Art Show!

Our 'Children's Art Exhibition' will be held this year on Saturday 21st of September, and will be a family friendly, daytime event. There will be group artworks from each room available for you to bid on prior to, and on the day, sausage sizzles, entertainment and more.

Your children have all been working so hard on their beautiful, unique individual artworks. Here are some sneaky peaks and information about what each of the rooms have been up to! We hope to have our group artworks displayed for you soon to view and put some early bids on!

Jingi Walla Room

Throughout the year the Jingi Walla children have been exploring many different artistic mediums, techniques and sensory experiences. In particular we have been experimenting with painting and creating using natural materials such as leaves, sticks, feathers, clay and herbs and spices to create and mix our very own scented 'paints'. Painting with herbs and spices created a sensory experience that the children enjoyed immersing themselves into. Painting, mixing, smelling the different scents; cinnamon, tumeric, ginger and paprika; touching the mixtures with their hands and sometimes noses when they got a little too close! The children were free to express themselves creatively, and also verbally, responding vocally to the different scents. This was the basis for our group piece which was worked on slowly over a few months, the focus being on allowing the children to fully enjoy the process at their own pace and each have an input into the artwork.

For our individual pieces we have been spending some time exploring clay! Using hands, fingers, sticks, rollers and various equipment the children really had the opportunity to get hands on with this medium, to mold, press and shape the clay into some very special, unique creations.

Jambay Room

The children in the Jambay Room have been working with lots of different art mediums, tools and techniques over the year, being offered process-focused art experiences as a part of our daily program. For our group artwork the children were offered the opportunity to explore texture, patterns, cause and effect and colour mixing, through using different tools such as brushes, scrapers, sponges, potato stamps and tissue paper. Each adding their own markings while immersing themselves in the creative process. We are excited to show you the final result of our collaborative mixed media work on hessian, which will be framed once the children have finished adding the final touches.

The children have also been working on their individual art pieces which you will get to take home with you. Again these are all unique expressions of your children's imagination and creativity, and will be something you can treasure.

Gariimaa Room

Over the past month the children in the Gariimaa Room have been very busy working on their individual art pieces and the group art piece.

We have a variation of individual works developed on canvas and paper, using collage, paint and drawing. It is evident through the works that the children’s drawing skills have developed increasingly over the past months, whilst others have enjoyed creating more abstract forms of art.

The group artwork has been developed using the children’s interest of campfires through the winter period. Incorporating natural materials with acrylic, a sense of community and belonging is felt through the work.

We look forward to seeing you at the unveiling of the works as the Gariimaa children show a huge sense of pride in what they have achieved

Djimbelung Room

Throughout the year the children and educators of the Djimbelung Room have been taking walks through our local community. We have been visiting the bakery and the butcher to buy bread for our sausage sizzles! We have also visited the primary school and the new park. These walks take us through the main street of Bangalow as well as spending time in The Grassy Park.

This has sparked the children's inspiration for our Art Show piece which all of the children have contributed to. Expressing their creativity and individuality, each child has added their own artistic interpretations of our little town, using pens textas and water-colour paints! Our amazing artwork is in the process of being framed and we look forward to sharing the finished product with you soon.

Reminders

A reminder to please drive very slowly into and out of the carpark and always look in your mirrors when reversing. We have lots of families moving in the carpark at the same time, and lots of little people getting out of cars. Please be mindful of this.

The weather is warming up so please ensure your children have some lighter, sun-safe summer/spring clothes in their bags or under their jumpers to change into if it gets warm during they day. Still a good idea to pack a jumper etc for the time being as its still a little cool when the sun goes down in the afternoons.

Also as the weather is warming up we ask that you apply SPF 30+ broad-spectrum water-resistant sunscreen to your children each morning. SPF30+ broad-spectrum water-resistant sunscreen is also available at the centre for parents to apply to their children on arrival, and educators will reapply sunscreen throughout the day upon request or as determined by educators (in accordance with our sun protection policy).

When signing your children in and out please remember to press DONE which is located down the bottom right of the screen to complete your sign-in or it is not valid.

Thank you!

CCS Balancing- Centrelink

Attached is some information regarding Child Care Subsidy balancing. Please take a moment to read. Thank you.

Dear Families,

Child Care Subsidy balancing is underway

Throughout the year, Centrelink pays your Child Care Subsidy (CCS) based on the details you’ve given them. At the end of the financial year, they balance your CCS to make sure you received the right amount.

Centrelink is balancing CCS for the 2018–19 financial year. Your CCS won’t be balanced straightaway. It can take some time.
 
Here’s how Centrelink gets to your outcome.

1. You confirm your income

You need to confirm your family’s income for the 2018–19 financial year before Centrelink can balance your CCS. You and your partner do this by lodging your tax returns with the Australian Taxation Office.

If you don’t need to lodge a tax return, you need to tell Centrelink by doing an ‘Advise non-lodgement’ with them. You can do that either in your:

• Centrelink online account through myGov, or
• Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.

2. Centrelink works out your CCS entitlement

Once you’ve confirmed your family income, Centrelink will work out how much subsidy you were entitled to for the financial year. They compare that amount to how much you were paid throughout the year.

Centrelink then makes any necessary adjustments. This includes adding CCS withheld throughout the year. Centrelink withholds 5% of your weekly CCS during the year as a default.

If you were paid too much CCS at any time during the year, Centrelink will also factor that in. This may happen if you had a change in your family’s circumstances or if your family income estimate was lower than your actual income.

3. Centrelink tells you your outcome

Once Centrelink has considered all of these factors, they send you a letter with your outcome. The letter will outline how they’ve worked out your outcome.

There are three possible outcomes:

• A top-up payment – you don’t need to do anything else. Centrelink will pay this money to your bank account you’ve given them.
• No further action – you received the correct amount of CCS during the year.
• An overpayment – you may need to take action to pay back any money you owe. If you don’t set up a payment plan or pay the money back in full by the due date, Centrelink may reduce your future CCS to pay off the debt. Centrelink will work with you to set up a repayment plan you can afford.

If you have any questions you can visit www.humanservices.gov.au/balancing. There is more information on the Centrelink website also. 

Be You- A Children's Mental Health Initiative:
Play!

Beyond Blue has launched a children's mental health initiative called 'Be You', formally Kids Matter). 'Be you' aims to promote optimum social and emotional outcomes and inclusion in early childhood settings. BCCC is committed to ensuring children, families and educators attending the service have access to resources, information and support and we have created an action team that will work collaboratively to implement this process. If you would like more information about this please don't hesitate to chat to Jen in the Jambay Room who is our Well Being Officer.

Each newsletter I will be attaching a link to various fact sheets from the Be You website. This month we are sharing with you some information about the importance of play when it comes to children's wellbeing.

Play is vital for children’s mental health and wellbeing. It supports the development of skills, attitudes and sense of self (discussed above) that are known to be protective (for example, social competence, good coping and problem-solving skills, resilience, connectedness and the availability of support at critical times). The development of these skills, however, requires adult intervention at critical times for social learning. Most children need help to negotiate these things, and you need to be aware and available to help when needed.

You can read more about PLAY here.

Dr Louise Porter - Toileting

Each newsletter we will be including links to some valuable information by Dr Louise Porter. This weeks link includes information and suggestions surrounding Toilet Training. Click here to read more.

"This website is dedicated to children: those spirited young people who value being in command of themselves and who protest when adults attempt to control them, the gifted learners whose needs are seldom appreciated but from whom we can gain such insights, and those children whose learning style or needs make it a challenge to conform to school.

I am passionate about safeguarding children’s self-esteem, promoting their social skills, and supporting their resilience in the face of the challenges that life often raises, and to teach them to behave considerately, being mindful of how their behaviour affects others, rather than what consequences it may earn them.

I have taught at university, conducted a private practice for 30 years, and worked in both mainstream and disability agencies and schools. I am an author and have spoken extensively throughout Australia and internationally.

Check out some of my ideas on the Your questions page, or get information about some resources that might guide your parenting or your work with children on the Resources page.

Louise Porter, PhD, MA(Hons), MGiftedEd, DipEd, BA, BIntStuds
Child Psychologist"

Whats On In The Community.