We were BUSY BEES with a GIANT inflatable, ROCK POOL explorations, GYMNASTICS with GotGame, learning KARATE, playing BUBBLE SOCCER, a BEYBLADES COMP, a 10m CLIMBING WALL, creating with MAGNATILES MASTERS, chilling out at our SPA DAY, and a whoooooole lot of wheels and fantastic crafts!
And just like that, Term 1 is nearly over! As the air starts to cool, it's really important to pack an extra layer in your children's bag - especially as the days are getting shorter... 🥶❄️🧊
The Hive's AGM was held last Friday 28th March. If you'd like to know more, check the Xplor comms from Monday 31st March, and also the latest NEWS item on our website.
In Term 2, 2025 we have three different paid activities on offer, check out the options below… Please read carefully which options are available to your child’s year group.
IMPORTANT (SKATEBOARDING): We're currently working on securing the best possible price for our families, so registrations for skating aren't open just yet. Thanks for your patience — they'll be open by the end of next week!
MONDAY (ALL AGES)
Drumming w/ SAUL (SOUL DRUMMING)
TUESDAY (KINDY & YEAR 1 ONLY)
Soccer with Coach AL (PLAYBALL)
WEDNESDAY (YEAR 2-6 ONLY)
Skateboarding with Concrete Skate
THURSDAY (KINDY & Y1 ONLY)
Skateboarding with Concrete Skate
Please note: We will not be accepting mid-term additions in Term 2. If you're interested, please sign up as soon as possible.
A quick reminder to please exit the school grounds once you've signed your children out. We know it’s nice to catch up with other parents or let the kids enjoy the play area a little longer, but it can make it tricky for our staff to keep an eye on the children still in our care. The safety of the kids is our top priority, and we really appreciate your understanding and support in helping us with this!
Here are some of the activities we've been up to in our ACTIVITY CLUBS the past fortnight!
ART & CRAFT: cloud rainbows, paddlepop ballerinas, cupcake liner fish, clay club, pipe-cleaner flower bouquets and tape painting (just to name a few!)
BAKING CLUB: yummy no-bake choc chip flapjacks (substituting the nut ingredients of course), and deliciously sweet lemon slice
SPORTS: hockey, jack in the pack, newcombe ball, kick tennis, basketball knockouts, and of course some soccer
EXPLORE & DISCOVER: bug hunts, a cool (and tasty!) skittles experiment and movie club!
CONSTRUCTIVE PLAY: we created a GIANT magnatile tower and got speedy with the hot wheels tracks
MORNING CREW: Our morning crew have been really enjoying our cheerios lately... we can't seem to get enough of them!
The holidays are nearly upon us again! Make sure you request your bookings now, spots are filling up....
REMINDER: Early bird pricing has now ended. Please add +$10 to the price advertised on the calendars.
Alfie Z (Y1)
For being a fiercely kind friend and always thinking of others. Keep it up Alfie!
Jack M (Y4)
For being a positive role model for our younger bees! We love to see it Jack.
We’re excited to share that we’ll be back in the garden NEXT WEEK (Week 11)!
Our garden guardian, David, has planned some fun and educational hands-on activities for the kids. Next week, they’ll be focusing on 'exploring the garden in Autumn' and 'getting ready for planting.'
He’ll also be joining us in the second week of our HOLIDAY PROGRAM, where the focus will be on planting some Autumn crops!
In the meantime, enjoy some photos of the garden in its current state. Note the lovely little strawberries….
We’re excited to welcome Claire! Fresh to Bondi from the UK, her passion for working with children and commitment to their development will be a fantastic addition to our team.
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We’re also thrilled to introduce David as our new volunteer garden guardian. A passionate gardener at home, he’s the perfect fit to create enriching learning experiences for the kids. 🐛 🍃🌻
A friendly reminder that we have penalties in place to encourage parents to follow procedures agreed upon at enrolment to ensure child safety. The penalty is $20 and serves as a deterrant for the following:
Failure to sign in/out - Failure to sign your child in/out at drop off/pickup.
NB: It is of the utmost importance that you walk your children to the hive room at drop off and do not leave them at the gate. There are no educators or teachers supervising the areas between the gate and the hive room.
Non-notification - If children are not attending a booked afternoon session, you must notify The Hive. Failure to do this means we treat your child as 'missing' and results in a non-notification penalty fee of $20 on your account.
Late collection - The Centre closes at 6:00pm. A late fee of $20 per 15 minute block (or part thereof) is charged for children collected after 6:00pm.
You can find more information on our website.
Please remember to leave the school grounds as soon as you sign out. We know it’s tempting to stay and have a chat with other parents, or hang out at the play equipment - and we understand that it feels harmless - but it actually makes it harder for our staff to supervise the children still in our care. The safety and security of the children in our care is our highest priority, and we thank you in advance for your support with this.
The winds are changing, bringing in the cooler weather and shorter days... we're making the most of it and spending as much time outside in the warm sunshine as we can! Here's what we've been up to in our ACTIVITY CLUBS:
ART & CRAFT: sponge painting, DIY jewellery holder, ladybug handprints, leaf printing, salt fireworks painting, monster windsocks to name only a few...
BAKING CLUB: cherry and white chocolate oat cookies.. talk about YUM
SPORTS: quick cricket, oz tag tips, jack in the pack, star wars dodgeball AND pool noodle sword fights
EXPLORE & DISCOVER: DIY playdough, static hair experiments, hair salons, bug hunts and a spectacular TALENT SHOW
CONSTRUCTIVE PLAY: legomaster comps, magnatile tower comps, paper planes, KAPLA building and CUBBIES!
MORNING CREW: This week our morning crew made friendship bracelets, wrote letters to grandparents and played on the adventure playground
Bookings for our Autumn Holiday Program are OPEN!! With slots filling up quickly, it's set to be a busy one! Be sure to plan ahead and book early to avoid disappointment. You can find more information here.
Please make sure you sign our excursion permissions form for the Holiday Program! The link for the form is HERE. Even if you’re not planning to attend any excursion days, it’s a good idea to fill it out just in case!
REMINDER: Early Bird pricing applies until midnight on Sunday 30th of March.
THE ENTIRE KINDY COHORT
For settling in SO smoothly to their new routines at The Hive and embracing all that it has to offer!
Way to go Kindies!
ARTHUR (Y1)
For being an incredibly kind and thoughtful friend to everyone that he plays with, always considering the feelings of others, offering help when needed, and creating a positive environment for all.
Keep shining Arthur 🙂
Epic garden time loading...
Our garden guardian is hard at work preparing the space for garden time with the kids. We’re excited to get back to planting and weeding in the coming weeks!
Whilst we are all extremely excited to be enjoying the brand new play equipment, please remember that children should not be using it after they have been signed out. Families must leave the school grounds once children have been collected and signed out.
A huge THANK YOU to David, Clarissa and Ida, volunteer parents who mobilised rapidly and spent 4 hours on Friday morning weeding and tidying the garden, getting it ready to once again be visited and tended to by the Hive children in the coming months. What a transformation - it’s already looking sooooo much better! We’re excited to get our Gardening Club up and running again in the next week or two - watch this space for more details….
As our wonderful centre grows, naturally so does our team. This fortnight, we welcome two new Educators on board and we celebrate expanded roles for three existing team members:
Welcome: LEROY is studying a Bachelor of Furniture Design, and brings with him a warm, gentle energy and a passion for building and construction, as well as arts and crafts.
Welcome: BEN is studying a Bachelor of Management, majoring in sport business, and has a passion for all things sports - specifically Soccer - which he plays a lot, in his spare time.
Congratulations! ASHA becomes our new YEAR 1 STAGE LEAD
Congratulations! JENA is our new YEAR 2 STAGE LEAD
We also welcome COACH MATT into his new role as COORDINATOR, and Y4-6 STAGE LEAD
Sadly, we say goodbye to our beloved LAUREN, who leaves us this week for an exciting new helicopter piloting job at Sydney Airport. Lozza, you have been such an incredible part of our team these past 3 years. You will be sorely missed... but we are so excited for you as you embark on this new adventure!!
We are ramping up the energy as we find ourselves in the middle of Term 1! Where has the year gone?! Here is what we've been up to in our ACTIVITY CLUBS:
ARTS & CRAFT: We've continued the ocean theme with handprint crabs, underwater suncatchers, crafty coral and jellyfish paintings!
BAKING CLUB: we made heavily requested choc-chip cookies!
SPORTS: circus skills, capture the flag, educators vs kids dodgeball, a great new game called JEDI MASTERS (thanks GG!), golden goal, and hearty games of soccer
EXPLORE & DISCOVER: jelly fizz experiments, cookie excavation, fizzing fairy potions, dancing rice experiment and nature scavenger hunts!
*NEW* CONSTRUCTIVE PLAY: A new addition to our ACTIVITY CLUBS, constructive play involves all things building, constructing and crafting. This fortnight, that has included a legomasters comp, floor is lava obstacle course, fort building, musical cushions, and magnatile shapes
MORNING CREW: The morning crew has been getting ready for school at the HIVE SALON, enjoying our speedy hot wheels course and getting down with playdough.
Bookings for Autumn Holiday Program will open by the end of next week (Wk 7). We know it’s going to be a busy program, and we’re staffing for as many bookings as we can. We strongly advise you to plan ahead, book early and take advantage of the Early Bird pricing, which will end at midnight on Sunday 30th March.
Alexandria S (Y2)
For being a kind and curious friend to her peers.
Alexandria is always asking lots of questions to get to know her friends better!
George R (Y4)
For being a positive role model and for being so warmly
inclusive with the younger Bees during a hearty game of soccer.
Welcome back, everyone, to another exciting year at The Hive! This year, we’re bigger and better than ever, with our highest enrollment yet. Our center is growing, and we couldn’t be more thrilled!
EMERGENCY EVACUATION
Every term, we conduct emergency drills to ensure that all children are familiar with the necessary procedures. Participation in these drills is essential, as it helps everything run smoothly in the event of a real emergency.
This term, our evacuation drill is scheduled for Tuesday, March 4th, between 3:30 and 4:30 PM. If you need to collect your child during these hours, email us and we will arrange for them to stay at the centre during the drill.
**UPDATE: We will now include our Year K children in the drill, and they will leave the school with the rest of the children.
All those attending Tuesday extracurricular activities will remain at the centre during the drill.
WAITLISTS
A quick note on waitlists. We are not offering permanent bookings on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays for the remainder of Term 1.
TEAM UPDATE
We’re excited to welcome the amazing Serena to our growing team! She’s beginning her degree in Primary Education this year and is eager to learn and grow with us. We're very excited to have her warm energy on the team!! Welcome Serena!
CWA'S
Your Complying Written Agreement (CWA) with the HIVE is the key process to ensuring you receive your Childcare Subsidy (CCS) correctly whilst your child is in care. A Complying Written Arrangement (CWA) is an agreement to provide care in return for fees. All child enrolments at the HIVE must have an agreed CWA for the family to be eligible for CCS. You can find more information about how to to complete your CWA here.
We're straight back into term-time fun these past few weeks. Here is what we've been up to in our ACTIVITY CLUBS:
ART & CRAFT: we're currently re-decorating our lovely Hive Room with an 'Under the Sea' theme - so far we've decorated starfish, made paddlepop stick whales, paper stingrays, paper plate octopuses and hanging jellyfish!
SPORTS: We're keeping active with soccer shootouts, oz tag, dodgeball, netball and volleyball! Our exciting EXTRACURRICULARS have also started, with Soccer for Y1's, Skateboarding for Y1+ and Gymnastics for Y2+.
EXPLORE & DISCOVER: we've been up to all sorts of fun with DIY kinetic sand, bug hunts, ooblek, DIY playdough and potions!!
BAKING CLUB: delicious blueberry muffins and sweet lemon slice
MORNING GROUP: our morning crew have been really enjoying hama beads lately, along with watercolours, oil pastels, and enthusiastic games of UNO.
Aliza Cook (Y1)
For always wearing a huge, infectious smile and bringing joy to both kids and educators.
Alfie Goldsmith (Y3) and Felix Quinn (Y3)
For being a tremendous help with the younger children, making them feel comfortable and supported as they settle in. Way to go boys!
HIVE GALLERY…
A fond farewell to our busiest HP ever!! We’ve been at capacity almost every day, and have welcomed almost 35 of our new Kindy intake throughout the last month. All the signs are that this is going to be busy year at The hive, so here is our first reminder to all parents to book your HP as soon as we open bookings, (and enjoy our Early Bird pricing)
So what did we get up to this last fortnight? …think: Concrete Skate, messy crafts, cookie jars, Red Leaf beach, science with Ranger Jamie, wheeeeeels, Luna Park, orienteering, pyjama day, bookworms, pavilion playground, beach BBQ, scavenger hunt, talent show, water play, tech day, Got Game gymnastics, Wild Play at Centennial Park, teddy bears’ picnic, Octopus Garden and loads more…
We also completed two days of staff training: First Aid & CPR; behaviour support; food safety; group game workshop; critical reflection; risky play; cultural responsiveness; Kindy prep plus a bunch of workshops and ideas sessions. All designed to make sure that 2025 is the Hive’s biggest & best year yet!
20-24th January
30th Jan - 5th Feb
A huge welcome to all the new Kindys who’ve joined us this past fortnight. We’re enjoying getting to know you all!
In December and January so far, we’ve been busy with end of year parties, Blaxland Park, bubble parties, inflatables, circus skills, slime, robotics, baking, Inglis Park (with Messina!) water sports, treasure hunts, clay play, foam party, surfing, beach bash, Got Game and more…
Even the wind & rain hasn’t stopped us having a good time, and Hive Hats off to the team for ensuring the program remained awesome, whatever the weather… 😄 😄
Jan 13-17th
End of year wrap-up
As another incredible year at The Hive comes to a close, we reflect on all of the fun we have had and the experiences we've shared. Thank you to all our families for your ongoing support — we can’t wait to welcome you back for more fun and learning next year! Happy Holidays!
Re-Enrolments
If you have not yet completed your re-enrolment through xplor, please contact bookings@thehivebondi.com.au. This is especially important if you are looking to secure permanent bookings for next year! We are currently running waitlists for Tuesdays and Thursdays so get your requests in ASAP...
Reminder: We will not be processing re-enrolments during the centre closure. If you have not submitted your re-enrolment by the end of this week they will not be processed until we are back in centre on the 6th of January.
Extra-curriculars for 2025
We're locked in for the following extra-curricular activities next year - make sure to sign-up early to avoid missing out! Click on the link below to register...
TUES - Playball Soccer (Y1)
WEDS - Concrete Skate (Y1+)
THURS - Gotgame Gymnastics (Y2+)
New Kindergarten students will have the opportunity to sign up for extracurricular activities starting in Term 2. This allows them time in Term 1 to settle into their new routines, make new friends and become comfortable with the educators, and adjust to The Hive environment. Starting school is a significant milestone, and we want to ensure they feel comfortable and supported without feeling overwhelmed.
We’re nearly there—the BIG summer break is just around the corner! Our action-packed program kicks off on Thursday, 19th December, with an exciting excursion to Blaxland Riverside Park. On Friday, we’re throwing a massive party featuring an inflatable and a sizzling BBQ!
Please make sure you sign our excursion permissions form for the Holiday Program, especially if you are signed up for tomorrows excursion! The link for the form is HERE. Even if you’re not planning to attend any excursion days, it’s a good idea to fill it out just in case!
IMPORTANT REMINDER: Early Bird pricing has now closed, please add $10 to prcies shown on calendar...
The end of the year is nigh, and we're all feeling it... Bring on long days at the beach!! While we're all hanging out for the holidays, the fun hasn't stopped - here is what we've been up to in our ACTIVITY CLUBS:
ART & CRAFT: holiday cards, recycled jellyfish, tree ornaments (so many tree ornaments!), oil pastels, mandala drawings, letters to santa and DIY comic strips
BAKING CLUB: delicious lemon slice and gingerbread houses
SPORTS: cricket mini games, oz tag, games fun fair, soccer, afl to name a few... we've also been thoroughly enjoying enthusastic games of NUKEMBALL after fruit time.
EXPLORE & DISCOVER: we embarked on two nature scavenger hunts, made some gooey slime, played with some ooblek and wrapped up our LITTER-ARTY art projects for submission to the OCEAN LOVERS festival.
Jagger J - Kindy
We're celebrating the wonderful Jagger in YK this week! For all of his tremendous help with afternoon tea and packup, and for being an all round bucket of smiles and laughs. Thank you for bringing so much positivity Jagger!
Bae M - Y6
We say goodbye to Bae this week, who is leaving us to start high school! He has been with us since Kindy and has always been a bundle of pure joy to be around. We're going to miss you Bae! We wish you all the best!
HIVE GALLERY…
If you have not yet completed your re-enrolment through Xplor, please contact bookings@thehivebondi.com.au. This is especially important if you are looking to secure permanent bookings for next year! We are currently running waitlists for Tuesdays and Thursdays so get your requests in ASAP...
How do I know if my re-enrolment has been processed?
The Xplor software will not issue confirmation emails. If you have requested recurring bookings for next year, you will be able to see them on your calendar. Check this in the Home App, scroll through to February 2025 to confirm.
If you're still unsure, reach out to us at bookings@thehivebondi.com.au.
Holiday Program bookings have been open for a week, and spots are filling up!! Early Bird pricing will end NEXT weekend, the cut off is midnight Sunday 15th of Dec. After this, add $10 to the price advertised on the calendars...
IMPORTANT NOTE For January HP - Please book in to the year group that your child will be in for 2025...
YK-1 book LITTLE BEES | Y2-6 book BIG BEES
Remember to complete the excursion permissions form, even if you are not planning on booking excursion days...
NB: your CCS eligibility applies to Holiday Program bookings too!
Term 4 ends Wed 18 Dec
OPEN for HP - Thu 19, Fri 20 Dec
CLOSED for 2 weeks - Sat 21 Dec - Sun 5 Jan
OPEN for HP - w/c 6 Jan, 13 Jan, 20 Jan
CLOSED - Mon 27 - Wed 29 Jan (public holiday & staff training)
OPEN for HP - Thu 30 & Fri 31 Jan, Mon 3 - Wed 5 Feb
Term 1 starts Thu 6 Feb - for all school years, including new Kindys
Despite it being SWELTERINGLY humid, we've been enjoying our time outside this past fortnight (with plenty of water breaks, of course). We've also been enjoying some activities inside, where the air conditioning is... Some more exciting details about what's been happening in our ACTIVITY CLUBS:
ART & CRAFT: oil pastel portraits, handprint animals, pop out cards, salt painting, tissue paper rainbows and recycled fish! We're also slowly embracing the holiday season by writing letters to santa and creating tree ornaments for our very own hive Christmas tree!
SPORTS: nukemball, rugby, lots of dodgeball, LOTS of dance games (we love dancing at the moment!), oz tag, basketball
EXPLORE & DISCOVER: we've been embracing the messy vibes with ooblek, diy playdough, bug hunts, mud play and potions!!
BAKING CLUB: this fortnight we did rocky road (minus the nuts) and LOVED IT!
MORNING GROUP: We’ve been diving into some very enthusiastic games of Twister and practising lots of stretching to up our game! As Ezeadi said: "This is helping us get better at gymnastics!"
Lachlan M - Kindy
We're celebrating Lachy in YK for being wonderfully kind, compassionate and empathetic towards his friends, time and time again! We're so proud of you Lachy, keep up the great work.
Lennix F - Y1
We’d like to give a big shoutout to Lennix in Year 1 for using the mindfulness techniques we’ve been practising to stay calm and composed when things get tense. What an impressive effort—well done Lennix!
HIVE GALLERY…
If you have not yet completed your re-enrolment through Xplor, please contact bookings@thehivebondi.com.au.This is especially important if you are looking to secure permanent bookings for next year!!
How do I know if my re-enrollment has been processed?
The Xplor software will not issue confirmation emails. If you have requested recurring bookings for next year, you will be able to see them on your calendar. Check this in the Home App, scroll through to February 2025 to confirm.
If you're still unsure, reach out to us at bookings@thehivebondi.com.au.
Bookings will be opening NEXT WEEK! They will go LIVE Monday the 25th of November (start of week 7) and Early Bird pricing will apply until midnight Sunday the 15th of December (end of week 9).
Our Summer Holiday Program is packed full of super exciting summer themed activities. We'll have lots of water play and sunshine fun, including a giant End of Year party to celebrate the end of another school year! Featuring the one-and-only NINJA inflatable, games, treats, and a delicious BBQ...
After the break, we’ll be transitioning into our new year levels and warmly welcoming our brand-new Kindy cohort!
NB: your CCS eligibility applies to Holiday Program bookings too!
Term 4 ends Wed 18 Dec
OPEN for HP - Thu 19, Fri 20 Dec
CLOSED for 2 weeks - Sat 21 Dec - Sun 5 Jan
OPEN for HP - w/c 6 Jan, 13 Jan, 20 Jan
CLOSED - Mon 27 - Wed 29 Jan (public holiday & staff training)
OPEN for HP - Thu 30 & Fri 31 Jan, Mon 3 - Wed 5 Feb
Term 1 starts Thu 6 Feb - for all school years, including new Kindys
Here is a taster of what the children have been up to in our brilliant ACTIVITY CLUBS this past fortnight:
ART & CRAFT: DIY comic strips, hama beads, oil pastels, self portraits, leaf pattern drawing, handprint cactus, letter writing and caterpillar fun with polymer clay...WHEW! We've sure been getting crafty!!
SPORTS: Basketball AND soccer versions of GOLDEN GOAL, dodgeball, a super fun obstacle course on the adventure playground, netball, nukemball
EXPLORE & DISCOVER: shadow puppets, MUD play (we made a winding, mud river!), DIY playdough and DIY bouncy balls!
BAKING CLUB: yummy cornflake cookies and declious apple crumble cookies
Dylan T - Y3
We pay tribute to Dylan, for organising and running perhaps the most smooth and successful Kindy Soccer Club we've seen this year! Showing incredible leadership skills - way to go Dylan!
Charlie P - Kindy
We're celebrating Charlie P in Kindy, for doing an incredible job listening to the educators and being safe on our fire evacuation drill last Monday. Well done Charlie!
HIVE GALLERY…
