childcare Remuera

Our Team

At Poppies, we recognise the importance of a supportive teaching team, committed to ongoing professional development. Considering their qualifications and teaching experience, the teachers at Poppies are carefully selected for their genuine warmth and passion, innovation, motivation and quality teaching practices.

In order to meet the needs of the individual child, the Poppies team are knowledgeable about human development and the Early Childhood Curriculum (Te Whāriki).  They are skilled at implementing it, thoughtful about what they do, aware they are role models for learning.

The teachers are dedicated to learning, both in their own personal and professional development and in gaining knowledge about each individual child. They are trained to meet the educational needs of each child lovingly and develop their strengths and interests, knowledge, skills and positive attitudes.

Poppies supports the staff by funding professional development and supporting the continuation of training which allows them to gain further knowledge and experience and higher Early Childhood qualifications if they wish. All qualified and registered teachers hold current First Aid Certificates.

Rhiannon Davies – Owner/Director

Rhiannon and family have been Remuera locals since 2010 with son Blake attending Victoria Avenue Primary School. Rhiannon has been involved in the childcare industry since purchasing her first centre in 2014.   Rhiannon and family purchased Poppies in 2019  and she is hands on with the day to day running of Poppies.  It’s a family affair, with husband Sunny being involved in IT and centre maintenance. In their spare time Rhiannon and family love skiing, cycling and bush walks/runs.

rhiannon@poppies.co.nz

Why Choose Poppies Kindergarten?

We are a small privately owned, family run Kindergarten with only 40 children, so your child won’t get lost in the crowd.
We are a well established centre which has proudly been running for over 30 years within the Remuera Community.
We have an enormous open plan gym area to ensure physical activity all year round, even in the rainy session.
We have excellent Teacher/Child ratios . You can be sure your child will receive plenty of individual attention.
We offer a Comprehensive Transition to School Program taught by Primary and ECE Trained Teachers.
Our unique weekly “Out and About Nature Walks” explore the local community.
We provide multiple out of centre excursions throughout the year so your child gains exposure to the wilder world.
We provide an extensive range of exciting educational resources.
We hold regular family events throughout the year to support parents and extended family to get to know each other.
Regular Baking sessions and gardening as part of the curriculum.
We are situated across the road from a beautiful park for regular outings in nature.

Don’t just take our word for it, click on the links below to read our Facebook and Google reviews.

Parent Information

Lunchbox Battles

Packing a lunch box for your child in the morning can be a challenge. We hear children talk every day about their food preferences and assertions “I don’t like that!” Children can be very particular about what they will and won’t eat and sometimes parents worry that their child will not have enough to eat during the day. The eating habits that children develop today will influence the diet that they will have as adults. Also, the food that children eat today influences how they behave and cope with their day. There is a growing range of information about what is best for children to eat but this can be overwhelming and difficult to sift through when you just want to pack your child’s lunch box and get out the door.

So we have come up with some brief ideas and information that we hope may help with the lunch box battle and which will help you to provide a healthy lunch box for your child when they come to Poppies.

Please let us know if your child is allergic to any food or products.
We are a nut FREE centre.
Parents at Poppies provide their children’s lunches.
We regularly do cooking and baking with the children as part of our curriculum.

Sickness and Medication

If your child is sick or unable to attend Poppies for any reason, we ask that you notify us as soon as possible.

You may do so by phoning the centre on 09 5203424.  headteacher@poppies.co.nz

Due to the risk of infecting other children and teachers we do not provide care for sick children. If your child has any of the following symptoms:

  • high fever
  • inflamed throat
  • coughing and green or yellow runny nose
  • vomiting or diarrhoea
  • eye discharge
  • unidentified rash
  • Chicken Pox or Measles

you must keep your child at home. Please refer to our Sickness and Medicines Policy.

If your child becomes ill whilst at Poppies the parent/guardian will be notified immediately to come and pick your child up.

Please hand any medication to a Teacher and list instructions in the medicine book and sign each day.  Please do not leave any medication in your child’s bag. Our medication policy states that we will not give paracetamol or any other form of medication, to your child unless prescribed by a doctor.

How Do I Settle My Child Into Poppies?

A child’s initial sense of wellbeing and belonging at Poppies is fundamental. We recognise that ongoing and open communication between parents and teachers is an essential ingredient in meeting the needs of the individual child and the learning and development that will occur.

We welcome our new families by inviting parents and children to visit 3-4 times prior to the child’s first enrolled day. This way the child and parent are able to:

Get to know the child’s teachers
Be introduced to the other children
Observe the programme in action
Become familiar with the kindergarten environment and routines
Ask any questions as they arise
Develop an initial sense of well-being and belonging
Make any adjustments to personal details on enrolment forms etc.
The initial separation can cause anxiety for both child and parent. The teachers at Poppies fully understand and are experienced at handling these initial stages of adjustment for children and parents and will do what they can to assist and support you during this process.

On separating from your child for the first time, we stress the importance of saying “goodbye, I will be back soon to collect you.” We do not believe in the sneak out approach. If you would like one of the teachers to take your child by the hand when you depart, then arrange this with the teacher first so that she can make herself available. However once you have decided to leave, we have found that to leave confidently and swiftly is by far the best approach.

Please call us anytime you wish. If your child is clearly not showing any signs of settling, rest assured we will call you.

On your child’s first day, please bring to Poppies 2 photos that your child has selected to attach to their locker and portfolio. Until your child is able to recognise his/her own name, a photo of themselves (or family or friends etc.) helps them to identify which locker or portfolio is their own.

Please bring back your About Me form to introduce your child and your family to Poppies and this will be the opening page in your child’s portfolio.

Portfolios

Your child’s portfolio will record their learning experiences and developmental journey whilst at Poppies, documenting a record of what they get up to at preschool.

It includes learning stories, experiences, observations, photographs and artwork that have been gathered to capture this exciting time in your child’s important childhood years.

Parents contributions in their child’s portfolio are always valued and welcomed. We encourage whānau/families to take your child’s portfolio home to share their learning journey and we know you will treasure this precious record in years to come.

Latest ERO Report For Poppies Kindergarten

Every childcare centre in New Zealand is reviewed by the Education Review Office (ERO) approximately every 3 years. You can see our latest 2022 ERO review by clicking on the link below.

www.ero.govt.nz.