OUR ANNUAL GOALS FOR THE YEAR 2011 ARE:

 OUTCOME ONE :To complete staff training in the new National Curriculum entitled: Being Belonging Becoming.

- This will involve staff attending several training sessions in the new year in regards to this curriculum. 

OUTCOME TWO  :To commence our Greening Project.

 - Staff will educate the children in re-cycling, water usage and self sustainability.

-We will begin our gardening / playground project. Fundraising projects will go towards this goal in 2011.

-The centre will upgrade facilities to assist in reducing water consumption.

 OUTCOME THREE : To introduce part two of the Good for Kids Programme-I Move We Move

-Staff will upgrade our outdoor programme and introduce Fundamental Games in the programme.

Our Annual Report for 2010 

2010 was the year that we could successfully reduce our daily fee rate by $2.00 for the first time since I have been working as a Preschool Director for over 24 years!!This was only possible due to a surge of Government Funding through the Department of Human Services. After meeting all our scheduled commitments in our proposed budget we set our daily full fee at $33.00 per day. Our low income fees were as low as $6.00 per day depending on the circumstances of families. We were once again able to spread our low income support across more families this year due to not as many families requiring this assistance. Low income fees are offered to Indigenous, Pension and Health Care Card holders.  We continued to maintain full enrolment capacity throughout the whole year.

We continued to offer extended hours from 8.30am to 4.30 pm with an extra fee of $2.00 per half hour or part thereof. This service was used regularly. It also assists parents who collect their child from Jewells School with a pick up time of 3.30pm. This fee will be increased to $3.00 per half hour in 2011 as it had remained at $2.00 for over 16 years.

In 2010 Sue Smith was appointed full time teacher in the Coral Room to replace Gail Brewer’s position on the Monday/Tuesday. I would like to congratulate Sue at this new appointment. Sue continues to provide a wonderful programme for all her children whilst meeting the demands of full time teaching.

Due to Sue now being full time and not job sharing her position –I was able to make some changes to the Assistants role for the Coral and Kimberley Rooms.

With this change I relocated Jody Chisek to the Coral room for Monday and Tuesday with Sue Smith and Linda Delve changed her room to the Kimberley for the Monday/ Tuesday working with the Director. This arrangement will only be in place while we have a full time teacher at our centre. Consistency of staff is essential for a preschool and having someone in the room for five days helps children feel more secure and develops a sense of belonging. This is essential for the new curriculum too.

In 2010 Girrinbai received programming time for the first time for teaching staff. This consists of 30 minutes per day which is used to label the photos that were taken from the day’s activities. This time is taken during the children’s rest periods as to not disrupt the normal routine of the day. Sue and I are very grateful for this small release from face to face teaching as it at least enables us to label our photos and when we get home to start straight into the nitty gritty of our programming.

In 2010 we received an increase in our funding  from $134,830  in 2009 to $197,541 in 2010. This was an increase of $62,711. Girrinbai Management, Parents and Staff want to thank the Department for this welcome increase in funding. Due to this funding we were been able to implement new increases in our budget for 2010 .One implementation that we provided with this new increase in funding was the employment of a speech pathologist to support children  with  speech development. This enabled parent’s to receive a speech screening at a very low cost and support at preschool if required. This service was additional to the support our children receive through the Scan and DET special needs programmes. This essential service will continue with a new speech pathologist in 2011-Emma Hardie.

In 2010 we planned for our development of our garden project for the children in a separate area of the playground only to have this plan squashed due to a few difficulties:

1.    We were waiting for our long developed plans to come through and never eventuated. These plans were developed by a past parent.

2.    The funds raised to do this project had to be relocated for the sewerage waste problem that arose last year.  

The difficulties that we had with the sewerage problem provided us with a wonderful teaching opportunity on explaining to children where the waste goes after flushing the toilets etc and why you should not put things in toilets. It also provided us with a wonderful insight into water recycling as we could only place a certain limit of water down our drains until the pumps were corrected. You would not believe the excitement that took place at preschool when the “poo “trucks as the children called then arrived in numbers. The teachers were relieved too!!

We also continued our teaching in water conservation and the natural environment. In 2011 we will begin our greening project and enriching our outside programme .

In 2010 staff and management were confronted with Government changes in NSW Awards. By the end of 2010 our past awards were made obsolete. New Modern Wards will take place for the commencement of 2011. This caused a lot of worry and concern for staff and management involved in this process to ensure that the staff’s needs were met as well as upholding the management needs of the centre. Our teaching staff during this time had to negotiate enterprise agreements as the modern awards were well below what the NSW State Award was. Sue and I wish to sincerely thank our management committee in particular Rebecca Sharples for the extra support and work that took place to ensure that Girrinbai retains its quality teachers. This means a lot to both Sue and I that we feel valued as teachers in this centre.

During 2010 the Independent Teacher’s Union launched a campaign of  Teachers are Teachers. This campaign is essential as it brought home the pay disparity between Early Childhood Teachers working in community preschools with the teachers with the same Degree as Infant’s/Primary Teachers. In 2011 the Federal Government will be providing additional funds for teachers to help retain teachers in preschools.  The Union is asking the NSW Government to contribute the same amount so that pay equality for teachers who select to teach preschool children will be equivalent to their DET Teachers.  

Why is this essential?

 -We are no longer attracting teachers in the early childhood field- the majority of graduates select to teach at schools where pay and conditions are much better than preschools.

-We breach our license requirements if I cannot employ a teacher when two of us are sick at the one time or recently when Linda was absent and I was sick on Monday. Fortunately we had children absent and I only needed one teacher in the centre.

-Children under the age of 5 achieve the most in developmental milestones in all their years of growth and learning.  It is essential to have highly trained teachers working with this age group to optimize the child’s potential and development.

 -There is a direct link between teacher qualifications and child development and potential.

 -I am also finding it very difficult to get a teacher in as a casual when Sue and I are sick. This can be very frustrating as we are forced to come to work when we should not be here or be at risk of not meeting our licensing standards.

Sue and I are asking for all our communities support in this issue. If you have not done so already- please send an email off to our local politician voicing your concerns about the pay disparity between preschool teachers and school teachers and fight for the right of children under the age of five years.

Over the years Girrinbai has always exceeded in delivering a high quality service. In 2010:

 - We continue to employ Degree Teachers and Associate Diploma Assistants with many years of experience. The staff at Girrinbai are not only experienced but are flexible in the delivery of their programmes which means that we adapt our programmes and teachings to reflect current methods. The second criteria I consider very important as it enables staff to acquire new skills and to modify teachings where applicable.

 - We have higher than required staff ratios.

 - We have small group teachings -children grouped in groups of 10 for formal activities.

 - We actively listen and respond to children.

 -We take on any new programmes and curriculum and see this as a learning tool to  develop new skills not only with the children   but for ourselves.

 -We encourage positive relationships with others with a focus on respecting our peers and our spaces in which we work.

 We were able to continue offering families who had a child in their final year before school some fee relief. This fee reduction was given at the final term for 2010. We have included this funding in our budget for 2011 to provide fee relief for families in Term Four with eligible school aged children.

 Girrinbai continues to maintain our acceptance to accommodate families with children with special needs. In 2010- we had five children enrolled diagnosed with autism, 3 children with developmental delays, 1 child with motor planning and several children with severe speech disorders.

 We also supported two Indigenous families and through the effort of one family we tried to obtain an Indigenous Resource teacher. I sent letters to the Awabakal Resource centre but we were not able to obtain support .Instead Gillie and I implemented as many activities as possible in the Kimberley  Room to  support our  Indigenous families. We also purchased $1000 worth of new Indigenous  Equipment and resources.

We also had two Macedonian Families and a Muslim family. Cultural activities were implemented in the programme when applicable but our centre strives for the support of all children through our anti bias programme which happens every day in all our activities.

 We continued to receive funding from SCAN and DET to assist us with supporting our children with  additional needs. The SCAN organisation is a wonderful asset to compliment DET funding. They provide resources, feedback and support to our families. Girrinbai also prides itself on maintaining consistency with the staff to ensure that the children receive a continued programme that is provided by caring staff who really know the children who they work with.

Thank you very much to Cheryl Norley, Jenny Macquire , Anne Maree Wells, Tracy Manderson, Mandy Harvey and Jetaime Best  for working with our precious children  with  additional needs for 2010.

In 2010, we continued to work towards centre goals ensuring that we continued to grow and implement new programmes in our centre.

1.    We continued the Good for Kids Programme encouraging the children to eat healthy foods. We taught a variety of experiences regarding this programme. We introduced the children to  every day foods and sometimes foods. We cooked, sang songs, had sensory experiences to enhance our knowledge of foods etc.

2.    We commenced the Fundamental Movement Programme at preschool which aims to introduce the fundamental movement skills essential for the preschool age. These skills include catching, throwing, striking, rolling, crawling, galloping, walking, marching, leaping, hopping , jumping and skipping.

3.    Staff  begun training in the new National Curriculum called Being Becoming and Belonging. This training was a main focus for the year where we watched a variety of vignette’s through the internet that helped us the grasp the understanding of the new curriculum.

4.    Sue and I spent time together planning for the new observational sheets based on the new curriculum. These sheets will commence in 2011.

5.    We changed our programme observation sheets to reflect the new national curriculum.

6.    Staff also trained in the new procedure in Child Protection with the new emphasis on significant harm. This change also saw an increased responsibility on the Director in implementing programmes for families who have been identified as having some issues in child protection. The change also saw a new reporting scheme which is completed on line and it enables staff to know exactly if they have to  notify DOCS or set up a Community Support Programme. Sue and I both used this new reporting scheme last year for two enrolled families.

Girrinbai also continued to offer the School Readiness Seminar which was presented by staff at Jewells School-We thank them very much for continuing this valuable discussion.

 We offered extra curricula activities for the children in 2010. These were:

 -The Reptile Show

-Matthew Doyle Indigenous Cultures.

-The Wetland Centre

-Visits from our families who work in professional services like the Ambulance and Police Department.

 In 2010, we continued to offer employment to our maintenance person every week. Thank you to Lou for fixing any problem that we have and for coming at the drop of a hat!!! This service saves many families the hard work from working bees. Lou’s work keeps our centre compliant with OHS issues.

 We continued to support students from TAFE and Universities- Whist no Interns selected preschool in the year 2010 we did have 2^nd year  students. It was lovely to greet a past student of mine now selecting early childhood as their career choice. We also had work experience student who both Sue and I taught when they attended preschool at Girrinbai. It is lovely to see that the past students took this career path as they had such a positive experience of preschool when they were children.

 In 2010 Girrinbai had the most wonderful Management Committee who were really committed in achieving results for our centre.

 I wish to thank Dana Denz… for taking on the role of President over the year whilst having 3 young children at home and a teaching career too. Thank you for your support in making Girrinbai such a wonderful centre and for your lovely kind words at our enrolment night.

 Thank you to Rebecca Sharples for the many hours spent on working on all staff’s awards and changes here. For the work you did for Sue and I with our union and in ensuring that all staff’s requests were considered and many needs met and addressed during this difficult negotiating time. A job well done!!Thank you too for your words of support at enrolment night.

 Thank you to my wonderful executive members- Rebecca Velkovski, and Collene Burns for all the minute taking and budget meeting etc. You will be missed on our executive team but I understand both the commitment that you have made already to Girrinbai and the personal commitments you have.

 Thank you to Karen Fry for the organisation involved with our fund raising projects .This is a massive job. The beautiful Mother’s Day stall gifts were presented so lovely this year. Thank you for the hard work for the XMAS Function. Now we can spend some of the money that we raised……..

Thank you to Tamarra for the support you gave Karen and in the wonderful donation for the holiday. Much appreciated.

 Thank you to Elizabeth Sturgeon , Lisa Collier, Jodi Cady, Melinda Luxon, Tonia Bessell, Tamara Edwards and Teresa Thompson for being part of our wonderful team.

Thank you all for supporting me and my team in the work that we do for the children at Girrinbai.

 To my fantastic team at Girrinbai….. Another year goes by too fast. Thank you all for your support in me as your Director.

Thank you for the wonderful programmes, experiences and activities provided to the children in your care. Thank you especially for Sue for your endless work at home in making our programmes successful and in completing Portfolios for our families in your own time. Thank you for taking on the full time teaching position-Girrinbai is so very lucky to have such a resourceful, committed early childhood teacher. Thank you for taking on the extra work that I always throw at  you.

 Thank you Linda and Jody in your acceptance and willingness to change rooms and in so in developing new relationships and skills within the staff team.

 Thank  you  Linda for supporting me in my office time and when  I have been  sick. Thank you Jody and Gillie and Linda for the wonderful experiences provided at  groups times for our children  and for your love of children in general. Thank you for your creative ideas in the helping Sue and I  in  developing our enriching programme. You are all a wonderful bunch of people to work with.

 Thank you to Neen  again for another  year of  support, hard work and a little bit of fun in between…… I value you immensely and the role that you undertake. Congratulations on your new Business Studies.

 Thank you to our casuals over the year…., Kate Halsey and Alison  Lougue and Sandra Stabbia.

In 2011 we will embrace many changes in early childhood.

 -Finalising our reporting documents and programmes to embrace the new National Curriulum called Being Belonging and Becoming. We have already started programming using this new method and our current portfolios will reflect on the five learning outcomes. These outcomes include:

1. Children have a strong sense of identity.

2. Children are connected with and contribute to their world.

3. Children have a strong sense of wellbeing

4. Children are confident and involved learners

5 Children are effective communicators.

 We will also be working towards looking at the new Accreditation System and the rating systems for this new Curriculum. All services will be rated from 2012 onwards.

 We will also be implementing the 15 hours of preschool plan which includes changing our enrolment groups to include a minimum of 15 hours (3 days) . Mon/Tues .Wed group or Wed/ Thurs. Fri groups.

This will see a change in our enrolments as 4 year olds have a priority in this new programme. We will still provide for families who may need a Mon/Thurs or Fri etc or the single day…but our main change is that we have offer up to 15 hours per week. Families can enroll for more than the 3 days if needed.

 Our main goal for 2011 is to upgrade our outdoor play programme- as well as adding several areas for exploration with the focus on natural play developments. This is a requirement for the new Curriculum. Our fund raising projects will be put towards this goal.

Staff have already started brain storming ideas to enhance the activities we present in the playground.

 With this fresh in our minds…….we look forward to a year of discovery , investigation and fun……………..

Stay tuned for our next update.

Keep returning to this page for future updates on our project goals.

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