28th January 2022
Principal’s Message
By Mrs Simone Cooke
Dear Parents, A warm welcome back to all our families to Term One, 2022. Despite living within the ongoing demands of a pandemic, our children have enjoyed a very smooth transition back to Reddam. As we enter the third calendar year of covid disruptions it is more important than ever before that we work together to reduce disruptions to our children’s learning. Research shows that the first seven years of a child’s life is a critical time for their emotional, social, physical and cognitive development and locking children away at home for extended periods of time can lead to significant depression, anxiety and psychological stress. It is important for young children to develop independence, build friendships and social skills, learn to solve problems and work collaboratively with others. Preschool is a very important time in a child’s life as it is the first time that they spend time away from families building their autonomy, confidence and identity. Building self-regulation is also key to growing independence and this is developed through having to share with others, take turns and develop greater empathy and understanding of the needs of others, which is best achieved by interacting with peers.
Having a highly qualified and experienced Early Childhood Teacher is also an essential ingredient in ensuring that young children are given every opportunity to reach their full learning potential. Here at Reddam we are passionate about employing teachers of excellence, who are experts in Early Childhood Education and are trained to implement our Reggio Emilia philosophy and our unique principles which fosters the “whole‟ child. Reddam prides itself on hand picking outstanding educators from all around the world and our teacher selection policy is one of the key aspects of our schools, as we appreciate the vital role a good teacher plays in shaping enquiring minds and building special bonds. We are extremely fortunate to have highly experienced teachers, with the majority of our teachers having been with us for many years and who have a thorough understanding of our Reddam philosophy. We are thrilled that all our teachers are returning again this year and welcome our new Stage 3 core teacher Ms Bianca Lazar who is joining the Reddam Family. We all look forward to an exciting year of 1
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
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