Rangeview Pre-School Association Incorporated 3 Rupert Street, Mitcham VIC 3132

Phone: 9874 5874 Fax: 9874 5949 Assoc. Inc. A 0006307 C ABN: 30 637 377 107 rangeviewpreschool@bigpond.com.au www.rangeviewpreschool.vic.edu.au

“The Happy Kindergarten”

Rangeview Ramblings February 2013

3 Year Olds

Dates To Remember 15th Feb Book Club Due 16th Feb Working Bee 22nd Feb Kinder Family Picnic, 5.30 – 7.30pm 6th Mar Committee Meeting 11th Mar Kinder Closed, labour Day Public Holiday 28th Mar Last Day Term One 15th Apr First Day Term Two

Dates To Celebrate

January Birthdays

February Birthdays

Lily 18th – Willow Cooper 27th-Willow

Charlotte 7th – Jacaranda Henry 12th – Jacaranda

Ben 28th - Willow Jack 12th – Willow Javier 12th - Willow

Joshua 17th - Willow

Director's Report A very warm welcome to all our new and returning families. It has been lovely to meet our new families and to greet our returning families. Watching the children come in to the kinder it is amazing to see how the children have grown over the holidays. We also welcome new staff to our centre. The four year old group teaching team has now expanded to include Sophie Wood who will be teaching the fours with Meg. Jan will be joined by Penny Low and Sonya Wansbrough as our co-educators. I want to welcome them to our teaching team and I am looking forward to working with them all as we plan and prepare learning experiences for our children. I know that you will all help them to feel welcome and join with me as I wish them all the best as they begin working in our wonderful pre-school. I want to thank all the staff who assisted in the clean out of the sheds on the last day of last term. We found hidden treasures amongst the many items on the shelves and we took the opportunity to discard the collection of broken bits and pieces. We cleaned, sorted and re-boxed resources and made room to move, we were very happy with our productive day. Thank you to Erin & Bec who organised a skip to help clear away the rubbish during the holidays. Your efforts have been appreciated. Also during the holidays new air conditioning was installed in the 4's room which will be very much appreciated by the children and the staff as they work through the hot days together. Thank you to Gen and Adele for organising this and for the changes to the front fence, which has been altered in height to ensure the safety of our children. We are awaiting new lockers for the foyer area. There has been a slight hold up but once the lockers are delivered the children will have a space of their own to put their belongings. Even when we are not here there is still lots to do and organise so thank you to all those who helped in some way over the holidays, your time, effort and help is really appreciated. We have received an exciting delivery from Educational Experience care of our kinder community supporting the Woolworth's Collect a Sticker fundraiser. We have purchased a wood work bench, complete with vice for the kinder. This will make a great addition to the children's experiences as they develop the skills to use the tools and create pieces with the materials provided. If families have off cuts of wood that could be used at kinder, please feel free to bring it in for the children.. We also purchased new helmets for the children and a range of collage and natural materials to extend children's learning experiences. So a huge thank you to our 2012 community for their efforts in collecting all those stickers. 2013 is a step into the unknown for us as we start the year with two rooms, changes to hours and timetables and a larger team of staff. With all the challenges that will be ahead, we are looking forward to sharing amazing experiences with the children to help them move towards their outcomes and to continue to learn and develop as part of this wonderful community. Kim Costigan We’d  like  to  thank  and  acknowledge  the  following  company  who  have  be  generous  in  their  support  of  our  pre-­‐school  and  ask  you  to  support  them  when  you  have  the  opportunity.  Good  Guys  Nunawading  who  assisted  with  the  supply  of  the  new  air-­‐conditioners  in  the  four  year  room.  

Welcome to Rangeview Preschool!

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and your child to our Three Year Old Groups and to thank you for your time on interview days. It is always a very busy and at times hectic week or two as we exchange information and begin to get to know your wonderful children. The shorter sessions and smaller groups allow all the children the opportunity to adjust to a new environment and new people around them. Most of the children have settled well and are beginning to find their way around our kinder. For some of our children and our parents, separating from loved ones can be difficult. It is important that children and parents feel comfortable about being left and leaving. Most children go through the process of separation anxiety. Although this shows that children are developing normally, it can be a very stressful time for everyone. We find that developing a consistent routine helps to alleviate some of the anxiety that some children may feel. The start of the session can be extremely important in how your child may deal with the day. We ask that you please arrive on time so that your child can join their friends on the mat at the beginning of the session. Expect to stay for at least the first part of the session and possibly more if your child finds separating difficult. Always say goodbye to your child when you are leaving, let them know that you will be back after story time and then go quickly without lingering. Our routines help us to provide a nurturing environment for our children, teaching them what is expected, providing reassurance and developing a sense of belonging and wellbeing. However long (or little) time it may take, you will usually notice a new confidence in your child once they overcome this stage. Learning to trust is an enormous step for children and we want it to be as easy as possible.

Home corner is always a wonderful space to develop social skills and use the imagination. We have been enjoying our “coffee and cake” at the cafe and it has been wonderful to engage with the children as we chat together.

Constructing with the wooden blocks allows the children to explore spatial awareness , length and shapes. It is exciting to watch the children using their imagination to help create their play. This train track provided the topic for some great conversations about the different train tracks the children have at home and who is their favourite “Thomas” character.

Painting is a wonderful opportunity to learn about and explore colours. Whatever strokes the children use on the paper they are learning to control their movements as they position the brush and move it about the paper. Every painting tells a story, some simply show colours whereas others are more elaborate with tales of boats on the ocean or rainbows and sunshine

The scissors have been very popular at the drawing table. The children have been eagerly cutting up paper into various shapes and sizes. Cutting is a tricky skill to develop and it is great to see the children persevering and enjoying the task. The pasting table will provide more opportunities for the children to build on this skill over the weeks to come.

The children have enjoyed the opportunity to have some fruit with us. We shared a plate of banana, grapes and watermelon, and as the weather was quite warm it was very refreshing . At the end of the session I was asked which fruit would we have next time and I asked the children for some suggestions. With lots of ideas called out, we went with one very popular and one different variety so we are going to share some oranges and cantelope (rock melon). Healthy lunch boxes for children

Please remember we are encouraging healthy eating and drinking habits throughout our routines. We aim to have snack at about 11am. Please provide your child with two or three healthy items to choose from in their named snack box. Cheese, yoghurt, fruit, vegies, a small sandwich are a good place to start. As we observe the children we will be able to let you know if more or less is required in their snack box. The healthier the food items - the more sustained the children will be as they participate in the session. Children do not require their own drink bottle at kinder, as we

provide them with water to drink. Family Photo

We would like to invite the children to bring in a photo of their family to share with us and to become a part of our community tree. The photo only needs to be a standard size photo (10cm x 15cm). The photo provides an opportunity for children to share with us a little about their family and makes a connection with them between home and kinder. Having a photo of their family can be reassuring and helps to build upon the children's sense of belonging to our kinder community.

Our journey has begun and we are looking forward to sharing many interesting ideas and experiences with your children. I will be giving more information on the program over the next week so keep an eye on your pigeon holes. Please feel free to chat to me about any concerns that you may have regarding your child, the program or any other issues. Again a very big WELCOME to you all. Kim, Amelia and Betty

Reminders

u Sunsmart Center

Please make sure your chi ld has their hat every day. A legionnaire style or broad brimmed hat with a minimum 5cm brim is required from the beginning of September unti l the end of Apri l . A good idea is to leave one in their locker. Maybe even attach something to it to

help them recognise their hat, such as a r ibbon, badge etc. as many chi ldren at this stage cannot recognise their name yet. Rangeview has a “no hat, no outdoor play” pol icy.

Please also remember to have sunscreen on your chi ldren prior to each session.

u Change of clothes

Children do at times have accidents and may require changing. Please keep a change of clothes, underwear and socks in your child's bag.

Please also read the attached clothing policy especially as to suitable clothes in hot weather.

u Footwear Appropriate footwear is essential; sandals or sneakers are a good choice for chi ldren's feet at kinder as they al low the chi ldren to

safely cl imb, run and move about the play spaces.

u Children's Bags It is helpful to your child to have a bag that is big enough to keep a change of

clothes, their hat, their snack box and their art work. Small bags cause frustration for the children learning to put their belongings away and often mean that items are left out of the bag.

u Feedback Please f ind attached to this newsletter a program suggestion and feedback form, we

highly value parent input into the program and would be happy for any ideas or suggestions you may have.

Anaphylaxis: We currently have some chi ldren attending the Pre-school that are at r isk of anaphylaxis. We would therefore request that no nut products be brought to the Pre-

school – in any group. We have a comprehensive Anaphylaxis pol icy here at Rangeview. Please take note of nuts / ingredients in muesl i bars.

Working Bee Saturday 16th February 2013

9.30am – 11.30am

Lets get our Kinder cleaned up and looking fabulous for the children to start their kinder year. Please put your name on the Attendance sheet in the foyer so we know who is coming.

A list of jobs will be up before the working bee so you can see what needs to be done and what tools we may need you to bring – shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows etc

We look forward to seeing you there. Rebecca van der Lit – 3 year old group Maintenance Officer Erin Oxlee – 4 year old group Maintenance Officer

Presidents Report

Welcome to all our new and returning families, and to all the new and continuing staff. 2013 sees the introduction of Universal Access, the government’s 15 hours of kinder for 4 year old. To cater for the increased hours we have increased our 4 year old staff to a total of 5, comprised of teachers Meg Donnelly and Sophie Wood and assistants Penny Low, Jan Vanstone, and Sonia Wansbrough. Please join me in welcoming Sophie, Penny and Sonia to our community.

Over the holidays some works were conducted around the kinder, the sheds were cleaned out and new air-conditioning was installed in the 4 year old room. There has been a slight delay on our new foyer furniture; we appreciate your patience with the old locker system for the next few weeks.

Next month we will report to you the key findings from the 2012 Parents Survey. We are again focusing on our communication with the parents in relation to the work the committee is doing. In the coming weeks you will see a new white board in the kinder entry. This white board will be filled with information for you regarding the coming days and weeks activities; along with information from the social and fundraising teams.

I would like to thank, in advance, all of the committee for volunteering their services this year. We have a fantastic team assembled and we hope that we can deliver you a fun, interesting and a social year.

If you have any questions or queries about the goings on around the kinder, please don’t hesitate to contact me or any of the committee members.

Genevieve Hammerton - President

Safety Around Kinder

Car Park: We ask all families to reverse park when using the car parks at the front of kinder to ensure a safe environment for the children as they arrive and depart kinder. Kinder Building: At pick up and drop off times, please remind your children not to run around the front yard and down the sides of the building. The committee will be investigating the options to place gates on either side of the building. The Gate: Please ensure that only the children in your care exit the gate with you after drop off and pick up. To ensure that our gate remains in good working order we ask that parents stop children from “riding” on it.

     BOOK  CLUB  First Orders Due Friday 15 February 2013 All parents will find their first Book Club order forms for 2013 in their pigeon holes. The return date for these is Friday 15 February 2013. No late orders can be accepted. Please read the instructions for completing your orders below. I look forward to a hearty response for our first issue.

Book Club Ordering Process

1. Brochures are placed in parent’s pigeon holes with a stamped return date.

2. Ensure the order form is fully completed (write clearly the child’s full name, group, quantity and payment method). Please note if you purchase books from more than one brochure, and are paying by credit card, you only need to complete the credit card receipt once with the combined total.

3. Highlight the book selection (as the print is small and orders can be missed).

4. Place the completed order form in an envelope into the fundraising box in the pre-school foyer.

5. Full payment must be included with each order and orders will not be accepted after the stamped date on

each issue.

6. If you don’t want your child to see what you are ordering, write a note for us and we will put your books in a coloured (rather than see-through) plastic bag.

7. Orders are then placed in your child’s locker.

Katrina Hall - Book Club Organiser

Rangeview Ramblings 8 February 2013 – 3 Year Olds

Social Report  "Welcome to kinder in 2013. My name is Christine Prescott and I have the exciting job as social co-ordinator for the coming year. I have a son in 3yr old, and one in 4yr old as well, so no doubt I'll get to meet most of you through the year as we stand in the foyer! Our first social event for the year is the kinder family picnic. It will be held on Friday 22nd February from 5:30-7:30 pm at the kinder. This is a fantastic evening and a great opportunity to meet the other families at the kinder. BYO food, and picnic rugs/chairs. We will also have sausages, icy-poles and drinks for sale. Hope to see you all there. Our second event will be Barefoot bowls at end of February or early March. Details to follow when date and venue has been confirmed. If anyone has any suggestions for social activities, please talk to me, leave a note for me in the social co-ordinator intray in the office, or email me christieprescott@gmail.com . I look forward to meeting you throughout the year. Christine Prescott."

 Pre-School Communication One of our goals this year is to further improve the communication process from the Kinder to the families at our service. We are also very aware of “Being Green/ Saving paper” and will be considering this when working towards our goals. Where is our information? In the foyer

• The 3 and 4 year old groups have a notice board, where you will find information about the current program, parent duty rosters, washing rosters and other information relevant to each group.

• There is a notice board with fundraising and local community news and upcoming events on it. The Kinder Entrance

• Soon you will see a whiteboard in our entrance. This will have day to day information from the staff and committee that you will need to know, for example – today the children will be playing outside first, so they need their hats on; or chocolates due today; etc

Website • The website has information about the staff, timetables etc as well current newsletters from both groups. As

the year goes on we will be updating and using this site as another method communication to parents. Email

• Something new this year will be email correspondence from the Staff and Committee to you via email.. They will use the email address you put down on your enrolment form and this will remain private and confidential, and only used by Staff and selected Committee Members.

• It is not too late to receive your Newsletters by email….please fill in a form (there are spare ones in

the foyer) and put in the newsletter tray in the Office. These addresses are used only by the me (the Newsletter writer) to send the Newsletter, and again are kept private.

Rangeview Ramblings 9 February 2013 – 3 Year Olds

Parent Representatives Parent representatives were introduced into the Kinder last year. These parents are non-Committee Members but are parents keen to get to know the families in their group and be a liaison between the Kinder and parent where needed

• Their main job is to be welcoming and supportive to all families into the Kinder, especially those who may join the Kinder during the year. They are someone parents can approach to ask questions about the Kinder and if they’re not sure of the answer they will point you in the direction of who would be best to help you.

• Another of their jobs is to become familiar with dates and other things going on around the kinder, and emailing more informal reminders to parents. We got lots of positive feed back on this from parents last year especially those who work full time, often notices got lost on the way home from Kinder, so an email ensured they knew what was coming home, also for parents like me who had little ones in tow at pick up and drop off, there wasn’t much opportunity to stand and read the information that was there, so again emails just made sure I hadn’t missed anything.

• This year the Parent Reps will also put together the parent phone/email contact list. This is completely separate to the one that the Staff and selected Committee Members have access too. This list is optional. It has a list of children in your group, parent’s names, preferred phone and email contact. It’s a great resource to use to organize play dates, swap parent duty etc etc. Look out for these lists to fill in near the sign in book in the next week or so.

Willow Parent Representative – Kyla Petrilli – Javier’s Mum Jacaranda Parent Representatives – Onnie Veale – Ben’s Mum and Kim Storie – Amber’s Mum      

Spacers and Schools/Preschools: Reminder for Parents & Carers

Schools/preschools in Victoria have been informed by The Asthma Foundation of Victoria about new guidelines regarding the use of spacers for children with asthma. Spacers are essential equipment when following Asthma First Aid best practice, however schools/preschools will no longer be able to wash, sterilise and re-use spacers from their asthma emergency kits when assisting students with asthma symptoms. Asthma first aid kits should only ever be used as a back-up for when a student does not have their own spacer available, if it is a first asthma attack or the cause of breathing difficulty is unknown. Some schools/preschools may implement a policy where parents/carers are responsible for the cost of the spacer if one must be used from the asthma emergency kit. Even if your child has mild asthma, it is essential that their medication and spacer is always available to school/preschool staff. Please make sure your child always brings a spacer with them to school, or has one that stays at school.

For more information, please contact the Asthma Foundation of Victoria on 1800 278 462 or email

schools@asthma.org.au

Youth Ambassador Competition Do you have children between the ages of 10 – 18 years and believe they could do more for other young people with with asthma? Would they be interested in making a video and win some awesome prizes? Then don’t let asthma hold them back! Your child could be The 2013 Youth Ambassador for The Asthma Foundation of Victoria. The competition is now open and closes 29th February 2013.

For more information, please contact the Asthma Foundation of Victoria on 1800 278 462 or email

sflanagan@asthma.org.au

Rangeview Ramblings 10 February 2013 – 3 Year Olds

Fundraising: The fundraising team are working hard at getting some exciting fundraisers organised for this term.

“Talking with other parents and carers makes you realise you are not alone”

If you would like to talk to someone who has been through a similar experience with managing their children’s asthma, or need support to live well with your own asthma, we would like to connect you with others for mutual support via the phone, internet or face-to-face groups. Peers Leading Peers will link you to a trained volunteer who can listen to your concerns and help you to manage. This is the first program of this kind to be available for asthma in Australia. We are grateful to the Victoria State Government Department of Health for their funding support. The program is available for anyone with asthma or parents, grandparents and people who regularly care for a child with asthma.

If you are interested in accessing support or becoming an

“Asthma Peer Support Volunteer” contact Belinda at The Asthma Foundation of Victoria on 1800 278 462 or

binglis@asthma.org.au

Asthma Australia Film and Poster competition winners Thanks to all the young people who entered our film and poster competition in December. The winners are, FILM – Individual: Lydea from South Australia for her film, Asthma Awareness FILM – School: Lloyd from Ramingining, Northern Territory for his film, Asthma First Aid POSTER – Individual: Max for his poster, Woven Cloth POSTER – School: Maire from Victoria for her poster, Asthma: 4 Steps A further 10 entries will receive incentive prizes. Prizes of mini iPads and iTunes vouchers provided with the support of Next Byte. Winning entries and a selection of other entries will be posted on the website in the near future. Congratulations to our winners and thank you to those who entered.

Rangeview Ramblings 11 February 2013 – 3 Year Olds

Uniform Orders for 2013 Uniforms are not compulsory at Rangeview Pre-school although every child must wear a legionnaire hat (with flap at back) or broad brimmed hat. All these items have the Rangeview Pre-school logo. Orders will be delivered to your child’s locker. Order forms and payment are due back to the Pre-school by Thursday 21st February. Late orders will not be processed. Please ensure you order correctly as clothing has logo printed and cannot be exchanged. T-SHIRTS $13.00

COLOUR (red, navy blue, pink, royal blue)

SIZE (4,5,6,7)

QUANTITY COST (@$13 each)

LONG SLEEVE T-SHIRTS $15.00

COLOUR (red, navy blue, pink, royal blue)

SIZE (4,5,6,7)

QUANTITY COST (@$15 each)

WINDCHEATER $18.00

COLOUR (red, navy blue, pink, royal blue)

SIZE (4,5,6,7)

QUANTITY COST (@$18 each)

LEGIONNAIRE HATS (ONE SIZE $8.00) or SLOUCH HATS (SMALL/MEDIUM $10.00)

COLOUR (red, navy blue, royal blue)

SIZE (small/ medium)

QUANTITY COST (legion $8, slouch $10)

CHILD’S NAME: PARENT’S NAME: CONTACT NUMBER: GROUP (circle): 3YO Jacaranda Willow 4YO Red Blue Green Yellow PAYMENT METHOD (circle): CASH / CHEQUE (Made out to Rangeview Pre-school) / ELECTRONIC TRANSFER Electronic Transfer details: BSB: 704 191 Account: 159814 If using electronic transfer, please use UNIF (your surname) as the reference code. DATE OF TRANSFER: TOTAL COST: $

Rangeview Ramblings 12 February 2013 – 3 Year Olds