What a fantastic last few months we have had here at Kidi Kingdom Child Care Springfield. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of our new families into our centre. We trust that we are meeting all of your expectations, and welcome to the Kidi Kingdom Child Care Springfield Community!

This term we hosted our first parent and educator evening. The feedback we received from the event was amazing and we are pleased that families appreciated the one on one time with their child/ren's educators. As the evening attracted great interest and not all families were able to attend, we aim to plan for another parent and educator evening before the end of year. We have also enjoyed our annual Aunts and Uncles Day where we witnessed some wonderful interactions between the children and their families.

As you are aware, we have had changes to our fees along with CCS% changes from 10th July, 2023. If you are still unsure or need more information in regards to your account, please do not hesitate to give the centre a call and you are more than welcome to make time and sit with us to clarify.

A friendly reminder to our families that the centre provides all children's meals, so you do not need to pack a lunch or snack for your child. As we provide all meals, bringing food from outside the centre can affect our food licensing agreement with our local council and also poses a risk to children in the centre with anaphylaxis. If you believe your child requires alternative food at meal times, please let us know and we can arrange this for you.

The centre also provides cups for your child to drink from. I understand the importance of bringing in drink bottles, however our policy states we do not accept drink bottles.

I would also like to announce the expansion of our team and welcome our new Kindergarten Teacher Miss Mikaela. Miss Mikaela will join us Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm. If you would like to meet Miss Mikaela outside of these times, please see Miss Natalie and we can arrange a time that suits everyone. Miss Mikaela is very keen to join our little community and has wonderful ideas to guide our Kindergarten children to be ready for their transition to primary school.

We have lots of exciting events coming up so please keep an eye out in your emails and a notice in the foyer.

If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to see either myself or Ms Chrystle or email us at s@kidikingdom.com.au. We would also like to invite our families to head over to our Facebook and search us on Google and leave us a review. We always appreciate our families supporting our centre with your positive experiences so we would love for you to share with our local community by jumping on our website or Facebook and leaving us a review.

Kind Regards, Natalie Andrews Centre Manager Chrystle Smith Assistant Centre Manager

Click here to visit our pages at Facebook and Instagram

Dear Valued Centre Families,

Thank you for entrusting us with your children's care and education. To summarise the curriculum for this term, our Early Learners have been having fun with learning games and kicking developmental goals! Our Junior Early Years friends enjoyed exploring culture and diversity along with their individual interests and also focused on family goals. Our Early Years children delighted in experiencing the benefits of a flexible indoor/outdoor program delivery while the Senior Early Years classroom are thriving as they develop increased independence and life skills through their daily routines. Our Kindergarten students have engaged in various school-readiness activities along with learning how to implement the methods of research and investigation into subjects of interest.

I would like to applaud all our educators, from Early Learners room all the way to Kindergarten for their ability over the last few months to successfully introduce a variety of advanced topics including animalia and nature, community and people, culture and reconciliation, conservation and preservation, child health and safety, self-care and nutrition through carefully curated activities and experiences that challenged children's current abilities and in turn built upon their existing knowledge in order to achieve greater child engagement.

I personally look forward to the jam-packed month of science and literature with the upcoming events of National Science and Children's Book Week, where the children will participate in themed activities that focus on learning about the world around us and use their imaginations as we delve into a selection of Australian authors' handiwork!

As the Educational Leader, it is also my priority to connect with each child and their family, to establish good communication and maintain strong relationships through daily interactions. Valuable family liaisons enable your child's educators and myself to gain insights on and get to know each child from their family's perspective which in turn facilitates smooth transitions between daycare and homelife. Open conversations provide the opportunity for us to give feedback on your child's progress and achievements, so please feel free to stop and have a chat during pick up and drop off, or should you wish to schedule a time to discuss any issues or concerns, you are welcome to do so.

Another great online tool to directly communicate with your child's room educators regarding the program is by utilising the Hubhello comment links at the end of individual observations and cycle of planning observations - these are private conversations and useful for discussions regarding specific developmental and other learning areas.

Thank you for choosing Kidi Kingdom Child Care Springfield to help your child learn, grow and excel!

Kind Regards, Chrystle Smith - Educational Program Leader.

Dear Valued Early Learners Families.

As we continue through Term 3 with Exciting Experiences in the Early Learners Room, our Early Learners have achieved so many goals by learning through play, exploring indoors, getting creative, practicing our language skills, outdoor/nature exploring and imbedding health and other life skills.

In June, we planned group activities like 'rolling ball' and 'pushing cars' to each other, utilising Kidi Kingdom's learning games resources. Tailored to each child's developmental needs, we also engaged the children in one-on-one experiences like construction. Our creative exploration was accentuated by producing art using only natural materials and the power of our imagination.

July brought about a shared creation of height charts through various painting methods. We focused on children's healthy growth, recording their heights and weights and also introduced them to concepts of physical well-being and self-identity. Following the observation of interests, we built mini kitchens and small gardens, encouraging children to pour water into the cups and water plants to enhance their independent skills and also understanding the importance of saving water for environmental protection. We also discussed healthy food and healthy eating/drinking to promote self-care. Additionally, we designed clocks to foster an understanding of numbers and mathematics and introduced letter recognition through tape paintings of the initial letters of their names.

Our event calendar brought about the celebration of diversity through play-based learning, joining events like National Reconciliation Week, Naidoc Week Celebrations, and National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Children's Day. The National Best Friend's Day, International Yoga Day, and Teddy Bear's Picnic Day saw our children display their strong learning capabilities, social skills, and care for others. We would also like to thank the parents who attended the Aunt's and Uncle's Morning Tea.

August has been an exciting time, fueling children's observational and exploratory skills to connect and contribute to their world. We've crafted ocean-themed artwork and discussed and created marine life stickers as we admire their fascination with animals and curiosity about nature. This gave them a fantastic opportunity to understand the world around them. We will continue supporting children's understanding of the world by continuing to provide engaging activities and cater to each child's unique developmental needs as per their family goal sheets.

In the upcoming National Red Nose Day, we plan age-appropriate activities to educate about the importance of sleeping safety. During National Science Week, we'll spark imagination and innovative thinking through explorative and experimental activities. Lastly, in the Children's Book Week - Read, Grow, Inspire, we will focus on enhancing language skills and learning abilities.

As always, our commitment to providing your child with a safe, nurturing, and stimulating learning environment that promotes growth and development remains steadfast. We look forward to another exciting term together!

Kind Regards, Miss TaTa.

Dear Valued Centre Families of the Junior Early Years Room.

The educators and the children of the Junior Early Years room farewelled MIss Kerri and welcomed MIss Chloe as our newest assistant educator to the classroom.

We have been exploring many new emerging topics over the past month. We have been incorporating elements suggested from our families during our parent/educator evening. It was great to interact with our families one on one to discuss their child's goals and interests and hope all our Junior Early Years families found our 6 month summative assessments regarding each child's growth and development useful to aid in future family goals.

In our Junior Early Years classroom children have been learning about cultural celebrations, natural and processed materials. In addition, road safety and vehicles which has proven to be a fond learning area. As educators we like to turn all of the children's interests into learning opportunities where we can promote each child's learning of life skills for everyday living. It is also our passion to support the children to develop a better understanding of themselves and their community.

We aim to incorporate a nature-scape excursion in the coming months to give the children an opportunity to explore their wider community and feel connected to their outdoor environment.

Kind Regards, Miss Taneeka and Miss Chloe.

Welcome Families of the Early Years Room,

The children of the Early Years Room have been extremely busy over the past two months. They have engaged in rich, meaningful and fun learning activities in both the indoor and outdoor learning environments. We introduced the children to new topics and extended prior knowledge to assist them in being positive and contributing members of our society.

During June, we studied three topics, Reconciliation Week, Under The Sea and Native Australian Animals. Reconciliation week started our month of June where we explored the meaning behind reconciliation week and why it is important to recognise and understand the meaning. We engaged in a range of creative arts experiences to educate the children about the topic, using ATSI ( Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ) colours and natural materials such as leaves we found in our garden. We learnt ATSI songs that encourage inclusivity for all and used our building sticks to create a beat for the songs.

Our next topic was Under the Sea, we dove into learning about the many different areas of the Ocean. To begin, we discussed what the ocean is and what types of activities we enjoy doing there. We expanded our knowledge of what type of animals live in the ocean and how they breathe underwater. Our final topic for June was Native Australian Animals. We engaged in a wide variety of activities that educated the children. We looked at the significance some of these animals hold to the Indigenous people as we moved our bodies to mimic their movements -jumping like a kangaroo.

We looked at three topics in July, NAIDOC week, Road Safety and Personal Hygiene. NAIDOC Week started our month of July which saw us engaged in a week long celebration of Indigenous Australian recognition. We introduced the children to practicing Welcome to Country where the children thanked the traditional owners for the land, which we have been implementing into our everyday program. We also engaged in musical experiences, learning new songs and using clapping sticks to create the beat for the songs. We studied Road Safety for the next week. We put a huge emphasis on looking both ways before crossing the street and holding hands with a grownup. We put this into practice by using the bike track in the yard. We looked at the colours of the traffic lights and what they represent, creating our own actions to match the lights and ensuring we are staying safe near the roads.

Our final topic for July was Personal Hygiene, focusing on how to stay safe from germs in the colder weather. We engaged in multiple art and craft experiences; the favourite being creating our own 'germ monsters'. We participated in a science experiment to show the children the importance of using soap when washing their hands.

We would like to give a big welcome to two new friends, Rivah and Aariv. We have some exciting events to study and participate in during the month of August: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Day, National Red Nose Day, National Science Week and Book Week. We look forward to implementing fun, creative, educational and intentional activities to extend their knowledge and strengthen all areas of their life.

Kind Regards, Miss Shayla and Ms Reetu

Dear Families of the Senior Early Years Room,

We are very excited to share with you all that we have been learning and share the upcoming events in the Senior Early Years Room we will be participating in. We have welcomed some new friends and have made some great new friendships.

In the month of June we celebrated National Reconciliation Week. This is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. The children engaged in different activities and participated in learning all about our shared histories.

National Best Friends Day. This day was created with the idea of enjoying Best Friends. The children all gathered together, playing, sharing and participating in a variety of activities.

International Yoga Day . This day is celebrated to raise awareness about the benefits of yoga. Yoga has various physical and mental benefits. This is an old practice which originated in India. This yoga practice includes many physical exercises such as breathing, postures, and mental exercises. The children all participated in some yoga exercises, focusing on relaxing their bodies and their breathing, to calm their bodies and minds.

In the month of July we celebrated NAIDOC Week. We participated in celebrating the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians all over the country and overseas. The children participated in activities that focused on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, engaging in arts and craft, learning about the different meanings behind symbols and we had Miss Taneeka come and sing "Taba Naba" with the children, "Taba Naba" is a traditional song originating from the Eastern Islands in the Torres Strait. It is sung in the language of Meriam Mir and describes the everyday activity of going out to the reef to fish.

We also had a beautiful Teddy Bear's Picnic where the children were able to become their own teddy bear by creating beautiful teddy hats and eating some delicious afternoon tea together.

In the month of August we will be celebrating National Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Children's Day where the children will participate in various cultural activities and learning stories. We will be participating in Red Nose Day where the children will be encouraged to wear a red shirt. Additionally, National Science Week will be an exciting week for all where the children will participate in various science activities, learning how different objects work, the force of gravity and many more interesting science experiments. In August we will celebrate Book Week where the children will be encouraged to come dressed as their favourite book character and engage in small conversation with their peers about the character they have chosen.

Winter has now come to an end and we are very excited for the warmer days ahead of us. We look forward to spending each day with your children, watching them grow and learn.

Kind Regards, Miss Maddison and Miss Raquel.

Dear Valued Families of the Kindergarten Room,

To begin with taking the opportunity to advise all families of my role in the Kindergarten Room. I am Ms Caroline. I have been at Kidi Kingdom Child Care Springfield for over three years now and I am the Second Early Childhood Teacher. I also work in a float capacity throughout the centre.

I have vast experience working with children and am a mother to seven children and a Nanna to a two year old granddaughter and a newborn grandson. Many families may have seen me across the centre and over the last three years I have predominantly worked in the Junior rooms mainly with the babies and toddlers. However, I do at times work in the other three classrooms at the centre.

From time to time I substitute as the Early Childhood Teacher in the Kindergarten room when the Kindergarten Teacher is away on annual leave, personal leave, professional development and for any other reasons when the Early Childhood Teacher is not at the centre. This ensures that the Kindergarten program is continually provided to the children and as most children know me quite well this assists in their continuity of care and education.

In August we welcomed our new Early Childhood Teacher, Miss Mikaela. Miss Mikaela will be working closely with our children and educators to implement an educational and learning based Kindergarten Curriculum. We look forward to welcoming Miss Mikaela to our Kidi Kingdom Family.

For the months of June, July and August the children have been busy with their learning. In June the children's learning focused on plant's with particular interest on parts of a plant, plant life cycles, what plants need in order to grow and thrive, germination of a seed with an experiment on how the seed of a bean plant germinates and grows into a plant.

We participated in International Yoga Day which teaches the children the benefits of yoga and meditation. This was celebrated with the children learning various different yoga poses.

For the first week of July the children learned the meaning of Naidoc Week with group time discussions and activities that centred on Naidoc. The children were provided learning activities to help them understand and respect indigenous groups and their history, cultures, traditions and achievements. The children looked at indigenous art works, listened to dream time stories, songs and engaged in various craft/art activities.

From our Teddy Bears Picnic Day the children showed such enthusiasm for bears that we planned some learning about teddy bears and how we love them. The history of the teddy bear led into a unit being discussed all about the different types of bears we have in the world. The children with their educators researched and explored polar bears, panda bears, brown/black and moon bears. We watched the smart board to see bears in their natural habitats, learned their behaviours as well as discovering many other interesting facts. We looked at pictures of bears and had craft and art activities about bears. As a follow up to the unit on bears we delved into the different types of body coverings animals have and the ways their coverings help them to live and survive. Interesting animals with different coverings were explored such as turtles and tortoises with shells, echidnas with quills, snakes with scales, lions, giraffes, zebras with camouflage fur and manes to polar bears with white fur and black skin. For this learning the children undertook matching activities, listened to stories, pictures/reference books and engaged in lots of art and craft activities.

Aunts and Uncles Day with the children was greeted with enthusiasm when the children's Aunts and Uncles joined us in participating in a variety of fun activities. The children enjoyed having their special visitors come into the centre and spend some time with them.

For the month of August we acknowledged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day. We discussed why we celebrate the day and the significance of the day with the children undertaking many planned learning activities and experiences. Following on with the children's expressed interests with larger Apex animals we touched on the subject of shark's and discussed all things shark's from small to large and discovered some very interesting facts that lead on to the children talking about dinosaurs with many children showing their own knowledge base on the subject. We will continue on with learning about dinosaurs for the month of August.

In the Kindergarten Room the ongoing learning objectives for the rest of the year will be following on with their group and individual interests, continuing on with name recognition, numerals, literacy, refining gross and fine motor skills, strengthening pencil grip and scissor cutting skills. Attention to routines, self help skills, independence and refining social skills for children to make friends, share with their classmates and cooperate in social environments and school readiness will be given.

As always we encourage parental input and suggestions to best support your child's learning and to continue building a positive relationship with all our families.

Kind Regards, Ms Caroline and Miss Anum.