A very warm welcome to our Ruby Saltbush children and their families! Thank you for making time to come to Meet and Greet on the Tuesday morning. It was so lovely to see all the children and then welcome them back on Monday and Tuesday for our first days in RSB. It was a short week, but so full of activity, learning the new rhythm and playing fun games together to get to know each other.

Next is our parent afternoon and the working bee. These times give me a chance to get to know everyone a little more and to have some important conversations about your children and your hopes for them this year. For me, these times are like wrapping a community of care and good intent around the children together. I hope they will be good for you and your children too.

Our RSB parent afternoon is Tuesday the 10th of February 3-4pm.

To make rest time extra special and supported for your child, I would like someone from each family to come and make them their own guardian angel dolls to hold and cuddle.

The BB/RSB working bee on Saturday the 14th of February 8-10am.

Come one and all for as short or as long as you can to help beautify our preschool space for the new year. Little helping hands are very welcome! There are a wide variety of jobs to choose from, both inside and out. Please bring spades, rakes, small gardening shovels, your gardening gloves and a sewing machine if you enjoy sewing for a few jobs inside.

Children love to know the rhythm of the week. It helps them feel secure knowing what is happening. I will be handing out a flyer for you to keep on the fridge, so you can tell them if it is a long or short day and what the day holds.

If you have other children in the school, please pick up the younger children first and the elder children last in the afternoons. A minute waiting for a child Is so much longer than a minute for an adult and they can become quite anxious.

Below is a little bit of information about the Importance of Rest, a key part of our Early Childhood program. If resting isn't already a part of your child's daily schedule, give it a try and let me know if you notice any changes!

Thank you for entrusting your precious children into our care. We are looking forward to supporting your child grow and learn through play.

Warmly,

Dierdre & Farishta

The Importance of Rest

It’s hard to overstate the benefits of rest for human memory, and neuroscientists are just beginning to understand why. Rest time and napping is not just for babies and toddlers; new research from the University of Pennsylvania proves that napping is really beneficial for kids even up to 12, leading to greater happiness, self-control and grit, fewer behaviour problems and higher academic performance in the higher grades.

In the past, I’ve had parents concerned if their child took a rest at school that the child might be bored or might not sleep at night. However, over the year we could see over and over how many children change in behaviour and calmness when they do have that rest or nap in the afternoon. After a full morning of high activity and stimulation, an afternoon rest is essential – leading to greater happiness and self-control as well as fewer behaviour problems. We don’t require that the children sleep, but we do want them to find the inner calm to settle their body, relax into stillness and rest while we sing and read a story.

Rest is a place where the children can digest all of the sensory physical, social and emotional events of the day, a place to relax in a warm, safe atmosphere filled with unconditional love and acceptance. The main focus is not on getting the children to sleep, but on helping them to obtain inner quietness and the ability to maintain this in a reverent and safe space held for them by the caregiver. Falling asleep may be the end result of this state.

In Steiner Education, rest is considered highly important as it allows children to fully integrate and process information learned throughout the day, supporting their cognitive development, emotional well-being, and overall ability to learn effectively. With a strong emphasis on incorporating regular quiet time and naps, especially in younger children, to facilitate this "inner work" during sleep cycles, rest is considered an active part of the learning process, not just a passive break.

The full Penn article can be found here: https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/link...

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