Kindergarten News
Important Information/ Advertising
Whitehorse City Council is launching our June Parenting Information Forum School Readiness presented by Early Childhood Consultant, Louise Dorrat.
Date: Tuesday 15th June 2021
Times: 7:00pm – 8:30pm via Zoom
Cost: Free
Further information is provided in the attached flyer. Families can now book online through the Whitehorse Council website: https://www.whitehorse.vic.gov.au/living-working/people-and-families/family-activities-and-resources/parenting-information-forums or via https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/school-readiness-tickets-148714167077.
Please feel free to distribute this email and attached flyers to any parents, grandparents or carers who you think might benefit from this or future forums. Places are limited so booking early is recommended. If forums reach capacity a waiting list will be activated.
Dickens Room
Week one of 'Lock Down' Kinder has come and gone, and it has been wonderful to be able to provide the stability and routine of our program and the connection to peers for our students.
Our Wimbi class has had some very focused moments, they are really enjoying dramatic play in the doctors area: with lots of sick patients being looked after and a huge emphasis on all the admin work that needs to be done! (perhaps our school office could have some helpers soon!)
There has also been a real interest in both groups around expression through creative mediums. The children are exploring painting and drawing, and have a need to roll and name their own art pieces, just like Mardi and I do! There is a lot of agency and autonomy that is being created through this.
At group times, the children have been loving songs with props, on Friday we sang old MacDonald, with various animals in small boxes. The children chose a box and then we sang the animal that was inside, whilst such a seemingly simple activity, the curiosity, excitement and joy that comes from this sets a strong learning environment for the children.
Our Marram class has demonstrated more reflective behaviour and possible lockdown cares. Tuesday was a settled and quiet day, the children needed long moments of exploration and connection- this was wonderful to be able to respond to and provide, with Harma beads, art, new construction, Kinetic sand and lots of small adult led games.
Thursday was quite the opposite, with the children coming in with a lot of energy!
We worked with this, visiting our school garden, exploring the change in seasons, playing games with a ball we found and searching for insects. In the afternoon, we took all of our Kinder balls to the oval, affording the children the chance to run around, play co-operatively and be present in the wonderful sunshine.
We have been busy juggling lock downs, supporting learning through the program, liaising with DET and specialists to gain added support for our classes as well as completing our Mid Year learning assessments for our Four year old Students. We will be sending out times for our Mid Year Parent Teacher interviews, these are essential for supporting the continued development of each child as well as in supporting successful transitions to school.
Please make these interviews a priority, links will come out soon.
Stay warm and safe everyone,
Al and Mardi.
Moore Room
A great week in the Moore room with some wonderful outdoor moments. We have seen fabulous imaginative and collaborative play in the big block area – creating pirate boats, castles and cubby houses. Bike riding has been most enjoyable, with great humour, as we explore the traffic rules. We have loved chasing bubbles, with awesome eye tracking and some vegetable spotting in the school garden. These moments create opportunities to develop and extend our gross motor skills, risk taking assessment - as we navigate our surroundings, and builds self-confidence, resilience and self-advocacy.
The school garden and nature play also stimulates creativity, problem solving skills and executive functioning development. We have taken the use of nature and explored this through the making of play dough with citrus, cinnamon and natural materials. These areas create calmness and support wellbeing. We were very fortunate to have Murphy, the schools therapy dog, come to visit us – also providing calmness and the children were fantastic in taking turns and being gentle.
Not quite the weather, however, we do follow the children’s interests and have incorporated an ice-cream parlour into the program. This has afforded the children some great opportunities to share culture, use language to exchange ideas and co-construct their learning.
We will be sending out times for our Mid Year Parent Teacher interviews, these are essential for supporting the continued development of each child as well as in supporting successful transitions to school.
Please make these interviews a priority, links will come out soon.
Have a wonderful week!
Kelly-Anne, Treesje, Cristina, Julie, Carol and Anna