What a different looking newsletter this month is compared to last month. We firstly would like to say a huge hello to all the beautiful children we have missed and hope you are all keeping healthy and we look forward to everyone returning safe and healthy soon.
We would also like to say a huge thank you to the parents who have been so generous to our staff over the past few challenging weeks in sending sugary treats. This has been so much appreciated by all the staff.
Most importantly the staff need a huge thank you for the hard work and dedication. They have tirelessly been cleaning to ensure the health and safety of all the children and families. The staff have also loved creating new play spaces inside and out. You may notice the beautiful forest hangings outside where the staff have created beautiful camping spaces, as well as quiet reading spaces.
Our children have been adapting very well to the changes of Covid-19. We have been focusing on hygiene and the children are awesome in remembering to disinfect their hands on arrival and are also great at washing their hands singing to "happy birthday" or counting to 20.
As restrictions are lifting slowly, and parents will be required to return to work, please remember to give us a weeks' notice of your return as we need to ensure we have the right child staff ratios at all times, and with only a days' notice, we may not be able to accommodate your needs.
At this time, the no-gap stimulus package is in place, and the fees are still at no charge, so your accounts will not be charged until the 28th of June or when advised by Centrelink. Please be aware that all accounts will still need to be a week in advance when things return to normal. It is also very difficult for us to add days or swap days at the moment. However, if you are an essential worker or your needs change, please do not hesitate to see me, and we will try our best and accommodate your needs.
Please do not forget, that if your child will be absent for the day or will be arriving after 10:00 am, please call the centre and let us know. This ensures we have the correct staff allocations, as well as the kitchen has the right numbers for the day.
We celebrated Easter in a different way this year. The children loved making Easter baskets and bonnets, and even though we did not have our family Easter parade, the children loved finding their special Easter treats to put in their baskets.
Anzac day saw the children and staff making wreaths together, and also enjoyed making Anzac biscuits which the children were lucky enough to be able home to share with their families.
Motoki has treated us all this month with many new treats from the kitchen. The children were all very fortunate to have Motoki make sushi for everyone to try. This was a huge hit.
We have set up a recycling station in the foyer to collect cans and bottles. We are planning to recycle them and use the money collected to buy more vegetable plans to use in our kitchen for our lunches.
This weekend many of us are celebrating mother's day. The children have been very busy with their teachers and classmates making some special surprises for their mum's. We wish all the beautiful mother's a very special day and we look forward to having a belated mother's day afternoon tea when the restrictions are over.
The afternoons are getting colder, so please ensure to send a jumper for your child daily, and also think about sending a small blanket for rest times, as the days also will soon become colder. Please also remember to label EVERYTHING!! It is very hard for staff to guess which jumper belongs to whom when there are no names.
Also a huge thank you and reminder to all parents to ensure you keep your children home when they are unwell. This ensures that illnesses are not spread to other children and their families. If your child is unwell, please do not bring them back until they have a doctor's clearance. We also please ask that parents who are presenting with flu-like symptoms, please also do not come into our centre as would appreciate no spreading of germs to other staff and parents passing by.
Next week is National Families Week. It is a celebration of families in all their diversity. Next week our aim at Little Darlings is to celebrate the special family we are here at daycare, and also appreciate the meaning of family and how special our families are to each of us. Please help us to celebrate National Families Week, by bringing in a photo (or emailing one to the office to print) and we will make a special display.
Happy Mother's Day to all our beautiful Mothers here at Little Darlings.