Early Learning Centre
ELC Director Update
Welcome to everyone viewing the early learning space of our school newsletter. I love hearing how our space reaches so many families across the college community and see how partnerships are embedded because of this communication tool.
We have had incredible moments of curiosity and wonder occur each day in our 3 and 4-Year-Old classroom programs. The children are feeling a sense of belonging to their environment and new relationships are flourishing between students and teachers. We have seen the children begin to bring their personalities forward as nerves are easing and learning opportunities are unfolding rapidly as the days continue.
I wish to express and sincerely thank our families who have chosen our kindergarten to educate and nurture your children this year. With your encouragement, involvement and support, we have seen the children all set up for a successful year of kindergarten and are encouraged by the friendships being established between students and families and the level of interactions families have had within our area of the college.
This year we are highlighting in our program the importance of sustainability and learning about how rubbish, toys, materials and resources can be used in multiple ways such as refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle.
Before we look at purchasing a number of supplies for our environment, both indoor and outdoor; we wish to propose to the college families that if you have any of the following items in the attached poster of donations, we would love to receive them before being thrown away in your homes. This is not just for enrolled kindergarten students, but anyone in the community who may be able to assist us in teaching these guiding principles to the children. Thank you for keeping us in mind if you find any of these items in your homes. We know the children would love to utilise these resources each day.
If you have any questions, please contact me at fiona.mitchell@baysdecc.vic.edu.au
Fiona Mitchell, ELC Director
3-Year-Old Kindergarten
This week was the children’s first time of attending full days on their own. We have been beginning to become familiar with the routines of the day, coming together for group mat times, singing our good morning song, hanging our names on the tree. The children showed joy as they joined in with many action songs and finger plays such as ‘5 cheeky monkeys’, ‘5 little ducks’, ‘Where is thumbkin?’, ‘Open, shut them.’
We are becoming familiar with where our belongings are kept such as our hats, our drink bottles, as well as our food and our lockers. Each day we eat morning tea together and lunch, and this week we introduced our rest times in the middle of the day. This week we learned how to make a line, and to wait for our turn to come through the door in the line.
The children have been very interested in engaging with sensory play such as kinetic sand, playdough, water play, coloured rice, and dropping water into containers. Outside the children enjoyed collecting cups and plates, with water from the water table, and having a ‘tea party’.
The children enjoyed practising their gross motor skills and movements with balance boards, the climbing frame, crawling through a tunnel, bikes and running and jumping. In small groups we practised making animal movements such as jumping like a kangaroo, crawling like a bear and slithering like a snake. We will continue to extend on these interests and skills next week. Well done to all of the children for their first big week!
Alyssa Cairns, ELC Teacher
4-Year-Old Kindergarten
Library
Mrs Champion came and visited the children in the classroom after our rest time on Monday and introduced two puppets that we later found out were in the storybook. We were reminded to sit down quietly as the puppets were scared with too much noise. The children loved engaging with Mrs Champion and we look forward to fortnightly sessions either in the ELC or in the Library.
Interactive Whiteboard
During Week 4 of Term, our classroom has been incredibly fortunate to secure an interactive white board for teaching and learning moments. The children have used the whiteboard this week with curiosity and wonder as they have viewed songs relating to our theme of identity and movement and been able to see the screen at their height, and use the whiteboard app to begin exploring writing their names using either the electronic pens or their pointer finger.
Each attempt the children achieved in the class of using the new interactive whiteboard gave them confidence in attempting to write their name in a fun new way without pressure as they expressed joy to see their fingers create their ideas from their head onto a screen, learning how digital technology can be used in fun and interactive ways to advance their skills highlighting this week their fine and gross motor skills. We introduced rules for digital safety and how to care for this new equipment too.
We are all looking forward to seeing how this addition to our classroom adds STEAM activities into our programming and curriculum over the year. A great big thankyou to Mr Manning, Mr Mason, Mr Mann, and Mr Kelly for helping us to implement this resource into our program, moving furniture and creating a safe and secure area for our classroom learning to take place.
New Skills
The children sat down and learnt about clay in Week 3 of term and how we can use our hands to create sculptures, including vases or pots. Each child was given a palm sized amount of clay and shown how to roll it into a ball and then place their thumb in the middle and push down. After this the children placed their thumb in the middle, their pointer finger on the outside of their ball and began to pinch the clay until they achieved a small pinch pot.
During Week 4 of Term 1, the children painted their pots using new power paint. The children are learning skills to tap their brushes off, and how different materials absorb liquids differently. The children were excited to give this creation to their parents at our Kindergarten family picnic on Wednesday.
Family Picnic
To begin our family events for 4-Year-Old Kindergarten, on Wednesday evening we enjoyed inviting the classes immediate family members to a picnic dinner followed by a play.
Siblings loved either revisiting the kindergarten classroom where they attended as students or coming inside for the first time and seeing all the areas the children go home and talk about.
The children excitedly showed their families new skills they had learnt, presented them with their clay pinch pot, a watercolour family picture the children had drawn as well as input their sense of belonging by participating in two community projects.
The first was adding their handprints onto two new wooden canvas’ added to the outdoor space. During the week the children had worked together to paint trees and the families came to all add their handprints as the leaves using autumnal colours.
The second was the children had been practising beading and making patterns in week 4 and asked their parents to help them add onto our new mobile.
These projects reflect community and family partnerships and help all families to feel a sense of belonging into our classroom.
Thankyou to all the families whom attended, and for those that were not able to make the evening we will add your input the next appropriate time we can add your handprints and beading into these new spaces.