1st May 2018

Welcome to term 2!

We had a wonderful last few days of Vacation Care.
On Thursday, we learnt some circus skills. These skills included juggling, plate spinning and flower sticks. We had a great time working together to build our skills!

On Friday we made slime! We used Borax, shaving cream, food colouring, glue and water to make it. The slime was soft and squishy - we spent the rest of the day playing with it. Because the weather was so nice, we were also able to get out the hammocks and make cubbies in the playground. It was a great, relaxing way to spend the last day of Vacation Care.

We've had a great start to term 2. An activity that has been very popular at OSHC lately is making pet rocks. The children use rocks, googly eyes, and sharpies to create a unique pet rock with their own personality. Have a look at some of our creations...

Dates of interest
Here is a reminder of the dates of interest for term 2...
Friday 8th June - Pupil Free Day (OSHC available 7:30am - 6:15pm)
Friday 6th July - Last day of term (OSHC available 2:15pm - 6:15pm)

Enjoy the rest of week 1!
Maya and the OSHC team

24th April 2018

Welcome back!

We've had a great time at Vacation Care so far. As we come to the end of the holidays, we have been looking back on what we have gotten up to...

Week 1
On Monday, we had Warrawong Sanctuary come to Eden Hills with a selection of native animals. These animals included a barn owl, 2 sugar gliders, a lizard and some snakes! The children got to hear some interesting facts about these animals, as well as the habitat around our school and what animals live in it. They also got to have a hands-on experience with the animals, which everyone enjoyed! We are really glad that we could help support Warrawong in reopening it's sancuary in Mylor.

On Tuesday, we went roller skating at the Blackwood Rec Centre. This is one of our most popular excursions, and the children had a great time yet again! We had wonderful weather, which meant we got to play on the playground at Karinya Reserve before we returned to OSHC.

Wednesday was a very active day, as we had Stay Active come along to help us get moving! We had a 'Minute to Win it' session, which involved lots of competitions and games. This program also taught the children coordination, balance, strength and how to be a good sportsperson.

On Thursday, we went to the Beach House in Glenelg. We got to spend 2 hours playing on the carousel, dodgem cars, mini golf and all sorts of arcade games! We had more great weather, which meant we got to have lunch and a play on the beach afterwards.

Friday saw us using our green thumbs, as it was gardening day! We made hairy heads out of stockings, sand and lawn seed, and refilled and replanted our vegetable garden.

Week 2
We spent Monday at Belair National Park, playing on the Adventure Playground. We were so lucky to have even more great weather, which meant that the children could run and play to their heart's content. The staff also accompanied some groups of children on a nature walk around the area.

Mobile Science came to Eden Hills on Tuesday, to teach us all about forces! It was so fascinating to learn about the way forces affect us in our daily lives. After seeing some of this in action, we got to have a go at making catapults and rockets!

We're so excited about the last few days of Vacation Care - on Thursday we will have a circus skills workshop, and on Friday we will be making slime!

Happy holidays,
Maya and the OSHC team

10th April 2018

It is the last week of Term 1 - time flies when you're having fun!

This means that Vacation Care starts next week. Please see below for a copy of the program, as well as some reminders...

WEEK ONE

Monday 16/4/18– Friday 20/4/18

Monday 16th April Home Day – ‘Warrawong 2U’ (10am) Warrawong Sanctuary will bring a selection of native animals and reptiles for a 60 minute ‘edu-tainment’ session. We will learn a lot of facts whilst having an amazing ‘hands on’ experience. Warrawong is working extremely hard to reopen it’s sanctuary at Mylor and we would like to support them. Please provide lots of snacks and lunch.

Tuesday 17th April Excursion day – roller skating at the blackwood rec centre We will leave OSHC at 9.30am and walk to the Blackwood Recreation Centre for a 2 hour hosted skating/roller blading session. We will then (weather permitting) play in the playground at Karinya Reserve. After a play we will walk back to OSHC. We will back by approx. 2pm. Please wear appropriate clothes for walking, the weather and skating. Please wear or bring socks. Please provide lots of snacks, lunch and a drink bottle.

Wednesday 18th April Home Day – ‘minute to win it’ with stay active (10-12) Stay Active will get us moving and having fun with a series of crazy competitions that also teaches coordination, balance, strength and how to compete in a positive way. Wear clothes and shoes for physical activity. Lunch will be provided Please provide lots of snacks

Thursday 19th April  Excursion Day – the Beach House at Glenelg We will leave OSHC at 9.45am travel by bus to Glenelg for a 2 hour (10.30-12.30) ‘dry package’ that includes the merry go round, arcade games, dodgem cars, mini golf .. everything that’s NOT in the water! Weather permitting we will have lunch on the beach, collect shells and go for a walk. We will NOT be swimming J We will back at OSHC by 3pm. Please wear clothes and shoes appropriate for the activity. Please bring lots of snacks, lunch and a drink bottle.

Friday 20th April Home Day -  Gardening & hairy heads We will be getting our hands dirty and refilling and replanting one of our vegetable gardens outside and inside we will be making hairy heads (with stockings, sand and lawn seed) to take home. Please wear clothes that can get dirty. Lunch will be provided. Please provide lots of snacks.

wEEK TWO

Monday 23/4/18– Friday 27/4/18

Monday 23rd April Excursion Day – Adventure Playground, Belair National Park We will leave OSHC at 9.45 and travel by bus to the Adventure Playground in Belair National Park. We will have lots of free nature play, exploring, climbing, running, chasing and socializing. We will be back at OSHC by 2pm Please wear appropriate clothes and shoes for adventure play and the weather. Please provide lots of snacks, lunch and a drink bottle.

Tuesday 24th April Home Day – Mobile Science ‘Fun with forces’ (9.30-11.30am) Our favourite science people are back. From 9.30-10am they will present a ‘fun with forces’ show, followed by an hour long interactive hands on workshop. Please provide lots of snacks, lunch and a drink bottle.

Wednesday 25th April PUBLIC HOLIDAY ANZAC DAY

Thursday 26th April Home Day – Circus Elements circus skills workshop (10-12) We will learn – plate spinning, stilt walking, juggling and more J In the afternoon we will have our own circus performance … roll up, roll up Please provide lots of snacks and lunch.

Friday 27th April Home Day – ‘slime factory’ We are making slime J J J different types (hopefully fluffy and glittery!) we hope it works!!! Everyone will get a container to get their slime home safely. Lunch will be provided Please provide lots of snacks.

Thursday 19th April is now FULL.
Please remember to fill out and return your Vacation Care bookings as soon as you can, especially if there are specific days you need due to work, etc. Once a day is full we are not able to book in any more children for any reason. Alternatively, please let us know if you have booked your children in but no longer intend for them to come. At the end of the term (this Friday), all bookings will be final and you will be charged for them. This is because we need to make bookings and pay for excursions, budget for food and staff etc, which all depends of how many children are booked in for each day.

Please read your Vacation Care programs carefully, as there are some days that have clothing/footwear requirements. We have several excursions that require children to wear shoes that are appropriate for walking, wet weather clothing/umbrellas, and extra socks (rollerskating day). Please ensure that your children's clothing and footwear comply with the requirements of the day, as it makes it difficult for them to fully participate in activities if they do not.

On each day we ask that you provide lots of snacks, as well as lunch on most days. We ask this because the children are often extremely active at OSHC, and that combined with long days means that they are very hungry! Please check what food is required for each day your children attend, and ensure their lunchbox is full.

Term 2

As of the beginning of Term 2, OSHC will be purchasing a red hat for each child. These will cost approximately $10, which will appear on your invoice, and will become your child's property (they will have the child's name on it). We will have a few spares at OSHC, however children attending OSHC will need to have their red hat with them in order to play outside. They will also be needed for excursions. Previously, we have provided a large number red hats for any child at OSHC to use free of charge. We have made the decision to change this so that we can meet the accreditation standards of minimizing contamination. Even though we have never had head lice at OSHC, the standards require us to minimize hat sharing where possible.

Each year, we charge a $40 admin fee. Please be aware that this fee will appear on your invoice at the beginning of term 2.

Did you pick up your child's seesaw QR code? Similarly to your child's class, OSHC has a Seesaw account. Due to the large number of children we have attending OSHC regularly, we are not able to post as much content as a class can, however we do our best to post as much as we possibly can. If you have any questions about Seesaw, feel free to ask us!

We are aware that many of the children who attend OSHC have some homework to do each night. Although children are not able to access computers as OSHC, the staff are able to help with any homework your child may have! There are several staff who are qualified teachers, some who are studying to become teachers, and all of us have extensive experience in working in an educational care setting. We are also able to sign off on any reading, tricky words practice, and so on. If you would like us to help your child regularly with homework when they are at OSHC, please don't hesitate to ask us.

As some of you may have noticed, Sarah has not been at OSHC as regularly as in previous years due to increased relief teaching work, some of that being at EHPS. Sarah has recently accepted a job as OSHC director at Seacliff Primary School. Although we will miss seeing her around the school very much, we are so excited for her as this is an incredible opportunity! We are sure the families of OSHC will join us in offering her congratulations.

We hope your last week of school is a great one!
Maya and the OSHC team