Term 2 Week 2

CLUB NEWS::

• In EXPLORE & DISCOVER this week, we had lots of children join us to make dinosaur fossils. It was busy and messy and lots of fun - the children loved creating their little fossils to take home!

• WHEELS DAY for Yrs K & 1 was a huge success on Wednesday afternoon. Protective pads are compulsory for skateboards and skates and we have limited supplies - so please bring your own pads if you have them.

• All week in Art & Craft Club the kids have been busy prepping for MOTHER’S DAY - look out for all their little creations, made with so much love!

• In Seniors’ Kitchen our older children created amazing APPLE ROSE TARTS. To be re-created at home this Sunday, maybe…? ;-)

• Seth was busy throwing shapes and creating lots of smiles with the kids in LET’S DANCE club this week - they had so much fun!

• The theme for BAKING CLUB this week was BELLA ITALIA, with the children making their own fresh pasta in various different shapes and styles. Bellissimo!

HIVE NEWS::

• We have new furniture in the room, along the quad side windows. These storage/seating pieces mean that all our RECYCLED materials are now available and accessible for the children to use whenever they’re feeling creative.

• As always - we’re grateful for your clean recyclables: cereal/egg boxes, plastic bottles/punnets, kitchen paper rolls etc etc. Please note: we can’t accept toilet roll tubes

PARENT REMINDERS::

• YK & 1 ON WEDNESDAYS - bring wheels, helmets and pads to school

• MOTHERS DAY BREAKFAST ON MONDAY - Mums, Aunties, Grans, or significant other women are welcome to join the Monday morning crew for a croissant, cup of tea and a glimpse into morning life at The Hive!

• We’ll be drilling our EMERGENCY LOCKDOWN procedure next week. You’ll receive an email detailing time and date, and we ask you not to collect your children during this window as their participation in the drill is very important.

Term 2 Week 1

Welcome back!

…and have we got a great Term 2 lined up for you!

NATION OF THE WEEK::
On certain weeks, we’ll run a theme based on a specific country.
For Week 1 it’s NORWAY ! The children have been learning various facts about the country, completing craft activities that children in Norway might enjoy and in Baking Club, they made Knökkerbrod and learnt lots about different traditional Norwegian ingredients.

CLUB NEWS::
This term we’re running our own WHEELS DAY for Juniors (YK-2) on Wednesday afternoons. The main rule is NO HELMET, NO WHEELS. So bring your wheels with you on Wednesdays, store them in the designated areas during the day and wait for the Educators to tell you when Wheels start at 4pm!
EXPLORE & DISCOVER science club is now on Thursdays, and SENIORS’ KITCHEN is on Wednesdays.
SENIORS’ BAKING CLUB is on Mondays, and Juniors get their turn on Tue, Thu & Fri
In ART & CRAFT CLUB, the kids got extremely creative, making self-portraits, experimenting with chalk, and doing their own self-portraits!

PARENT REMINDERS::

• Please check the big baskets outside the Hive for lost property from the holidays. We’ll leave it until Friday of Week 2, and then it will be ‘re-distributed’!

• Remember that Kindys and Y1s now store their bags in the hallway closest to the Canteen. This takes the pressure off the lockers in the other hallway, and keeps our smallest people closer to the Hive room!

• A reminder that our fabulous, nutritious daily menu is available on the website. The main meal offered changes daily, and there are always fresh cut vegetables alongside. If you have a child with limited food likes, please check the menu in advance, and send your child in with an alternative if necessary.
  
  

Term 1 Week 11

HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!
We wish all families a fun-filled and peaceful break from school.
Hope to see you at The Hive during the holidays - it’s gonna be fun!!!

HOLIDAY PROGRAM::
…is already FULLY BOOKED on several days - please make your bookings soon!

CLUB NEWS::
The children made amazing MUD BRICKS in Explore & Discover. They explored the school looking for the ‘perfect mud mix’ and had a great time squishing around with this wonderful, natural material.
Thanks to SKATER HQ for a fun-filled term of SKATE SCHOOL. In Term 2, we’ll be running our own version, and we look forward to seeing who’s been practising over the holidays!
Surprise surprise - the kids LOVED making CHOCOLATE CAKE in baking Club this week. It was dee-lish!
All week we celebrated EASTER at The Hive, including making some awesome hats for the School Parade. It was great to see all the children in the parade wearing their creations - so colourful and imaginative! We also got busy with bunny noses and egg bags!
During morning sessions, the children just do not tire of the magnet construction opportunities and using our Genga mats to build fabulous, colourful cubby houses. Such good fun!

PARENT REMINDERS::
A huge THANK YOU to all Hive parents for doing a much-improved job of letting us know when a child is going to miss a booked session. Our ‘missing kids’ list used to contain up to TEN names some days, and now we’re down to just one or two per day. This is a huge relief to us and means much fewer penalty fees - great news all round!!

A reminder that our fabulous, nutritious daily menu is available on the website. The main meal offered changes daily, and there are always fresh cut vegetables alongside. If you have a child with limited food likes, please check the menu in advance, and send your child in with an alternative if necessary.

Term 1 Week 10

HOLIDAY PROGRAM::
Bookings are NOW OPEN so please log on and book what you need, to avoid disappointment. Earlier bookings also help us to plan better so please don’t leave it until the last minute. You can cancel without charge up to 7 days before the session day. We have tonnes of fun-filled, action-packed and varied activities, incursions and excursions for the kids to enjoy. You won’t want to miss out!

CLUB NEWS::
This week DODGEBALL was a massive hit ! So many children enjoyed playing ad it was great to see them all getting along together.
Baking Club’s BLUEBERRY MUFFINS were exquisite - so many amazing creations and yummy flavours!
Well done to our talented seniors - they made awesome TIE-DYE TOPS this week, merging science with art - boom! There were so many different designs and colours - we love to see our children getting creative.
In EXPLORE & DISCOVER, the kids enjoyed a water/air experiment using bottles and testing hypotheses. Thanks to our senior girls for helping the little ones get the most out of this experiment.
In the HIVE ROOM, check out our new CALENDAR BEES, showing the birthdays of all our busy kids. We’ve already seen some of the little ones looking for their names up there!
And outside the Hive, we’re seeing lots of imaginative den-building using our fabulous new building pads and blankets. Fun!

WE ARE COLLECTING::
…all kinds of recycled materials for our Holiday Program activities. If you have anything at home that we could use, and it’s clean, please bring it in. Egg boxes, cereal/tissue boxes, fabric scraps, kitchen roll tubes etc etc. Thank you for helping us to help the kids get the creative and to help the environment at the same time!

Term 1 Week 9

* * STAFF NEWS - CONGRATULATIONS ! ! ! * *
Lenka and Jara have wonderful news - their daughter Agnes was born this week, a beautiful little sister for Hugo! Congratulations to them all, and welcome to little Agnes - we look forward to meeting her very soon.

CLUB NEWS::
This week we had a busy EXPLORE & DISCOVER science with lots of kids working in smaller groups to make their own play dough. They loved to mix the ingredients and took all their creations home with them
In ART & CRAFT CLUB we made family & friendship bracelets with many of the children creating pieces for their siblings and friends. W also got creative in the mornings with some decorated family portraits.
Thursday’s SKATE SCHOOL was as popular as ever - with the kids Y2-6 having a ball rollerblading and skateboarding. They had so much fun!
BAKING CLUB was so popular this week. Mia helped the children to make some amazing chocolate balls that they really enjoyed eating. (We saw some parents enjoying them too!) 

PARENT REMINDERS:
Autumn Holiday Program bookings are NOW OPEN! To make bookings, please follow the instructions on our website. Check out all the fun activities programmed for both Juniors and Seniors. Any questions, please email us - we’re ready to help.

THIS WEEK WE’RE COLLECTING….
…all kinds of recycled materials! They’re great for getting creative and re-using is so much kinder to the environment. If you have anything at home that we could use - please bring it in, and keep your eyes open for the creations that your kids make with it! Please make sure all materials are clean and safe.

Term 1 Week 8

CLUB NEWS::

• We had a creative time this week with the little Kindys & Y1s in our final MAGNETS WORKSHOP . They built a collapsing bridge and a pretty cool city. They had so much fun (and even more fun destroying it!) They worked together in groups and shared the space and materials.

• The older ones enjoyed another successful WHEELS DAY. So many children taking responsibility for their own wellbeing and safety, while improving their skills at wheels and having lots of fun!

• We also made carrot cake this week in BAKING CLUB. Children seem to enjoy so much the cooking experience! Well done to the seniors who made some amazing carrot muffins.

• The ART & CRAFT table was busy this week making some fabric-wrapped pens. The children got super creative with the designs & colours. 

• In EXPLORE & DISCOVER, all the kids had a great time with the “secret messages” experiment. They learnt how to communicate secretly with their friends using a bit of bicarb, grapefruit and water!

PARENT REMINDERS::
Please remember to keep packing sun hats for the children and jackets too, for those cooler days! The weather has been very changeable and we need to ensure that the children can be protected from the sun and stay warm!

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

• The Hive closes at 6pm - that means your chid must be signed out by 6pm. From 6.01pm, there is a 'late sign-out' penalty of $15 per 15min block

• You must sign out your child at the touchscreen when you leave. There is a 'failure to sign out' penalty of $15 if you don't do this

• Once all children are signed out (by 6pm) our staff are then responsible for securing and locking up the school. Parents must please leave the school grounds promptly, allowing us to do this.

We’d like to thank all parents - happily, the vast majority - who adhere to these rules, and respect the reasons for them, which essentially boil down to running a safe, secure and efficient centre.  

Term 1 Week 7

CLUB NEWS::
We had a great time with BEYBLADE CLUB this week, with lots of children joining in and showing one another how to take turns and be fair.
The rain meant lots of our activities had to run inside this week, but we had a great time adapting SPORTS CLUB into various creative ideas inside the Hall, including lots of DANCING - well done Educators and kids, for not letting the weather get in the way of a good time!
In EXPLORE & DISCOVER, a whole range of ages had a great time with the ‘lifting ice cubes’ experiment - ask them about it! Shout out to SADIE for being a great little helper for Kathy. Thanks Sadie!
The MAGNET WORKSHOP was a great hit once again - our littlest ones love having something special to do when the older ones are at Skate School.
This week the kids made PRETZELS in Baking Club. We saw some fantastic creations and pretzels made into shapes we never would have imagined! ;-)

OTHER NEWS::
We spent this week celebrating ST PATRICK’S DAY and based lots of our creative activities around that, as well as enjoying stories from the children of our many Irish families!
Check out the Hive room walls and windows - there’s new art work going up all the time!

PARENT REMINDERS::
You need to meet certain requirements in order to obtain Child Care Subsidy from the government, who pay this subsidy directly to your child care provider (i.e. The Hive) to reduce the fees you pay.

You may be eligible if you or your partner meet all of the following:

• care for your child at least 2 nights per fortnight, or have 14% care

• are liable for fees for care provided at an approved child care service

• meet the residency rules

Your primary school-aged child must also meet immunisation requirements

Each person that’s liable to pay child care fees will need to apply for this subsidy and meet these criteria.

Term 1 Week 6

CLUB NEWS::
This week we made fluffy playdough during EXPLORE & DISCOVER - very messy and tonnes of fun!
Lots of children joined BAKING CLUB this week, where the vanilla cupcakes they made turned out to be very popular.
SKATE SCHOOL is still a huge hit, and whilst the bigger kids were busy with that, our Kindys and Y1s enjoyed another Magnet workshop and dancing away to Just Dance! 
We also ran a new SPORTS CLUB called Circuit, where the children enjoyed a range of mini races and obstacles

SPECIAL NEWS::
This week we celebrated INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY at The Hive with some special art and craft! 
We also celebrated SHROVE TUESDAY with pancakes in the morning. The kids decorated their pancakes with fruit and maple syrup. Yum!

PARENT REMINDER::
Are you having issues receiving your child care rebates from Centrelink? A common reason for this is that you haven’t confirmed your Hive enrolment details to Centrelink. You can do this using your Centrelink online account through myGov. Select Child Care Subsidy from the menu, then Enrolments.

For help, use our online guide to https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/online-help/centrelink/confirm-your-childs-enrolment-details-child-care-subsidy.

Term 1 Week 5

WELCOME::
We were happy to welcome more new Kindys to the Hive this week. We’re so lucky to have such a gorgeous, growing gang of littlies, bringing their smiles, questions and ideas to our centre. They behave so well and are always willing to learn and help out with serving food or packing away.

CLUB NEWS::
In EXPLORE & DISCOVER this week the children made flower perfume. It was a very popular activity and we will be repeating it for those that didn’t get a turn this time.
SKATE SCHOOL continues to be very popular, and we’ve had lots of Y2s join in since we opened it to them. It was lovely to see some of the kids sharing their bikes with friends who wanted to have a go.
In BAKING CLUB this week the children cooked savoury muffins - a good reminder that baking doesn’t have to be sweet to be delicious!
It was lovely to see all age groups playing together in SPORTS CLUB this week, with a whole range of ages playing dodgeball together, and looking out for one another.
We enjoyed an activity WORKSHOP WITH MAGNETS on Tuesday. Aimed specially at YK & Y1 they learned all about different shapes, patterns and constructions, using the amazing (and very popular) new magnet toys we recently bought.

WELCOME BBQ::
Big thanks all the children who helped decorate the tablecloths for the Welcome BBQ on Friday. The Hive loves sponsoring this event and we hope you enjoyed the bouncy castles , face painting and home-made lemonade. Well done to Jo C and Arielle for volunteering their time to organise - it’s no small task! And a massive thank you to our Hive staff who stuck around to help things run smoothly on the day.

PARENT REMINDERS::
Please remember to PACK HATS for this kids. They really want to run and play outside, but we can only let them do that if they have their hats on. Also send JACKETS for those cold mornings and the odd cooler afternoon.

Term 1 Week 4

PLEASE BRING IN…

PLASTIC BOTTLES, CORKS, CARDBOARD BOXES

CLUB NEWS::
This week BAKING CLUB was extremely popular with the kindies! They made raisin bread and learned about all the different ingredients.
ART & CRAFT CLUB celebrated summer and friendship this week, making bracelets, feather art and using lots of glitter! The children are kindly donating some of their works to help decorate our new Hive room, so keep your eyes peeled for your little person’s handiwork!
Our new MAGNET TOYS are a massive hit and we’re seeing some very creative and ingenious designs and constructions!

NEXT WEEK::
SKATE SCHOOL has been opened to Y2. If your little one is keen, please sign the permission forms. Thanks to Ziggy and Seth for helping the little ones to learn the ropes in this cool club!

PARENT REMINDERS::
Please make sure your kids bring their hats to school. It’s especially important during the hot summer months.
Equally, on the cooler days, they need an extra layer - please check the weather every day.
If you’d like to know what the kids are eating when they’re at The Hive, please check out our daily menu. And remember, every meal is accompanied by fresh chopped veggies.

** IMPORTANT UPDATE ON CCS **

The new (since July 18) Child Care Subsidy (CCS) operates within an updated framework. One of the new parameters is detailed in this extract from the Department of Human Services' website:

“If your child has not attended child care for 8 continuous weeks, we’ll cancel your enrolment details in our system. Read about what you need to do if we cancel your enrolment details.”

If this happens to your account, please contact Becklyn on 02 988 2651 as your first action.

You can check your CCS enrolment status in your account, under the Child Details section in ‘Family’. If it shows anything other than ‘Active’, please contact Becklyn.