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Welcome to our kindergarten.
The Port Melbourne Uniting Church Kindergarten is nestled in the heart of Port Melbourne. Annexed by the Port Melbourne Uniting Church, it has been serving the community for over 80 years - under the auspice of SouthPort UnitingCare, a service linked with the SouthPort Uniting Church. The kinder fosters a caring and nurturing environment while providing individual attention to all its children.
Our kindergarten is also supported by the Uniting Church's state-wide body "UnitingCare Victoria and Tasmania" which is highly proactive in the development of early childhood-related services. The kindergarten is registered with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD), which regularly inspects the kindergarten to ensure that regulations and standards are properly met.
The kindergarten is also a member of Kindergarten Parents Victoria (KPV). This organisation represents the kindergarten and parents in liaising with government departments. KPV informs us of changes to legislation and regulations, and is a valuable resource body to the kindergarten committee.
Our kinder runs programs for three and four year old children, as well the unique Early Education Program(EEP) for children with additional needs.
The Kindergarten's Mission Statement
We aim to provide opportunities for children to develop emotionally, socially, physically, verbally and intellectually. We likewise aim to encourage a love and eagerness to learn, and to foster an inquiring mind.
Each child is accepted and encouraged so they may develop a positive self image.
We try to provide a challenging and stimulating program geared towards each child’s individual needs and interests.
We provide a caring environment in which children can practise their skills through play. We aim to develop attitudes, skills and knowledge that will help prepare your child for their first years at school.
Our Early Education Program (EEP)
One of Port Melbourne Uniting Church kinder’s innovative and unusual features is that we actually have four teachers continually present who can work with both the additional needs and mainstream children, as a proactive, effective team.
Simone Mooney and Anne Maree Bolger are Port Phillip specialist school staff who work in our kinder’s Early Education Program (EEP).
Our EEP teachers strive for the same goals as do those who teach the mainstream program. It is enormously rewarding to see additional needs children thrive under the right, expert and loving attention of these teachers. The program’s goals are to provide a learning environment that enhances children’s self-esteem, encouraging them to play, communicate and interact. Consistent with the mainstream kinder program, the EEP program is also about teaching children to think and learn for themselves – fostering their desire to learn. The EEP teachers focus on children’s individual needs, shadowing them (to some extent).
The EEP program offers 6 hours a week for 3 year olds, and 14 hours a week for 4 year olds.
Our kinder is unique in Victoria in that we forgo five mainstream enrolments each year so that additional needs children can access the kinder program. (The program is so successful that we believe there should be kinders like this in every region.)
Our additional needs children include those with chromosomal disorders, varying degrees of autism, not to mention other behavioural and physical development difficulties. As a result of enrolling in our program and mixing with mainstream children, the EEP children’s socialising and communications skills are vastly improved, thus helping them to develop more quickly.
Once a week, the occupational therapist visits; at other times, the EEP children are withdrawn into their own room, to enjoy their own space. (Many times, the children from the mainstream program want to go in there too!)
All our kinder children benefit from EEP – they learn to accept each other’s differences, and to experience a sense of inclusiveness and community, which will be invaluable to them in later years.
KINDERGARTEN SESSION TIMES
4 year old morning group (the year before attending school)
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday – 9.00 am to 12.00 noon
Thursday – 9.00 am to 2.00 pm
Thursday Lunch Program
Children are to bring a healthy lunch and drink. Lollies, chips and fizzy drinks are not permitted. Please put your child’s lunch and drink in a clearly-named lunchbox and place on the lunch trolley. The lunches will be placed in the refrigerator. Morning tea is to be left in your child’s bag. Our kindergarten is currently in the process of developing an “eco-friendly” policy, so please minimise food packaging where possible. We also regularly have “international lunch days” (eg. Russian, Hungarian, Italian), during which a particular country’s cuisine is showcased for the children to enjoy. Look out for “international lunch day” notices in the kinder newsletters.
3 year old afternoon group
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday – 1.15pm to 3.15pm
Children pick-up and drop-off
The kindergarten session always finishes with a storytime to prepare the children for going home.
If you need to collect your child before the end of the session, please do so fifteen minutes before finishing time unless it is absolutely necessary. It is hard to keep the group settled and concentrating with people going in and out the room.
In the interests of children’s health and safety, parents are requested to use off-street parking - not the Church grounds - for parking their cars. Our duty of care necessitates requesting that once children are collected, parents and children need to leave the kinder premises by 12.15 pm (morning group) and 3.30 pm (afternoon group) as the gate is locked thereafter.
Kindergarten Policies
Please note that at the time of publication (November 2007), the new state department responsible for all kindergartens in Victoria is the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD). Owing this being a recent development, we are still however relying on documents and resources from our previous departmental auspice, the Department of Human Services (DHS).
For this reason, until transition and documentation arrangements between the two government departments are complete, we will refer throughout our policies to DHS and not DEECD. When department transitions are finalised, policies will be updated to include references to DEECD.
Secondly, our policies may be varied, but parents will be given two weeks' notice before any policy changes are implemented.The following table lists some of the kindergarten's administrative, operational and safety polices. These policies are available here for perusal by staff, parents, carers and the general kinder community. All policy documents are in PDF format.
Policy documents
Anaphylaxis Policy
Educational and Recreational Program
HIV, AIDS and Hepatitis Policy
Parental Access and Involvement
Asthma Policy
Enrolment Policy
Illness and Emergency Care Policy
Privacy Policy
Behaviour Guidance Policy
Excursions Policy
Kindergarten Room Hire
Policy Qualified Staff Policy
Complaints Policy
Fee Policy
Nutrition Policy
Sun Protection Policy
Delivery and Collection of Children Policy
Fire and Emergency Evacuation Policy
Occupational Health and Safety Policy
Kindergarten Program
In our program, we incorporate both free and structured indoor play, outdoor play and group times.
Over the duration of your child’s enrolment, individual records and journals are kept, monitoring and chronicling your child’s progress. This may entail photos and audio recordings (for example, your child singing to the rest of the class), plus samples of your child’s work and activities.
Parents are welcome to view the journals at any time, to discuss them with their child/ren, and to discuss their child’s progress with staff. We also like to hear about activities your child enjoys when s/he is away from kinder. Parents will be able to take the journal home at the conclusion of their child’s enrolment.
We look forward to working with you and your child. (click here to read more about kindergarten program activities)
Term Dates - 2008
Term Date Staff return Date Staff finish
1 Tuesday 29 January Thursday 20 March
2 Monday 7 April Friday 27 June
3 Monday 14 July Friday 19 September
4 Monday 6 October Friday 19 December
Public Holidays - 2008
Labour Day – 10 March
Good Friday – 21 March
Anzac Day - 25 April
Queen’s Birthday - 9 June
Melbourne Cup Day - 4 November
Kinder Enrolments
Applications for enrolment will be accepted during the year your child turns 2 years of age. Upon receipt of an application for enrolment the child is put on our waiting list. In order to attend kindergarten, a child must have turned three years of age.
We aim to keep our class sizes no more than 24 per session – to enable a high ratio of teachers to students.
Our kinder is unusual in that there is generally one teacher to every five children.
To download an enrolment form , click here
For a copy of the current kindergarten enrolment policy, click here
KINDERGARTEN FEES 2008
Our morning group is a funded program, receiving funding from Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) and the City of Port Phillip.
For the families in the morning group with a Health Care Card, DEECD and the City of Port Phillip provide a subsidy to reduce fees.
The afternoon group receives no funding. Funding does not cover the full cost of running a kindergarten - therefore we must ask for fees. As the afternoon group receives no funding, fees are more expensive per hour. Fees are collected for the first term at your interview in January / February and for second, third and fourth terms on the first day of term by the treasurer. You will receive an account.
Payment by cheque is preferred. New families accepting a position at kindergarten are asked to pay a holding fee of $100.00, which is deducted from your first term fees. This fee is not refundable. If the child is already attending kindergarten, the complete fee will be paid in first term.
Morning Group
Full fees for morning group are $315.00 per term in 2008.
If you are having difficulty paying this in a lump sum, weekly payments can be made. Please inform the treasurer if your payments will be weekly.
For people holding a Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card, Visa 785 or Visa 786 fees are $95.00 per term. Please show the treasurer your card at the time of paying your fees.
Afternoon Group
Full fees for afternoon group are $275.00 per term in 2008. There is no subsidy for Health Care Card holders in the afternoon group.
If paying weekly, the treasurer will be available until 9.10am on Thursday mornings to collect your fees.
If you have any queries or difficulties regarding the payment of fees, please call Anne Garrow, South Port UnitingCare director, on (03) 9690 1188.
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE – WHO DOES WHAT?
The kinder’s auspice agency South Port UnitingCare has overall responsibility for the kindergarten.
South Port UnitingCare
oversees all governance, administrative, financial and licensing responsibilities
is responsible for providing for the maintenance of the building and grounds at the appropriate standard
is responsible for overseeing management.
Parent Committee
The parent committee provides opportunities for parents to contribute to the decisions that affect the operation of their kindergarten. Essentially, the parent committee supports the Kindergarten Director and advises the South Port UnitingCare Board on matters of finance, policy and future directions.
With regard to the maintenance of the buildings and grounds, fundraising, provision and purchase of consumables, purchase and maintenance of equipment and fee collection, the kinder parent committee advises the Director. It also sets the direction for kinder policies.
We must have a committee in order for the kindergarten to successfully operate.
We would appreciate your attendance at meetings. The kindergarten committee is open to all families. The committee is elected at the end of year Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Committee meetings are held once a month. Kindergarten finances, enrolment, equipment needs, the Director’s monthly report on the kinder program and other information such as fundraising are regularly discussed.
Our kinder is proud of its excellent, experienced staff.
Overall, the Director is responsible for planning the kindergarten program and keeping records.
Staff together implement the plans into the kindergarten sessions. These plans are on view at kindergarten. Specific objectives are set for each child, depending upon their abilities and stage of development. Parents are presented with booklets chronicling their child’s progress at the end of the kinder year.
The staff regularly avail themselves of professional development (PD) opportunities (ie. conferences, seminars and presentations) to ensure that their knowledge and qualifications are maintained in accordance with best practice educational trends, which in turn benefit the children. PD is chosen according to what is happening at kinder during the year, and in the interests of planning a well-rounded program.
If you wish to speak to the Director about your child’s progress, this is best done at the end of the sessions when families have left, or on Friday mornings by prior arrangement. We encourage parents to make appointments with the Director.
KINDERGARTEN STAFF
Heather Larter – Director
Heather has worked as a kindergarten teacher for over twenty years. She has a Diploma of Education and a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood).
Margery Tape – Assistant
Marge has experience working with Home-Based Child Care and has also worked for the Port Phillip Specialist School in the Early Education Program. Marge has worked in this kindergarten for a decade.
Simone Mooney and Anne-Marie Bolger – Early Education Staff
Simone and Anne-Marie, our qualified and experienced early intervention staff from Port Phillip Specialist School, plan an exceptional Early Education Program (EEP) for additional needs children.
Registered Child Care Benefit Claims
This kindergarten is registered for Registered Child Care Benefits. If you pass the eligibility requirements, you are able to claim a percentage of your fees back through the Family Assistance Office. (click here for further details and eligibility requirements)
Kindergarten Fees
Our morning group is a funded program, receiving funding from Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) and the City of Port Phillip.
For the families in the morning group with a Health Care Card, DEECD and the City of Port Phillip provide a subsidy to reduce fees.
The afternoon group receives no funding. Funding does not cover the full cost of running a kindergarten - therefore we must ask for fees. As the afternoon group receives no funding, fees are more expensive per hour. Fees are collected for the first term at your interview in January / February and for second, third and fourth terms on the first day of term by the treasurer. You will receive an account.
Payment by cheque is preferred. New families accepting a position at kindergarten are asked to pay a holding fee of $100.00, which is deducted from your first term fees. This fee is not refundable. If the child is already attending kindergarten, the complete fee will be paid in first term.
Address/contact details
Port Melbourne Uniting Church Kindergarten
136 Bridge Street
Port Melbourne
Vic 3207
Phone: 03 9646 3077
Email: pt.melb.uniting.kin@kindergarten.vic.gov.au
Kindergarten
Director: Heather Larter
Assistant: Margery Tape
Early Education Group
Teacher: Simone Mooney
Assistant: Anne Maree Bolger
Enrolment Enquiries
Anita Cruse
Phone: 03 9681 8786
Email: enrolments@portkinder.unitingchurch.org.au
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