Dear Choklits Families,
What a busy month at Choklits, there has been so much happening to support the program in each room. Some of the highlights this month have included the Wiggerly Worm Dance and Drama incursions, commencement of our weekly yoga program, a visit from the photographer taking amazing photos of your children, learning about how to look after our pets through the responsible pet incursion and how to be safe around water safety incursion.
Children’s Week
Children’s Week is a national program recognising the talents, skills, achievements and rights of young people and ran between the 21st to the 29th of October. The 2017 theme is based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: Article 29 – Education should develop each child’s personality and talents to the full. It should encourage children to respect their parents, their cultures and other cultures. Choklits was proud to support children’s week, we discussed respect and what that means for each child and their family in line with the theme of the week.
I cannot believe there are only 8 weeks until Christmas, which means lots of more exciting things happening at Choklits over the next few months. Please look out for further information on our new website, Facebook, throughout the centre and via email.
Until next time,
Sue.
2018 Enrolments Confirmations
Enrolments for 2018 will close on the 3rd of November, all families will receive an email confirmation on the week of the 6th of November, we will do out best to accommodate everyone’s first choices, however, over the last few months we have had many new children start (or about to start) at Choklits and requests for a place on our waitlist for 2018 is already strong. There will be little room for movement between days so if you have specific requirements please act quickly as we will begin allocating places in the order enrolments are received.
If you do want to pick up extra days for next year or would like to enrol a second child please submit those requests together (one form per child) as existing children and new siblings will be given first preference over new enrollees. Places for 2018 will be offered on Monday the 6th of November and will need to be accepted by Friday the 10th of November to guarantee your spot.
Referrals
A number of our wonderful parents have referred many families to Choklits over the years and we would like to ensure we continue to accommodate those enquiries in 2018. Given we are approaching full capacity of the centre please ensure any friends or families contact us ASAP so we can continue to support our Choklits Parents and Friends Community.
Updating Family Information and Immunisation Records
If your child has been immunised lately please email us a copy of your child’s immunisation statement from the website so we can keep our records up to date. This is a regulatory requirement and without current records, could jeopardise your child’s place at the centre and your current rebates you receive.
Please also, provide any other changes in your family details for our records such as phone numbers and emergency contacts.
Christmas Holidays Forms
As you are all aware Choklits Early Learning runs 52 days of the year, however, this is usually a time of year where many of our families enjoy a well-earned break and spend some time away from Choklits. If you could please let us know if your child will be away for any time during December and January via email it would be greatly appreciated so we can ensure everyone is accounted for.
Events for November and December
- Melbourne Cup Tuesday the 7th of November, Choklits closed
- Farm Visit on Wednesday the 8th of November
- Christmas Concert and BBQ on Wednesday the 13th of December, 4-6pm
- Father Christmas coming to visit in the week of the 18th of December
Accreditation
Choklits have been notified that we will be going through an accreditation process for two days between, November 27th to December 28th. This will also mean that November will be a very busy month as we review our Quality Improvement Plan and keep working on continuous improvement with our curriculum. As always, we invite any participation or feedback from the families, please email us your thoughts.
Family Partnership and Participation
At Choklits we enjoy the many positive interactions with parents, grandparents, guardians, friends, aunts and uncles each day, whether it be morning greetings, evening goodbyes or discussions about the children and their day.
We encourage participation from families and educators in all aspects of our centre including the development of the curriculum. Building a partnership with families allows us to bridge the gap between home and care. The centre is open to parents at any time during opening hours. A high level of parent participation is important in realising a child’s potential. Providing the best quality care is only possible by using all resources available including the participation and information of families and staff.
There’s a range of ways that families can participate in the centre each day;
- Providing feedback and suggestions to any of the educators
- Sharing recent experiences at home through photos and discussions
- Sharing with your educators, special interests or skills that you have and would like to share with us (e.g. playing a musical instrument, gardening, cooking, speaking another language, etc.)
Also as the year comes to a close it is time to develop our calendar of events for 2018! We love fresh new ideas for events and celebrations so please email us any suggestions that you may have.
Cooking with Choklits
Have you seen our new menu? Please visit our Choklits blog for all recipes and menus. If you have any delicious recipes you would like us to know about please email them to us.
Policy Review and Staff Training
We review different policies and procedures at Choklits every month. All of our policies and procedures are available for your review in the foyer of the centre and our educators are here to help with any questions. This month we have been reviewing our hygiene policy and procedures. If you would like to have input into any of our policies please email Sue.
Keep Up-to-Date
Please give our Facebook Page a like. It’s a great way to keep up to date with all the latest happenings at Choklits including events, recipes and special incursions.
Parent Feedback and Input
We welcome any feedback from our families, if you would like to have a chat please come and see us in the office or send any questions or concerns to us via email.
Our Centres
(03) 9879 5888