...where children are happy to learn
2026 enrolments are now open. Existing families will get first preference!
1 Watts Place West Hoxton NSW 2171
ph: (02) 9825 8822 mob: 0426 972 893
Welcome to the month of January
Dear Parents and Families,
Welcome to January 2026 and a brand-new year! We hope you all enjoyed a relaxing and joyful holiday season. As we begin the year together, we are excited to welcome both returning and new families and look forward to another year of learning, growth, and connection.
With the warmer summer weather continuing, please ensure your child has a variety of clothing packed, including hats and spare clothes, so we can keep them comfortable throughout the day.
January is a time for settling back into routines, building relationships, and easing into the year ahead. We also have exciting experiences and events planned for the coming months. All upcoming events can be found on OWNA and on our monthly calendar.
Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to sharing a wonderful year ahead with you and your children.
The centre will be closed the following days:
New Year’s Day – 31st of December
Public Holiday - 26th of January
What's On this month?
Have a read below:
Happy Days Emergency Drills
We will be holding the following emergency drills at the kindy:
8th of Jan - Bushfire Drill
28th of Jan - Lockdown Drill
We have prepared the children for these drills, however, please continue the discussions at home so they can be better prepared.
Water Play Day –
Wednesday, 7th of January
Get ready to splash! Children will enjoy water-based activities that encourage sensory exploration, social play, and lots of laughter. Don’t forget hats, towels, and a spare set of clothes.
Australia Day/Water Play Day –
Friday, 23rd of January
We’ll celebrate Australia Day with themed activities and outdoor water play. Children will learn about the day in an age-appropriate way while staying cool and having fun.
New Years Eve –
Wednesday, 31st of December
We’ll celebrate the end of January with fun activities to welcome the New Year. Children will enjoy festive games, reflection, and time with friends as we finish the month on a joyful note.
We're Going Off The Grid
Friday, the 9th & Tuesday, the 27th of January
The team at HDK often follow many early childhood social media pages to ensure they keep up to date within the industry and a term that has often been brought up is “off the grid”. I’m sure no matter what time you have walked in during morning drop off you have seen all educators with either an iPad or laptop in hand ready to capture as many moments as they can so that they can then upload them to our program Xplor so that you can stay up to date with what your children are doing whilst in our care. As you know technology has taken over a huge chunk of our lives, it’s how we communicate and complete our work and when we get some spare time it's what we use to wind down. Being that technology is such a big part of our lives it is only expected that our children are introduced to it at such a young age. Here at HDK and in many childcare centre’s technology is how we communicate with you regarding your children, which means technology is eating up a big part of the educator's time instead of spending it one on one with your children. Many centres are now going off the grid once or twice a month so that they can maximise their time with your children, forming relationships and just playing. It’s a spontaneous day where the decisions are left up to the children and what they feel like doing for the whole day whether it be painting with their feet, cooking, building castles and forts using furniture, the ideas are endless and completely up to the children. When “off the grid” takes place educators are to put away all technology iPads and laptops and no photos will be taken, no updates will be uploaded to Xplor except for mealtimes, sleep, and nappy change. “Off-the-grid” days will change every month so that every child gets to experience such a fun day and if you would like to know what we got up to feel free to speak to an educator or simply just ask your children. We would love to hear your feedback on what you think about being “off the grid” twice a month.
National Spaghetti Day – Monday, 5th of January
Children will have a tasty and creative day exploring all things spaghetti! Activities will include food-themed fun, sensory play, and discussions about this delicious favourite.
Lego Day –
Tuesday, 13th of January
A Day full of building, creativity, and problem-solving! Children will explore LEGO constructions, work together, and have fun bringing their imaginative ideas to life.
Community Engagement
Check out what is happening in our community for the month of December!
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Summer Reading Club (Ages: 2-12); Friday, 12 December 2025 - Sunday, 25 January 2026 @ 9am-8pm at Carnes Hill Library.
Info:
Summer Reading Club is a free holiday program for 2-12 year olds to encourage reading over the summer holidays. We encourage you to explore new books and different ways of reading. By participating, you can go into the running to win great prizes.
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School Holidays - Bubble and Music Time - All Ages @ 11am - 11:15am on Monday, 05 January 2026 - Friday, 30 January 2026 at Moorebank library
Info:
Every weekday during the holidays, join us for a short, fun bubble and music session — perfect for young kids!
At 11:00am, enjoy kids’ music and watch the bubble machine fill the room with bubbles. Children can play, chase and pop bubbles for around 15 minutes of pure holiday fun.
A simple, cheerful way for little ones to move, play and celebrate summer!
Children under 12 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
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School Holidays - Drop-In: Summer Movies Afternoon - All Ages; Monday, 05 January 2026 - Monday, 19 January 2026 @ 3pm - 5pm at Liverpool City Library (Yellamundie)
Info:
Join us Monday afternoons this summer at 3:00pm on Level 2 at Liverpool City Library (Yellamundie) for a magical movie session!
Cool off, kick back and enjoy a lineup of fun summer-themed movies — complete with free popcorn. It’s the perfect way to beat the heat and enjoy a relaxing escape in the library’s air-conditioned comfort.
This program is for children of all ages. Children under 12 years old must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Important Reminders
Control of Infectious Illnesses
Please HELP us contain infectious illnesses by keeping your child at home when they are sick. If your child is absent from school due to an illness, please make sure to bring in a clearance letter from the doctors on their next booked day. If your child has been sent home from school on their booked day, in correspondence to our SICK CHILDREN’S POLICY, your child must stay home for 24 hours before bringing them back, to reduce the spread of illnesses.
Staff have the right to turn down your child’s attendance if they are experiencing any flu-like symptoms or have had Panadol or Nurofen prior to attending the centre. Please do not “Dose and Dump”.
Absences
If your child is going to be absent from the centre, please call our centre landline on (02) 9825 8822 or our centre mobile on 0426 972 893 to inform the staff. Notifying us of your child’s absence allows us to open that spot to a family that might need it as a casual day.
LABEL LABEL LABEL
A BIG reminder to please label your children’s belongings. If a "loss" item isn’t collected within 2 weeks, they will go towards our MS fundraising bin.
Happy Days is not responsible for any lost item.
Safe sleep
Safe sleep practices you can implement in your home
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Always place baby on back for sleep, not on their tummy or side
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Keep your baby’s head and face uncovered. Covering baby’s face or head with clothing such as a hat increases the risk of sudden infant death.
-
Keep your baby smoke-free before and after birth.
-
Have a safe sleeping environment night and day. Make sure the mattress is firm, clean and flat, in a safe cot that meets industry standards. Make sure there are no blankets, soft bedding, toys, pillows or bumpers in the cot.
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Sleep your baby in your room for the first 6 months
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Breastfeed your baby if possible.
Risk Assessments
Risk assessments are continuously being updated and reviewed, feel free to access some risk assessments via OWNA and others in our risk assessment folder located in the office.
Signing-in/out
It is a government requirement for every parent or carer to sign your child in & out of Happy Days for your correct attendance.
Your Centrelink entitlements will be affected for non-compliance.
What to Pack
This is just a friendly reminder on what to pack for your child when attending Happy Days.
In your child's bag they must have the following (ALL LABELLED with your child's name):
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Spare clothes suited for the season and weather, including short sleeve/long sleeve t-shirt, shorts and pants, underwear, socks, jumpers or jackets.
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Bedding including a fitted sheet and blanket
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A water bottle
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Nappies or pull ups if required
FOB keys
We would also like to remind parents to please use their FOB key when entering the centre and refrain from using the doorbell, quite often educators are busy attending to your children and do not have the time to keep letting parents in, so please expect wait times at the door if this is so. If you have misplaced your FOB key or need to grab another one, we will happily replace it please just let an educator know.
Policy Reviews
Every month we review a set of policies to ensure that they are relevant and up to date according to regulations. You are invited to provide feedback on our policy of the month below (send your feedback to westhoxton@happydayskindy.com):
The below policies are in the process of being reviewed and updated for 2025. Members of our parent committee and extended families are encouraged to access and review our policies and provide feedback. Policies are also available on OWNA.
None to be reviewed this month
OWNA
Please ensure to regularly check the posts on OWNA as this is currently one of our main sources of communication.
Posts are sent regularly about attendances, events and general reminders.
Educator of the YEAR IS...
This year we have implemented a new program for our educators; An “Educator of the Month”. Each month, Miss Hannah, as our educational leader and ECT, will observe the educators in all aspects of the day, collecting evidence of their work, their practice and involvement with their daily responsibilities. At the end of the month, the educator who has achieved the most, shown imitative, gone above and beyond in their role will be rewarded with “Educator of the month’ along with a small prize. This isn’t just for the benefit of staff development and prizes, this motivates the educators to excel in all areas, including Quality Area 5- Relationships with Children.
We are delighted to announce that staff have unanimously agreed to applaud Miss Feyza as our Educator of the Year, having earned the most Educator of the Month awards throughout the year. Her dedication, organisation, and consistent support within the classroom and beyond have been truly outstanding. Miss Feyza’s commitment to supporting both Miss Ashley and Miss Hannah with additional responsibilities has greatly contributed to the smooth running of the service. Her efforts throughout the year have been exceptional, and we sincerely thank her for the positive impact she has made.
What we've been Up To
Water Play Day
Our Water Play Day was a wonderful opportunity for children to cool off and engage in fun, hands-on learning experiences. Throughout, the children explored a variety of water-based activities that supported sensory exploration, coordination, and social interaction. Laughter and excitement filled the space as the children splashed, poured, and experimented with water alongside their peers. The day provided a refreshing and enjoyable way to support learning while embracing the warmer weather.
Hiedi hoops show
The Heidi Hoops Show was a fun-filled and engaging experience that captured the children’s attention from start to finish. The interactive performance encouraged movement, participation, and laughter as children joined in with music, tricks, hoops, and playful routines. This experience supported gross motor development, coordination, and confidence, while also creating a joyful shared experience for all involved.
Graduation
"our last rodeo"
Graduation was a meaningful and emotional celebration, recognising the growth and achievements of our graduating children. Families and educators came together to reflect on the children’s learning journeys, milestones, and special memories created throughout their time with us. It was a proud moment for everyone as we celebrated each child’s readiness to take the next step in their learning journey.
Focus Learning programs
Eco-Warriors
Happy Days Sustainability Program
This month for Eco Warriors, we have continued exploring our learning interest: sunflowers. The children have absolutely loved this topic and have shown so much curiosity and excitement throughout the experiences. We worked on a few group crafts, including giant tissue paper sunflowers, which the children helped create together. It was a great teamwork activity and sparked lots of conversations about plants and nature. Our big highlight for the month was planting our very own real sunflowers. We planted both sunflower seedlings and sunflower seeds, learning the difference between them and what plants need to grow. The children enjoyed getting their hands dirty, using the watering cans, and patting the soil down gently. They are now very excited to check on them daily and watch them grow over the next few weeks. This experience has helped the children develop responsibility, care for the environment, and a sense of pride in what they have created.
Munch and Move
Happy days health and fitness program
This month in our Munch & Move program, the Little Learners and Big Explorers enjoyed a range of kicking activities designed to build strength, balance and coordination. The children practised goal kicking, popped bubbles using gentle kicks, and had a great time knocking down stacked cups in our “kick the cups” challenge. These fun, active experiences supported their gross-motor development while keeping them engaged and excited to move!
Playing and Learning to Socialise (PALS)
Happy Days Social Skills Program
All Happy Days Kindy West Hoxton Educators
During morning minutes, the children gather together to share their voices and ideas for the day. They took turns expressing what they would like to explore outdoors, showing great confidence and enthusiasm as they shared their thoughts. Educators encouraged collaboration by asking open-ended questions, prompting the group to listen to one another and build on each other’s suggestions. Together, they discussed a range of activities. Through this shared decision-making, the children demonstrated teamwork, communication, and a sense of belonging, excited to see their ideas come to life in the outdoor environment.
Projects
Happy Days In-Depth Learning Program
Throughout our final project of the year, Summer Fun, the children were immersed in a range of hands on, engaging, and sensory rich experiences that celebrated the joy of the season. Our Little Learners and Big Explorers enjoyed welcoming Summer through creative arts, messy play, and group experiences that encouraged curiosity, independence and confidence.
Miss Feyza and Miss Maddi
Introducing Our New Room Names
We are excited to introduce our new room names: Blossom Babies for our 0–3 room and Sunshine Squad for our 3–6 room. These names were carefully chosen to reflect the nurturing, growth, and joy experienced in each space. Blossom Babies represents a gentle and caring environment where our youngest children can grow and flourish, while Sunshine Squad reflects the confidence, positivity, and teamwork of our older children as they learn and explore together.
Classroom News
The Blossom Babies Room
6 weeks to 3 years old
The Blossom Babies Room finished the year with a warm and joyful focus on Christmas-based activities. The children enjoyed exploring festive crafts, sensory experiences, and music, which supported creativity and fine motor development. Educators also followed the children’s interests by offering more opportunities for children’s choice, allowing them to engage in activities they enjoyed most.
Sunshine squad room
The Discoverers (3-4 yrs old)
& The Inventors (4-6 yrs old)
The Sunshine Squad Room wrapped up the year with lots of excitement through Christmas-themed activities and creative experiences. The children participated in festive crafts, group activities, and imaginative play, while also having increased opportunities to make their own choices throughout the day. By encouraging children’s choice, educators supported independence and confidence, making the end-of-year celebrations meaningful, fun, and engaging for everyone.
Daisies
(3-4yrs old)
The Discovers have been continuing their learning topic on shapes and then transitioned to letters! They further explored their learning on shapes through a range of different shape matching games along with identifying what shapes they can see. After this we transitioned onto letters, we have been learning our letters with a range of different sensory and fine motor-based experiences. This includes magic letters, colour finding letters and letter stamping.
Sunflowers
(4-6 yrs old)
Happy Days School Readiness Program
The Inventors have been busy wrapping up their Jolly Phonics topic. Throughout the month, they explored each letter of the alphabet, identifying sounds and discovering words that begin with those letters. The children showed wonderful enthusiasm as they practised blending, sounding out familiar words, and building confidence in their early literacy skills.
As we move closer to the end of the year, Miss Hannah and Miss Maddi have also been focusing on graduation practice with the children. Together, they have been preparing songs, actions, and routines to ensure the big day runs smoothly. The children have been eager participants, practicing with excitement and pride as they get ready to celebrate their achievements.
It has been a productive and rewarding month filled with learning, preparation, and a growing sense of accomplishment.
Recipe of the Month
Homemade Fruity Popsicles
What you need:
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1 cup mixed fruit (e.g., berries, mango, pineapple)
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1 cup coconut water
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1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup (optional)
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Squeeze of lime juice (optional)
step by step instructions
STEP 1:
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Blend: Combine fruit, coconut water, honey (if using), and lime juice in a blender and blend until smooth.
STEP 2:
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Fill Molds: Pour the mixture into molds, leaving space at the top.
STEP 3:
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Freeze: Insert sticks (after a few minutes if using molds that hold them) and freeze for 4-6 hours or until solid.
Families & Community Partnership
POISON SAFETY: Unfortunately, our little ones have a bad habit of getting sick quite frequently. When they are ill, we often administer different medicines to aid in fighting against the sickness.
Parents and carers must ensure that they appropriately store and handle different medications, ensuring that their children are not at risk of any serious accidents such as ingesting medication.
Some ways that we can prevent an incident from occurring is:
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Store all medicines in a locked and high cupboard that is out of reach to all children. Children are great climbers so make sure cupboards are locked with a safety latch for further prevention.
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Make sure all bags and purses that may have medications are placed up high and out of reach of children
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Keep all medications in original containers
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Be aware of what medications you have in the household and the quantity of each.
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Don’t underestimate your child’s ability to open up packages. Some child resistant packages are still not child proof.
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Never tell a child that medicine tastes like candy
In the event of an accident occurring, you are to call the Poisons Information Hotline (13 11 26) to provide you with the necessary information. If your child has stopped breathing or collapsed call 000. First aid is to be administered immediately in any circumstance.
SUSTAINABILITY AT HOME: At Happy Days we encourage all to be environmentally sustainable and be conscientious of the way we treat our world. Through our educational programs we are providing children with lots of ecological experiences. In doing this we are moulding their mind and teaching them about how we can care for the environment and help it flourish.
One way that we can not only be cost efficient but also sustainable is by reducing our water usage whilst at home.
Some ways we can limit out water waste is by:
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Using a low flow shower head and taking shorter showers
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Instal a duel flush toilet and educate children on the correct way to flush the toilet
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Repair all leaky taps
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Use a front load washing machine
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Collect rainwater to reuse on plants and lawn
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Do not run the tap unnecessarily
CHILD SAFETY:
It is very important that we are always keeping our children safe whilst in vehicles. By using the correct car seats that are properly fitted can reduce the risk of injury by 71%.
According to the NSW centre for road safety:
- for children up to 6 months they need to be seated in an approved rear facing car seat
- from 6 months – 4 years they can sit in either a rear or forward-facing car seat
- from 4 years + children can sit in either a front facing car seat or booster seat
- for children who are 145 cm or taller they can use the adult lap sash seatbelt
SAFE SLEEP PRACTICES:
Safe sleep practices you can implement in your home
-
Always place baby on back for sleep, not on their tummy or side
-
Keep your baby’s head and face uncovered. Covering baby’s face or head with clothing such as a hat increases the risk of sudden infant death.
-
Keep your baby smoke-free before and after birth.
-
Have a safe sleeping environment night and day. Make sure the mattress is firm, clean and flat, in a safe cot that meets industry standards. Make sure there are no blankets, soft bedding, toys, pillows or bumpers in the cot.
-
Sleep your baby in your room for the first 6 months
-
Breastfeed your baby if possible.
INCLUSIVE PROGRAM: At Happy Days our educators work together to ensure that we are an inclusive centre.
To be inclusive means to embrace all people irrespective of race, gender, disability, medical or other need. It is about giving equal access and opportunities and getting rid of discrimination.
As part of Inclusive Program, we offer resources to all families in different languages to ensure everyone is receiving the support and information they need. This month's topic is:
"Encouraging Positive Behaviour"
Arabic
كجزء من البرنامج الشامل ، نقدم موارد لجميع العائلات بلغات مختلفة لضمان حصول الجميع على الدعم والمعلومات التي يحتاجون إليها. موضوع هذا الشهر هو:
نصائح حول تشجيع السلوك اإليجابي
Vietnamese
Là một phần của Chương trình Hòa nhập, chúng tôi cung cấp tài nguyên cho tất cả các gia đình bằng các ngôn ngữ khác nhau để đảm bảo mọi người đều nhận được sự hỗ trợ và thông tin họ cần. Chủ đề của tháng này là