The start of 2020 has certainly been challenging on both a national and global scale. Many families would have been affected by the bushfires earlier in the year, our air quality was significantly compromised and now we are experiencing the impact of minimising the spread of COVID-19. For adults, these times can be frightening and unsettling. As children can often sense this before they can comprehend or articulate their feelings, our aim was to continue to provide reassurance, support and some normality for the girls until the decision was made to move to Offsite Learning. This was, of course, a completely new experience for all of us, and I am particularly grateful to the flexibility of our team in the Early Learning Centre (ELC) and also to parents who were positive and supportive throughout. 

Relationships are at the heart of everything we do in the Early Learning Centre. We know children are happier, more secure and more ready to learn when there are positive relationships between parents and educators, and educators and children. The home visits, information sharing meetings, Welcome Drinks, family tiles, family photos and everyday conversations all contribute to the sense of belonging and community we aim to instill. In amongst some of the big events in our community, it has been lovely to see families and children laughing together and enjoying all the learning occurring in Kinder and PrePrep. At the time of writing, we are unsure how long Offsite Learning will occur for, but I am hopeful that we can all embrace the technology available to us so we keep connected.

On behalf of the Early Learning Centre team, I would like to thank you for a very positive start to 2020. We all look forward to strengthening our relationship with you and your daughter.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Early Learning Centre team for all their hard work in this very busy first term.  I am very grateful for their energy, compassion, humour and positivity.

We wish you a restful and healthy break over the coming School Holiday and Easter break.

Bernadette Gioia
Director of the Early Learning Centre

Welcome to Term 1 and the beginning of our Kinder journey together. I feel honoured to be there for the girls, guiding them as they take their first steps into formal education. There is a "buzz" within the Kinder room and a mixture of all emotions including excitement and possibility for what this year may bring. 

Term 1 began with Miss Franceschi and Ms Sawyer visiting the homes of the Kinder girls. These visits have very much set the tone for a positive start to the girls’ Kinder experience, and laid the foundation for developing strong partnerships and warm connections between staff, children and families. We developed a strong understanding of who the girls are and what they are interested in, which has guided the experiences we provide within the program. Although the children have just begun at Kinder, Ms Sawyer and I have recognised just how capable and engaged the girls are with a range of different experiences.

Developing an interest in animals and the environment

Throughout the term, the children were fortunate enough to observe a bird making a nest in the yard. Kinder and PrePrep children were fascinated with how the bird took many trips, using its beak to collect twigs and leaves to add to its nest. This prompted interest in the girls to create their own nest. We collected materials, watched videos of birds making nests and looked at photos of different types of nests. We then came together on the mat and attempted to make a nest as a group. We discovered that this is very tricky! However we are excited to continue problem-solving and trying different ways to make a nest together as a group in Term 2.

Engaging with the community through technology

Recently, the Kinder children participated in a Virtual Classroom, where we learnt about farming in Australia. We visited the After Care room in the Junior School for our lesson, using the smartboard to look at and talk to children from schools from all around Australia, as well as two farmers from a large Cattle farm in New South Wales.

This experience allowed the children to explore concepts related to the environment and the challenges our wider community has faced during the recent bushfires and ongoing drought. This is something that the girls have been talking about at Kinder, with some of the children role-playing fire fighters and "saving the animals" in their play. 

The children also saw two female farmers run a farm, which is something that is not always represented in children’s books or in the media. 

We are excited to continue exploring innovative ways to learn that incorporate technology and a range of other STEM concepts within the Kinder program. With the School moving to Offsite Learning for the final week of Term 1, this will be a valuable opportunity for children and educators to experience how technology is beneficial for learning and connecting to others.

The girls have already displayed a real love of learning and eagerness to be involved. I can’t wait to see where 2020 takes us.

Emily Franceschi
Kinder Teacher

PrePrep have made a wonderful start to their year together, with many new friendships being forged early on. Building a sense of belonging is very important. Emphasising that we are a team, that we work together and help one another was one of our first goals and one that we revisit regularly. As we move into Term 2 we will focus on how our words and actions affect others, and how being kind towards others also helps us feel happier. In these uncertain times, we think it is particularly important to be proactive in teaching skills and strategies to support our mental health. The 3 Happy Things Journal is part of that strategy.

Early into the term, we interviewed each child and asked her to tell us all about herself, before inviting her to create a self-portrait. We like to start the year with this experience as it gives us such an insight into how the girls see themselves and what is important to them. During this process, we encouraged the girls to look closely at the mirror and try to include elements that they may not have previously included. This focus led into observations of sunflowers.

Mindfulness

Each week Mrs Gerakas runs a beautiful session of mindfulness where the children are invited to relax and slow down. These sessions are interactive and involve movement and creativity. Mrs Gerakas sets the space up with singing bowls, natural materials and interesting props as a provocation. There is a focus for the week to guide the girls and support their emotional wellbeing. Celebrating what makes us different, feeling positive, building kindness and connecting with others have all been included. We believe in the benefits for children as they learn to enjoy and participate in active guided mindfulness. It has been a great way to engage the children and encourage them to express their imagination and thoughts, in a creative and open ended manner. What a wonderful way to get them started on their mindfulness journey!

Stories and storytelling

Developing oral language is such an important stage in children’s literacy development. Through Term 1, PrePrep have shown great interest in story-telling and story creating. We introduced the group to story stones, which are stones with individual pictures on them. We put them together to create a story, adding interesting elements along the way. We then made books and story plans to help the girls organise their thoughts and focus on a start, middle and end for their story. We finished Term 1 by exploring story-telling in other ways. We have been acting out familiar stories and using puppets. We hope that over the coming break, this interest continues for the girls.

On behalf of Mrs Gerakas, Miss Timothy and I, we all wish you a healthy break from the ELC and wish you well during these unprecedented times. Being able to spend time with your family and slow the pace of everyday life will hopefully be a positive we can all look back on in the future.

Bernadette Gioia