LOCKLEYS EARLY LEARNING CENTRE
NEWSLETTER June 2018
NEWS FROM THE DIRECTOR
Are you thinking about Preschool yet for your child? We have a DECD funded Preschool on site for your convenience. I have attached a brochure to this newsletter for you to read. If you have any further questions you can discuss them with myself, Sandra or Hema.
The rain is coming! We don’t let the rain stop us from going outside. You are more than welcome to come in your own gumboots, or you can borrow ours (please wear socks for hygiene reasons). Wearing Jackets is also a great idea but please remember to put your child’s name inside. We have many jackets already in our lost property with no names.
Have you seen our Facebook page? We post a few times a week with our recent adventures. Check it out on the link provide
https://www.facebook.com/Lockleys-Childcare-Early-Learning-Centre-167477624948198
DATES TO REMEMBER
Queen’s Birthday
Centre Closed Mon 11th June
Messy Art Day Tues 12th June
Grandparent/Special Friend Day
Afternoon Tea @ 2.30pm Fri 22nd June
NAIDOC Week
Theme ‘Because of her, we can! 8th – 15th July
PJ Party Day Wed 11th July
Disco Day Theme – Bright & Sparkly Thurs 9th August
Science Week 13th – 17th August
Book Week
Theme: Find your Treasure 18th – 24th August
Dress Up Day Fri 24th August
Multicultural Week:
Each day a different culture 3rd – 7th September
Amazing Drumming Monkeys Mon 10th September
Labour Day
Centre Closed Mon 1st October
Tie Dye Tuesday
Bring in a white T-shirt Tues 9th October
Father’s Day Afternoon Tea Wed 31st October
Disco Day 80s Theme Tues 6th November
Diwali Festival Wed 7th November
Children’s Christmas Party TBA
Children’s Christmas Parade TBA
Shared Christmas Lunch Mon 24th December
Christmas Day/Boxing Day
Centre Closed Tues & Wed 25th-26th December
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Bek and I have been training in the Colleague Certificate for Marte Meo for the past 18 months. It will soon be coming to an end at the end of June. With our Certificates, Bek and I will be able to train all our educators in the Marte Meo method.
Marte Meo means ‘on one’s own strength’. It is strength based respectful model for communication and leading.
Marte Meo was developed by Educational Counsellor, Maria Arts in the late 1970’s.
Vacancies
We currently have limited vacancies for the following rooms –
Infant/Toddler – Mon, Tues, Wed and Fri
Prekindy – Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri
Preschool – Mon, Tues and Fri.
Please see Dionne or Paula if you would like to book an extra day.
Regards, Dionne
INFANT/TODDLER ROOM
This month we were lucky enough to go on an excursion to collect some beautiful autumn leaves. The children used baskets to collect the leaves from the blanketed ground. They worked in teams to gather the leaves and shared such joy in this. We then used the leaves for a sensory play experience. The children had so much fun throwing the leaves into the air and watching them fall on the floor, they created an exciting crunching and scrunching sound.
This term we are focusing on bringing loose parts play into the environment. Some of the Educators from the Infant & Toddler room went on a shopping trip to Bunnings, to source some new loose parts. The children have been exploring curtain stacking rings, torches, sensory baskets and silver ducting. If you have any odd bits and pieces such as these we would happily taken them off of your hands.
We are looking to construct a family wall that depicts what you enjoy doing as a family. This will provide us with some curriculum inspiration and help us to get to know you better. We would also like to find out about your favourite music so that we can incorporate it into the room during our music and movement time and see if some of the children can recognise the music.
This month we were also lucky enough to take part in the Scientific Bubble Show. It was simply amazing! Not only was it exciting watching all of the bubbles being blown but it was also a chance for much learning to occur. We learnt about colours, numbers, what bubbles are made of and we even had the chance to be inside a bubble. It was very much enjoyed by all.
Kind thoughts from us all.
Tati, Lisa, Chanelle, Krystin and Heather.
PRE-KINDY ROOM
What’s in the river?
This is our inquiry question that we will be unpacking throughout the next few weeks. It all began when we decided to venture out of the Centre gates and walk along the trail of the River Torrens. This was an intentional teaching focus as we wanted to encourage the children to start making connections with their community. We started walking along the track until we reached a space where we could see the river. We scaffolded the children’s learning by asking open ended questions, in the hope to inspire some critical and creative thinking.
Some of the responses were:
“We not see cows, we see snakes”
“A mum tiger and a dad tiger”
“Frogs…scary snakes”
Along the way we also enjoyed climbing on and over the large tree logs and jumping in, on and around the large piles of bark. During these experiences we were able to engage with the environment on a deeper level as we used our senses. Once we returned to the Centre, the Educators reflected on this experience. We discussed the children’s ideas and thought about how we might approach the next river walk. We decided to try out a different approach, we planned to go on the same walk but this time we wanted to be silent. Being silent meant not asking leading questions and using the powerful tool of ‘listening’. As we started our walk and made our way along the track to the viewing space of the river we listened…
This time we heard:
“Clouds in the sky like my home”
“Sharks going to eat duckies, he’s hungry”
“What’s that noise?”
“Look, another water”
After analyzing this collection of ideas, we have planned a variety of experiences to support the connection with the children and the River Torrens. We can see that they are using their senses to explore their surroundings and that they are curious as to what might be in the river. We have recently started introducing the traditional name of the River Torrens ‘Karra Wirra Parri’ by including it in our morning meeting acknowledgement. We are excited to see where this inquiry takes us, stay tuned. J
Bek, Kym, Paige, Stella, Kahla & Andrea.
PRESCHOOL PROGRAM
In the month of May, we dove into term 2 with eagerness and excitement. This term, our pre-schoolers have had a reoccurring question when they are in the outdoor space. That question has been ‘Is it a Bee or a Wasp?’ This launched our inquiry project, where we are now gathering information on what we know about bees and wasps and what features they display. The children had the opportunity to look at some deceased bees and wasps that were found in the yard. The children enjoyed identifying the various features and even took the opportunity to sketch the differences between the two insects.
Following on from this, the children will be engaging in ‘Show and Share’ this term. The children are encouraged to go on a ‘Backyard Safari’ of their own, where they will take some pictures of the ‘Mini Beasts’ (Creepy Crawlies) that they find a on their adventure. Children will then take the time to show their photos and share the information that they have collated about the ‘Mini Beasts’ they have found and the environment in which they were found. This experience benefits the children as it promotes their ability to use oral language to communicate, builds their self-confidence, teaches them to respect each other’s turn to talk and gives them time to practice the skill of listening and answering simple questions.
In preparation for our ‘Mother’s Day High Tea’, the pre-schoolers baked a lovely gluten and dairy free strawberry cake. Each of the children played a role in making this cake. They chopped the strawberries, measured and added the ingredients together and mixed up the mixture, they then poured the cake mix into a lined tray. The children engaged many areas of their learning and development, including language, literacy and numeracy, interpersonal and fine motor skills. It gave them the opportunity to experiment, solve problems and build on their social skills such as taking turns, communicating and cooperating can be developed when working in a small group to prepare food.
Our ‘Mother’s Day High Tea’ was a wonderful event for all children, families and educators involved. The children enjoyed helping prepare the food and setting up the room ready for the arrival of all the lovely family members who attended.
This month the Library at Lockleys North Primary School finished its renovations and was ready for us to visit. The children thoroughly enjoyed walking to the library, exploring all the books the library had to offer and borrowing their own books using the scanner. The children had such a lovely time that they asked when they were going to return.
As the weather is now cooling, we ask that you remember to send a jacket or jumper with your child’s name on it and to ensure that you take them home at the end of the day.
Please don’t hesitate to see Sandra or Hema if you have any queries about our preschool Program.
Thank you,
Hema, Sandra, Nicole, Asmita, Lil & Nisha.
IMMUNISATION
Is your child up to date with immunisation? Remember that children who are not immunised will be excluded during any outbreak of a government scheduled preventable illness within the Centre
HEALTHY EATING & NUTRITION
To build up your intake of seeds and grains, nuts and sprouts why not try this textural salad.
Brown Rice and Avocado Salad
Ingrdients:
½ cup brown rice
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
2 tablespoons whole almonds
1 tablespoon pistachio kernels, chopped
3 succhinis
3 spring onions, chopped
100g mung bean sprouts or mixed sprouts
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
½ avocado, sliced
¼ cup mint leaves
salt to season
Method:
Cook the rice according to packet instructions until just tender, then drain and cool. Transfer to a large bowl.
Toast the sunflower seeds, pepitas, almonds and pistachios in a dry frypan for 1-2 minutes over medium heat until fragrant and lightly toasted. Add to the bowl with the cooled rice.
Coarsely grate 2 zucchinis and gently squeeze to remove excess water. Thinly slice remaining zucchini. Add both to the rice mixture with spring onion and sprouts.
Combine the oil, lemon juice and honey, then season. Add to the salad with the avocado and half the mint, then gently toss to combine. Served scattered with remaining mint.
Thank you, Belinda
ADMINISTRATION
Please be aware that from the 2nd July 2018 the New Child care package takes effect. We have provided the link to the website so you can read up on the changes and see what you need to do.
https://www.education.gov.au/new-child-care-package-families-2-july-2018
We are urging all families to ensure that you are registered for the new Child Care Subsidy. Although you may already receive Child Care Benefit and/or the Child Care Rebate you will NOT automatically receive the CCS, as the previous benefits will be shut down you will need to apply for the new CCS. Once you have completed the process could you please provide us with your updated details.
Thank you.
Ciao, Paula