simone’s message by simone cooke, principal · the vacation programme is also an opportunity for...

1 REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER 1

Simone’s Message By Simone Cooke, Principal

Vacation Care

We have reached the end of a busy Term One and next week is an opportunity to relax with

some fun filled activities as we embark upon our Easter Vacation Programme. Please find

attached a copy of the activities we have planned for the next three weeks. For those parents

new to our school, our Vacation programme operates during normal hours, however, it is a

great opportunity for the children to have a break from the regular curriculum driven activities

and routines. A range of exciting activities ranging from Easter Egg Hunts, face painting, P.J and

movie day and even a visit from the Easter Bunny has been planned.

The Vacation Programme is also an opportunity for some of our teachers to take a well

deserved break at a time that limits disruptions to our educational programme. The school will

be closed on Good Friday 14th April , Easter Monday 17th April and Anzac Day 25th April. This

will be our final newsletter until Term Two resumes on Wednesday 26th April.

Easter Morning Tea

To celebrate the end of another successful Term and the commencement of our Vacation

Care Programme we invite you to join us next Wednesday 12th April for Easter Morning Tea from

8.00 – 9.00am with hot crossed buns and a visit from the Easter Bunny! We hope you will hop in

and see Easter Yoga in full swing.

Casual Days

A reminder that should you require an additional casual day due to work commitments, illness

etc, all requests are to be directed to the Principal at [email protected]. I wish

to clarify that these are additional days to your current enrolment pattern and are subject to

availability. Whilst we attempt to accommodate all requests this is not always possible. Please

be aware that swapping of days is not normally permitted and only occurs under extenuating

circumstances and are at the discretion of the Principal.

We look forward to a fun filled Vacation programme and wish you all a happy and safe Easter

break with your family.

7TH APRIL 2017


Term 1 Reflection

During Term 1, one of our main focuses in the Nest and Hatchlings was to introduce the children

to the new routines and become familiar with their new learning environment.

To help children develop an understanding of the routine and comprehend what is going to

happen next, the teachers follow the same strategy, which consists of singing an invitational

song, for example if it is time for morning tea, we invite everyone to come and sit with us at the

table and sing:

“Everybody come and sit, come and sit, come and sit (x2).Everybody come and sit, it’s time for

morning tea.”

We sing the same song throughout different transitions such as pack away time, lunch and group time.

Grace and courtesy is a very big focus. Manners like, “Please,” and “Thank you,” are constantly

role modeled by the teachers. Greeting our friends and teachers in the morning and at the end

of the day is a good way to show our friends how special they are to us.

If the children are using loud voices in the classroom, they are asked to use their inside voice.

We have also started to encourage the children to put their hand in front of their body and say,

“Stop, I don‟t like it,” if a friend pushes them or does something they do not like. We are giving

the children tools to use that will assist them to communicate their feelings effectively.

The children have come such a long way when it comes to our sensory provocation. At the

beginning of the year the children were so reluctant to try the new activities and towards the

end of term they were all so intrigued by all the sensory materials. It was such a delight to see

them develop throughout the term.

Have a great Holiday!

Stage 1: The Nest & Hatchlings By Gabriela Guimaraes


Stage 1: The Nest & Hatchlings Term 1 in Review - Belonging


Stage 1: The Nest & Hatchlings Light Table


Stage 1: The Nest & Hatchlings Shaving Foam Mirror Painting


Stage 1: The Nest & Hatchlings Outdoor Play


Time has flown and this is our last newsletter for this term.

We have observed many of the children go through much developmental and social change,

over the past weeks, particularly moving from solitary and parallel play towards cooperative play

with one friend or with a group of friends.

As an Educator I am aware of the importance of understanding the children‟s thoughts and

feelings, making certain we support the development of a strong sense of wellbeing. Activities

are planned and set up based on the children‟s interests and needs. I firmly believe that this

system supports children‟s choices, and assists them in developing a strong sense of self. Children

who believe in themselves are confident learners and happy individuals.

It has been delightful to watch the children progress and how they make a beautiful and united

group. The children are already demonstrating fantastic sharing skills, patience and turn-taking

abilities, friendship, kindness and caring towards one another.

This week during group time we have been engaging more in dialogues. The children are getting

more vocal and they feel more and more comfortable to share their ideas, experiences and

feelings with others. One morning Mila from Stage Two was participating in our group time when

she decided to share with the other children that her dad had found a spider in her house.

Following on from this all the children started sharing their own thoughts and stories . Some said

they go shopping with mum and dad, others talked about buying a jumper because it is getting

cold. I feel so very lucky to be present in their development and to be part of their lives.

I would like to say a huge thank you to all our parents for their support and trust. I learn everyday

with your precious children and I am blessed to be around them. I hope you all have a great

weekend and once again thank you!

Stage 1: Fledglings By Michele Santos


Stage 1: Fledglings Term 1 Reflections - Creative and Social Play


Stage 1: Fledglings Term 1 Reflections - Outdoor Play


Stage 1: Fledglings Term 1 Reflections - 100 Colours


Stage 2: Chicks, Sparrows & Robins By Kasia Rymarczyk We have come to an end of a very productive and enriching Term One. We have loved getting

to know all the Stage 2 children and discovering so much about their individual interests, talents

and strengths. Every day, they impress and surprise us even more, and it is wonderful to see them

all truly settled in, following our classroom routines and structures autonomously.

We all know that young children are naturally motivated and creative learners. We also know

that every child is unique and no two children learn the same way. Here at Reddam we see

children as keen explorers with an intense drive to make sense of their world in connection with

others. Our curriculum planning is driven by our children, their ideas and passions. From the

beginning of the year we have had two major projects and we have explored many interesting

queries.

The “Wonders of the Beach” provocation provided the children with incredible connections with

nature. From this somewhat simple yet fascinating project the children learnt new factual

information about shells, fish, drift wood, waves and coral reefs but most importantly they

extended their language skills and vocabulary, they researched information, used art to express

meaning and shared rich literary experiences.

The “Secret World of Minibeasts” project proved to be a valuable and absorbing learning

journey. Where the children learnt to treat creatures in the environment with care and sensitivity.

They observed and can now recognise simple characteristics of minibeasts and other living

things. Throughout the project the children worked together as part of a group or in pairs, taking

turns and sharing fairly. They developed curiosity and interest by exploring their surroundings and

by using their senses. They communicated effectively through group discussions and by sharing

experiences, they exchanged ideas and information with each other and their teachers.

We are looking forward to a fun fulfilled in-house vacation programme where Easter Celebrations

will be the main focus. We may even have the Easter bunny visiting the school with some nice

chocolate treats!! This week our exploration into the world of mini beasts has continued and the

children‟s concepts and understanding has really broadened. We continued with our current

project through hands on learning experiences:


Stage 2: The Leaf Curling Spider By Kasia Rymarczyk

Who is the Leaf Curling Spider?

Whilst in the garden the children they observed a spider making his web. He was moving quite

fast producing a complicated and flawlessly shaped web. When we came back to the

classroom. The children couldn‟t resist just talking about what they had observed.

“Kasia, was this spider poisoned? (poisonous)”

“Do all spiders make webs?”

“Is he going to catch a fly?”

We answered these questions and researched more information about different types of spiders.

We came across a mysterious spider recently discovered in China called the leaf curling spider.

Many bugs have an excellent system of camouflage to help them avoid predators or to

hunt, and the leaf curling spider is one of them. The children were fascinated with this particular

creature. Following this interesting group discovery we invited the children to play a game: The

children sat in a circle and closed their eyes one child was chosen to hide inside the leaf (large

piece of fabric) in the centre of the circle with just their toes poking out like the legs of a leaf

curling spider. Everyone opened their eyes and tried to guess from the legs who might be hiding

as a leaf curling spider. Once correctly guessed , the child who was the spider choose the next

person to be a spider. I will be honest , it took us some time to encourage the children to keep

their eyes closed, and it took a lot of negotiation to take turns, however once we got the idea

we had a lot of fun! Games with rules are difficult to play for such young children, however, our

class gets to practise this compound skill regularly and the games are always modified in order to

make them age appropriate. Even two to three year old children have a sense of fairness, of

playing by the rules. Once children agree on the rules of their game it becomes easy for them to

follow. At the beginning of the game they all wanted to be the spider but once they understood

that to play they needed to take turns the game became to flow successfully.


Stage 2: The Leaf Curling Spider Game


Stage 2: Bugs in the Garden By Holly Lindsay

This week we have worked on extending our bumble bee interest; it is wonderful to see the

children‟s ownership over their learning as they explore the outdoor environment and transfer

and adapt what they have learnt.

One of our extensions came from a child initiated discussion whilst out in the garden. During

morning play the children were on a „bug hunt‟ when we came across a butterfly. One of the

questions they all seemed to have was “Why is it in the garden?”, Miss Holly explained to the

children that like bumble bee‟ butterflies are interested in the nectar from flowers, however the

biggest difference is butterflies drink nectar.

The next day we used the Atelier to look into this interest further; a selection of plants were laid

out, the children were asked if they could take the plants they thought butterflies or bumble

bees would be interested in and stick it on a piece of contact attached to an easel.

This led to many a discussion!!

We spoke about colour, size, shape, smell and texture. The children remembered and identified

the type of flower they had seen near the butterfly.

As well as discussing with their teachers they also discussed with each other and answered one

another questions.

Here are some questioned and answers observed:

“What colour do you see? This leaf has purple!”

“Do Bees‟ like leaves or just flowers?

“Only flowers I think!”

We look forward to more conversations like this, where we can explore and develop the

children‟s interests and delve further into the world of gardens, and the important role our

favourite mini beasts have with our natural environment.


Stage 2: Bugs in the Garden


Stage 2: Training Fine Motor Skills By Eva Lo

Our youngest Stage Two group, The Chicks, together with Miss Eva explored further the

concept of pollination.

Firstly the children “travelled” to the inside of a beehive by visiting the website: http://

explore.org/live-cams/player/honey-bee-hive-cam. Eva used a projector for a more

dramatic engaging experience, the children were fascinated at seeing a bee up

close in a safe, non threatening way.

Honey bees are very important insect pollinators. The honey bee gets some food and

the plant gets pollinated. Miss Eva cut out a honeycomb shaped cardboard hive and

the children were invited to use a pair of tongs or clothes pegs and some coloured

pom poms to act as pollen. The children used their fine motor skills and pincer grip to

transfer the objects from one side of the cardboard to another. It wasn‟t easy for their

little hands but they remained persistent and focused.

The children‟s strong interest in the experience helped them to overcome the

challenges through the change of strategies (using two hands) as they problem solve

independently.

http://explore.org/live-cams/player/honey-bee-hive-cam

http://explore.org/live-cams/player/honey-bee-hive-cam


Stage 2: Training Fine Motor Skills


Observational Drawing of a Block Tower

This week the children were engaged in observational drawing, involving small coloured

blocks and coloured pencils. These open ended resources were designed to

encourage the children to engage in discussion and develop individual responses to

the blocks. The children approached the task in a variety of ways, creating 3D designs

and then transposing these designs into two dimensional drawings.

Rhys: “look, I built a tower and now I can draw it”

Camilla: “I am going around the block”

Theo: “I‟m drawing lines”

Avissa: “I can do circle flowers”

Aaron: “Mine is a tower”

Daniel: “I did a round tower”

Aadhya: “Mine is for mummy”

Finn: “It‟s circles and lines on mine”

Working in groups extends individual thought by encouraging children to share ideas

and build upon suggestions of others. The children‟s imaginations ran wild as they used

and interpreted the objects in a variety of creative ways.

Cooking Experience

This week the children were involved in a cooking experience. Together we made

some 'Space Balls' which was very exciting as we love making food. First we mixed the

ball mix into the melted butter and water, tipped in the biscuit crumbs and then the fun

began. We all took a small ball of dough and rolled it around in our hands to make it a

perfect sphere. Then we rolled the ball in the 'hundreds and thousands', making sure to

cover the whole ball. There were then questions along the lines of 'can I eat it now?'

from all the children involved. Finally, the best part of the experience, tasting our

treat. It was delicious!!

Dinosaurs Galore

To finish off our dinosaur Provocation, we looked at some pictures of our favourite

dinosaurs and chose one to draw. We revisited the different names of the dinosaurs

and discussed each of their unique features before using a thin black marker to get a

very defined image of the dinosaur we had chosen. After that, we applied a thin layer

of water colour paint, so the black marker image was still visible. To complete the

experience, we cut out our dinosaur and stuck it on black paper. The final product was

a very effect way to display our work. Good bye dinosaurs, we had lots of fun learning

all about you!

Stage 3 - Kookaburras By Riina Andrew


Stage 3: Kookaburras Dinosaurs Galore!


Dinosaur Stamping

This week in the Flamingos we are finishing off our Prehistoric investigations. The children have

thoroughly enjoyed learning all about dinosaurs and how different the earth was at that time.

We started the week by doing some dinosaur stamping using sponges with paint and the toy

dinosaurs from our room. The children enjoyed using the paint and the dinosaur‟s feet to make

patterns all over their paper. This activity required concentration and the use of fine motor skills

as some of the dinosaur‟s feet were angled in a way that meant the children needed to roll the

feet onto the paper rather than just stamping. Everyone did a wonderful job and the children

were very proud of their artworks.

Painting with Mud

With all the rain we have been getting, it was time to stop avoiding the mud and use it to our

advantage and to get creative! The prehistoric world wasn‟t just about dinosaurs. What would

we have used to paint with if we were alive at that time? As a group we discussed this topic

and the children were really keen to try and create their own paint using mud and powdered

paint colouring. The children worked in pairs for this activity and began by adding a small

amount of mud/dirt to their containers. Using a jug, they added small amounts of water a little

at a time until they found a consistency that they were happy with. Some of the children then

added some powdered paint colouring while their friends mixed it up until everything was

combined. Everyone took turns and did a wonderful job of communicating with one another

about how much mud, water or powder to add and when they were happy with the texture

and colour of their paint. We then used the paint to create some wonderful artworks. The

Flamingos had such an amazing time with this activity and kept asking if they could do it all

again next week!

Learning Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners

Stage 3 - Flamingos By Amanda McDonald


Stage 3: Flamingos Dinosaur Stamping & Painting with Mud


Stage 3: Flamingos Outdoor Creative Play


Stage 4 - Rosellas By Sue Mayer

Reflections of our First Term

The wonder of being a teacher is to see the little discoveries your children make, the mile-

stones that are developed and the progression that children take. Each child in our classroom

is unique and has their own journey of discovery. It has been wonderful to observe how each

child challenges themselves to learn new things and for each of them it is different.

First term has been a busy term, the children have become aware of the routines and devel-

oped their own sense of agency and autonomy directing where our learning has gone. The

children are also realising how they fit into the school community here at Reddam, making

new friends with other teachers and children and reaching out for comfort when need-

ed. Over the past Term both Bernadette and I have seen how far your children have come.

This Term we have explored "Our Sense of Belonging". Creating a sense of "belonging is central

to being and becoming in that is shapes who children are and who they can become" (Early

Years Learning Framework, 2009, p 7). Children also need to feel safe, respected and valued

and this is at the core of our teaching.

Interests have varied over the term. We have extended our drawing and artistic skills through

self portraits and where we live, and through the holidays enjoyed celebrations such as Chi-

nese New Year, Valentine‟s Day, St Patrick‟s Day and Harmony Day. Exercise clubs have been

formed, Master builders have been made, all whilst learning manners at the dining table as

well. We have investigated our eyes and snakes, using research skills and mind mapping to un-

derstand a little more about these topics.

There has also been a focus on key literacy and numeracy skills with exposure to key concepts

and processes, such as the sounds of language, letter-sound relationships, concepts of print

and ways that texts are structured. But most importantly it is the intangibles that we see devel-

oping such as the collaboration and the emotional and social development that has im-

pressed us the most.

Childhood is a time of great wonder with each experience adding to the next and little by little

your children are growing the skills to prepare them for a journey of lifelong learning.

We can't wait to see where our journey takes us next term.


Stage 4: Rosellas Term 1 Reflections


Stage 4: Cockatoos By Bernadette Casey

It our last week of term and we are wrapping up our intentional learning in preparation

for vacation care. The children continue to demonstrate interest in small part play.

We have seen a great level of engagement in the construction area. The space ships

being built have developed in complexity and new language is being used which has

helped to extend how the children interact with the Lego. At the start of term we saw

lots of „ships‟ and „rockets‟, now space craft, droids, and hangars are being built and

used as platforms for dramatic play. Small parts have also replaced our dinosaurs as

we begin a discovery into the mathematical concept of full, half and empty. The chil-

dren have been using pebbles, stones and water to display these properties in various

containers.

A change in resources has also seen growth in dramatic play through out the day. The

children are enjoying dressing up and taking on new personas. This has also seen the

children have the opportunity to play with new friends they are not usually drawn to.

These new friendships are then flourishing at other times as well. Children are electing

to sit with new peers during their quiet drawing and meal times. To further encourage

the children‟s sense of agency, independence and responsibility – the children are

now serving them selves at meal times. They are encouraged to take only what they

feel they can eat and to try portions of food they may not normally eat.


Stage 4: Cockatoos Developing New Relationships


Stage 4: Cockatoos Working Together


Stage 4: Cockatoos Building our Fairy Garden


Music By Justin Sze

Stage 1 & 2

How time flies when we‟re having fun! It‟s now the last week of Term 1. We concluded the term

with a highlight of all the favourite songs throughout the past weeks. We played with the Jack-

in-the-box, used the Slide Whistle, listened to the sounds of frogs and played with the frog guiro,

listened to the monkey and imitated the monkey actions and much more.

Our little ones are still working on inhibitory control skills as children tried to remain as still as they

could once the music stopped. The smiles on their faces was evidence that they understood

the activity.

The circle dance was also more successful with the Stage 2 children this week. Walking in a cir-

cle is a big challenge for children at this stage. However, this social activity is so important for

children as they learn to co-operate with their friends in order to make the song work. They

learn very quickly that everyone had to fully participate. If one person stood still or walked in a

different direction, the whole activity would fall apart. Thankfully, they all worked really well to-

gether and we had a nice “Ring around the Rosie”.

Stage 3

We visited our imaginary musical beach once again and built our nice big boat with the sticks.

We then collected the ideas of what we liked to do in the boat while at sea. But as we sailed,

we saw a ship with a very loud horn again! We used the “sho-fa”( a musical instrument from Is-

rael which is made from a horn of a ram- a daddy sheep) to simulate the loud blasting sounds

of a huge ship. Fortunately, we managed to steer clear of the big ship by rowing really quickly.

To do this, we sang “merrily we row along” really quickly! When we were safely away from the

big ship, we sang the song slowly again, emphasizing the singing voice. It was lovely to hear

the little voices sing!

We concluded the lesson with a “rolling good time” at the beach, rolling a beach ball while

singing another fun song together. It has been a wonderful term with the children at Stage 3!

Stage 4

The children were very enthusiastic at pretending to be a sleeping bear which wakes up at the

end of the song, while the rest of the class crept around the forest with a (I I I Z) rhythm. Chil-

dren also learned to listen to the rhythmic patterns of a drum and respond by either walking,

running, or skipping, respectively. Without any verbal instructions, children were able to distin-

guish between walking, running or skipping rhythmic patterns just by listening to what was

played on the drum. This activity develops their aural perception skills and helps them with Mu-

sical dictation when they embark on more formal musical training in future.

We continued to develop their awareness of the difference between singing voices and

speaking voices through a game; Farmer, Farmer. When the farmer uses his speaking voice,

the children had to walk in slow motion across the river. If the farmer uses his/her singing voice,

the children would run across the river. We are making good progress indeed and I look for-

ward to hear some great music from these little ones in the rest of the year.


Music


Mandarin Class By Sherry Zhu


Yoga By Kelly Nance

From an early age and throughout childhood, children are developing a sense of their own

identity, skills, and capabilities. When the opportunities are provided, it is a time of increasing

independence. Over the course of growth and development, children become more able to

do things for themselves, express themselves widely and are able to explore their world inde-

pendently. Fostering independence within children contributes to confidence and the devel-

opment of positive self-esteem, identity and wellbeing. As adults, we contain a sense of agency

within ourselves when we feel in control of things that happen around us and when we feel that

we can influence events. The same is true for children. By valuing children‟s opinions and deci-

sion making, adults recognise their capabilities and facilitate children‟s sense of authority,

agency, and independence. Having some control over their experiences contributes to chil-

dren‟s growing sense of self.

With this in mind and it being the last week of the term before vacation care, the children were

provided options to choose their own class based on experiences from term 1. Each class was

unique as the children were invited to make a decision about which elements of yoga they

wish to revisit. For the Nest and Stage 1, this was making a choice about what type of quiet ac-

tivity they wanted at the end and with each stage more and more choices were offered, re-

specting the development and increasing independence that comes with age.

Love and Peace,

Kelly


Yoga


Dance

simone’s message by simone cooke, principal · the vacation programme is also an opportunity for...

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