Director's Report, Term 1 2023

Welcome to Livingston Kinder 2023!

We have had a great start to the year with many new families starting in the 3-year-old groups and a few in the four-year-old groups. It has been lovely reconnecting with existing and past families and meeting new families. 

At Livingston, our aim is to create meaningful learning experiences that encourage active participation, collaboration, and respectful relationships. Our focus is on child-initiated, play-based experiences in an indoor and outdoor environment. 

As Teachers and educators, we are responsive to children’s strengths, abilities, and interests creating an environment of meaningful and purposeful learning. Our role is to observe, document, facilitate, extend, and plan for individual children and the group as a whole. 

In all sessions at any time, there are children working individually, in a small group, or in a large group engaged in learning that is initiated by them and that they can participate in at their own level. 

We strive for excellence at Livingston and really welcome feedback and suggestions that may provide opportunities for us to improve our practice and in turn outcomes for the children in our care. We have a comments/feedback box in the foyer where we encourage you and your families to offer ideas or make comments for us to reflect on. Our foyer is a busy place with lots “going on" but this area along with emails and school stream provides families with information and keeps you informed about Kinder and community news. 

We also have a Community Pantry in the foyer. How it works…….

Parents can take food items from the pantry when picking up their children, perhaps an ingredient they’ve run out of that they need for dinner that night, and in return, parents can contribute something left over from their own pantry the next day.

The communal pantry includes basic food staples such as pasta, pasta sauce, cans of tuna, breakfast cereals, biscuits, and crackers. This helps children make community connections and fosters a sense of belonging to community groups and opens up conversations about helping others, sustainability, recycling, and reducing waste. 

We are hoping to set up a sharing shelf soon too so stay tuned !!

Working Bee. 

We are hoping to have our first working bee for 2023 soon. As a community run kinder re rely on the support of our families and many hands make light work. Look out for more info coming soon. 

LivCare Extended Care:

Now your child is settled into kinder have you thought about using the Liv care extended care sessions? Monday and Tuesday are full but we have vacancies on all other days. 

Please note that children need to have been collected and have departed BY 5.30 not AT 5.30, as staff needs to reset the room and go home to their families! If children are picked up late, as with kinder sessions, you may be charged a late collection fee as we have to pay staff who are working overtime. We thank you for your understanding. 

A copy of the fees policy which details this information along with all of the other Kinder policies is in the Policies folder on School Stream. 

School Stream: 

Remember to download the app and sign up to Livingston Kindergarten to receive Kinder news and information and photos of your child’s day. School Stream photo notices are deleted at the end of every term to make space for all the new exciting photos to be posted!