The A to Z of Kindergarten

ABSENCES FROM KINDY

• We require two weeks notice if your child will be away for an extended period of time or if your child is leaving Browns Bay Taiaotea kindergarten permanently.

• Please phone in when your child is not well and cannot attend kindergarten

• Please phone in to notify us if your child will be absent for part or whole of a session for reasons such as: Dental/Doctor Appointments, School Visits, Speech Language Therapy, Family events , etc.

• Kindergarten Contact Details: (09) 478 7795 or taiaotea@naka.co.nz

CHECKING IN AND OUT PROCEDURE FOR YOUR CHILD

•  Encourage your child to carry their own bag into kindy and hang their bag on the hooks provided so that your child knows where their change of clothes/lunch is.

• Encourage your child to find their name tag on the white board and place it in the basket.

• Encourage your child to write their name on the children’s sign in sheet.

• As the parent/ caregiver you are required to sign your child in and out (including in and out times) of kindergarten.  This is very important as Government funding is dependent on the number of hours children are at kindergarten.

• Place fruit into the fruit bowl

• Check the parent pocket (with your childs name) to see if there is any correspondence from staff or the committee i.e. newsletters, donation envelopes, committee fundraising/ social event flyers, kindergarten trip information etc. You can also use this pocket to contact other parents for invitations to play or a party.

• Check the daily white board by the front door. This will have the most recent updates of what’s happening in the kindergarten.

CAPTURING OUR PROGRAMME IN ACTION

We have a very strong core curriculum that offers a range of learning experiences every day.  Along side this we delve deeper into childrens and teachers specfic interests.     We capture the learning and teaching as it evolves and this is displayed on planning story boards throughout the Kindergarten Stay in the know and check them regularly.

We may, from time to time, take trips or have visitors that consolidate and extend interests.

CARE OF YOUR CHILDS BELONGINGS

Our programme often has messy and wet play so please don’t dress your child in good clothes, not all paint stains can be removed. Please do the following:

Pack a spare set of clothes in your child’s bag.  Name all belongings, particularly shoes, hats, bags, and lunchboxes.

We have a “LOST PROPERTY” box, a “SHOE” box and a “HAT” box, we encourage you to check these regularly.

Please keep little treasures (toys and trinkets) at home.

DONATIONS AND FUNDRAISING

Kindergartens receive funding from the Government in the form of Bulk Funding.  This is based on the number of children enrolled in the kindergarten.  Because Kindergarten is not part of the compulsory sector, the Government is not obliged to fully fund our Kindergarten operations.  About 90% of the funding received is paid on salaries: the remaining is used for administration costs, some maintenance and professional development for staff.  However, there is a significant shortfall and this is why donations from parents and fundraising events, run by the committee are imperative in keeping the kindergarten running.  This money is used to purchase teaching resources, equipment, power, a cleaner and to ensure the building and grounds are maintained.  

An invoice is sent out each term to parents asking for a contribution. There are options to pay weekly, fortnightly or once a term. You will be given an envelope for payments which you can post into the “money” box.  Contributions are tax deductible and a receipt is given at the end of every term and at the end of the financial year (31st March).  If you have any special skill or contacts that could help the kindergarten in fundraising or maintenance, please contact one of the members of the Parent Committee.  Your help is greatly appreciated!

FUNDRAISING LEVY

The fundraising levy recognises the constraints facing families around time and availability. 

The committee has surveyed the parent community and has established a consensus that a $20 a term ($25 from Term 3 2011) fundraising levy and one major fundraiser a year would ensure the Kindergarten fundraising goals are achieved equitably. 

The levy is invoiced each term and the major fundraiser requires all families to help with their support.

FOOD ROUTINES

• Our refreshment table is available from 9.30am

• We ask that you contribute a piece of fruit everyday to the shared morning tea

• Cold filtered water is available at all times.

• Children will need healthy “brain food” whilst that are at kindergarten e.g. crackers and cheese, sandwiches, fruit and carrot sticks are all suitable for lunchboxes. 

• Please name lunchboxes and drink bottles.

• All children who attend Friday session have lunch before they go home between 12.10 and 12.30pm. Please pack and bring a healthy lunch box on Fridays.

• We acknowledge the impact of food intollerances and allergies on children/families. Therefore these following items are restricted from Kindergarten: Please do not bring chocolates, fizzy drinks or sweets.  Please do not bring yoghurt as we have no cooling facilities and is rather messy.

• Our Kindergarten is a Nut Free Zone. We request no peanuts, peanut butter. This includes chocolate spreads such as nutella.

KINDERGARTEN HIRE

You can hire the kindergarten for your child’s birthday party. Hireage is $50 and there is a bond of $100 which is returned after the party. Please check with our administrator well in advance of the party as the kindergarten is not always available, especially during term breaks.

MONEY COMING INTO KINDERGARTEN

CHILD SAFETY

Safety is obviously of paramount importance to us at Browns Bay Taiaotea Kindergarten. The following points are aimed at keeping your child safe:

• We need to sight and have a copy of your child’s immunisation certificate on file.

• We have regular fire and earthquake drills with the children.

• Please ensure your child has a sunhat and is wearing sun block during the summer months. You will find a bottle of sun block  on the sign in desk if you forget to apply before you come.

• The children are required to wash and dry their hands before eating or handling food, after using the toilet, blowing their nose, coughing or sneezing into hands.

• We encourage children to cough and sneeze into their elbow to help prevent the spread of illnesses.

• If your child feels unwell at the beginning of the day or if they have been displaying signs of illness within the past 24 hours, please keep them at home and phone the Kindergarten to notify.

• No medication can be administered to your child without written consent. If your child requires this, please see the head teacher for the appropriate form for you to sign.

• Please inform the staff if your child has any food intolerances/allergies.

• We have a zero tolerance towards aggression, intimidation and hurting.

KINDERGARTEN COMMITTEE 2011 - JOIN US NOW!

• The committee consists of parents (Mums and Dads) and is a great way to meet new families in the area.
• Our Kindergarten is not a privately owned centre. It is a not-for-profit community based, family orientated Kindergarten. Therefore we cannot run without the committee - you are so important to us, and the success of your child's early learning experiences.
• The parent committee supports the teaching team so that they can provide well resourced learning programmes. This includes involvement in how our budget is spent, fundraising, and organising social event for the wider Kindergarten community.
• Fundraising is organised for the purpose of covering shortfalls in running costs and for the purchasing of equipment and resources for the children.
• New members are elected at the AGM in March. You can join anytime in the year also.

What involved?

• Meetings are held monthly for around 1.5 hours
• Helping to co-ordinate fundraising
• Helping to co-ordinate social events for children and families
• Making new friends and having lots of laughs!!

The parent committee support the teaching team so that they can provide a well resourced learning programme, manage the maintenance of the buildings and grounds, raise funds to meet the basic running costs of the kindergarten and run social events to create a successful kindergarten community.  The committee communicates with parents either via newsletters in parents pockets or in the kindergarten newsletter which comes out every term.

Members are elected at the AGM in March each year.  Everyone is welcome and full support is provided by NAKA, staff and outgoing members should you wish to join.   We always welcome parents to join the committee anytime of the year.   We have our committee meetings monthly on a Monday night.  Feel free to come along to one to see what it’s all about.

PRESIDENT:   The president’s responsibilities include managing the monthly parent and any special meetings (such as the AGM), representing the kindergarten at any NAKA (Northern Auckland Kindergarten Association) meetings, liaising with teaching staff and NAKA, ensuring that polices/procedures are being followed, ensuring a budget is formulated and approved and ensuring that tasks are carried out between meetings. 

TREASURER:  The treasurer’s responsibilities include being well informed with NAKA’s accounting system, maintaining an accurate record of income and expenditure, receiving and actioning instructions from NAKA, undertaking weekly banking, preparing a monthly report which is emailled to NAKA by the 20^th of the month, preparing an annual budget, preparing all end of year requirements for the auditor and recording pre-approval of expenditure.

SECRETARY:   The secretary’s responsibilities include receiving and actioning correspondence, preparing an agenda in consultation with the President for each meeting, writing the minutes of all meetings (including AGM), circulating minutes to committee members, teachers, notice board and NAKA, supplying a key register and committee list to NAKA and ensuring that NAKA newsletters are put onto the notice board for parents to read. 

NB: Please see the committee board for photos of other members and “friends of the committee” (parents who prefer not to be on the committee but are willing to help at particular events).

We would love to have you on our 2011 committee. Please register your interest with a teacher at Kindergarten.

HOW CAN PARENTS LEND A HAND DURING SESSION TIME?

Parent help gives you the opportunity to observe your child playing, interacting and learning alongside others in a fun and exciting environment. We have a parent help roster at Browns Bay Taiaotea Kindergarten. We ask that you help one or two sessions per term. You will find the roster on the sign in table. If you have any problems parent helping you can swap your time with another parent or talk to one of the teachers. The teachers appreciate your assistance in the busy sessions.

WHAT YOU CAN DO DURING THE SESSION:

1) If an area is messy please clean and reset.

2) Cut up fresh fruit for the children to be ready at 9.30am

3) Keep the children’s eating table clean and restock the plastic cups (from the kitchen) at the water cooler.

4) Load the dishwasher with any dirty dishes and wipe down the bench.

5) Help in a specific area. The teachers may sometimes have an area such as the carpentry or art table that they would like you to work in. To encourage the children to extend their creativity and thinking, we find it useful to take a moment to see what they are doing and then ask them to tell you about what they are planning to do. Help to find resources or hold things and include other children on the conversation.

6) Make a cup of tea or coffee for yourself and the staff love a good cuppa too! If you have any special interest areas you could share with the children and teachers, i.e. music, drama, dancing, cooking, art, careers, storytelling etc please let us know, we will arrange the programme to suit.

WHAT YOU CAN DO AT THE END OF SESSION: More hands make light work, we would appreciate your help in the general tidy up. If you are at a loss some suggestions are:

• Washing up the paints and tidying the art bench

• Tidy up the kitchen bench and load the dishwasher

Please encourage children to help you in the tidy up process i.e. wiping tables and putting away toys.  If siblings use these areas at the end of session please ensure that it is left as you found it.

WHERE CAN I FIND POLICY INFORMATION AND OTHER DOCUMENTS?

You will find policy information, current newsletters, financial reports etc in the Kindergarten’s policy document hangers - hanging just outside the office door at kindergarten.

CHILDRENS PORTFOLIO FOLDERS

Every child has a portfolio where a record of their learning experiences are collated.

This is achieved through our “Learning Stories” assessment process. This looks at children’s learning in a positive framework which involves the child, family/ whanau and teachers. The portfolios include photos, stories, artwork and contributions from home.

This mutual sharing of information about your child between home and kindergarten creates a wonderful story of a unique and special child. Please feel free to take your child’s portfolio home to share with the family;  please sign it in and out.

PRE-ENTRY VISITS TO KINDERGARTEN

We want you to come and visit during a session before your child starts. We highly recommend 2-4 visits. This assists a smooth start at kindergarten. (Please note you are required to stay with your child at all times on visits).

Introduce your child to the teachers and help them gain familiarity with Kindergarten eg. Toilets, morning tea routine, mat times, tidy up times, the teachers and the pets.

YOUR CHILD´S FIRST DAY

• Please bring a named bag with a change of clothes, a piece of fruit and your first box of supplied crackers for the term.
• You will be asked to complete some important admission documents: we ask you to allow yourself some time to stay and fill these out.
• Please bring your child’s immunisation certificate for us to copy.
• A smile and a confident approach that your child will enjoy their day
• We will help your child learn their morning routine, e.g. hang up their bag, put their piece of fruit in the fruit bowl, find their name and put it in the basket, try writing their name, put their lunch box in the lunch box container if they are staying for lunch

SETTLING YOUR CHILD INTO KINDERGARTEN

Teachers are quietly confident that with support and direction all children will settle quickly into Kindergarten.

Sometimes children need help to settle. The teachers have many years experience of helping children and families settle in so please talk to them if you have any concerns or need support.

We have found that it has been helpful for both child and parent if a leaving routine is established between you and your child -  just like a bedtime routine.  E.G. Hang up your bag, put the fruit in the fruit bowl, find your name, write your name, one book together, one puzzle, walk Mum/Dad to the gate, kiss and cuddle, see you at mat-time :-)

UNWELL CHILDREN

Regulation 28(2) and (4) of the 1998 Early Childhood Education Regulations are very clear about unwell children not attending sessions.  In fairness to the unwell child and the other adults and children in the session we ask that you do not send them if they have:

• a temperature
• an uninvestigated cough
• vomited in the past 24 hours • had diahorrea in the past 24 hours
• a persistant cold
• a persistent nasal discharge
• a sore throat or headache
• school sores
• nits/lice

Unwell children need to be at home rather than the busy atmosphere of the kindergarten.   These restrictions are to minimise the spread of infection to others. 

5TH BIRTHDAY MAT-TIME POLICY

When your child turns 5 we have a special mat time to celebrate their leaving kindergarten. During the session the birthday person makes a dough cake. At mat time they sit on our birthday chair and we sing “Happy Birthday”, play a game and read two stories from the childs portfolio. If you have any objections to this eg. On religious grounds, please feel free to let us know. Our Healthy Food Policy prevents us from allowing Birthday Cakes, lollipops etc to be brought in for the children at birthday times. If you wish to purchase the kindergarten a farewell gift, we have a box with an assortment of items to choose from. Please see either one of the teachers or Kirsten for some ideas if you wish. Please do not feel obligated to purchase a gift. If your child turns 5 during December please contact your chosen school directly for starting dates during December as it can be disruptive for both school and child if they start too close to the holidays. Your child is welcome to remain at Kindergarten or you may wish to take advantage of this special time with your child.