Eastmont Newsletter

Thanks to all our staff, committee members and families who have helped to make Term 1 very productive. This term is going so quickly!

All groups are now running on normal timetable. Photos are now in the foyer of our Staff with their days and times. Photos of the Committee of Management are also up so say hi to us if you see us around.

It has been a big month for social events at Eastmont.

Thank you to Megan C and her fundraising/social team for organising the welcome coffees. We had a good turn out to all days with parents and grandparents and it was lovely to meet some new and old families. 

Our Welcome BBQ on tomorrow night is sure to be a great night with yummy sausages and a cake stall. Any profit raised from the sausage sizzle will go back into the Kinder.  Thanks again to Megan, her team and all our other lovely volunteers for helping to organise this event

Our Working Bee for Term 2 will be held on Sunday 28th April at 9am (so the first Sunday of Term 2). The Working Bees throughout the year are a necessary way to maintain and update Eastmont. We will be gardening and generally tidying up the yard. Any help from the Eastmont Community would be greatly appreciated. Follow the link  volunteersignup.org/XLJA3 to sign up if you think you can come along.

Please make sure you have installed our Eastmont Pre-School Skoolbag app. This is will keep you up to date with things that are happening around the Kinder. Also follow us on our Facebook page (search for @eastmontpreschoolvermont), keep checking your notice pockets regularly and reading our monthly newsletter!

 Enjoy the rest of the term and have a lovely Easter holidays!

 - Cassie

There are 27 children enrolled in each of the 4 year-old groups.

The children are settling in well with sometimes just a couple of children a bit upset at drop off times. They are becoming very familiar with kinder routines and are quickly learning the names of staff and the other children in their group.

On the hot days the children have enjoyed playing with water in tubs as well as in the sand pit.

The children all enjoyed adding their handprints to our Eastmont Mural and have been busy painting at the easels and at tables with water colours, marbles and golf balls.

The children have been learning lots of songs including I like dinosaurs, T-Rex and Teddy Bears Picnic as well as dances If you’re Happy and you Know it, Hokey Pokey and Knees Up Mother Brown-which involves dancing with a partner.

All have a named drawer to put their work. Also in the drawers are the children’s portfolios. These folders will be kept at kinder until the end of the year.

Kinder Photos will taken this week. Museum Incursions “Backyard Bugs”  will be on Thursday 21st and Friday 27th March.

- Sonya

Children have settled well into the pre-school environment. We have tried different settling techniques with various children to accommodate their smooth transitions ie iPad, photos of Mum, liking a particular activity, ie stickers, cuddles etc.

The children have settled well into the routine, all sitting on the mat for songs and stories, enjoying ‘ducky’s kiss’ for the departure to the bathroom for snacks and especially with waiting in the corner for their ‘adult’ to say their name, so they can safely exit the room. We can monitor easily who is picking up and anyone different we don’t know.

Activities are small, so as to promote turn taking and sharing and the water with marbles and shaving cream this week has been thoroughly enjoyed.

Dates for the Circus and Under the Sea Drama Toolbox has been booked for Term 4. More details to follow closer to the date.  And a date for 3-year old photos will be confirmed shortly. 

- Kim

Director: Sonya Skok - eastmont.kin@kindergarten.vic.gov.au 

President: Cassie - president@eastmont.org.au

Vice President: Melissa - vicepresident@eastmont.org.au

Treasurer:  Kath - treasurer@eastmont.org.au

Secretary: Carole - secreatary@eastmont.org.au

Minutes Secretary: Singrid -minutessecretary@eastmont.org.au

Enrolment Officer (3yo): Xiao (Maggie) - enrolment3yo@eastmont.org.au

Enrolment Officer (4yo): Katie - enrolment4yo@eastmont.org.au

Social/Fundraising Coordinator: Megan - fundraising@eastmont.org.au

Grants/Policy/OHS: Sarah - grantspolicyohs@eastmont.org.au

Projects/Maintenance: Jawad - projects@eastmont.org.au

Communications Officer: Bronwyn - communications@eastmont.org.au

Administrative Officer: Lynette Ellis - admin@eastmont.org.au

Hi, my name is Megan and I am the Social & Fundraising Coordinator for 2019. Both my older daughters, now at primary school attended Eastmont and now my youngest daughter is in the 3yo Wombats Group.

I felt that this year was mine to commit to helping the kinder and what better way for a social person like myself to help out, than filling this role! I am so far enjoying my time in and have a wonderful, supportive and friendly subcommittee to help out with all the exciting social and fundraising events we have planned for this year.

Events

The first events being the Welcome Coffees for both 4yo and 3yo groups held during February. It was lovely to meet some of the 4yo parents, grandparents and younger siblings at the coffees we held at the kinder whilst the children played outside in the first part of their sessions. I was unable to attend all the events, members of my lovely subcommittee team stepped in to be the friendly face to welcome people, I must also thank the teachers for helping pack up at the end of a few occasions. 

The 3yo Welcome Coffees were held at Rise & Grind, a local cafe and again it was fabulous to see so many new faces and to get to know the parents, with the Thursday morning session having the biggest turn out, there was much laughter and chat which was so fabulous to see. Even some younger siblings enjoyed a babychino with future kinder mates. Thank you to all those who came along and I look forward to seeing you throughout the year. For those that were unable to attend the Welcome Coffees there will be opportunities to meet other parents at the Welcome BBQ on Friday and other events throughout the year.

Fundraising

On the fundraising side, the first Scholastic book orders have arrived. Thank you so much to the families that bought books this first Issue, we made $45, which will go towards teaching resources at the Kinder. It is so easy to order, the children can pick books they want from the catalogue and is great for gifts. Next issue will be at the beginning of Term 2.

Thank you also to those families who have offered to sell Cadbury Easter Eggs boxes, They will be available for collection from the kinder in the last week of Term. Keep your eye out in your children's pockets for information and order forms for Tesselaar’s Bulbs and Hot Cross Bun.  Thank you again for your support. All monies raised goes back to the kinder. 

- Megan