* DATES TO REMEMBER *

Last day of Term 2: Wednesday 4th July (Red Group)

Friday 6th July (Blue Group)

PLEASE NOTE:

EARLY CLOSURE TIME ON LAST DAY OF

TERM FOR BLUE GROUP - 2:10pm

First day of Term 3: Monday 24th July (Red Group)

PLEASE NOTE:

The first Wednesday morning session for Term 2

will be Blue Group - see calendar on back page.

Newsletter

Term 2, Week 8

2018

Barnet Road,

Evanston SA 5118

Ph: 85 223 626

PRESCHOOL

PHOTOS

The preschool photos are in the

process of being printed…

They should be delivered

to us soon! If you have chosen to pay by credit card,

please ensure that there are sufficient funds

available in your account to cover the cost

of your order.

ONCE WE HAVE CHECKED AND

SORTED THEM INTO

RED & BLUE GROUPS,

WE WILL HAND THE PHOTOS

OUT TO YOU.

A note from the Director…..

Winter Illnesses

Parents often ask us if we think their child is well enough to come to preschool. Recently, we gave out a

“Stop Illness Spreading” note to all families, containing basic information to use as a guide to make this

decision, along with some extra information from our “Managing Illness Policy”. The “Stop Illness

Spreading” note has also been displayed on the Preschool Door, the information display window near the

sign out sheets, as well as in rooms on the Community side of the Children’s Centre. Please refer to the

information below and on page 3 for more details.

In addition to the information included in the “Stop Illness Spreading” note, it is important to

KEEP YOUR CHILD AT HOME IF THEY HAVE TAKEN PANADOL OR NUROFEN IN THE MORNING.

Although Panadol or Nurofen may help your child to feel better for a while, both medicines will mask

symptoms, but will not actually get rid of any infection that may be present. The infection is then more

likely to be spread amongst other children and staff at the Centre. If your child is unwell during the day,

staff, will phone you to organise for your child to be collected from preschool.

In line with National Quality Standards, policies are required to be reviewed regularly. The Governing

Council is currently in the process of reviewing our “Managing Illness Policy”. The current policy is available

to view at any time on our Website and also in the “Policies and Procedures” folder, located on top of the

small set of pigeon holes to the left as you enter through the Preschool door from the Reception area.

Please see a staff member if you need any help to find the “Policies and Procedures” folder or any further

clarification regarding the “Managing Illness Policy”.

Christine Townsend (Director)

STOP ILLNESS SPREADING!

Try Again In 24 Hours

Fever above 37.5 c

Hard Cough

Constant runny nose

Green or Yellow

Mucus from the nose

Diarrhoea or vomiting

Undiagnosed Rashes

Sores (e.g. cold sores)

Unusual Colour

(e.g. pale/bright red)

Sore throat or swollen

glands

Can attend if Parents can be on call

Fever Free for 24 Hrs Sporadic Cough Minimal runny nose

Ok to come in and play!

Mild, infrequent

cough

Self-manageable,

clear runny nose

Active, Playful and

rested

Just a Reminder...

Health

Please notify staff immediately of any contagious illnesses (e.g. chicken pox, conjunctivitis, hand foot & mouth,

gastroenteritis, school sores, worms, head lice etc.) Your child will not be able to return to the centre until he/she

is completely cleared or treated (as is the case for head lice).

Illness at Preschool

Children who are unwell must be kept home, especially if they have fresh colds or contagious illnesses. If children

become unwell whilst at preschool, they will be cared for until a parent or emergency contact person can

collect them. As staff do not have medical training or access to medical instruments (such as thermometers), or

medication, the decision to contact families will be based on their observations and history of the child.

For further information, please refer to the “Managing Illness Policy”,

located in the “Policies and Procedures” folder

on top of the small pigeon hole shelf to your left as you enter the preschool.

From the Managing Illness Policy…

DEFINITIONS: “Illness” - (for the purpose of this policy) refers to any temporary condition that

affects a child’s ability to participate in the preschool curriculum and/or requires additional

care or attention.

ILLNESS INCLUDES:

Influenza and Influenza-like illnesses

Clear, Running noses where this is not able to be managed independently

Thick, green or yellow mucus from the nose

Earache, headache, stomach ache

Temperature (hot to the touch)

Bladder infection or loose bowels

Gastroenteritis

Head lice infestation - before successful treatment (i.e. while eggs and/or lice are present)

Vomiting, diarrhoea within the last 24 hours

Any illness or temporary condition that requires the application or administration of any

medication or ointment during the preschool day

Conjunctivitis

When on a course of antibiotics for the first 24 hours of being medicated

Any infectious disease - chicken pox, measles etc.

Any infectious skin complaint - School sores, ring worm etc.

Any illness where the child is unable to fully participate in the curriculum

Excessive and/or continuous nose bleed (i.e. a nose bleed that does not stop within a

reasonable period of time)

Any illness or temporary condition where the child would require additional supervision

or care, without this first being negotiated with the Director.

It excludes:

Asthma

Eczema - or other ongoing skin complaints

Allergies or sensitivities

Any ongoing, long term or permanent condition that requires care

These exclusions and some other illnesses and/or conditions will require Health Management Plans

and/or Medication Permission Forms to ensure the child’s health can be managed appropriately by

the Preschool staff.

Some of the activities that have been happening recently in Red group are:

Visits to the Junior School Playground...building up our gross motor skills on the equipment and

practicing following instructions and routines - when the whistle blows, we find the yellow card

and get ready to go back to preschool!

Woodwork - risk assessment and risk taking

Science - looking at light reflecting and rainbows through prisms

Some of the children enjoyed their first visit to the School Library! Throughout the year, all of the

children will have opportunities to visit the Library, usually in small groups.

Learning Indigenous songs such as “Nina Marni Welcome” and Inanay Gupanana”. Ask your

child if they can sing these new songs to you!

Learning about Phonics and Rhyming

Studying Stick Insects and Tadpoles - learning about life cycles and growth.

Some of the activities that have been happening recently in Blue group are:

Our first playground visit - building confidence, developing cooperative and

turn taking skills, taking risks, gross motor skills - balance, upper body strength,

core body strength.

Exploring wet weather in our new rain suits!

Magnetic play - curiosity, problem solving and noticing.

Numeracy - games involving, patterns, numerals, turn taking, decoding

symbols.

Experimenting with dye from textas using Pipettes - Numeracy - full, empty,

colour mixing, Fine Motor pressure, spatial awareness.

Library visits in small groups, Oval visits, small group excursions to places such

as the Pet store, Coles and Bunnings.

Sensory activities and experimentation with gloop! Children measured and

mixed their own amounts. They used cars and trailers to help count, fill, sort

and arrange.

Setting up the worm farm and investigating our worms - how they move, how

many there are and what they need (food scraps and water)

Observing our tadpoles, frogs and leaf insects - lots of noticing of changes!

Group oval visit where we read a big book!

Preschool Learning Program

Thankyou...

Thank you to the families who have donated various items to the

Preschool recently - Jordan C. for donating some boxes for the children to use at the making table, Cody T.

for the shaving cream and to Madeline M for the

“Tinker Table” items.

Thanks also to Samantha B’s family for doing some preschool washing.

Your donations of goods and items to use at the Children’s Centre and help with odd jobs are always very

much appreciated! Your kind donations allow us to use our

restricted budget for more specialised equipment for your

child’s education and your help with jobs, such as doing the preschool washing, allows the educators to focus on other important tasks!

A FEW REMINDERS...

PLEASE BRING YOUR CHILD’S PURPLE HAT EVERY DAY!

Alternatively, you can keep it here in your child’s pigeon hole.

We only have a very limited number spare hats kept here for emergency situations and these hats need to be washed after every use. As we do not have a washing machine on site, the hats are

hand-washed by staff at the end of each day, taking up valuable time that they could be using for programming and preparing resources for the next session of preschool.

If your child has misplaced their purple hat, they are more than welcome to wear any other sun-safe, broad brimmed, bucket style hat from home - CLEARLY NAMED.

No Caps - they do not provide adequate protection form harmful UV rays.

Replacement hats are available to purchase for $5.00 at the Reception Desk.

NO PHOTOS OR VIDEOS ON PHONES OR CAMERAS

To comply with Child Protection Regulations, please DO NOT take ANY photos or videos with phones or cameras at ANY time within the Children’s Centre grounds.

Please inform a staff member if you do see anyone, (other than staff), taking photos or videos. Thankyou.

Hi, I'm Susan!

I am the Occupational Therapist at Gawler and District College B-12 Children's Centre.

I am here every Wednesday and alternate Tuesdays (odd weeks of term).

The main focus of my role is running groups and providing information to families with children from Birth - 3 years of age.

The areas I can provide support around are: Fine and Gross Motor Development Independence in self-care skills and routines

(e.g. going to the toilet, mealtimes, dressing, bathing and following other daily routines)

Play and social skills with siblings and peers Sensory processing, regulation skills and a

positive approach to behaviours of concern

If you have any concerns about your child’s development in any of these areas or you would just like to know more about what Occupational Therapy involves, please feel free to pop in to see me or phone the Children’s Centre on 85223626. I would love to catch up with you!

Look What’s On! WE LIKE TO LET YOU KNOW WHAT’S

HAPPENING FOR FAMILIES IN THE CHILDREN’S

CENTRE AND IN THE COMMUNITY!

WELCOME TO 2018 EVERYONE

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING WITH YOU

DURING THE YEAR!

Recipe for Play Dough

4 cups of Flour

2 cups of salt

4 tablespoons of cream of tartar

1/2 cup of oil

1 teaspoon of colour

4 cups of hot water

Mix all ingredients together

Try giving your play dough a special twist by adding extras such as glitter, lavender, herbs or

spices. You could even hide some ‘treasures’ in the play dough, (e.g. plastic animals, shiny

stones or beads), for your children to find! Please make sure these ‘treasures’ are of a suitable

size and not a choking hazard for little people!

Here’s a few simple recipes for some sensory activities that you can easily make at home! Making these with your children would be a

cheap, fun school holiday activity...perfect for a rainy day!

Gloop!

Mix together:

Cornflour, water & a few drops of

food colouring

to a toothpaste-like consistency

Cloud Dough!

Mix together:

2 Cups of Cornflour

1 cup of Hair conditioner

Slime!

Mix together:

Lux Flakes and boiling water

to a glue-like consistency

Leave overnight

Keep this on your

fridge! Term 3 Calendar:

PLEASE CHECK YOUR CHILD’S PIGEON HOLE EVERY DAY!

Important information for Parents and Caregivers is distributed via your child’s pigeon hole.

It is vital that you check your child’s pigeon hole EACH TIME you bring them to preschool!

We understand that sometimes it may feel like you are being overloaded with information and forms, however, to ensure your child doesn’t miss out on anything, is able to participate and to help educators to plan and hold events such as Parent/Caregiver/Teacher meetings, Excursions, Projects or Support Groups, we ask that you:

READ ALL NOTES THOROUGHLY

TAKE NOTE OF WHEN EVENTS ARE HAPPENING

COMPLETE AND RETURN ANY CONSENT FORMS TO THE RECEPTION DESK BY THE DUE DATE

Here’s a few tips for keeping your children’s notes, consent forms and other information organized and easily accessible:

Keep a “NOTES BOX” for each child in your family somewhere easy

to access (e.g. on your kitchen bench or office desk).

Attach a HOOK for each child in your family somewhere you access each day (e.g. inside or on your pantry door) and use a bulldog clip to

attach all notes and information received.

Keep all notes for the whole term and recycle any that are no longer

needed at the end of each term!

TERM FEES

are due in the

FIRST WEEK

of each term

Paying your preschool fees…

Along with Direct Bank Deposit and paying

cash, we have EFTPOS available at the

Reception Desk.

When paying in cash: Please use a payment

envelope - available next to the Fee Box at

the Reception Desk. Complete ALL details

on the envelope and place the CORRECT

AMOUNT of money in the envelope.

WE DO NOT HAVE FACILITIES TO GIVE

CHANGE.

If you receive a Centerlink payment, you

can 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.

You can set up a payment schedule with

your bank to pay weekly, fortnightly or

monthly.

Please see Christine if you would like to

arrange a payment plan or to discuss any

fee-payment issues.

TERM 3 2018…July 23rd – September 28th

WEEK MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THRUSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

1 Jul – 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

2 30 31 Aug – 1 2 3 4 5

3 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

4 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

5 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

6 27 28 29 30 31 Sept – 1 2

7 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

9 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

10 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

SCHOOL

HOLIDAYS

Oct – 1 Labour Day 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14