Recipe of the Month!

We’re towards the end of another month which only means one thing… we have a delicious recipe for you to make for your children at home – Cheese and Spinach Pinwheels. This recipe is a fussy-free recipe that is perfect if your little ones are picky eaters!

Keep reading for the full recipe.

Ingredients

Puff pastry – 4 sheets
Cream cheese – 250g
Spinach – 80g
Minced garlic – 1 tsp
1/2 an onion

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180ºc line a baking tray with baking paper
  2. Grate onion and sauté in the pan with minced garlic. Add spinach sauté 3 minutes more
  3. When onion and spinach cool down, mix with cream cheese
  4. Spread pastry with cream cheese mixture
  5. Roll the pastry up tightly, cut into slices
  6. Place the scrolls on a baking tray and bake for 25 minutes until golden
  7. Allow to cool then serve
  8. Enjoy!

*This recipe can easily be made gluten-free and/or dairy-free with appropriate substitutes.

If you try this recipe, take a photo and tag us on social media so we can see! (@stgeorgemontesori)

Do You LOVE Long Weekends? Find out more about out mid-year enrolment offer!

Who doesn't love long weekends?!

Long weekends only come a few times a year but that doesn't have to be the case at St George Montessori.

If you enrol your child at selected St George Montessori Centres during June / July, they will receive free care every Monday in August!

Speaking about enrolments... Can you believe we're already half way through the year?

Secure your child's spot during our mid-year enrolment intake! (spots remain across our Peakhurst South, Engadine and Kingsgrove early learning centres)

Now, let's get into it...

What sets us apart? At St George Montessori we offer high quality care and education for children aged 0-5 years. Our amazing team of educators always go above and beyond to ensure they create a nurturing environment that encapsulates your little one with love and support, sparking their curiosity and creativity from the moment they're in our care.

What we offer:

Our August Long Weekend Offer is only valid for our Engadine, Peakhurst South and Kingsgrove centres, so if you would like to book a tour and one of these centres, click here!

*T&Cs apply. Offer only valid for a limited time. Monday care is available where centres can accomodate extra bookings.

Child Care Subsidy Updates

Hi Parents,

As you may know, there will be changes to the Child Care Subsidy as of the 10th of July 2023. From July, the Government will be spending $4.5 billion to offer more affordable subsidy rates to Australian families. What does this mean for you? This means that the Government will lift the maximum CCS rate to 90% for families earning $80,000 or less!

With the new changes, the CCS percentage tapers down 1% for each $5,000 of family income instead of the current $3,000, which makes families better off! If you wish to calculate your new child care subsidy, please follow the table below, or click here to use the CCS calculator.

FAQs

What are the changes to CCS in 2023?
If your family earns less than $530,000 annually, you will be eligible for increased child care subsidy (CCS) from 10 July 2023. This is because the CCS percentage you are eligible for depends on how much your household earns. This change is in addition to the higher sibling subsidy.

How does CCS get calculated?
To work out how much CCS you're eligible for we'll look at all of the following: your family's income. the hourly rate cap based on the type of approved child care you use and your child's age. the hours of activity you and your partner do.

What happens if you earn more than you accounted for in your CCS claim?
If you underestimated your family income, you may end up with an overpayment which you'll need to pay back. Centrelink will use the amount withheld to help reduce the debt. If you have a CCS overpayment, we may use some of your CCS each fortnight to pay this back.

How long does it take for Centrelink to approve a child care subsidy?
The entire process may take between four and six weeks

What is the highest percentage of child care subsidy?
90% is the maximum amount of subsidy a family can receive for one child.

How much will I save?
The below table shows the estimate of the new CCS rates and savings per income band (based per the example daily rate of $140).

Following on from this, changes will be made to your CCS automatically from 10 July 2023, and you will not be required to take action on anything. However, if you wish to research further, Services Australia have compiled a fact sheet that you can download for your knowledge. Click here to access the site and download the PDF document.

Did you know the Government also provides additional CCS support for families who need the extra help? Click here to determine if you are eligible.

For more information about the Child Care Subsidy updates, click here!

Montessori Spotlight - Trinomial Cubes!

At St George Montessori we believe learning is an excellent way to expand children's imaginations, build confidence and harvest inner creativity. What better way to encourage a child's learning than with our Montessori resources?

In our Montessori Spotlight, we will be focussing on Trinomial Cubes!

What are Montessori Trinomial Cubes? 

They are a sensorial resource made of coloured wood, encased inside a hinged wooden box. The cube is made up of 27 blocks, 3 cubes and 24 prisms!

Montessori Trinomial Cubes can be used for children aged 3 years - 6 years old, and they are a great resource for children to encourage interactive learning.

What are the Benefits of Montessori Trinomial Cubes?

Evidently there are a plethora of benefits to children participating in Montessori activities in their early years of learning, that are building the foundations of their future learning!

If you would like to book a tour at one of our centres, click here!