Waite Campus

Childrens Centre

Family News

January 2019

Welcome to those families returning and to those who

are joining us this year to become part of the Waite

Campus Childrens Centre family. So far we have been

joined by Matilda (R3), William and Lucas (R2) and Alba,

Rhys and Martin (R1). You will see other new faces at

the Centre over the next few months.

New Babies

Congratulations to Nina, David and Mathilde (R2)

on the birth of Jonas, Pooja, Vashist and Varin (R3)

on the birth of Varya, and Alyssa,

James and Roman (R2) on the

birth of Caspian.

We will continue to grow togeth-

er.

Staff Happenings

You will notice some changes to the staff team across

the next few months.

As you all know Kaarin retired from her position as

Director at the end of 2018. Eleanor is the new Direc-

tor of Waite Campus Childrens Centre, and looking

forward to the journey ahead.

Gayle is embracing her leadership role in Room One.

Eunice (R3) has returned from long service leave, and

Emily (R1) has returned from maternity leave. Tamala

(casual) and Yvett (R1) returned from overseas holi-

days.

Nancy (R3), Emilie (R3) and Bobbie (R2) will be taking

some periods of leave during February and March.

Stefi is going to focus on studies for 2019 and so is

taking extended leave. Lingling will be covering the

position in Room 1 for this time.

Bookings are currently a little lower in Rooms Two

and Three so educator absence is being covered by

permanent staff. We are not seeing as much of our

casual educators at the moment.

Those all important Diary Dates:

WCCC closes early two or three times a year to

provide opportunity for the staff and educator

team to engage in professional development. We

also have a closure day once a year. In 2019 this

day is planned for October.

Monday 25th March early closure day. Centre will

close at 4.30pm for team building and skill devel-

opment.

Room 3 Pilyabilyangga day for Term One is

Thursday.

Jo will be working with children across all three

rooms, developing practices in yoga and mindful-

ness.

Surviving the Heat. Last Thursday brought maximum temperatures around Adelaide as high as

47°. With more high temperatures set to come it is important to be aware of how to stay cool in

the heat, and in particular, how to keep our children cool as babies and children are an at-risk

group.

Children sweat less than adults which reduces their bodies ability to cool down. Children are not

always able to tell us they are thirsty, so they are at higher risk than adults of becoming unwell dur-

ing a heatwave. It is our responsibility then to keep them cool and hydrated to ensure their safety

and wellbeing.

Health authorities recommend drinking water to hydrate rather than juices or flavoured drinks,

and to keep an eye on how many wet nappies or trips to the toilet your child is having. If your child

is only breastfed, more frequent feeds will provide the fluids needed to stay hydrated. Mum needs

to make sure she is well hydrated too.

Clothing needs to be light, or simply dress your child in a nappy. For sleep, just a nappy is good too,

and a sleeping baby should be somewhere that air can circulate so remove pillows, padding and

pram covers from the cots, bassinets and prams.

If you have to travel, take care in the car, and travel in the cooler parts of

the day.

Close the curtains of the house to keep the heat out, keep air conditioning

on but don’t let the house get too cold. A lukewarm bath will help to cool

your child down too.

Most of all, enjoy some time outside when you can, after the sun has set

and the temperature has dropped a little; reap the benefits of the beautiful

outdoors. Cool down with some water play as you water the garden.

Education for Sustainability and outdoor learning

focus teacher

Dani has taken our new role of EfS teacher for 2019. In

this role she will be responsible for working with chil-

dren in Pilyabilyangga, the outdoor play spaces and

the kitchen gardens to observe and document the nat-

ural environment and seasonal changes, weed, mulch

and plant as required, establish a seedling house, and

to document the curriculum and learning . She will

also be responsible for building and maintaining

knowledge and understandings of the traditional own-

ers of the land, and connections to place, and for

maintaining the Centre’s Site Environment Manage-

ment Plan (SEMP)

Please speak to Dani or Eleanor if you have any ques-

tions.

Team Vision Statements

At our first educator meeting for 2019, we learned

about creating vision statements to stretch boundaries

and comfort zones, and enable members of teams to

have a sense of what could be through powerful

phrases. Room teams created their own vision state-

ments.

Room One: working together as a team to support

everybody to flourish.

Room Two: embracing the child within

Room Three: joy to enjoy

Educators will continue to use these statements as

they make decisions across their daily practice.

Transitions

Across January and February there are significant changes to who your child will see each day at child care.

We have farewelled a large number of children who have headed off to their next big adventure and started

school. Some children have also finished child care as they are moving on to preschool, and a few families

have left the Centre for other reasons.

We are transitioning two groups of children through the Centre from Room One to Room Two and from

Room Two to Room Three. The first group is finished their transition

and have started in their new room. The second group will be fin-

ished by the end of the first week in February.

Transitioning to a new environment can be a little unsettling for

some children as it can involve big change, but it is also a wonderful

opportunity to make new friends and develop new relationships

with educators.

Please speak to your child’s primary educator is you have any

questions about the changes.

Program and Service Review

Thank you very much to those families who took the

time to complete our Program and Service Review

for 2018. It is very valuable for the educator and

leadership team to receive your feedback on the

service and environment we provide and the policies

and procedures that guide our practice. It is empow-

ering to hear how much you value the educators

who work with your children.

We will use the feedback and suggestions you have

given in developing our 2019 Quality and Improve-

ment Plan.

Family Books

As we start the new year please have a look at and

think about how you can contribute to the room Fami-

ly Book. Our Family Books depict the life of the chil-

dren and families who attend our Centre providing a

resource that connects your child’s home with the

Centre. They can be read and re-read many times, and

share photos of people and things that are special. We

would like each family to contribute by completing 1 or

2 A3 sheets and would really like a new story for every

child in the Centre, in photos and words. We hope you

will join us in gathering our stories.

Parent Involvement at WCCC

The Parent Advisory Group (PAG) is a group of par-

ents who volunteer to provide advice and support

with respect to the day to day running of the Cen-

tre, with representatives from each room.

Meetings dates and times for the year are currently

being decided, but are once a month for one hour.

There are some openings in the group for new

members. Our focus for the first meeting for the

year will be around developing the new Centre QIP

based on the Program and Service Review from

2018. Please speak to Eleanor if you are interested

in being involved.

The Adelaide University Childcare Services Inc.

Board (AUCS) are responsible for ensuring the

Centre meets requirements for legislation and reg-

ulations. The Board has an independent chair, and

members from key stakeholder groups, as well as

parents elected from PAG. Meeting dates to be

confirmed.

First meeting for 2019 is February 4th.

All Things Green

Out and about in February…..

February in Adelaide is all about getting outside and enjoying the weather, and there is a lot to do that will get you

out and about with your family. Here are but a few ideas…..

What better way to enjoy the balmy evenings than with an outdoor cinema. During February there are Outdoor

Cinemas dotted all around Adelaide. Bring a picnic and some cushions and sit back to enjoy a movie.

Learn about the Adelaide parklands with a guided walk in the morning. The City of Adelaide offers guided walks

around the Parklands providing information about revegetation, history of the area, and bush tucker. Learning and

exercise together!

Welcome the Year of the Pig in Chinatown with a street party to welcome the Chinese Lunar New Year. Watch the

Lion Dance, taste food from around the world and dance to music from many cultures. Free event on February 9th.

On the first Friday and second Saturday of each month City of Adelaide libraries offer Recycled Reads, an oppor-

tunity to purchase books that are no longer needed by the libraries at a reduced price.

Help celebrate 150 years of the stories, people and recipes of the Adelaide Central Market on February 2nd with

cooking demonstrations, live music, face painting and cupcake decorating. Proceeds go towards OzHarvest.

And of course… February and March bring the Adelaide Fringe and WOMAdelaide.

Have you used the Waite Campus Childrens Centre book exchange? Leave

a book and take a book as often as you like.

Please notice the new sign that has been created to highlight the book

exchange, completely made from recycled and found objects from

around the home. What can you see?

Room 3 in Pilyabilyangga

Room 3 begins their day in Pilyabilyangga on Thursdays for Term One. This may be something new for those

families who have moved from Room 2 recently, and those still to transition.

When you arrive in the morning there is no need to go inside. Please enter through the red gate on the southern

side of the building to sign in your child, and then head down the stairs to the garden. Educators will direct you

where to leave your child’s bag and where to sunscreen and sign in.

Room 3 begins the day in Pilyabilyangga once a week during term time in all weather, and during the fire safe

season lunch is cooked on the fire. Dressing to suit the weather is essential.