Meet our New Chef

New Arrivals

Infectious Illness

Sporting Chance

Out & About

Welcome to the May issue of the Habitat

Hub!

A huge congratulation to all the kindergarten children who recently participated in Sporting Chance! The day, by all accounts, was an enormous success and I personally gained so much pleasure from witnessing the positive, willing and able attitudes of all involved. We were delighted by the willingness of our parent body to join in the activities with such zest! I’d like to thank my dedicated educators who gave generously of their time to ensure the day was a success and especially to Janine Nel who organised and coordinated the event. It goes without saying that such events are not possible without the support of our local community – please take a look at the list of generous sponsors who made Sporting Chance possible. With winter almost upon us it is timely to begin to think about protecting your child from illness that is prevalent during the cold and flu season. There is some information within this edition of the Hub to assist you. As Senior Supervisor, a very common question I am asked is “my child had a cold – is she able to attend care?” I’d encourage all parents to make a responsible decision when determining if your child is fit for care. A child with a mild, clear runny nose who is well enough to participate in the program normally is generally fine to attend. A child with thick, coloured nasal secretions that requires continual nose wiping, or is lethargic and miserable is best cared for in the home environment. We recognise and appreciate the pressure on working parents to juggle competing priorities but for the protection of all children and their families we request your assistance in controlling illness in our environment. Finally, we look forward to seeing you all this Friday for our Habitat Parent Evening. This evening represents an opportunity for you to explore your child’s portfolio, artwork and learning environment in a relaxed atmosphere. Our educators will be on hand to meet with you and discuss the direction of learning within the curriculum. Please note that child minding will not be available on this occasion. CONTACT ME If I can be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to call me on 3851 5147 or email me at louise@habitatlearning.com.au to schedule an appointment. Louise Johnson

Senior Supervisor

Volume 5 Issue 2 2013

Parent Information

Evenings

Red Nose Day

Parent Advisory Group

Happy staff, happy children, happy families

Welcome Steven

Habitat is very pleased to

welcome Chef Steven Hursey to

our kitchen.

Steve comes with many years’ experience,

having worked at GoMA, Brett’s Wharf Seafood

Restaurant and the Pig ‘n Whistle. He has two

young boys aged 3 and 5 so appreciates the

challenges of cooking for young children. Steve

is looking forward to bringing an ecclectic mix

of fun and good food to the Habitat Families.

Stop in and say hello as you pass by the kitchen!

As Steve’s menu evolves he will be taking the

opportunity to share his most popular recipes

with you.

Please exercise due caution when departing

from Habitat. As you may be aware there are two

schools within our neighbourhood and as a result

there are lots of children who walk to and from

school each day. Please remember to “Give way to

Pedestrians” as you leave and do so at an

appropriate speed.

Car Park Safety

Chandana has recently joined Habitat

in the capacity of Early Childhood

Teacher, Arinya. Chandana has two

children of her own and a wealth of

experience teaching in Montessori and

Early Childhood classrooms.

Laura joins Habitat as an Assistant

Float. Her two favourite things are fitness

and children and she is new to the

industry.

Stacey is from Leeds in England,

coming to Australia in July of last year.

She enjoys exploring her new country

and joins Habitat in the role of

Responsible Person.

Liz is an assistant educator who enjoys

scrapbooking, baking and spending

time with her dogs.

Kirsty joins us in the capacity of Early

Childhood Teacher, Dragonflies. She has

been working as an early childhood

teacher for 3 years. In her spare time she

enjoys playing and watching sports,

spending time with her family and two pets.

is Habitat’s newest relief Early ElisaChildhood Teacher. In her personal time

she loves to play the guitar & trumpet.

A warm welcome to our newest members of staff . . .

Policy Amendment

Please note the addition of the word ‘calendar’ to the following section of the Enrolment and Orientation Policy. This policy is attached for your reference.

It is the Responsibility of the Parent Body to

provide two calendar weeks written notice of any change to enrolment including termination or change of schedule

Responsible Person

Who is the “Responsible Person”?

Under Section 162 of the Education and Care Services National Law it is an offence to operate an education and care service unless a responsible person is present. The Responsible Person is one of the following:

# Nominated Supervisor – Louise Johnson

# A certified supervisor who has been placed in day to day charge of Habitat in Louise’s absence –

Kirby Thompson, James Rossiter, Kelly Zeller-Lazzarini, Liz McFarland, Clare Grealey, Stacey

Clough or Kerrin Thomas

How do I determine the Responsible Person on Duty?

There is a sign in the main foyer to assist you to determine the Responsible Person on Duty.

What does the Responsible Person do?

# Oversee operations of Habitat

# Assist parents with any concerns

# Manage any incidents arising

Welcome baby Emmalina

It is our pleasure to introduce you to the newest addition to our Habitat family - baby Emmalina, born on 12 April. Congratulations to Annastiina & Glen, big brother Akseli & big sister, Mina! Welcome Emmalina!

Are you expecting a baby? We’d love to share the good news of your new arrival in our newsletter. Please send through an image and a few

details to Kerrin@habitatlearning.com.au

Congratulations Mel & JohnRay

… on the birth of baby Ella on Monday May 13. Ella is a little sister to JohnRay

III. Welcome Ella!

New Arrivals . . .

Policy Reminder -Infectious Illness

With the cooler weather (and the season for colds and flu) fast approaching please be reminded of our shared responsibility to minimise infectious illness at Habitat. Habitat Early Learning strongly recommends the routine vaccination of children. If your child has recently had a vaccination, please provide us with an update of your immunisation record. Did you know that you can print off your child’s immunisation record from Medicare online? A copy of our immunisation policy is attached for your perusal. Your input into our policies is always welcome (please send your feedback through to our policy developer. Please note the following extracts from our policy manual:

# If a child is unwell it is expected that s/he will not attend care

# Diarrhoea and vomiting are highly infectious and children presenting with such conditions, irrespective of the suspected cause, must be excluded from the Centre for 24 hours after the last occurrence.

# A child or employee presenting with an infectious illness will be excluded in accordance with the recommendations of NHMRC's Staying Healthy in Child Care.

# At times a clearance letter from a medical practitioner may be required prior to returning to the Centre.

Please click on the image of “Staying Healthy in Child Care” for

useful information pertaining to childhood illness and

recommended exclusion periods.

Have you liked our Facebook page? Stay up to date with all the happenings @ Habitat and receive the weekly menu on your

news feed.

Red Nose Day - Friday 28th June 2013

Red Nose Day, held annually on the last Friday in June, is the major fundraiser for SIDS and Kids. Funds raised through Red Nose Day activities assist SIDS and Kids in providing vital services and programs to the Australian community.

About SIDS and Kids

SIDS and Kids is dedicated to saving the lives of babies and children during pregnancy, birth, infancy and childhood and to supporting bereaved families.

With nine offices throughout Australia and a National office in Melbourne, SIDS and Kids areas of focus include bereavement support, education, research, national awareness campaigning, advocacy and fundraising.

Who benefits from SIDS and Kids?

SIDS and Kids offer nation-wide free bereavement services to families who have experienced the death of a baby or child during pregnancy, birth, infancy and childhood regardless of the cause.

What is Habitat doing to help?

On Friday 28 June our educators and staff will be wearing RED and making a gold coin donation to support the cause. We invite you to dress your child in RED and do the same. We will also be participating in the colouring competition (don’t forget a Habitat entrant was among the lucky winners last year). You can pick up your entry from reception or print it off from here. Please return all entries by Thursday 20 June

,

Red Nose Day

SIDS and Kids Safe Sleeping

Sleep baby on the back from birth,

not on the tummy or side.

Sleep baby with head and face

uncovered.

Keep baby smoke free before birth

and after.

Provide a safe sleeping environment

night and day.

Sleep baby in their own safe

sleeping place in the same room as

an adult care-giver for the first six to

twelve months.

Breastfeed baby.

Education @ Home

Click on the image

above to read

family.news from

ACECQA

Have you tried Reading

Eggs with your child? This is

a great online program for

early literacy development.

Click on the image and sign

up for a free trial.

Can we recommend . . .

Drawing Pad: $1.99 AU

Drawing Pad offers an incredible amount of fun and creativity. Drawing Pad lets you create drawings from a blank canvas or use the background library and accompanying objects.

E

Performing Arts Program

Last term we discovered that music can be made with any object and learned all about the beginning of instrumentation.

In term two we are exploring basic music theory and the

appreciation of music in general. Over the last three weeks we have

explored rhythm dictation. We will be introducing the different

rhythm symbols, their note value and learning how to pen these

symbols onto paper. The children in the Kindergarten programs can

now compose and read their own musical pattern in 4/4 time using

crotchet beat and rest symbols! This is such a hard exercise and for

these tiny people and is nothing less than incredible.

Well done to our budding Kindy Musicians!

Past Editions of the Hub Did you know that you can view past editions

of the Hub, as well as all the recipes included in the Chef’s Hub by clicking the “Welcome”

tab on our Facebook page?

Parent Advisory Group

Thank you to the many Parents who

have offered their time to be part of

our Parent Advisory Group. Our first

meeting will be held on Tuesday 4 June

from 6:30 to 7:30pm.

If you have indicated your interest in

the group please email your RSVP to

louise@habitatlearning.com.au

Curriculum

Arinya

Over the past month the Arinya children have been very busy. We continue to enjoy singing and learning the Jolly Phonics songs, which tie in with the Montessori Sandpaper letters. The children have been tracing over these letters on a daily basis, developing their muscular memory, and have also been practicing numbers in sequence. We choose one child each day to count their friends at group time, which helps the younger children in our class. The pre-prep children continue to practice writing their names using a capital letter at the start and lowercase. Children have been engaging in various prewriting and pre reading activities for school readiness.

So far the children have learnt what an Island, Lake, Peninsula and Gulf look like, and are able to identify these on the world globe. This has given the children the opportunity to be creative and make the various landforms during craft time and also while playing in the sandpit. They are all looking forward to the new set of landforms to be introduced shortly.

We learnt about the metamorphosis process as we discussed the Life Cycle of a Butterfly. During group times, children role played the various stages of the cycle, which was so peaceful to watch.

Everyone is singing the Continents song and starting to identify them, using the puzzle maps, world globe and naming cards.

To end the month, children have completed their props for the Sporting Chance day and made beautiful gifts and cards for Mother’s Day. We look forward to welcoming Chandana into our room.

Habitat Survey Thank you to everyone who completed our survey on Extended Child Care Options. We have had a great response. Once we have put together all the responses we will let you know the results, and how this

information may impact on future service delivery.

We are always happy to support our Habitat community. If your business has any special offers or promotions that you would like us to share on your behalf, please email them to sandy@habitatlearning.com.au and we will post it on our Facebook page for you!

Family Business Promotion

LOST PROPERTY

All lost property is photographed and put on our Pinterest board.

You can access the Pinterest board through Facebook.

Let’s Read!

What’s been happening in the Geckos Room?

This term the Geckos have been exploring science and technology. The introduction of the iPads has provided valuable links between home and care. Most of the children have been exposed to technology in some form so the ability for Habitat to be able to support socio-cultural learning using relevant tools allows the children to engage in a learning environment which is familiar to them as well as interesting.

We have been using the iPads during our active learning sessions in the afternoon before our outside time. During this small group session time the children have been working through programs which introduce them to early literacy and early number concepts plus they have also used the iPad to explore “Biological” and “Earth & Space” Science in the form of learning about the “Four Seasons”.

Two of the key Outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework are supporting the development of communication (Outcome 5) and Active Learning skills (Outcome 4). Using the iPads in small group sessions is supporting the children’s language skills as they engage in quality discussions about how to complete a task and whose turn it is next, not to mention the supportive comments the children repeat when a level is completed and their friend has accomplished the tasked. Outcome 4 is all about developing those special desires to learn. Experimentation, exploration, trial and error, questioning, problem solving, persevering are all supported through iPad use.

Gecko Room Curriculum Update

Sporting Chance!

On 4 May 2013 enthusiastic children, parents and

educators gathered together to ‘give it a go’.

From soccer, football and cricket through to sack and relay races, each and every one gave their best, all in the name of fun and an active and healthy lifestyle. What a fantastic day our first ever “Sporting Chance” event turned out to be! Perfect weather, smiles all round, generous sponsors and a little healthy competition from our dads was a recipe for success. Thank you to every person who contributed and participated to make Sporting Chance the great day that it was. A huge thank you to our sponsors:

We THANK our sponsors!!

Ferny Grove MP: Hon Dale Shuttleworth Coles, Ferny Grove (Store Manager, Andrew Jensen)

Supa Fruta, Keperra (Owner, Glenis McPhee) Oasis, Ferny Grove (Owner, Larissa Kurt)

Ferny Fireballs Cricket (President, Andrew Middleton) Ferny Grove Falcons (President, Pete Randall)

Gap Gators (Coach, Andrew Thompson) Keperra Country Golf Club (Marketing Manager, Michael Dash)

Closeburn Country Garden Nursery (Owner, Murray) Dipadees, Arana Hills (Barbara Nolan)

Spotlight, Everton Park (Maureen Hyslop, Public Affairs) Samford Landscape Supplies (Manager, Darryl)

Hanson Landscape Supplies, Ferny Grove (Manager, Barry) Energize Fitness 24/7, The Gap (Habitat parent, Chantal Coleman -

Owner/Manager/Personal Trainer) Samford Valley Community Church (Minister Peter Armstrong)

Coffee on the Way, Ferny Hills (Donna) Poolwerx, Keperra (Tony and Michelle Graham)

South East Qld Rugby League (Habitat parent, Anna Williams) Nudie Fruit juice (Leanne Brown & Kristie Booker)

Hon. Peter Dutton MP (Federal member for Dickson) Croft & Company (Lisa Mitchell)

Bakers Delight, The Gap (Habitat parent, Erin Stuart) Sweat Depot/Sweat Diva (Erin Cash)

Heinz (Leah Dumo-Heron) Catalyst Sports Management & Josh Hoffman from the Broncos (Habitat

Parent, John Williams) Saunas Australia Pty Ltd (Owner, Lisa Mitchell)

Louise Cash (Habitat Parent) Karen Magnussen (Habitat Parent) Natalie Benfield (Habitat Parent)

Habitat staff, their partners and children

Following a successful Sporting Chance Habitat has announced our raffle winner.

A huge ‘congratulations’ to the lucky winner of our signed Broncos Jersey, Lisa Mitchell. Thank you to all who supported our raffle. The proceeds of the raffle will be used to purchase specialised

sporting equipment for future Sporting Chance events. We have also awarded 10 additional prize packs that have been devotedly provided by our

generous sponsors.

Pack 1 - Williams Family

Pack 2 - Dunn Family

Pack 3 - Banks Family

Pack 4 - Williamson Family

Pack 5 - Petreski Family

Pack 6 - Watson Family

Pack 7 - Lippold Family

Pack 8 - Watson Family

Pack 9 - Pelly Family

Pack 10 - McLeish Family

Sporting Chance cont.

Financial Information

Child Care Rebate

Please be aware that you may be approaching the cap for your families Child Care Rebate (CCR). Please refer to the Government’s flyer (click on the image for further information) or contact our Finance Department for further information. Did you also know that you have the option to change the way you receive your CCR from the start of the financial year (once changed it stays like that for the entire year). To do this you will need to call the Family Assistance Office on 134150.

Although many families are receiving the Child Care Benefit and subsequently the Child Care Rebate many other families, particularly those with children attending Outside School Hours Care do not understand that they may be eligible for the Child Care Rebate and that it is not income tested.

Out & About

Have you visited . . .?

The Corner at the State Library – open daily from 10am

to 3pm

GoMA

Opening 1 June 2013

Children’s Art Centre ǀ Park Level ǀ GOMA

Free admission

The Children’s Art Centre presents ‘Kangaroo Crew’, an

interactive artist project created especially for children

and families by Indigenous Australian artist Gordon

Hookey, from the Waanyi people.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

30 1

2

3 4 PARENT ADVISORY

GROUP

5

6 7 8

9 10 QUEEN’S

BIRTHDAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY

11 12 13

14 15

16 17 18

19 20 COLOURING COMP

DUE IN

21 LAST DAY OF

TERM 2

22

23 24 25 26 27 28 RED NOSE DAY

29

What’s on in June?

Immunisation Policy

Purpose: To protect all children, regardless of their immunisation status, from infectious disease and to promote the vaccination of all children and employees. To ensure, as far as possible, that all children enrolled at Habitat Early Learning are age appropriately immunised as per the schedule set out by Queensland health and to maintain current immunisation records of children and employees. Definition/s: Vaccination means having a vaccine – the process of physically receiving an injection. Immunisation means both receiving a vaccine and becoming immune to a disease, as a result of being vaccinated. Notifiable disease refers to a condition as identified under the Public Health Regulation 2005 Position Statement: Habitat Early Learning strongly encourages immunisation for all vaccine preventable diseases for children and employees. Habitat Early Learning seeks to protect all children, regardless of their immunisation status, from infectious disease. Principles: Immunisation protects people against harmful infections before they come into contact with them in the community. Immunisation uses the body’s natural defence mechanism - the immune response - to build resistance to specific infections. Immunisation helps people stay healthy by preventing serious infections. The payment of some Commonwealth Government benefits is linked to children’s immunisation. Immunisation provides essential protection from life threatening disease.

Category Health and Safety Policy No HS16

Effective Date December 2008

Date(s) of Revision February 2010; December 2011; April 2013

Next Review Due April 2014

Relevant Legislation, Guidelines and References

Education & Care Services National Law 2010

Education & Care Services National Regulations 2011

Staying Healthy in Childcare 4th edition (2005)

NHMRC - http://www.nhmrc.gov.au (retrieved March 5, 2010)

http://www.health.qld.gov.au/ph/documents/cdb/notif_conditions_list.pdf

Queensland Health

http://www.anu.edu.au/childcare/heritage/aboutus/policies.htm (retrieved March 12, 2010).

Related Policies/Procedures/Templates

Conscientious Objection

Immunisation Update

Hygiene

Exclusion

Hand Washing

Infection Control and Illness

Due to the success of scheduled immunisation programs, many conditions are very uncommon and it is argued that this has caused complacency in some sections of the community. Habitat Early Learning encourages parents to immunise their children fully (unless they have a pre-existing medical condition which makes this not possible) as non-immunised children help spread infection in the community. When groups of children are together, illness and disease can spread rapidly. Vaccine preventable diseases such as measles and whooping cough can have serious health consequences for children, especially young children. Employees who work in a child care setting are also at increased risk of certain infectious illnesses. Vaccine preventable diseases include:

Diphtheria

Measles

Mumps

Rubella (German measles)

Tetanus

Pertussis (Whooping cough)

Polio

Haemophilus (HIB)

Hepatitis B

Meningococcus

Varicella (Chicken pox)

Pneumococcus (causes pneumonia, blood infections, meningitis and ear infection)

Influenza Families who register a conscientious objection to immunisation are usually concerned with safety of vaccines, a specific risk/side effect, or have a child who has had an adverse reaction to a previous vaccination. Homeopathic immunisations are unproven and only conventional immunisation produces a measurable immune response, and as such children receiving homeopathic immunisations are not considered immunised for the purpose of the Public Health. Habitat Early Learning has an obligation to report the outbreak of any vaccine preventable disease to the Health Department (refer to the List of Pathological, Clinical and Provisional Diagnosis Notifiable Conditions, Public Health Regulation 2005) and has the right to provide the Health Department with information on the parent and child to further establish whether the disease is actually present or not. Usually blood samples are needed to determine if it is a true outbreak. Public Health Unit contacts for notifiable conditions

Public Health Unit Telephone (07) Facsimile (07)

Metro North Public Health Unit (Brisbane North Office) 3624 1111 3624 1199

Local Immunisation Agencies North West Community Health Centre 49 Corrigan St, Keperra Phone: (07) 3335 8888 Policy Implementation:

Management will:

maintain records of current immunisation status for children and employees

monitor each child's immunisation profile

exclude children and employees who are not immunised during outbreaks of some infectious diseases in accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council

inform parents and employees of potential risks or outbreaks of infectious diseases

contact the Local Community Health Department and report the outbreak of a vaccine preventable disease, if the need arises

provide information to families about current immunisation schedules

keep current information for families on non-preventable childhood illnesses Educator will:

provide details of their immunisation status It is the Responsibility of the Parent Body to:

provide the Centre with immunisation records on enrolment, or complete conscientious objection forms

accept exclusion of a non immunised child on the advice of the Public Health Unit and pay fees for such periods

provide the Centre with updated immunisation records each time a new vaccine is administered

support the implementation of this policy