OSHC
Our fortnight in photos!
Greek Easter
On Wednesday morning we were lucky enough to have Spiros (Deanna’s dad) share with us how they celebrate Greek/Orthodox Easter and we learnt that it’s the most important celebration/feast of the year!
Preparation for Pascha (Easter) begins at the start of Great Lent. Orthodox Christians fast and pray regularly during the forty days of lent and also during Holy Week.
Whilst Deanna and her family don’t fast for forty days, Spiros told us his parents’ generation used to when they were in Greece! Roasted lamb is the traditional meat of choice on the Greek Easter table. It is normally seasoned and prepared on a spit, or souvla.
The Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar to determine their holy days, Greek/Orthodox Easter this year will be celebrated/observed on Sunday, April 24.
We learnt that red Easter eggs are a huge part of the Greek/ Orthodox Easter but they are never made of chocolate. Traditionally, families across Greece dye eggs red on the Thursday before Easter, the red symbolises the blood of Christ shed on the cross and the egg symbolises rebirth.
Deanna shared with us how they play a game with the red eggs where each player tries to successfully crack both ends of their opponents’ egg. This game is called Tsougrisma which means “clinking together” or “clashing”, the winner is said to have good luck during the year.
We are looking forward to find out who the winner is in Deanna’s family this year!
Emergency Drills
Emergency and evacuation and lockdown situations could arise for a variety of reasons, often suddenly and unexpectantly.
It is essential that our staff are well equipped and confident to manage an emergency situation effectively and efficiently in order to maintain the safety and wellbeing of children, families and visitors. Ensuring that educators and children know what to do in an emergency situation requires vigilant planning and practice.
At BNPS OSHC we practice drills for emergency situations every term, this week we practiced our lockdown and fire evacuation drills, the children are to be congratulated on how quickly and safely they responded to procedures.
We would appreciate if you could reiterate and discuss with your child the importance of following instructions calmly and promptly in an emergency. This is a great time/reminder to practice emergency plans for your home too!
OSHC Garden
A big thank you to Kareem and the students for getting their hands dirty and making a start on tackling the overgrown mess in our garden, another big thank you to Amanda, her husband Allan and their dog Heidi who came in on the weekend to weed, re soil and prune back the garden.
A great team effort!
Frequently Asked Question
Do I need to book my child in on the last day of term?
Answer: If the last day of term is your usual permanent booked day you do not need to book in, your child will automatically be on the roll already. Please do let us know ASAP if you don’t require this place so that we can stay on top off staffing.
If the last day of term is not your usual booked day and you would to book your child in please do so by emailing
oshc@beaumarisnorthps.vic.edu.au
Did you Know?
Did you know that Educators must hold or be actively working towards an approved qualification as determined by Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) to work in OSHC? At OSHC we currently have sixteen Educators on our team, eleven either hold or are currently studying an Education Degree at University, two have their Diploma in Children’s Services, two are studying an allied health degree and one has their certificate in Educational Support.
Quote of the Fortnight
“Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are”. – Harold S. Kushner
Feedback
As always, families are welcome to give us feedback about any aspect of the program. We welcome your input! Please feel free to come in and have a chat with Kelly or Amanda or email Kelly oshc@beaumarisnorthps.vic.edu.au