2024 - Term 1 Weeks 1-2 WELCOME!

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👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋

WELCOME TO 2024: A big hello to all our returning bees, and families. We saw many of you over the holidays (check out all the pics!) and those we didn’t - we missed ya! And a massive WELCOME to all our new Little Bees in Kindy. We have 90% of your whole year enrolled at The Hive, and we can’t wait to get to know you all!

LOST PROPERTY: We still have a few Lost Property items left over from Holiday Program - so please check the box in the Hive room. Unclaimed items will be donated to charity or sent to our ‘spares’ box.

RETURNING BORROWED ITEMS: And speaking of spares… our reserves are very low! If your child borrowed clothes/hat/towel etc during Holiday Program, please wash and return it as soon as possible. Spares are important in case of accidents, and on days when kids don’t have the right clothes for the weather.

PLEASE PACK FOR ALL SEASONS: The weather is changeable, and a warm morning might become a cold afternoon. Please send kids with layers that will help them stay comfortable all day, even if the weather changes during the day. And of course…. HAT!

📆 BOOKINGS 📆

We’re now fully migrated to Xplor, and we thank everyone for their cooperation with this big move. It’s been pretty smooth and we’re getting great feedback from parents.

A reminder that there are full instructions on our website for making bookings via the Xplor Home app. If you’re unsure, check it out.

All casual and Holiday bookings are made via the app. All requested changes (add/delete) to permanent bookings should be requested via email.

The best news about bookings is that we have managed to remove all waitlists - which is a huge relief to everyone! 👏 👏

THAT’S IT FOR NOW… We have so many awesome photos from the last couple of months, and we know the start of the year is already super busy - so we’ll keep the words brief for this newsletter. Enjoy the photos…!

2023 | Term 4 | Weeks 9-10 | End of Term!

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👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋

XPLOR software : A huge thank you for the 200+ child enrolments already completed in Xplor, along with the positive feedback from parents who are loving the new platform! If you haven’t yet enrolled, check for an email from ‘bookings’ on Fri 8 Dec, titled “SUPER IMPORTANT”. Don’t delay, as we’re already oversubscribed on Tue, Wed, Thu afternoons.

WAITLISTS for TERM 1 : We’ve got the highest ever number of booking requests for 2024 - and we know there are families who’ve still not enrolled. So, we’re busy recruiting more staff and we’re also very happy to report that Ms O’Neill has offered to share a second room with us next year. This is awesome news and will be a huge help in ensuring we can continue to offer appropriate eating, resting and activity spaces for a broadening age range of children, and delivering the highest levels of care that you’ve come to expect. We’re keeping waitlists as low as possible, and are monitoring them daily for movement and progress.

TEAM UPDATE : Congratulations to GG who progresses to the senior team next year, becoming Stage Lead for Y3 and our Sports Coordinator. GG is also undertaking a Cert III in Outside School Hours Care. You can read more about GG below, in Bee of the Week!
Congrats also to the lovely Mel from the canteen, who will spread her wings to include The Hive, joining us as Food & Nutrition Lead for 2024. Mel will develop our 2024 menu, provide delicious, nutritious and wholesome afternoon tea for the kids, and will also run our Seniors Baking Club - in the canteen!
Finally a huge welcome to ELLIE, CLEMENTINE, ALICYA & MARLEY, all new recruits for the coming HP and 2024. Also to ZANE, who will join us for Holiday Programs only.

SENIORS in 2024 : We’re seeing a growing number of senior enrolments (Y4-6) and we’re so excited by this! In response, Term 1 will include dedicated Seniors activity options, exclusive Seniors access to the Hang Out zone, a brand new opportunity for Seniors Baking Club in the canteen (specific day TBC) and extra-curricular activities geared specifically towards the Seniors. As always, if you have any otehr suggestions, please let us know…

THANK YOU JON! As a long-standing Hive family moves away from Bondi, we bid farewell to Molly & Eve, and we also extend a hige thank you to dad Jon who was instrumental in getting the garden renovation completed and opening up all the wonderful opportunities that the kids now enjoy. What an awesome legacy to leave Jon, and we’re very grateful for everything you poured into this amazing project. Go well in the Northern Rivers!

🏖️ HOLIDAY PROGRAM 🏖️

Happy end of school year to all our Bees, Big and Little! We’re really looking forward to some fun times with you all over the holoidays, and December HP is ON! for Mon, Tue, Wed next week.

There are just a handful of spots left on the coaches on Monday & Tuesday, so if you’re keen - jump in! And Wednesday will be the BIGGEST end of year party, complete with games, treats, music, dress-ups, BBQ and… the G.O.A.T. NINJA inflatable!! Book through Becklyn for December HP - these will be the final bookings in the old software.

For January HP, book through the Xplor HOME app. Instructions are at the bottom of the calendars, found here. Early Bird pricing for January HP until midnight Sunday 17th Dec, and then all daily fees are +$10.

🐝 BEES OF THE WEEK 🐝

This week we pay tribute to CAMERON! Cameron has been joining us from Vaucluse Public since he was in Y1, and at the end of this week, he’ll wave goodbye to The Hive and get ready for some new adventures at high school.

Cameron is a huge personality, full of smiles, cheekiness, interesting facts and always ready to help out at The Hive.

Cameron, we’re going to miss you very much! And we wish you all the best for your high school chapter…


GG - Y3 Lead Educator & Sports Coordinator

Congratulations GG on joining the senior team next year!

Did you know…? GG is a Canberra boy, who’s been in Sydney for 5 years now. He loves all things SWANS (in fact, sport in general) and his favourite food is… chicken wings!!

If he wasn’t an Educator, GG would be an actor - so watch this space, who knows what the future brings…?!

😃🚰 GETTING ENOUGH CALCIUM 🥗🏃🏽‍♀️

Kids need more calcium as they get older, to support their growing bones and adult teeth. 4-8 years olds need 1,000mg of calcium/day and 9-18year olds need 1,300mg.

Some foods are very high in calcium, with dairy foods among the best natural sources: milk, yogurt, hard cheeses-like cheddar. If you can’t eat dairy, try other foods such as: calcium-set tofu, calcium-fortified soy drinks, edamame beans, broccoli, collard greens, kale, chard, Chinese cabbage and other leafy greens, almonds, sesame seeds, white beans, red beans, and chickpeas, oranges, figs, and prunes. You can find out more here.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE this festive period

Gift-wrapping - After your child’s art has spent its time on the fridge, you could use it as wrapping paper or as part of a card. Family friends and family will love receiving gifts and cards created with love. If you do buy cards or wrapping paper – choose items made from recycled materials, and not wrapped in plastic. You could even try sending e-cards…

D-eco-rations – Many people reuse decorations year after year. If you are planning to buy new ones, why not try making them instead?  Turn off your festive lights at night and try using LED ones where possible.

Presents – Take a look around your home. How many things do you already have? Do you really need more stuff? Maybe instead of buying more things this year, you could try an ‘experience’ instead. Like, a trip out to a theme park with a friend. Or a surfing lesson! You can also ask your family to get their gifts at eco-stores this year…

We can all play a part in helping the planet over this holiday period… Find out more here.

2023 Term 4 - Weeks 7-8 * HAVE YOU ENROLLED YET IN XPLOR? *

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👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋

HAVE YOU ENROLLED YET FOR 2024?
Thank you to everyone who has enrolled already. We know there are families who haven’t yet - and we urge you to complete the process ASAP. You can’t attend January HP without an approved enrolment. Any enrolments not submitted by the end of this week may not get approved in time to book Jan HP.


WAITLISTS for 2024:
We’re already looking very busy for T1 and are currently running waitlists on Tue & Thu afternoons. Weds afternoon is also close to capacity. We’re seeking more space and recruiting more staff to help us accommodate the increased number of bookings.

So please enrol, and request your 2024 bookings as soon as possible.


CENTRE CLOSURE - STAFF BREAK:
We close for a much-anticipated break at 6pm Wed 20 Dec. We will not be working again until Mon 8 Jan, so please don’t leave your enrolment and any associated questions too late. We won’t be processing enrolments during the closure.

🏖️ HOLIDAY PROGRAM 🏖️

December dates - 18, 19, 20 Dec - should be booked through the Becklyn portal.
The two excursion days (18th & 19th) are almost full, so don’t delay.

January HP must be booked through the XPLOR HOME app. Booking instructions are at the bottom of the calendars.

We’ve got an AWESOME program lined up and can’t wait to see you all there!!

BEES OF THE WEEK

The wonderful, kind-hearted, open-minded, inclusive and supportive behaviour from these two has had us all watching and learning this week.

We see you DYLAN and LUCA
and we LIKE it… 🙌 🙌

😃🚰 OUR GARDEN 🥗🏃🏽‍♀️

…is going from strength to strength! We’ve got a compost bin on the go, which the canteen team are using, as well as us.

We’ve harvested various herbs, as well as micro greens from thinning out the carrots etc. We have eggplant on the way, plus carrots, cherry tomatoes, zucchini and more. Canteen have used the basil, and our own kids have snacked on the micro greens. Edie even used it to make thai beef salad!

2023 Term 1 - Weeks 5-6 . *2024 enrolments are open!*

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👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋

ENROLMENTS are OPEN for 2024
…and 145 children are already enrolled in the new software. 👏👏
Remember to complete one form per child. This is one-off effort whilst we migrate, and won’t need to happen again, we promise. Please remember these things:

  • You need an approved 2024 enrolment in order to book January HP

  • Once enrolled, create your Parent account in HOME, and download the app

  • The app is the only place you can make casual & HP bookings

  • Permanent bookings should be requested via email

‼️ If you haven’t already - please enrol here ASAP ‼️


YOUR 2024 BOOKINGS
Please think carefully about which bookings you need for next year, and try to avoid overbooking where possible. We’re hoping to avoid waitlists if at all possible, and you can help us with this by only booking what you need. All the details for T1 extra-curriculars are now out there, so factor that in and we look forward to a busy, fun and happy 2024 with you all!


WELCOME LIAM!
We’re stoked to announce a new team member - Liam - joining us with several years experience at schools in the UK, primary and high schools. He’ll be up to speed in time to make sure we can handle the busyness of Holiday Program, and so we also have extra hands on deck for the new Kindys next year!

🏖️ HOLIDAY PROGRAM 🏖️

December HP (18th-20th) can be booked through the Becklyn portal - available now and booking out fast! Only a few spots left on the coaches on 18th & 19th Dec - so don’t hang about!

January HP (starting 8th Jan) requires an approved 2024 enrolment in XPLOR. Bookings will open w/c 20th November. Calendars and updated Ts&Cs are available on our website.
> HP Open: 8-12 Jan
> HP Open: 15-19 Jan
> Centre CLOSED: 22-26 Jan (staff training week)
> HP Open: 29-31 Jan
> Term 1 starts: Thu 1 Feb


🐝 BEES OF THE WEEK 🐝

This week, a shout out to the wonderful MARLENE in Y1.

Marlene is full of positive energy, which she
loves to share - lifting people up along the way.
She always brings a smile—usually a hug too—and our whole
team think it’s just the best way to start the afternoon...

Thanks Marlene - we love ya! 💕 💕 💕


Lucia - Kindy Team Educator

With The Hive since 2022, Lucia is now one of our committed Kindy team, and she’s looking forward to meeting all the new Little Bees for 2024!

Did you know…?  Lucia studies nursing, and hopes to specialise in the paediatric ICU or transition into paramedicine. She danced for over 14 years and now, alongside her Hive role, she’s also an assistant dance teacher at her old studio!

Despite growing up in Bondi, Lucia loves the cold and her favourite season is actually winter… ❄️❄️❄️

🚰 HYDRATION INFORMATION 🚰

Did you know - our bodies are made up of approx 70% water? As the days gets longer and warmer, children are at a greater risk of dehydration than adults because, in relation to their size, children have a larger proportion of their skin available to lose sweat and suffer heat exposure. Also, children don’t always recognise thirst, and might forget to drink if not reminded. We take this seriously at The Hive, with regular reminders to drink throughout all our sessions.

The amount of water your child needs will vary according to age, size and activity levels. For kids under 8, a minimum 4-6 glasses of water per day is recommended. For kids 8+, it’s at least 6-8 glasses/day. If your child plays sport or is very active, they’ll need even more. Kids will also need more fluid on hotter days or when unwell. Read the full article from Healthy Kids here.

REUSABLE BAGS

Gone are the old disposable plastic bags, but the ‘new’ reusable versions are everywhere and are too often becoming disposable.
Remembering your own bags is key to not having to buy more, and to minimising planet plastic.

How do you remember yours? Put them by the door? Scrunch them into one bag and throw them in the boot? What if there was a trick that meant they could fit into your handbag/backpack/baby bag?
Try folding your reusable bags this way and keep as many as you need, wherever you need them! More detailed instructions here

 

The Hide ‘n’ Seek series below …spot the children! 🤣 🤣

Keepy Uppy!!

Bug Spotting with Liam!

2023 Term 4 - Weeks 3-4 🎃 Halloweeeeen 👻

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👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋

Our HALLOWEEN PARTY was a huge success. We had an inflatable obstacle course, face painting, spooky games, creative stations, cookie decorating, dress-ups, competitions and loads more… Massive shout out to the Hive team, who gave it it 100% to make sure 130 KIDS had the most spooktastic time ever!

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN: recent news articles about the acute staffing shortages in childcare throughout Australia at the moment. Whilst this problem is real, and widespread, we want to reassure you that at The Hive, we’ve recruited steadily and diligently over the last two years, including a thorough induction program and we are happy to report that we are fully staffed at the moment.

We employ a GM of 8 years at Hive, two qualified Nominated Supervisors both of 5+ years on the team, three Senior Team members (one primary teacher and one studying primary education) plus a wide pool of casual Educators, many of whom have been with us for years and several of whom undertake child/education-related studies. These staff all have regular shifts, offering consistency to the children. In addition, although mandated to operate at a ratio of 15:1, we roster an additional one or two supervisors, depending on booking numbers. So we’re rostering above ratio, for every shift.

In a nutshell, we’ve worked hard to ensure this team is hand-picked, qualified, engaged, consistent and well supported - meaning we can offer your children the highest levels of care possible.

2024 ENROLMENTS & HIVE’S NEW SOFTWARE

Next week (w/c 6 Nov) you’ll receive an EMAILED INVITATION TO ENROL for 2024. Please read the enrolment form carefully, take the time to fully complete it, and upload all required documents. Within the form, you can request the permanent bookings you’d like for 2024.

When HP opens in Week 7, you’ll also be able to book January dates via this new software.

December HP dates (18th-20th) should be booked within the existing parent portal.

🏖️ HOLIDAY PROGRAM 🏖️

Bookings will open in Week 7. 🛎️ You should enrol in the new software before then!! 🛎️

  • 🏖️ HP OPEN 18 - 20 Dec - book via existing software

  • ⛔ CLOSED Thu 21 Dec - Sun 7 Jan

  • 🏖️ HP OPEN Mon 8 Jan - book via the new software

  • ⛔ CLOSED Mon 22 - Fri 26 Jan for a week of staff training

  • 🏖️ HP OPEN Mon 29 - Wed 31 Jan

  • 🏫 Term 1 starts (Y1-6 only) Thu 1 Feb

🐝 BEES OF THE WEEK 🐝

This week we salute PASSION!

OLIVIA in Kindy is so keen to find out all she can about BUGS! It’s awesome to see such curiosity, and eagerness to learn. Our new Gardening Club is a dream come true for Olivia :-)

Go Olivia - it’s a lovely quality, to find the wonder in
the natural world around us.

Ellie - General Manager

With The Hive since it all began, back in 2015 - Ellie has loved helping the centre to grow, in both size and scope.

Outside of work she’s a mum to two awesome teen girls and loves cooking, netball, camping, exploring Australia, getting crafty and flitting to UK & NZ to see family & friends.

Did you know… Ellie has lived in London, Cape Town and now Sydney; she speaks French; and is pretty nifty with a sewing machine! 🪡 🪡

Top of her bucket list is to see the aurora borealis…

😃🚰 SCREEN TIME 🥗🏃🏽‍♀️

Tricky topic, yes? Screen time and screen use are normal parts of life for most children. The time your child spends watching TV or on the computer, phone, iPad or gaming console can be part of a healthy lifestyle. It’s all about making sure the screen time offers safe, quality engagement, and that this is balanced with plenty of other healthy activities with friends and family. Advice is out there to help you navigate what can be a touchy subject in many households...

There are lots of tips and info on the Raising Children website.

OUR WONDERFUL GARDEN

We absolutely love seeing how excited the children are about the garden, how keen they are to learn and how willing they are to get involved. So far, we’ve planted strawberries, tomatoes and eggplants. We’re taking our time, making sure the kids are involved in all the stages, that they learn bits along the way, and that everyone gets chance to have a turn.

Nelly is doing an awesome job creating a sense of ownership of what we’re growing. We really think it could encourage the kids to think about food a little differently: about where it comes from, about how much (or little) we need, about how simple and precious it can be, and not to be wasted…

2023 Term 4 - Weeks 1-2 Getting our hands dirty!!

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👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋

GREEN THUMB
We are SO excited to announce that our school garden is now up and running! We’ve engaged Nelly to manage the garden, run activity sessions with the children and to help us develop an evolving educational garden program. You can check out Nelly’s profile below… and all the pics from our first garden session on the right!

🎃 HALLOWEEN PARTY 🎃
We’ll hold our legendary HALLOWEEN PARTY on Tue Oct 31st. There’ll be face painting, a huge inflatable, music, games, loooads of awesome activity stations and… a couple of lollies!. Children are encouraged to bring costumes in their schoolbags, and we’ll let them get changed after Hive roll call.

If you already have a Tuesday afternoon booking - no action required, you’re in. If you don’t have a booking - email us now to request a spot. It’ll be so much of fun for the kids and we can help get them ready for you, before an evening of trick or treating!

HOLIDAY PROGRAM - IT’S A WRAP
Huge congrats to our whole team who poured everything into delivering an awesome Spring Holiday Program. We were super busy and had the best time enjoying a whole array of incursions, excursions and activities. You can see all the pics in the previous newsletter, below.
If you borrowed any clothes through HP, please remember to WASH & RETURN THEM as soon as possible… 🙏
We’ll shortly send out a questionnaire to get your feedback on recent HPs, and to seek suggestions or ideas for future programs…

🛎️ 🛎️ Bookings for SUMMER HOLIDAY PROGRAM will open in WEEK 7 🛎️

TERM 4 - EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Our EC program goes from strength to strength. It’s clearly filling a need for parents and the children are LOVING it!. With your ongoing support, we continue to grow and expand the offering; this term we have two age-tailored SKATE programs, a seniors’ CLAY workshop at the Pavilion (see pics left) and SOCCER school with Coach Matt!

Got ideas for new EC activity options? Please send ‘em in!

☀️ IT’S WARMING UP… ☀️
and that means NO HAT, NO PLAY. This is aligned with school practice and is in place for the wellbeing and safety of the kids. Any hat will do, but if they don’t have a hat, children need to stay and play in the shade. Please note: we don’t lend out hats during term-time due to the risk of spreading head lice 🪳🪳🪳

🐝 BEES OF THE WEEK 🐝

This week, we give a huge shout out to the wonderful EVE in Y6. Eve is an awesome human; kind, thoughtful and confident in her own unique self. She shows us what it means to be an authentic individual, every single day...

💖 💖 Go Eve - we think you ROCK! 💖 💖

Nelly - Garden Specialist

New to the Hive team, Nelly already delivers gardening sessions to our friends up the road at Bondi Public, and she comes highly recommended!

With qualifications in Community Gardening and Food Forestry, Nelly is well-placed to deliver exciting, engaging Gardening Club sessions to our bees, and she brings a beautifully warm and welcoming approach with the children. We look forward to producing ingredients for our own afternoon tea, Baking Club, and hopefully for Canteen too!

Welcome Nelly - we’re stoked to have you on board… 💚 💚 💚

😃🚰 EATING BREAKFAST 🥗🏃🏽‍♀️

Breakfast is often called ‘the most important meal of the day’, and for good reason. It replenishes your internal resources to boost energy levels and alertness for the day, while also providing essential nutrients required for good health. So, what can you do to help your child if they aren’t quite into breakfast?

  • Set up a good routine: maybe wake up a little earlier and slow the routine down; try a short walk before breakfast (this may help stimulate appetite); switch off distractions and eat breakfast together.

  • Get them involved: let your children choose their own cereal whilst shopping; have them help prep their own breakfast. 

  • Set a good example: sit with your kids and eat breakfast at the same time; eat the foods you’d like them to eat; use positive reinforcement.  

  • Get creative: make smoothies and experiment with new recipes.

You can find out more here!

👻 Re-use & recycle 🧟

We’re always grateful to receive your pre-loved dress ups, especially if there’s anything Halloweeny in there… If you have any items that you no longer want - and you think our kids would enjoy - then please drop off to The Hive room. Please remember, any donations should be:

  • in decent condition

  • clean

  • the right size for primary aged children

HOLIDAY PROGRAM - SPRING 2023

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🏖️ Spring Holiday Program - it’s a wrap! 🏖️

Well done to the team for delivering an amazing Spring Holiday Program! We had mountains of fun across the fortnight, with climbing walls, zoo visits, building and painting our own billy carts, gymnastics, inflatable fun, sports workshops, trampoline mayhem, ice creams, Inglis Park, skateboarding, tie-dying, movies, home made cookies/body scrubs/magic potions, Sydney Kids Fringe Festival, plaster painting, disco dancing and soooooo many other fun and games!!

Check out the pics below…

2023 Term 3 - Weeks 9-10 End of Term!!

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👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋

NETWORK CONFERENCE: Ellie, Edie & Sydney attended a conference run by Network, the peak body for OSHC centres in NSW. We heard from the Department of Education, ACECQA and a range of qualified speakers, on topics such as international OSHC learning, critical reflection, outdoor & loose parts play, workplace relations, the importance of vulnerability & empathy and using engagement to channel behaviours. Yes, it was a big day! And yes - we learned lots!

CHILD SAFETY: We teach the children that they should not talk to people through the school fences. This is for their safety, security and privacy. For consistency and effectiveness it must apply to everyone, so we need your help: if you’re coming to collect your children, please wait until you’re inside the grounds to talk to them. Of course you can wave, but let’s help them learn not to engage through the fences, with anyone. Thanks for your understanding and support.

🏖️ HOLIDAY PROGRAM 🏖️

The coming Holiday Program is looking veeery popular and we can’t wait to have all that fun with the kids! The days that aren’t full are still available through the portal. If you can’t book a particular day, email us to join the waitlist.

Remember: every day the kids must bring a good sun hat, sun-safe clothing and wear closed shoes for playing. Also: recess, lunch and water bottle.

⛔ 🥜 ❌ 🌰 NO NUT PRODUCTS IN LUNCH BOXES 🌰 ❌ 🥜 ⛔

It could put a child’s life at risk

🐝 BEES OF THE WEEK 🐝

This week we applaud JACK in Y2. Jack has spent his mornings this fortnight helping Edie plan our daily staff scrum meetings, and allocating duties amongst the staff.

He’s learned loads about how much happens
behind the scenes at The Hive, to help make sure
the kids have an awesome time - every single day!

Look carefully at Jack’s badge: Scrum Manager! 🙌 🙌 🙌


Lauren - Y3-6 Stage Lead

Lauren joined the team in early 2022 and quickly made her mark, jumping onto our Stage Lead team earlier this year.

Did you know…. Lauren is training to become a helicopter pilot!

She loves anything outdoors and in nature, including camping, hiking, swimming, and fishing - and she once did a road trip all the way along the east coast of Australia!

😃🚰 SNACK ATTACK 🥗🏃🏽‍♀️

Sometimes kids go through stages where snacking feels like a full time activity! What can you do to help this stay healthy?
1) Develop a (flexible) meal/snack routine. Discuss with your kids, so they know for example, that ‘after breakfast we won’t eat again until 9.30am snack.’
2) Stay busy. If you’re sitting around it’s easy to get bored and open the fridge
3) Limit the packaged snacks at home. If they see lots of options, kids will often want to try them all!
4) Plan & prep ahead. It might be helpful to plan dinners for the whole week, and to make a list of healthy snack options for the kids (and yourself!)
5) Avoid snacking close to mealtimes. Distraction can work: suggest an activity they can do. Maybe keep a few toys and activities to the side and only bring them out during dinner prep time. Or better still - get the kids to help you prepare the meal!

KIDS RECYCLING

Are your children involved in recycling at home? Have you talked to them about how and why we recycle, as well as the ideas of reducing and re-using? They could even help make signs for your recycling container/s to show what should go where…

2023 Term 3 - Weeks 7-8

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👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋

💙 🧡 SHOUT OUT to all the DADS and LADS 🧡 💙
To every one of the men out there who positively influence our children: hats off - we celebrate you!! Dads, brothers, cousins, uncles, family friends - you can all make a real difference to the children in your worlds. We hope you enjoyed the P&C’s Basketball Shootout on Fri 1st, what a great turn-out!

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES FOR T4
Our T4 sessions are very busy: Soccer for YK-1, Pottery @ the Pavilion for Y3-6, Skateboarding for Y1-6 and a separate Skate session for YK. The levels of interest tell us we’re providing a service that people really do value 😊 …but we’re always happy to evolve, so if anyone has activity ideas for us to explore next year - let Sydney know!
We have just 6 spots left for Kindy Skateboarding in T4, so if you’re keen fill out this form ASAP.

WHO’S ON SHIFT?
You can now find out who’s on shift at any given time, by looking at the chart which sits above the sign out station.

WHAT HAVE THE KIDS BEEN UP TO?
We’ve been busy with hula hoops, rock painting, balance boards, hama beads, dodgeball, clay club, cardboard kites, circus skills, paper weaving, oztag and so much more!
Did you know that we devise our program based on development of activities that the kids have enjoyed before, Educator feedback/evaluation, emerging research and materials, kids’ strengths and changing interests. We’d LOVE parent input too, so please don’t be shy - if you have any ideas, let us know!

PARENTS, PLEASE REMEMBER…
We need you to leave the school grounds as soon as you’ve signed the kids out. That means not heading over the play equipment with kids and younger siblings please! This helps ensure that it’s only the kids in Hive care who remain in the school, allowing for clear, effective and safe supervision exactly where it’s needed.

😲 WHAT THE HAIL?! 😲
Last week’s surprise hailstorm really left its mark!
It took us all by surprise, so well done to the team for making sure everyone stayed safe
and (relatively!) calm...

For some kids, it was their very first experience of hail, so we made sure they got a good look after it had all stopped. It also prompted some interesting discussions about how hail comes about, as well
as all the other different types of weather…

On that note: it’s getting very warm in the sun, but it’s cold in the wind or the shade… so please make sure your kids pack warm layers AND sun hats at this time of year. We need to cover all the bases… ☀️ 🥶 🤷

🏖️ HOLIDAY PROGRAM 🏖️

Our awesome Spring Program is booking out fast, but we still have a few spots left on some days. You have until midnight this Sunday, 10 Sep to take advantage of the early bird preferential pricing, so don’t delay - book today!! If you do miss out, email us here to join the waitlist…

Your HP confirmation email from Becklyn will show the actual cost to you after CCS is applied.


🐝 BEES OF THE WEEK 🐝

Our Bee of the Week this time is LEWIS T. in Y5.
He stood out as being particularly helpful and patient during box training, helping the younger kids get to grips with
the new moves and the rhythms of the exercises.

Good on you Lewis, for such a collaborative and
supportive approach to our new activity - helping make sure
that the youngest kids felt confident and included.

Sydney - Educational Leader

Did you know... Sydney moved from Canada to Australia waaay back in 2015 and has been at the Hive for 5 years now! She was just granted her Permanent Residency 🎉 so we look forward to many more Happy Hive years together…

Sydney leads the team to create the exciting Activity Programs for term-time & holidays. If you have any ideas - she's always open to new suggestions…

When Sydney’s not busy at The Hive, she's hanging out with her big cuddly dog Zango.

🏃🏽‍♀️ HEALTHY KIDS 🤗

Drinking water is the purest and simplest way to quench your thirst, as it isn’t loaded with the sugars found in fruit juice, fizzy drinks and flavoured waters. Drinking water instead of sweetened drinks helps avoid dental and gut problems, while the fluoride found in tap water can help strengthen teeth and bones.

DID YOU KNOW: In NSW, 55% of boys and 46% of girls in Year 6 drink more than one cup of sugary soft drink each week. By Year 8, these figures rise to 68% of boys and 50% of girls.

AUSSIE BACKYARD BIRD COUNT

Many children have a healthy fascination with the environment and the things they find living in it. Creating opportunities for children to explore and interact with their local environment helps them develop respect and appreciation for natural spaces and animals.

Next month will see the Aussie Backyard Bird count. If you want to learn more about local birds, complete a quiz, test your knowledge and get ready to take part in October’s count, then check out this link!
Last year Australia counted 3.9 million birds across 620 different species, in just 7 days!

2023 Term 3 - Weeks 5-6

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👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋

BUSY BEES:
The kids have been suuuuuper busy this fortnight: cotton bud flowers, cardboard roll cars, cake decorating, netball, DIY playdough, paddle pop stick insects, make your own stress balls, dodgeball, oztag and SO much more….


EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:
EOI forms have now gone out for Term 4 activities, including skateboarding for Kindys, soccer for YK&1 and pottery workshop (at the pavilion) for our older kids - only 3 spots left there so don’t delay!
There will also be a skateboarding option for Y1+, email to follow shortly…


⌚ HAVE YOU LOST… ⌚
…a smart watch? We have two in lost property - if you think one might be yours, please drop us a line including a description.

🏖️ HOLIDAY PROGRAM 🏖️

Bookings are now OPEN!! Please check out the calendars for Little Bees and Big Bees, and remember that earlier bookings (before midnight Sun 10 Sep) get the best pricing.

It’s an awesome line-up of activities that Sydney has pulled together, and we know the kids are going to love it. If we fill up we’ll run waitlists, but the advice is to book ASAP so you don’t miss out…

🐝 BEES OF THE WEEK 🐝

This week we celebrate Year 2!

Our hats off to JAYCE, who persevered and then triumphed with soccer, becoming Captain of the Week! Great work Jayce 👏👏

And also to LUCA M-P for being an all round lovely guy, and wonderful friend to his cohort 💛 💛



Jara - Business Operations Lead

Jara takes care of the back-office side of things, like enrolments, CCS, and payments. He works remotely, whilst living the dream in Bellingen, surrounded by the Aussie wildlife.

Jara loves hiking, and simply everything related to nature. 

Jara joined the team waaaay back in 2015, and has been integral in evolving the centre into today’s thriving Hive!

💡 PARENTS’ PLACE 🤗

We’ve always cared for a number of neurodiverse children; they form an integral and wonderful part of our Hive community. The Hive staff represents an ever growing body of experience and education and we also undertake regular training in the latest developments, understandings and techniques in this huge area of lived experience.

If you would ever like to discuss your child, we offer a safe, supportive and confidential space in which to do that. In her role as Family Liaison Lead (and with 13 years working in childcare), Edie is particularly well placed to offer support/guidance and to suggest possible next steps for your journey. We can also simply listen, if you’re just starting to explore the whole topic. The key thing to remember is that whilst this journey - and even the possibility of a diagnosis - might feel overwhelming, it can actually be really empowering and helpful to understand more about what’s happening in your child’s mind. You can contact Edie on 0450 896 686 or by email.

SEVEN DAY PLASTIC PLEDGE

About one million tonnes of Australia's yearly plastic consumption are single use products, a concerning trend that harms the environment. Plastic in nature can take hundreds of years to decompose and the waste threatens to pollute waterways, parks and bushland. 

What can you do?
1.    Make a pledge: Choose what plastic item you’re giving up for the week and commit!
2.    Lead by example: Swap out your single-use plastic item with eco-friendly alternatives.
3.    Spread the word! Share how you’re ditching plastic and tell your friends about it.

Breaking the habit can be hard, here are some easy alternative suggestions for the most common uses of single use plastic:

  • Coffee cups and lids > Reusable keep cups or ask for no lid

  • Takeaway packaging > BYO containers

  • Single-use cutlery > BYO reusable cutlery

  • Plastic water bottles > BYO refillable water bottles

  • Pre-packaged fruit and veg > Buy loose or BYO mesh/canvas bags

Once your 7 days is done, reflect on your challenge. How much do you rely on convenience? Was the change hard? Check this link to find out how else you can be involved