Kidz Magic Edens Crossing November 2020 Newsletter

 Confirming enrolments for 2021 - Thank you to all our wonderful families for confirming care for 2021. We have now completed collating these and have commenced offering places to families on our waiting list. We will have vacancies in all age groups, so if any of you are thinking of adding extra days to your current booking and have not already done so, please speak to Suzie regarding this.

Please keep in mind that we require 2 weeks written notice if your child is finishing up or you are changing your booked days. This is to assist with the roster and menu allocations. Under government guidelines for receiving the Childcare Subsidy a child must attend on their last day when notice to cease care has been given by a parent or the subsidy will not be applied. This will result in the parent being liable for full fees for any absences during the notice period.

Personal Items from Home - We understand that at times children and families will bring in personal items from home as part of the learning program, for example "Show and Tell". All items that are brought into the centre should be labelled and, while all care will be taken, we are unable to accept responsibility for any items that are lost or damaged. We ask families to consider carefully what is brought to our service and where possible to provide them directly to their child's educator instead of leaving in the children's bags or locker. Remember small items can be a safety risk for the younger children and we do not want to stop children bringing in those special items, (Suzie loves those special visits of a morning from the children telling her all about their special item from home) we just need to ensure the safety and well-being of all children. We understand your frustration if your child's belongings go missing, this is the same frustration that we feel when items are not labelled, and we cannot find a home for them. We have a basket in the foyer for clothing and other items that have been left behind. Please have a look in there if something of your child's goes missing as it may be in the basket.

Connecting with our community – We are collecting donations of new toys and gifts for Kmart's Wishing Tree Appeal. We have placed a box in the foyer for you to place your donation and ask that you ensure that the items are new. The items do not need to be gift wrapped. Donations will be accepted until 11^th December and they will then be taken to Kmart and placed in their Giving Tree Appeal box under the Christmas Tree. We are also continuing with our Community Pantry donations for the homeless if you would prefer to support this instead.

Absent for the day or arriving after 10.00am – If your child will be away for the day or will be coming into the Centre after 10.00am can you please let us know, if possible. This would be appreciated to assist with meal preparations and staffing allocations.

Sun safety –As per our policy, singlets, tank tops, sleeveless tops or dresses are not considered sun safe. If your child does wear a singlet/tank top, sleeveless top/dress can you please pack a tee shirt in their bag to pop over this clothing to provide better sun protection in the outdoor environment. We ask that parents also assist us by ensuring their child has sunscreen applied and a hat upon arrival.

Signing in and Out - It is very important that children are signed in and out each day on the Kiosk tablet. This is a legal requirement and failure to sign your child in and out correctly may result in your subsidy not being applied correctly. If for some reason the Kiosk tablets are not working there will be paper based sign in/out sheets available. Please do not hesitate to ask a staff member for assistance if you need it.

Updating Details - It is extremely important that we are made aware of any changes to details that we currently have on file e.g., change of address, phone numbers, authorised pick-ups, current work details etc. If there is an emergency, we need to be able to contact families as quickly as possible. It would be appreciated if parents could possibly phone through if their child is being collected by persons other than themselves and if they could please remind the person to have their license or photo ID with them. It is our policy that we will only release children to authorised persons and all persons dropping children off and collecting children must be 18 years of age. Other details that need to be updated include immunisation and medical information, if appropriate.

Dates to remember

13^th November – Diwali Celebrations and culture sharing day.

Diwali is the Indian festival of lights and symbolizes the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance".

20^th November – Universal Children's Day.

Universal Children's Day aims to create a day of international fraternity and understanding between children all over the globe. This day aims to promote the objectives and ideals of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child through activities and awareness. Children are the future of the planet but they are a vulnerable group exposed to abuse and exploitation on a daily basis. As young dependents, children rely on adults for everything from food to shelter to education and it is imperative that their rights be heard if they are to survive and develop into the next generation of world citizens.

Universal Children's Day was declared in 1954 by the United Nations General Assembly as a day to be celebrated on November 20. November 20th is also the anniversary of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, both of which protect the human rights of children.

24^th November – National Fairy Bread Day. The children will be making (and eating) their own Fairy Bread for afternoon tea.

7^th December – Pre-schoolers Graduation & Afternoon Tea

7^th – 24^th December – Christmas activities and craft, Children's room parties and visit from Santa.

15^th December – Suzie will be on leave for approximately 3 weeks. Our 2IC, Chandell, will be overseeing the operation of the service during Suzie's absence.