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Welcome from our Centre Manager
Nicoleen Pietersen
Ko Nicoleen tōku ingoa. I was born and raised in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, and moved to beautiful Aotearoa New Zealand in 2019. I studied at NZTC and have grown into my role as Centre Manager at Busy Bees Apollo. I am a proud mum to my daughter and a nana to my three mokopuna.
As a Centre Manager, I am passionate about creating a space for our tamariki, where they feel safe, loved, and a true sense of belonging. I believe every tamaiti should be nurtured as an individual, where their mana is respected, their identity is valued, and they are supported to grow with confidence.
What I love most about Busy Bees Apollo is the strong sense of whanaungatanga we share with our tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. Our centre is a place where meaningful relationships are at the heart of everything we do, and where tamariki are supported to explore, learn, and thrive.
What inspires me to come to mahi each day is knowing we are making a positive difference in the lives of our tamariki and their whānau, creating a space where everyone feels welcomed, supported, and empowered to grow together.
Our Approach
Our friendly kaiako (teachers) foster a sense of belonging, trust, and understanding, ensuring that every child feels valued and included. We promote positive language and encourage happy children, building strong relationships and emotional well-being.
We celebrate the diversity of our local Albany and Rosedale community and value the richness of different home languages within our early education centre. Busy Bees Apollo Early Education Centre provides opportunities for children to learn and appreciate various languages, promoting cultural understanding and open-mindedness. We believe that learning should be fun and exciting. Through local Albany events, parent participation, and a positive atmosphere, we create a joyful environment where children feel confident and eager to explore.
At Busy Bees Apollo, our purposefully designed Transition to School Programme equips children with the essential knowledge and skills they need for this next step, allowing them to make a seamless and successful move to primary. Our daily programme sees children participate in a variety of experiences such as literacy, numeracy and physical well-being. We also introduce a book bag to take home each day and a lunch box day on Fridays. All of which provide children with the best foundation for future learning.
We understand the demands of modern life, our flexible hours accommodate busy schedules, come by and visit us in Apollo Drive, Rosedale today!
Nourish - Thriving minds, active bodies, nurtured hearts
Our dedicated cook and centre team is currently striving towards the Tohu Manawa Ora | Healthy Heart Award from the Heart Foundation. From wholesome ingredients to balanced portions, every meal is thoughtfully crafted to support healthy development and foster good eating habits from an early age.
Teachers also do regular baking with the children, which provides them opportunities to engage and learn a range of food preparations skills and fine motor movements such as pouring, sifting, spooning. It is a great hands on sensory experience for children to develop independence through self-help skills, practice simple maths as they measure and count quantities.
Our centre features six classrooms specifically designed for different age groups, fostering Tuakana/teina relationships and engaged tamariki. Our kaiako create beautiful provocations with carefully selected materials to provoke curiosity, promote critical thinking, and encourage tamariki to express themselves through various art forms.
Our Fern room (Ages 0-1 Years) is based on building loving and trusting bonds, our kaiako work closely with families to understand infant cues and develop a routine that supports children’s natural rhythms. When tamariki are ready to progress, they will head into the Nikau room (Ages 1-2 Years), and utilise sensory play, outdoor exploration, music, and movement to create a fun, interactive atmosphere whilst maintaining a focus on the love and care that infants need to thrive.
The Kowhai room (Ages 2-2.5 Years) is designed to help our tamariki balance the desire to be independent with the need to be nurtured and cared for. Our next room is Manuka (2.5-3 Years), where our kaiako support the unfolding autonomy of the older tamariki to encourage the child’s emergent personality to blossom.
Our Pohutukawa room (3-4 Years) supports the tamariki with social and emotional competence at a time when they are ready to engage in meaningful play with others. The Kauri room (4-5 Years) is where tamariki start to become more aware of their upcoming transition to school, our resources are reflective of the mediums children will be using at school. Kaiako observe and converse with children to develop projects based on their interests.
Our Programmes
Bee Curious, our Busy Bees Curriculum Framework, has been created to guide and inspire kaiako in supporting tamariki through rich, interconnected learning experiences. Built on the strong foundation of Te Whāriki, it reflects the principles of Aotearoa New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum and the aspirations we hold for our children as they grow.
Our MOVE programme deliberately sets out physical activities that give children the opportunity to learn, practice and master physical skills whilst developing their resilience, perseverance, patience, co-ordination, gross-motor skills, teamwork and much more, all while having loads of fun!
Nutritious food is the foundation for healthy growth and development in our children. Our Nourish menus fuel our children and support full, healthy tummies enabling clear minds to focus on the learning and set children up to thrive at our centre.
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