Balcombe Pre-School Newsletter - Term 2 - 2014

NEWSLETTER Term 2 - 2014

THE TEACHERS

Welcome to Term 2 newsletter for 2014!

In This Issue:

Eliza

Jessica

Rebecca

Reminders 2 Presidents Report 3 Maintenance Committee Report 4 4 Year Old Teachers’ Report 6 3 Year Old Teachers’ Report 10 Seals & Sea Stars Photos 12 Dolphin, Lobster & Penguin Photos 24 The Turtles Photos 34

WORKING BEE DATES LEFT FOR THIS YEAR: Sunday 17th August: 9am - 12pm Sunday 12th October: 9am - 12pm

Jessie

Kerri

Kellie

Kristy

Natalie 2

FROM THE PRESIDENT Hello one and all!

I can’t believe it is the end of term two already.

It is such a cliché but, really, where has the time gone? When you read via the teachers’ reports and reflections of the many fantastic things our children have been experiencing, it is no wonder the term has flown by.

We are very fortunate here at our Pre-School to have an amazing teaching staff and on behalf of the Committee I would like to formally Thank them. To Eliza, Jessica, Rebecca, Kerri, Jessie, Kristy, Natalie, Kelli and Kellie I say thank you. 2014 has been a great and challenging year thus far and I am in awe of the teachers professionalism and commitment. Also a big thanks to our work experience students.

I would like to continue on recognising the people in our PreSchool community.

To all the parents, grandparents, carers and special friends of the Pre-School, thank you for making the commitment to drop off and collect the children on time. It has been a focus this year, as we need to have this process bedded down as this is part of our policies we need to meet. If you can’t get there in time to collect the children please ask another parent to wait with your child until you arrive or have an alternative pick up.

The teachers timetable has less break times between classes and after hours, so the transitions will need to be smooth making it a priority that the children are picked up on time.

Further thanks to the parents and friends of the Pre-School for two fantastic working bees so far. The turn-out was impressive, as was the quality of the work. The gardens are looking amazing and the new outdoor pergola is such a hit with the children. Also the new lockers are much bigger to put more ‘kid’s art work’ and coats for winter. A special thanks to Vicky, Aaron and Jo for organising these successful events and projects.

The fundraising sub-committee have also been hard at work with Tea Towels and other exciting things ready for term 3.

A personal note of thanks goes out to the Committee and the teaching staff – Thank You for making my life easy with Linda, Anne and Kate on the Executive Committee. I am privileged to work with a dedicated, friendly and intelligent group of people.

Stay safe, enjoy the holidays and I look forward to seeing you in term three.

Christopher Britt President on behalf of the committee

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MAINTENANCE COMMITTEE REPORT A great effort made by many over these past six months at Balcombe Kindergarten has lead to the creation of many very successful changes, upgrades and revitalizations to the grounds and buildings.

A huge thank you must go to all the parents who have volunteered their time and skills at our last three working bees.

We achieved so much on each of the days and really have the kindergarten looking amazing.

Just some of the new additions created, and achievements reached are: •

A fabulous new “digging patch” (huge thanks to Terry one of our Granddads from Lowkey for his bobcat work)

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The painting of the sandpit cubby storage shed

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Re line marking of the bike track on the rubber play area

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New steering wheel on the timber car (big thanks to Aaron)

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Washing of the shade sail over the sand pit

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Trimming of many of the trees and potentially dangerous branches around the grounds (huge thanks to Andrew for his skills and mulching equipment)

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Fox and pigeon proofing the chicken shed

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Lots of weeding, raking, mowing and sweeping of the grounds, sand pit and mulched areas

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New crawling vine plants and guide lines installed around the tee pee

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New chairs donated by Kate & Steve Robinson for the front entrance outside waiting area

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Chicken proofing of the vegetable gardens

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Reusing of old lockers as a storage solution for the storage room

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And lots and lots of many other general maintenance items rectified

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Just recently we installed new “lockers” for the children’s bags, coats and paintings etc. They have been a real improvement with their larger size and added hanging hooks.

We have had approval for a new security entry system into the kindergarten that will take place shortly. Errol Stent one of our dads who is from Gateman Automatic Gates will be installing this, see his details below:

You may have all noticed the great new pergola extension to the rear of the building now giving the children and teachers a wonderful wet weather protected area. Huge thanks to Chris, Terry and staff at Lowkey Constructions.

If you would like to know more about their business contact: Ph: 1300 79 60 50 Email:sales@gateman.com.au Website: http://gateman.com.au

We look forward to another fruitful next six months with some great ideas on our agenda, warm thanks again from the Maintenance Committee,

Authorised Stratco Dealer. Call Chris Kelleher on 1800 354 900 or 0408 530 409 or see their website at http://www.lowkeyconstructions.com.au

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Vicky Dinas, Jo Attard and Aaron Commons

TERM 2 2014

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4 YEAR OLD TEACHERS REPORT:

News from the Seals, Sea Stars, Penguins, Lobsters & Dolphins It’s hard to believe that we have already reached the middle of our Pre-School year together . . . Term Two really did go fast! This term, we have embarked on many learning adventures and as always, have enjoyed sharing in a range of special experiences, including; our Mum’s Coffee Morning where we shared some delicious treats (which we had made!), performed songs and surprised our Mum’s with some gifts!

In response to the children’s emerging interests, our dramatic play area has been converted into a range of different scenes; including a Teddy Bears Picnic, a Campsite (with a real tent!), Home Corner, as well as the Balcombe Veterinary Clinic! The children have also enjoyed participating in a wide range of sensory- based experiences (with pasta, rice, shaving cream and kinetic sand just to name a few!) Through our planning, activities have incorporated appropriate knowledge and skills which the children have demonstrated a real thirst for (for example, by following recipes when engaging in a range of cooking experiences (with Kerri’s trip to Italy inspiring us to make Pizza, Pasta and Gelato . . . yum!) and when introducing specific concepts at our new Numeracy and Literacy tables).

In response to the changes we could observe in the environment around us, during April and May we engaged in a range of Autumnal experiences. The children had an absolute ball collecting the fallen leaves in our yard as well as engaging in a range of craft activities, including; making our own leaf creations after reading the story Leaf Man and experimenting with colourmixing using dye and diffusing paper leaves. This was then followed by our Sustainability Incursion with Jenny from Bunnings . . . the children loved planting both seeds and seedlings into peat pellets and peat pots in addition to our Pre-School vegetable patch. Over recent weeks, it has been very exciting to see our seedlings grow! The importance of teaching children about the environment and sustainability is described beautiful by the following quote from Stonehouse (2006); “. . . one of the most significant responsibilities we have is to support children to retain the sense of awe and wonder that they are born with, to add to that a desire to nurture and protect what is beautiful and to encourage them to appreciate that there are many possibilities for honoring life and wonders that the world holds” On Wednesday 21st May and Thursday 22nd May, we participated in Mt Martha Fire Station’s Fire Safe Kids program. The children’s understandings of fire safety were consolidated leading up to and following this excursion through a range of interactive learning experiences, including; fire-fighter imaginative play, fire-safety related songs and games as well as a range of craft-based experiences. This special excursion has enabled us to create a link to our local community (addressing Early Years Learning and Development Outcome 2: Community) and we would like to thank all of the families who made this possible by coming to the fire station and assisting us on our walk ☺ This term we have also enjoyed incursions from Peninsula Vet Care (focusing on how we can care for our pets and the important role of Vets in our community) and the Responsible Pet Ownership Program. Helen and Lisa from the Responsible Pet Ownership Program spoke about how we can live safely with dogs, including; learning what to do if we are approached by an aggressive or angry dog and the correct way to approach a dog

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TERM 2 2014 (i.e. asking the owner “Can I please pat your dog?” before using our ‘hello’ hand). It has been amazing to see how the children’s confidence has grown in relation to speaking in front of the group, as many have eagerly brought in photos of their own pets from home to share.

The children have been very excited to hear about the adventures of their group’s sea creature each week (as part of our show and tell format). Sharing the sea creature’s adventures has not only helped us to learn more about one another but has also assisted in developing the children’s communication skills, sense of identity and confidence in speaking in front of others.

Like last term, the children’s portfolios will be sent home during the last week of Term Two. Please feel free to contribute to these over the holidays . . . we would love to hear your thoughts, ideas and all about what you get up to over the break! This information is very useful to us and will help to inform our planning for Term Three.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our Maintenance Committee for all of their hard work this term; our new lockers are wonderful and the children have loved using our digging patch and undercover area for a range of sensory and craft experiences! We are certain that this new area will continue to be put to good use, especially with more rainy days on the way ☺

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4 YEAR OLD TEACHERS REPORT:

News from the Seals, Sea Stars, Penguins, Lobsters & Dolphins Thank you also to all the families who joined us in calling on the Australian Government to maintain its commitment to 15 hours of Pre-School for all children by signing the online petition to Minister Susan Ley. Pre-School children in Victoria currently receive high-quality educational programs for 15 hours a week through a partnership agreement between State and Commonwealth Governments. However, the Australian Government want to walk away from this commitment. It is looking to cut funding to preschool programs which would reduce access to only 10 hours per week. Cutting funding will have a detrimental impact on children, families and staff. If you have not already signed the petition and would like to, please follow this link: http://www.aeuvic.asn.au/364424_9_17132471.html

Term Three commences on Tuesday 15th July 2014 (On Monday 14th July, all staff will be participating in a Professional Development and Planning day. Please note: there will be no Pre-School sessions running on this day.

We thank you in advance for your understanding☺)

Special events planned for Term Three include;•

National Science Week - Monday 11th August – Friday 15th August (due to National Science Week and Book Week being scheduled at the same time in 2014, we will be celebrating Science Week at Pre-School a week early with a range of exciting experiments!)

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Book Week - Monday 18th August – Friday 22nd August (including;- “Dress-Up as a Book Character Day” and the “Ready, Set, Read” Program).

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Fathers Day - During Term Three, the children will make some special gifts for Father’s Day, however we will be holding a special ‘Dad’s Night’ once daylight savings begins and the weather becomes warmer! Further details will follow shortly ☺

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Social/Auction Night – Saturday 6th September.

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Working Bee - Sunday 17th August (9am-12noon).

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Footy Day – Come dressed in your team colours Wednesday 10th September (for children in the Dolphin, Lobster and Penguin Groups) Thursday 18th September (for children in the Seal and Sea Star Groups)

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Australian Wildlife Incursion with Andrew Wegener Tuesday 16th September (for children in the Seal and Sea Star Groups) Wednesday 17th September (for children in the Dolphin, Lobster and Penguin Groups)

We look forward to seeing you in Term Three and hope you have a relaxing, safe and happy break!

Eliza, Jessica, Kerri, Jessie, Nat, Kristy, Kellie & Kellie ☺

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TERM 2 2014

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3 YEAR OLD TEACHER’S REPORT: News from the Turtles

Welcome to the end of term two, and what a fun filled and busy time we have been having with the turtles.

Over this term we have watched the children grow in confidence and independence, they have also shown a beginning to make their own little friendship groups. At the start of term the children were all eager to look at how the change in the weather was effecting there preschool, from the changing colour of the leaves to the need to put on a coat and not a sunhat the children delighted in talking about what was happening here and at home. We encouraged this interest with lots of artwork that allowed the children to further explore colour change and songs relating to wind. They really enjoyed sweeping up the fallen leaves outside so they could then jump in them or throw them back into the air and watch them fall again.

The children also enjoyed creating their special Mum’s breakfast treat for Mother’s day at the start of the term. The Home corner at this time was a buzz of children dramatizing home life with a family (they all wanted to be the baby- sorry mum’s) and this gave us a wonderful insight into how much the children see what’s happening at home.

The children took home bags mid-term for a special Shape Hunt, encouraging them to explore not only shapes, but to discover for themselves just how shapes are part of our everyday lives.

They all were eager to share where they found shapes at home and it was interesting to see the wide mix of objects the children brought in to show. From circle coins, square books and kitchen lids the children found it amazing that all these were so easy to see once they started looking.

Much of the art this term has been focused on gaining confidence in trying the various tools and exploring the kinds of effects they make. In 3 year old preschool we focus very much on the process more than the product. By having open-ended experiences this allows children the confidence to try and persist at the tasks and not feel pressured to create the same work, but begin to explore their own creativity and ideas. We have noticed a shift already in the children’s confidence here, they will stay and keep persisting in a task (like threading) where earlier they might have moved on.

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The children are all eagerly awaiting Kerri’s return from her holiday in Italy, with much talk about the kinds of food she has been enjoying and the different kinds of words she has been using to talk to others. We are planning some cooking next term with pizza and Gelato on the menu.

In the last few weeks the turtles have shown a high interest in space, starting with the space rocket outside, where many a trip to the moon or other planets have been occurring. The children have loved playing in the rocket, so we took this new interest and extended on it inside with many imaginative play areas and discussions. In the last sessions of the term the children talked about making their own rockets out of blocks and boxes, which we will start next term. The play dough has been a constant hive of play, with the children creating aliens and planets for their space men to discover.

On the last day of term the children enjoyed the biggest highlight of the term with Wiggerly worm coming to create some special drama and creative movement with the children. They galloped around on horses, did a pom pom dance and went on a special jungle obstacle course to name but a few. A special way to greet the end of term and holidays. We hope all our families have a fun filled break and we look forward to seeing everyone on the other side.

Ms Rebecca, Kerri & Kellie

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SEALS & SEA STARS PHOTOS

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DOLPHINS, LOBSTERS & PENGUINS PHOTOS

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TURTLES PHOTOS

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