July 10'
Jumpstart Educare
Kia Ora,
The chill of winter is upon us! We are enjoying lots of sunny days outside with a few rainy days for good measure. A big thank you to all the families that have donated all sorts of valuable things.
As a new centre we don’ t have all of the re -sources of an older centre such as old aunt Betty’ s hats, handbags and shoes, Granddads old briefcase or tie, pots and pans from the shed etc. Its great to have these things rolling in. The children appreciate playing with familiar items from home.
Thank you also to the parents that were able to come on the farm trip,
it ’ s great to have your support and to have you join us on our outings.
Lost property:
We endeavour to help all of the children care for their belongings,
however we always have an abundance of lost property.
Please label all of your child/ren‟s clothing. At the end of each
term, all of the lost property that has not been claimed will be
labelled „Jump Start‟ and kept for spare. Labelling all of your
children‟s clothing will ensure its safe return. If you receive an
item that does not belong to your child please return it so that it
can go into the lost property or returned to its rightful owner.
Our planned trip with our 4 year olds to Cambridge East School
for the Football Frenzy was unfortunately rained off. Even though
the event went ahead, we didn't think it was appropriate to walk
to school in the pouring rain. Gaylene instead took the children
involved upstairs and played a game of football using balloons.
They were also treated to a special morning tea that they were
meant to have at school.
As from next week our Whanau room will have the Waikato times 
available, as well as hot coffee and biscuits, or coffee on the run. Please take some time out of your day to sit and „take five‟, watch the children at play, talk with other families and relax.
We now have the sign-in sheet for the children aged 3 years and over. Already we have found the sheet is proving to be a hit, providing the children with an opportunity to feel proud of themselves as they develop
their literacy skills. We don’t want the children to feel that they have to write anything if they don’t want to, this would be defeating its purpose.
In June, we had Police Constable Peter Leng came along to Jump Start to talk to the children about their safety. He talked about safety on bikes, travelling in the car and calling for emergency help by dialling 111. The children thoroughly enjoyed the experience, especially when they were able to have a turn in the police car (sitting not driving!) So a great big thank you goes to Policeman Pete from all at Jump Start.
It is a legal requirement that all children under the age of five use a 
approved safety seat while in a motor vehicle. Please ensure
your child is always buckled in and the car seat is used in the safety approved manner. The police will be carrying out random checks in our area over the next few months.
Parent night:
Thank you to all the parents that were ableto attend the parent night. It was great to get to know our families more and for you to get to know the staff a bit better. For those of you that were unable to attend, each staff member introduced themselves explaining a little about who they are. The staff members also produced wonderful posters about
themselves, which are now in the entrance hall to the mixed room for all families to stop and have a look at. Our families are very important to us and we would like to have open and often communication with our families. Please do not hesitate to talk to any of the staff or make a time to meet to discuss your child/ren.
Planning story:
Our living world story has come to an end with our trip to the farm park and its time to start a new story from what we have noticed children‟s interests have been. It seems children have a real interest in food and where it comes from. Of course this would mean talking to the
children about meat and animal products and where they come from etc. We would like to consult with our families to see if you have any objections to exploring where foods come from. We would also like to incorporate different cultural foods and would love you to join in. Please discuss any of your ideas or concerns with staff.
If your child/ren is/are going to be absent for a booked session, please call to let us know. We keep a record of any illness to see if there are any common illnesses ’going around’. Also, please note that any unscheduled absences will be charged for, as we arrange staffing according to the numbers of children booked in.
Session changes:
With the centre now being open for 18 months we are looking at changing some of the sessions we offer. This will not affect current families, however they will be able to take advantage of the new sessions at no extra cost. We now have a minimum enrolment of six hours each day. A six hour session for children not claiming the 20 hours free will be $30.00 for this six hour session. For six or more hours there will be a full day charge of $40.00. Please check with Selena or Gaylene how this would effect you if you are claiming 20 free hours. As stated we will not be charging any existing families for the extra hour if you would like to change your booking to six hours, taking advantage of one hour free.
Head lice:
Head lice are a common parasite these days and eradication is very difficult. Please check your child’s head often to ensure there is no
infestation. Children at the centre with live lice will be required to be 
picked up and treated before returning to the centre. If you
have any questions please feel free to talk to any of the staff. The best way to prevent your child from getting ‘nits‘ is to:
Keep long hair tied up
Comb your child’s hair frequently with a lice comb and conditioner to prevent the live lice from hanging on to the hair shaft
Check your child’s head often
Add rosemary or tea tree oil to conditioner or use a preventative from your local chemist.
Payment of fees:
The expectation for payment of fees is that they are to be paid in advance or on the last day of your child/ren‟s week. These can be paid by Eftpos, automatic payment, cash or cheque. Some of our accounts are a few weeks behind and, as our policy states that “your booking will
be cancelled after two weeks non payment” (without arrangement),
we would appreciate families talking with Selena or Gaylene to ensure your booking is not cancelled.
Thank You
May 10'
Jumpstart Educare
May already, wow! Easter seems like a distant memory already as do the long summer days. As you may have noticed, the centre is filling up rapidly. This is great for the children as they are developing their social
skills by forging new friendships and relationships. Should you want to increase your child/ren ’ s hours before we are completely full, speak to Selena as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Upcoming events:
Parents Evening. Please join us on June 10th to get to know the staff and enjoy some cheese and wine.
As well as having heaps of fun, we raised $32 for Plunket on our 'Super Hero' day. We had lots of 'Spidermen' and women as well as lots of other cool and inventive superheroes.
Thank you to all those who could join in.
Our Planning stories are now ‘BUGS’ and ‘The Natural World’. If you happen to find some interesting bugs lurking about anywhere, please feel free to bring them in for the children to inspect. We can also use things you find to paint with, like twigs, shells and leaves. We could also use these things to make prints on our pottery and in play dough...the ideas are endless.
Thank you to those who have already brought bugs in for us to look at. This is a project the children will never tire of. They really enjoy spotting bugs around the Jump Start playground.
Special Thank You
A huge thank you to Ryan Simmons, Lily’s daddy, for making yummy pasta with us, we all had fun learning how pasta is made and having a
turn pressing the pasta in the roller and of course tasting our handy work. Have a look at the photos on your way in and out of the mixed age unit. Ryan also provided us with a huge sack of flour for making play dough with. Awesome!!
Bunnings in Cambridge have kindly given us some left over water based paints. This is very generous and we really
appreciate such a gesture. This paint will be very useful for our colourful art work produced on a daily basis. Bunnings
also donated some off-cuts of wood which we are able to use with the carpentry table for our incredible designs.
Another thank you goes to Genesis Energy for the office equipment they very generously donated. We can now be busy and efficient office workers and maybe teach Selena a thing or two...? There is always somebody sitting at the desk playing with this equipment, we very much appreciate this thoughtful donation.
Children’s Art
We have a new art box and table coming soon in reception to enable us to treat the children ’ s art with the respect it deserves. When the children have art work or other creations to take home, we will put it in the art box for you to collect. We hope you will soon adopt a routine of checking the art box before you leave the centre after each session. The box will make it easier to pick up and take home children ’ s work.
Notices
One of our relieving staff (Sam) brought in his guitar and sang and played. What a hit! The children were mesmerised. If anybody can play any instruments, please come and play for us, the children would love it and their reaction would make it well worth your while.
Following our visit from Ruben the road safety bear, we have been asked to remind all adults responsible for children that it is a legal
requirement to have children in an approved car restraint. Large fines are issued to people failing to comply. So please, keep our children
safe. Thank you
Check out our new carpentry table! It’s keeping the children very busy making amazing creations you never thought possible! You can collect your children’s work from the afore mentioned art table and take it home for them, they are always extremely proud of their productions. The table was donated by Mr. Brent Watson of Central Relocation Services—a big thank you to him. Also, Brent can help with moving furniture, so if you’re moving house give him a call on 07 829 8315.
The colder weather is on it ’ s way. Please make sure your children have lots of spare layers to add as well as a NAMED warm hat. Gum boots, slippers and extra socks are a good thing to have in bags just in case.
In the past when we have had information to share with families at
Jump Start, such as events, we have some how failed to get the message across and some people have missed things. We would be grateful for any suggestions for us to make sure all information is received by everybody.
Please feel free to take your child’s portfolio home to peruse at your leisure. This is a great insight into how your child works each day at Jump Start. However, please make sure you sign the portfolio out in the note book so that we know it has been taken home. At theback of the portfolio you will find the ‘Parents Voice’. This is where we find out what your thoughts are and any suggestions or other comments you wish to share with us...enjoy!
March 10'
JumpStart Educare
Upcoming events:
Superhero fundraiser. Friday 26th March. Raising money for Plunket, gold coin donation please.
Easter. We will be closed on Friday 2nd April and Monday 5th April.
Wheels Day rolled by very quickly (ho-ho) and a good time was had by all. Thanks to Beth (Dakota’s mum) for bringing her bike trailer and
giving the children rides. The children also loved having a real live police car here AND being allowed to turn the siren on...cool! We had a reporter from the Cambridge Edition attend the event and record the occasion along with lovely photographs. Thank you to those parents able to send in their child’s bike.
We always sing a song of thanks before our food at Jump Start. To include and acknowledge all the cultures within the centre, it would be really cool if any parents could teach us some rhymes or songs from other languages to say before our food (non religious please).
Notices:
Please make sure children have hats and shoes with them every day as we may go for short walks.
Hopefully you have noticed the message attached to the gate. Our poor gate is not strong enough to carry children for a ride. So PLEEEAASSEE don’t let children stand on it at all.
Thank you.
Masterpiece Photography have kindly agreed to print more class photos if we request them. If you would like to order one, please collect a payment envelope from reception.
Please note: We are filling up! Soon the centre will be fully booked. If you do not have a regular booking, it may be a good idea to make sure you are happy that you have the hours that you will always need. As we fill up it will become more difficult for us to cater for those needing to change their bookings on a regular basis.
Just a reminder that we need all families to complete a new enrolment form for 2010. Please pick one up from the front desk and return it to
Selena a.s.a.p.
Thank you
Special Thank You
A great big thank you to Liz (Ruby’s Grandma) for the dedication she has shown to our gardens. We really appreciate the help!
On Friday 26th March, Plunket are challenging people tobe 
Superheroes at work. We are going to join in with the fun by dressing up for the day. We would appreciate a gold coin donation to help with
Plunket fund raising. Please join us and dress your child (and yourself?) as a favourite Superhero.
We are looking for people with musical talents. Whether you are young or old, good or great, we would be honoured if you would play for us. Come on, don’t be shy!
We have a sign that we need to display, a drill to put it up with ,
but not the screws or ‘know how’...anybody handy with these
things? We also want to lower our tissue dispensers. This would
involve making special holes in the wall lower down—yikes! We
would be very grateful of any offers of help and the children
would love to watch.
Febuary 10'
JumpStart Educare
Upcoming events:
February 23rd, wheels day
February 24th, Ruben the safety bear
visiting the centre.
February 25th, photos orders due back.
3rd March. Pre-school sports Day
Welcome back everyone. Its great to see you all after our Christmas
and New Year break. We would like to welcome all of our new families to Jump Start and look forward to getting to know you all. All families are required to complete a new enrolment form for 2010. Please pick one up from the front desk and return it to Selena a.s.a.p.
Thank you
Since coming back from our Christmas break we have been learning about transport. This interest was recognised towards the end of last year and seems to be an area the children would like to investigate and learn about. We will be having lots of fun events and activities to support this interest. We have got many different vehicles visiting the centre, including the emergency services. Check out the daily diary and upcoming events on the notice board.
Welcome to Pam, Petra, Karen, Emma and Amy.
Pam has recently completed her masters Degree. Pam is a mum to Thomas,Nicholas and Matthew.
Petra has completed a Bachelor of teaching ECE with Waikato University. Petra is mum to Hunter in the under-two unit.
Karen joins us from teacher aiding at Cambridge East School. Karen is a Mum to Jordania, Anika-Mae, Kereti and Kristia, and Nana to Spenser, Malakhai and Tayjahn.
Also, welcome to Emma who is a student from WINTEC and comes in every Tuesday and Wednesday.
Last but not least, we have Amy every Tuesday who is on a Gateway programme from Cambridge High School.
November 09'
JumpStart Educare
Here comes the sun!
As the sun finally graces us with its presence we need to be prepared. Already we have had some very hot days. Please remember sun hats, as children will be unable to play outside without them.
Christmas Closing
The centre will be closed for the Christmas period. From Wednesday 23rd December 2009 at 17:30, to Monday 18th January 2010 at 0745.
Introducing Selena
As you may have noticed, we have a new face behind the front desk. Selena will be here every day between 08:30 and 16:30 dealing with our admin.
Welcome Selena!
Michael
Unfortunately Michael has hurt his back and is on extended leave. We wish him a speedy recovery.
Jump Start Christmas Party
Friday 18th December 2009 at 17:30. Please bring a plate for a shared dinner. Be there or be square!
We have been doing a lot of construction recently. The children have been showing a lot of interest, building with the blocks. Feel free to share any information about construction. When you’re ‘out and about’ with your child/ren, you may find you can reinforce this project by discussing constructions that you see.
CAMBRIDGE CHRISTMAS PARADE
The parade is on Saturday 5th December 2009. We are going to have a float! We are dressing up in our favourite costumes—no theme. Any offers of help on the day would be gratefully accepted and if your child is riding the float, please accompany them. We are asked to assemble at 13:15 and the Parade starts at 14:00. Further information will be provided soon.
