LOCKLEYS EARLY LEARNING CENTRE

NEWSLETTER                                                                                     October 2018


NEWS FROM THE DIRECTOR

Photo Day

This year’s photo day will be over 2 days, Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd November. We will be placing some information in your parent pocket soon, so keep an eye out for it. 

A friendly reminder from Security, when entering via boomgates

When entering the site of Westpac through security boom gates please ensure you only push the button once.  The security guards have heard the buzzer but they may be with someone at that time and they will attend to the boom gate as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

New electronic sign in/out

Well our new iPad system is working well.  The process is definitely quick and easy to follow.  Just a reminder that these iPads out the front are for adult use only.  When you sign in and out, these signatures are stored for government purposes, therefore no-one under the age of 16 are legally allowed to sign a child in or out.  Thank you for your co-operation.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

We will be hosting 2 Flinders University students in October.  They are in their 2nd year of the Early Childhood Teaching Degree.

If you live in the West Torrens Council area and you have not returned your form to receive your organics kitchen caddy, please hurry so you don’t miss out.  We have been using ours here in the Centre and have dramatically reduced the amount of red waste we send to landfill.  We fill 2 organic wheelie bins per fortnight 😊

Regards Dionne

DATES TO REMEMBER

 

Labour Day

Centre Closed                               Mon 1st October

Tie Dye Tuesday

Bring in a white T-shirt                  Tues 9th October

Photo day

Thurs 1st November

Fri 2nd November

Disco Day 80s Theme                  Tues 6th November

Diwali Festival                              Wed 7th November

Children’s Christmas Parade       Tues 11th December

Children’s Christmas Party          Wed 12th December

Shared Christmas Lunch             Mon 24th December

Christmas Day/Boxing Day

Centre Closed       Tues & Wed 25th-26th December

 

INFANT/TODDLER ROOM

Hola from the Under-two’s room!

We have had so much fun during the past month. Throughout September the toddlers have been expressing themselves creatively through different kinds of painting experiences and dancing, both indoors and outdoors, wherever the rhythm seems to catch us.

We made Arepas, during multicultural week, which is a gluten free corn bread,  a traditional dish from Columbia.

We have also celebrated Father’s Day where the parents were invited to have afternoon snack with their children and get to know more about our room and how it runs.

The Amazing Drumming Monkeys visited the Centre this month where the children learned more about recycling and had a great time with all the rooms coming together for the performance. Siblings were sitting with each other and watching the show, it was a fabulous time as a community.

We have continued with our inquiry called “Lights, shadows and reflections” it all began on a sunny day when Ellee was in the outdoor environment and she found her shadow on the ground; this opened up a whole world of wonder for Ellee and many of her friends.
Please remember, as it is now spring we would appreciate it if you could bring your child’s hat (a legionnaires or broad brimmed hat without a neck cord), with a name on it. If your child has sensitive skin you are able to bring in your own sunscreen and insect repellent. The Centre uses Coles own brand 50+ sunscreen and Moove organic insect repellent during the spring and summer months.

Ciao,

Tati, Chanelle, Krystin, Kahla and Heather. 

PRE-KINDY ROOM

Nina Marni from the pre-kindy community,

From critical reflection we have formed a goal,  ways in which we can support our pre kindy community’s competence and capabilities to be visible in our rhythms of the day.

We have been working towards this goal by focusing firstly on our independence and self-help skills during routine times of the day where we are supporting each other to feel confident in supporting our own health and wellbeing. You may have noticed some physical changes to the environment such as the low level tissue station which is presented on a tree stump equipped with the tools we need to support the goal. It has a green organics bin for environmentally friendly disposal of tissues, a mirror at our eye level so we actually see our faces and where we are wiping and some photographs of some of us giving a demonstration to provide visual cues. We started with a practical demonstration of how to use the station, we then invited some people to come and give it a go. This worked really well and continues to work well throughout the day when we notice that someone needs a tissue we remind them of the station where they happily can access and attend to their needs.

During lunch time we have always been able to use the tongs to select our bread prior to lunch. We have now introduced the idea of serving the main meal ourselves using the spoons, we love being able to help ourselves to seconds and sometimes thirds when needed. It has been interesting to hear the conversations occurring during this process where we have been verbalizing our actions and those of others “that’s enough” “do you want some more” “can I have it now please”. We have introduced small jugs to the table so we can pour our own water when required as well, and of course it involves water and pouring so we have noticed that everyone’s extremely thirsty at this time J

We have started to notice how these new responsibilities and opportunities have supported us to engage with our peers socially at the table, where we sometimes offer to pour each other’s water or refill the jug. We are going to continue to trial new ideas during this lunch time routine to see how capable we really can be and to see how this impacts our relationships with our own health and wellbeing and with each other as a pre-kindy community.

At times we have needed to use the Centres’ spare clothes for the children who have had accidents or engaged in messy play, etc. If you have any at home could you please return them, as our spare clothes are becoming very low? Thank you!

Please be advised that Paige will be on her Uni Placement for the next 4 weeks.  She will return Nov 8th.

Kym, Paige, Stella, Lil, Vanita, & Andrea.

PRESCHOOL PROGRAM

Hello to all our preschool families,

We have continued to explore and make new discoveries as we delve into the Bee investigation further. The children worked VERY hard to plant their flowers in the front garden and are now journaling the growth of these flowers. But, the children are noticing during their visits to the bee garden that the corms are not growing. This has sparked some discussions, confusion and wonder…why aren’t they growing? This, we predict will lead into some in intentional teaching opportunities around the process of photosynthesis – how plants gain energy. The learning and new discoveries continue!

The plane inquiry has been a huge interest over the past month. The children have engaged in complex mathematical processes in order to create their paper planes – following visual and written directions, replicating shapes and angles, comparing, etc. Then came the flying of the planes – measuring distances and comparing distances, recording findings…what a numeracy rich inquiry the children have engaged in!

Thankyou to everyone who could make it to the parent evening night. It was such a great opportunity to get to know you more, share valuable information about your child and discuss some of the everyday challenges that you face every day. It was also a great opportunity to make connections with other families!

Even without our daily discussions regarding the day, month and seasons, the children have noticed that their world is transforming. Leaves are reappearing, flowers are blooming, more insects are out, the mosquito stings have already started, the sun is staying out later and later…something is changing.

The children have been processing so many changes that they needed to document these through the art of paint. Using bright natural colours, the children have created representations and what they find beautiful.

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

As always, if you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to see Sandra or Bek.

Thank you,

Sandra, Bek, Nicole, Asmita, Renae & Nisha. 

HEALTHY EATING & NUTRITION 

How to Avoid the Fussy Eater Trap

Eating the same thing every day on repeat is fine as long as it’s healthy, right? Wrong. While having staple meals on high rotation is an easy habit to get into, it’s important to make sure you’re eating well-balanced meals loaded with a range of nutrient-dense foods.

It’s too easy to miss out on important nutrients if you get stuck in a food rut – plus, if you get bored then you are more likely to slip into bad habits.

If you find yourself sitting down to the same meals week on week, perhaps because you have a fussy eater or maybe because you’re struggling for mealtime inspiration, then you’re not along. Many of the families I see in my clinic and at my workshops have found themselves in a dinner time (and breakfast and lunchtime) rut.

When it comes to fussy eaters, it can seem easier to stick with what they know – and even adults find comfort in familiar foods. The trouble is that just as our brains would get bored watching the same TV show over and over and over again, our bodies eventually tire of eating the same foods day in and day out.

If a child with an already limited range of foods eats the same thing daily, their food choices will eventually dwindle down so much that their diets become nutritionally lacking and can cause lethargy, poor concentration and nutritional deficiencies, which demand attention.

Children with limited diets are often low in iron, zinc and B12 and this can suppress the appetite and can cause further fussiness due to lack of interest.

It’s important to identify repetitive eating behaviours early on and use positive strategies to nip it in the bud before it becomes a bigger issue.

10 ways to avoid repetitive eating for fussy eaters

  • Introduce a wide variety of foods from as early as possible and remember to exercise enormous amounts of patience in the face of rejection. It can take a young baby 10-16 tries to accept a new food.
  • When offering a new food, start with small portions even if this means only one taste or teaspoon at a time.
  • Set realistic expectations. Getting your child to move from white bread to a white preservative-free sourdough is a small step but can make a big change at a nutrition level.
  • As your child gets older, continue to offer variety. Even if your child has 15 things on their food list, introduce more. If your child loves a bagel with chream chees, for example, and typically eats it every day for school, start offering it every other day.
  • Rotate your meals so that your child becomes familiar with a wider range of different foods.
  • Don’t be afraid to use herbs and spices. Work with your child to identify herbs and spices they may like to try. Start, for example, with a sprinkle of oregano on a pizza.
  • Choose a new vegetable and spark your child’s interest by letting them get involved with preparing it in various ways. For example carrot can be eaten steamed, roasted, fermented, cut into strips and cooked like pasta, baked in muffins or cake or turned into Bliss Balls.
  • If you are stuck for ideas take into consideration the eating preferences of the fussiest member of your family and choose meals and recipes based on the foods they love to eat. For example, if your child loves pizza, try a cauliflower or sweet potato pizza base.
  • Stretch their food choices focusing on the foods they love to eat. If they are avid cheese sandwich eater, then offer them a wrap with cheese instead of a sandwich. Then move onto cheese melted over a jacket potato, then add tuna to the melt. Or if they love chicken muggets, offer homemade turkey schnitzel.
  • Most importantly, seek help early. Obviously, every child is different, but if you find that meal times are way more stressful for you than they are for your peers, it’s time to speak to a nutritionist or feeding therapist. Remember, the main aim is to bring the joy back into meal times.

Reference – MSN Lifestyle, Now to Love Mandy Sacher 24/9/18

Thank you, Belinda

ADMINISTRATION

Absences:

With the changing of the Sign In/Out system to digital you will need to be vigilant with regards to when your child is absent. When you return to the Centre after being absent and you sign your child in, the system will let you know that there are previous signatures required. After you press ‘OK’ the first day of absence will appear; you need to sign in the white box as per usual but you must press the blue button ‘mark as absent’. Once you have signed all old absences the current day will appear and you can sign your child in.

Thank you.

Ciao, Paula