2023 Term 3 - Weeks 1-2

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👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋

WELCOME TO TERM 3: We’ve got load of fun in store for the kids this term. Baking Club is on twice a week, we have some new city-scape floor play mats and building bits, expandable tunnels for construction play, a fresh, reconfigured Hive room with waaay better access to the Kids shop/kitchen/café, and…. have you seen the lovely cosy new rug in the Reading Corner?


EXTRA CURRICULARS: we’re glad to report that all that extra-curricular activities for Term 3 are booked out. It’s clear that this is a service that families enjoy, so we do plan to continue! If you have any thoughts or suggestions for future EC activities, please let Sydney know. For Term 4 - by popular demand - we’ll offer Skate and Soccer to YK-1, and we’re planning something new and special for the older kids. Expressions of interest will be sent to the relevant year groups in the coming weeks.


🥬 🍅 VEGETABLE GARDEN 🥕 🥒 The Hive is proud to announce that we’ll fund the redevelopment of the vegetable garden, slated to happen this term. We’ll also take on responsibility for the ongoing care and maintenance of the garden, and will introduce gardening sessions into our activity program, helping the kids understand where food comes from and how it’s grown. We’ll also (hopefully!) be able to provide the canteen with ingredients they can use! We’ll have dedicated Hive team members, plus regular support from a professional gardener. If there are any parents out there with green fingers (Europe!) or thumbs (down under!) who’d also like to volunteer an hour here or there, then please let us know!


🐝 BEES OF THE WEEK 🐝

This week, the award goes to SAM H in Y3,
for displaying sportsmanship of the very best kind,
as well as beautifully inclusive behaviour on the field.

Honourable mention to Ellie G, also in Y3, for equally
awesome behaviour during games and sports.
(Ellie, sorry we didn’t get a photo of you…)

Well done both, for demonstrating the values that
keep things flowing and for doing your best
to help everyone come together and have fun.

ANA - STAGE LEADER (Y1&2)

Did you know...? Ana’s family background is half from Papua New Guinea and half from Switzerland and she loves learning about the many backgrounds of the children who attend The Hive. She feels very lucky to come from two such vastly different cultures and has a lot of pride in her heritage. 

One of Ana’s favorite things to do is to share recipes from around the world, so if you have any to share - please drop her a line…

💡 PARENT REMINDERS 🤔

  • It’s still cold, so please pack WARM LAYERS for afternoons

  • Please check through all LOST PROPERTY - at the end of Week 3 we will donate to charity

  • If you borrowed and clothes through HP, please WASH & RETURN, so we can help out other children

LANDFILL EXPERIMENT
Today, an estimated one-third of all the food produced in the world goes to waste. That’s equal to about 1.3 billion tons. About 6%-8% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced, if we stop wasting food. Try this experiment and show children what happens when food scraps are just thrown in the bin:
> Have kids place small food scraps in a bottle of water
> Place a balloon on the top and leave in sunlight for 7+ days
> Kids will see the balloon swell with gas, as the food decomposes in a landfill-like environment

2023 Winter Holiday Program

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❄️ Winter Holiday Program - it’s a wrap! ❄️

Well done to the team for delivering a fabulous Winter Holiday Program!
We had a fun-filled and fabulous time, with beach, magnets, disco, ninja challenge, crafts, spa day, treasure hunt, Hive olympics,
yoga, sports, chalk-art, foot-paints, hair salon, virtual reality, Connect to Country, bubble soccer and SO much more!

Check out the pics below…

🏴‍☠️ 🧭 TREASURE HUNT… ☠️ 🗺️

🫧 🫧 🫧 BUBBLE DAY!! 🫧 🫧 🫧

🧲 MAGNATILES 🧲

🌊 🏖️ FUN AT THE BEACH! 🌊 🏖️

🏅🏅 HIVE OLYMPICS with COACH MATT!! 🏅🏅

🖌️ 🧶 SO MANY CRAFT ACTIVITIES… 🎨 ✂️

🐡 🐡 INFLATABLE FUN!! 🐡 🐡

🛹 CONCRETE SKATE… 🛹

🪩 🕺 DISCO TIME! 🕺🪩

2023 Term 2 Weeks 9-10 End of Term!!

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👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋

WELCOME BACK!! Sydney is back at The Hive after 5 lovely weeks back in Canada with family and friends. We’re glad you had a good time Syd, but we’re even more glad that you’re back. Woohoo! 💕💕💕


HAPPY HOLIDAYS!! We know lots of you are travelling overseas this school holidays. To everyone who’s heading away from Sydney - we wish you safe and happy travels. To everyone staying local - we hope to see you during Holiday Program. You can check out the calendars here and there are still a few spots available on some of the days, so… get booking!


CCS Changes We’ve sent a few emails about the changes to CCS which will take effect on 10th July. Most families will be better off, so make sure you’re across the changes.

  • If you already receive CCS - check out this factsheet

  • If your family income is $356,756 and $530,000 and you haven’t claimed CCS, you might now be eligible. You should lodge a claim with Services Australia

  • If you’re currently assessed for CCS and get 0%, you might be eligible for an increased rate from 10 July. Check that your income estimate is up to date through your Centrelink online account

  • If you think you might be newly eligible, check out this factsheet


Hive fee increases A reminder that the new fees can be found on our website. They will come into play a week after the CCS increases, on Monday 17th July.

🏖️ HOLIDAY PROGRAM 🏖️

Several days are now fully booked. Just email us if you’d like to join the waitlist - first come first served…

Please remember we have a NO NUTS policy. This is very important as we care for several children with anaphylactic reactions to nuts. Please, CHECK THE INGREDIENTS on everything you send in. Listed nut ingredients must please be avoided.

Do you have any suggestions for particular activities, excursions or themes that you’d like to see on our HP calendar? If so - we’d love to hear from you! Please contact Sydney with your suggestions… 🙏

🐝 BEES OF THE WEEK 🐝

As well as children, we’ll also start to feature a different member of the Hive team in this section each time, so you can learn a little more about the awesome people who look after the kids every day - hope you enjoy! 😊


Congratulations to LIAM and FINN in Kindy.

They’ve been such awesome bees this week: helpful, kind, considerate and always looking out for their classmates.

Great work boys!!

JEN - KINDY LEAD

Did you know… ? Jennifer’s favourite place in the world is North Tropical Queensland…she fell in love with its picture-perfect beaches and lush, vibrant rainforest. Just one of the reasons she chose to live in this beautiful country (although she still isn’t used to all the giant spiders and insects! 😲)

As a child, Jen‘s favourite thing was her local woodland walk in Scotland, feeding nuts to the squirrels. They would take food from her hands and scurry alongside her as she walked the forest path. Super cute… 🐿️ 🐿️

💡 PARENT REMINDERS 🤔

Please be sure to correctly sign out your children at the end of the day. Click the OUT button (it’ll turn red) for each child who’s leaving with you, and then click DONE to close the screen.

ENCOURAGING KIDS TO BE WATER CONSCIOUS

With our water sources being exposed to pollution, climate change and a growing population, it’s important to find ways to help connect children to this valuable resource so they appreciate why we need to save it. Showing them how they can make a big difference every day by reducing the amount of water they use will foster a greener mindset, that should stay with them as they grow. Here are a few quick tips to get things started:

  • After eating, encourage them to work out whether a rinse is actually necessary, before washing up/dishwasher

  • Ask kids to keep a water bottle in the fridge so they don’t have to run the tap until the water gets cold

  • Make sure they turn off taps tightly - no drips!

  • Don’t run the tap for the whole 2 minutes of teeth cleaning - save it for the mouth rinse at the end

2023 Term 2 - Weeks 7-8

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👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋


MORE CCS HELP FOR FAMILIES ::
A reminder that the Child Care Subsidy is increasing from 10th July 2023. Most families using early childhood education and care will get more CCS. Some families previously not eligible for CCS will now get it.

If you already get CCS, you don’t need to do anything. If you think you may become eligible, lodge a CCS claim with Services Australia.

Visit childcaresubsidy.gov.au to understand what the changes mean for your family, and find tools to help you calculate how much you’ll save.

POLICY REVIEW REQUEST & NSW CHILD SAFE STANDARDS ::
The Child Safe Standards provide a benchmark against which organisations can assess their child safe capacity and set performance targets. The Standards provide tangible guidance for organisations to drive a child safe culture, adopt strategies and act to put the interests of children first, to keep them safe from harm.
We sent an email on 14th June, detailing what The Hive is doing in this space. Please share your feedback on the Statement of Commitment and our new Child Safe Environment Policy.

HIVE FEE INCREASE ::
Starting in Term 3 (Mon 17 July) the Hive’s fees will increase, as per email to parents on 14th June.

The new fees are available on our website, including rough estimates of what will be payable after CCS. These are estimates only and depend on a number of variables, which are individual to each family. For the most accurate idea of your CCS eligibility, please visit Services Australia.

🏖️ HOLIDAY PROGRAM 🏖️

Remember, preferential pricing ends at midnight on Sunday 18th June. Book ASAP to take advantage of the lower prices and to help us achieve optimal planning, staffing and resourcing.
If a day is already booked up, email us to join the waitlist.

🐝 BEES OF THE WEEK 🐝

…are our lovely SENIORS GROUP, who
came up with the awesome idea of a massage train!

Everyone gives, everyone receives, and everyone feels
all the better for it! Perfect after a long day at school…🙌

💡 PARENT REMINDERS 🤔

Another reminder to please:

  • pack warm layers for the kids in this cold weather

  • return any borrowed Hive clothes, washed and ready to re-use 🙏 🙏

GO ON A NATURE SCAVENGER HUNT… 👀

We know that children learn through play, and learning to be more sustainable and caring for the environment can work with that same idea. Add in the fact that spending time in nature can help children develop a connection to the environment—making them more aware of the beauty, diversity and interdependence of natural systems—and a nature scavenger hunt could be a great way to get kids starting to think more sustainably!

Create a scavenger hunt for your children by drawing pictures of things you may see within your area or search online for a pre-made option like this one here from ecoexplorers.com.au.

Find more ideas HERE for connecting with nature, even at home and during winter time…

 

2023 Term 2 - Weeks 5-6

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👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋

HIVE AGM: As per our recent email to everyone, the HIVE AGM will be held in the Hive room on Fri 16 June at 9am. All Hive members are welcome, so please come along - remember to RSVP to the email so we have a steer on numbers. We are particularly keen to hear from parents who would like to join our wonderful Hive Exec Committee - please email Ellie to find out more and put your hat in the ring.

THANK YOU: A massive THANK YOU to Selena Van Loon, who’s spent the last 2.5 years supporting the Hive as Secretary for the Executive Committee. Selena will step down at the coming AGM and we’re delighted announce that we already have a volunteer ready to throw in their name.

Selena - you’ve been a wonderful, warm, positive and supportive influence on the committee over the last few years and we’re all very grateful for the time and energy you’ve given. 🙏💖🙏💖

❄️ HOLIDAY PROGRAM ❄️

WINTER HP bookings are now OPEN!! We’re slightly down on staff in July, so we’ve had to cap numbers, reduce excursions and combine Little & Big Bees for all but one of the days (Thu 13 Jul). Book quickly to make sure you get what you need. Back to normal for Spring hols… 👌👌

* * NEW * * To facilitate more efficient and cost-effective planning and operations, we’ve introduced some changes:

  • favourable pricing for bookings made before the end of Week 8 (ending midnight Sun 18 June)

    • After this cut-off, the price per day increases by $10

  • Your CCSS eligibility applies equally to both price tiers

  • Bookings transferred from waitlist will be charged according to whether request was made before/after deadline.

🐝 BEE OF THE WEEK 🐝


Is the lovely BAE in Y5!

He truly is the King of the Positive Attitude
and has been awesomely helpful this term

Thanks Bae, for showing us all how easy it is to be AWESOME!

👏👏👏👏

💡 PARENT REMINDERS 🤔

  • Another reminder that it’s getting much cooler 🥶🥶. Some kids are still telling us they have no warm layers so please remember to pack a school jumper or jacket every day!

  • There are lots of bugs going round, so if your child is sick, please do the right thing and keep them at home. Don’t forget to let us know that they’ll be missing their Hive session, so we know they’re not ‘missing’ 🙏 . Remember to encourage good cough/sneeze etiquette - using elbows rather than hands.

 

WORLD OCEANS. DAY – JUNE 8
On World Ocean Day, people everywhere can unite to celebrate and take action for our shared blue planet, with one ocean and one climate, which connect us all. Get together with your family, community, and join with millions of others around our blue planet to create a better future. The theme for World Ocean Day is Planet Ocean: Tides are Changing. We need to conserve our wonderful marine resources for future generations. Find out more here

 

2023 Term 2 - Weeks 3-4

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👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋

We hope all the wonderful Mothers & Others enjoyed a very special day last Sunday, as well as the fabulous basketball shoot-out at school last Friday. It’s always so lovely to see the community come together - especially when we’re celebrating the amazing people who make such a positive difference to our kids’ lives…

Over the coming newsletters, we’ll be introducing some new features, which we hope you’ll enjoy. We’ll rotate through the term (recipes, parenting, sustainability, activities, fitness etc) - and we’d love to know what you think! This week, we’re introducing Sustainability Corner; sharing tips for a bee-friendly garden or balcony to align with World Bee Day on 20th May.

🏖️ HOLIDAY PROGRAM 🏖️

We’re busy planning our winter Holiday Program - bookings will open in Week 7. Unfortunately, a number of Hive staff will be away in July, so we will need to cap booking numbers slightly lower than usual. Please bear this in mind and book promptly to avoid missing out. We are very unlikely to have last-minute spaces available…

🙏 CAN YOU HELP? FUNDRAISING CHALLENGE 🙏

Next month, our very own GG is taking part in The Push-Up Challenge, to support the Push for Better Foundation. As well as honing his guns 💪💪 he’s also supporting an awesome cause:

“As part of the challenge, I'm fundraising for and raising awareness about mental health, and I'd love your support. It's all about doing 3,144 push ups over 23 days in June. Each push up represents a life lost to suicide in Australia in 2021.

If you’re able, please help me donate by clicking here - it would mean a lot to me and helps to support a really special cause.

Thank you”

Aaron aka GG

🐝 BEE OF THE WEEK 🐝

This kid is a true star! 🌟🌟

CHLOE L in Y4 always turns up with a positive attitude, and usually a beautiful big smile too. She manages to bring kindness to everything that she does, and always does her best to ensure that people feel safe, welcome and included.

Thanks for being one of life’s good‘uns, Chloe! We love ya 💖💖

💡 PARENT REMINDERS 🤔

❄️❄️ Brrrrrr - it’s getting cold!! 🥶🥶 PLEASE remember to pack warm clothes for the kids. The temperature drops in the afternoons, and we want everyone to stay warm and happy!

If we do need to lend clothes to your child, please wash and return them promptly so we can lend them out to others too… 🙏

PLANT A BEE-FRIENDLY GARDEN

A garden or blacony can be a haven for native bees, providing a long-lasting and varied source of the nectar, pollen and building materials that bees need.

Five Tips for a Bee-Friendly Garden…

  1. Select plants that flower right through the year. Many native bees need nectar and pollen throughout the year, so choose plants with a long flowering period, or choose a selection of plants that will flower in sequence in each season of the year.

  1. Select flowers with a variety of colours and shapes. Different kinds of native bees like different kinds of flowers.

  2. Plant a group of each flower species. If you can plant a bed or row of a particular flower, this will attract native bees more easily than scattered plants. However, even a small Bee-Friendly Garden will help the bees, as they will visit your garden along with those of your neighbours.

  3. Select plants that provide nesting materials for the bees too. In addition to nectar and pollen, some bees need collect materials to build their nests.

  4. Avoid insecticides in your Bee-Friendly Garden. Insecticides will kill native bees as well as garden pests. Try to avoid using any insecticides in your garden. However, if you really have to use one, choose an insecticide that has low toxicity for bees, try to apply it when bees are not active (such as at night or on a cold day) and avoid spraying the flowers of the plant.

    Find out more on the AussieBee website.

2023 Term 2 - Weeks 1-2

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🎉🎉 HAPPY BIRTHDAY EDIE!! 🎂🎁

A HUUUUUGE Happy 30th Birthday to EDIE!!
Thanks to everyone who signed the Hive cards. She felt very special, with loads of treats on her big day, including the world’s biggest passionfruit cheesecake!!

 

👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋

We’re stoked to announce the introduction of SENIORS CLUB, every afternoon. Dedicated spaces and program activities for our Y3+ group - mini golf, cardboard guitars (and jam session!), clay modelling, hockey, fitness challenge and more.... Shout out to LAUREN for all the programming and for being the go-to for our older kids.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) wants to hear from parents and guardians to understand what influences their choice on whether or not to use ECEC services, including price and availability. All families with children aged 0-14 years, or with children with a disability aged 0-18 years, are invited to complete the ONLINE SURVEY. It’s open until 31 May 2023 and can be completed anonymously. For more info from the ACCC, click here.

On Tue 2nd May, an email titled * IMPORTANT * info about CCS: deadlines and changes was sent to all enrolled families - please make sure you read it, it’s important! If you didn’t receive it, let us know.

 

🐝 BEE OF THE WEEK 🐝

Is MATTEO in Y4. He’s an awesome soccer player, yet we saw that he adjusted how he played according to who was playing with him, making sure that the younger kids all got a chance to test themselves and learn.

So inclusive and considerate - nice one Matteo!!

 

💡 PARENT REMINDERS 🤔

It’s getting cooler now, although there’s still some strong sunshine. So, every day the kids still need a HAT plus a WARM LAYER for those cooling afternoons…

 

2023 Autumn Holiday Program

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🍁 🍂 Autumn Holiday Program - it’s a wrap! 🍂 🍁

Well done to the team for delivering an amazing Autumn Holiday Program! We had a super exciting time: laser tag, Ninja Parc, sports carnival, baking & chefing, beach BBQ, puppet workshop, water park, inflatables, baby chicks, gymnastics, treasure hunt, face paint, Nerf wars, Kapla constructions, den building and soooooo much more

Check out the pics below!

2023 Term 1 - Weeks 9-11 End of term

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👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋

Where did Term 1 go??!! We wish you all a HAPPY & SAFE HOLIDAY BREAK and we’ll see many of you for Holiday Program (more detail below).

A huge thank you for the 50+ responses to our HIVE PHILOSOPHY REFRESH survey, which was sent to parents, Hive staff and the Exec committees of both Hive and school. We’ve also been gathering input from the kids for the last few weeks…
Now we’ve gathered the raw data, the next move is to draft the philosophy statement, to encompass the emergent themes and encapsulate the needs of everyone involved in our wonderful Hive community. Watch this space…

WELCOME to GEE GEE, the latest member of our growing team. A free spirit with awesome energy, he brings a Cert III in Outdoor Education and bundles of positivity to the team, already proving a huge hit with the senior stage group!

🏖️ HOLIDAY PROGRAM 🏖️

Our holiday chicks 🐣🐣 arrived today! Baby ducklings and chicks will be hatching throughout Holiday Program, the kids always love being part of this wondrous, fluffy experience 💖💖

Places are booking up fast! Check out the calendars for LITTLE BEES and BIG BEES, and please remind yourselves of our Ts&Cs. If you can’t book a place, please email us to request a spot on the waitlist.
⚠️ Remember ⚠️ to book into the correct program: YK-1 or Y2-6. The one exception is Wed 19 April, when it’s split YK-2 and Y3-6. If you book into the wrong program, you could end up missing out…

As always, send kids with HAT, CLOSED SHOES, WATER BOTTLE, RECESS & LUNCH

and, please always remember…

🚫 🌰 🚫 🥜 🚫 NO NUTS 🚫 🥜 🚫 🌰 🚫

…we care for several children with anaphylactic reactions


🐝 BEE OF THE WEEK 🐝

Is SYLVIE in Y3, who showed heart-warming consideration towards the Kindys last week, taking special care to make sure they all felt included in our Just Dance session.

Fantastic role-modelling Sylvie and such lovely empathy towards all our Little Bees. We’re proud of you! 💕💕

💡 PARENT REMINDERS 🤔

  • ALWAYS sign your child in/out at the iPad. Any issues: just ask staff for help 👌

  • Please leave school grounds promptly, once you’ve signed out your child

  • Check for all LOST PROPERTY in the Hive room. We’ll be clearing it out at the end of this week

 

📣 SHOUT OUT TO… 📣

Our wonderful friends at KOH, who supply the only cleaning product we trust to create a safe, clean and non-toxic environment.

Koh is safe, planet-friendly, no nasties, allergy-friendly, eco-certified and not tested on animals. It’s the only product we need to offer the safest solution for our centre and your kids. And… the lovely humans who make it, are local dads Adam & Justin!

2023 Term 1 - Weeks 7-8

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🛎️ 🛎️ HIVE PHILOSOPHY REFRESH 🛎️ 🛎️

DING DING!!! You recently received an email about our Hive philosophy review,
and a huge thank you to those who’ve already taken part!

We’d love a few more parent responses before the next stage of the review process, so please click here.

Your input is important, valuable and hugely relevant - so please commit 5 minutes to have your say.
Thanks in advance… 🙏 🙏

 

👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋

CONGRATULATIONS… to JEN, ANA and LAUREN who have all just taken on the roles of Senior Educator & Group Leader. JEN will be allocated to YK, ANA to Y1-2 and LAUREN to Y3-6. This exciting restructure reflects the growth of our centre and our team, and allows us to further target our focus towards smaller groups of kids, their wellbeing and the activities we offer them.

Edie remains our Child & Family Lead, and is still the parents’ go-to for anything you’d like to discuss.

🏖️ HOLIDAY PROGRAM 🏖️

Bookings are now open! Please book early to avoid missing out. Check out the calendars for LITTLE BEES and BIG BEES, and please remind yourselves of our Ts&Cs.


🐝 BEES OF THE WEEK 🐝

…are the whole HIVE TEAM, who spent last
Tuesday evening making sure they are trained and ready to deal with any health emergency or injury.

💓 We’ve also invested in our own Hive defibrillator 💓

💡 PARENT REMINDERS 🤔

AFTERNOONS: Once you’ve signed out at the iPad, please be sure to leave the school grounds promptly. If children remain at school after sign-out, it could compromise the effective supervision of those children still in Hive care.