LOCKLEYS EARLY LEARNING CENTRE
NEWSLETTER May 2018
NEWS FROM THE DIRECTOR
URGENT ATTENTION REQUIRED BY ALL FAMILIES
Please ensure you are ready for the changes to the Government Subsidy that takes place in July this year. The new CCS begins 2nd July 2018. All families MUST complete their activity test to ensure they receive government assistance from 2nd July onwards. If you do not complete this test you will not receive ANY government subsidy at all.
Once this is done you will need to notify us of your activity details.
I have attached a fact sheet to provide you with more information about the new CCS.
Our Centre has always had a strong focus on literacy so that is why we have just recently registered with Discovery Club. Discovery Club is a premier book supplier that is offering a monthly book club to families. Sign up to receive a book a month. Check this out on Discoveryclub.com.au. Children will also receive a birthday gift each year and extra fun activities. The Centre will earn points to redeem on books for the Centre.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Our Centre hosts students from a variety of different training organisations – TAFE SA, Child Care Services Training, Enable College, Enhance Training, Flinders University and Uni SA.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Disco Day – Pop Theme Mon 7th May
Mother’s Day High Tea @ 2.30pm Fri 11th May
National Families Week 15th – 21st May
ScientifiBubble Show @ 10am Wed 30th May
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
Regards, Dionne
INFANT/TODDLER ROOM
This month we have been busy cooking up a storm! The children have participated in different types of cooking experiences. We have been lucky enough to make banana cake and Anzac cookies for afternoon tea times. The children have been learning about the different ingredients and the methods of making each recipe. They have engaged in lots of sharing, turn taking and cooperation during these cooking experience.
We have immersed ourselves in lots of sensory play experiences by offering children sensory bags. Children use their hands to blend and squish the different liquids inside the bags. We have then moved on to finger painting with bright colours. The children have been experimenting with ice dinosaur fossils, using trial and error with different ways of melting and breaking the ice. What a fun way for the children to cool down on a warm day by playing in water with lots of scooping and pouring.
What a wonderful way to freshen up our bathroom – with a little DIY from our children expressing themselves through the creative arts. The children have been hard at work creating beautiful masterpieces to hang up in our bathroom, to bring a bit of colour to the area. They have been using different techniques of painting by creating dots, strokes and circle motions when painting.
At the moment the teething fairies are visiting many of our children. Teething affects each child in different ways: temperatures, irritability, upset stomachs, nappy rash and even altered appetites. Ways to help a teething child can include the use of teething gels, cold teething rings, rusks and lots of TLC.
Please feel free to bring in any teething gels or nappy rash creams that you use at home, as we would like to comfort your child when they need it the most!
Kind thoughts from us all.
Tati, Lisa, Chanelle, Krystin and Heather.
PRE-KINDY ROOM
Hello, from the Pre-Kindy Community
This term pre-kindy will be undergoing some big changes as we will be saying goodbye to some of our older friends who will be starting their transition visits into pre-school and welcoming some new friends from the under 2’s room. Throughout this transition period we will be supporting all children to begin to feel a sense of belonging within their new environments.
Our goal for this term is to build stronger connections between our pre-kindy community and our homes. To achieve this we will be inviting all families to share some important parts of their family culture with us. We will use this information to provide learning and play experiences that draw on each child’s family cultures, interests and beliefs.
One of our current interests at the moment is providing care for our baby dolls in our nursery space. Due to the fact that some of us our expecting new siblings soon to welcome to our families we thought we would use this opportunity to extend on the dramatic doll play. We have been very busy reading our dolls stories, feeding them their bottles and of course patting them to sleep.
Superheros have been on our mind constantly lately which we have been following and extending on with lots of energy and enthusiasm. The children initiate their play by pulling out the superhero capes, announcing someone’s in trouble and needs rescuing and dancing along to the original superhero theme songs. You may have noticed that Batman and Spiderman are our favourites. This play provides us with a great opportunity to discuss social justice issues such as kindness and looking out for the safety of others. We are interested to see where this will lead their play and developing their knowledge on their social awareness next.
Bek, Kym, Paige, Lil, Kahla & Andrea.
PRESCHOOL PROGRAM
The first term has come to an end and we have had a great start to the year. All our new friends who had transitioned from the pre-kindy have settled well and have been exhibiting an increasing sense of belonging by taking part in all the experiences offered and forming strong bonds with peers and educators.
Literacy was a key focus in the month of April. The Pre-school children displayed their ability to use sophisticated language in their play. We planned to extend on their use of oral language by setting up a shoe shop in our imaginative play area. This allowed the children to take on the role of different participants in the community such as shop keepers, store attendants and the customer. The children were able to take on the role of these participants using their prior knowledge of the language and behaviours associated with each of the parties within the shoe shop.
Children thoroughly enjoyed taking part in preschool’s holiday program. We had Spanish day, which allowed us to reflect on the Spanish we have learnt so far with ELLA. Tati (an Educator from Infant/Toddler room) also came in to share some songs and basic Spanish words that we could use on a day to day basis.
Pre-schoolers also showed how observant they are on the animal dress-up day as they made animal prints using such detail.
Preschool is involved in a tri-site oral language practitioner research with the Lockleys Children’s Centre and the Lockleys Primary school. We are focussing on the literature of ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff’. We have been reading the book, playing with the characters and enacting the story in the story-table and also some role-play every afternoon, having our peers as an audience. Children have been using fluctuating tones for the different sized goats and the troll too.
The nature table set-up was well-received by children and it elicited their curiosity about the different resources that nature offers and the wonderment of it all. As an extension to this, we have set-up a ‘smells in nature’ sensory table, where children have been experimenting with their sense of smell. Interestingly children have not only been saying what they smell, but also what it reminds them of.
Please don’t hesitate to see Sandra or Hema if you have any queries about our preschool Program.
Thank you,
Hema, Sandra, Nicole, Asmita, Stella & 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
I chose one of the Pre-kindy children, Mackenzie, to join me in the kitchen for a bit of cooking. I thought it would be a great opportunity for him to help me prepare lunch. We were having Potato & Leek Soup and I had peeled a lot of potatoes.
I asked Mackenzie to help me chop the potatoes for the soup. Mackenzie was very excited, he often asks me “What are you doing?”, “What’s for lunch?”. I used the step ladder and stood behind him. Everytime Mackenzie cut through a potato he made an excitable noise or he said “did it!”. He enjoyed helping me with the potatoes.
At lunch time he was excited to eat the lunch he helped me prepare. Thanks for your help Mackenzie. I hope to be able to give other children the same or similar opportunities to cook with me.
Thank you, Belinda
ADMINISTRATION
Dear Parents, please be aware that due to a change in regulations which came into effect on the 1st of February, we have updated our enrolment form. Every parent received a pink updated form in their parent pockets, to date, not all forms have been returned. Please be advised that we now require a copy of your child’s immunisation to be included with the form and would greatly appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.
Please be aware that from the 2nd July 2018 the New Child care package takes effect. I 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
Thank you.
Ciao, Paula