P R E -SC H O O L • P INEMONT •

Inside this Issue:Old Pinemont Pre-School T-Shirts 2Co-Presidents Report 3-4Notes for Parents 5Coming Events/Dates for Your Diary 6Hello Joey’s! 7-9Open Day/The Banjo Frog Music Club 10-11Social Activities – 80’s Trivia Night 12-13MIKA Notice 13Bunnings BBQ/Telstra Grant/Thank You 3YO’s 14Koala’s @ Kinder 15-17Extended Hours Program 18Recipe Corner – Pikelets 19About Us – 2011 Staff and Committee of Management 20Front Cover: Our Autumn Tree at kinder.DO YOU HAVE ANY OLD PINEMONT…T-shirts or windcheaters that your children no longer wear?You can bring them to the kinder for other parents to purchasefor $2.00, with all proceeds being donated to PinemontPre-School.If you would like to contribute any ideas, photos, information or articles to the newsletter,please email Anne Cooke at annebradc@bigpond.com2

Co-Presidents Report by Gail Power and Kerryn FitzgeraldWelcome back to all. We hope you hada wonderful break. It certainly was avery busy time for the kinder. Thank youto all those who came to the workingbee and helped make our kinder lookfabulous for the Open Day, your effortswere appreciated. A big thank you to ourMaintenance Officer Tim who paintedthe cubby, installed trellis to make thedeck even safer and constructed thewaiting seat near the swings. This wasall under taken during “spare” time overthe holidays – Tim, a tremendous effort itlooks fantastic.The second big event of the holidays wasthe Bunnings BBQ. The weather wasfine and fortunately there were plenty ofhungry people out and about! We raised$1759 for the kinder. Such an achievementcould not have been possible withoutthe wonderful volunteers that helpedprepare for the event and helped on thestall during the day. Many thanks to thoseparents for their time, much fun was hadby all and it would not have been such asuccess without you!3Open Day went very well. The sun wasshining, the balloons were flying andthe music was playing! Once again ourfabulous staff had put in lots ofgroundwork and our smiling happycommittee members were there topromote Pinemont. The Banjo FrogMusic Club were a delight to have singingin the playground and it was a mostsuccessful morning. Another big thankyou to all those who put in the legworkand delivered flyers to promote the day,many visiting parents said that was thereason they came.…give yourself a pat on the back, akiss on the cheek, then some applause!Sarah, to the children, when they have listened well and behaved beautifully.

• PINEMONT •CO-PRESIDENTS REPORT CONTINUEDby Gail Power and Kerryn FitzgeraldTerm 2 commenced with Mother’s Daycelebrations in full swing. It was a specialtime at kinder with Koala’s and Joey’s eachtreating their Mum or special person.The children were all excited and theeffort they went to was delightful. A quietthanks to our staff for helping make themorning teas and presents so special.On a lighter note we were reflecting theother day on the wonderful communityhere at Pinemont Pre-School. The successof these above mentioned events wouldnot have been possible without all thehelp and enthusiasm from everyoneinvolved. Well done!!Take Care,Gail Power and Kerryn FitzgeraldCo-PresidentsPinemont Pre-SchoolPinemont Pre-School has a caring andsupportive environment where childrenare free to play, explore, discover andlearn. Our safe and stimulating 3 and4 year old programs are responsive toboth individual and group needs andreflect the children’s interests.Call 9870 3582for more informationPR E- S C H O O LPinemont Pre-School29 Hygeia Parade,North Ringwood VIC 3134T: 03 9870 3582W: www.pinemont.com.au4Play • Learn • Inspire

Notes for ParentsSIGN IN BOOKRecently, we have noticed that someparents/carers are filling in the sign inbook for the children on the wrong linesor are not filling in the pick up and dropoff person correctly. We ask that youplease take the time to fill in the details inthe sign in book for your child correctly.SICK OR UNWELL CHILDRENIf your child is sick please keep themhome. We have had a number of sickchildren in the sessions lately and not onlyare they passing it onto the other childrenbut the staff as well. Please do the rightthing and keep them home to rest up andget well so they don’t pass the germs on toeveryone else! I have a feeling it is goingto be a long winter so it is very importantfor everyone to stay healthy!FOOTWEARChildren’s footwear should allow themto play, climb, dance, ride bikes etc.,without causing accidents. We like to seeall children having fun and not worryingabout their clothing. Make sure that thefootwear they wear does not have opentoes.5CLOTHINGWe have noticed thatsome children do nothave warm jackets or beanies, pleasemake sure that your child has appropriateclothing for keeping warm during outsideplay.Please clearly label everything your childbrings to pre-school with your child’sname, especially hats and shoes. Ensureyour child is dressed in sensible, nonrestrictiveclothing that CAN get dirty!LUNCH BOXES AND DRINK BOTTLESChildren’s lunch boxes and drink bottlesneed to fit easily in their back packs,otherwise they cannot learn to zip uptheir bags if they barely fit and this cancause the children to become frustratedand dependent. It is better if they canbecome independent for these small tasksand proud of themselves for doing so.Please check if your child can do this taskeasily. Also check if they can open smallfood containers placed in their lunchbox.WORKING BEE FORM – REMINDERPlease remember to fill in and return yourWorking Bee Forms to Jodie or Kath (orplace in the ‘letterbox’ inside kinder) sothat you will be entitled to your refund.

Coming Events/Dates for your DiaryPINEMONT PRE-SCHOOL WORKING BEEWe encourage as many families aspossible to attend our Working Bee onSunday 17th July in preparation for Term3 at Pinemont Pre-School. Our list ofparticipants is still quite low so we askthat you please place your name down onthe notice board soon so that we have anidea of those who can attend (for cateringpurposes – we will hold a sausage sizzleafterwards). If you have any queries pleasecall the maintenance officer, Tim Mülleron 0402 893 924. (Please note that afteryou attend one of our three working beesyou will be entitled to your refund.)KPV BOOK CLUBYou may have noticed a KPV brochurein your pocket recently. These fantasticbook’s, toys and crafts make great birthdayor Christmas gifts. If you are interestedin purchasing any items please have yourorder and money back to the kinder byMonday 30th May. A percentage of thesales, by way of vouchers, benefits thekinder. If you have lost or misplacedyour brochure contact Teresa Lanza on0435 067 589.80’S TRIVIA NIGHTFor more information see our article onpage 12.6Dates for your Diary4YO Morning Tea, Warren Glen NurseryFriday 27th MayTerm 3 Fees DueFriday 24th June2012 Enrolment Form due at MIKAThursday 30th JuneEnd Term 2Friday 1st JulyWorking BeeSunday 17th JulyStart Term 3Monday 18th July80’s Trivia Night, Term 3Saturday 3rd September

Hello Joey’s! by Sarah CracknellWhat a month it has been!! We have beenbusy little beavers getting into all sortsof things!! To start the term off with abang we had Open Day and I just wantto personally thank everyone that wasinvolved in helping us prepare the yard,clean things and come along on the dayto help out and be rent a crowd! It was avery successful morning and we were allpleased at the outcome.MOTHER’S DAY CELEBRATIONSFollowing Open Day was our Mother’sDay celebration… the children went allout this year creating and making theirvery own present and card for mum. It wasthe challenge of keeping it all a secret andhidden before the big day that seemed to bethe hardest bit! The children had so manyreasons why they loved their mum and wecouldn’t resist putting them up in the roomfor all too see! To top it all off our Mother’sDay morning tea was upon us, we put on ourMasterChef hats and went to work creatingthe Pinemont cafe ready to serve our Mums.We cooked pikelets and served them withdelicious toppings plus we sang them someof our favourite songs from kinder. A bigthanks to Di who made the extra pikelets forus to enjoy and thank you to all the mumsand other family members who were able tojoin us it was a very enjoyable morning andwe all loved it.7

Hello Joey’s! by Sarah Cracknell continuedAIR TRAVEL ANYONE?Now we have our heads in the cloudsflying through the air in our very ownaeroplane! Thanks to the Stone familywhose parents went on a ‘very long flight’to somewhere because this sparked ourinterest and learning about air travel! Wehave made our own airport and discussedwhat happens, why there are differentrules when travelling in the air and whatthe different jobs are on the plane andwhere everything is to fit! We are nowgoing to make postcards and talk aboutdifferent countries and what there is tosee all around the world. We have heardso many stories about the kids trips onaeroplanes. It has been a very interestingtime but we have loved hearing thequestions they have had and also thestories and ideas the kids have had.8

WIGGLEY WORM LADYWe had an absolute ball with Di fromthe Wiggley Worm Dance Company…we flew to space on a rocket ship andcollected our moon rocket with socks andhair clips, we danced with pom poms andtalked about shapes and weight and heardan ancient traditional Chinese story andthen became a Chinese dragon. Di is backagain on Friday 17th June and we arelooking forward to having her back anddoing some different topics and seeinghow much fun we can have!We encourage parent/carer participationwith kinder duty. So please help out inTerm Two and place your name on theduty roster – don’t miss out on the fun!9PREPARING FOR SCHOOLThank you to everyone for your help sofar this term. As far as I am concerned weare travelling along nicely, the childrenare building friendships and are reallystarting to use their skills to explore ourlearning topics and think through allthe creative experiences they are facing.Just wanted you to know we are startingto prepare for our mid year chats! I willcollect some information to pass on toyou to consider to really see everyone besuper prepared for school. Please knowthat I will put up a sign up sheet for a midyear chat if you would like one just signup and we will catch up!!Looking forward to a great rest of theterm!Cheers, Sarah and Di

Open DayOur recent Open Day has also been agreat success and we couldn’t have hadbetter weather. Thanks to the recentworking bee the kinder was looking spickand span and we attracted over thirty sixfamilies from the area, eight from onestreet!With Alan and Karen from The Banjo FrogMusic Club playing music and singing inthe background and the yummy smellof sausages sizzling on the BBQ (ummJodie’s BBQ), prospective parent’s wereable to have a good look around thekinder, meet the staff and current parentsand ask questions. The children were ableto get involved in activities inside andoutside the kinder.Chris set up a place inside the kinder topaint the young one’s faces. Many childrenwaited patiently as Chris expertly usedsponges and brushes to great effect.Happy children and parents left the kinderwith a balloon and a showbag containinginformation and some craft goodieswhich the teachers had put together.Thank you to Jodie and Grant for rescuingthe Open Day – the kinder’s BBQ had aslight problem and Grant kindly lent hiswhich he wheeled over the road.10

Also a big thank you to all the volunteerswho hand delivered flyers to residences inthe area. Many people commented thatthey came to our Open Day because theyhad received a flyer in their letterbox.11THANK YOUTO THE BANJOFROG MUSICCLUBFor those of youwho didn’t get achance to pop intothe Open Day, youwould have missedan appearance by The Banjo FrogMusic Club. They entertained the kidsand parents alike and put a vibrantatmosphere into what was a great day.The Banjo Frog Music Club consistsof Alan Blyth and Karen Doyle andthey sing and play music for childrenof all ages, both original songs andcovers. They bring into their musicyears of experience of watchingtheir own children grow and nowtheir grandchildren. The lyrics havebeen written by Robert Blyth, takinginspiration from his own sons. Songssuch as Silly Zoo, I just can’t open mylunchbox and Dad’s are all songs thatthe kids can sing along too. If yourchildren attend the Extended Hoursprogram then they are probably familiarwith The Banjo Frog Music Club as it ismusic that gets played during theirtime there.The Banjo Frog Music Club have justreleased their first CD and are availableto play at kid’s parties or at any eventwhere you want your kid’s entertained!For more information or if you wouldlike to purchase a CD, please contactKaren Doyle on 0408 391 408.

Social Activities – 80’s Trivia Night!WHY A TRIVIA NIGHT?For our social and fundraising event ofthe year, we have chosen to host a trivianight with an 80’s theme. This will be ourbiggest and most important fundraisingevent for 2011 and the money raised fromthis will go towards our goal of buying anew Air Conditioning System to keep ourlittle ones cool in summer.WHEN WILL THIS GREAT SOCIAL EVENT BE?This fun filled night will be held onSATURDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER FROM 7.00PM.As a social event this is also a great wayto really get to know other parents inyour kinder community. It is also a goodexcuse to get a group of your own friendstogether for some fun.Therefore, we hope that everyone willget behind the night and get their 80’sthinking caps on and get as many peopleparticipating as possible. We wanteveryone to get out their leg warmers, lacegloves and start growing their mullets,join in the games, silent auctions and ofcourse have lots of laughs.If you have never been to a trivia nightbefore we suggest you start with ours,we’re going to have a ball!YOUR LEVEL OF INTEREST…To make this night as successful aspossible we will soon be sending out aletter asking if could kindly let us knowif you are interested in participating, andif so how many tickets you may wish topurchase. Ticket prices will be roughlybetween $15 - $20 and of course the morepeople we get, the lower the ticket price.Currently we are trying to get as manydetails organised as possible, such asinvestigating appropriate venues, butthis will depend largely on your feedbackregarding numbers.DONATIONS FOR SILENT AUCTIONWe will be holding a Silent Auction on thenight and are therefore looking for peopleto put forward idea’s and/or donationstowards this. If you can, or know of anyonewho would be in a position to donate toour auction this would be invaluable.We are anticipating that this will be agreat night and of course the more peoplewho attend the more fun we will have andof course the more money we can raisefor our Air Conditioning System.12

QUERIES AND ASSISTANCEIf you have any questions or queries orthink you may like to help us organise ournight, please let Teresa L or Kate knowas soon as you can. All help gratefullyaccepted.Cheers!Your Fundraising and Social TeamKate Callahan on 0401 233 472Teresa Lanza on 0435 067 589Donna Müller on 0434 126 446or Teresa Smith on 0450 405 242.13MIKA provides a central enrolmentsystem for both three and four year oldkindergarten, on behalf of its’ 23 memberkindergartens.Enrolments for three and four year oldkindergarten for 2012 are now open andclose on June 30th, 2011. All applicationsreceived by this date are treated equally,there is no advantage in submitting anearly application. Applications mustbe on the current relevant form andwill still be accepted after June 30thhowever, they will be considered aslate applications and are held in orderof receipt, to be actioned once all ontime applications are placed (subject toavailability of positions).Every enrolment form must be accompaniedby the applicable enrolment fee,proof of childs date of birth and proofof your residential address (refer to theenrolment information accompanyingthe enrolment application for furtherdetails). Proof of residential address isrequired to establish residential proximityto your preferred kindergarten.For an enrolment form or moreinformation please ask the teachersat kinder or go to the MIKA website athttp://www.mika.org.au.

Bunnings BBQA GREAT SUCCESS!Our recent Bunnings BBQ has been a great success. This is notsomething achieved by a couple of people… many contributedbehind the scenes both before and on the day. It was a cleardemonstration of the community spirit that forms the foundationat Pinemont Pre-School and as a result we raised over $1759.The proceeds so far have be used to purchase a large set of basicDuplo, a Lego people set, a marble run, and from the KPVCatelogue, a selection of books on knowledge and fiction, somegames and construction sets.On behalf of the committee – a huge thank you is extended to everyone that helpedwith this event. Thank you to all the volunteers on the day… we believe you no longersmell like sausages!Telstra GrantYou may have noticed two newtrapezoid style tables at kinder,which can be used separately orjoined together to make a hexagonshape – these were bought usinga grant from Telstra which we werelucky to receive a few months ago.We are also expecting 12 new chairsand would like to thank Sophia’sfather, James Reid for his part inhelping us with this.14THANK YOU 3YO’SYou, are to be congratulated for making suchdelicious biscuits and cakes. You worked veryhard, concentrating on each special task andworking together with your friends. All the mumshad a lovely time at the Tea Party because of yourgreat work. Those cream cakes were yummy. Thebiscuits you made with Mum’s face on themlooked happy, just like your Mum as you pouredher tea and gave her the special treats that youhad made. What an achievement!From Helen

Koala’s @ Kinder by Helen HeddingANYONE FOR TEA?The children were enthusiastic andconfident as they shared the morningtea, that they had prepared with theirmothers/carers and friends. The childrenhave been active in preparing specialparcels for their Mother’s, that show theirskill levels, creative flare and concepts ofwho their Mum is or what she does. Theirthoughts/gifts were all very individual.Mummy cooks all the time! MyMum goes to work. She likes coffee.My Mum has long legs. Mum readslots of stories. She likes to smile. MyMum is happy. Mummy is only myMum not yours too!On the day of the Mother’s Tea Party,I was proud to see the way thechildren responded with confidence andenthusiasm. They cooked, prepared theroom and then cleaned and set tablesprior to the Mums all arriving. We havesome potential musical artists in thegroup. It was a great turn out and over tosoon.The celebration was overall a great time asa community of sharing humor, happinessand satisfaction for the children, parentsand Staff.We truly hope you had a veryHappy Mother’s Day!15

Koala’s @ Kinder by Helen Hedding continuedQUESTIONS, ANSWERS & INSPIRATION…As we play we are investigating colourusing a variety of investigative experiencesto answer the “I wonder questions”: ‘How,Why, When’; and cover the spectrum oflearning facets. (eg. social, emotional,cognitive, physical, intellectual).Inspired by the Autumn colours, we arewidening and reinforcing the range wordsthat we use to name and describe colours.Colours are bright or pale, hot or dull. Wewill a highlight a new colour each week.Messy play has provided us all withwonderful opportunities to investigateand practice skills. The children are soinnovative about how they go aboutthings and sometimes we get surprisesand amazing results plus inspiredanswers. Along the way we will includefarms, transport and weather and providefor the incidental interests that arise.We will end the term with Rainbow Day.Details in your mail pocket soon!Below: Our Farm – the children made a farm with ourfarm animals and people and pieces of nature that wehave collected.16

UP AND AWAY THE 3 YEAR OLD WAY!The airportcreated bythe 4 YearOld childrenhas provideda great spacefor a game.The childrenare learningto share the equipment and as they playthey are beginning to express themselvesmore clearly, ‘using words’, to assist intheir play.“I’m going to London”, “You can buya ticket. It costs some money!”Another child gathered many treasuresin a big box to take on his trip. I hope hewasn’t going to a deserted island!“This is my case. I’m getting on theaeroplane!”MOVING RIGHT ALONG!!!!It’s so great to see what the children willdo when they have the freedom to move‘loose parts’ around at their will. We lovethe things they come up with when theydesign their own games and the beaut’way they play together! Rolling spoolsdown the pathways has become, over thepast weeks, the favourite outside activity.It’s great to watch the children as theywork together. We have many gameshappening. One game where the childrenrun backwards away from the rollingspool is tricky.The children have been testing differentspaces on the pathway and finding thatsome parts are more difficult for rollingthe spool than others.When only a few spools can be found, agame developed, where one child stood atthe top of the path and rolled it down toanother child. It was tricky rolling it backup the hill, so they ran up the hill androlled it down, then the other child wouldchase it down. Others have joined in thisgame, making it a little like peak hour inthe city. Thank goodness no injuries, butsome new rolling rules are being thoughtout by the children, so that space can besafely shared.Helen and Chris17

Extended Hours Program by Chris MeagherSINGING AND DANCING…Still singing, dancing and keeping warm!!Last week I put up our parachute tosymbolise a huge umbrella. It’s been sowet and dull, and this helps brighten upthe Kinder. We can lie underneath andrelax as we enjoy the colours, music andstories.We have learnt some new dances andsongs. The Seven Steps is a lovely folkdance, The Chicken Dance and alsothe Mexican Hat Dance – what a hoot!Impromptu dance is always encouragedand you would love the moves, rap, ballet,and other new forms that we have seen.STORY TELLINGThe last few weeks have been fascinating aswe have explored story telling and how wecan use our imaginations – close your eyesand see pictures, now draw what you see.We then wrote what each child describedto us, about them and their story. Theychildren were incredible, some taking upto 30 minutes to draw and discuss theirwork, amazing concentration.We have been very busy building threehouses!! Yes one of straw, one sticks andone made of bricks. Can you guess whichstory we acted out?? Yes thats right “TheThree Little Pigs”, and one Big Bad Wolf.Good ol Patsy Biscoe accompanies usas we tell the story through our actions.Sarah read the book while the 3 pigs gotbusy showing us what happened next.Photos should be displayed soon.Chris18

Recipe CornerMOTHER’S DAY PIKELETSDi has had a few requests for the pikeletrecipe used for the Joey’s Mother’s DayMorning Tea/Luncheon, so here it is…INGREDIENTS1 cup Self Raising FlourPinch salt¼ teaspoon Bi-Carb Soda1 egg½ cup Sour Milk(add 1 teaspoon vinegar to fresh milk)1 dessertspoon Melted ButterMETHOD1. Sift flour, salt and soda. Add sugar,egg and milk. Beat until mixed. Foldin melted butter (add more milk if toothick).2. Place spoonfuls on to a hot, justgreased, frypan and cook until bubblyon top, then flip and cook the otherside.3. Cool on wire rack or serve warmwith butter, jam and cream or yourfavourite topping/spread.Can be stored (in a sealed container) andeaten the next day – with a “zap” in themicrowave if you want them warm.19Editors Note: I’ve also frozen mine between bakingpaper and then defrosted in the fridge or microwave.They are a great snack for kinder!

About us…Pinemont Pre-School acknowledges theimportance of providing high quality preschooleducation and positively promotes,and encourages the development of the‘whole’ child.2011 STAFFDirector and Joey TeacherSarah CracknellKoala TeacherHelen HeddingJoey AssistantDi JohnsonExtended Hours Program Leaderand Koala AssistantChris MeagherCONTACT US:Pinemont Pre-School29 Hygeia ParadeNorth Ringwood Victoria 3134POSTAL ADDRESS:PO Box 2187,North Ringwood Victoria 3134PHONE/FAX:03 9870 3582EMAIL:pinemont.kin@kindergarten.vic.gov.auWEBSITE:www.pinemont.com.au• PINEMONT •PR E- S C H O O L202011 COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENTCo-PresidentsGail Power and Kerryn FitzgeraldVice PresidentSue MudgeTreasurerJodie BuglerSecretaryLissa WorthingtonExecutive AssistantEmma YardyPayroll OfficerSandy BroadheadEnrolment OfficerNienka BrownFees OfficerKathryn SedawieMIKA OfficerBelinda O’ConnorPublicity and Promotions OfficerAnne CookeSocial OfficerTeresa LanzaSocial Officer AssistantKate CallahanMaintenance OfficerTim MüllerMaintenance AssistantSarah BuchananFund Raising OfficerDonna MüllerFund Raising AssistantsTeresa SmithCath Stone