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Kindy n o i t a c u d y l E r Ea Early s r e t t a M &
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8 Page guide to early education in the south burnett region
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southburnetttimes.com.au Tuesday, October 22, 2019
THE PERKS OF A COMMUNITY KINDERGARTEN WITH more than 35 years as a registered kindergarten in the area, C&K Murgon Community Kindergarten knows how to cater to the needs of our local early learners. According to director Amanda Dennien, they’ve learned how to prioritise and modify their programs to suit the community’s needs, providing more accessibility for families. “We now offer two long days, have nine school bus runs that drop children off and have more accessibility for families,” she said. “We’re also always able to listen to any ways we can improve our service to the area. “You have to have those rich relationships with families and that trust in order for people to reach out like they have.” The team at C&K Murgon Community
Kindergarten also make sure the enrolled children have a sense of belonging, where they are always welcome to share with the group. “Our curriculum revolves around a listening and learning together. We call it choice and voice,” Ms Dennien said. “It sits really well beside the general early learning guidelines, where we do our programming and planning based on a relationship between the child’s evolving interest and curiosity and our base teaching skills.” The team will let the children lead with their interest when it comes to learning, and they will track the children’s individual goals. “They learn so much better that way,” Ms Dennien said. “These kids are active learners and participators and we encourage them to be thinkers and theorisers as well.”
KINDY FUN: Learning at C&K Murgon Community Kindergarten.
THE REWARDS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
KINDY FUN: Learning at C&K Murgon Community Kindergarten.
THE C&K Murgon Community Kindergarten has created the perfect learning environment for your child. According to director Amanda Dennien, since a government grant in 2012 allowed the refurbishment of their landscape, children have been able to learn about the outdoors in school. This exposure to the outdoors has allowed children the freedom to learn about a range of different topics, including the environment. “The different spaces also help with the children’s social skills. There will be other kids with the same interests, and we see a lot of peer learning and group work coming into play,” she said. Ms Dennien said that even as an educator, the children’s questions had helped her learn about a lot of unusual things. “On our farm, I heard koalas making noises, and I knew what it was because I learned it at kindy,” she said. “Us educators are lifelong learners.” The children at C&K Murgon Community
C&K Murgon Community Kindergarten has been rated as EXCEEDING the National Quality Standards C&K Murgon Community Kindergarten is proud to have been the mainstay of Early Childhood Education for almost 35 years. Our government approved program is centred around a living and learning community that values children as competent and capable individuals. This play-based curriculum helps children to socialise, build confidence, develop communication and early literacy and numeracy skills to ensure your child is school ready. We employ a fully qualified, four year Early Childhood trained teacher and fully qualified and very experienced assistant.
Kindergarten are working on a project named World Through Children’s Eyes, which again highlights the different things kids find interesting. “They have been tasked to take some photos with phones and iPads and email them to me, which provides them with knowledge on using technology for a purpose,” she said. “Once we choose our favourites, the children will be learning how to represent their photographs through art activities, learning techniques with charcoal, wire, sculpting and more.” Ms Dennien said all the art would be showcased at the Wondai Art Gallery in November. “Just because they’re four doesn’t mean they can’t learn art in many different ways,” she said. “The whole point of the project is very much about allowing their creativity and artistic nature to come through in something meaningful to them.”
Call for more information. Phone:
4168 1020 Fax:
4169 5194 E-mail: murgon@candk.asn.au Web: murgon.candk.asn.au Director: Mrs Amanda Dennien Assistant: Mrs Diane Gscheidle
*Families with a Health Care Card are eligible for a substantial reduction in Kindy fees. There are also other governmental fee reductions available. 7076213aa
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FINDING AN EARLY LEARNING CENTRE THAT SUITS YOU KNOWING what families need when it comes to early childhood education is important. That’s why the Kingaroy Early Learning Centre prioritises family needs, giving more children a chance to access quality education services. Teacher and provider Brett Hillman said their first step was recognising that general kindergarten times don’t suit most working families. “Many kindergartens offer services for three- and four-year-olds, working only on school days and tending to run shorter than regular school days,” he said. “This doesn’t work in the modern era of work schedules.” Because of this, the Early Learning Centre functions for 52 weeks a year. “There’s a lot of flexibility of long day care, meeting far broader needs of the modern economy and parental
responsibility,” he said. “I’ve noticed a lot of parents think we operate under general Queensland community day care schedules, but we offer a lot more.” While they offer more flexible services, they still make sure to follow Queensland’s early learning framework to make sure your child gets the best, up-to-date education. Mr Hillman said families struggling with money could also give their child the best chance at the Early Learning Centre, as they take on a range of grants and government subsidies. For more information on how the Early Learning Centre suits your family’s circumstances, contact the team on (07) 4162 2242.
LEARNING: Children under the guidance of experienced staff at Kingaroy Early Learning Centre.
GET THE BEST EDUCATION FOR YOUR CHILD
EARLY LEARNING: Children are learning a lot thanks to the experienced staff at the Kingaroy Early Learning Centre. PHOTOS: KINGAROY EARLY LEARNING CENTRE
A LOT of work goes into educating young children. Brett Hillman from the Early Learning Centre said as well as having a high functioning space with new play equipment to keep the child’s interest, the director in charge also must have a keen eye for progress. “There is a lot of spontaneity when it comes to working with children and following their learning patterns,” he said. “Because of this, we have a lot of educators training to provide more opportunities to extend child exploration.” Mr Hillman said the director of the Kingaroy Early Learning Centre had the experience to accommodate this important learning. “With over 20 years in the child education industry, she has a forte of seeing things
when it comes to bettering education,” he said. “She can notice how different materials can become teachable moments, and how a child’s response can open up a doorway to help prompt further exploration.” Mr Hillman said it was usually very common for trained teachers or educators to go to government schooling systems. With many trained educators on their team, Mr Hillman believes it shows the standard of overall passion and dedication for early childhood learning at the Early Learning Centre. Mr Hillman said as well as their already existing team of excellent staff, they also have a new teacher coming in who is fully qualified, with a long history of working in day care. According to Mr Hillman, with qualified educators on board, a child has their best chance of learning and developing many different interests.
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southburnetttimes.com.au Tuesday, October 22, 2019
CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY AT KINDY THE children at Kingaroy Kindergarten are learning about how to do their part to help the community, even at a young age. According to Sue Murphy, the educators at Kingaroy Kindergarten have brought in community projects for the children to do. “As well as looking at topics like sustainability and recycling, we’ve been collecting milk bottle lids for Lids 4 Kids,” she said. This is where they donate the lids that go towards making prosthetic limbs for disabled children. “The kids are learning a lot from it, especially about how important it is to give back to the community,” Ms Murphy said. “It’s not hard for us to collect these items either. We’d just be using them for box construction activities, so the children are really liking to get involved.”
Ms Murphy said it was interesting seeing the children keep tabs on how many lids they had each week and were understanding the donation process. “We also fundraise for farmers, so that they can buy salt licks and things for cattle,” she said. According to Ms Murphy, they will soon be undertaking Operation Christmas Child. “We’ll be packing two shoe boxes at the kindy, one for a little girl and one for a boy who are less fortunate than us,” she said. “We’re also going to pair it with a letter from our kindy, which will help the children get more involved too.” Ms Murphy believes these different activities are very important in teaching the children to care for others. “Donations don’t have to be expensive, we’re just trying to make a caring community,” she said.
TEACHING KINDNESS: Operation Christmas Child has come to the Kingaroy Kindergarten.
THE MANY ADVENTURES OF KINGAROY KINDERGARTEN
ART CORNER: Kids play together.
ADVENTURE is out there for the children at Kingaroy Kindergarten. According to Sue Murphy, the kids get to experience learning through a range of different activities, including many different excursions. “We go on quite a few – we’ve been to two schools to watch performances, as well as an educational visit to Woolworths and the town library,” she said. Ms Murphy said they also got a lot of visitors come to spend time with and teach the children at the kindy. “We’ve started a partnership with Orana,” she said. “They’ve come to visit us, we had morning team with them and sung them a song. “We’re also a part of the BUSHkids Read and Grow program, where they come each week to read a story with the kids.” When these trips and visits have come and gone, the team at
Kingaroy Kindergarten don’t have problems keeping busy. Their high-quality educational program and resources help children to enjoy every day, including projects like Henny Penny Hatching. These activities are brought into the kindy and placed alongside their C&K curriculum, which focuses on recognising and respecting children. “Through our activities we help children become powerful learners, thinkers and theorisers and also active citizens,” Ms Murphy said. She also said they had all the equipment needed to help support the children’s interests. “We have an arts corner that the kids can access, grabbing their own paint, craft supplies, and access that to do their independent work,” she said. “If there’s something they need for the sandpit, they can find a whole variety of things from the shed.”
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Tuesday, October 22, 2019 southburnetttimes.com.au
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n o i t a c u d E Kindy & Early Matters THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING CALM WHILE LEARNING ‘DID you know’ that a calm brain is a thinking brain? If we want to learn something new or see a different perspective, it’s important that cortisol (stress hormone) in our brain is relatively low. What does that mean for adults who parent or teach young children? Well, it means that we need to make sure that children are in a calm environment, using as many of their senses as possible to take information to the brain. A calm brain will remember what is being taught. This is part of Dr Kathryn Murray’s Did You Know information series on early childhood education. Kathryn has been a teacher, university academic, researcher and now an education consultant with over 35 years’ experience working with children, parents and teachers. She is a public speaker and mentor across Australia and internationally (New Zealand, China, Bali, US) working with early childhood teachers and parents with young children. Dr Kathryn lives at the Sunshine Coast but is from the country (Kingaroy) and knows how hard and expensive it is to
access parent support or professional development workshops/sessions when you’re not in the city. So, she has decided to do something about that. Kathryn is doing a ‘rural road show’ and is travelling to major Queensland towns in February and March next year. Kathryn is bringing her consultancy, Training and Education Services to you. She will be spending limited time in the South Burnett before heading south, then on to Roma, Longreach, Mt Isa, Emerald and home, with many stops in between. If you would like to organise professional development for your early childhood teams, or parent group support sessions, get in quick and book your time with Dr Kathryn. She is currently working out her itinerary, so you will need to secure your time with her as soon as possible so she can include you in her rural road show. Email Dr Kathryn at kathy@training andedservices.com.au. Check her out on Facebook, LinkedIn or her website: Training and Education Services with Dr Kathryn Murray.
A calm brain will remember what is being taught.
REGISTER: Information series on early childhood education is on offer. PHOTOS: MONKEYBUSINESSIMAGES
Quality tuition is beneficial for a variety of ages.
PHOTO: LORDN
Do you work in early chilDhooD? are you a parent of young chilDren?
Ever felt unsure how to do this?
Dr Kathryn Murray - Training and Education consultancy is doing a 'Rural Road Trip' and will be in the South Burnett in February, 2020.
help is at hanD!
Kathryn uses her 35 years of experience, research and neuroscience to provide professional development sessions for teachers and parents. so if you are an early learning centre director and want to support your teams or host a session for your parents then please contact Kathryn to lock her in.
CONTACT: Dr Kathryn Murray | 0438 776 116
info@trainingandedservices.com.au | www.trainingandedservices.com.au
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southburnetttimes.com.au Tuesday, October 22, 2019
LEARNING LITERACY AT SAINT MARY’S PREPARING your child for school isn’t hard when you have professional help. One way to get this help is by enrolling your child into the Prep classes at Saint Mary’s Catholic College. According to Prep teacher Sarah McCarthy, Saint Mary’s offers great facilities to help give your child the best learning experience. “We really want them to be set up for the rest of their schooling,” she said. Ms McCarthy said their philosophy was based around a context-text model, which is where they show the children a book and then the kids will learn things through interacting and connecting with it. “Play comes through that as well, and we’ve had great successes so far,” she said. “Even the plants in the gardens outside can be an example attached to their learning. The children read a book about gardens, and we decided to take a gardening project on.”
According to primary learning leader Ann-Louise Henrick, the chosen learning style is very intentional. “We make sure to use literacy across all subject areas,” she said. “We’re really proud of our literacy achievements, and the data is excellent as a result. “That’s important for kids building on that as a foundational level and being able to go across to primary school confidently reading and writing.” Ms Henrick said that they proudly showcased the children’s good work all over the classroom. “Our Prep also has a lot of bright colours and work posted all over the walls,” she said. “I think it’s important for people to know that it’s a bright and happy room of kids’ work, too; it’s not intentionally brought-in decorations or bought online.” If the enjoyable but educational Prep program appeals to your family, make sure to contact Saint Mary’s for information on enrolling and more.
SAINT MARY’S: Prep Year children love to read and learn through interacting and connecting.
LEARNING KINDNESS AT SAINT MARY’S teachers see the need to put children first. “It’s at the centre of everything we do, and it makes for a really joyful, Christian, happy community,” Ms Henrick said. “The children are always excited to come in and learn in our environment. Sarah McCarthy, our Prep teacher, is awesome and the children are always happy to be there.” For families curious about the Prep learning structure, Ms Henrick said they focus on the individual progress of the child as well as how they work in a group. “We also teach from the
Saint Mary’s Catholic College
curriculum as a guide to decide what’s best for the kids to learn next,” she said. “We have lots of support in our classrooms, often with Primary learning leaders working in the Prep and Primary classrooms so that there’s a good ratio of support for the kids.” Ms Henrick said this allows more contact time with the teachers, with more chances of one-on-one instruction and better learning opportunities. “When a child comes to Saint Mary’s, they can expect a safe, happy and kind learning experience,” she said.
Prep to Year 12
~ Open
LIFE LESSONS: Children have lots of learning support in the Saint Mary’s classrooms. PHOTOS: ELAELAH HARLEY
AT SAINT Mary’s Catholic College, your child can experience learning with kindness at a very young age. According to Primary learning leader Ann-Louise Henrick, Catholic education also spreads into the Prep class learning programs. “We really value the quality of the Benedictine lifestyle within the school. It’s important to us on how we live it out on a daily basis and how we treat one another,” she said. “It helps them understand how important it is to be good and kind.” These values also help the
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10 Kent Street, PO Box 311, Kingaroy QLD 4610 ~ Website: www.saintmarys.qld.edu.au ~ Email: pskingaroy@bne.catholic.edu.au ~ Follow us on Facebook
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Come and experience what our caring and supportive community o N can provide your child. ts 0 0 n e 09 Personal tours available m l 0 o r 6 n by appointment. 1 4 0E
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Tuesday, October 22, 2019 southburnetttimes.com.au
n o i t a c u d E Kindy & Early Matters
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GIVING YOUR CHILD A GOOD START FOR SCHOOL THERE are many benefits to enrolling in a kindergarten program for your children when it comes to getting ready for their schooling journey. That’s what Sue Margetts believes, from Goodstart Early Learning Kingaroy. “It’s been proven through research that when the children take part in a kindy program, they perform better,” she said. “Kindergarten programs teach kids emotional resilience, independence and getting ready in a play-based environment, while also maintaining a fun and enjoyable safe space.” According to Ms Margetts, the team at Goodstart Early Learning make sure to follow the curriculum while also tailoring in school practices to get the children ready for their prep year. Ms Margetts also said some local schools come into the service to visit the children. “It helps there not be such a
culture shock for the kids, and the teachers say they appreciate it too,” she said. “At the end of the next year we visit the kids at school to reunite but also to discuss with the teachers about what has worked in our service and what we might need to improve on.” Ms Margetts believes based on their feedback that their kindergarten helps create a sense of wonder for the children, which makes for curiosity, investigation and problem solving. “This is very beneficial for when they end up getting to school,” she said. For more information on how your child can succeed in school preparation, contact the team at Goodstart Early Learning Kingaroy.
GET A GOOD START: Since Goodstart Early Learning Kingaroy, learning has never been so fun.
ENJOYING EARLY EDUCATION AT GOODSTART EDUCATION at the Goodstart Early Learning Centre Kingaroy is a lot of fun. According to Sue Margetts, there are many enjoyable, educational activities for the children to take part in. This includes outdoor activities like gardening and outdoor investigations. “We often look at all the insects around the centre, and if we find something that interests the kids, we make sure to learn about it,”
GET A GOOD START: Since Goodstart Early Learning Kingaroy, learning has never been so fun.
Ms Margetts said. “One morning we found a grasshopper and then discussed what they might eat. The kids prompted it with their curiosity and then we extended learning about it through asking questions.” Ms Margetts said the children even turn to internet research when using the iPads at the centre. Once they’ve learned a lot about an insect or other topic of interest, Ms Margetts said the children would act it out in a dramatic way or would recreate them in the art corner. “With the art or building, they might do a fantastic design, so they often like to keep that for the
parents,” she said. “We’ll make a sign with the child that says ‘Stop – please keep me’, so that we know not to repurpose it or throw it away. These signs also help them improve their literacy.” Most importantly, the team and educators at the Goodstart Early Learning Centre make sure to give the children a sense of belonging. “We know that the children who come here feel at home and immerse themselves in the environment here, as well as building resilience and independence to prepare them for what future learning will be like,” she said.
With strong community connections and two teachers, Goodstart Kingaroy provides quality early learning and care to help your child thrive.
1800 222 543 goodstart kingaroy
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southburnetttimes.com.au Tuesday, October 22, 2019
FINDING THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT FOR LEARNING AT MOTHER Kate’s Early Learning Centre in Wondai, your child can learn and grow in a space tailored for their comfort. According to centre director Heather Salthouse, the childcare and kindergarten environments are decorated to make the children feel like they’re at home. “We have the junior side of the centre, with beautiful fresh sand in the sandpit and new plants,” she said. “This all mimics a natural and home-like environment. “Same for the bigger side, which is junior kindy and kindy. Each room we’re slowly building a more home-like and comfortable environment.” Ms Salthouse said they were trying to keep it as familiar as
possible for the children, so that being in this learning space wasn’t such a big leap. “It helps them to relax and enjoy their time at the centre,” she said. “Once they’re feeling safe and secure in their environment, they will prosper. They can get more involved in learning.” Mother Kate’s in Wondai is a family-owned centre and, according to Ms Salthouse, the owner has an understanding as a parent himself of what an early learning centre requires. “We’re very in tune with what parents are looking for in early learning for their children,” she said. If you believe this learning environment will suit your child, Mother Kate’s Early Learning Centre is taking enrolments now.
Danielle and Lucas learn together at Mother Kate’s Early Learning Centre.
QUALITY CARE AND EDUCATION AT MOTHER KATE’S THE team at Mother Kate’s Early Learning Centre pride themselves on giving quality care for all children enrolled in their services. The team is filled with qualified early childhood educators, allowing for professional childcare services and the deliverance of an accredited kindergarten program. Following the guidelines of Being, Becoming and Belonging (within the Early Years Learning Framework), centre director Heather Salthouse said the centre encouraged children to build on what they had. “This helps them understand who they are, to become better and know that they
LEFT: Alex learns new skills with measuring.
PRACTICAL: Dean playing in the garden.
MothEr KatE’s
belong,” she said. Ms Salthouse believes this focus provides great educational opportunities. “It fosters a safe and secure environment where the skills that the children already have get enhanced,” she said. Approaching this education within an early learning centre like Mother Kate’s can help the child become more comfortable with socialisation. “Kids are able to learn a broader range of topics when talking with many different children in the centre, as well as expand on their social skills,” she said. For busy working families, they also offer long daycare services, from 6.30am–6pm. “We believe it’s important to show care and respect towards all stakeholders and families and this includes accommodating their needs,” Ms Salthouse said. According to Ms Salthouse, they also have CCS and government subsidies available. For more information, visit their Facebook page or website at www.motherkates.com.au, or phone the team on 07 4162 0811.
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