March 12, 2020

Term 1 Week 7 - St Patrick's Day!

March 12, 2020/ Jara Poslusny

HIVE NEWS ::

CORONA VIRUS
We’re staying abreast of the Dept of Education’s response to COVID-19. We’re following the Dept of Health’s guidelines and are relying on all families to do the same. We continue to be vigilant about washing and sanitising hands and generally encouraging the children to maintain good practice with hand washing and cough/sneeze hygiene.

OCEAN LOVERS’ FESTIVAL
Brainchild of one of our BBPS parents - Anita - the OCEAN LOVERS’ FESTIVAL (17-22 March) is an annual celebration of ideas, art, music, workshops & actions, showcasing some of the latest innovations, science and state of the art technology for helping the oceans.
Held right here at Bondi Beach, the festival offers 6 days of free entertainment and events: VR and photographic exhibition; Australian Geographic talks; Ocean Hub workshops for all ages; live music on the solar powered Sunshine Stage and countless food stalls!
Actions for the oceans include: a beach clean, paddle-out for ocean protection plus yoga for the sea. See oceanloversfestival.com for more…

NEW STAFF!
A happy HELLO to new staff member Hannah, who joins The Hive this week. Hannah comes with several years’ experience already working in OSHC, and we’re looking forward to enjoying her expertise within the team

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO?

This week’s ST. PATRICK’S DAY theme was very special to our children of Irish heritage. We talked about Ireland, and their customs and traditions. Our ART & CRAFT activities explored various shamrock crafts and pottery; St Patrick’s jewellery, printing and even a wand; leprechaun design competition (and loads of green paint…!)

Welcome back Mia! BAKING CLUB missed you… The kids made delicious mini muffins this week, with our older kids continuing to demonstrate care and patience helping the little ones learn what to do.

EXPLORE & DISCOVER club saw the children experiment with making their own mud paint - see all the fantastic pictures of that activity!

And SPORTS was super busy this week, with a wide range of activities such as spikeball, dodgeball, croquet, touch rugby and handball… Busy bees!

Some of our SENIORS wish more of their peers came to The Hive. So… we’re on a drive to recruit more seniors! If this sounds like your child, get them to talk to their friends… We offer an amazing program for the older kids, including: wheels day, beach excursions, BBQing, dedicated seniors sports, computer time in the library, various ongoing creative projects and the chance to buddy up with the Kindys for Baking and (soon) reading!

PARENT REMINDERS & UPDATES ::

We’d like to thank all those kids who are doing a GREAT JOB of remembering their hats! We’ve noticed increased attention to this, so thank you all for helping us to help you stay SUN SAFE! Those without hats must stay in the shade when outdoors (for UV3+) as we do not condone using hats from lost property, due to the risk of spreading nits.
We ran lockdown drills and daily safety talks last week. It’s vital that the kids understand why we run these drills, and how important they are. Thanks to all the kids for listening and cooperating!

SENIORS ON MINI-EXCURSION - GOOD TIMES!!

March 04, 2020

Term 1 Week 6 - International Women's Day

March 04, 2020/ Jara Poslusny

Alex, Oisin & Alfie helping with lemonade at the Welcome BBQ!

‘Build your own’ pulled chicken mountain bread wrap. YUM!

HIVE NEWS::

Last Friday’s WELCOME BBQ was big news! A huge well done to Lenka, the staff and the kids who helped make it such a success. Hive hired the bouncy castles, served home made fizzy lemonade (the kids were SO helpful!), created tablecloths and decorations, painted faces and more. Well done to the P&C volunteers and Hive team, who pulled it all together!!

Our Seniors group is working on the development of our own Hive ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY, which will become part of our daily routine. This is part of our drive to develop our own Reconciliation Action Plan, in collaboration with the Hive kids and two indigenous parents from our own community.

A big THANK YOU to Mr West who donated a fabulous MUSICAL KEYBOARD to The Hive. The kids are loving it and now Seth is back from his stay in NYC, we’ll start some serious music-making with the children!

We say a sad goodbye to AIYA and HARRY, who’ve lit up the Hive for a long time, but must now leave us for full time study. We wish them both well in their next chapter… Watch this space for an introduction to new team members in the next week or two…

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO?

Our WOMEN’S DAY theme this week saw us engage in a range of activities and discussions: art activities based on historical female figures; discussions with the Seniors about female role models; creating gifts for the special women in our kids’ lives… Thank you Euge for such an inspiring theme and program!

ART & CRAFT saw a very busy week with Drawing Club in the Hive room - it’s beautiful to see the kids express themselves with a range of cards, colours, and materials.

BAKING CLUB is alive and well whilst Mia’s on holiday - thank you Priscila and Sydney! This week the kids loved making their own simply pizzas. Bellissimo!

Sports took a bit of a hit from the weather this week, but we kept the kids happy with BEYBLADES and KAPLA CONSTRUCTION in the Hall… And we still managed some team sport, with SOCCER in the cola. Yay!

What rain?? Our SENIORS enjoyed some quiet time in the library playing CLUEDO this week. Its great to see them developing their powers of deduction…!

PARENT REMINDERS ::

Remember: The Hive closes at 6pm sharp. We need you to please collect before then! There is a penalty for late collection, $15 per 15minutes. We don’t like applying penalties, so please collect on time.
We’re a SUN SAFE centre, which means NO HAT, NO PLAY.

February 26, 2020

Term 1 Week 5 - World Compliment Week

February 26, 2020/ Jara Poslusny

HIVE NEWS::

Our HOLIDAY PROGRAM is shaping up beautifully (nice one Lenka!), and will be open in Week 7. Watch this space… This is an 11 week term, and our HP starts after Easter Monday, on Tue 14 April.

Soon we will run this term’s LOCKDOWN DRILLS, on a morning and afternoon session. We will email you with notice of which 30min windows to please try and avoid for drop off and pick up. We’ll follow up with SAFETY BRIEFINGS with the kids: what worked; what didn’t; how we can improve for next time and a reminder of exactly why the drills are so important.

At the beginning of each term (and periodically as required) we remind the kids of the BASIC SAFETY RULES at The Hive, such as: staying within the school grounds at all times; respecting out of bounds areas; transitioning between spaces in pairs; not speaking to people through the fence; taking care when crossing the car park and so on. Your support at home is much appreciated.

Work has now started on the fit out of the NEW HIVE OFFICE. Very exciting! The new storage space in there will allow us to de-clutter the Hive room a little and put some of the toys and games on rotation, to keep things fresh and the kids engaged.

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO?

Our COMPLIMENT theme this week was all about using kind words to give compliments to the people in our lives, to bring a smile and make those around feel good! ♡

ART & CRAFT saw the kids create beautiful aboriginal dot paintings, talking about the methods and materials used by Australia’s indigenous people. They also attended a balsa wood workshop and did some pottery. Busy week!!

The Juniors also enjoyed planting their own succulents in EXPLORE & DISCOVER. Baking club was - as always - a big hit, with Carrot Cake on the menu this week. Our little ENGINEERS enjoyed building their own bubble tower, as suggested by own of our own Hive bees!

We had a wide variety of activities in SPORTS CLUB this week, including spike ball, volleyball, hockey & netball. The seniors also had a go at yoga and beach cricket!

Our SENIORS’ MINI EXCURSION involved a shopping trip to Woolies and a beach BBQ. The kids are learning about shopping, produce, budget and food prep

PARENT REMINDERS ::

Remember: The Hive closes at 6pm sharp. We need you to please collect before then! There is a penalty for late collection, $15 per 15minutes. We don’t like applying penalties, so please collect on time.
We’re a SUN SAFE centre, which means NO HAT, NO PLAY.

sienna & waratah - CREATIVE LITTLE SOULS…

ruby-jean, india & evie - busy designing!

Leonie, ella f, ella b and isla helping make signs for the welcome bbq

andrew & harry t made an air hockey arena out of magnets - so smart!!

February 22, 2020

Term 1 Week 4 - Wildlife Week

February 22, 2020/ Jara Poslusny

HIVE NEWS::

CONTENT MISSING

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO?

CONTENT MISSING

PARENT REMINDERS ::

Y3-6, please complete the permission form for the Senior’s mini-excursions on Wed afternoons.
Any children booked into non-Hive activities at school, (chess, coding, music etc) must have a completed Extracurricular Permission Form in order for us to release them from The Hive
If your child will miss a booked session, you must let us know. Up to 12pm the day before, log on and mark the session ‘AWAY’. After this time, email us at bookings@thehivebondi.com.au. If it’s a last minute notification, call us on 0450 896 686. All notifications must be before the start of the session to avoid a $15 penalty fee
We’re a SUN SAFE centre, which means NO HAT, NO PLAY.

February 16, 2020

Term 1 Week 3 - Valentine's Week

February 16, 2020/ Jara Poslusny

Juniors collect native ingredients with Jono

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO?

This week saw the introduction of our first ever Hive senior buddy program!!! Our new Kindys absolutely loved doing BAKING CLUB, with the help of their Big Bee buddies - they had so much fun making delicious banana bread to take home for the family.

We celebrated Valentine’s Day this week, making some beautiful lanterns, pottery and heart chains in ART & CRAFT.

In EXPLORE & DISCOVER the children were busy making perfume. They loved experimenting with creation of their own fragrances using orange, lemon & lavender oils.

Our Seniors are gearing up for some more fun MINI EXCURSIONS this term. Permission forms must be completed, as per the email sent to all Y3-6 parents.

PARENT REMINDERS ::

Any children booked into non-Hive activities at school, such as chess, coding or music lessons m must have a completed Extracurricular Permission Form in order for us to release them from The Hive. If you haven’t already, please take 2 minutes to do it now.
If your child will miss a booked session, you must let us know. Up to 12pm the day before, log on and mark the session ‘AWAY’. After this time, email us at bookings@thehivebondi.com.au. If it’s a last minute notification, call us on 0450 896 686. All notifications must be before the start of the session to avoid a $15 penalty fee
We’re a SUN SAFE CENTRE. All children need to wear hats when the UV count is 3 or more. Children without hats must stay in the shade, which will impact their free play and activity options. Please make sure your child has a hat!

February 05, 2020

Term 1 Week 2 * * WELCOME BACK * *

February 05, 2020/ Jara Poslusny

WELCOME EVERYONE!!
It’s great to see you all again, and it’s so lovely to meet all our new Kindy friends! Half the kids in YK are enrolled with us, so rest assured - your little ones will always see some familiar faces at The Hive!

BUSHFIRES
We have deepest empathy for everyone and everything who’s suffered from the fires. So: we did something about it…

We were very busy during our long Holiday Program making pouches for baby animals, using fabric donated by our fabulous parents.
Our big-hearted educator Ethan was instrumental in organising the Bronte Boardriders’ ‘Boards for Bushfires’ auction event, which raised a whopping $40,000 on 18th Jan at the Cloey. And the event t-shirts were designed by our very own Harry!
See photos!
Our Hive Exec committee decided that all permanent staff members may take two days/year of paid Community Service leave. This will come into play later this month when Jara joins Blaze Aid to help rebuild a farm in Braidwood, close to Canberra. And next month, Ellie will take some time to help clear a site and start a house rebuild in Ku-rin-gai Chase.

HOLIDAY PROGRAM::
We had an absolute ball during HP. Enjoy these photos of the good times, and remember to book in early for April.

But till then, Happy Term 1 everyone!! Please stay tuned to our weekly newsletter for updates, reminders, important info and… loads of cool photos!!!

December 13, 2019

Term 4 Week 9 * * Hive Christmas Party * *

December 13, 2019/ Jara Poslusny

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE::
This will be our final newsletter for 2019! We wish every one of our Hive families a happy, peaceful and fun-filled holiday season. We can’t wait to see many of you during our amazing Holiday Program!
We’d like to thank you all for your ongoing support throughout 2019 - we love running the Hive and we really do think our Hive community is the BEES KNEES!!

♡♡ Mwah! ♡♡

HIVE CHRISTMAS PARTY!!
We celebrated hard this week with a wonderful Christmas party on Thursday. A huge salute to Lenka and the team, who poured their hearts and souls into making this a wonderful celebration for our Hive kids. We hope you enjoy the photos…

HOLIDAY PROGRAM::
Book now - some days are already SOLD OUT!
Remember, bookings for Tue 28 Jan fall into Term 1, and can be found under ‘Next Year’s Bookings’ - you need a 2020 enrolment for Tue 28 Jan onwards.

December 05, 2019

Term 4 Week 8 - Celebrating Summer!

December 05, 2019/ Jara Poslusny

HIVE CHRISTMAS PARTY!!
Our Hive Christmas Party will be next Thursday, 12th Dec and we’d love to see some parents there! The fun starts at 3:30pm so please join us to celebrate another wonderful year together at The Hive.

HOLIDAY PROGRAM::
Bookings are filling up fast, so don’t leave it until the last minute. Remember, bookings for Tue 28 Jan fall into Term 1, and can be found under ‘Next Year’s Bookings’ - you need a 2020 enrolment for Tue 28 Jan onwards.

CALL OUT FOR A KEYBOARD…
Do any families have an electronic musical keyboard that they no longer need and would consider donating to The Hive? We have some musical Educators who’d like to develop the idea of a music club, and lots of children who are keen to get involved. We already have drums and guitars and we’re just missing a keyboard. C’mon, universe…! ;-)

LATE COLLECTION AFTER 6PM::
An email has gone out this week about a slow creep back towards multiple late collections, after 6pm. PLEASE be on time to collect, which means your child should be signed out by 6pm. Sign-outs after 6pm carry a minimum $15 penalty fee and I’ve asked the team to tighten up on this, so that we can bring things back into good shape.

CLUB NEWS::

Remember: SENIORS have a MINI-EXCURSION on Wednesdays, returning to school around 4:45pm. They do take their bags and you’re welcome to collect directly from the grassy area behind the fenced playground next to Bondi SLSC
more challenging conditions with smoke meant not so many SPORTS this week, so we focused instead on…
ART & CRAFT the kids explored an outdoor summer theme, making paper windmills, rainbow wind chimes and mini pocket fans
Our little scientists got busy in EXPLORE & DISCOVER using natural materials to make their own paintbrushes, and then creating their own sand paint to use with them!

PHOTOS ::

Andrey (Y1) enjoying some very creative magnet attire play!
Jamie (Y1) adapting magnets as hair accessories. Why not?!
Xavier (YK), Leo (Y2) and Freddy (YK) with …the tallest Kapla tower ever?
A busy session in the reading corner
Britt’s home made cheesy pesto pasta - a massive hit with the kids
Britt also makes cakes. This one was for a friend’s birthday (not the Hive kids!) but it’s too cool not to share! Give her a shout if you need a cake made for your next party… britt@thehivebondi.com.au

November 28, 2019

Term 4 Week 7 - Ocean Week

November 28, 2019/ Jara Poslusny

HIVE CHRISTMAS PARTY!!
On the afternoon of Thursday 12th December, we’ll hold our Hive Christmas Party, and we’d love you to come! From 3:30pm we’ll be running loads of fun Christmas-themed activities and games, there’ll be party food and music - and maybe even a visit from Santa…! Please join us for the fun and to celebrate another wonderful year together at The Hive

HOLIDAY PROGRAM:: Bookings are now open! It’s a jam-packed, fun-filled, thrill-spilling calendar!!
Book early to avoid disappointment.
Remember, bookings for Tue 28 Jan fall into Term 1, and can be found under ‘Next Year’s Bookings’

ENROLMENTS FOR 2020:: Don’t forget it’s a two stage process.

You must ‘FINALISE’ your new/re-enrolment and wait for approval. This can take up to a week
Once your enrolment is approved, you can then log on and book the sessions you’d like. These will be approved by mid-December

PHOTOS ::

Busy creating our very own crystal coral reefs!
Evie (Y5), Emily, Sarah & Eve (Y1) get busy with the magnets
Greek yoghurt with fresh fruit salad and veggies - YUM!
Den-building QUEENS… Freyja and Ivy!
Drawing Club has some dedicated and skilled members!
Hugo ‘taking roll call’ at the morning session ;-)
Valentine & The working on a giant puzzle in the morning
Happy little chefs making green muffins with Mia, and learning how to safely use knives

CLUB NEWS::

For EXPLORE & DISCOVER this week we started making our own crystal coral reefs! We are waiting for them to grow in the Hive room and can’t wait to see the amazing creations that will slowly appear
Our theme this week was the OCEAN, so we had lots of related craft, such as whales, underwater jewellery and decoupage wooden fishies!!
The favourite SPORTS this week were soccer, hockey and basketball
There’s been lots of MAGNET play in the chill zone this week - check out the photo above!
Our little free-play peeps had a blast this week with our huge LEGO collection. BEYBLADES were a big hit too!
MOVIE CLUB goes from strength to strength - very busy and popular! The kids are really enjoying playing with different genres, styles and sounds…

November 21, 2019

Term 4 Week 6 - Cultural Week

November 21, 2019/ Jara Poslusny

*** * URGENT - RE-ENROLMENT FOR 2020 * ***

Please set aside 15-20mins for the re-enrolment process.
Centre closure & staff hols means no enrolment processing from 20 Dec-12 Jan.
If you need bookings for January HP, please re-enrol ASAP!

WEATHER ALERTS:: More smoky conditions this week. Rest assured we change our plans as needed, and we make the most of our wide range of indoor resources, games and imaginations (not to mention the air con… ;-)

HOLIDAY PROGRAM:: Bookings will open next week! Book early to avoid disappointment.

NEW WALL DISPLAY:: We’re putting together our ‘hello’ wall display, using flags and languages from all around the world. Thanks to everyone for sending ion your info - it really is cool to see how many different countries and cultured are represented here in Bondi Beach!

GATE SECURITY:: We’ve installed a new screen in the Hive room to help improve the safety and security of all our kids, by allowing better visibility of all access/exit points at school. Keeping your children safe is—always—our highest priority.

PHOTOS ::

Sand Art activity - good work Leopold! >

Freddie, Poppy & Isla building with magnets in the Hall on a hazy day >

Charlie-Rose sharing family photos during Y1 roll call - good on you! >

< Lots of pics from our floral hangers activity

< Coco’s mum joined us too - we love it when parents have the time to hang out with us ;-)

Lots of Y1 children chose to practise their speeches during roll call this week >

Here’s Spike doing his. Great work guys! >

CLUB NEWS::

Well done to all the children whose work was displayed at Festivilion last weekend. The exhibition was amazing, and we’re lucky to have lots of the work now on show in the Hive room. Enjoy!
In ART & CRAFT club we were super busy! Floral hangers, Hama beads and sand art, to name but a few activities.
We’re making the very most of our new iPads, with lots of children continuing to learn about MOVIE-MAKING. We’ve also been using them for DRAWING tutorials, which has kept the kids very focused on some of our enforced indoor days…
Our SENIORS have finished their Festivilion activities and are now enjoying MINI-EXCURSIONS across to the beach and play area.
In our indoor CHILL OUT zone, we saw some wonderful creations made of lego, blocks and magnets. The kids love to let their creativity run free with these fine motor skill resources.
When the weather allowed us outdoors, we got busy with a SOCCER comp and lots of BASKETBALL.