end Of Term 4 Newsletter - Surrey Hills Pre-Schoolsurreyhillspreschool.com.au/.../05/SHPS-End-of-Term-4-Newsletter-2… · END OF TERM 4 NEWSLETTER December 2010 Tel: (03) 9836

Surrey Hills Pre-School

END OF TERM 4 NEWSLETTER

December 2010 Tel:(03) 9836 4902 Fax:(03) 9830 0716

Christmas waves

a magic wand over this world,

and behold, everything is

softer and more beautiful

President’s Message Ho ho ho!

What a year! With the children learning Christmas songs and getting ready for their

concert, we certainly know the end of term four is upon us. Our children are also

getting ready to take their next step, whether it be school or kinder, but there’s still

time to wallow in the joy of the festive season and celebrate the kinder year that was.

As my final newsletter report, I thought it would be a good idea to share my

President’s report from the Annual General Meeting last week, which covers the year

from my perspective.

Thanks to all, Rachel

It is with much pleasure that I provide the Surrey Hills Pre-School Centre community

with the President’s report for the Annual General Meeting. Our kindergarten has a

long and proud history of providing quality education for young children in a supportive

and nurturing environment – and 2010 has been no different. This year we have seen

four groups of children develop, learn and grow. Our kinder provides more than a

scholastic education – we feel passionately about teaching our children about being

learners in the journey of life.

We are able to provide our children this through having a wonderful teaching team.

Dianne Goodall, Karen Woolsey and Sue Petersen are a fantastic group who work

harmoniously in a no-fuss manner. Our Director and Pre-School teacher, Dianne, has

once again done a sterling job leading the teaching team and we thank her for this.

Particular thanks go to Dianne for her dedication to the children’s transitions

statements, various reports to parents, and individual assessment of children with

regards to school readiness.

This year we are very pleased to secure Karen Woolsey as our Kindergarten teacher.

Karen is well known to our community and previously worked at our kinder for many

years. After a brief spell from teaching, the lure of those smiling faces (and that’s just

the parents!) drew Karen back to us. We thank Karen for her dedication to her role

and her enthusiasm she applies.

President’s M

essage



December 2010 Tel:(03) 9836 4902 Fax:(03) 9830 0716

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree:

the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in

each other

President’s Message Cont. Sue Petersen completes the triumvirate of this fabulous teaching team. We are

thankful for Sue’s tireless commitment to our kinder – she has such a warm and caring

style and the kids certainly benefit from that. To me, Sue is like a duck swimming:

legs going one hundred to the minute underneath but all grace and calm above water!

It was with utmost sadness that during this year our kinder bade farewell to our friend

and kindergarten teacher, Loretto Leyland. Loretto fought a proud fight with cancer

and was very sad to be leaving her role. After her passing, the kinder rallied together

to pay a special tribute to her life, with the circular chair built around the big shady

tree as a permanent reminder of her special place in our Pre-School history.

Finally I would like to thank the Committee. This special group dedicate their personal

time to the kindergarten and do so much behind-the-scenes work to enable our kinder

to run in a smooth but fun way. The amount of hours that have been put into

meetings, email discussions, fundraising, planning, enrolments, cooking, cleaning (I

could keep going) is phenomenal – and to this group I say thank you.

To the new Committee I say welcome to this fabulous kindergarten and wish you all

the best for a fun and fortuitous year. With enrolments in a good position and a

strong teaching team, we feel confident you will have a great year.

From a personal perspective I leave this position with gratitude that I was able to

assist a great group of people during a challenging yet enjoyable year.

Merry Christmas and stay safe,

Rachel Dytor

President’s M

essage Cont.



December 2010 Tel:(03) 9836 4902 Fax:(03) 9830 0716

One of the nice things about

Christmas is that you can make

people forget the past with a

present

Wombats and Koalas I can’t believe the year has gone by so quickly! It seems that it was just yesterday that we had those first few weeks of the children getting to know their friends and learning the new routines and expectations of the Pre-School room. We have seen such growth and development throughout the year and Sue and I are very proud of all of them. It’s always a bitter sweet feeling at this time of the year when we have to say goodbye to the children after watching them grow all year. The Christmas season has come upon us suddenly and we feel a little cheated that we only get 2 weeks of programming in December before the Concert nights. We have also had many absences due to the primary school prep transition days being held. Hopefully the children will all remember the words to the songs and their parts in the play once we assemble on Monday and Tuesday evening. This term has kept me busy with completing the children’s ‘Positive Start to School’ statements. It was great meeting with parents and going over my reports with you and I was generously rewarded with lots of praise over what I had to say. I have had conversations with some of the local prep teachers and they have found the reports very useful in gaining a greater understanding of the children that will be attending their schools. Our program has been very full this term with Phil Splitter completing his music sessions with a big Funkey Monkey show. The children absolutely loved Phil and found it very funny that Phil would dress up in a monkey costume and pretend to be Funkey Monkey! Julie managed to step into Sue’s shoes like she had always been there, while Sue was enjoying her trip through South America. We are so lucky to have reliable and dedicated relief staff on hand, that know how our centre operates! Carmella was also brilliant for the few days she covered Sue. In November we had an Indigenous animal presentation from Wild Action which proved to be a big hit with almost all children. Again Xavier put me on the spot by making me stand by myself with the monstrous snake wrapped around my shoulders! The photo shows me looking very calm however I was just a little petrified inside! Children today are so much more exposed to snakes than when I was growing up, that it is hard to kick those childhood fears of snakes. It is just such a wonderful experience for the children to get up close to wild animals that they wouldn’t normally see due to the fact that many of them are nocturnal! As I watch the bats fly overhead at night I can see that beautiful fruit bat that visited our Pre-School centre. The Koala group were very fortunate to have Maria Zeiss (Ben Palmer’s grandmother) talk to them about paintings and art work and had an arrangement of her wonderful work on display. She very kindly made up canvases for the children to draw on using charcoal. This was a great experience and each child’s was unique and we saw them using the charcoal in many different ways. Maria talked to the children about the story of Tiddalik and had them think about a scene from the story and then depict that scene on their canvas!

Wom

bats and Koalas



December 2010 Tel:(03) 9836 4902 Fax:(03) 9830 0716

Christmas is most

truly Christmas when we

celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who

need it most

Wombats and Koalas Cont. The Wombat group enjoyed the noise; smell; sight and taste of fruit being juiced in an electric juicer! Thanks to Trish Parr (Rowan’s mum) the children tasted (drank) every bit of the juice that came from all of the fruit the children had brought in for juicing! It was fascinating to watch their faces as they seemed so amazed at how the large piece of fruit could be pushed into a machine and the juice come out the other end. Perhaps we could keep a juicer in the Pre-School for those children whom do not usually eat much fruit. We had a presentation on water safety by Brenda from Healthways Recreation Centre. She was so good with the children and very appropriate with what she presented. The children came away understanding about unsafe beaches; swimming between the flags; water creatures that could be dangerous; wearing life jackets properly; techniques on how to float; never being around any water without an adult; and how to call for help if needed! Our pretend school day was so exciting with all children doing very well pretending to be prep children! They did their best to listen and work quietly and play outside without any equipment! They looked so grown up in their school uniforms. I just hope they don’t grow too much over the summer. With so much excitement over the term it is no wonder they all seem a little exhausted and ready for a rest! I can’t believe there is only 1 week to go and still so much for me to do! We have been fortunate this term to have received a grant from the City of Boroondara and Rotary Club to purchase some new large outside building blocks. These will be such an asset to our outside environment whereby the children can use their large motor skills in a very constructive manner. The unfortunate aspect of this is that the blocks will not be ready for delivery until early next year so the children of 2010 will not benefit from them. However if you have a younger sibling attending they will enjoy these blocks later in term 1! We thank the Rotary Club and City of Boroondara for the opportunity to purchase such wonderful equipment for our Centre. Thank you to everyone who has helped out in any way in our Pre-School program. Your assistance has been greatly appreciated and has kept our centre running smoothly. We hope you have a very happy Christmas and summer break and we look forward to hearing how the children transition to their next program setting. If you are retuning next year we look forward to seeing you again and to those who are not, we wish you all the best with your children. Dianne Goodall and Sue Petersen.

Wom

bats and Koalas C

ont.



December 2010 Tel:(03) 9836 4902 Fax:(03) 9830 0716

I wish we could put up some of the Christmas

spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month

Joeys and Echidnas As I write my last newsletter report I take a chance to reflect on the year. As we are all aware it has been a rollercoaster of emotions. It feels like it is a long time ago that we began the year with plans and discussions of Loretto rejoining us for one group. We were all extremely shocked and upset to hear of her passing. Words cannot describe how difficult it was to get through each kinder day. The Pre-School is full of memories of Loretto. We came to understand that we were very lucky to have such wonderful memories of Loretto. We were also very fortunate to have such an amazing committee and parent community that supported us throughout that time. I will never forget the sea of present and past families that surrounded us at the funeral. This was also the case for Loretto’s Memorial Day. The effort and commitment that the committee put in to have a day that celebrated Loretto’s time at the kinder was very healing and positive for us all. We are still grieving for her loss but are also moving onto the stage where we can laugh and enjoy the memories we have of her. For me I am again a permanent member of staff. I am thrilled to be the Kindergarten Teacher but this also goes hand in hand with the grief as to why I am now in the role. However the counselling the committee provided me with helped me to think about it in a different way. “Wouldn’t Loretto be thrilled to know that I was looking after her 3’s”. So this is how I have thought about my role. I am absolutely thrilled to still be a part of the Pre-School and have found teaching the Kindergarten children a fantastic change for me professionally. The Kindergarten children have been an absolute delight!!! It took the Welcome BBQ and seeing of all 2011’s Joeys and Echidnas to remember how much the children have grown this year. We began the year with little ones who were egocentric and at time uncertain. We now have confident children who can wait their turn to share their news and have shown great resilience throughout the year. I was very proud to return from my overseas holiday to such great reports of how well the children coped with two different teachers. This was also the case with Sue’s long service leave and the flexibility the children showed when working with Julie. Our diary has been full this year of wonderful opportunities for the children. They were all very proud to show off their Pre-School to the Dad’s during our Father’s breakfast at the start of the year. We all then enjoyed time with our Mum’s for storytelling at kinder during the evening. So cute to see everyone cuddled up in their PJ’s! The wonderful Janette Drummond presented her puppet shows to us. A very experienced puppeteer, who is highly skilled at working with Kindergarten children. I couldn’t watch the show! I was watching the children’s faces full of joy and wonder!

Joeys and Echidnas



December 2010 Tel:(03) 9836 4902 Fax:(03) 9830 0716

Friendship is a precious gift. To

give at CHRISTMAS time. A Cherished gift, a treasured gift that lasts through all

time

Joeys and Echidnas Cont. The Collingwood Children’s Farm was another wonderful day with superb weather. Everyone had such a lovely time in the country oasis right in the middle of the city. We are again proud to show off our Pre-School with our Grandparents Day. We were thrilled to even have Grandparents arriving from Queensland!! Again the children were very grown up and showed their Grandparents what wonderful Kindergarten children they were!! With just our concerts and end of year parties to go we are now thinking about saying goodbye to each other. I am looking forward to seeing the Joeys and Echidnas turn into Wombats and Koalas! Another bonus of being the Kindergarten Teacher! I can sneak out of the office during my planning time and come and have some hugs with the children! Thank you to this year’s committee. It has been a challenging year and we thank you very much for your support. Also a very big thank you to Sue and Dianne. I am very privileged to continue to be working with Sue after all of these years. It is a very rare thing to have such a great friend to spend your working days with. I also thank Dianne who has done an amazing job of being the Director this year. In a time of huge changes in the sector we are very lucky to have Dianne guiding us through the challenges ahead. I also feel very fortunate to have a colleague who shares the same philosophy of working with children and families. As we look towards 2011, I know that it will be filled with fantastic memories and wonderful times for both the children and their families. Thank you everyone. Have a wonderful Christmas break and a great 2011. Karen Woolsey

Joeys and Echidnas Cont.



December 2010 Tel:(03) 9836 4902 Fax:(03) 9830 0716

From home to home, and heart

to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas,

brings us closer to each other

2010 Parent Satisfaction Survey Results

Each year Surrey Hills Pre-school invites parents to complete a survey to ascertain their level of satisfaction with the service we provide. It is a condition of our registration, and a requirement of the Department of Early Education and Childhood Development that we evaluate our service on an annual basis.

22 surveys were received regarding the Pre-school program, and 11 from the Kindergarten (a response rate of 29%). Overall, the survey results indicate a very high level of satisfaction for both the pre-school and the kindergarten program – this is a credit to the fantastic staff we have here at Surrey Hills!

Overall satisfaction for the preschool group is high with 91% very satisfied, and 9% satisfied. For the kindergarten program, overall satisfaction is also very high with 91% very satisfied and 9% satisfied (and no, it isn’t a typo – the percentages were the same for both programs!). The program plan, staff/child interaction and kindergarten environment were well regarded for all responses.

The main factors rated to be important in choosing Surrey Hills Pre-school included:

educational program staff location facilities and reputation

Parents obtained information about the preschool before enrolment predominantly through:

visiting the preschool speaking to teachers speaking to parents

Fundraising without a levy or higher fees was the preference of the majority of responses. A variety of fundraising activities was preferred, rather than product drives or social events on their own.

Hours of operation and length of session times were generally rated as satisfactory, however this is the one element of the survey where respondents indicated that additional hours would be preferred.

2010 Parent Satisfaction Survey R

esults



December 2010 Tel:(03) 9836 4902 Fax:(03) 9830 0716

Never worry

about the size of your Christmas

tree. In the eyes of children, they

are all 30 feet tall

2010 Parent Satisfaction Survey Results Cont.

Each year the committee and staff endeavour to act upon feedback received both directly and through the Parent Survey. Some of the recommended actions for 2011 as a result of the survey are to:

Continue to operate per the status quo as the majority of parents are very satisfied with Surrey Hills Pre-School

Continue to focus on the delivery of 15 hours for the Pre-School program and the impact this has on both Pre-School and Kindergarten sessions and group structure

Continue fundraising with a variety of activities Obtain staff feedback regarding noise within foyer and option of rug Review the survey content (as the last review was undertaken in 2008). Also

review given the relatively low response rate overall of 29%.

We thank those of you who took the time to fill in your surveys. Your feedback is vital in allowing us to improve the service delivery for our children at Surrey Hills Pre-school. If you have any questions, please contact the committee.

Greetings all from the “Treasurers Desk”

SHPS is in sound financial position having embarked on extensive capital projects over the past two years, which have included the Outdoor Verandah extension, replacement of the bike path and sail for sun protection over the swings as well as computer software programs to assist our teaching staff.

The cash position of the Kindergarten is extremely positive at this time as fees for 2011 are being received. The Profit for the year just completed (30th November) is approximately $500 which is in-line with budget. Fundraising again has been extremely successful particularly with the Trivia night. It should be noted to all that the fundraising money is used in the day-to-day operations of the kindergarten in an attempt to keep fees as low as possible. Thanks to Jacinta and her team. I would also like to thank the current and past committees who I have enjoyed working with over the past two years as I'm finishing my tenure as Treasurer, I wish the new Treasurer all the best and hope that they find the role as rewarding as I have. Merry Christmas, Anthony Donovan

Parent Survey C

ont. & Treasurers R

eport



December 2010 Tel:(03) 9836 4902 Fax:(03) 9830 0716

At Christmas, all roads lead home

Enrolments - 2011 The Council has been updating me regularly with additions and withdrawals to each of the groups within the Pre-School for 2011. As this stage the Koalas group is full and there are 2 places within the Wombats group which remain vacant. The Echidnas group is also full and the Joeys group has 1 position vacant. For those families attending the preschool in 2011 who have a situation that changes their enrolment status throughout the summer break, please be mindful of the fact that you need to contact the Council on 9278 4444 or [email protected]. Skye McEwen (Enrolments Officer)

Maintenance Report 2010

2010 saw a year of planting, new bike track in February, planter box for the children in July, Sail Shade over swings area in August and four Working Bees – a great year for one and all.

I would like to sincerely say THANKYOU to all who attended the working bees over the year and supported myself and the Pre-School. A special mention also goes to those of you who attended more than one Working Bee.

I challenge all of you who did not assist through 2010 – come along and join in the fun in 2011. It is a great way to meet other “SHPS Families” and put something back into your children’s lives. I can assure you that the teaching staff and children genuinely appreciate all of your efforts. We are extremely fortunate to have such delightful play areas for our children, so the focus in 2011 is to ensure that they are maintained and improved for one and all.

“Compliments Of The Festive Season” to all within the SHPS Community. Chris Howell Maintenance Manager

2011 Working Bee #1 SUNDAY JAN 30th 9.30am - noon

Day before Children return so our chance to make the playground “perfect” for them.

Delicious Morning Tea IS PROVIDED – (please no children)

Enrolments – 2011 &

Maintenance R

eport



December 2010 Tel:(03) 9836 4902 Fax:(03) 9830 0716

Christmas is a day

of meaning and traditions, a

special day spent in the warm circle

of family and friends

Social News Dear Families, My little Koala is heading off to school next year. Fortunately the cycle starts again for me in 2011 with my youngest starting in Echidnas. I remember being heavily pregnant with him at the Welcome BBQ in 2007, he being born only a few hours later, and here he is starting the first step of his educational journey under Karen and Sue's charge. I've volunteered to continue my role as Social Co-ordinator on the Committee and welcome any feedback and suggestions for 2011. I hope you have taken advantage of the wonderful events your Social Reps and I have organised for you this year. Morning Teas, Mums Nights, Dads Nights, Traffic School Holiday Play, Dinners, Kinder Park Picnics, etc. The Fundraising events such as the Sex and the City Movie Night, the Kinder Disco, Trivia Night and Movie Nights at the Kinder were all highlights on my Social calendar this year too! Suzan Davies (Joeys), Kate MacDonald (Echidnas), Hannah Allert (Koalas) and Sophie Roddam (Wombats) have all done a wonderful job this year, and I want to thank them for their time, support and enthusiasm! Thank you for those who have already offered to be the Social Reps for their groups in 2011. I look forward to working with you! The recent SHPS Family Picnic at Wattle Park turned out to be a gorgeous day although I was fearing it would be a wash out! It's always a crazy time of year, and it was great to have a mix of both the Kindergarten and Pre-School groups there. Only a small gathering, but great catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Congratulations to Radiya and Hatim Hatim (Joeys) on the arrival of their baby girl. Khozema is delighted because he REALLY wanted a sister. Sophie Begg in the Koala group has a new baby sister also. Isabel was born at the beginning of Term 4, much to the delight of parents Melissa and Justin, now parents of three beautiful daughters! Another new baby in the Koalas with baby Felix D'Amico arriving last week, in time for mum Alison and dad Alex to see Toby in the Christmas Concert. We wish them well and good luck. Wishing you all a happy and safe Christmas break, and to those returning next year, I look forward to seeing you then! Kindest Regards, Tash Sinclair.

Social New

s



December 2010 Tel:(03) 9836 4902 Fax:(03) 9830 0716

Christmas is the day that holds all

time together

Fundraising News

A big THANK YOU to all SHPS families. We have raised $13,500 for our

Kindergarten in 2010!!! THANK YOU to our generous SHPS families in 2010! With all your support we raised over $13,000 this year for our kindergarten which has gone towards additional toys & infrastructure for the Pre-School. In particular I’d like to thank the fundraising team for 2010: Michelle Alford, Sandi Poynton, Michelle Lawrence, Lisa Dawkins, Sue Squire & Fiona Miles for their tireless work and enthusiasm this year. Congratulations on a job well done! We had a fun year filled with picture plates, trolley coins, aprons, kindergarten disco & movie night, mum’s shopping & movie night, family photos, BBQs and of course, the Trivia Night! Thank you SHPS families for supporting all these events!

One last note, please also remember that if you are doing any Christmas shopping in the new toy shop KIDSTUFF in Camberwell, mention our kindergarten and SHPS will receive a donation of 5% of the total value spent.

THANKYOU once again for all your support! Jacinta McInnes & The Fundraising Committee

Fundraising New

s



December 2010 Tel:(03) 9836 4902 Fax:(03) 9830 0716

Wow, what a wonderful book to have in your kitchen. Congratulations Linda

(Nicholas' mum from Koalas) on the success of this great book. To order, please see below for details.

One B

owl A

llergy Free Cookbook by Linda B

osnic



December 2010 Tel:(03) 9836 4902 Fax:(03) 9830 0716

Christmas is not as much about

opening our presents as opening our

hearts

Recipe from Linda’s Cookbook

Recipe from

Linda’s Cookbook



December 2010 Tel:(03) 9836 4902 Fax:(03) 9830 0716

What is Christmas? It is

tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings

rich and eternal, and that every

path may lead to peace

Thank you and Merry Christmas Wow, what a year it has been in 2010. I would like to thank the SHPS community for all the wonderful memories I have had in 2010, the Pre-School teachers, the children, the visits to the park, the social chit chat with the mums/dads and to the great friendships I have made, everyone is so welcoming, it has been a wonderful two years, ones that James and I will always remember. James has already asked me whether we can visit the Pre-School next year. Just goes to show how comfortable the children are in this beautiful environment. It has been a pleasure providing you with the newsletters each term. I hope you have found them informative. I know, I have enjoyed putting them together for this great Pre-School. All the newsletters are available on the SHPS Web site, www.surreyhillspreschool.com.au for your reference. I would also like to thank Tash Sinclair for all her help with the proof-reading of the newsletters. You have done an amazing job, thank you Tash. Finally, please stay safe this Christmas and New Year period. I hope you have a nice relaxing break. For the children returning and new children joining the Pre-School, I hope it is a fun and enjoyable 2011 and to the children/parents that are moving onto a new stage of life in 2011, I wish you all the very best for the future, good luck.

Thank you MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR Sue Squire

Thank you and Merry C

hristmas

Documents

end Of Term 4 Newsletter - Surrey Hills Pre-Schoolsurreyhillspreschool.com.au/.../05/SHPS-End-of-Term-4-Newsletter-2… · END OF TERM 4 NEWSLETTER December 2010 Tel: (03) 9836