Little Bee Newsletter February 2022 |
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Welcome to all our new families! We would like to extend a HUGE welcome to all our new children and their families. We would like to remind all families, if you have any questions, comments or concerns at any time, please chat to us. We are here to help and we value any questions at any time. Feel free to call the centre throughout the day to see how your child is settling in; Ph: 62485994 (Airport) and 62478015 (Howrah) Our Facebook page offers a little insight of each day in our rooms, if you would like to join up – please see a member of the management team! |
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COVID 19 UPDATE from Education and Care, 31st January 2022 Vaccinations for children aged 5 - 11 years. The premier continues to strongly encourage children to have their first dose of the vaccine before school goes back. This applies to 5 year old's in our service. The State has increased the number of Vaccination clinics, their are 60 active GP's and more walk in clinics being established. Please see Coronavirus.tas.gov.au for more information. The message continues to be if you or a family member is feeling unwell, then please stay home from school or education and care. Rapid Antigen Tests for Families In line with the Premier’s announcement of Tasmania’s Operational Plan for Managing COVID-19 in Early Childhood Education and Care, we would like to confirm 2 Rapid Antigen Tests per child per week will be provided to education and care providers for distribution to families. These tests are to be used when a child presents with COVID -19 symptoms or they are a close contact of a COVID -19 case. This will be reviewed after 5 weeks. The Department of Education will be coordinating with Department of Health to make arrangements for distribution to service providers. The ECU will contact the centre at the end of this week with further information. We will email families as soon as we know more. Rapid Antigen Tests and Surgical Masks for Staff Earlier this week we collected a COVID -19 kit for employees containing a supply of Rapid Antigen tests and a supply of Masks for a six week period. Test will be allocated where staff are systematic. New close contact definition: Children are not considered close contacts in relation to positive cases identified in an ECEC setting. As per our policy, Little Bee will notify families if we have a positive cases of a staff member or child who attends Little Bee. New outbreak definition: A group outbreak is defined as 5 or more cases of COVID -19 diagnosed in children and staff from a specific group in an early childhood education and care setting (e.g. a room) within 7 days of each other. For more information, please view the FAQ's for parents and carers. All information is informed by Public Health Advice. https://educationandcare.tas.gov.au/novel-coronavirus/covid-19-faqs/ Thank you to our families who have already provided us with a copy of your COVID-19 vaccination status. If you are yet to, please do so at your earliest convivence. Thank you |
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Our Little Bee Twilight Event is sure to be lots of fun. This is a public event, sponsored by Little Bee, everyone is welcome! Please bring your Family and Friends to the Lawn at Ladbrokes Park Elwick for our Little Bee Family Day next Friday 11th February. Starting at 4 p.m, it’s going to be an exciting afternoon full of fun with lots of free activities for the the children to enjoy; Petting Zoo, Make Believe Entertainment, Face Painting, Photo Wall, Sausage Sizzle, Glenorchy Football Club, Tas Reptila, Arts and Crafts Zone, Chill out Zone and more... This is a COVID safe event with lots of indoor and outdoor space. There are free tickets available to all of our families at both centres. We really hope families will come along, we can't wait to see you all there! |
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Is your family new to Little Bee and have you downloaded the KidsXap App? As a child care provider, Little Bee is required to include children's actual attendance times in families' statements of entitlement and in session reports (except absences).
Our software provider, KidsXap advise that the quickest, easiest and most sustainable method for everyone is for families to download the 'KidsXap Guardian' app from the app store. If you have any trouble downloading or accessing the app, please let us know. If you do not have access to a compatible device, please let us know and we can ensure we print statements for you monthly.
Why it is important that we report actual attendance times?
Reporting actual attendance times is intended to help families understand the relationship between the fees they are charged, the amount of subsidy paid to their child care provider on their behalf, and their out of pocket expenses. We would like to inform families that we are currently only using the first 3 icons of the app 'manage families', 'attendance' and 'statements'. We are looking to introduce some of the others features as the year progresses! If you have any questions please contact us on littlebee@littlebee.net.au or phone 62485994. Thank you |
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Regatta Day Public Holiday On Monday the 14th of February, Little Bee will be closed due to the Royal Hobart Regatta. The Regatta is a three-day event that runs over the weekend of the second Monday each February. The Monday is a public holiday for a large part of southern and eastern Tasmania. The long weekend is packed with water events on the Derwent River and anyone can participate in the regatta, either as a competitor or as a spectator. More information and an events list can be found at: publicholidays.com.au/royal-hobart-regatta |
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Bike Week 2022 6th - 13th March The Tasmanian Bicycle Council coordinates the statewide Bike Week, held in the first full week of March every year since 2001. Bike Week promotes recreational, sport and transport bicycle riding and aims to give people opportunities and support to ride more often. This is the calendar of events for rides and bike-related events during Bike Week from bicycle organisations, user groups and event managers. Please contact them directly for more details. COVID-19 restrictions and outbreaks may affect these events, so please check closer to the date to ensure they are going ahead. Sunday 6 March - - Kunanyi Challenge ride – Hobart Wheelers/Dirt Devils Cycling Club. 7 am, Longley International Hotel. Tickets $35 for adults and $15 for juniors, must book before 24 February:
- Women on Wheels ride – Bicycle Network, 10 am – 12 pm, Cornelian Bay upper car park, 14.5 km, Intercity Cycleway ride to view the Corridor of Modern Art street murals. Free
- Hobart Bike Kitchen – 130 Davey Street Hobart, 1–4 pm. Come along to learn how to build and look after your bike. Free.
- Flinders Island Lions Club Le Tour de Flinders – to be confirmed.
Monday 7 March - Rides to come Tuesday 8th March - Wednesday 9th March - - TBUG Wednesday morning ride – details to come.
Thursday 10th March - Bike Polo match for experienced players – Hobart Bike Polo, Unigym outdoor courts in Sandy Bay, 5.30-7.30, contact tuuhbpc@gmail.com, $10 one-off price, $5 for regular players. Double vaccination required.
- E-bike Coffee Cruise City and Nature – Bicycle Network, 9.30 am–11 am, meet at Brooke Street Pier, 8.9 km, Hobart Rivulet Path and city streets. Free
- TBUG Nepalese community ride – details to come.
- TBUG Trails around Launceston ride – details to come.
Friday 11th March - Brave the Bridge – Bicycle Network, 8 am – 12 noon, meet at Cornelian Bay upper car park, 21.8 km, ferry, cycleways and Tasman Bridge. Free.
- TBUG History Ride – TBUG, 10 am – 12 pm, meet at Park Street, Royal Park, 10.7 km, off-road paths and quiet roads through Inveresk and Invermay
Saturday 12th March |
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Congratulations Nat and Kyle!!! We are delighted to announce the safe arrival of Harlow - a precious little sister for Laci and a beautiful daughter for Nat and Kyle! |
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What’s been happening at Little Bee Airport… Baby Bees Throughout the month of January we had been savouring each hot Summer day with lots of water play. The children had so much fun spending time splashing and frolicking in the water. Our children loved watching the educators pumping the water into the buckets in the 'river bed' and then they needed no encouragement to start dipping their hands and feet in water. They also explored the use of containers and cups to collect water and transfer it into a different one. Besides being so fun and refreshing, this experience gave the children opportunity to enhance their concentration and develop their motor skills and hand-eye coordination. We are so proud to see how some of our children have grown and developed, as we watch them transition so well and smoothly into the Honey Bee room, building new friendships. We are so happy to welcome new babies into our room, making sure they are settling in well, building trusting relationships with their new educators and starting to feel a sense of belong in our Little Bee community. We also did some mess-free sensory paintings by using our hands to spread the paints over the paper and having a piece of cling wrap on the top. The children were intrigued by the feeling of this… some loved smashing the paint, tapping with their hands, some wanted to grasp and pull up the cling wrap. The beautiful artworks created by the children are now colouring our room, so make sure to have a look next time you’re in! Honey Bees Throughout the month of January in the Honey Bee Room we have welcomed many new families and children. The children have been busy enjoying and exploring lots of water play environments, including; washing the babies, tipping and pouring, funnels, sea creatures and painting the cubby house with an array of paint brushes. Many of the children are showing wonderful interest in construction and loose parts play with the car ramps and tracks, as well as building lots of fabulous creations with the blocks. The children have been enjoying lots of regular visits to the garden and chooks and on a few occasions returning with some fresh eggs!! The children’s interest continues to be enjoyed with role playing and cooking a range of foods in the home corner, as well as attending to the babies. We saw the children express themselves and their ideas through engaging in a number of art and craft experiences; fireworks painting, natural and free hand painting, chalk drawing and crayon and pencil drawings. |
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Bumble Bees During the Month of January, the Bumble Bee children have been engaging in a variety of painting experiences; ranging from glitter and glue using the primary colours and sponges. These can be viewed in the front foyer of the centre. We have also been focusing on stretching our fine motor and hand eye coordination skills during playdough and hammer and nail experiences. The sensory area has been a really big hit with all of the children as they explore a multitude of different textures and natural resources. We have been enjoying the company of our friends as we make new friends who have come to play with us. All children are finding their sense of belonging within the Bumble Bee play space and are a little sad to say goodbye to our friends that are moving up to the Busy Bee room, but know you will have a great time. Busy Bees January, a new year, new beginnings and new friends to be made. In the Busy Bee room we have enjoyed getting to know lots of new friends. So many opportunities to discover new and exciting toys and equipment. Our older Busy Bee children stepped up to the mark, supporting their new friends at transition and routine times, such as: hand washing before meal times. We are all looking forward to building new and positive relationships over the coming weeks and getting to know each other as we explore the wonderful Busy Bee environments together. Fostering a sense of belonging for children can create an environment where learning can thrive. When learning feels open and collaborative, children feel safe to share ideas. They are confident in applying their knowledge or skills and are supported when they take a risk or even experience failure. When children feel like someone knows them and believes in them, there is a greater motivation to succeed. All children should feel that their world is a safe place where people care about them and their needs, they can develop positive relationships and where they will be able to seek help when needed. When these needs are met, children can develop a sense of belonging. A sense of belonging has been found to help protect children against mental health problems and improve their learning. Children who feel that they belong are happier, more relaxed, and have fewer behavioural problems than others. They are also more motivated and more successful learners. https://childwatch.com/blog/2019/12/10/creating-a-sense-of-belonging-for-children/#:~: Queen Bees Throughout the month of February, the Queen Bees have continued to engage in lots of positive interactions as we set up new learning environments to engage in. We were happy to welcome and make new friends with our Busy Bee friends coming across to visit and we also welcomed a few new friends to Queen Bees. Sadly, we farewelled some of our school age Queen Bee children as they begin their new learning journey’s. We have continued with our love of artwork through a variety of mediums. We focused on large brush easel painting, developing creative confidence, and exploring imaginative ideas. We also explored butterfly paintings, using eye dropper paintings to experiment with colour mixing and fine motor skills. These are hanging proudly in our room as the children were very happy with their final pieces. Our self portrait bag tags produced by the children are a fantastic way for them to explore their sense of self and build their self-identity. Through our new post office and home corner roleplay areas, we are seeing new connections and friendships being nurtured. The children are developing their communication and social skills in fun and creative ways. |
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What’s been happening at Little Bee Howrah… Welcome to 2022 at Howrah Little Bee! We were excited to see everyone after the festive season, and to welcome new children and their families to our Little Bee Community. With beautiful weather over the recent weeks the children have enjoyed exploring our yard with a variety of experiences. Splashing in the water has been a great way to cool off on the warmer days, extending into the sand pit building castles, forts, and cooking cakes for everyone to share. Continuing with our interest in the worm farm, the children helped move the farm out to our main yard area near our veggie patch, we spoke again about what food they like to eat and what foods they don’t. While visiting the veggie patch the children have been excited to see the snow peas that we planted last year have produced snow peas for them to pick and try. We welcomed Nicole to our community. Nicole is our new educator, who is studying her Diploma in Education and Care, she looks forward to building some lasting connections with everyone! Welcome Nicole! We would like to wish all those that are commencing their first days at Kinder this year all the best. We hope that you enjoy your time at school. |
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Rash vests and bathers bottoms! |
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We are so lucky to be having this beautiful, sunny weather, although the weather has been a little up and down, we are hoping that February and March continue to bring us some more fun in the sun! We will be doing as much water play as we can, so if you would like to pack a rash vest (so that shoulders and upper arms are covered) and a pair of bather bottoms for you child, it will enable them to participate in water play comfortably and then they can put their warm, dry clothes back on afterwards! Please name any suits to ensure we don't have any go missing and also packing extra clothes along if possible (2 lots of everything would be fabulous!) |
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Immunisations Please ensure your child’s immunisations are up to date, the current national immunisation schedule is displayed in our centres, so you can ensure your child’s immunisations are on track. |
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Learning is EVERYWHERE... At Little Bee our learning takes us everywhere!! Therefore, it is essential to remember to pack a spare change of clothes, for those moments we explore the garden, sandpit, water play or get involved in some messy experiments or craft. Please ensure your child’s shoulders are covered with sleeves and they wear a broad rimmed or legionnaire style hat. Little Bee supply’s 50+ sunscreen. If your child has sensitivities to sunscreen please let us know and provide us with an alternative. |
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Information for Review We are currently reviewing the following policies and/or procedures: 1.8 - Technology Policy 1.9 - Profile book policy 2.1 - Emergency and evacuation 2.2 – Incident, injury, trauma and illness 2.3 - Medication 2.4 – Administration of first aid 2.5 – Supporting children with medical conditions (including Asthma, Anaphylaxis, Diabetes and other relevant medical conditions) If you would like to have input reviewing these documents it would be greatly appreciated, just let us know and we will forward copies to you. Please compose any suggestions you would like to make and place them, either in the suggestions box (at reception) or via email to: littlebee@littlebee.net.au. Information for families Our chosen readings for the month of February 2021 are: If you would like a copy forwarded, please email us and we will send an electronic copy to you. Other readings can be found on the internet from recognised sites, such as: kidsafe.com.au, rch.org.au, acecqa.gov.au, deewr.gov.au and kidswithasthma.com.au, healthinsite.gov.au Opportunities for Family Involvement Educator Professional learning sessions are held on a bi-monthly basis. They are to reflect on our current practices, work on our Centre’s Quality Improvement Plan and continue to maintain the highest standard of education and care possible. Our next professional learning session will be held on Monday 21st February. We will be learning more about our Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) and creating environments and play spaces. All families are invited to join us at our PL sessions, your ideas and opinions are greatly valued and appreciated. Families are also welcome to participate daily in Workplace health and safety checks and/or compliance reviews. Please see one of the staff if you are interested. |
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We acknowledge and pay respect to the Elders past, present and future. The Traditional Custodians of Lutruwita (Tasmania) and pay homage to the traditional owners of the land our centres stand on, the Moomairemener people. |
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