2 April 2015
Welcome
Diary Dates To
Remember
2nd April - End of Term 1
2nd April 2014 School
Reunion
20th April - Start of Term 2
25th April - ANZAC Day
30th April - International Jazz
Day
Welcome to the third edition of the CELC newsletter for
2015.
Easter Raffle
Easter raf)le was a huge success. We were able to raise over $600 to put towards children’s learning resources. We would like to thank all the family for participating in this year’s Easter raf)le. We appreciate your kind and thoughtful donations for the raf)le prizes and recognise your hard work in selling raf)le tickets. Our lucky winners were Ageymang family (mega prize), Dabit family (Major prize) and the Calubad family (minor prize). Congratulations! 2nd May - Bunnings BBQ &
School Preparation Information Event
Cake Stall Fundraiser
The CELC will be holding a school preparation information event for parents on the afternoon of Thursday, 30 April 2015. Principles and early-­‐
stage one leaders from our parish primary school and the local Department of education schools have been invited to discuss with parents transition to school information. This session will begin at approximately 3:30pm. Parents are asked to attend without the children so that there are opportunities for all parents to listen and ask questions of our school leaders with limited distraction. Please RSVP to Miss Donna by Monday 27th April 2015. May 4th - Star Wars Day (may
the
4th be with you.
4th - 8th May Mother’s Week
11th - 15th May - Tour de St
Michael’s (Bring your bikes &
helmets)
18th - 22nd May Favourite
Fruit
Week in celebration of Pick
Strawberries Day 20/5/15
8th June Queen’s Birthday
Public
Holiday - CELC closed
Head lice
We have had one reported case of head lice at CELC. Families are reminded that children must not attend preschool with head lice. Should your child have head lice, they must have a treatment put through their hair before attending CELC. An information fact sheet is attached to this newsletter. 1
2 April 2015
Quality Improvement Plan
18th June Ramadan begins
22nd - 26th June - CELC Mind
Body Spirit Festival (in
celebration of International Day
of Yoga 21st June)
26th June - End of Term 2
13th July - Start of Term 3
13th - 17th July NAIDOC Week
20th July - Nelson Mandela Day
(18/7/15)
21st - 27th July - Space
Exploration Week
3rd - 7th August Favourite Fruit
Week in celebration of
Watermelon Day 3/8/15
6th August - Set your Piggies
free
for Wiggle your toes day.
10th - 14th August National
Science Week
12th & 13th August GS Imaging –
School Photos 8:30am start
24th – 28th August Children’s
Book
Week. – Books Light Up the
World
Dress Up As Favourite
Book Character - Gold coin
donation
We have prepared a quality improvement plan for 2015 that is available for parent revision and comment in the locker area. Please feel free to write on this document any comments or suggestions for improvement. Your comments and suggestions will be used to guide future directions of the preschool curriculum and preparation of the learning environment. Digital Documentation
Educators at CELC have an assigned group of focus children whom they are responsible for implementing a continuous cycle of observation, planning and evaluation/re)lection. To make the educators release from face to face teaching effective and ef)icient, we have implemented digital documentation over the last two years. This process has changed from documenting in a word format to saving learning stories as a pdf. We have developed one more change that will make parents access to digital documentation as easy as the click of a mouse. While some services implement commercially produced digital documentation formats and pass the cost onto families, CELC leaders have developed a free, CELC speci)ic documentation format. (everybody loves free) To access your child’s eportfolio we have to set parents up with gmail accounts. You can set up your own gmail or you can ask Miss Donna for help. The next step will be sharing your child’s eportfolio with you. 1. To set up your own gmail account go to www.gmail.com
2. Click create an account 3. The sign up form will appear 4. Finally review googles terms of service and privacy, click the check box and then click next step 5. The create your pro)ile page will appear 6. Your account will be created, and the google welcome page will appear. 7. Send Miss Donna an email so we can link you to your child’s eportfolio to your account. Preschool fees.
All families should have received their statement of usage for term 1 and a family assistance claim 2
2 April 2015
31st August – 4th September –
Father’s Week
6th September – Father’s Day
8th September – International
Literacy Day
14th - 18th September –
Modelling Clay Week in
celebration of Playdough
Day 16/9/15
18th September – Talk Like A
Pirate - Dress Up Like A Pirate
18th September - End of Term 3
5th October – World Teachers
Day
6th October - Start Term 4
6th October – Mad Hatter Day
12th - 16th October Space Week
16th October – World Food Day
– Nude Food Week
26th to 30th October - Children’s
Week
28th October Universal
Children’s Day
form. Please give these to family assistance to claim out of pocket expenses. Do not bring them to CELC. A reminder that Term 2 fees are payable by close of business, Week 4 15th May, 2015. Invoices for Term 2 were sent out Monday 30th March 2015. We send these out early to assist youin preparing your budgets for the next preschool term. A note from Miss Raelene, if the sign in sheet says Please see teacher you are not in trouble, but we do need you to speak to an educator about the note. The note is a way for the educators to remember important things we may need to speak to you about. Please don’t leave without asking the educators about any reminders on the sign in sheet. Thank you. CELC Outdoor Classroom
Just an update on our learning environment. We have submitted an application under the Coles grants 2015 for redevelopment of our vegetable and herb garden. We have extended the project to include elements from indigenous culture through the careful selection of speci)ic plants and totem poles to create nature walks. We intend to welcome Blacktown elders into the celc and ask that they paint these totems with traditional aboriginal symbols. Our application under the community building partnership was unsuccessful for this year. We have another avenue to explore through New South Wales Club grants scheme which closes on 30 April. A draft document has been sent for revision by the catholic education of)ice diocese of Parramatta as well as Jarara indigenous education unit. Any parents who are interested in reviewing and commenting on the draft are welcome. Please see Miss Donna for a copy. 29th October 2015 Music
Bunnings Blacktown BBQ & Cake Stall
Australia Count Us In
Our fundraising opportunity for term two is a Bunnings BBQ and cake store to be held on Saturday, 2 May 2015 at Blacktown Bunnings. We ask all families to bake something for sale at the stall. Best selling items at the cake stalls are general things like chocolate crackles, honey joys, slices, cupcakes, biscuits and fudge. Please drop these to the CELC by Friday 1st May at the latest. We are also looking for volunteers to work the BBQ and sell at the stalls. We have a volunteer register at the admin area. Please nominate how long and a 10th November World Science
Day
11th November Remembrance
Day
3rd November Melbourne Cup
13th November World Kindness
3
2 April 2015
Monday 14th December Graduation Ceremony
preferred time that you would like to help out. I will try to accommodate requests. 17th December - Term 4 Ends
17th December - Christmas Party
Narrangingy Reserve
Wren Picnic Area
Playgroup
Did you know that Mary Queen of the Family Parish holds a playgroup at the Church of St Michaels every Wednesday morning 9:30 am to 11:00am. The playgroup is closed during school holidays. It is held in the St Michael’s church meeting room and is open to parents/grandparents and carers with babies to preschool age children. For more information please contact Shane Marie Tabone on 0404 508 494. Blacktown Speech Therapy & Speech Screening
Mary Dionysatos has offered the CELC speech screening for interested families. The speech screening will be held at CELC and takes approximately 25 minutes. At this stage we are looking for families who wish to have their child’s speech reviewed by quali)ied speech therapists. Should there be interest we will organise a mutually convenient date for the interview. Otherwise feel free to contact Blacktown Speech Pathology 0418 401 504. Please note CELC Mary Queen of the Family Parish does not promote or advocate for speci)ic organisations or groups. Should you proceed with any intervention following the speech screening, you are able to contact any organisation of your choosing. CatholicCare & Community Support Services
CatholicCare social services provide social support services for the local community. Services and programs include Family and Community Support, Disability, Mental Health and Ageing, Counselling and education support. Triple P 5 week group program for all families that provides practical answers to everyday issues. Date: Wednesdays 28th May – 25th June 2015 10am to 12pm. Location: CatholicCare Blacktown, St Patrick’s Church Centre, 51-­‐59 Allawah St Blacktown Fee: Gold Coin donation Support Playgroup All Saints of Africa Centre playgroup Thursday morning at the African Centre Location: 63 Allawah St, Blacktown Fee: Free Please contact Rafa for more information 0428 847 007 There are many workshops held by CatholicCare covering a wide variety of topics. For more information on a workshop that meets your needs visit the CatholicCare website www.ccss.org.au
Our parent library has a resource folder of services and support offered in association with Blacktown City Council. The Blacktown Community Directory covers topics relating to accommodation, health, education, community organisations and public 4
2 April 2015
safety. You can download a copy of the Blacktown Community Directory from the council website www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au
Autumn school holidays
Baby Rhyme Time at Max Webber Library 6th April 2015 at 10am and 11am Blacktown Knit In at Max Webber Library Thursdays 1pm – 3pm. Novice and experienced knitters meet to knit squares for wrap with love. Wrap with love distributes colourful wraps to communities in need around the world. The Great Centennial Park Easter Hunt 4th & 5th April. Put on your bunny ears and get out your detective tools to follow the trial map and )ind your chocolate. Tickets are still available for Sunday 5th April from 1:15pm onwards. Tickets $15.00 and available at www.centennialparklands.com.au/whatso/events/the_great_cp_egg_hunt
Sydney Entertainment Quarter. Moore Park. Lots of things to do including plaster painting studios, monkey mania indoor play centre, Skater HQ, movies at hoyts. Visit www.eqmoorepark.com.au.
Free parks and adventure playgrounds Blaxland Riverside Park Jamieson St Sydney Olympic Park Livvi’s Place – Yambie Reserve Quarry Rd Ryde Umina Beach Playground – The Esplanade Umina Beach Central Gardens – Merrylands Rd Merrylands Blacktown Showground Precinct Richmond Rd Blacktown James Ruse Reserve Water Playground Hassell St Parramatta Sydney park Barwon Park Rd St Peter’s Indoor Playgrounds and Trampoline Centre Stanhope Gardens Shopping Centre Sentry Dr Stanhope Gardens Boing Central – Baulkham Hills Flip out Blacktown & Castle Hill FX Zone – Sydney Olympic Park. What ever you do during these autumn school holidays. Be safe. Take care and we will see you all in Term 2. CELC is closed from Friday 3rd April, and will reopen Monday 20th April at 8:30am. Happy Holidays! 5
2 April 2015
Head lice
Description
head lice are insects that live in hair and suck blood from the scalp. they are a nuisance
because they can cause itching of the scalp, but they do not cause disease or illness.
Female head lice lay their eggs and glue them to the base of hair shafts. the eggs are pale cream to
yellowish brown in colour and hatch after 7–10 days. the immature lice grow into adults over 6–10
days and start biting the scalp to feed on blood. Adult lice mate, the females lay more eggs, and
the cycle begins again.
How does it spread?
head lice can only be spread from one person to another by direct head-to-head contact—
the lice cannot jump or fly.
head lice do not live or breed on animals, bedding, furniture, carpets, clothes or soft toys.
they cannot spread by sharing hats.
Incubation period
head lice eggs take 7–10 days to hatch, and adult lice can lay new eggs after another 6–10
days. the lice in a person’s hair can be at various stages of their life cycle, so new eggs can
be laid and new lice can hatch continuously.
Infectious period
As long as the eggs or lice are alive, they can spread to other people by direct head-to-head
contact.
Exclusion period
Children do not have to be sent home immediately from an education and care service if
head lice are detected. the child may return to the education and care service as soon as
‘effective treatment’ has started. An effective treatment is when a treatment is used and all
the lice are dead.
Responsibilities of educators and other staff
•
if one child in a class has head lice, it is likely that several others also have them. do
not isolate a child who is known to have lice—it does not make sense and can be
humiliating for the child. 6
2 April 2015
•
Reduce head-to-head contact between children when the education and care service
is aware that someone has head lice. •
Keep families informed if there is someone in the education and care service with
head lice. •
Support parents and children who have head lice by providing factual information,
reducing parental anxiety and not singling out individual children with head lice. Responsibilities of parents •
Check your child’s head once a week for head lice. if you find any lice or eggs,
begin treatment immediately. Check for effectiveness of the treatment every 2 days
until no lice are found for 10 consecutive days. •
You may send your child back to the education and care service as soon as effective
treatment has started. •
Check for head lice in other family members as well. FACt SheetS
national health and Medical Research Council Controlling the spread of infection
•
educate staff, children and parents about head lice. •
Recommend that staff and children tie back long hair to reduce the chance of
spread. Treatment Adult lice are difficult to see; look for eggs by shining a strong light on the hair near
the scalp, or using the conditioner and combing technique:
1.
Untangle dry hair with an ordinary comb. 2.
Apply hair conditioner to dry hair (white conditioner makes it easier to see
the eggs). Use enough conditioner to cover the whole scalp and all the hair
from roots to tips. 7
2 April 2015
•
3.
Use an ordinary comb to evenly distribute the conditioner, and divide the
hair into four or more sections using hair clips. 4.
Starting with a section at the back of the head, place the teeth of a head lice
comb flat against the scalp. Comb the hair from the roots through to the tips. 5.
Wipe the comb clean on a tissue after each stroke and check for head lice or
eggs on the tissue. 6.
Comb each section twice until you have combed the whole head. if the comb
becomes clogged, use an old toothbrush, dental floss or a safety pin to
remove the head lice or eggs. the conditioner and combing technique is also an effective head lice treatment.
Keep combing the whole head until all the conditioner is gone. Repeat the process
daily until no lice or eggs have been found for 10 days. Chemical treatments are also available for head lice—your pharmacist can help you
choose a product. For more information about head lice, see: Queensland Health www.health.qld.gov.au/headlice/documents/13443.pdf James Cook University www.jcu.edu.au/school/phtm/PhtM/hlice/hlinfo1.htm Women’s and Children’s Health Network, South Australian Government www.cyh.com/healthtopics/healthtopicdetails.aspx?p=114&np=304&id=1664 FACt SheetS national health and Medical Research Council
p111
Part
8