2024 Term 1 - Weeks 5-6

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👋 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 👋

HIVE COMMUNICATIONS: A reminder that we’re using the XPLOR HOME app for our comms. You need app notifications switched ON to make sure you don’t miss out!
We duplicate all messages to email, so please look out for emails from no-reply@myxplor.com - thank you.


NEW READING ROOM: Our new reading room / quiet space is open for business! The new hatch at the back of the Hive room, combined with a safety mirror, means the whole new space can be supervised from the main room. This gives kids a lovely sense of independence, whilst still being actively supervised. The kids are loving the space - we’re seeing lots of reading, chilling & chatting and lots of boys & girls enjoying the Bluey playhouse in there. There’s a project underway to make curtains to cover the cupboards and white walls, bringing more warmth and softness to the space.


OUR GARDEN: The kids are loving their time in the garden, as much as ever! We’re making new plans for the beds that held the sunflowers over the summer - watch this space for updates. This last fortnight, we’ve been collecting votes from both kids and parents to help us choose a new garden project. The options are: sensory garden, indigenous planting, biodiversity project (to attract bees, birds, bugs etc) or a biodegradable/composting project… Once we’ve counted all votes, Nelly will apply for a Junior Landcare grant to help us realise the project!

🗓️ HIVE AGM - please join us… 🗓️

When:: Friday 22 March, 0900
Where:: Hive room
What:: Pls submit nominations for Committee positions to Ellie by this coming Friday, 15th March:

  • Prez

  • Vice Prez

  • Treasurer

  • Secretary

  • any other roles you’d like to create and fill!!

PLEASE COME ALONG on the day!! We’d love to see you there, whether you’d like to join the Exec Committee, become a general committee member, or just observe as an ordinary member…

This is your chance to get involved and help shape the future of our ever-evolving centre!

🏖️ HOLIDAY PROGRAM 🏖️

Bookings will open next week (Wk7). You can book via the app - instructions will be at the bottom of the calendar and also on our website.

We ease into excursions for the new Kindys, through the course of the year. In April, we’re starting with a trip to the Ritz cinema in Randwick to see Kung Foo Panda 4, then a visit to a local playground!

As usual: YK-1 book Little Bees, Y2-6 book Big Bees.
There are two exceptions, days when Big Bees is for Y4-6 only and Y2-3 should book into Little Bees, which has been specially tailored for the broader age range:
- Fri 19 April
- Wed 24 April

We look forward to receiving your bookings. Places will fill up - so please book early, and take advantage of the early bird pricing which ends midnight Sunday 31st March.

🐝 BEES OF THE WEEK 🐝


This week we say well done to FLO & PHOENIX in Y5!!

These two have been really intuitive and helpful to staff recently - with a knack for knowing exactly what kind of actions are supportive in the moment. It’s a wonderful skill to develop and great for our younger kids to watch and learn from.

🐝 🐝 brilliant bees!! 🐝 🐝

ASHA - Educator

Asha is a BBPS OG, and has spent her whole life in Bondi. She loves living by the beach, swimming and enjoying our beautiful Sydney weather.

Asha is half German and recently spent a few months travelling in Europe, where she visited SIX different countries and stayed with her dad’s family in Germany! 

P&C
Welcome BBQ!

This awesome event is a huge hit every year! And it’s a lovely way to welcome the new Kindy families into our wonderful school community.

If you can, why not collect your child from Hive a bit earlier on Fri 22 March, and take them along to join in the fun! There’ll be loads on offer and tons of fun to be had.

A big thank you to the P&C for putting this on each year.

Hive is very happy to support!!

2024 Term 1 - Weeks 3-4

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📻 LIVE FROM THE HIVE … 📻

IS YOUR APP WORKING?
There are still a handful of parents who haven’t yet created their parent account and downloaded the app. Without this, you can’t sign your children in/out!
So, reminder - ALL parents should download the XPLOR HOME app. If you know your partner hasn’t yet set up their account, let us know and we will re-send the invitation. We can also help them out on the spot, at the centre...

🛎️ We are using the app for ALL parent comms 🛎️

‼️ Please TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS ‼️

 

👋 WELCOME TOM!! 👋
We’re very happy to welcome TOM onto the team! Tom joins us with experience of delivering kids events at a trampoline park, music tutoring and running parkour sessions. Many strings to his bow! His wonderful energy and infectious smile mean he’s going to be a great addition to the team. Welcome Tom!


🗓️ HIVE AGM - YOU ARE INVITED!! 🗓️
> Friday 22 March, 0900, Hive room
> Send in nominations for Committee positions by Fri 15th March:
- Prez, Vice Prez, Treasurer, Secretary - and any other roles you’d like to create and fill!!
> PLEASE COME ALONG on the day!! We’d love to see you there, whether you’d like to join the Exec Committee, become a general committee member, or just listen in as an ordinary member…


NEW KINDYS:
Our wonderful new Kindys are settling in so well! With 92% of the whole year enrolled, we have a great Kindy cohort attending every single session. 👍 For these first few weeks, the Kindys enjoy a tailored activity program, plus dedicated play and rest spaces. They’re also busy getting familiar with our regular Hive routines and exploring all the awesome resources we have for them to play with. We’re seeing lots of smiles and good energy - so it feels like an awesome start to the year! 🎉 🎉


ONCE YOU’VE SIGNED OUT…
Please remember to leave the school grounds as soon as you sign out. We know it’s tempting to stay and hang out at the play equipment - and it probably feels harmless - but in fact it presents several complications: it becomes harder for our staff to distinguish and effectively supervise the children who remain in our care. There’s also a risk to younger siblings, who might get caught up (or knocked down) by the games we’re running on the basketball court. The safety and security of the children in our care is our highest priority, and we thank you in advance for your support with this.


WHO’S AT THE GATE?
As mentioend, the kids’s safety is our top priority, and we want to be sure that we know who’s coming into the school. Please help us out by making your face visible when you buzz at the gate. It’s a little thing, but very helpful when we’re using the intercom.
Every single term, we drill both evacuations and lockdowns, once in the morning, once in the afternoon and once in the holidays. This way, we hope every child has chance to practice what to do in an emergency.


WORKS IN THE HIVE ROOM:
We have fantastic brand new child-safe bag hooks situated around the outside of the Hive room. This is great from an increased supervision point of view, and means there is no need for children (or parents!) to enter the school hallways during Hive pick-up.

We’re also completing work to knock through a ‘window’ between the Hive room and the newly established quiet area in the back room. This allows for a separate-but-connected quiet space for resting, reading - and even sleeping! Thanks to school for supporting for our need to make this modification, in order to enhance our supervision of the new chill zone.

🏖️ HOLIDAY PROGRAM 🏖️

Bookings for April HP will open in Week 7.

In the meantime, we’d love to hear what you thought of the Summer HP - please take just a few minutes to full out our Summer HP Survey. Your input will help us better meet your needs, and we love hearing what you think - good, bad and ugly! Thanks in advance for your feedback.


🐝 BEES OF THE WEEK 🐝


Shout out this week to ASHER in YK!

Asher is our Bee of the Week for demonstrating great
listening, practicing positive behaviour and setting
such agood example for all his Kindy friends.

Keep up the good work Asher!!

Mel - Food & Nutrition Lead

Our biggest year ever at the Hive means we’re so excited to introduce this new role and to grow our relationship with the lovely Mel, who manages the BBPS school canteen.

Mel will be preparing delicious, wholesome, good-energy foods for Hive’s afternoon tea, preparing the odd treat here and there and also helping us set up a Seniors Chef School. Yay!

Mel is mum to three boys who’ve come through the school, and so has been on the scene one way or another for over 12 years now! She knows the school and the kids very well, and is a wonderful safe pair of hands for feeding our Bees!

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…