Newsletter Term 2, Week 3 2015 Dates to Remember Barnet Road, Evanston SA 5118 Ph: 85 223 626 SCHOOL DENTAL SERVICE Governing Council: Monday 22nd June - 6:00pm Morning Tea: Red Group - Tuesday 19 th May Blue Group Thursday 21 st May Preschool Photos: Red Group - Tuesday 26th May Blue Group - Thursday 28th May Cafhs 4 year old Health Checks: Thursday 28th May Pupil Free Day: Friday 5th June Public Holiday: Monday 8th June Thank you Thank you to Michael for donating some plastic bags, Ewan for the spare clothes, Delilah for the bubble mix, flour and vinegar, and to Blake and Alexzander (from occasional care), for donating some cars and toys. Thank you also to Delilah s family for doing some kindy washing. Your donations of goods and items to use at the Children s Centre and help with odd jobs are always very much appreciated! Warm clothes for cooler weather With the weather starting to get cooler as the seasons change, please dress your child in something to keep them warm while playing outside! Layering clothing is a great idea (T-shirt, long-sleeved shirt, jumper, jacket etc.) as children can take off or put on a layer at a time as they get warmer or cooler. A rain coat, rubber boots and a warm hat or beanie are also great to wear to preschool during the cold and wet months too! Even when it is cold, children love playing outside in water or mud - so please make sure your child has plenty of warm spare clothes when they come to preschool! All babies, children and young people under 18 years of age are welcome to attend the School Dental Service. Dental care is FREE for ALL preschool children and most school-aged children. SA Dental Service participates in the Child Dental Benefits Schedule. A small fee may apply for children who are not eligible for the Child Dental Benefits Schedule. To locate your local School Dental Clinic, or for more information about the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, please phone 8222 8222 or visit www.sadental.sa.gov.au Children s Centre Car Parking Parking space in the Children s Centre car park is limited and is primarily for staff and families attending CAFHS appointments or accessing Community groups. Alternative parking space is available along the side of Barnet Road or opposite the centre. Please do not park in the disabled car park - unless you have a disability sticker displayed in your vehicle. This clearly marked parking space is allocated specifically for people attending the Children s Centre who need access to this park. Also, please be aware of and avoid parking over the walkway crossing the car park. The walkway (concrete path), provides a designated crossing for families to walk safely though the car park from the front gate to the Children s Centre entrance. Remember to drive carefully around the Children s Centre and schools!
As part of our Positive Education training, the Children's Centre staff have been learning about Character Strengths and how they make a difference to us in our work and every-day life. If you are interested and have some spare time, take the online survey to find out your top 5 Character Strengths! Character Strength Online Survey directions: Go to www.viacharacter.org Click on Take the free VIA Survey Register Take Survey I want to take the VIA Survey (adult) Complete 120 Questions Complete the demographic data Download your profile (see bottom of page for DOWNLOAD ) Print off results Takes around 30 minutes to complete.
A note from the Director.. Staffing changes Next week we welcome Amy Cawrse to the Children s Centre team. Amy is our new speech therapist and will be working Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursday every fortnight. Denise who has been doing the crèche for parent workshops and occasional care on Fridays is now working in the preschool. Libby is now working on Fridays in the preschool as Jo is working at another centre. We are also farewelling Susan Witt who was our Occupational Therapist has taken up another position in Health. Pupil Free Day Friday 5 th June Just a reminder there will be no preschool sessions at all on Friday 5 th June as all staff will be involved in Professional Learning. We are working with other preschools in the Greater Gawler partnership to look at authentic assessment. Literacy Please find enclosed the pamphlet entitled More than reading and writing. Literacy is part of everyday life and not something that just happens when your child goes to school. Children are developing literacy skills from birth. Literacy development begins in the family and continues in families and communities as well as in the children s centre. At the children s centre, children s play is central to the development of their literacy skills with plenty of opportunities to practise and refine their skills with educators who are fully engaged with the children. We also have group times throughout the day when literacy is developed through stories, songs and games. Morning Tea Red Group - Tuesday 19 th May and Blue Group Thursday 21 st May Songs start at 8.45 followed by morning tea. Just a reminder that as part of the National Families Week celebrations the preschool families are invited to come and listen to the children sing a few songs and have morning tea in the preschool. To help with our organisation please return the green slip that was put in your child s pigeon hole or ask at the reception desk for another. Christine Townsend (Director) TERM 2 FEES - $105 ARE DUE! Paying your preschool fees Along with Direct Bank Deposit and paying cash, we have EFTPOS available at the Reception Desk. We do not have facilities to give change when paying in cash - correct amounts would be appreciated. If you receive a Centerlink payment, you can also arrange to pay your fees using Centrepay - a free direct bill paying service. Application forms are available at the Reception Desk and also at Centerlink. Another easy option for paying your fees is to pay in instalments each week or fortnight. PRESCHOOL FEES ARE VITAL TO THE RUNNING OF OUR CENTRE AS WE ARE NOT FULLY FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT. NOT PAYING YOUR FEES MEANS LESS PAPER, PAINT, NEW EQUIPMENT AND TOYS FOR YOUR CHILD AND OTHER CHILDREN TO USE. Please see Christine if you would like to arrange a payment plan or to discuss any fee-payment issues.
Preschool Learning Program Welcome back! We hope you had an enjoyable break over the holidays! Some of the things Red Group have been doing are: Built a Tee-pee inside the preschool using tree branches Camping and cooking Had some visits from Mr. Digbie (Libby s Rabbit) Played memory games Making rivers in the sandpit Getting artistic outside using pavement paint Playing outside with Autumn leaves - Thanks Christine for bringing them in! Digging in the mud Having a go at standing in front of the group and tapping along while counting to 20 Going to the Junior School Oval (Behind the Preschool) to run and play Some of the things Blue Group have been doing are: Visiting the School Library Painting outside using pavement paint Treating people at a pretend Doctor s Surgery and transporting them in a pretend ambulance Decorating our Stick-Wall with paint Playing with gloop Planting veggies Talking about worm farms and discussing sustainability Practicing writing our names Treasure hunts Camping Cooking and eating at a pretend restaurant Upside-down drawing - put paper under a table, then lay underneath the table to draw!
A SPECIAL WELCOME TO ALL OUR NEW PRESCHOOL FAMILIES! WE LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING WITH YOU DURING THE YEAR! Look What s On This Term! KIM S KORNER LETS YOU KNOW WHAT S HAPPENING FOR FAMILIES IN THE CHILDREN S CENTRE AND IN THE COMMUNITY! COME ALONG