Sustainability

Sustainability has been a topic each of the ELC classes have spent time exploring this term. One of the elements of the National Quality Framework for Early Years services, is that the service cares for the environment and supports children to become environmentally responsible. We have a number of initiatives to support this at St Anthony’s. Through keeping chickens and a vegetable garden we are involving children in environmentally sustainable food production practices. We are able to collect fruit and vegetable scraps to feed the chickens, and anything that they leave is placed in our centre’s compost bins or worm farms. The children are involved in the composting process. They know where the compost bins are kept for each class and the foods that can be placed in these. The children help feed the chickens and love to check if any eggs have been laid. They also help let the chickens out in the mornings and afternoon so they can have some time to roam freely on the grass each day.

Another way we encourage and embed sustainable practices in our everyday, is through using natural materials in our classrooms for play and for creating and making activities. We try to encourage children to be thoughtful in the way they use materials. We also use materials collected in our junk construction bins for craft resources, and try to avoid plastic materials that go to landfill.

Each classroom in the ELC has three bins, a recycling bin (the yellow bin), a paper waste bin (the blue bin) and a waste to landfill bin (the red bin). In each class we have spent time teaching the children which bin should be used for different kinds of rubbish. Each morning tea and lunch time, we support the students in choosing the correct bin for their rubbish to go in. We have also spent time using the rubbish from our lunch boxes to create some posters to help the children sort rubbish into the right bin.

We would love you to support us in encouraging children’s awareness of caring for the environment and making sustainable choices. One of the ways that you can help us with this is by choosing packaging for lunch items that is recyclable or reusable.  Fruit, vegie sticks and dips, cheese and crackers, home baked muffins, and sandwiches are all items that can be packed in reusable lunch containers to reduce the use of cling wrap and other plastic wrapping. There are also beautiful colourful beeswax wrappings available in many stores that can be used as alternative to cling wrap when preparing children’s lunches. Another way to support our sustainable practices is to donate some items to our junk construction boxes kept in the foyer. We would love donations of egg cartons, the cardboard packaging some fruit and vegetables comes packed in, and small cardboard boxes. 

Pupil Free Day

Catholic Education has set aside two dates for systemic staff professional learning: the first day of Term 2 & 3.  

In light of this, the ELC will extend the School Holiday Program to include MONDAY 19 April. 

A letter from the ELC General Manager has been emailed to all families.  

Holiday Program

Our holiday program is fast approaching with lots of fun activities planned across the two weeks. Some of the great activities include bring your own scooter & bike day, dress ups, messy play and a Teddy Bear’s Picnic. 

Details and the booking form for the School Holiday Program is now available on our webpage.

Please complete another online form for Monday 19 April if you have already submitted an online form and need to add this extra day.

Please submit your bookings by Monday 29 March.

CWA Forms

This week you should have received a copy of your Complying Written Agreement (CWA) via email. This agreement outlines your bookings with us and is an agreement to provide care in return for fees. 

This form needs to be checked and signed by the parent/guardian who is registered for the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and is then kept on file as a requirement of receiving your CCS. If any details are incorrect please make changes and initial the form.

Please sign and return your CWA by next Friday 19 March (in hard copy or via email is fine).

Welcome back Miss Michelle

We look forward to welcoming Miss Michelle back to the ELC next week. We hope she is feeling rested and recovered! We can’t wait to see her back! The children made some gorgeous cards for Miss Michelle, which we know she loved receiving! She is the heart and soul of St Anthony’s ELC and has been missed by all of us!