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Armadale Early Learning Centre, 3 Fulton St, Armadale, 3143. Ph.: 9509 3187, [email protected], http://www.armadaleelc.vic.edu.au.
AELC Newsletter No 6, November 2013
Key Dates Term 1: 29th January to 28th March
Term 2: 15th April to 28th June
Term 3: 15th July to 20th September
Term 4: 7th October to 20th December
18th November 2014 Committee morning tea, 9am
24th November Family Fun Day, 3 – 6pm
26th November Annual General Meeting
10th December AELC Committee meeting, 7.30pm
20th December Clean up day, 9am – 12pm
President’s Report Term 4 We are nearing the end of the kindergarten year and just as our families are planning the next phase for the children, so is the kindergarten. It’s a very busy and exciting time with transition statements for those graduating to school, moves from 3yo to 4yo, decisions to continue in 4yo, and new enrolments. There are a couple of very important events in the coming weeks including the Family Fun Day and the Annual General Meeting. Annual General Meeting We are currently finalising matters for the Annual General Meeting and encourage you to attend, especially those who are considering joining the Committee in 2014. The AGM is scheduled for Tuesday 26th November 2013 at 7pm for a 7:30pm start.
Kinder News
Have you checked our website lately? Find the Teacher’s Blogs on the ‘Parent Updates’ page. See what policies are out for review. Check the Calendar for important dates.
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2014 Committee The new Committee will be elected at the AGM. All roles are up for re-election in accordance with our Constitution.
I list the positions available below, so you can decide which might fit your abilities best. They are:
• President • Vice President(s) • Secretary • Finance Coordinator • Grants Officer • Publicity Officer(s) • Fundraising Officer(s) • Maintenance Officer • Salaries Officer • General Committee Members
I am asking those parents or grandparents who have children in this year’s 3 Year Old Groups in particular to review this list and let me know how you can help us. As you know we are a Community, Not-For-Profit Kindergarten. As such we rely almost solely on parents/grandparents to help support our Staff. Family Fun Day Each year to celebrate the approaching conclusion of the kindergarten year we hold a Family Fun Day at the AELC. This is a free event with the kinder providing sausages in bread, drinks and icy-poles, as well as some live entertainment.
2014 Enrolments Enrolments for 3 year old places in 2014 are very strong however we still have places available in 4 year old. We would very much appreciate you proactively spreading the good story of AELC to parents looking for kinder places in 2014. If you know anyone who may be interested in these please ask them to contact Sylvia Stutt (Administrative Assistant) on 9509 3187. Thank you to Sylvia Stutt for all her hard work in organising the 2014 enrolment offers. Regards, Damian Dalton President 0408 138 170 Director’s Note I would like to thank all the families for remembering to put SPF 30 or higher spectrum sunscreen on their child as well as a protective sunhat and appropriate clothing which covers their backs and shoulders. You were all provided with a Sun Smart flyer a few weeks ago now. This flyer is easy to read and follow. It mentions that you can encourage your child to put on their own sunscreen and the hat your child wears has to protect the face, neck head and ears. The Kindergarten also has a Sun Protection Policy which we all have to follow. This is available to read in the Policy folder which
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is in the foyer of the Kindergarten or you can visit our website. On the window to the right of the front door as well as in both rooms there is displayed the sun protection times that we have to slip on some sun-protective clothing, slop on SPF 30+ sunscreen, slap on a hat and seek shade. It also talks about sunglasses that have to meet Australian standards. A bottle of water is also very important for your child to have as they are encouraged to drink it while they are attending Kindergarten. If you have not got this flyer you will be able to pick one up from the table in the foyer. Do you know that your child’s Educators write a blog each week? I recommend that you read them as they can provide you with ideas, dates to remember, questions and sometimes homework!!!! Happy reading...... Annette Baker AELC Director Housekeeping
Fees Many thanks to Sarah (mother of Jack Sullivan in 'A' Group) and Simon Doak (father of Sam, also in 'A' Group) for helping to set up the new system of emailing the Term invoices. This means that the money we save on postage and stationary can be directed to more resources for the children.
Several Term 4 fees are are still outstanding. If you have not received your invoice please let me know as we may have an outdated email address. If you require a receipt for Child Care Benefit please request one. Arrival at pick-up and drop-off If you are having trouble getting to Kindergarten to pick up your child please contact us so we, and your child, know you are on the way. Please be aware that a late fee will be charged to you if you are continually late. Calling Kindergarten Please note that the kindergarten mobile phone is only to be called for urgent matters. For all other matters, please call the kindergarten landline (9509 3187) and leave a message. Going Green As part of AELCs ongoing commitment to sustainable practices, all accounts will now be sent via email. Please ensure that the kindergarten has your most current details.
The kinder is also encouraging families to bring fruit that has been grown in Australia for morning and afternoon tea as well as promoting rubbish free lunches. Can you take on the challenge? Fruit Duty Have you checked your child’s group fruit duty roster for
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Term 4? Please add your name as we enjoy having families participate and your child loves having you there. Parking Although parking is challenging at times, please be mindful that the kindergarten is located in a residential street and us such, we need to look after our neighbours. Please respect the parking time restrictions and not to block any driveways. National Quality Framework The National Quality Framework (NQF) is a new reform across Australia with the aim of increasing the quality of early childhood services. The NQF was introduced in 2012 and comprises of 7 quality areas (listed below) each with its own standards and elements;
1. Educational Program and Practice
2. Children's Health and Safety
3. Physical Environment 4. Staffing Arrangements 5. Relationships with
Children 6. Collaborative
Relationships 7. Leadership and Service Management
Every service is required to have a Continuous Improvement Plan and will
receive an assessment visit from the Department of Education to be given a rating. The idea behind having an Improvement Plan is the ability for AELC to conduct continuous self-assessments against
the National Standards and improve on any areas where there are gaps. At this stage, AELC is still waiting to be assessed. As part of the NQF process, AELC is currently reviewing our Improvement Plan. This means that you too can be involved! If there is any feedback you have for the kindergarten or ideas where you think we can improve (or if you would like to be part of the NQF committee), please let Annette Baker or
Sarah Wade know. Sarah Wade Co Vice President [email protected] Publicity Thank you to Joe Brearly for kindly housing a promotional board for our kindergarten There are still 5 promotional boards (kindly donated by Marshall White) so don’t despair – you could still house one in your front yard/fence and support your kindergarten. If you are interested, please contact Sarah Wade, [email protected].
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Fundraising
I am delighted to inform you that, through the incredible generosity of parents, either financially or by volunteering time, a magnificent total of $15,500 was raised for the kinder this year:
• Trivia Night: $10,000
• Bunnings Sausage Sizzle: $1,800
• Cake Stall (Election Day): $873.20
• Chocolates: $1,400
• KPV Raffle: $800
• Tea Towels/Aprons: $650
This year, the extra funds raised have gone into providing extra services for the children, including dancing and singing for the 4 year old groups, and a number of other special incursions for all kindergarten groups. I know at times, as a parent, you may feel bombarded with requests for time or money however fundraising is a fundamental part of this kinder, as it is with many others. We try to offer different activities for families to choose to participate in – it is a choice, not an obligation. The Committee and staff are grateful to all parents who volunteer and put their hands in their pockets time and again to ensure that we can continually improve and build on the quality of education delivered to our children. I hope that you all really enjoy your wonderful tea towels and aprons. (Last year we made a loss of $83 so your outstanding efforts this year are acknowledged). Thank you to Melissa Lukatsky who did a wonderful job preparing the Cake Stall and
encouraging many of you to make and bake – a wonderful effort. I hope that an opportunity will present itself again for another cake stall as it is a wonderful money spinner (particularly with funds coming from outside the kinder). Again, I must thank the generosity of a number of parents who donated many wonderful items to our annual auction night held in September. (I did forget some people in the last newsletter – Dom Hunter and Antony Richards (Hunter Richards) and
Anouk Mitchell). And to those who pounded the streets asking for
donations, I sincerely appreciate your support and efforts.
And so, after 2 and a half years working on
fundraising activities, and five years at the kinder with my two
children, it is time to hang up my boots as my youngest prepares for school. Thank you again for your generosity and I wish the kinder every success in the future with their fundraising efforts. Stacey Farrell Fundraising Officer [email protected]. Policies for review Please visit the Parent Access Page, under the 'Home' tab to view the policies out for review (the password is the same as the gate code). Please email any feedback to [email protected].
Social By now I hope everyone has cleared their diaries and sent in their RSVP, our Family Fun Day is only just over a week away! With fingers crossed for a little bit of sunshine, bring something to nibble,
$-
$1,500
$3,000
$4,500
$6,000
$7,500
$9,000
$10,500
$12,000
$13,500
$15,000
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something to drink and enjoy time to chat to your fellow kinder families while the children dance, sing & jump out their energy with 'Jitterbugs'. Dinner for the little ones is taken care of too with sausages & icy poles a plenty! We hope it will be a relaxing afternoon and our way of saying thank you for being part of the AELC this year. If you haven't RSVP'd (yes or no) please tear off your slip and do so NOW! You will also have heard that we are having a Committee Recruitment morning tea on Monday (18 Nov) so if you are in any way curious about the Committee, what we do and how you can be a part of it too then we'd love to chat to you there. In addition don't forget to come along to the AGM (7pm Tuesday 26 Nov) for a glass of wine and a slice of cheese. Looking forward to the fun! Kate Rafferty Social Officer [email protected]
Working Bee Thank you to Chris Briggs, Dan Hilbert, Stacey Farrell, Dom and Damian Dalton, Anthony Richards, Dom Hunter and Andrew Barlow for attending the Working Bee on Sunday 20th October. Your hard work is as always very much appreciated. Thank you also to Nicholas, Annabel, Oscar, Niamh, Lily, Sam, Harvey, Remy, Mac and Dan. You all played so well together while the grown ups worked. Thank you also to Mel and Tom Larner who have mown the grass every term for the past two years. The final clean up day is on 20th December 2013. It is expected that every family
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will attend and contribute at least one hour of time to help clean all the toys and get the kinder ready for the long summer break. More information about the day and what equipment you need to bring will be sent nearer the time. Many thanks to everyone who has helped me over the past two years in my role. I will be standing down this year. If anyone is interested in the maintenance role on the committee, please contact me for more information. Sarah Barlow Maintenance Officer [email protected] Common Cents Challenge Thank you to all who participated in the Common Cents Challenge. We are still collecting, so break open your piggy banks for some 5c pieces. Just in case you missed the last newsletter…. Can you help us collect 300 five cent coins to help the Eastern Barred Bandicoot? Courtesy of Jack Sullivan (4 year old A Group), AELC have decided to become involved with the Melbourne Zoo Common Cents Silver Challenge. The money raised from the challenge will support Zoos Victoria’s Eastern Barred Bandicoot threatened species program. Look out for the posters in the kinder foyer or visit the link below for further information. http://www.zoo.org.au/loveyourlocals/common-cents-challenge Parent Satisfaction Survey Thank you to all who participated in the survey. The survey is now closed, however, feedback is always greatly welcomed. Please email Sarah Wade if you have further thoughts/comments. The results for the 2013 survey have been posted on the website under the ‘Parent Access’ page (password the same as the gate code).
AELC Grievances Officer
The Complaints and Grievances Officer is Janine Sheean. Janine can be contacted by calling 0408 399 853 or via [email protected] Our Kinder Committee Director: Annette Baker, 9509 3187 [email protected]
President: Damian Dalton 0408 138 170, [email protected]
Vice presidents:
Janine Sheean 0408 399 853, [email protected]
Sarah Wade 0433 328 699, [email protected]
Finance Coordinator: Melissa Larner 0431 072 557, [email protected]
Fees & Enrolments: Sylvia Stutt, 9509 3187, [email protected]
Secretary: Danielle O’Donoghue, 0412 136 697, [email protected]
Salaries: Marcus James, 9525 2052, [email protected]
Grants: Bec Bond, 0413 304 947 [email protected]
Maintenance: Sarah Barlow, 0403 933 497, [email protected]
Fundraising: Stacey Farrell, 0407 360 559, [email protected]
Social: Kate Rafferty, [email protected]
Publicity: Sarah Wade 0433 328 699, [email protected]
General Committee:
Melissa Lukatsky, [email protected]
Kylie Glenane, 0424 947 720, [email protected]
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When our Grandparents came to kindy…….
