Parents/Carers
Your feedback is most welcome, please comment on any aspects of
the service in the way you feel comfortable
- verbally to child care staff or manager
- by letter, email or fax to office or fee box at the service.
- contact a parent representative: Jade Gum, Kylie Martin,
Amanda Bowman, Sally Mead, Sharon Kramer, Tamara
Westphalen, Kate Nickolls, Jane Toogood, Sophie Cattle (Staff
Rep), Tony Renshaw (SMDC CEO)
Bookings/Cancellations
Lameroo Staff Mobile:
Pinnaroo Staff Mobile:
Karoonda Staff Mobile:
Geranium:
0428 763 972
0428 763 973
0428 763 974
0439 887 099
Mallee COGS
PO Box 49, PINNAROO SA 5304
FAX: 8576 3971
Email; [email protected]
Manager – Anne Bremner 8576 3970 or 0428 763 970
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………….
SUGGESTIONS
Please place in fee box near sign-in sheets
……………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………
Mallee COGS
Newsletter
COGS Service News
2013 has been an eventful and challenging year for Mallee COGS.
th
The service’s 10 Birthday Celebration was the outstanding
highlight.
Funding issues and management changes have occurred
throughout the year, and the support of COGS families has
been greatly appreciated.
Attendance numbers have fluctuated at sites during the year,
with increases in Term 4 at Karoonda and Lameroo.
Pinnaroo remains at maximum and Geranium at minimum.
Two qualified staff left during the year, but others have
increased hours.
After 6 years with Mallee COGS as Administration Officer, Suzanne Barrett
resigned, and Karen Dabinett employed.
There have been 2 School Based Apprentices this year. Stevie at Karoonda
completed Certificate lll, and Holly at Lameroo should complete it by the end
of the year.
Staff training has focused on the National Quality Standards, and this will
continue next year.
2014 brings many changes and new challenges.
Attendance numbers at all sites will initially decrease due to the introduction
of School and Kindergarten ‘once a year’ student intake.
Each COGS site is gathering information from families to ascertain what their
childcare needs will be.
Please assist as much as you can to enable the service to plan for the
beginning of the year.
The Pinnaroo site will change days of operation from Tuesday and Thursday
to Thursday and Friday.
This is because the Kindergarten has to increase its days, and has chosen
to operate 3 consecutive days. This change of days is making it difficult for
some families to rearrange work commitments, and childcare between
Pinnaroo COGS and the Murrayville service.
Mallee COGS faces the issue of staffing 3 sites on a Friday.
The Pinnaroo community will continue to seek an alternative venue for
COGS to enable flexibility of operating days to meet the needs of families.
Both the Federal and State governments have announced ‘Reviews and
Consultations’ on aspects of the childcare sector. COGS families who did not
complete a Parent Questionnaire earlier in the year are urged to do so now.
Information from this will be invaluable in promoting and supporting the
service.
Hard copies of the questionnaire are available at the COGS sites, and it will
be emailed to all families.
CHRISTMAS CLOSURE
All sites will be closed from
Friday 20th December 2013
LAMEROO, PINNAROO & KAROONDA
Will re-open the week beginning
Monday 20th January 2014
GERANIUM
Will re-open on
FRIDAY 7TH FEBRUARY 2014
Lameroo:
Monday & Wednesday
Pinnaroo:
Thursday & Friday
Karoonda:
Wednesday, Thursday & Friday
Geranium:
Alternate Fridays
Full Day:
8:30 am to 5:15 pm
Half Day:
8:30 am to 12:50 pm
OR
12:50 pm to 5:15 pm
Full Day:
8:30 am to 5:15 pm
Half Day:
8:30 am to 12:50 pm
OR
12:50 pm to 5:15 pm
Full Day:
8:30 am to 5:15 pm
Half Day:
8:30 am to 12:50 pm
OR
12:50 pm to 5:15 pm
Full Day:
8.30 am to 5.15pm
Half Day:
8.30am to 12.50pm
OR
12.50pm to 5.15pm
Fun at COGS
Family wall at the
Geranium COGS Site
COGS is Fun
Spring activities at
Geranium COGS with Bella
Pinnaroo COGS
kids have been
busy playing
outdoors on new
equipment and
have been
involved in
Halloween
activities
Group time at Lameroo COGS with Sharon.
COGS kids enjoy cooking.
Karoonda COGS kids busy reaping
and getting ready to go to “work”
GERANIUM HIGHLIGHTS
Leeanna and I (Belinda) are enjoying Geranium COGS which is
operating fortnightly. We have 7-8 children each session and I do
a program for each day. This has been working well - it’s a little
extra work but it’s hard to continue a program only working
once a fortnight.
Leeanna executed a program on the 20th September. She did a
great job with the help of Elizabeth and Rebecca as I was doing
my First Aid. Top job girls - thank you.
Bella Perks attended COGS as a volunteer on the 27th September
after school to do some planned activities with the children in
line with her certificate II in children service. The activities were
all to do with spring! She had the children sponge painting all
the colours of spring onto the tree. They also did water filled
balloon painting.
We will be doing some changes to our family wall, adding bees,
birds and flowers.
One child has started kindy and one child is going to school next
year.
We are following Libby’s (speech pathologist) recommendations
for two of the children she has been helping over the past years.
I have been programming activities into the sessions to suit.
Two children have started toilet training at home and have
continued it at COGS. I have made a star chart and the two
children have enjoyed placing stickers on their charts.
We have Christmas ideas in place and will start them next COGS
day. All the COGS electrical equipment has been tested and
tagged.
LAMEROO UPDATE
Hi for the last time in 2013. As per usual we have had a very busy time here
at Lameroo. Firstly we would like to say farewell to Will and his family and
wish them well in their new adventure. We also farewell Hannah who is off
to kindy. Welcome back to the Bell family and we hope Hugo enjoys his time
with us here at COGS. We also welcome Hunter and Blake to our COGS
family.
Our numbers have been very consistent, with an average of 13 on Mondays
and 17 on Wednesdays. There is always room for more as next year’s
numbers will be down a bit with some of the children starting school and
kindy
The children have many and varied interests and we have been trying to
provide activities that link to the children’s interests. There has been many
games of mums and dads that have included many props, such as the kindy
ute, the dress up clothes, the tent for camping trips, cooking with the eggs
that were collected from Chester’s chooks, and even a couple of children
being farm dogs.
We have cooked scrambled eggs, quiche, and currant buns. Our group times
have included morning talks and interactive songs and games, felt stories,
music and singing to the guitar.
We have painted, cut and pasted, made rockets, butterflies and spiders,
celebrated birthdays, father’s day and book week, been visited by puppies
and babies, made our own play dough and played under the sprinkler. Have a
look in the ‘big book’, there are a lot of photo's to show the fun and learning
that is our day.
It is that time of year again where we start to think about Christmas. We will
be making some decorations and Christmas treats for all to share.
The staff would like to wish all of our COGS families a safe and happy
holiday season – The Lameroo COGS Team
T
PINNAROO NEWS
The Christmas parade will be taking place on the 20th of December this year. It would be
great if all parents’ and children could participate as we had lots of fun last year riding our
bikes and walking. Children can bring their bikes/trikes/pushers decorated in Christmas
colours again this year.
The past few weeks the children have been happily exploring outdoors finding various
bugs/butterflies, using the nature set to help them. We even found a turtle passing the
front of the building. We brought it in and the children thought it would be a good idea
to put the turtle in some water so it could swim. The children enjoyed watching the
turtle and identifying its different body parts, discussing what it eats and where it lives.
We then went on to make our own turtles out of paper plates. This week we found a
frog and put him in a container. The children enjoyed croaking and leaping like little frogs
and singing “Galumph went the little green frog one day’. We visit the chooks daily and
collect the eggs they have laid.
We have received new toys lately. The outdoor cars are a big hit with the children and
each car is different e.g. police, lady bug, dinosaur and fire brigade. The children role
play and get into character as they drive to ‘put out fires” and “catch the naughty people’.
We have received various sized stepping stones, balancing boards and bikes for the new
bike track. The bike track also contains a bridge on the hill and a slippery dip. It will look
great when it is completed. Other toys include mini mirrors, black/white boards, baby
toys, floor puzzles, multicultural people and sensory toys.
For Halloween we are busy painting pumpkins, making ghosts and spiders. We carved
out a pumpkin too that we got from the supermarket. The Halloween theme is new to
some children but they were interested to hear why we celebrate Halloween and were
happy to join in the Halloween activities. The children took turns to help scoop out the
inside of the pumpkin. We sang ‘I am a little pumpkin’ to the song ‘I am a little teapot’.
We have started a Christmas program, making reindeers out of feet and hands and
completing other arts and craft that parents will receive before the Christmas holidays.
Other activities have included making puffy paint, play dough, bread, and mini volcanoes,
camping in our new bigger tent, making boats, headers, jet skis and belts out of
Lego/mobilo and dancing to the wiggles CD with musical instruments. As some of the
children go the river for holidays, we have introduced life jackets to the boat at COGS
and they have been practicing their fishing and swimming skills.
The older children have been identifying and recalling the days of the week, identifying
the seasons from visual cards and discussing the weather. At group times they take turns
in pairs to stand in front of their friends to either sing a song, saying the ABC, counting or
reciting the days of the week. They are doing really well and their confidence and
pronunciation is improving each time.
Thank you from all at Pinnaroo COGS
KAROONDA NEWS
R
E
C
E
N
T
H
A
P
P
E
N
I
N
G
S
 Visiting the Karoonda Preschool for a morning
play session to support children in their
transition to preschool from COGS next year.
This was a great success and the children
enjoyed the opportunity to explore new friends
and experiences in the preschool setting.
 We celebrated aspects of Halloween – making
ghosts & spiders. Allowing the children to tell
dark, dark tales, creating Halloween themed
paintings and scary face painting.
 Welcome to all the new faces we have had at
COGS in recent weeks & months: Seth, Lucy,
Ryan, Hine-Maree and Harry
 With warmer weather the children are busy
learning about the changes in the seasons and
what we can grow and observe in the garden
(the tomatoes & spinach are coming along and
the sweet peas are colourful and fragrant).
Water play is utilised in the sand pit and
available in a variety of forms to experiment
with. Please continue to supply your child with a
change of clothes & sunhat for the summer.
 Stevie has now completed her School Based
Apprenticeship and Certificate 3 through TAFE –
Well done Stevie. She continues to work on
Wednesdays & Thursdays.
 Wendy in between creating wonderful resources
for the children’s play and repairing the popular
toy wooden header, is up skilling her
qualifications in child care through TAFE.
 We are currently fully booked on Wednesdays
and most Fridays until the end of the year.
Vacancies still available on Thursdays.
Happy & safe Christmas & New Year to all COGS
families - Karoonda Mallee COGS team
(Gayle, Danica, Wendy & Stevie)
Message from Southern
Mallee District Council CEO
It’s been a great year for the Child Care Service and as always
the Council is thrilled and very grateful for the wonderful
services all of the staff provide.
Everyone in the Mallee loves and appreciates the services and it is a great pleasure for
the Council to receive such enthusiastic and passionate support for Child Care.
As in every case there are always challenges and the Council’s commitment to support
Child Care, to develop more Care Services and to drive greater efficiencies in service
delivery are part of normal management services that applies today in every
enterprise.
There is much negotiation proceeding with the Australian Government around funding
options for the medium to long term and we look forward to sharing these outcomes
with the Mallee community and all those associated with Child Care as soon as they
become known.
The Pinnaroo Primary School and more particularly Sunyl Vogt has been a great ally
of Child Care and it is hoped that we are able to announce some new initiatives around
Child Care in Pinnaroo during December 2013 or January 2014.
In the meantime if you would like any further information please feel free to call me
directly at the Council on [ 08 ] 8577 8002.
Christmas is a wonderful time to spend with family, friends and loved ones.
It is also nice to reflect on those we are not able to share Christmas with and be
grateful for the peaceful harmony of South Australia and throughout Australia.
Thank you for your help and assistance during the year.
Merry Christmas
Tony Renshaw
Chief Executive Officer
Microwave Christmas Pudding
125mls Vegetable Oil
¼ cup raw sugar
2 eggs
1 tbspn golden syrup
1 tbspn Parisian essence
¼ cup stout or brandy
2 ½ cups mixed dried fruit
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup SR flour
1 ½ tspn ground mixed spice
Place all ingredients in above order into mixing bowl & beat until
combined. Place mixture into greased 1 litre bowl or jug. Microwave
on high for 8 – 10 mins, cover with Clingwrap and stand for 15
minutes.
Serve with custard and cream.
COGS STAFF
“TEAM LEADERS”
Belinda Perks is the Team Leader at the Geranium COGS site and has held
this position for the past 8 months. She has been part of the COGS staff for
the last 9 years, starting in 2004 at the Lameroo site and doing lunch cover
at the Geranium site. Belinda completed the Diploma in Children Services
in June 2012.She has worked at all COGS sites on some occasion. Belinda
grew up in Lameroo and now lives at Jabuk.
Gayle Day is the Team Leader at the Karoonda COGS site. Gayle has
worked at Karoonda for the past 5 years and enjoys the smaller group sizes
where you can develop close relationships with the children and families
and are able to understand each child’s interests, personalities and
developmental strengths. The COGS service relies on the support of the
local community and we encourage involvement where we can through attending
kindergym, visiting the school & preschool, local library and sharing the hall with a large
number of community organizations. It is also great to be able to provide local people with
the opportunity to study and work in early childhood within their own community. We have
a small but dedicated team who are committed to making a positive difference to young
children’s lives that offers a strong foundation for children’s ongoing learning and
development. Gayle grew up on a farm near Lameroo (many years ago) and has found it
good to maintain a connection to the Mallee through working in such an important service
that COGS provides in the Mallee towns.
The Team Leader at the Lameroo COGS site is June Sparks. June has worked
for COGS for six and a half years. She was Team Leader at the Geranium site
prior to becoming Team Leader in Lameroo in April this year. She enjoys
sharing her love of music, puppets and crafts with the children and seeing the
joy on their faces when they obviously like what we are all doing. June has
three teenage children and lives in Jabuk.
The Team Leader at the Pinnaroo COGS site is Sharon Moran. Sharon has a
BA honours degree in Early Childhood and Education. She graduated in
Ireland in October 2010 and came to Australia the following month to her
older sister in Melbourne. Sharon has been Team Leader at Pinnaroo for
over a year now and is enjoying it greatly. She feels COGS are lucky to have
such friendly, appreciative families using the service. She would like to thank them for their
support and to all the girls (educators) – she couldn’t ask for a better team