Reddam Early Learning School Lindfield Newsletter Vol 2022 Issue 1

Principal’s Message

By Mrs Kath Boyd

Dear Parents, I offer a very warm greeting to all our returning families and a special welcome to our new children, parents and teachers. We opened our doors on the 10th of January and have had a very positive start to the year. The tears at drop off are now dissipating quickly as children happily get distracted by a loving hug or enticing creative experience. Thank you to all the nurturing teachers who worked alongside me throughout January. The staff here view each child as beautiful, powerful, competent, creative, curious and full of potential. Furthermore, they recognise that their job as Reggio Emilia Inspired Educators is to support these qualities and to challenge children in appropriate ways.

The teaching teams have prepared a variety of Term 1 dynamic learning opportunities and are thrilled to be back in the classroom, getting to know their new ‘students’. Our littlest friends in Stage 1 are settling into their routine, making friendships and adore exploring their outdoor space. The Stage 2 children have embraced the daily lessons that are presented . . . displaying independence and selfregulation. Our Stage 3 and Stage 4 children have been remarkably grown-up for their teachers, who keep telling me how impressed they are with the maturity, focus and helpfulness the children are displaying. Today we farewell the last of our Stage 5 children and wish them every success as they embark on their Kindergarten adventure. Thanks to Miss Pa and Miss Indi for facilitating a fabulous Stage 5 Program over the past three weeks.

Thank you to everyone for continuing to follow our school’s COVID-19 protocols whilst dropping off and collecting your child. These procedures include checking in/out with the QR code, remaining socially distance and wearing a mask whilst on the campus. Amidst all the chaos over the past two years, our school community has become stronger . . . and I will forever be grateful to all the parents who demonstrate trust and willingly comply with our stringent, protective health & safety practices.

The socially distant Parent Information Evenings will take place in Week 2 of Term 1, in one of our many outdoor spaces. This event is extremely important and I do urge one if not both parents to attend. It enables parents to get to know their child’s teachers; gain insight into the practical workings of the classroom and ELS; understand the daily routine; ask questions; discover ways in which all the family can be involved and, most importantly, meet other parents. Please note that this is a child-free event.

2022 Parent Information Evenings (6pm – 7:15pm) •

1R, 2R, 3R & 4R: Monday 7th February

•

1E, 2E, 3E & 4E: Wednesday 9th February

On these Information Evenings, each Core Teacher will highlight the importance of open communication channels between home and school. When we share information, everyone can be aware of children’s strengths and challenges and can work together to support children’s social and emotional wellbeing.

Principal’s Message Continued...

By Mrs Kath Boyd

“Communicating together involves a two-way sharing of information and helps to develop a common understanding, meaning it is easier for parents and teachers to support one another.

Effective communication also helps families and teachers to build a trusting partnership and develop honest and respectful relationships.” (Kid’s Matter) Parents are encouraged to: 1. Chat with your child’s Core Teacher during morning drop off or in the afternoon before 4pm. * Messages given to teachers between 4pm – 6pm will be passed onto Core Teachers the next morning.

2. Email your child’s Core Teacher if you are unable to chat in person or if information needs to be shared throughout the day: Stage 1R - heather.gaskell@reddamels.com.au

Stage 1E - charity.acera@reddamels.com.au

Stage 2R - sara.haddidi@reddamels.com.au

Stage 2E - mia.doan@reddamels.com.au

Stage 3R - grace.nolan@reddamels.com.au

Stage 3E - deb.walsh@reddamels.com.au

Stage 4R - veronika.roth@reddamels.com.au

Stage 4E - lauren.hall@reddamels.com.au

3. Contact Jennifer or myself on (02) 9415 8099 or the following email addresses if something urgent arises: Enrolments Officer / Principal’s PA jennifer.smith@reddamels.com.au Principal kath.boyd@reddamels.com.au 4. Email your child’s Core Teacher or me if you require a private meeting.

5. Read and contribute to the Learning Journals & Student Observations (Tapestry), Kiosk Messages (posted by the Core Teacher on the class iPad when necessary), the Weekly Reddam Newsletter, Provocation Displays and emails from your Core Teacher, Jennifer or me.

6. Note information that is displayed on or near the sign-in desks.

Pictured above: Australian animals provocation (2R). Pictured below: Jasper - a collaborative artist (2E).

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Stage 1R

By Heather Gaskell

“The best way to make children ‘grow’ is to make them happy.” (Oscar Wilde) A very warm welcome to Term 1 2022, and for some of you, a warm welcome to Reddam Early Learning School Lindfield. It is our greatest pleasure to be a part of your child’s learning journey.

Our team of Miss Doris, Miss Resie and myself have started this year getting to know all your lovely little ones and look forward to the many fabulous experiences we are going to have over the coming year.

For the first two weeks, we have spent time allowing the children to explore our room and outdoor play areas. Also introducing to the children the routines of Stage 1R, these routines will help to make the children feel secure as they know what is going to happen next. One of those routines is our morning group time, in which we sit on the mat and sing Tick Tock - Good Morning.

This is a beautiful song in which we welcome each child by name. This helps to promote a sense of belonging in the children. We follow that with our book of the day which is based on the focus of our program. Basically this is time for cuddles and attention with some pretty pictures included, so yes a wonderful experience for the children!

For the first two weeks, the children have enjoyed a vast array of activities to stimulate their senses. We have manipulated playdough into many shapes, sifted through slime to find the hidden sea shells and explored small worlds looking for creatures. The children were also discovering about caring for our flower beds and enjoyed watering the plants. They admired the many flowers we have growing there. It has been a fun time making connections with the children and finding out just what makes them smile.

We value every child as an individual, so if you have any questions or wish to pass on their interests please feel free to contact me or my valued team of co-teachers.

Heather, Doris and Resie

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Stage 1R: Welcome to 1R

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Stage 1E

By Charity Acera

“The goal of early childhood education should be to activate the child’s own natural desire to learn.” (Maria Montessori) Each year brings a positive change, and this year there is no exemption. A very warm welcome to all our 1E families, we are all thrilled to be part of this important learning journey with you and your children. It is our pleasure (Miss Fatima, Miss May and myself) to see you and be with your sweet children for this school year. We are looking forward to discovering many exciting things with you and with your children, most especially creating meaningful learning experiences over the months ahead. We are positive that this year will be an outstanding year for all of us especially with your enthusiastic cooperation.

The past two weeks have been all about introducing children to new routines in Stage 1E that will promote a safe and secure learning environment. Putting bottles on the trolley, placing bags in the labelled lockers and washing hands are just a few of the things we practised over the first weeks. Our morning group time has also been established to promote a sense of belonging amongst our young learners as well. To build on this, each morning we sing the ‘Tick Tock - Good Morning’ song to each child, and as a group we promote a sense of community. Next we read a story together and engage in their favourite nursery rhymes using stick and finger puppets that develops literacy skills but is also a time to share joy and laughter.

Significantly, as we began the new school year, we acknowledged the rich heritage and diverse culture of our land, Australia. We planned a provocation focused on ‘Australia, My Home' by embracing the land’s culture and heritage through storytelling and sensory experiences using natural resources. The children were immersed in activities that introduced them to the world they live in and promoted an understanding of the multicultural school community that surrounds us and offers a sense of belonging.

Our learning experiences ranged from sensory learning experiences using natural resources to engaging activities at group time. The children fed Little Barry the bilby with gum nuts, seed & leaves; enjoyed building structures using colourful blocks as tribute to the architectural heritage of Persian and Indian culture and a dramatic play of making their own dumplings & pork buns whilst carefully using chopsticks from the Asian culture. We also catered to the children’s prosocial interaction skills as we invited them to play alongside each other and as well as their educators.

Understanding the 1E children, their needs and interests and getting to know the ‘whole child’ is important, so we greatly value each piece of information that you have provided to us about your child. Feel free to contact me and my esteemed co-educators if you have any questions.

Charity, Fatima and May

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Stage 1E: Welcome to 1E (Part 1)

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Stage 1E: Welcome to 1E (Part 2)

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Stage 2R

By Sara Haddadi

"Childhood is not a race to see who can read, write and count. Childhood is a small window of time to learn and develop at a pace that's right for each individual child." (Unknown) It's been a wonderful two weeks here in 2R. The children have settled in very smoothly. The teachers created a safe environment for the little ones to help them feel secure and comfortable. The sense of security breeds confidence in them and belonging shapes not only who children are, but also who they will become. It is at the heart of what we do and what we strive to create for every child in our care. We've been extra vigilant to know each child and created a space where they could extend and build upon their sense of belonging.

Needs and emotions vary hugely between young children. Knowing them and understanding their characters allows us to interact with them sensitively and ensure that they always feel safe and secure. We have worked on our warm and trusting relationships with our little ones as we believe that nurturing relationships between us and children underpin all aspects of a quality play-based program for young children. During these interactions, they receive stimulation that supports their physical, language, cognitive, emotional and social growth.

2R have been encouraged to engage with activities and experiences that were play based and fun. "When children play, they engage in many important tasks, such as developing and practising newly acquired skills, using language, taking turns, making friends and regulating emotions and behaviour according to the demands of the situation. This is why play needs to be a significant part of the young child's day.” (Copple & Bredekamp - 2009) The teachers have offered 2R a variety of sensory play experiences to encourage their learning through exploration, curiosity and creativity and help them with their brain development.

Developing brains need constant sensory experiences to stimulate brain development. 2R were so curious and great explorers, they explored with all their senses, discovered new things, problem-solved and made meaning of their experiences and laid the foundations for concepts and understandings, which are the building blocks of knowledge.

It's so satisfying for us to observe that children are already feeling safe and secure in their environment and it is starting to feel like a second home.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend filled with peace and joy.

Sara, Vivian, Lizzie and Indi

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Stage 2R: Welcome to 2R (Part 1)

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Stage 2R: Welcome to 2R (Part 2)

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Stage 2E

By Mia Doan

“Those who have a strong sense of love and belonging have the courage to be imperfect.” (Brene Brown) Each and every 2E teacher believes that a genuine, respectful relationship between children, teachers, families and friends is the cornerstone for belonging and learning. Despite a long holiday, 2E children have been coping well with their new changes, new environments and new teachers. They are able to regulate their emotions and calm down by joining in provocation activities, exploring indoor or outdoor environments, watching trains, looking for birds and listening to bird calls in our campus.

Young children are able to restore and recollect information and prior experiences to connect with new learning. Our first week’s focus was Our Holidays which aimed to get to know each child and appreciate the cultural diversity in holiday celebrations. 2E children were thrilled when they saw their holiday photos which were sent by their parents. They started to communicate verbally and non-verbally and shared their holiday stories in a few words or simple sentences.

Having the holiday discussion strongly enhanced 2E children’s sense of belonging, security and trust as they began to initiate conversations and build up their confidence in the new classroom environment.

Our Holidays focus allowed us to recreate their beautiful memories through a range of sensory experiences. 2E children revisited the beach, zoo, farmyard, park and favourite home activities such as baking and cooking. We read a variety of stories but the most favourite was Come on, Let’s Play by Cheryl Orsini. A book about joyful celebration of family time which is one of the most important times to build confidence and positive behaviours, improve oral language expression and make memories built on fun, laughter and togetherness.

Musical movements support children to confidently explore their body ability and willingly engage with physical and social development. In the second week, our focus Our Favourite Rhythms integrated 2E children’s favourite songs into each learning experience. We sang and viewed a range of wonderful song books. One of our most-liked nursery rhythms was a silly song book Cows in the Kitchen by H June Crebbin & Katharine McEwen. We also learnt AUSLAN (Australian Sign Language) through the song I Can Sing a Rainbow. Can you guess the songs based on our sensory experiences photos?

Have a fabulous weekend!

Mia, Tracey, Xanthe and Ona

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Stage 2E: Our Holidays

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Stage 2E: Our Favourite Rhythms

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Stage 3R

By Grace Nolan

“Positive relationships are critical for the healthy development of infants and toddlers.”

(Mary Beth Mann & Russell N. Carney) As we start the year bright and energetic, our focus for the next few weeks will be to create positive relationships with children and families. This is an important time to develop these longing and positive relationships so that families and teachers can work together and create a happy and secure microsystem (Bronfrenbrenner’s ecological system).

To gain a better understanding of the children's interests and curiosities, these two weeks we have offered a fun provocation of Australia and Summer. Using native plants as inspiration for our artwork, the children used pipe cleaners and pom poms to create wonderful wattles and bottlebrushes. Through these interactions, teachers and children are able to discuss likes, dislikes and see them express their creativity.

At the sensory table, the children have had the opportunity to explore Australian animals in small world trays - both desert and ocean. The children used these figurines as a way to take-turns and engage in dramatic play as they explored. The water tray was especially fun as a refuge from the warm weather as many children splashed and imitated ocean creatures.

Using nature as our guide, in our small groups children were able to go outside to find and collect natural materials and see the minibeasts of the world around them. The children were hesitant to see some of the creepy crawlies, but we aim to have children appreciate and build their confidence in looking at the wonderful world of insects. Whilst outside, the children were quick to spot the wonderful fruit and vegetable beds. Each day, the children keenly observed the changes they saw, using their senses to smell, touch and taste, such as the ripening of the strawberries and tomatoes and the size of the cucumbers and corn! It was inspiring to see how much interest the children had and the care they took when engaging in the natural space.

Next week we combine the two provocations to further explore the children’s interests. Looking forward to the year ahead!

Grace, Carina, Shandie, Margaret and Chloe

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Stage 3R: Welcome to 3R

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Stage 3R: Making Koala Face Biscuits

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Stage 3E

By Deb Walsh

“Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.” (O. Fred Donaldson) Welcome back to school, everyone! We are so excited to begin another wonderful year of fun and learning, and to embrace such a wonderful group of children into our classroom. It is lovely to see how well the children are settling in, forming friendships and strengthening existing bonds.

We thank the amazing group of parents for entrusting us with your children. Your respectful and friendly attitudes in conjunction with the quick but warm goodbyes in the morning have certainly helped the teachers a lot in the settling process whilst we have bonded with all of your children.

For the past few weeks, we have been getting to know each child, their likes and dislikes, and creating respectful relationships with them. The children have been engaging in a wide range of learning experiences which have given us greater insight into who they are and how they learn best. Part of the settling in process also includes adapting to a new routine which the children have been doing very well to overcome. Each day we discuss our classroom rules and prepare the children with expectations for the day.

Our morning group time begins as we greet one another with our Hello Song and we have started to practice our Acknowledgement of Country, as we show our respect to the traditional owners of the land and encourage the children to engage with diversity and respect. In addition to this, we have been learning about Australia and indigenous perspectives. Through music, books and experiences within the classroom, the children have been exploring Australian animals, Indigenous culture, symbols and language.

We look forward to beginning our learning journey together. Have a wonderful weekend!

Deb, Nat, Connie and Kai

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Stage 3E: Welcome to 3E (Part 1)

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Stage 3E: Welcome to 3E (Part 2)

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Stage 4R

By Veronika Roth

“I don't want to grow up,' she thought. 'There can't be anything nicer in the world than this - being with the others, having fun with them. No - I don't want to grow up!”

(Enid Blyton, 'Five Go To Billycock Hill) Dear 4R families, Welcome to Stage 4 in 2022! We are very excited to start a new year of learning and investigation with your children. It is lovely to see how well the children are settling in, strengthening friendships and forming new bonds. Thank you, for assisting us in the mornings with your respectful attitudes and quick goodbyes. This allows the children to begin their day smoothly at one of our provocation set-ups. Over the past two weeks, the Educators Miss Veronika (myself), Miss Rebecca and Mr Rowel have ensured to connect with every child by spending quality time, meaningful conversations and engaging in enjoyable play to form well-established foundations. This was seen through individual, one-on-one and group engagement. Building positive relationships with children is a fundamental component of their growth and independence that resonate throughout their life.

We’ve spent our first week together exploring the environment through the children’s interest based provocations. Many of the children visited the art table on a regular basis, freely exploring the variety of art mediums on offer. Others were dedicated to building with the construction materials, such as wooden blocks and magna tiles. The sensory experiences have been enjoyed by all of the children and have been our main focus activity this week. Water play is both fun and educational and has a range of benefits for children’s social and emotional development, as well as developing their physical abilities and early literacy and numeracy skills. As an added bonus, children rarely get bored of it!

The second week, the classroom started to form its social shape as we conversed in a variety of ways and played social games to get to know each other a little bit more. Practising each others’ names, passing a ball to each other, recognising and identifying our own and others’ names were all fantastic opportunities to strengthen our social ways.

Best wishes, Veronika, Rebecca and Rowel

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Stage 4R: Welcome to 4R (Part 1)

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Stage 4R: Welcome to 4R (Part 2)

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Stage 4E

By Lauren Hall

“Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood for it alone is the free expression of what is in the child's soul.” (Friedrich Froebel) A very warm welcome to our new children and families in 4E! The teachers have loved getting to know all of you and we look forward to creating strong and trusting partnerships to support your children’s learning and development. For young children, entering a new classroom can be exciting and overwhelming at the same time. However, after finding their new lockers and reuniting with old friends, your children settled in well and were eager to explore their new learning environment.

In these first few weeks, the teachers wanted to gently ease the children into the classroom by accommodating a variety of interests to ensure that each child was happily engaged in their learning and play. We read many story books about adventures and mysteries, learnt new songs, performed with props, and had lots of fun and many giggles during our circle time games. On our learning tables, a sensory experience invited the children to get their hands wet in our ocean discovery trays, where they could touch and feel the textures of coral, shells and stones, and role-play with sea animals. Play dough offered the opportunity to enhance the children’s hand strength, fine-motor skills and creativity as they rolled, moulded and sculpted. There was some “tap, tap, tapping” happening as the children tinkered with hammers and nails to secure wooden shapes into place, and a variety of colourful puzzles and rainbow activities were a hit.

Children love experimenting at this age, so that’s just what they did when mixing colourful vinegar and bicarbonate soda together. The children watched in amazement at the array of colours they made and the fizzy reaction that was created. They also discovered how to melt colourful ice cubes with salt, noticing how it crystalised before it melted away. The fun continued in our construction area where the children demonstrated their interest in building with a variety of blocks and natural resources, role-playing with dinosaur figurines, and engineering the world’s longest train tracks. Our dramatic play corner was full of chatter as the children confidently assumed the roles of café workers and customers, cooking up a storm and making coffees to go. Each day, our drawing and art stations allowed the children to make pictures of their choice with crayons, pencils, paints and mixed materials to create with.

With a new classroom, comes a new routine. In Stage 4, the teachers prepare the children for Kindergarten by creating a more structured daily routine that is both predictable but flexible for when spontaneous learning opportunities arise. The children will start to become more independent with their self-help skills, learn to take responsibility for their belongings, master their toileting and personal hygiene, and continue to learn how to socialise and navigate their friendships. As the year progresses, the children will achieve many new milestones in their own time. Our school-readiness program will continue to support their fine-motor skills to confidently write and draw, and improve their scissor manipulation skills. The children will be encouraged to explore their outdoor environment, be active and develop their gross-motor movement and coordination. We will explore the world of numeracy and literacy more in-depth, enjoy the creative arts, question, hypothesise and wonder, and of course, have plenty of time for play.

We look forward to our learning journey together in 2022!

Lauren, Luan and Tas

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Stage 4E: Welcome to 4E (Part 1)

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Stage 4E: Welcome to 4E (Part 2)

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Happy Birthday!

A very happy birthday to all of our children who are celebrate their special day in January. We wish you all the best!

02/01 - Rory (2R)

03/01 - Angus (4E)

03/01 - Charlotte (4E)

07/01 - Lucinda (1R) 26

Happy Birthday!

11/01 - Alexander (4R)

19/01 - Marcus (4R)

20/01 - Madeleine (3E)

23/01 - Mason (4E)

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Happy Birthday!

23/01 - Myra (3R)

25/01 - Poppy (5)

28/01 - Penelope (5)

28/01 - Kieran (5)

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