Aspiring Beginnings News & Views

How do we get fresh free range eggs?

Admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:18:06 +0000

Farmer Brett may supply fresh free range eggs BUT we are suppose to have our own regular supply, which simply is not the case. Our hens are quite old and don’t want to lay anymore. So “what do we do” we ask?

“Well how about we get some more chickens”?
“What a good idea, but where do we get chickens”?
“From an egg”
“Any egg”
“No, they have to be fertilized eggs”
“OK, lets get some eggs and hatch some chickens”

and this is what we have done.
Come and have a look, they are incubating in the kowhai room.
Now what should we do with the hens that won’t lay?
This is creating a lot of discussion.
What would you like us to do?

(Sadly, today we arrived to discover that our chickens had died.)
(It would appear a dog or stoat must have got to them last night.)
The tamariki have had a funeral and sung “Twinkle, Twinkle, little star”
Hopefully our incubating eggs will hatch into
gorgeous little chicks, who grow into healthy hens, that love to lay lots of eggs.

What else is on the display boards?
PETS – PETS – PETS – PETS – PETS
CAN WE HAVE A PHOTO OF YOUR PET, OR PETS?
The children have expressed that they want to bring their pet in for ‘news’? We appreciate this isn’t always possible but we can talk about a photo on the display board. The photo can be of anything you like.
Them eating, drinking, swimming, sleeping, playing or whatever.
Also, while on the subject of photos;
“What did your whãnau do over the Easter break”
Email: kaho@aspiringbeginnings.co.nz

From the learning pathways display board

Admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 02:54:48 +0000

JOBS IN THE COMMUNITY
The tamariki have been very interested in role playing our local police and fire officers, actively helping and taking charge of situations. At the A&P show the children spotted the policeman and wanted to ask him lots of questions, so we decided to invite Constable Mike to the centre. Mike drove his car into the garden and the children loved having a look around the vehicle and they did ask “lots of questions”. For the role playing fireman, we organised a visit to the local fire station with Ralph. The children were very excited to explore the inside and outside of the fire engine and see what the fireman wear when they attend a callout. Thank you to Mike & Ralph for taking the time to show our tamariki their roles in our community and how they keep us safe.
Thank you also to all the parent helpers.

(To read the full story, come and have a look at our learning pathways display board.)

Parenting evening – Kitchen Table Conversations

Admin — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 23:22:08 +0000

AGM – Annual General Meeting. Monday 23rd @ 7.30pm

Admin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 23:37:23 +0000

Please support our parent volunteer committee. Come to our AGM, 7.30pm on Monday 23rd April. We do have some vacancies to fill on our committee if anybody is interested. What is required to be a committee member?The governance role requires an investment of time and energy for 1-2 years on a volunteer basis. The rewards are not only seeing the centre achieve continued success, but also building skills that are useful in other facets of your work & personal life.
As a committee member your objectives are to;

- To be an effective supportive member of a team fulfilling the role of governance.

- Exercising a ‘duty of care’ (responsible decision making).

- Act honestly.

- Avoid using your committee position for your own advantage.

- Comply with Legislation & Ministry requirements.

- Act in the best interests of the Centre & Stakeholders.

If you feel you can contribute to the governance committee, we welcome your nomination. Please also note that we offer an exemption from the Grounds Maintenance levy as a thank you for your commitment. New volunteers often take on the role of only a committee member and not delegated a specific role. Plese come and see us if you would like to know more information.

Name of person being nominated:_______________________________________ (please print)

For the position of (if applicable): _______________________________________

I agree to the above nomination”_______________________________________ (signature of nominee)

Name of proposer 1: _______________________________________ (please print)

Signature of proposer 1: _______________________________________

Name of proposer 2: _______________________________________ (please print)

Signature of proposer: _______________________________________

The committee is between 5 – 10 members, including an appointed President, Secretary, & Treasurer.

March newsletter

Admin — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 21:04:02 +0000

Click here to read our latest newsletter to be up to date with important information. This Thursday is “wear your Pyjamas” day. To celebrate Easter we are having an easter treasure hunt and the children have been busy making hot cross buns.

Have a wonderful Easter holiday. Remember our Fire Truck excursion is on the Tuesday after we reopen.

A&P Show Excursion

Admin — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 01:55:32 +0000

On Friday March 9th we plan to walk to the Wanaka Show grounds to see our art and baking on display as part of the A & P Show. The children have been very busy making plum chutney, tomato relish, mint sauce, crab apple jelly, book marks and a poster as well as harvesting the scrumptious vegetables from our garden. We have also been lucky to taste as Elizabeth uses these fresh ingredients in her meals.

We will leave ABs at 10am and enjoy a picnic lunch on Pembroke Park before returning by 12.30pm.

Tamariki please wear suitable footwear and your AB’s t shirt.

What a fantastic outing. The children got to see sheep, goats, horses, alpacas and all the entries in the home industry section. This year we won 3rd for our tomato relish. To finish off a great morning we enjoyed a delicious picnic lunch prepared by Elizabeth, then a quick game of roly poly before walking back to school.

From the first day

Admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:56:55 +0000

So what does your child need each day they attend?

A bag big enough to keep all their belongings.
A piece of fruit each day to share at morning and afternoon tea.
A minimum of two changes of clothing that are comfortable play clothes for exploration and creative endeavours.
A reusable waterproof bag for wet clothing and/or cloth nappies.
In Summer:
- A sun hat,
- appropriate sun protective clothing that covers the shoulders,
- to have sunscreen protection on parts of the body that will be exposed to the morming sun
(We apply sunscreen after lunch)
In winter:
- A warm jacket, hat & gloves,
- Shoes that keep the feet dry, and
- even more spare clothes.

There is no such thing as bad weather only bad clothing

What else do the younger children need to bring?

At least 4 to 5 nappies
Wipes and nappy liners.
Any bottles, milk or formula required.

So that all belongings come home, please name everything.

Food and drink is provided that has been prepared to fulfil daily nutritional requirements. However if you prefer your child to not have our healthy heart nutritional menu then please pack a lunch box with everything your child will need to fuel their day.

click here to see a delicious sample menu, or

click here for our lunchbox guidelines.

2012 – Haere mai

Admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:06:38 +0000

We are very fortunate to have had the expertise of Poppa Carrick to get our grounds into ship shape over the holidays ready for another year of fun, friendship, discovery and learning. Just a couple of changes to our teaching team for 2012. We welcome Maegan to our teaching team. Maegan has just graduated from New Zealand College of Early Childhood Education bringing her musical talent with the ukelele into our teaching program. Tracey is so busy with their icecream business that she will only be relieving occasionally, and Nick is now a permanent member of the teaching team until the end of term. On behalf of the teaching team, WELCOME to all our new and existing families. We hope this year to focus on enhancing our ICT practices with the tamariki. We have an open door and welcome any comments, or suggestions, that help us to provide your child with the best learning environment for them to grow as confident and capable learners.

Click here to see more information from the February newsletter…

News & Views – December

Admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:27:29 +0000

Whats the latest? To find out, read our newsletter. This will be the last for the year. To all our families and friends have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. We look forward to helping new families with enquires from Monday 23rd January.

Hotel quality sheets for sale

Admin — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:42:48 +0000

We have secured 100% cotton, 250 thread count, hotel quality flat sheets and pillowcases to sell as a fundraiser.

$56.00 for 2 flat king sheets and 2 pillowcases.

$45.00 for 2 king single sheets and 1 pillowcase.

Individually: $25.00 per king sheet, $21.00 per king single sheet or $4 for a pillowcase.

We have kept the pricing quite competitive and looking forward to treating the tamariki to some new resources. For any enquires please ring 034431181 or email info@aspiringbeginnings.co.nz