stage
she hadn’t seen Tamara for a couple of years. I was very intrigued as to where this thought came
from and where it was leading to. I asked Emma to tell me more. She posed standing on one leg,
propping herself up with an imaginary spear, and rested the foot of the other leg on her opposite
knee, looking off into the sunset, as it were. What I quite accidentally discovered is that Emma had
made assumptions about Tamara as a result of teachings at school. This was very alarming to me.
We had a lot of interaction with the family and Emma would never have gained this image from
playing with Tamara.
I have always found the requirement to teach very young children about Aboriginal Culture
particularly difficult, and after this incident, extremely worrying. Emma’s teachers would
never know their teachings have given rise to this very narrow and inaccurate image of
modern day urban Aboriginal people. I find this very troubling. What do you think?
As said prior, we are required to include learning experiences in our curriculum to show we value
the indigenous people of Australia, and to this end, we hope you will help us to dispel myths and
stereotypes if and when you become aware of them.
Recently I have been watching quite a number of programs on NITV, and it has been very
enlightening. All the same, I still find it very troubling that we can be leaving very young children
with misconceptions about Aboriginal people living in urban, country and remote areas of
Australia. Emma’s teachers would have not been able to assess what she had taken away from
their teachings – I found out by accident. In the case of very young children, we definitely have
no reliable way to evaluate if our outcome of our teachings is useful, or more harmful.
Our Quality Framework requires us to teach children about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
culture, their history and the value to the Australian Story. At this time of year we have numerous
events taking place in the Community from MABO DAY, Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week, and then
of course NAIDOC week in July. The Theme for 2019 NAIDOC week is VOICE TREATY TRUTH
This theme acknowledges that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have always wanted an enhanced role in decision-making in Australia’s democracy.
NAIDOC
WEEK 7-
14 JULY
2019
VALUING THE CULTURE OF ABORIGINAL
AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE
A couple of times a year A Fashion Recycling
Market is held in Perth. This year we are
collecting donations from our families for us to
sell clothes at the market and proceeds from
your items will be donated to the Women’s
Refuge. Should you be in a position to donate
quality fashion items of clothing, shoes,
handbags or accessories please let Kellie know
ASAP. Kellie and friends are donating their
own time to this cause.
The Water Footprint of
the Blue Jean
Family & Service… Contributing to the
Care of the
Environment
BOOK BAZAAR
PARAQUAD INDUSTRIES /SPINE AND LIMB
FOUNDATION have a contract where discarded
books from the State Library are donated for
sale. It is a terrific way to replace tatty books.
They have hundreds of thousands of good
quality ex-library books for sale.
Special book sales occur once a month over 2
days on Fridays from 8.30-5.00 and on
Saturday 10.00am – 2.00pm
10 SELBY STREET - SHENTON PARK,
CAR PARK NO 3
NORMAL OPENING HOURS M-F 8.30-4.00PM
Proceeds help the Foundation continue
its work within the WA Community and
specifically by providing employment
opportunities and vocational training to
people with disabilities.
Community Notice – 19th and
20th July 2019
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Manufacturer Levi Strauss estimates that from
farming to final disposal, one pair of it’s 501
jeans requires 3,781 litres of water. This
estimate includes laundering. The farming of
cotton, the dying process and disposal of
harmful chemicals in the by-product, such as
chlorine and dye starch, consumes water in
staggering volumes. Streams run blue in areas
where Denim is manufactured. There is a lot to
be said to washing your jeans every 10th time
you wear them. Or, you can donate your
quality clothes for worthwhile cause…..
MOTHERS DAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON TEA
It seems like ages ago, but wasn’t the Mothers Day early Morning Tea a really nice way to
start the day? What a treat for us to have our working Mums stay a few extra minutes at
drop off to enjoy a cuppa and a friendly chat before going to work. From what I hear, this
was more successful than last year where the afternoon tea was “in the afternoon”. We
even saw a couple of Mums reconnect after a number of years without seeing each other.
As always, Judy put on a beautiful spread for the Mums, and Kerry very kindly came in at
the crack of dawn on the day to help her. There were big smiles on the faces of the
children, so very proud and feeling special to have their Mum, and some Grand Mothers,
with us for that part of the day. I know many photos were taken, so please, if you haven’t
seen yours please speak up so we can send them to you. Trust me, before you know it
your little ones will have flown the coop….. Just ask Judy, Karen or Kerry….
PIRATE DAY – FUN DRESS UP DAY RAISING MONEY
FOR BRAIN CANCER RESEARCH .. We raised $24.
By all accounts, the children and staff enjoyed the opportunity to dress up and talk like a
Pirate…. Incidentally, International Talk Like A Pirate Day sails away annually on September
19th which came about as an inside joke between two friends in 1995. 7 years later they sent a
letter about their invented holiday to an American humour columnist Dave Barry, who liked
the idea and promoted it. Believe it or not, growing media coverage of the holiday elevated
the event so that it is now celebrated internationally. So, while not anywhere near as worthy
of our dressing up as Pirate Day in May, the success of International Pirate Day goes to show
some things just grow legs and you can’t stop them from travelling.
About Pirate Day In May...
Since 2015, with thanks to school groups, early learning centres and
participating businesses, more than $280,000 has been raised to
find better treatments and ultimately a cure for the disease
through the Pirate Ship Foundation and the Kid’s Cancer Project.
Both charities share a fundamental belief that scientific discoveries will improve outcomes for
children affected by cancer. Funds raised through 2019 Pirate Day in May will be directed to the
groundbreaking research of paediatric oncologist Dr Nick Gottardo. Every little bit counts and
we are pleased to say we have played a part in this funding by raising $24 with the dress up day.
OUR PROGRAM PLANNING AND
RECORDS OF CHILDREN’S
DEVELOPMENT
Essentially, our planning occurs on two levels.
Firstly, our program will feature learning
opportunities that reflect goals of the broader
group for achieving attachment and a sense of
belonging, independence and a confidence to
trying new things. This contributes to each child
developing a positive disposition to
encountering the unknowns of their ever
expanding world. The second tier of our planning
is tailored to the needs and interests of each
individual. In both instances, the planning of our
Curriculum functions in a cyclical manner.
We undertake formal and informal observations
of children individually and in groups, in routine
times and in different situations of play. This
gives us a base from which to plan experiences
that are of interest to them, with the aim of
promoting development in any of the following
areas – physical growth and skill acquisition,
cognitive processes, social and emotional
development and language capacities. Our
educators make mental and written notes for
future reference so that we can objectively and
accurately evaluate progress and learning.
Has anyone explained how we go about our planning and
documentation of each child’s journey of growth, development
and learning? Give me a minute and I will explain it now!
This is done periodically – the frequency is
higher for the Babies than Kindy children.
The time in between evaluation stretches
out as children get older. Each child’s records
are reviewed periodically, including the
Developmental Milestones.
Each child’s progress to achieving the
learning outcomes in the Early Years
Learning Framework are assessed. From
here, the educators plan a new round of
learning experiences to ensure the
curriculum is engaging and developmentally
appropriate. You are always welcome to
participate at any stage in the assessments
and planning
The move to Storypark has been a very
positive initiative and we are all to thank
Karen for spending time teaching us how
to get started. This has been a big
undertaking for a new Room Leader,
especially with the schedule of
prospective families visiting, as well as
settling in the children who have started
with us this year. I did want to remind
everyone that you can easily access the
program to see the planned learning
experiences.
Did you know you can ask to discuss your child’s development and learning at any
time. In addition to the stories on Storypark, our educators keep quick notes,
diary entries and developmental checklists for all children. Please speak with
your educators if you would like to be shown where to find this.
Family & Service…illness and child care
There are some instances when children
who are unwell are required to stay
at home even if it is not a
contagious disease.
This is always a grey area, and the
rule of thumb is that if a child
requires (more or less) one to one
care, they need to stay at home.
FOR EXAMPLE - when a child has a
persistant runny nose – be it green,
yellow or clear.
Educators are required to wash their
hands EVERY TIME after wiping a
child’s nose, which can mean leaving
the room or the outside area to go to
the bathroom. Constant nose wiping
by a staff member is more or less one
to one care and we just aren’t
equipped to provide this level of care.
Unfortunately it just isn’t feasible to
provide this level of care and your child
may need to stay at home.
With the cold and flu season in full
swing, we ask parents to be
responsible about sending children
to the Centre when they are
contagious. Please ask if you wish
to clarify our requirements
concerning
• exclusion of children with
contagious illnesses, or suspected
illness
• authorisation forms for administering
medication
• use of Over The Counter medication
for more than one week
• requirement to obtain a medical
certificate to return to care
Absences are usually higher during the
coming months – Please note that all
permanently booked days will be billed to
you. This applies even if you advise in
advance your child will be absent due to
illness.
IMPORTANT
YOU KNOW
ABOUT THIS
….
MEDICATION Medicines etc. should be handed to the senior staff members only. There will always
be a senior educator on duty.
The child's name should be printed clearly on the label of the medication. Please ensure all authorisations
for medication are given to a senior staff member, and not left unattended, such as on the desk in the office, or
the kitchen bench. All medication, ointments, drops etc. are to be accompanied by a permission form for us to
administer the medicine. These are available from the Room Leader in each room. Please hand the medication
and the authorisation to a senior staff member so instructions can be checked before you leave the Centre.
We will not administer medications or treatments prescribed for an adult or another child.
We require a current medical action plan for any children with asthma, anaphylactic, allergy
or other life threatening condition. Importantly, the medication must not be out of date.
MEDICATION Medicines etc. should be handed to the senior staff members only. The child's name should be printed clearly
on the label of the medication. Please ensure all authorisations for medication are given to a senior staff member, and not left unattended, such
as on the desk in the office, or the kitchen bench. All medication, ointments, drops etc. are to be accompanied by an “Authority to Administer
Medication” form, which are available from the Qualified Carer in each room. Please hand the medication and the authorisation to a senior staff
member - instructions need to be checked before you leave the Centre.
We will not administer medications or treatments prescribed for an adult or another child. We are aware that some medications are purchased
IMMUNISATION
Earlier in the year when Karen was undergoing her New Employee Induction we
discussed the Lock Down Procedure the Centre had in place. The idea of fitting
everyone into the staff room for this exercise seemed to be really impractical, and
very distressing for some children. We practiced an Emergency Lock Down Drill in
May with everyone gathering in the Babies Room. We agreed this will be the way
forward, should the need arise. With this in mind we are replacing the security
door to the Babies Outdoor play area.
More on Health & Safety at the Centre……..
IMMUNISATION SCHEDULE
It is imperative we have up to date
records of your child’s immunisation
records. In the event of a vaccine
preventable disease being present or
suspected at the centre, we are required
to treat your child as unimmunised if the
records we have do not show your child is
safe from that illness. This means they
will be required to stay away until the risk
of cross infection is eliminated.
INFLUENZA VACCINE
Thank you for replying to my query
about who has been, or will be,
immunised this year for the flu. The
response from our families clearly
conveys our community is taking this
very seriously and are taking the
precautions recommended by the
medical profession to protect our
children. Our educators are very grateful
to know so many children are immunised
against the flu.
Tahani is taking two weeks off to go to Singapore
from 25th July
Chizu is heading back to Japan for holidays as of
Monday 24th June for three weeks
Judy is taking leave and going to enjoys sunshine in
Bali for 10 days as of 19th August
Kerry is going on a really exciting cruise in September
and returning on 14th October.
Gina is hoping to be able to take up the holiday she
won last year and visit Thailand in the first week of
October
Jade is taking leave in October taking her family to China
Upcoming Staff Holidays
There are so many more things I would love to share with you about how the centre operates.
If you have made it to end of the newsletter I think you have done a terrific job and I sincerely
thank you for taking the time to read all of the contents. Lastly, the interest shown for the
Robotics sessions is very promising. Stay tuned, we will confirm the inclusion of this in the
program before the end of June.