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.