Early Learning Centre

Transition Dates

Upcoming Dates

3-Year-Old Kinder

Evacuation Practice

The children practised their second evacuation fire drill and walked in a line to the G-block hall. After taking the roll in the hall, we walked to see the chickens in the Primary School. The children did a wonderful job of staying together, in a line, during their second evacuation practice.

Christmas Preparations

The children have been busily practising their Christmas songs for the Christmas concert and making Christmas decorations and art work such as wreaths, nativity scenes, Christmas tree collages, and Christmas trees using playdough and loose parts.

Gardening

This week the children planted mint, parsley and potatoes in the vegetable garden. They used their muscles and strength to dig holes for the plants and worked together to fill in the soil around the plants and to cover over the potatoes with soil. The children noticed that it was raining and commented that this would help the plants to grow. Later in the day, the children came outside and took turns in watering the new plants. Each child was also able to eat a strawberry from the garden at the end of the day.

4-Year-Old Kinder

Assembly + Chickens

The students attended their first Whole School Assembly in G-Block as another great insight into what primary school life will be inclusive of. The children walked down with excitement and walked into with amazed looks on their faces to see so many students, staff and adults coming together. They loved hearing themselves be welcomed by the leading teachers and sang along if they knew the words to the song the choir performed. On the way back to kinder, the chickens were a fun way to explore the area 

Outdoor Play

With increasingly warmer weather, the children are engaging in many activities that challenge not only their fine and gross motor skills but also their social skills. In small group rotations across a 30-minute timeframe, the children learnt to interact with peers they usually would not play with, try new ideas or engage in art when they may prefer running. Prompts were given in the mud pit by Teachers to make bird food, with the dinosaurs to make them a home and in the sandpit to create a meal for a Christmas Day lunch. These activities were loved by the children as they rotated every 4 /5 minutes. 

Christmas Dramatic Play

Costumes have been brought out, the tent transferred into a stable and props added to create an opportunity for the children to role play characters from the Nativity story. It has been delightful to hear the children connect with the Biblical story and 

New toys and resources

A $5,000 grant was given to every kinder in Victoria, helping to purchase new equipment for play-based learning. This funding enabled our kinder to purchase inclusive and age-appropriate materials, encouraging children of all abilities to use their imagination and creativity, while learning through play.  Magnets, costumes, a cosy retreat and sporting equipment were among a few of the items the children have helped unpack and play with this week.

Show and Tell

The children were encouraged to share their Long weekend plans with the class and used photo prompts to assist in their presentation. The children have grown with tremendous courage and confidence to speak in front of their peers, create complex sentences and take questions from their peers and teachers. It has been a huge area of growth to also hear the children engage in prayer time and give their thanks to God for his goodness. 

Goats

After a Library lesson with Mrs Champion, the children were excited to see the goats were relocated to the back of the Kindergarten into the garden bed. The children have enjoyed hearing the goats bleating throughout the week and enjoyed watching them from the fence line in between morning and afternoon visits.