August 14, 2020

Term 3 Wk 3-4 - Culture & Arts Weeks

August 14, 2020/ Jara Poslusny

HIVE KIDS UPDATE

This fortnight we looked at indigenous cultures and arts & crafts: we pressed native plants and learned about where they grow and what the indigenous people use them for; we had a go at home-made didgeridoos and we read some wonderful stories. Have you seen our fabulous Rainbow Serpent on the inside wall above the Hive door?
In craft week we made our own balsa wood dolls houses & door signs, we experimented with tie-dye, sculpted with clay and did loads of drawing.
In sports we played street hockey, dodgeball, volleyball, we made obstacle courses and we also found time for some drama. Phew!!

FAREWELL ETHAN & WELCOME ROMAN

We’re sad to say goodbye to Ethan, an Educator at The Hive for the last 3 years. Ethan has been especially popular with those kids who enjoy skateboarding and soccer, and has been a valuable and much-loved team member. He leaves us to join a company doing work related directly to his university studies. Go well Ethan, we’ll miss you!

We’re super happy to welcome Roman to the team! Also the lovely Aiya is back with us helping out, whilst Priscila takes a little holiday. Good to see you, Aiya!

CAMPBELL PARADE GATE

is NOT IN USE during Hive hours. Please walk round to the WARNERS AVENUE GATE - thanks!

HIVE ACCOUNT SECURITY

We’re back to parental sign in/out, and we need you all to remember your log-in details please. We recently reminded everyone of their ID and password and this is another prompt to please CHANGE YOUR ACCOUNT PASSWORD to protect your account security.
Log in > User menu > change password

SPRING HOLIDAY PROGRAM

Is being planned as we speak. Watch this space for more details of the exciting program on offer! Bookings will open in Week 7.

we love it when the kids help out! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

August 01, 2020

Term 3 Wk 1-2 :: Welcome back!

August 01, 2020/ Jara Poslusny

HP - hands-on with the rockpool discoveries

WELCOME BACK!

Welcome back to Term 3 everyone! We’ve decided to move to fortnightly newsletters, and this first one is bursting with great pics from our Winter Holiday Program and the start of term, plus updates and reminders for the coming weeks…

CAMPBELL PARADE GATE

is NOT IN USE during Hive hours. Please walk round to the WARNERS AVENUE GATE - thanks!

*** * CHECK YOUR HIVE STATEMENTS * ***

Session fees and Childcare Subsidy are back in play. Please check your Hive statements to be sure that your subsidies are being correctly applied.

PENALTY FEES

You must NOTIFY US of any afternoon absences >> there’s a $15 non-notification penalty for forgetting: we need that ‘missing kids’ list to be as short as possible…

INCREASED HYGIENE & SOCIAL DISTANCING

We continue with our daily Covid cleaning schedule and rotation of toys in use.
Parents please continue to stay outside the Hive room
Parents - look out for new instructions on signing in/out and use of hand sanitiser

Marcel, Andrey & Sammy ‘s giant marble track!

Tanner & his rhino ‘Steve’, running activities…

July 03, 2020

Term 2 Week 10 - End of Term!!

July 03, 2020/ Jara Poslusny

The kids rearranged the furniture in Reading Corner

HIVE NEWS & REMINDERS ::

It’s the end of Term 2, and it’s been a challenging one. Bookings are unpredictable, extra hygiene and social distancing measures are in place and our team has faced various challenges but we’ve done our best to always be here for our families and our community. We’ll continue to show up with a smile and we’re always happy to be providing care for your lovely kids. Thanks to all parents who’ve risen to the recent challenges, who’ve listened when we’ve asked for cooperation and who’ve given us words of encouragement along the way.

It’s not over yet, but we’re all in this with you! Enjoy the break everyone, and we look forward to seeing lots of you for our fabulous Holiday Program!

CAMPBELL PARADE GATE
is not in use during Hive hours. The camera is broken, so we can’t buzz you in there at the moment. Please use the WARNERS AVENUE GATE - thanks!

HOLIDAY PROGRAM
is fully booked in Week 1 and almost full for Week 2. A big THANK YOU to those families that released days to help other families in need of care and well done Jara for juggling everything to make it fit 👊 👊 👊

CHILD CARE FEES & SUBSIDIES
are back, from Monday, 13th July. We forwarded an important government email on Thursday 25th June with clear instructions on how to make sure you’re all set up and ready to receive CCS from 13th July. ⚡⚡ PLEASE COMPLETE ACTIONS REQUIRED ⚡⚡

Reminder to NOTIFY US of any afternoon absences >> there’s a $15 non-notification penalty for forgetting: we need that ‘missing kids’ list to be as short as possible…

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO…?

Last week of term, but does that slow us down…? NOT ONE BIT !!
We delivered another jam-packed program this week - the kids had a great time exploring their creative sides, running off loads of energy, making music and just chilling with their mates…

we merged experiments with art in EXPLORE & DISCOVER this week, as the kids used Aussie mud to make mud rock rolls!
we had Seth’s GUITAR and our very own KEYBOARD (thank you Mr West!) making beautiful music this week. There are truly some curious and creative musicians amongst our busy bees… 🎶🎶
the canvasses were out and we got busy painting PORTRAITS this week - check out Flo’s picture up top!
our play KITCHEN has been very busy this week, with cafes and restaurants springing up every day to take advantage of lifting restrictions. I enjoyed a lovely bowl of soup 🥣from Yanisa on Wednesday morning…
the DRESS UPS box kept the seniors amused and in stitches on Tuesday - so lovely to see them playing together as a big group
there was JEWELLERY-MAKING, CASTLE-BUILDING, and DRAWING happening in the Hive room and meanwhile, outdoors…
… there was HOCKEY, BASKETBALL, DODGEBALL and SOCCER!!

now we’re all ready for a little sit down 😉

June 25, 2020

Term 2 Week 9 - Busy Bees!

June 25, 2020/ Jara Poslusny

OUr seniors created a Home-made iPad. Love it!

the boys made pen-holders out of Hive magnets!

Decorating mini-canvases with glow in-the-dark paint!

HIVE NEWS & REMINDERS ::

Our high excitement about new software for The Hive is on hold for a short while. We discovered a few wrinkles that need to be ironed out before we move across, so please bear with us and watch this space…

We forgot to tell you that last week we ran our termly emergency drills. This kids and staff were amazing and ran efficient and safe procedures both morning and afternoon. We kept the kids onsite and included safety briefings as well as thorough drill procedures. Well done everyone!

HOLIDAY PROGRAM is fully booked for Week 1. If you are an essential worker who is unable to book, please get in touch. We still have spots available in Week 2, so check your calendars and book in for some holiday fun…!

Child care fees & subsidies are back from 13th July. We forwarded an important government email on Thursday 25th, with clear instructions on how to make sure you’re ready to receive CCS from 13th July.

Reminder to NOTIFY US of any afternoon absences >> there’s a $15 non-notification penalty for forgetting: we need that ‘missing kids’ list to be as short as possible…

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO…?

It’s almost the end of term, and we’ve been blown away by the energy, creativity and positivity of our busy little Hive bees. It’s been a tough term for everyone but we love creating a space where the kids’ smiles and bright ideas can shine! Another busy week of sports, activities and experiments, take a look…

As usual, lots of takers for our CRAFT activities. We got busy making fridge magnets by colouring in wooden clothes pegs and using mosaic diamond decorations
some of the boys were so keen for some screen time that they CREATED THEIR OWN iPADS out of cardboard, and then played on them. We see that as a win-win scenario! :-)
DRAWING CLUB is growing and it’s so good to see the kids getting such satisfaction out of a simple, creative activity together with their friends
in EXPLORE & DISCOVER we experimented with making our own LIP BALM, which was an idea from the kids during our last Holiday Program
SETH has been entertaining our morning crew with his GUITAR PLAYING - thank Seth, such a soothing start to the day
MIA took the children into the GARDEN to fossick around and collect different leaves from the floor. We’ve set up an experiment to watch them decompose in the coming weeks… 🍂🍂🍂
our kids were super active this week, playing DODGEBALL, ARCHERY and taking part in Priscila’s new SPORTS CARNIVAL!!

June 19, 2020

Term 2 Week 8 - Buddy Week!

June 19, 2020/ Jara Poslusny

The Hive Obstacle Course, picture series…

HIVE NEWS & REMINDERS ::

Welcome back PRISCILA! After an extended absence, we’re super happy to welcome Priscila back to the Hive. We’ve missed you and we’re all very happy to have you back Pri!

Our WINTER HOLIDAY PROGRAM is almost booked out for Week 1. We still have spots available in Week 2, so check your calendars and book in for some holiday fun…!

Child care fees are back from 13th July (Week 2 of Holiday Program). It’s important that you don’t miss out on your CCS rebates, so make sure your details are up to date in your MyGov online account…

Reminder to NOTIFY US of any afternoon absences >> there’s a $15 non-notification penalty for forgetting: we need that ‘missing kids’ list to be as short as possible…

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO…?

This week was all about friendship and connection, with lots of activities for both large or small groups. We offered the kids chance to maybe connect with some different people to their usual friends, and also lots of opportunity for vertical age groups, with the older kids helping out the younger ones - lovely to see!

In SPORTS CLUB we saw handball, basketball, hockey and soccer! The kids are loving some of the new sports equipment we’ve bought
ART & CRAFT the kids made wind chimes, jewellery and lots of free crafting in group projects using recycled materials we have hanging about
we saw our little scientists get busy in EXPLORE & DISCOVER, testing out some cool puffy paint and also experimenting to make invisible ink and sharing a fun secret with a friend
Our morning crew continue to delight, with songs, dancing, art projects and loads of entertaining conversation!

June 11, 2020

Term 2 Week 7 - Craft & Science Week

June 11, 2020/ Jara Poslusny

forget what you’ve heard: THIS is how the solar system came to be…

Explore & Discover club: making MAGNETIC SLIME…!!!

Brothers & friends, love drawing & colouring ✍️

HIVE NEWS & REMINDERS ::

Our WINTER HOLIDAY PROGRAM IS OPEN for bookings! It’s a jam-packed program with loads of stuff to keeps the kids happy, busy and safe. This’ll be the last time you book HP through the old software system… :-)

Child care fees are back in from 13th July (Week 2 of Holiday Program). Make sure your CCS details are up to date in your MyGov online account…

Reminder to NOTIFY US of any afternoon absences >> there’s a $15 non-notification penalty for forgetting: we need that ‘missing kids’ list to be as short as possible…

Afternoons are getting busier and we still have spots available. If you’re thinking about booking - do it! 👌 The kids love being able to hang out and play together…

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO…?

We went all out with the craft & science projects this week, which suited the weather just fine…

in EXPLORE & DISCOVER CLUB we got stuck into the magnetic slime workshop - so many kids wanted to take part that we had to run several sessions. We’ll definitely repeat this very popular and successful experimental activity!
we saw imagination, creativity, patience and fine motor skills developing in our POTTERY sessions with bowls, animals and ornaments amongst the lovely pieces produced
it’s never to soon to get the HAMA BEADS out again, and the kids loved making all sorts of colourful designs and creations
we also got creative with some beautiful GLASS STONES, so the kids could make their own rings and jewellery. Just stunning…

Although there was some rain to contend with, we still managed some DODGEBALL, ARCHERY and the kids even set up their own OBSTACLE COURSE!

June 04, 2020

Term 2 Week 6 - Environmental Week

June 04, 2020/ Jara Poslusny

LOGAN (Y3) & Isobelle (Y2) created a fantastic castle FOR TWO princesses

HIVE NEWS & REMINDERS ::

There’s so much to adjust to, as things return towards normal…

We’re finding some kids are not clear of the plan after school 🤔 Please REMIND THEM ABOUT HIVE in the morning: it makes the school—Hive transition much quicker and safer
Check your Hive bookings - only book what you need, otherwise CANCEL or NOTIFY US of any absence >> non-notification penalties are back in play from Monday, 8th June
Please look at the camera when you buzz for access - it helps us identify who’s coming in and which kids need to be ready for pick up
Keep sending WARM CLOTHES and WATER BOTTLES

* * IMPORTANT * *
We recently forwarded an email from the DESE about the need for each family to confirm their 2018/19 income by 30th June, in order to continue receiving CCS.
Click this link for more information

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO…?

Environmental Week means we focus on sustainable, natural and recycled materials and practices as much as possible. Thanks to Eugenia for a beautiful craft program this week, designed to prompt some thought about our environment, our use of so much ‘stuff’ and the endless possibilities to reuse, recycle and to get creative!

the kids used plastic bottle tops as tokens and designed and created their own board games! We had great fun learning about what each of them had come up with
we created leaf lanterns, using recycled card rolls decorated with leaves, flowers and other items from nature, collected from our wanderings around the school grounds
a staged project is the creation of our own beeswax wrap, which is a) very cool and b) reduces the need for plastic boxes and food wrap
we made mobiles from natural materials, and also experimented with cabbage roots to create our own jewellery designs!
the kids enjoyed the better weather this week, with games of street hockey, soccer, archery sessions and fun with giant Jenga out in the quad.

What a week…!

Acknowledging Mabo Day on 3rd June and the struggle faced by so many Indigenous Peoples here in Australia.

Can’t have a week without a beyblade pic…! 🤣🤣🤣

May 29, 2020

Term 2 Week 5 - Reconciliation Week

May 29, 2020/ Jara Poslusny

loving nature: trees & Koalas (complete with choc chip cookies!)

Morning Crew: loving the new Tech Decks!

HIVE NEWS::

We’re making the very most of our time, with Hive staff undergoing a whole heap of TRAINING and refreshers in Term 2: First Aid, CPR, Autism Awareness, Trauma training and more on the way. We pride ourselves being a team who are motivated, experienced, trained and most of all - committed to caring for your children!

There is one more month of FREE CHILD CARE, which will cease on 28th June (end of Week 9). We’ll be in touch again nearer the time with reminders of what’s needed to be ready for the restart of fees and rebates.

Edie’s RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN (RAP) was approved this week by Reconciliation Australia - perfect timing for Reconciliation Week! 😊 We look forward to implementing the actions in there, and helping to enhance the kids’ understanding of the importance and relevance of reconciliation.

WINTER HOLIDAY PROGRAM will open for bookings in Week 7. The program complies with existing restrictions, and will be amended should guidelines change further. To assist families who have suffered financially during this pandemic, and to help everyone ease back into paying for child care, we will apply a standard, subsidised day fee for the July holidays. We will revert to the usual varied fees for October.

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO…?

Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. The children enjoyed a whole host of Aboriginal-inspired activities such as:

making bird houses, and learning about our beautiful native bird life
creating and learning about our own message sticks, as used by Aboriginal peoples throughout Australia
making clay prints inspired by the natural world

We also saw the kids loving a bumper new arrival of BEYBLADES and some amazing new TECH DECKS plus OBSTACLE COURSE, which had them absorbed for hours whilst they worked on those fin motor skills…

PARENT REMINDERS::

late pick up after 6pm and non-notification of absence carry penalty fees - please do the right thing! Thank you
kids still need water bottle - bubblers are closed
remember to pack a warm layer as the afternoons get colder…

HAND PRINTING, INSPIRED BY RECONCILIATION WEEK

May 21, 2020

Term 2 Week 4 - exciting news...!!!

May 21, 2020/ Jara Poslusny

Morning Crew: drawing club & puppet making

HIVE NEWS::

HUGE NEWS from us: we’ll soon be introducing you to a new-and-improved software system!! This brand new software, is a collaboration between two of the best in the business Xplor & QikKids. It’s secure, efficient, looks amazing and offers tons of fantastic new functionality. It also has an app - so, finally… something that works well on your mobile!! Enrolments, bookings, sign in/out will all change for the better. We’ll have more detailed communications to follow, but wanted to let you know about this exciting development, which we hope to have in place for the start of Term 3

School is back full time from Week 5, and we’re ready! If you need us to look after your small people - please book. Our staff are here - ready and waiting - and looking forward to seeing some of the faces we’ve missed over the last couple of months… 😊

💦We’re bringing this reminder to the top o’ the page! 💦
💦School bubblers are currently closed, so please remember to 💦
💦send kids with their WATER BOTTLES…💦

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO…?

We got busy using lots of exciting, natural and recycled materials this week…

the kids created bird feeders from recycled milk containers and decorated them with all sorts of cool stuff. We bought bird feed too.
🦜🦜Please send us photos of your bird feeders being used at home! 🦜🦜
We used natural materials from the school grounds to make branch mobiles, with all sorts of beautiful shapes and colours…
We made our own chalks, tie-dyed fabric and folded paper bracelets. We have such creative, curious and clever bees here at The Hive! 🐝🐝
We had self-managed mini workshops of kids editing movies, taking drawing lessons from youtube, and running highly-charged Beyblade comps inside the Hive room - a real hive of activity ;-)
Archery, soccer, basketball and lots of free play were also the order of the week. We keep all equipment cleaned and on rotation

…and their ‘candley’ concoction! 🕯️🕯️🕯️ (are they hot dogs in that pan…??) — …and their ‘candley’ concoction! 🕯️🕯️🕯️
(are they hot dogs in that pan…??)

May 14, 2020

Term 2 Week 3 - back to school…

May 14, 2020/ Jara Poslusny

HIVE NEWS::

We hope all the 💕mothers and others 💕 enjoyed cuddles and treats on Sunday. We think you’re the BEST!! 🌟🌟

We’re happy to see the children slowly starting to come back to school and Hive this week. We’ve missed them! We have staff ready to ramp up as numbers increase, and the usual fun-filled (and Covid-aware) program in place to keep the kids happy and engaged.

Please be reassured, we’re still implementing various additional hygiene measures, such as:

increased hand-washing and sanitiser applications
social distancing measures
amended activities and sports, to reduce high touch situations
rotation & additional cleaning of resources and equipment
safer drop off/collection. When you drop off or collect, simply come into the Hive room and make yourself known to staff - we’ll sign in/out at the touchscreen on your behalf.

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO…?

We’ve had so many amazing craft and science projects this week:

the kids have made their own soaps, some amazing colours and scents (not sure how clean you’ll all be, but hey…)
we recycled milk bottles to make pencil holders, using a whole range of other recycled materials to cover, paint and decorate them. Such a useful thing to have at home!
Giorgette (Y6) had a great idea to create a tile mosaic, which the kids completed this week: they painted one tile each, which we joined mosaic-style to make a framed artwork. Nice work!
We also continued with the extremely popular Origami activities, with so many wild and wonderful shapes and 3-D creations being made

PARENT REMINDERS ::

TOYS: please keep your child’s toys and trading cards at home. Anything found will be held by staff, and returned to parents only.

WATER BOTTLES: the school bubblers are currently closed, so please remember to send a water bottle!

WINTER IS COMING: (the old ones are the best!) It’s getting cooler now, so please send a jumper or jacket every day

Newsletters

HIVE KIDS UPDATE

FAREWELL ETHAN & WELCOME ROMAN

CAMPBELL PARADE GATE

HIVE ACCOUNT SECURITY

SPRING HOLIDAY PROGRAM

WELCOME BACK!

CAMPBELL PARADE GATE

* * CHECK YOUR HIVE STATEMENTS * *

PENALTY FEES

INCREASED HYGIENE & SOCIAL DISTANCING

HIVE NEWS & REMINDERS ::

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO…?

HIVE NEWS & REMINDERS ::

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO…?

HIVE NEWS & REMINDERS ::

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO…?

HIVE NEWS & REMINDERS ::

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO…?

HIVE NEWS & REMINDERS ::

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO…?

HIVE NEWS::

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO…?

PARENT REMINDERS::

HIVE NEWS::

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO…?

HIVE NEWS::

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO…?

PARENT REMINDERS ::

*** * CHECK YOUR HIVE STATEMENTS * ***