Educator Newsletter
December 2012
Whether we are ready or not it's almost that time of year again. We wish everyone a Happy Christmas (if you celebrate), a happy holiday and a well- earned rest and we thank everyone for their support, feedback, ideas and contributions throughout 2012.
We especially want to thank Dina for her recent assistance, Karina for supplying plantsfor our garden , Sandra Hooper for her donation of display net and chalk, everyone who has been able to attend playsession lately and all the Educators, Families and Staff who made purchases from the Toy Catalogues and earned us $559to spend on new resources.We welcome any ideas for purchase to add to the toylibrary.
Welcomes and Goodbyes
We are very pleased to be introducing two new staff members – Cindy Mayled is filling the vacant Coordinator's position and Julie Sillar is stepping into the Administration Assistant's role. Cindy commenced work on 26th November and Julie has joined us today, 10th December. We hope you have the opportunity to meet them soon.
We are also welcoming new Educator Tiffany Wesley (Uralla) and old friend Minda Goard (Armidale).
Unfortunately ,at the same time, we farewell Kyoko Kwan and, at the end of January, Sandra Hooper. Thank you very much for being part of our service. We wish both of you the very best for the future!!
Angela Harris is closing her service this year but we aren’t saying goodbye! Angela will take on the role of Playsession Facilitator in 2013 and help us to fulfil a QIP goal by providing consistency in the playsession program and support for Educators attending.
Braidy Simpson (Guyra) is currently on maternity leave. We look forward to hearing her happy news soon and wish Braidy and her partner all the joys of parenthood.
Pat, Sue, Simone, Liz, Cindy and Julie
Introducing Cindy
Hi, my name is Cindy and I am looking forward to joining Armidale and District Family Care, working alongside such committed coordinators and educators. I aim to be part of a great network that will support each other in the sometimes challenging but always enjoyable experience that is caring for children.
A bit about myself….I spent my childhood on a farm north of Inverell and the country lifestyle provided many unique opportunities and happy memories. As such I, my husband and 19 month old son relocated from Newcastle to Guyra recently to have a bit more time for family and to be part of a more personalised community.
I enjoy craft activities and spending time outdoors. I hope that I can help my gardening thumb be a little greener.
I studied my Diploma in Children’s Services and I have worked in childcare for the last 8 years. I love that every day with children brings interesting events and I believe in the important role we can play in their lives.
I am very excited to be meeting you all soon.
Cindy
Introducing Julie
Hello Everyone,
My name is Julie Sillar and I am the newest recruit to Armidale & District Family Day Care, joining the crew in the position of Administration Officer.
Originally born in England, I emigrated to Australia in 1987 settling in Sydney, where I met my husband. We moved to Armidale in 1994, brought a block of land and built a house - real 'tree change' stuff. We have a delightful daughter Caitlin and a collection of animals, all of which keep us busy. After my family my greatest love is travel, which I'm lucky enough to have done quite a lot of.
I look forward to meeting everyone and being part of this great service.
Julie
Children's Christmas Party
The Children’s Christmas party was held this year at Kids World in Mann St. Initial feedback would indicate that it was a success and we are thinking of rebooking for next year. If you weren’t able to join us this year, we hope you can join us then. Liz will be sending out a survey soon.
Office Closure
The office will be closed for the Christmas breakfrom 12.00 midday on Friday 21st December until 8.45am on Tuesday 2nd January. Educators working during this period can contact Staff in an emergency on 0417 550 072.
Calendar for January will follow soon.
Letters about compliance checks
Educators recently received a letter from DEEWR indicating that there may be compliance checks and audits happening next year.
Educators needn’t be alarmed. This is a nationwide action which has come about after reports from the public in relation to potential incorrect claiming of financial assistance.
It is an opportunity to ensure that we are meeting our obligations but it should not be a concern to services such as ours that work according to these obligations.
For clarification of your obligations as an FDC Educator please refer to the fact sheets attached to the letter you received from the Department. If you would like another copy of these obligations please let us know.
Assessment
Whatever happened to our Assessment Result?? Good question and one we cannot answer at this stage. When I called to ask if it was normal to wait this long for a draft rating I was told that Services that were assessed in August were still waiting. Patience is a virtue they say.
Alina Dan Presentation
Alina's follow up presentation on Marketing Your Business and Creating Play Environments on 22/11 provided the handful of Educators who attended with some great ideas. Attendance was disappointing though ,considering the expense to the Service, and the missed opportunity to learn from Alina's wide experience.
We are in the process of creating a Virtual Tour of Educator's environments. More photos of play spaces, resources and play experiences are needed and very welcome.
Professional Development
Next year we are looking forward to bringing you a range of professional development options. Suggestions are VERY welcome!!
We have booked Prue Whoo for a fun one on Wednesday 8th May (7pm-8.30pm). (Prue’s song books and CD are available for loan from our toy library.
Educational Leader
I have begun working with Educator’s one on one, to develop a way of programming that works best for them. No two Educators are the same, therefore their paperwork & ways of recording information differ. I had hoped to offer a couple of nights for those interested to be able to come along & either share what they are doing, or set appointments to work on how they record evidence & reflect on program. This will happen in the New Year.
When I visit, I just look at how each Educator documents, and offer alternatives to possibly streamline the information Educators need to keep. I also help to develop a simple understanding of the EYLF, & how to connect it to your program. This was commented on by our Assessor, that the links need to be seen in each service.
Please contact me if you have any concerns, or would like assistance with your Educational programme. All visits are confidential, & tailored to meet Educator’s time constraints.(ie around rest time or quieter days)
Simone
Recent Policies Distributed
Everyone should have received copies of reviewed policies WH&S (Coordination Unit), Behaviour Guidance and Dealing with Health and Medical Conditions. Please read them and add them to your folder as per the attached note and check with Coordinators to see if you have all the updated policies that have been released to date.
Good News!!There are only 5 more to go!!!
Forms
Under the National Regulation there is a requirement to complete and return to the Office a range of records, notifications and permission forms. Most records need to be retained for 3 years after a child or an Educator leaves the Service. Some need to be retained for 25 years. PLEASE ensure that you have and use all the required forms. PLEASE return them to us when they are complete. Forms can be downloaded from the website or Coordinators can deliver them to you when they visit.
Currently due in : Fire Drill Records for November.
Clarification- Gastro- Intestinal Illnesses
Q:If a child has a gastro- intestinal illness how long must they be excluded from care?
A:Until they have been symptom free for 24 hours. The same exclusion applies to Educators or members of the Educator's family.
Reminders
Please wear your lanyards when on excursions (and please phone us if you are about to set off on a routine excursion so we can note it in our day book)
If you haven't already done so...... Please send in a photo of yourself that you like (head and shoulders shot only) . Families looking for care do like to put a face to a name but at the moment we only have 1/3 of the Educator's represented on our foyer wall.
Please return all toys and resources on loan before the end of the year. We are updating our catalogue and checking for any necessary repairs. Thank you.
Sun Safety
We are a Sun Safe Serviceso please remind families of the need to practice sun safety and refer them to the Service Policy if necessary .
Children need to wear broad brimmed hats, sunscreen and clothing with sleeves (short or long) when playing outdoors. Our altitude means we have a high UV index all year round.
Playsession
Do you hestitate to come to playsession because getting the children out of the car and into the venue is an effort? The issue was noted in a recent Staff meeting and it was resolved that Staff should be available to assist Educators and children. Please call ahead and let us know you are on your way so that one of us can meet you in the car park.
New Resources
We recently had a collection of Contact videos converted to DVD. They feature child development and play stages between 0-5.
We have new books (Christmas books courtesy of Scholastic Orders, and Multicultural books of Global KidsOz)
Sustainability resources ( Courtesy of Eco Mentoring)
We have ordered 6 new books from ECA to add to our Educator/Staff Library.
Book fair
We have approached Scholastic about running a Book Fair early next year. We hope to hold a “Welcome” playsession for families and educators in February to coincide. We will also be inviting Esther Komar to attendwith her wonderful selection of multicultural resources to sell.
For Sale
Golf Bag
Brand new Wilson GolfBag (without clubs) Unwanted auction win. $60 ONO
Contact Liz 0417 449 847
Timesheets for the holidays
As you know, time sheets are due on 17th December and again on 31st December.
Time sheets sent in for the 31st are likely to be processed on Wednesday 2nd January.
(but if they are in the box on Monday 31st someone may be ableto make a start on them !)