Our Fortnight in Review

Some happy snaps of our fortnight!

Our 2018 – 2019 Annual Parent Survey

Thank you to all the families who took the time to complete our Annual Parent Survey, your feedback is vital in ensuring that our program is responsive to the needs, strengths and participation of children and families. It is our aim to consistently provide the best possible outcomes for your child and this information helps guide our future planning. Here is a snapshot of our survey results.

WHAT DO WE DO WELL?

Our relationships with children - 'The educators are all so friendly and welcoming and I feel at complete ease dropping my children off - thank you', 'All the staff at OSHC are friendly and approachable and it’s obvious they get along well, my kids just love coming!'.
Extra-curricular activities - 'The extra-curricular activities are absolutely fantastic, my son has enrolled in both the AFL program and the Soccer program and he LOVES it!', 'The sports program is fabulous, unfortunately with our busy work schedule we just don't have the time to take our kids to training so having the professional coaches come to OSHC ensures they are not missing out!'.
Homework Club - 'Thank you for providing the Homework Club, for us working parents it is so difficult to find the time to do his reader when we get home, it is so nice to come home and have that one less thing to worry about'.
Activities - 'My kids and their friends all love coming to after school care, thank you for running such a wonderful program', 'My daughter never wants to leave, there are always so many engaging activities happening, cooking is her favourite!'
OSHC News - 'We love looking through the newsletter as a family, my son has even made a few appearances!'.

WHERE CAN WE IMPROVE?

Orientation process - 'My son was very anxious about attending both school and OSHC, although he has settled in well now, I would have loved to have had the opportunity to take him through the program before he began attending school', 'I wasn’t able to attend the information mornings at the school, it would have been great if these were provided either early in the morning or after 5:30pm at night'.
Staff information board -'There a few new staff members who I don’t know the names of, it would be great if the information board could be updated so we know who is who'.
Carpet - 'This is just a small issue and I understand it may be difficult with so many children, but the carpet could really do with a good steam clean as there are so many marks especially around the entry areas'.
Opening hours - 'Would it be possible to extend the opening hours for both before and after school care? Getting to work in the city by 9am is a real struggle for us!'.

We are in the process of reflecting on all the feedback and are working towards improving our service.

2020 Enrolments

Please note that we will be accepting 2020 enrolments for SIBLINGS of those CURRENTLY enrolled in the OSHC program from Monday 15 July 2019 (first day of Term 3). We strongly advise that you complete enrolment forms and return them to us as soon as possible after this date as we will be accepting enrolments for ANYONE wishing to use the program in 2020 from Monday 29 July.

PLEASE NOTE WE ARE UNABLE TO ACCEPT/HOLD ANY ENROLMENTS BEFORE THIS TIME

*All permanent bookings will automatically rollover into 2020 - if you don’t plan on using the service next year, we would really appreciate it if you can please let us know so that we can allocate your place to someone else.

Assessment & Rating Visit

We have just been given notice of Assessment & Rating. All Education and Care Services are assessed and rated by their state and territory regulatory authority. Services are assessed against the 7 Quality Areas of the National Quality Standard.

The first stage of the process is submitting our Quality Improvement Plan which was done last week. We then look forward to a visit from an Authorised Officer at the beginning of Term 3 where they will use a standard process to get all the evidence needed to assess and rate our service. This includes:

Observing - what children, families, educators, co-ordinators and staff members are doing
Discussing - why and how certain practices happen at the service with educators and staff
Sighting - the documents that are in place to support the practices at our service required by the National Law and National Regulations.

We are really looking forward to showcasing all the wonderful things we do at OSHC!

Child Care Subsidy

Child Care Subsidy Family Income Thresholds

The annual cap and the hourly rate caps are adjusted at the start of each financial year based on the Consumer Price Index.

Please CLICK/TAP HERE to access a fact sheet detailing the new 2019–2020 rates that will apply from Monday 1 July 2019.

OSHC Sub-committee

With a few of our long-standing members moving onto other endeavours, we would like to put the request out again to join our OSHC Sub- committee.

We try to meet at least once a term (at a mutually convenient time) to discuss our OSHC program. Please email Kelly at oshc@beamarisnorthps.vic.edu.au to express your interest.

Our Top Picks for the School Holidays!

Gumbuya World

Even in the winter Gumbuya World has a range of activities to enjoy. These school holidays get set for themed and mosaic builds, LEGO Technics, Duplo play for the tots, craft stations and much MORE! Bumpa Zorb Balls *new*, Lazy River Pedal Boats *new*, Giant Jenga, snakes & ladders + connect 4, Gumbo’s Wildlife Show, Gumbuya Nature Trail Tractor ride, Macaw Ranger talk, Koala Ranger talk, Dingos Ranger talk, Pythons Ranger talk and Kangaroo Ranger talk.

For more information, please CLICK/TAP HERE.

Birrarung Wilam (River Camp) Walk

The Birrarung Wilam Walk takes you through Federation Square and down to the Birrarung Wilam (Common Ground) Aboriginal art installations experiencing the Aboriginal history of the Birrarung Marr (Beside the river of mists) and Aboriginal Peoples of the Kulin Nation.

For more information or to book, please CLICK/TAP HERE.

Werribee Open Range Zoo

For eight nights only (6 – 13 July), visit Werribee Open Range Zoo as it lights up with all the action of Wild Nights. See what the animals get up to at night, toast marshmallows by the campfire, play in the Glow Zone, watch dazzling fire performers, and refuel with hot chocolate, mulled wine and delicious food. Plus this year, for the first time, see the amazing life-size animatronic dinosaurs at Zoorassic: Dinos After Dark!

For more information, please CLICK/TAP HERE.

Warburton

Get back to nature and enjoy some winter walks in Warburton along the Yarra then stop at one of the lovely cafes for a coffee or hot chocolate!

Colgate Community Garden Challenge

Reminder: Our school is competing in the Colgate Community Garden Challenge and we need your help! Please CLICK/TAP HERE to vote for us online and track our school’s ranking

NOTE: In the section that says 'who would you like to vote for' you will need to type '3193' and wait a few seconds for our name to appear. Each email address is eligible to vote once per DAY, so please keep voting!

Noise Reducing Ear Muffs

We have a number of noise reducing ear muffs available for children to use at OSHC. These ear muffs help to lower the overall decibel rate of background noise whilst still allowing children to hear when someone is speaking to them.

Our ear muffs are used frequently by the children and are great for children who just want a bit of time out or who want to read in peace when they are at OSHC.

Quote of the Fortnight

'No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship' – James Comer

Feedback

As always, we welcome feedback about any aspect of the program. Please feel free to come in and have a chat with Kelly, Tamara or Amanda, send us an email or leave a note in the Feedback box on the sign-in table.

We welcome your input!

Kelly Szabo

OSHC Co-ordinator

Japanese at Home!

Why not learn the Hiragana characters with your child?!