Term 2 Week 6 - Environmental Week

HIVE NEWS

HOLIDAY PROGRAM IS OPEN!!
Holiday Program bookings opened on Friday. As per the email, a couple of new things:
1. excursion permissions are now integrated into the booking process = less work for you!
2. you can now book online until 12pm the working day before the session. (But… we don’t advise you to leave it that late - we do sell out!)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS JARA::
Jara is heading to Europe for a month - enjoy! Please avoid his personal Hive email address and instead use bookings@ & enrolments@ for specific queries and hello@ for general enquiries. Thank you!

SURVEY::
A huge thank you to the ninety nine families who responded to our survey! A stunning amount of responses, and (sneak peek) an overwhelmingly positive response. Ellie will collate and share the results in the next week or two.

RECYCLING::
Please keep your recyclables coming in - the kids love to get busy with cardboard boxes & tubes, fabric scraps, egg boxes, paper and card etc. A big thank you to Archie’s mum Tobi for a massive bag of bits and bobs which will be perfect for our winter themed activities

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK - LOOK RIGHT > > > > > > >

Top: Some of the wonderful Lego constructions from our clever Hive kids!

Middle: Great work Oliver H (YK) and Poppy H & Charlie C (Y2)

Bottom: Mia’s Baking Club, learning about New Zealand and some of the
ingredients for their Anzac Biscuits. Yum!

CLUB NEWS::

• In ART & CRAFT we focused on the environment, making co many creations from recycled materials. We also used old bottles to make hanging gardens, creating a little bit of greenery to help the atmosphere!

• In EXPLORE & DISCOVER we experimented with making our own recycled paper. Mixed success, but one we’ll definitely try again

• In the HANG OUT zone in Hive room this week we saw some incredible lego constructions, with the kids creating houses, hotels and even mini-towns from these fab little bricks.

• In BAKING CLUB, the kids loved making delicious, crunchy Anzac biscuits, celebrating a week of Kiwi cuisine. So tasty!

• Our older chefs in SENIORS’ KITCHEN concocted beetroot gnocchi this week. It was a huge success and well done to Eva R, Cooper W and Lyla V-B!!

• It was a wet week, but that didn’t stop us doing SPORTS, making good use of the undercroft and the Hall. Our BEYBLADE BATTLE winner was Freddy C in Y3 - well done!

• For afternoon tea on Friday, Britt served chocolate and zucchini cake - the kids loved it!

PARENT REMINDERS::

• Don’t delay with your HP bookings - we really don’t want you to miss out…

• Please remember to pack warm layers for the kids.

• Wednesday is WHEELS DAY - please send helmets, and protective pads if you have them.

WOW!!!

Busy builders…

Learning about Anzac ingredients

Term 2 Week 5 - RECONCILIATION WEEK

HIVE NEWS

* * CALL TO ACTION * *
National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for us all to learn about shared Australian histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
This is an area we’d love to expand at The Hive, so we’re putting out the call: if any families within our community would like to work with us to share their stories, history or facts about their culture, and help us as an organisation contribute to an increased sense of reconciliation - we’d love to hear from you.
Please email Ellie or speak to Edie or Eugenia in the Hive room

SURVEY::
Your input is so valuable to help us improve. So, on Wednesday this week, we sent out a parent survey. By Thursday morning we’d already had 50+ responses. Thank you! We’d love to get about 150 more, so please keep them coming in and we’ll be sharing the results with you all after the survey closes on Fri 7th June

AGM::
Thanks to those who attended the AGM on Friday morning. Our committee was re-elected and we have new general member, Kindy dad Matt - welcome! The minutes and 2018 audited report are available on the news page.

RECYCLING::
Thanks too for all your recyclables! We’re building a great collection and the kids love letting their creative spirits run wild and knowing that they’re mking good use of someone else’s discarded stuff. Egg boxes, kitchen paper rolls, cereal/tissue/biscuit boxes, fabric, old sheets (clean!) etc etc

THE GATES::
The gates haven’t been working properly all week. School have requested priority attention from the suppliers, but in the meantime we appreciate your patience. As a rule - if the gates won’t open, head long to the pedestrian gate on Warners Ave, near the bike racks. Please remember to close it behind you! Thank you.

HOLIDAY PROGRAM::
As usual, we’re busy working on the next HP program! It is due to open by the end of week 7, so watch this space - you’ll be the first to know when it’s ready!

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK - LOOK RIGHT > > > > > > >

All our artists got SO involved in our Reconciliation Week activities.
Check out our giant collage Kangaroo and other artworks all around the Hive room!

CLUB NEWS::

• In ART & CRAFT we focused on Reconciliation Week, making indigenous-inspired artworks. Our morning crew decorated a giant kangaroo, using natural and recycled materials.

• Artwork of the week is on the whiteboard near touchscreen - well done to Alex J and Jake S for their fabulous creativity!!

• In SPORTS CLUB our seniors group displayed great sportspersonship in their rugby games. So good to see!

• In BAKING CLUB, colourful veggies & fresh herbs got the kids excited for this week's dish from Vietnam:  GỎI CUỐN CHAY - better know as vegetarian summer rolls. They enjoyed cutting and grating the veggies, plucking the herbs and making their own choices about what to put into their delicious 'parcels'.  Most of them didn't even make it into the paper bag but instead got munched up straight away!

• This afternoon our little scientists will be making their own paint in EXPLORE & DISCOVER using salt, flour water and melted crayons! We’ll let you know how it goes!!

• Another winter warmer favourite from Britt this week - pesto pasta was super popular with our hungry bees!

PARENT REMINDERS::

• The weather has now turned really cold (in Aussie terms ;-) We still have a few little people coming to school without warm tops! By the end of the day, it’s really, really chilly so PLEASE remember to pack them!

• Wednesday is WHEELS DAY - please remember to send helmets, and protective pads if you have them.

Great work LEOPOLD, so colourful!

Wonderful creations, girls!

Term 2 Week 4

HIVE NEWS - GOODBYE KATHY! ::

• This week we bid a very fond and more-than-a-little-bit sad farewell to KATHY, the senior team member currently responsible for our amazing program of activities. With The Hive for almost three years, Kathy is one of our longest-serving staff members and we will miss her SO much. She’s returning to her native Chile to spend time with her family. We wish you well Kathy, and thank you for everything you’ve brought to the Hive over the years.

• Another yummy winner from our in-house chef Britt this week - the children loved her spaghetti with home-made sauce. What a great winter warmer - nom nom!!!

• A big thank you to Sarah - mum to Cayla & Ryan - for bringing in fabric scraps for us to use in our creative projects.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK - LOOK RIGHT > > > > > > >

The morning crew - led by William in Y5 - built an amazing, huge tunnel using their construction skills, our new magnet toys and the ever-so-versatile Rocker stools.
And in the afternoon - a home-grown puppet show from the talented Alessandro in Y1. The kids have already requested a second performance!!

CLUB NEWS::

• We were so creative this week - we made book creations, friendship bracelets, magic wallets and more in ART & CRAFT - such busy little bees!

• SPORTS CLUB is as popular as ever with rugby, basketball, dodgeball & obstacle courses on offer this week. Phew!

• In BAKING CLUB we said Viva la Mexico! Maybe you were lucky enough to try some of our scrumptious Sweet Corn Cake? It definitely surprised our little baking bees, that we used corn instead of carrots for a cake. But that’s exactly what we want at Baking Club: taste challenge our kids! Our lucky kids are truly getting to taste the whole world with Mia’s new Baking Club! Let's see what Vietnam has to offer for next week…

• In SENIORS’ KITCHEN, the kids learn various life skills whilst getting familiar with savoury meal recipes. This week: ‘safe chopping’ with chef’s knives and BOOM! delicious zucchini fritters were created!!

• It’s super important that children remember to bring their helmets for WHEELS DAY on Wednesdays. We had a few tears this week when those without helmets weren’t able to join in ;-(

• We’re using our stash of recycled plastic bottles in EXPLORE & DISCOVER club to help us make bubble sculptures - look out for the creations in the Hive room

PARENT REMINDERS::

• Please remember to pack a school jumper for your little ones - it gets cold in the late afternoons

• Wednesdays WHEELS DAY - please remember to send helmets, and protective pads if you have them.

NICE ONE WILLIAM!!

A captivated audience…

Term 2 Week 3

HIVE NEWS::

• Thanks to those who came along to the MOTHERS’ DAY BREAKFAST on Monday. It was lovely to hang out and to show thanks to the special women in the lives of our children.

• The Hive has received notice from the Department of Education that we will be visited for Ratings and Assessment sometime before mid-August. This will be the first time for us at The Hive. We’re looking forward to learning what we’re doing well, and where we have room for improvement.

• We hope you’re enjoying all the fresh ARTWORKS around the Hive. Jara was busy this week installing new pin boards, so we have lots more room to display all the brilliant stuff created by the kids!

• In the canteen, Britt is busy behind the scenes feeding up to 160 Hive kids, every single day. On Friday they absolutely LOVED her home-made banana bread!

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK - LOOK RIGHT > > > > > > >

The morning crew - led by Jacob - built their own ‘Teddy Catapult’ using the super-fun Genga blocks.
There were lots of giggles and some very hiiiiigh-flying soft toys ;-)

CLUB NEWS::

• BAKING CLUB theme this week was Japan, and the kids made some very unusual frozen fruit sandwiches! Thanks to Mia for helping the kids try different cuisines and foods, and learning as they cook. Have you noticed the paper bags now include a little info slip, telling you about the food inside?

• Now that the YK & 1s have got used to how it works, we opened up WHEELS DAY to Y2 too, this week. All three Year groups worked well together, following the rules and playing safely. There’s a great range of scooters, skateboards and inline skates, with everyone remembering helmets and lots of kids bringing their own pads too - thank you. We’re seeing skills improve every week!

• We had a recycling theme in ART & CRAFT this week, with the kids refining their fine motor skills: wrapping gifts in recycled paper, making bags out of old fabrics, creating intricate necklaces and working up some very artistic canvases - which you can see up on the wall!

• Crystals were the order of the week in EXPLORE & DISCOVER club - so much fun watching them form in various different colours.

PARENT REMINDERS::

• It’s getting chilly some days, so please remember to pack a school jumper for the kiddywinks!

• The kids listened well in LOCKDOWN DRILL this week. Thanks to all the parents who avoided pick-up during this time, allowing kids to take part in this important safety exercise.

Ready for it…

Blast off!!!!

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.