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Banyan Park Early learning centre

15/8/2019

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​Banyan Park – Building project update
The last few months have been a flurry of activity for everyone involved in Banyan Park, and saw the completion of phase one of the Banyan Park redevelopment, the ‘big move’ of all the resources and equipment to the new building and relocation of the original Banyan Park building. 
 
The Norfolk Island Pistol Association and a team of builders prepared the original building so that it could be relocated to its new home at Anson Bay.  The building was cut into 5 sections and moved over 4 days, which of course took centre stage through town over that period.  We thank the Pistol Club, the relocation team, the police and the community for their patience and support throughout the process, which was emotional for many.
 
Two community groups have mutually benefited from this relocation! The Pistol Club gained an indoor range, and space has now been cleared so the 4th Banyan Park pavilion, accommodating children 0-3 years old, can complete the ‘Awas Letl Salan’ project. This construction phase has just begun and should be completed by December.
 
The New Facility
The new buildings are everything we hoped for.  An official opening won’t take place until the entire centre is complete, so informal (pre-arranged) visits are welcome!
The new centre includes two new play rooms, a fantastic children’s bathroom, commercial grade kitchen (a requirement under the incoming regulations), staff rest and programming space, laundry and bathroom facilities and an entry hub with Director’s office and storage. 
 
The playground, though still a work in progress has come together beautifully and draws inspiration and materials from natural elements on the island.  A creek bed meets a huge sandpit, and a wooden tee pee and stepping gum tree trunks are nestled amongst the native trees.  It has easily the best view of any early learning centre, anywhere (we think)!
 
The new facility has been purpose-built for early childhood and provides facilities which suit the children, and the staff who educate them.  Importantly, it has ensured local parents are able to access the much-needed fee relief associated with early childhood education and care.  We have reached a record 50 total enrolments, with the centre already at capacity (35 daily enrolments) on several days per week. The quick uptake of positions is due to the reduced cost, and increased quality of care and education enabled by the new facility. 
 
The project has been funded by the Australian Government's Building Better Regions Fund, along with a significant contribution by the Tony Redstone Foundation, which was donated to Banyan Park several years ago
 
Staffing update
With growing enrolments, the team of staff at Banyan Park has also grown! Our Director, Emma, has accepted a permanent position with Banyan. We feel fortunate every day for her experience in leading our centre, and the creation of such a high quality learning environment has enriched the preschool education provided. Vinnie, Sandi, Leilani and Lisa have also continue to provide amazing commitment and care to the children, and went more than the extra mile during the busy April school holidays - packing, cleaning and moving, as well as providing the ‘business as usual’ child care and vacation care at the school – a challenge in itself. A huge thank you to the team who do so much for auwas letl salan. We are also very grateful to NICS and Principal, Brett Carr, for so generously allowing us to use their facilities during our transition period.
 
Paige Adams has recently joined us as a Certificate III qualified educator. One of our goals in creating the new centre was to encourage our young salan to return, with the prospect of employment in a high quality and purpose built facility. We’re overjoyed this has happened already, and we hope it will continue! Banyan also gains Ally as a casual staff member. She comes to us from Melbourne, and also holds a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care. As we move into accommodating the 0-3s, we will need quite a few more educators on the team, so get in touch if this is something that might interest you!
 
Thank you to the Norfolk community
The project team and Banyan's management committee are grateful to the Norfolk Island community for their continued positive feedback, support and ongoing commitment to Banyan Park. Banyan Park has become a rite of passage for most locals - a ‘place’ where most people have attended as a pre-schooler for the past 40 years.  Through this process of redevelopment, it will be a place awas letl salan gwen continue to groe en lern thru plieh into the distant future.
 
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BANYAN PARK NEWS - FEBRUARY 2018

8/3/2018

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Welcome to the first edition of Banyan Park News for 2018!
We hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful Christmas/ new year holiday - they seem very far away now! 
We have had a very busy first 5 weeks and have already had lots of fun. We have also welcomed lots of new children to Banyan Park - hello to RC, Leba, Harlow, Chase, Sophia Grace, James, Khloe, Baye, Tiberius and your families. We are sure you will have lots of fun and enjoy making new friends!
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The returning children are enjoying being the ‘big kids’ and helping the new ones with the routine.
As you would have heard, I will be leaving Banyan Park. However, I  want to assure everyone that I am committed to staying and continuing to provide quality care and early learning teaching until a replacement Director can be appointed. As soon as I know when I am finishing I will let parents know.
STAFF NEWS
Our staff have been keeping busy recently with Ellie taking leave in February and Alex filling in for her while she was away. At the same time, we welcomed Hayley Martin, who has her Diploma in Early Childhood Education, to the Banyan Park relief pool.
 
Emily recently spent a week in Sydney completing work placement hours at a service with Waverley Council. She had an amazing time and has come back with lots of ideas to implement at Banyan. Ellie and Vinnie will also be spending a week each at services in the same area, later this term. This work placement opportunity forms part of the studies in Certificate 111 in Early Childhood Education that Emily, Ellie and Vinnie are working towards this year. This professional development was achievable by the success in the Community Grants submission. We wish to thank NIRC for supporting Banyan Park.
AGM
The Banyan Park AGM will be held on Thursday the 15th March at 6.30pm at Banyan Park.  All current positions will be vacated at the meeting, and we encourage all parents who would like to work collaboratively with the Director, staff and community of Banyan Park – and play an integral role in Banyan’s future – to please consider volunteering as a committee member. If you have questions about what each role entails please contact the committee at: [email protected]
TERM dates for 2018 (incl. Public Holidays)
Good Friday                  30 March
Easter Monday             2 April
Term 1 holidays           16-27 April
Banyan returns            30 April
Bounty Day                    8 June
Queen’s Birthday         11 June
Term 2 holidays            7-22 July
Term 3 Holidays           29 Sept- 14 Oct
Thanksgiving                 28 November
Last day of term           14 December

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Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies and natural and processed materials. This is evident when children manipulate resources to investigate, take apart, assemble, invent and construct. (Learning Outcome 4, EYLF)
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PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT
There will be a parent information night on Wednesday 21st  March from 6.30pm to 7.30pm.
It will be held at Banyan Park and all parents/grandparents are invited to see what we have planned for your children in 2018 and why we plan what we do!
TINKER TABLE
A few weeks ago the children had the opportunity to pull apart an old tape recorder. They put on their safety goggles and used kid-friendly screwdrivers to unscrew lots of little screws. Us ‘oldies’ had to explain to the children what we used tape recorders for in the olden days.
FOOD
The children are burning lots of energy at Banyan and are finding themselves really hungry at morning tea. Many are wanting to eat their sandwiches then, so an extra sandwich in their lunchbox would be great. Thanks!
EMERGENCY EVACUATION DRILLS
We have been talking about emergency evacuations the last few weeks and in week 5 we practiced basic emergency drills. We  listened for the whistle to blow 3 times and then moved calmly to the door. The teacher then took us to the ‘safe place’ (next to the see-saw). Ask your child where our safe place is and see if they remember!
The kids coped well with the loudness of the whistle and were able to list all the emergencies we might have at Banyan.
Do you have an emergency evacuation plan at your place?
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CHANGES TO LIBRARY
Due to timetabling changes at the school, our library day has changed to Monday from 9.40 to 10.30. I have amended the permission forms and I will see you one afternoon this week to get your signature. I will also need a volunteer each week to assist the educator taking the children over to the library, so if you have spare hour on a Monday morning once a month and would like to assist, please let Katherine or one of the other educators know and we will create a roster.
If your child doesn’t come on a Monday but you would like them to be involved in library (it is a great school readiness experience) then please join us at the library from 9.40am to 10.30am.
HEAD LICE
There appears to have been a rise in head lice recently, so please check your children’s hair regularly for the little critters. If you discover your child has lice, please let us know. Once your child has had their hair treated they are allowed to return to Banyan. You can purchase lice shampoo at the chemist and it is easy to use and effective. You can also purchase products that deter lice and I have heard a tea tree oil and water solution sprayed onto hair each morning is also an effective natural deterrent. Don’t forget to treat all family members!
ILLNESS/ACCIDENT/INJURY
If your child becomes unwell or injures themselves enough to require treatment at Banyan Park, educators complete an illness/injury/accident form after treatment has been given. If your child’s injury or illness is significant, we will contact parents immediately (if parents are uncontactable, we will call your emergency contacts).
If the injury is not deemed significant (scratched knee etc) we will complete a form and present it to you to be signed at the end of the day (or, as per policy, within 24 hours if an approved contact other than a parent collects your child).
And just to be on the safe side, to ensure we don’t miss anyone at pick-up time, we will now highlight your child’s name and write a note in the ‘additional comments’ section of the attendance register if we need to speak with you before you go. So if your child’s name is highlighted when you sign them out, please make sure you see an educator before you leave.
THE MARCH OF THE ARMY GRUB
It hasn’t been Wombat Stew but Army Grub Stew on the menu at Banyan Park . The lawn has been crawling with army grubs which created so much excitement for the children as the collected them, examined them (yes - they have green guts), looked at them through magnifying glasses, found out whether they could swim and finally discovered they made delicious army grub stew! We are going to have an insect week next week to build on the children’s interest in army grubs, so if the children go on bug hunts at home, you’ll know why!!
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Children are confident and involved learners. Educators promote this learning when they provide learning environments that are flexible and open-ended and listen carefully to children’s ideas and discuss how these ideas might be developed. (Learning Outcome 4, EYLF)
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Show and Share
You will find a little note in your message pockets which has your child’s Show and Share day on it. Your child can bring in something special from home to show their friends during Show or Share, or they may have something special to tell us. Show and Share is an important opportunity for children to develop language skills and confidence in front of a small group. We have a special ‘Show and Share Box’ which all the special things go into when you arrive in the morning. This box then stays in Katherine’s office until it is Show and Share time to keep special things safe.
TOYS FROM HOME
If it’s not your child’s Show and Share day we ask that children not bring in toys from home. They inevitably get lost, dirty, broken or taken home in someone else’s bag.
We have at least one distressed child a day who has lost or broken a special toy they have bought in from home. Thanks for your understanding in this matter.
Banyan Park Facebook pages
We have a closed Facebook page just for Banyan Park parents, called “Banyan Park Parents Group”. We look forward to sharing more of our daily activities and photos within this closed group, which is only able to be accessed by current Banyan parents.
The Banyan Park Playcentre Inc page however is a business page and as such is open to everyone. This page will only feature images of our activity, ensuring any children within the pictures are unable to be identified.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE OPEN DAY
On Wednesday 7th March, Banyan Park hosted the Government House open day. Thank you to our small group of dedicated volunteers who helped out on the day, greeting visitors at the door and working as  room ‘sitters’. Thank you also the parents who provided afternoon tea for the volunteers.
The Government House open day is a major annual fundraiser for Banyan Park, and we look forward to allocating the funds raised to a much-needed resource for the children!
NEW ADDITIONS TO ROOMS
Ensuring we continue to provide a quality and safe environment for your children, you may have noticed we have a few new items including a fully stocked and compliant First Aid kit, which sits on the wall  (out of the reach of little hands!) opposite the front door. The new kit contains EpiPens, Ventolin and asthma spacers in the rare case of asthma or anaphylaxis.
New soap and paper towel dispensers have also been installed in the bathroom, supporting healthy handwashing practices.
PARKING
Just a reminder the driveway that leads directly to Banyan’s door must not be used when dropping off or picking up children, as it presents a safety risk to children arriving and leaving. Please park in the carpark only and make sure all children are safe before reversing.
2018 ENROLMENT FORMS
Just a gentle reminder to complete your 2018 enrolment form and return to Banyan along with current immunisation paperwork for photocopying. If you require a hard copy of the form, please come and see the staff 😊
Quotes from your kids
“Hey!! Look everyone!! I’ve got an apple!!”
     (All the children at morning tea say: “ooooo and ahhhhh.”)
“Katherine, you are so old”

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Banyan Park News - October 2017

29/10/2017

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Welcome to the October edition of Banyan Park News! We have a very busy Term 4 ahead and have already done lots of fun things so far. Zac Sanders took Preschool photos in week 2 and we had lots of fun capturing the children in natural play situations. Last week we had Superhero/favourite character days on Tuesday and Thursday.
The children dressed up, we did face painting, ate kryptonite after reading a superman story and had two really fun days. This week we have had two more days

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splashing around in the water. We made a slip and slide out of a tarp (even Katherine, Emily and Ellie had a slide!) ran under the sprinkler, played with ice and generally had a cool time.
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This term we have said a sad farewell to Aurora Christian-Rutledge and Jenna Pepperell. On the 22nd we say farewell to Holly Doolan as they move back to the mainland.
We have welcomed several new 3 year olds - Denny Barlow, George Sims and Ernie Fell. We look forward to lots of fun with our new friends!
STAFF NEWS
You may have noticed a new face at Banyan Park over the past few weeks. Alex Parry is a new casual at Banyan and comes to us from Coolum in QLD. He has been a volunteer football coach for U/6’s to U/10’s, has worked as a Special Ed assistant in Grades 2 and 3 at Suncoast Christian College and most recently was part of the Green Army Project Norfolk Island. The children, especially boys, love having him and he has immense enthusiasm. Say hi to Alex and have a chat when you have a minute.
Katherine is taking leave next week to return to the mainland for her son’s graduation. She will return on Tuesday the 14th November. Heather McMillan will work in Katherine’s absence.
Ebony has just had 2 weeks leave and had a fabulous time in Bali!
Ellie had a relaxing week at Bribie Island in Week 1 and Emily also had a fun week catching up with friends in Brisbane.

NORFOLK LANGUAGE
This week we had the pleasure of Aunty Col coming to spend time with the children and talking to them about Norfolk language and culture. Aunty Col will be coming every Tuesday for the rest of this term and we are very excited to be able to learn from this wonderful lady- thank you Aunty Col!!

TERM 4 ROUTINE CHANGES
After several false starts, we have been able to initiate small afternoon groups with the children going to big school next year. We have explored floating and sinking, how rockets work, numeral recognition and counting, strengthening fine motor skills, learning to take turns, waiting with the small group at the table and of course learning to write their full name. The children are loving this time.
Due to staff constraints on Mondays we will run two large ‘big school’ groups, and will have 3 smaller groups on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

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Banyan Park Facebook page
We have a new closed Facebook group just for Banyan Park parents – called “Banyan Park Parents Group”. We will be able share more of our daily activities and share photos which will show the children’s faces, as it is a closed and monitored page only for parents.
The Banyan Park Playcentre Inc page is a business page and as such is open to everyone. From now on if we post photos of the children on that page we will be blurring out their faces so they will not be recognisable to anyone visiting the page who is not connected to the community.

COMMITTEE MEETING
The next Committee Meeting is Monday the 13th November at 6.30pm here at Banyan Park. If you have any thing you wish to have discussed please let Katherine know on 22415 or Victoria on [email protected]

CHRISTMAS VACATION CARE
We will be holding Christmas vacation care this year and the dates will be 18-22nd December and from 8-25th January. We will close for 2 weeks over the Christmas break.
Vacation Care will be dependent on minimum numbers, and fees will be payable for days enrolled in vacation care without flexibility if your child does not attend.
Enrolment forms will go into your parent pockets in the next few weeks.
TERM 1 2018
Banyan Park will recommence on Tuesday 30th
January, 2018

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TINKER TABLE
We have introduced a Tinker Table this week. We used screwdrivers to take apart a DVD player and see how it works. We watched a YouTube clip which showed how the laser transfers the information through the 2 circuit boards to create the picture and sound that we see.
If you have any thing you’d like to donate just bring it along for us to tinker!

Kinder Orientation
Kindergarten Information night was held last Tuesday night at the School Library and was a very informative evening.
The Kinder Orientation will be held on Wednesday’s the 15th, 22nd November and 6th December from 11.15am to 12.15pm. The children will be taken over to the school by Katherine and Ellie.

Bounty Museum
The Thursday older group went for an impromptu excursion to the Bounty Museum this Thursday. We had to cover a few eyes as we walked past most of the mannequins but they loved seeing olden day phones, swords, guns and the turtle shells.

Hilli Goat Excursion
Hilli Goat Farm excursion will be on 14th and 15th November. Notes will go in pockets this week.

Quotes from your kids:
“Someone hit me in the brain with a cup and now my brain is not working”
“I can’t put my lunchbox away cause my arms are too tired”
“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! There’s chocolate on my chocolate!"

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BANYAN NEWS - SEPTEMBER 2017

24/9/2017

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Welcome to the September edition of Banyan Park News. Well here we are at the end of Term 3 and the roll to Christmas is on! We have had lots happening at Banyan Park, with a 40th birthday celebration being held, excursions to the Botanical Gardens this week, as well as our usual busy programme of learning experiences on a day to day basis.
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The first day of next term is Tuesday the 10th October. As we will be well and truly into spring at that point, I’d ask that you begin to dress the children in sun safe clothes. This means shirts with sleeves for both boys and girls (no singlet tops, tie tops/dresses). The Banyan tee-shirt is ideal as a sunsafe shirt to wear. Can you please also ensure that hats with a wide brim are worn as well, as caps don’t protect the ears or neck. The other important thing to remember in the warm weather is a large drink bottle filled with water. We will refill bottles when they are empty, and the children also have the bubbler to use when thirsty.
The fruit platters have been a great hit with the children devouring most of the fruit at morning tea and any left overs are gone at lunch. We’ve had an amazing selection of fruit and vegies - star fruit (a big favourite) mulberries, orange, banana, celery, carrot, capsicum, ugly fruit, dried mango, cucumber (another favourite). Thank you for bringing the fruit in each day - the children love the variety. And it gives them a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals!
VACATION CARE
There are still vacancies in Vacation Care if you are requiring care in the school holidays - see Katherine ASAP if you are interested.
COMMITTEE MEETING
The next Committee Meeting is Thursday the 12th October at 6.30pm here at Banyan Park. If you have an item to add to the agenda, please let Katherine or Heather Bruce know.

 SCHOOL INFORMATION
The School Parent Information Session will be held on Tuesday 24th October at 6pm in the school library. Katherine will be meeting with the Kindergarten teacher early next term to find out the expectations of children coming to school next year. Initial conversations however indicate that she would like them to be able to write their full name, know their address, be able to care for their belongings, be able to separate from parents, participate in group time, follow instructions, know colours and simple shapes, and count to 10. We work on these things on a daily basis already and will continue to work on these things in term 4 along with any extra things that the Kindy teacher suggests.

EXCURSION TO THE BOTANICAL GARDENS
This week the Monday and Wednesday children had the opportunity to go the Botanical Gardens for an excursion. Holly’s and Rosie’s dads showed us around the gardens and talked to us about the birds, animals and plants that are unique to our beautiful island. We had some morning tea on the deck, got rained on a little, and had a lovely time.
The Tuesday and Thursday children will be having a dress up fun day early next term. The children can come dressed as their favourite character and we will have a party day with games, face painting, cooking and all sorts of fun!! At this stage, it will be in week 2 but I will send out flyers to confirm dates after the holidays

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TERM 4 ROUTINE CHANGES
Starting term 4 we will be changing to our summer routine. This will mean that outdoor play will be first thing in the morning when the sun isn’t as harsh. Children will still have the option to play inside at this time. Afternoon times will still involve a short rest (longer for 3 year olds and those who still need a sleep), but the ones going to school will be spending some time in the afternoons doing small group work. This may involve playing a board game, working on the school readiness skills outlined by the school, or working on projects.
NEW FENCE
You may have noticed a beautiful new timber fence going up in the playground at Banyan Park. The fence is being built to reduce the amount of blind spots in the playground where children can hide and not be seen. Once erected, the children will be visible in all areas of the playground which will mean a safer play environment for everyone. 
LIBRARY ROSTER
Due to the children becoming quite restless as a large group at Library time we have decided to split the group and take them on alternate Tuesdays.

LOST AND FOUND BASKET IS FULL!
Please check the basket for any items belonging to you or your child.

SPRING FAIR
The Spring Fair is on this Saturday and Banyan Park will be having a second-hand toy stand, a cake stall, and the staff will be doing face painting. If you have any toys you don’t use anymore bring them to Banyan park this week. Baked goods can be dropped off to the cake stand at the fair between 12 noon and 1pm on Saturday. Looking forward to seeing you there!

SHOES OFF PLAY
I have been encouraging the children to always take their shoes off during outside play. Being barefoot benefits brain development and more - s
ee this article for some interesting information about this approach.
PROGRESS REPORTS
Progress reports have gone home this week. These are just a snapshot of how I’ve seen your child progressing over the 16 weeks that I have known them. If you have any questions or concerns please come and see me, I am happy to discuss them with you 😊

Wish List for Banyan Park
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  • Second hand padlocks and keys of various sizes.
  • Old keys
  • Lengths of old chain
  • Pretty scarves/light silky fabric
  • Pinecones
  • Wicker/cane baskets 
  • Old pots and pans
  • Plastic lids/bottle tops
  • Old records (45’s or 33’s)
  • Soft wood for hammering
If you have any of these things laying around we would love them to use in our play!
Quotes from your kids:
“When I was born, the doctor used an axe to get me out of my Mum’s tummy.”
     Katherine: “Do you need to do a wee?”
     Child:
“No, my wee’s tired and has gone to sleep.”
     *ruckus in the bathroom*
     Katherine
investigates and asks: “What’s going on it here?”
     Child
: “Conversation!!”
“When I was a baby, I was eaten by a jaguar.”

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Banyan Park News - August 2017

30/8/2017

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Welcome to the August edition of Banyan Park News. With the lovely winter weather we’re having at the moment, we are enjoying some glorious days outside. The children are enjoying the two new rafts and rediscovering construction equipment we hadn’t used for a while. Our revamped home corner continues to be a hit and our newly acquired action man toys are a favourite too.
A huge thanks to the fundraising committee for their recent efforts with the cake stall and barbeque fundraiser at Rugby on the Rock. Thank you to all parents and members of the community who contributed too. More than $3000 was raised across the two events – such a massive effort, so thank you!! The money raised will be used to purchase new equipment for the children, including a new swing for the outdoor play area. The children love the swing so this will be very exciting for them.
You may have noticed a few recent improvements around Banyan Park. We have ensured inquisitive children can’t access underneath the building, by installing a barrier between the bottom of the building and the ground. The fort roof has been removed and will be replaced in the next few months, and the front gate has also been fitted with spring-loaded latch to keep the gate securely closed.  We will continue to make ongoing improvements to the centre, however if there are particular areas you would like us to review,  please don’t hesitate to let me or one of the staff know.
Vacation Care 
We will be offering vacation care in the September/October school holidays at Banyan Park! This will be offered for 3-8 year-olds from 8.30am to 3pm every week day. Fees will be set at our standard daily rate of $42/day. A vacation care program will be available soon however if you are interested in securing a place for your child/ren please contact Katherine on 22415 or via email.

Committee News
The Committee for 2017-18 is: 
President:                            Heather Bruce
Vice-President:                  Angie Andresen
Treasurer:                           Carrie Mietzel
Secretary:                           Victoria O'Reilly
Committee:                        Crystal Fell
Committee:                        Sarah Robinson
Committee:                        Sarah Quintal
Committee:                        Leanne Webb

Our next Committee meeting 
The Committee will be meeting Thursday 17 August. If you have an agenda item, please email [email protected] or alternatively, you can pop ideas into the Suggestion Box at Banyan Park.  
Family Photos
We are going to create a Family display at Banyan and would love you to bring in a photo of your child with the people they call family. If you could hand it to one of the staff that would be great! 
Speaking of photos, we will be organising preschool photos for early term 4. There has been interest in having an individual one of each child as well as a group photo. Watch this space!  

What Are We Doing This Week?
As of this week the children who have mastered writing their first name will be encouraged to write their full names on any work they do. I have made name cards with their first and last names on them to help with learning. We will also move onto providing cards with key familiar words on them for those children who are keen to write letters/cards/pictures for family. Words such as mum, dad, pop, nanny, Norfolk Island etc will be available on our “word wall” for children to access whenever they need to. 
We have been working on number and shape recognition with the children. We have been playing games with squares, triangles, circles, diamonds (rhombus) and have introduced hexagons and trapezoids. We are working on numeral recognition 1 to 10 as well as counting with 1:1 correspondence. 
We’d love your cardboard boxes when you’re finished with them – cereal boxes, toothbrush boxes etc are all great for our box collage.  

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Mid-year Newsletter from the Management Committee

2/7/2017

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Wut-a-wey Yoryle!
It’s hard to believe we are into the mid-year break for 2017 - we've been your committee since late March now and it's been all go! We would like to express our thanks to Katherine Lance, our new Director, for settling in so quickly and hitting the ground running. As a committee, we have put a lot on Katherine’s shoulders and she is rising to the challenges. We would also like to thank our great team of educators too – Ebony, Ellie, Vinny, and Emily are doing a wonderful job, enthusiastically supporting Katherine and, of course, the kids love them!
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Friends of Banyan Afternoon Tea
A fantastic afternoon tea was had on Wednesday 28th June with members of the Wives and Mothers Club joining us to hear about the incredible past and exciting future of Banyan Park. Celia Bigg, Pat Anderson, Fenella Evans and Jan Reeves came to share their memories and the original vision and purpose of the Wives and Mothers Club, established in 1966. We all agreed that their meetings sounded a lot more fun than our current committee meetings (!), but that much has changed in the sector in nearly 50 years. The other purpose of the gathering was to communicate the changes we're going through at Banyan Park to meet the National Quality Standards. These changes will not only improve the quality of care and education we offer our preschoolers, but will also allow many families to access the Child Care Rebate and Child Care Benefit, providing significant fee relief. Those in attendance were very supportive, especially the Wives and Mothers Club. They are extremely proud of the centre and want it to continue, and flourish, into the future. It was an engaging and positive afternoon; we only wish that more parents had attended. If you are keen to attend events such as these, but are unable to, please let us know if there are times that would better suit your family.
5 Days a Week
Following a number of parent requests, commencing in Term 3, Banyan Park will be offering a 5 day program. This will mean that parents can enrol their children on any day they need to, for the full term. There will be no requirement to attend core days (which were Mon-Wed for 4/5 year olds and Thurs-Fri for 3 year olds), although we expect this split of days will still be the base for a while. We will use Term 3 to gain a feel for the spread of numbers (whilst obviously still delivering a high quality preschool program!). We recommend at least 3 days a week for the 4/5 year olds so that they are receiving the preschool they need to transition to school as easily as possible and there is a 2 day minimum for all enrollments.
For any enrolment changes, please email [email protected].
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Pupil Free Day and New Policies
The staff are having a ‘pupil free day’ on Monday 17th July, and Term resumes on Tuesday 18th. This is valuable time for Katherine to have with her team to reinvigorate after two weeks ‘off’, work through plans for programming and also introduce some new policies which Banyan Park has adopted. Whilst the 18 policies being introduced will ensure we are working towards the National Quality Standards, many will simply put into writing what is already practiced at Banyan. These policies have been written for us and provided free of charge by our childcare expert Lisa Bryant. These policies can be considered best practise in the industry, so we are very pleased to have them! Once the staff are across the policies, they will be rolled out to parents for viewing.
Vacation Care
Unfortunately we were unable to offer Vacation Care for this two week break. We are having some building work done which would have been very disruptive. The work is being carried out on advice from the childcare experts we have had on island recently. The walls between the toilet block and the main play room are being taken to half height, with a tinted window placed on the wall above the sinks in the toilets. This ensures educators can have a clear line of sight from the main room into the toilet block, whilst still maintaining some privacy for the kids. If you have any queries about this, please feel free to speak to the committee. Thanks to Jimmy Quintal (Hunter's Dad) who has made himself available during a busy time to undertake the work. We’re also very grateful that the staff have taken on the kids who needed care during the holiday period and filled that gap privately! We hope to offer Vacation care for Term 3/4 break and will be asking parents what their needs are closer to the time.
Membership
Upon reading our articles of association more closely, it has been identified that parent(s) of children attending Banyan need to be ‘Members of the Organisation’ (the organisation being Banyan Park Playcentre Inc.). A nominal $1 fee will be added to the invoice for each child attending Banyan for Term 3, and this will carry through until the AGM in March 2018. This membership is separate from the role of the committee. The Management committee elected at the AGM will still be responsible for the decision making at Banyan, though of course we welcome involvement and constructive comments from parents to improve Banyan Park for our children and the community.
The centre will only work if we are working together.

Thaenks f' Aklan,
The Management Committee (Heather, Angie, Victoria, Carrie, Sarah, Crystal & Leanne)

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