Early Learning Centre
Prep Readiness Session
This Thursday 18 May at 2pm, the College is hosting a one-hour school-readiness information session in G-Block for community parents and carers to help their children to be ready to start school in 2024. Guests will be provided with information regarding some of the important developmental stages that are crucial for a successful transition.
4-Year-Old Kinder
All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful; The Lord God made them all. Psalm 104:24-25
Henny Penny Hatching Program
On Monday 8 May, the Kindergarten had 3 day old chicks and 11 eggs delivered through the Henny Penny Chicken Hatching Program. These visitors have been calling Bayside home for the past 8 days.
The children have been curious to engage in the opportunity to watch the 11 eggs hatching in a specially designed incubator, and then to observe the hatched chicks at play in a large, clear-sided brooding pen. The students have walked in with joy at the beginning of each day and saying good morning to their visitors and have learnt to care for God’s creatures.
The children and teachers have created names for the chickens which include Fluffily, Poppy, Marshmallow, Milkshake, Waddles and Henrietta.
Cross Country
To celebrate the efforts of the student runners we observed going past the kindergarten classroom , and hearing the excitement of the children talk about brothers, sisters, cousins and friends participating in the Bayside Cross Country day; the ELC went on a spontaneous adventure to the Oval and cheered on the students running. We were fortunate enough to see some older siblings in the Year 5/6 classes running and meet a few kinder family members along the way.
The children then showed off their running skills by doing their own lap of the inside running course of the oval. The students, teachers and families that were present, clapped and cheered for the 4-year-olds as they ran the most joy-filled race they could.
Afterwards we walked around the gym and met the runners on the second half of their race and stayed by the bush to cheer on the runners as they approached. We then walked back to kinder and went through the front door and saw the second race and even managed to see more siblings run.
It was a wonderful adventure and time to be able to celebrate another Bayside community activity.
Mother’s Day Celebrations
How special it has been to hear the wonderful things Mum’s do within their families out of the mouths of the 4-Year-Old kindergarten class. For 3 weeks the children have been preparing for their Mother’s Day celebration which was held in the evening on Wednesday 10 May, for which the children made a card detailing some fun facts about their Mums and drew a picture of their favourite activity they love to do with their Mum on a puzzle as a gift which they can enjoy doing again and again.
The evening they presented their gifts was a wonderful time of pampering and relaxation as the children and Mum’s (plus one aunty) were treated to time in the nail salon, hair dressing area and applying pretend makeup to one another.
Towers were built, chickens were watched, paintings completed and as a surprise, Miss Mitchell’s Mum and Mrs Cairns Mum were in attendance too. To finish off the evening the children sang to their Mums two songs and then Miss Mitchell’s Mum; Mrs Mitchell read the children and their guests a story about how special Mum’s are to us before their gifts were handed out.
A special thank you to one of our kindergarten Mums; Fiona Versteegen or also known as Princess Fiona by the students who has a florist business “The Standing Oak” and offered to come into Wednesday’s mornings session to run a flower bouquet making activity for the children to create an extra special gift for their Mum.
Thank you Fiona for your time, expertise and donation of flowers to further help celebrate Mother’s Day; the Mum’s adored receiving their individual bouquets.
3-Year-Old Kinder
This term we are exploring ‘God made big and small animals’ and working on our gross motor skills through movement and music, and targeted skill practice such as jumping and beginning to hop. We are singing songs such as ‘Jesus Loves me’, and ‘I can sing a rainbow’ whilst we practise the skill of crossing the midline. It is wonderful to see the children joining in with these activities with such enthusiasm and joy.
Thank you so much to all of the Mothers, Grandmothers, big sisters and special visitors who helped to make our Mother's Day celebration so special. The children enjoyed painting their visitors' nails, brushing their hair, applying ‘makeup' and spending time with their special person in the ELC. We hope that everyone had a very special Mother's Day.