REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL
LINDFIELD NEWSLETTER 4th November 2022
Principal’s Message
By Christine Irwin
Dear Parents, As you may have noticed our children have been enjoying their play outdoors and mastering skills in many gross motor experiences. Soccer and other sporting games are always popular and the natural plays spaces that have been provided with natural logs are consistently used by the children during their outdoor play. The team have also been happy to see the care and empathy that the children show to others and this transfers into building friendships and social skills preparing some of our children for their next big step setting off to primary school in 2023. School readiness has been a primary focus for our stage 4 children. This incorporates 4R’s current project of “Getting Bigger” Discussions include going to big school and what this looks like for the children and how they feel, this incudes reading literature about what to expect at the new school in children’s group times. In 4E, emotions and feelings are being explored including emotional regulation and interacting with others around the, This includes topic of moving onto primary school. Our educators are preparing the children through their observations of children’s ongoing emerging development and providing children tasks to follow in preparation for looking after their own possessions and using self-help skills throughout the day. The team is also providing opportunities to follow simple classroom rules that may be expected at school and completing simple routines such as opening lunch containers, opening wrappers and peeling fruit to eat . We have been in contact with our local schools in regard to Reddam children moving onto primary school and the educators in both 4R and 4E are completing T2S (transition to school statement) for each child . This will be given to parents before the end of the year to pass onto the teacher at the child’s new school next year. Constantly, our overriding concept for all the children here at Reddam is caring for and helping our friends . The list below is what we here at Reddam are working towards for children to be ready for school. It might be interesting to note that these skills are what children need to be able to learn and transition effectively to school. Although pre-reading , pre-writing, pre-maths and pre-science skills are implemented into our program the below skills from ‘Kids sense’ website are the foundation for all learning/
Principal’s Message Continued...
By Chrsitine Irwin
What are the building blocks necessary to develop school readiness? The ability to obtain, maintain and change emotion, behaviour, attention and activity level appropriate for a task or situation. Accurate processing of sensory stimulation in the environment as well as in one’s own body that influences attention and learning that effects how you sit, hold a pencil and listen to the teacher. Comprehension of spoken language (e.g. the teachers instructions). Producing speech or language that can be understood by others (e.g. talking to friends). Higher order reasoning and thinking skills (e.g.What do I need to pack to take to school?).
The ability to perceive emotion, integrate emotion to facilitate thought, understand emotions and regulate emotions (for a child’s own responses to challenges). Determined by the ability to engage in reciprocal interaction with others (either verbally or non-verbally), to compromise with others and to be able to recognise and follow social norms. The sequential multi-step task/activity performance to achieve a well-defined result (e.g. a cut and paste task or a simple maths worksheet). Kids Sense https://childdevelopment.com.au/areas-of-concern/school-readiness/ Below are 2 links that may be of interest to parents of children transitioning to school. Transition to school statement (Currently stage 4 educators are completing for each child heading to school) https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/early-childhoodeducation/working-in-early-childhood-education/media/documents/T2S-Statementinteractive-form-2018.pdf Getting ready for primary school – NSW Department of Education https://education.nsw.gov.au/parents-and-carers/going-to-school/preparing/starting-primaryschool/e-book-getting-ready-for-primary-school Reminders Graduation and Christmas Concert These dates have now been confirmed with all classrooms so please lock into your diaries Tuesday 6 th December 2022 – 9:30am – 4E Wednesday 7 th December 2022- 3pm -3E Thursday 8 th December 2022- 9:30am 4R Tuesday 13 th December 2022 – 3pm - 2E Tuesday 13 th December 2022 – 3pm - 1R Wednesday 14 th December 2022 – 3pm – 1E Thursday 15 th December 2022 – 3pm- 2R Friday 16 th December 2022 – 3pm -3R 2023 enrolments Enrolments for 2023 are now being finalised. Please contact Chenise if you have any questions or queries Looking forward to chatting with you soon. Christine Irwin Principal
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Stage 1R
By Heather Gaskall
“Animals are such agreeable friends -- they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms”—(George Eliot) “Old MacDonald had a Farm Ee i ee i o……” This week our beautiful little ones have enjoyed exploring farm and working animals. They have immersed themselves into farm life, starting with a sensory table filled with blue play dough that represented water, green play dough for the grass. There was also hay and chickpeas as food for the farm animals. The children picked up the farm animals and role played with while making the various sounds of the animals like a cow, horse, sheep and duck. They enjoyed the sensations of the dirt from the pig’s pen running through their fingers. One of the mornings we even had an amazing duck sensory pond for the children to explore. There were lily pads, blue slime and some very cute little duck figurines to support the children’s sensory development. Sensory play encourages learning through exploration, curiosity, problem solving and creativity. It helps to build nerve connections in the brain and encourages the development of language and motor skills. Not only have we visited Old MacDonld’s Farm but we also popped along to see Farmer Brown’s Farm this week. Farmer Brown has more of a produce farm and only has animals for providing things like milk and eggs. But this was just as enjoyable a visit as to the animal farm. The children enjoyed making their own interpretations of their ideas of farm life. As we know there are many kinds of farms like oyster, deer, wind, fish and alpaca to name just a few. Each day we have had our group time in which we invite the children to sit on the mat with the educators. We start with our welcome song which names each child and educator. This helps the children to form connections with their peers and educators comfortably and secure as they know who they are. This song is followed by days of the week, where we name each day of the week in turn and then confirm with the children what today is. The next thing in our group time is to talk about the weather, we ask the children to look out the window and see what the weather looks like. The educators then ask is it ‘pitter patter rain drops?, followed by is it ‘swish swish windy?, and more. The children adore the actions and faces we provide when asking them the questions for this task. Studies have shown that repetition learning significantly increased the memory performance for detailed and associative information, and at the same time, increased the recollection contribution in associative memory. This week we have sung “Old MacDonald” many times accompanied by either stick puppets, finger puppets or hand puppets. The children have been becoming very familiar with which animal makes which sound. They especially enjoy it when they can hold the puppets in their own hands and imitate the sounds of their animals. One of the most interesting experiences we have provided the children with this week was to attempt to milk a cow. This experience was facilitated by a large picture of a cow in which a udder (glove of milk) was hung underneath. There were small holes in the udder (glove) so that when the children squeezed it, milk was expressed just like milking a cow. The children were enthralled with this and loved being able to see the milk squirting out. Next week we are exploring the world of minbeasts…. Oooh bugs! Wishing all our families a wonderful weekend. Heather, Jenny, Jaycel and Ona
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Stage 1R:
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Stage 1E
By Charity Acera
Why is Cognitive Development important? Cognitive development provides children with the means of paying attention to thinking about the world around them. •
Everyday experiences can impact a child’s cognitive development.
• Cognitive development encompasses a child’s working memory, attention, as well as a child’s ability to manage and respond to the experiences and information they experience on a daily basis. • Cognitive development can be compared to a child’s air traffic control tower – taking in information and processing it on a daily basis with intent and purpose. These items of information about the importance of cognitive development inspired the Educators in 1E to organise and develop deliberate fun learning experiences for children. Putting together basic puzzles, reciting, identifying names of animals and objects, humming and singing nursery rhymes, reading books, building and constructing towers are just a few of the things that promote the development of cognition amongst our young learners. The scribbling table allowed our group to practice eye-hand coordination skills essential for their pre-writing stage. It has been observed that the children were more interested in the marks they created rather than drawing objects. Another activity allowed them to match wooden puzzle blocks against their corresponding shapes, improving the children’s visual perception and thinking skills. The same goes for building structures using the coloured 3D shapes. Our artistic expression involved the use of a paint roller and the three primary colours red, yellow and blue. This tape resistance activity invited them to learn the first letter of their names and create its sound by covering it up with paint, then once dry, the tape will be peeled off leaving a bold white template of their letter names. The children practiced their wrist manipulation and hand-eye coordination as they rolled the tool up, down and sideways directions as well as learning more about the colours and letter sounds by verbal and artistic expression. Thank you for spending your time reading our newsletter! Wishing you a lovely weekend ahead! Charity,May, Rowel, Resie, Mary and Yash
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Stage 1E:
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Stage 2R
By Sara Haddadi
"The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery." (Mark Van Doren) Learning about cultures helps children appreciate diversity and cultivate a keen interest in the world. This week, the children were offered a variety of sensory experiences to discover Japan and Korea. The primary ingredient in Japanese cuisine, rice, has even been dubbed the essence of Japanese culture. 2R were encouraged to manipulate all they could discover in our rice sensory trays filled with wooden sushi in different varieties using chopsticks. This kind of play uses all five senses, but the tactile sense is mainly used, and as children process information through their senses, it makes the experience more meaningful. The world, the established order, and nature are all symbolically represented in the Japanese Zen or dry garden. They are designed to calm the mind and are meant to be a meditative place, free from distractions and conveying a sense of infinity and emptiness. Children were encouraged to create mini Japanese Zen gardens to provide mindfulness and were introduced to Japanese culture. Sitting calmly, focused, quiet, and concentrated describes children the most while they were engaged in creating patterns using mini rakes. This experience encouraged 2R to develop increasing care for themselves, others, and the environment. Cooking with children is the best way to introduce a culture to them. We could only discover Japan and make sushi. So to bring a taste of Japan to our room, we made Grilled Salmon Nigiri with our little chefs. 2R loved the whole process, especially grilling the salmon. Moreover, Miss Vivian made Korean Sushi with the children called kimbap. She explained that in terms of how rice is used and the fillings, kimbap and Japanese sushi are different. As for the fillings, the Japanese mostly use raw fish, but in Korea, cooked or preserved items are used to stuff the sushi, and kimbap has more fillings than Japanese sushi. We used cooked chicken, cucumber, capsicum, and carrots for our Kimbap sushi. 2R helped Miss Vivian to place the stuffing on the seaweed and roll the sushi. Our pretend Korean BBQ section was very popular this week. These experiences stretched 2R's imagination and enriched their creativity. They came up with their own recipes, made up menus, explored different ingredients and experimented with pretend utensils and appliances. Moreover, 2R's creative experience involved children making Japanese paper fans. They all looked stunning and colourful. This week we helped our little ones learn to value their unique identities more and find beauty and joy in the differences around them. We wish you a very joyful and relaxed weekend. 2R Team
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Stage 2R:
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Stage 2E
By Mia Doan
“Sometimes superheroes reside in the heart’s of small children fighting big battles.” - (Unknown) On the roller coaster of emotions, this week, we focused on bravery and contradictory feelings including, shyness, nervousness, anxiety and fear. We created a happy and safe environment and discussed a variety of situations such as stage transitioning, meeting new friends, trying a new food or things that might cause stress and anxiety. We practiced our deep breaths techniques and openly shared our worries. During group time, we read from the popular series about emotions and feelings of Trace Moroney - 'When I'm feeling scared'. This book expressed the different experiences that made the bunny feel scared. But later on, he realized that they were not scary after all when he talked with someone who can help and even the scariest feeling is -in the end- is just a feeling and that it will pass. Discussing big deep breaths and how to overcome fear and anxiety can help our friends to cope with stressful situations. Young children often have fears of the dark, insects, some animals, being alone, strangers, and monsters, or other scary imaginary creatures because they have such vivid imaginations. Therefore, today we continued supporting our little friends to explore their fears, which encouraged them to face their fears so that they are able to slowly conquer these fears and outgrow them. What makes our 2E friends feel scared? - Laura: "dinosaurs" - Aaron Y: "pumpkin" - Jasper: "T-rex dinosaur" - Lucas: "monster" - Clara: "dinosaurs and spiders" - Andrew: "scary dog" - Aaron Z: "nothing" - Victoria: "spiders" - Winston: "monsters" - Ethan Z: "ghosts" In line with exploring what is fear and the children’s interests, we discussed Halloween and came to school with spooky costumes. To celebrate Halloween the children were invited to decorate pumpkins with different shapes of loose parts. The children manipulated these shapes to create a variety of emotions for the pumpkin. Miss Shandie invited the children to a spooky water play which contained googly eyes, witch potion pots, glitter, insects, leaves and flowers and dark coloured water. The children enjoyed mixing, pouring and pretending to cook a poisonous potion. 2E children also had a blast with fizzy witch/wizard potion. The little pots contained blue dyed baking soda and they produced a fizzy and bubbly reaction when the children squeezed the bottle of vinegar in. This helps 2E children learn about cause and effect in the process of exploring. At the art table, the children created their own monster from watercolor and a straw. It is so interesting to see the colors run together and mix when the children blow the watercolor on their piece of art. The children added lots of paint to their paper to make a rainbow, blowing the paint together to blend it. At the end, we added sticker eyes on the color monster. The highlight of our week was a face painting session with Miss Chloe. Have a wonderful weekend, Mia, Shandie, Chloe, Jing, Alisha and Yali
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Stage 2E:
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Stage 3R
By Grace Nolan
This week we continue to investigate dinosaurs as we revisit some of the initial questions asked by the children at the beginning of the term. Our table experiences saw friends exploring volcanoes, dinosaur letters and a collaborative painting experience using different sized dinosaur footprints to make prints. Children were also able to engage in independent experiences that invited them to trace the alphabet in volcano red kinetic sand. The children enjoyed this interesting texture by pressing letter shapes into the squishy sand. Next to this, the children referred to a tsunami infographic as they explored a tsunami bottle model. First, the children gathered the sand on one edge of the jar, then carefully created waves by tipping the bottle back and forth. At our sensory trays the children excavated dinosaur fossil cards from smooth black beans and vibrant yellow sand! The children also used this activity to match the cards with their figurine counterparts. In Morning Meeting we revisited the causes of extinction with friends relaying their knowledge to the class Myra - "The big rock came from space" Amelia - "The volcanoes came and also the big wave moved the sand" Angus - "A tsunami... a big wave" Another question asked in the morning meeting - "Do you think the dinosaurs will come back?" The children sat, thought and shared with the class Edmund - “yes, cos they can’t get to the place they go to and they go the dinosaur museum” Hana - “Because the volcano is finished” Avery - “no, cos its lava and volcano” Sarah - “no cos of the lava” Harry May - “(Nods) the dinosaurs are strong and they’ll push the lava away” Harry Murphy - “dinosaurs eat meatballs” Dylan - “yes because they eat meat and they will come back” Sebastian - “no, cos there was a lot of dust” Amelia - “no because there was lots of lava” Lindsay - “No way.” We remembered that the extinction was likely kickstarted by a comet hitting the Earth which cause earthquakes, volcano explosions and even tsunamis! With all the extreme natural disasters going on, the dinosaurs also had to worry about very cold weather and darkness caused by dust from the comet! Miss Carina also showed our little friends how to use our tsunami bottles carefully as they are made from glass. In our small groups today we saw friends staying inside with Mr Callum and Mr Sam to group and categorise the different dinosaurs into 'herbivore' and 'carnivore' classes and place them into either red or green hoops. The children used their knowledge of Dinosaur characteristics to sort and discuss. The group with Miss Carina looked at an even bigger tsunami model using sand, coloured water, dinosaurs as well as mountains and small rocks. The children discussed how tsunamis would have caused big problems for the dinosaurs like drowning, disrupting food sources as well as damaging their habitats. After the discussion then children took turns to make big waves in our model! Mr Callum’s group visited the stage three veranda to create Dinosaur fossil prints with paint and our dinosaur play dough stamps! The children also tried to draw the dinosaurs with pencils.
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Stage 3R:
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Stage 3E
By Natalie Horstman
“There are many little ways to enlarge your world. Love of books is the best of all”- (Jacqueline Kennedy) During Week 3, the children have continued their investigation with literacy by actively exploring and joining in different small group activities and games. They were drawn towards the collage table where they were able to cut out different words and letters to create a collage from. This allowed them to make meaning and use their sense of imagination and creativity. Also, some of the children were interested in constructing their own pizza using loose part materials, and beginning to identify the different toppings and names of each type of pizza. This allowed them to identify words they may be familiar with, as well as broadening their understanding of unfamiliar words. They proceeded to experiment and investigate with sensory materials like sand, where they could carefully write their name in the sand using their fingers or paint brush. This enabled them to use their emerging sensory capabilities and begin to develop their letter-sound relationships. Furthermore, the children continued to follow the routine by writing their own name upon arrival, finding their name to place on the ‘Who is here today’ wall and engaging in other games where they could match letters to their corresponding pictures and objects. When reflecting upon this week, it is noted the children were able to enhance their pre-literacy skills by engaging in various group activities, where they could work together, collaborate and turn-take. This has allowed them to use their interpersonal skills and negotiate various roles within their play space. Also, the children have continued showing lots of enthusiasm and persistence when making new discoveries and maneuvering through challenges in a positive manner. Warm regards, Laura, Natalie, Kai and Margaret
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Stage 3E:
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Stage 4R
By Hazel Whybrow
“To raise a nature-bonded child is to raise a rebel, a dreamer, an innovator… someone who will walk their own verdant, winding path.” - (Nicolette Sowder)
This week we explored patterns. We learnt a new song all about patterns, in which we saw lots of different patterns such as swirls, dots, lines and dots, and learnt that patterns are on fabric, clothes, in nature and on man-made things. We read ‘Patterns of Australia’ by Bronwyn Bancroft and talked about all the patterns we can see in nature, and how we can represent things in our artworks using patterns. We also read ‘Washing Line' by Jez Alborough and noticed what patterns the clothes in the book had on them. We discussed how fabric and clothes often have different patterns and looked at our own clothes to discover that we had stripes, checkers and spots! We also took turns creating patterns with our bodies such as stomp, stomp, clap or stomp, click, clap. The children showed off their knowledge of repeating patterns as they successfully created a variety of patterns and described them as AB, ABC or AAB patterns. To continue our exploration of patterns, this week the children created patterned artworks using cotton tips and sticks. The children chose their colours, drew circles with pencil, coloured them in with crayon and then used the cotton tips and brushes to create dots on their artworks in alternating colours. Our classroom was set up with a variety of experiences that enabled the children to explore patterns. Textured items have been added to the play dough station, and the children have been using these items to create imprints and patterns in the play dough. At our numeracy centre, the counters and circular mats have been provided to encourage the children to create circular patterns. The children created different patterns at the threading table and we practiced describing them as AB, ABC and AAB patterns. We used the sand trays to draw different patterns and then used the rocks and gumnuts to create AB patterns. Have a wonderful weekend everyone
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Stage 4R:
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Stage 4E
By Lauren Hall
“If you wake up and don’t want to smile. If it takes just a little while. Open your eyes and look at the day. You’ll see things in a different way.” Lyrics from Don’t Stop by Fleetwood Mac. Continuing with our provocation to support the children’s social and emotional learning, our class explored what it means to feel sad, lonely and disappointed like the blue Color Monster. The children shared their thoughts about sadness: "My doggie passed away and Mummy gave me a hug." - Ana "I have peace and quiet time in my bedroom and read my books if I'm sad." - Jasper "When I was sick Mummy gave me candy medicine to make me feel better." - Ellie "I feel sad when there's no more milk in my home." - Lily
Our book of the week, When I’m Feeling Sad by Trace Moroney illustrated the situations that Bunny experienced that made him feel sad. He also explained the strategies he used to make himself feel better. We can take a deep breath, spend time with family and friends, or enjoy an activity that we know will cheer us up again. We also read Tilly, by Jane Godwin about a little girl’s box of treasures. They became trapped forever in its secret hiding spot; under a step in her house after it was recarpeted. Although she was devastated, Tilly remembered all of the memories she had with her favourite things and decided to start a new collection. Our class discussed how we should always try to keep our precious things in a safe spot to avoid them being misplaced or lost. Our fairy tale of the week was The Ugly Duckling. We were saddened to learn how he was teased and excluded by his siblings and the other farm animals, making him feel sad and lonely. He wished he was as majestic as the swans he saw flying overhead. Then one spring day, his wish came true. This fairy tale reminded us that we should always treat others with kindness and respect, include others, and celebrate our differences. We also had a brief discussion about how it's a positive thing that we are all different. We all look different which makes us unique, but we also have similar features such as our hair, eyes and skin tone too. If we all looked the same, our world would be pretty boring! Once again, the children enjoyed assuming the characters from the fairy tale and performing it in front of each other. Throughout the week, the children engaged with a variety of blue experiences. They manipulated sand to create a beach environment for the Colour Monster, and used nets to scoop up blue fish in the ocean. Inspired by the blue Colour Monster’s illustrations, the children were invited to create their own cardboard fish in the atelier. Blue paint and a variety of textured paper was provided for the children to use as scales, and we created a school of fish in our gallery. The children also enjoyed our song of the week, Don’t Stop by Fleetwood Mac. This song inspired us to find the positives in each day. Even though we might be finding it hard to get out of bed, we have to think about the good things to come, and what tomorrow has in store for us. Thank you for a beautiful week of learning in our classroom.
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Stage 4E:
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Mandarin I am very happy to see the children dress up according to their own preferences in the classroom for Halloween. From the costumes they choose, they can also learn more about their preferences and interests. Especially when they share their ideas and decorations with me, that is the happiest moment of every Friday Chinese class for me! We continued last week's theme: "I have（Yǒu 有）” , “ I don’t have(Méiyǒu 沒有）”, “ Do you have?( Yǒu méiyǒu 有沒有)” Let the children practice the "Do you have something?" sentence pattern with a simple song. At the same time, they became more familiar with the Mandarin vocabularies for stationery such as "Pen", "Pencil", "Rubber", "Play dough " and "Scissor". Then we played the “ Guess what do I have?” Children tired to speak new languages through the game, while also adding fun to language learning. Finally, I prepared the “Halloween Horrible box”for them, and they put their hands in the box in order, and guess what's inside? At the same time, it is also another opportunity for children to recognize new vocabularies with Halloween elements. The children are nervous and looking forward to challenging themselves, all of which prove their bravery time and time again! I am so proud of every child! See you next week! Chloe
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Playball
Coach Lauren
Hi there my little friends, We warmed up today with “funny runs” – Lauren placed cones on one side of the court and we stood on the opposite side. We did “funny runs” to the cones.....run around the cone with hands on our knees; hop on one foot; gallop; skip and the list goes on.... Lauren then placed the cones in a straight line and we zig-zagged the cones; going in and out, in and out – wonderful activity for crossing the midline. The cones were then placed in the shape of a circle. We marched around the circle; at one point, we even danced around the circle. When Lauren blew her whistle, we balanced our foot on the cone, remembering to keep our arms stretched out so as to help us balance. We know that if we fall, “we pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off and give it another go”.
We played the “shadow game”. We were all Lauren’s “shadows” and we copied everything she did – she was certainly doing some crazy actions! We practiced bouncing Mr Ball – we know that we have to wait for Mr Ball to pop up! We practiced doing chest passes and then Lauren lined us up and we had the opportunity to chest pass to her. We did “bunny ears” pushing up to the sky starting on our heads and then Lauren held up a hoop (nice and high) and we tried to PUSH the ball with all our strength into the hoop. You are not going to believe this......Lauren strapped a basketball hoop to her back and ran around the court. We ran after Lauren trying to throw foam balls into this crazy basketball hoop. We were laughing and laughing. Lauren rolled foam balls across the court and we had to try and catch them before they reached the opposite end of the court....footwork skills guys....keep moving! We ran around the court and Lauren tried to catch us with her crazy basketball net. We all know that we don’t get cross or upset if we get caught....IT’S ONLY A GAME! What a fun lesson. Thanks champs, Coach Lauren
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