1st April 2022
Principal’s Message
By Mrs Simone Cooke
“The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence” - Denis Waitley Dear Parents, An important and privileged part of the journey that we share with your children is building their independence, confidence and self-esteem. By teaching our children self -help skills and developing their autonomy we not only empower the children to start taking responsibility for themselves but build their belief in their own capabilities which in turn fosters a healthy self-esteem . Whilst it can be frustrating to watch on as your child stubbornly insists on putting their own jumper on backwards or grabs the hairbrush and refuses to allow you to help them navigate the tangles in their hair, these are important steps in the self-help journey and their involvement contributes to extending your child's learning experiences. Whilst it can be very tempting to want to take over and do things for your child, to make a task faster or easier, it is important to recognise that it is only through practice and repetition that children learn these important skills.
Explaining to Grandparents the importance of allowing children to complete simple tasks such as feeding themselves or washing their own hands, can sometimes be difficult as they may feel the need to intervene as they are concerned that they are too young and may not complete the task properly. But it is important to remind them of the significant benefits to your child’s confidence and self-esteem of allowing them to undertake these activities themselves, even if it does mean that on some occasions shoes may end up on the wrong feet. The look of pride on your child’s face when they learn to climb a stair or master a fork is worth all the food spillages and small tumbles. Teaching your child to be self-sufficient is of course a gradual process and can in fact last a lifetime ( or at least until they leave home) . But by starting the process from the time our little ones are babies, we are signalling that we trust them to do things for themselves and this provides them with self- agency and a feeling of empowerment. 1
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
1
Principal’s Message Continued... Through practice, role modelling, repetition and most importantly encouragement our young children will reach the all important milestones of independence that will stay with them for life. Whilst every child develops at their own pace, I have attached a list of self-help milestones which we focus on developing in our children at the various stages of their development. 12- 18th Month Self – Help Milestones During this rapid period of growth our children are learning new skills every single day. They often demonstrate a strong desire for autonomy but may get frustrated when they fail at a task. It is important to be patient and provide as many opportunities as possible for practice. Climbing stairs: Between 12-18 months, your child will discover the joy of climbing. They will want to climb on everything and everywhere. Climbing stairs safely while you’re present is a good skill for them to learn. Start by holding their hand. As they grow more confident, walk up the stairs behind them. Falling and tripping are natural parts of learning. Help them up and continue.
25th Oc
Holding forks and spoons: Your child’s fine motor skills are strengthening, and they will begin to develop the ability to grasp crayons, pencils and paintbrushes. They may also be able to start holding a fork, spork or spoon to help them eat. Place the utensils next to their bowl and let them choose when they’re ready to use them. Seeing you use them first may be a big inspiration. Wash and drying hands: Covid has raised everyone’s awareness of the need for young toddlers to be taught the importance of hand washing early. Using hand washing songs and teaching simple and consistent messages about germs and the need to wash our hands thoroughly before every meal. Going down the stairs: Once a toddler has mastered going up the stairs, they’ll want to try going down the stairs. To start, encourage your child to go down the stairs, feet-first on their tummy. When they’re more confident, they can try it on their bottom. Holding and drinking from a sippy cup: Between 1 and 2-years-of-age, a toddler can learn to hold onto and drink from a sippy cup. Toilet training: For some children, toilet training may begin between 18 and 24 months. Others may be nearer to 3-years before they develop an interest. Two Year Old Self -Help Milestones By this stage of their development your child may have become more insistent on doing things for themselves. They will often insist “Me do” and it is not uncommon for them to throw a tantrum if they become frustrated with a task. Their muscle development improves by this stage and their ability to hold cutlery is greatly improved. Their pincer grip also strengthens allowing them to pick up smaller objects.
2
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
2
3
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
3
Principal’s Message Continued... Brushing teeth: Cleaning your teeth beside your child every morning and night will help them mirror your behaviour and boost their hand-eye coordination. You may need to finish brushing their teeth so that they are cleaned well. Let them check your teeth too. Brushing hair: This is another skill they can learn while standing beside you in front of a mirror and mimicking your movements. Carrying their own things: This is an excellent time for your child to learn to carry their own Reddam school bag to school. Feeding themselves: At this stage they will grow more confident at feeding themselves with finger foods and utensils.
Walking themselves to places: Your child will enjoy walking themselves into school in the morn25th Oc ing rather than being carried. It will boost their self-esteem and feeling of self-autonomy. Packing toys away: This is a good age to start encouraging your child to put their toys away and clean up after themselves. Your child will begin to understand simple directions like, “Pack away time” 3 - 4yr Old Self- Help Skills As children begin to interact more with other children, they will learn about turn-taking, interacting and making friends. Playing with other children will boost their independence and confidence as they learn to do things without your support.
Putting clothes away: While they may not yet be able to hang clothes up, you can start teaching your child how to put away basic things, like socks and underwear. They can pick up their clothes off the floor to put in the laundry . Problem-solving: Let your child try to resolve (non-harmful) difficulties by themselves. Don’t be too quick to rush in and help them. Between 3 and 4-years-of-age, your child will be learning through trial and error. Encourage a can-do attitude to boost their cognitive development and independence. Road safety: This is a good age to begin teaching your child road safety. With less time in the stroller, they will now be walking along footpaths closer to moving cars and other vehicles. Give simple explanations to help them learn the rules.
Blowing noses: Some children are ready to start learning how to blow their nose when they are two, while others may take longer. Blowing should be gentle, like blowing out candles on a birthday cake, except through your nose. Sneezing: Teach your child how to sneeze into a tissue or the crook of their elbow. They’re also old enough to learn why it’s important to avoid spraying their sneezes everywhere and onto others. Cleaning up their dishes: Encourage your child to scrape any leftovers and rinse their plates after eating Please recognise that whilst it is anticipated that children will reach their self-help milestones by the age of 4 -5 years that each child is different and not always linear. If you are concerned with any aspect of your child’s development please do not hesitate to speak to your child’s core teacher or myself for advice and support.
4
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
4
5
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
5
Stage 4R—What am I good at? “Every Child has a talent that we should encourage” Every child is gifted in his or her own unique way. Labels aren’t what they need. Instead, they all need to feel special, challenged, and appreciated. In my opinion, every child is gifted at something. Every single one has a special interest, passion, and unique talent. I believe that all students should be challenged, not only the ones that belong to that special “gifted” class. In early years we shouldn’t be focusing on grades or academics, yes it is great when your child can read and write from such an early age but we should be looking at other very important aspects of their lives. We should be teaching them values, respect, and kindness. This week in Stage Four we have been focusing on the question; What is one thing you are good at? Every child in our class had an answer and throughout this discussion you could see the happiness from each child's reactions when they gave their responses as they are so proud. The responses we received are; Dancing- Mavis Reading - Xavier Everything! - Betty Felix R- Building Construction- Liam Writing- Luna Kicking balls- Rafael Writing- Felix R Sports- Kai Drawing- Zemirah Swimming- Damian Loving my sister- Ava On the flip side of this conversation we discussed “What are some areas you aren't good at or you would like to improve? Building with LEGO- Rafael Playing basketball- Luna Painting- Felix R Swimming- Kai Climbing trees- Zemirah Writing- Damian Riding my bike with two wheels- Betty Cleaning up- Ava These conversations that we have with the children stemmed from last week when we played games where there were winners and losers. For some children the concept of losing was one area that the children struggled on. In cases like this I highly suggest you play games at home like scissor paper rock or other two player games that allows for conversations with the children about winning and losing. Next week is the last week for the term before we move onto the vacation care program. Both Emily and myself have organised two dress up days (Tuesday and Thursday) for the children to come dressed as a talent that represents them or something that they inspire to be one day. We can not wait to see everyone all dressed up! 6
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
6
Stage 4R
7
Ms Lauren Doughton
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
7
Stage 4R: Exploring our garden
8
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
8
Stage 4R: Construction play
9
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
9
Stage 4E - Snowy weather
By Ms Sarah Ross
This week the Stage Four children entered a winter wonderland as they learnt all about snowy weather. During our literacy groups the children explored where snow comes from, how animals keep warm in the snow and what people like to do during snowy weather. Stage Four have been spending lots of time focusing on developing their literacy skills through reading and writing letters. This week, the children explored words relating to winter and wrote what they love about snowy weather. As the children write we talk about the different shapes and lines needed to form letters on their paper. Stage Four loves expressing themselves through writing and demonstrate great pride in their abilities. Some of their ideas for writing included; “I like making snowmen” – Dylan “I like snow vans” – Ethan A “I like snow storms” – Jack “I like wearing a jumper” – Ethan D “I love making snowmen” – Zavier “I like snow holiday” – Leo “I love making snowballs with my mum” – Mihira “I like to play with a snowman” – Charlotte “I like Elsa, Olaf and Anna” - Yuno Making snow flakes During one of our discussion groups the children discovered that snowflakes actually display beautiful patterns when looked at through a microscope. The children were amazed by the shiny patterns the snowflakes made and to extend upon this interest the children were invited to create snowflakes using shiny gems. Stage Four made observations of the patterns and shapes made by snowflakes and recreated their own version on the light table. Patterning is great way to develop young children’s numeracy skills. Creating observing, and continuing patterns help children to make predictions as they begin to understand what comes next. This in turn supports children in making logical connections and use reasoning skills as they place objects in increasingly more complex orders. Gaining an understanding of how patterns work helps prepare children for learning more complex number concepts and mathematical operations in future schooling. Snowy Habitats To complete our snow filled learning journey Stage Four were invited to engage with sensory play with ice and some of their favourite arctic animals including; polar bears and penguins. We saw high levels of engagement and sharing as they acted out behaviours the animals use when trying to stay warm. This activity was a great way to reinforce the children’s understanding of animals that live in cold and snowy climates.
10
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
10
Stage 4E
11
By Ms Sarah Ross
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
11
Stage 4E: Snowy role play and patterning
12
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
12
Stage 4E: What I love about winter
13
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
13
Stage 4D - I am talented
By Ms Emily Chacon
This week we explored children’s talents and encouraged areas that they need support in. Throughout the week Miss Emily sat with the children one on one and asked for 5 things they are good at: Ariana – “I can drink all my water” Andrew – “I’m good at making new friends” Alison – “I can put my feet on my head” Clementine – “I’m good at being kind to my friends” Chloe – “I help my mummy cook dinner” Darcy – “I’m good at going to the park” Deyanna – “I can sing all the Disney songs” Emily – “I’m really good at drawing maps” Emma – “I’m good at dressing up at my home” Grace – “I can help teachers” Golden – “I’m good at going down the slide” Jayden – “I can build the marble maze” Jeremy – “drawing” Kingsley – “I’m good at playing the piano” Nicholas – “I can do good front somersaults” Paige – “I’m actually really good at playing with my brother” Patrick – “I can do good belly flops” Louise – “I’m good at making fairy bread” Lucinda – “I’m good at drawing” Radha – “I’m really good at riding my scooter” Tahlia – “I can play tennis” Yvette – “Looking at books” Yonnie – “I’m good at jumping on the jumping castle” Jack – “I’m very good at counting Pokémon” Lucy – “I can do good skipping” This exercise engaged the children to critically think and engage in acknowledging their individual achievements. On our table activities we have further engaged the children in unlocking more talents. We had LEGO out to further develop fine motor skills and engage the children in building and engineering. Our painting table allowed children to create artistic pieces using their fingers and hands, further engaging in creativity and inspirational work. Next week on Tuesday 5th April and Thursday 7th April are our dress up days. We encourage children to come dressed in things they are good at or want to be when they grow up. Some ideas are – scientist, soccer player, artist, there are many more! Looking forward to seeing everyone’s amazing outfits!
14
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
14
Stage 4D
15
By Ms Emily Chacon
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
15
Stage 4D: Sensory cooking
16
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
16
Stage 4D: I am talented
17
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
17
Stage 4D: Painting trays
18
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
18
Stage 3/4—Around the world—England
By Ms Riina
This week, we travelled to England to visit the plethora of sights and monuments on show. We focused our attention on London and the fun it has to offer. Our literacy focus explored a story of meeting the Queen of England and moving through the tourist hot spots with her. We also had time to write a quick postcard at the end of our exploration. If I was King (or Queen) for just one day … Was the question put to the class this week. We first discussed the role of the King and/ or Queen and how important a position it is. We then discussed the types of duties a King or Queen would have and chose a response to the above question.
Julian: “Let’s make everyone have a birthday” Valentina: “All the people can celebrate my party” Tianze: “Ashton can come to my castle” Lucas: “I want everyone to not be sick” Megan: “everybody make good choices” Cyon: ‘Make lots of money” James: “Everybody play all day” Alice: “Come and eat cake with me” Lucian: “Celebrate the sun” Leo Z: “Celebrate sun” Marcus: “Play all day” Annabelle S: “Everybody wear a necklace” Ashton: “Look at me” Junso: “Everybody eat lots of food” Rohan: “Eat more lunch” Hugo: ”Everybody is not sick” Sarah: “Everybody don’t do that” Mark: “Make good choices” Elizabeth: “Everybody be friends” Wesley: “Come to my castle for a sleep over” Tyler: “Everybody can have a grey digger” As you can see, lots of wonderful, thoughtful answers from the children. They did so well. We had the opportunity to sit for a portrait painting this week. Each child chose a partner and took turns of playing the role of the painter and the role of the King or Queen to be painted. We used crowns (which we had made at our earlier activity) to place on our heads and wrapped a cape around our shoulders. Some Kings and Queens posed with smiles on their faces and some of us posed with straight poker faces to project the tradition of royal portraits. The final experience was one consisting of simple mathematical equations consisting of addition and subtraction. Using London buses as a physical prop, we grouped colours into piles, counted each pile and then used these items to add our colour groups together and remove some pieces from other colour groups. It was a great way to explore mathematical concepts with a theme that related to our current provocation of England.
19
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
19
Stage 3/4
20
By Ms Riina Andrew
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
20
Stage 3/4: British Buses
21
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
21
Stage 3/4: London tower and transport
22
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
22
23
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
23
Stage 3E—In my heart
By Ms Bianca Lazar
“A friend is someone we turn to when our spirits need a lift, a friend is someone we treasure, for friendship is a gift” - Unknown author This week Stage 3 children are exploring different emotions and feelings. On the learning tables educators have provided learning experiences that deeply connect to how children’s hearts are feeling, as well as singing songs and reading storybooks about kindness and friendships to encourage children to talk about what makes them feel a particular emotion and why. To support these discussions, children were invited to visualise the feelings picture cards and storybook ‘In My Heart’. Educators then asked the questions “What is inside your heart?” and “How does your heart feel?”. After, children drew inside their heart and described to the educator why they drew those particular people and their feelings. During this activity children focus on three social-emotional learning standards, including recognising and accurately naming feelings, identifying and communicating a feeling and identifying feelings related to situation/events. Identifying feelings and understanding feelings is an essential social-emotional skill. The children’s storybook ‘In My Heart’ written by Jo Witek, is a beautifully illustrated book on feelings. It explores 10 different emotions, creatively describing each. Happy is a big yellow star, shiny and bright. Sadness is as heavy as an elephant. Friendships On a large table, plain paper was positioned to invite children to come and freely illustrate their emotions, in collaboration with their peers. Children expressed their creative art skills and most importantly their social and emotional abilities. It was lovely to hear the beautiful conversations take place!
24
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
24
Stage 3E
25
By Ms Bianca Lazar
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
25
Stage 3E: Friendships and feelings
26
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
26
Stage 3E: In my heart
27
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
27
Stage 2/3 & 3R - My family my home
By Ms Gabriela
“From before birth children are connected to family, community, culture and place. Their earliest development and learning takes place through these relationships, particularly within families, who are children’s first and most influential educators. As children participate in everyday life, they develop interests and construct their own identities and understandings of the world. ‟ Belonging, Being and Becoming – A Vision for Children’s Learning. Early Years Learning Framework This week the classroom was filled with conversations between the children and the Teachers about their houses and families. We were excited to share our house photos and talk about our families during group time. Show and tell has numerous benefits for children, especially for this young age. These early language experiences help to build effective communication and listening skills that are essential for their learning. To extend on from all the sharing and discussions we have incorporated the children’s descriptions of their homes and used these to create our own houses using CDs, rocks, wood pieces and pebbles as our collaborative art piece. The idea of this artwork was inspired by the book “Whoever You Are” by Mem Fox, which tells us we are all different, but together we are one. All the houses are now connected with a string to represent how we are all unique and different but we are all connected together as one. This artwork is display on the wall along with the family photos for the children to explore and further encourage discussions of their families and homes. We also have been involved in numerous building activities. The children have been invited to build houses using blocks and playdough. We made the playdough a grey colour to simulate concrete and provided a couple of little construction tools, all added to the scene and the children loved this little bricklaying activity. We used this activity to further language skills, fine motor skills, building skills, knowledge of gravity, understanding of bricklaying, sensory development, imagination, role play and more. Placing importance and priority on what a child wants to learn allows progress and satisfaction in their work. However, sometimes it can be hard to figure out how to adequately meet your child’s interests when those interests seem a bit too mature, or even dangerous, for their age We have noticed an increased interested in using real tools for quite a while. We are all for real materials so we set up a provocation with real hammers, which gave the children the amount of freedom that they strive for in our classroom. The instruction was close supervision as we didn’t know what to expect but one more time the children surprised us as they used their gentle hands and common sense to use this “dangerous” tool. Each of us is different, but together we are one — We are all connected!!!
28
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
28
Stage 2/3 & 3R
29
By Ms Gabriela Guimaraes
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
29
Stage 2/3: Loose parts play
30
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
30
Stage 2/3: Hammer painting
31
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
31
Stage 2/3: Construction play
32
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
32
Stage 2R - Ending the alphabet
By Ms Madeleine Grant
This week we reached the end of our alphabet theme as we explored the letters X, Y and Z! X is for X-Ray We explored x-rays by making x-ray inspired artworks! First the children used a white oil pastel to draw on white paper. Some were confused as to why their drawing wasn’t showing up, while others simply enjoyed the experience. Once they were done they used black watercolour dye to paint across the page, and were amazed at how the ink soaked into the page but slipped off the crayon marks to leave a resist image of their work! Y is for Yellow The children created textured painting in shades of yellow! First we brainstormed as a class all the things we could think of that were yellow, like lemons, bananas, bumblebees and the sun. These were used as a backdrop to the painting table, to give the children inspiration for what they could paint. They were given a range of paints, with a palette of six shades of yellow, and a special tray of textured paints for the children to experiment with. There was puffy pastel shaving foam paint, scratchy sand paint, and sparkly see-through glitter paint! They were fascinated by the different consistencies, and as they painted we asked them to use their sensory capabilities, touching the colours and describing to us the different sensations they felt. Z is for Zoo We finished our alphabet with a small world and dramatic play station full of all our favourite animals! The children worked in pairs to build animal enclosures using small wooden fences, carefully balancing them and lining them up to keep the animals in. Some found the gaps in the fence posts were the perfect size to peek through, and loved holding them up against their faces pretending they were masks or cameras! They chose their animals from our toy range to fill their zoo, which included jungle, ocean and farm animals, as well as some dinosaurs if they insisted. We asked them to identify the animals, use their language skills to describe them and the sounds they made. Through this activity we saw them practicing their negotiating and cooperation skills, as they shared the learning space and resources to ensure everyone got a fair go at having fun. Next week is our last week of term, and we will be using the time to revisit some of the children’s favourite activities from across the term, as well as finding ways of extending the skills they have acquired over the last three months. We will also be starting our family display in the room, so if you have not yet sent in a family photo please email one to me at madeleine.grant@reddamels.com.au so I can add your picture for the children to see!
33
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
33
Stage 2R
34
By Ms Madeleine Grant
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
34
Stage 2R: Z is for zoo
35
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
35
Stage 2R: Y is for yellow
36
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
36
Stage 1E - Animal habitats
By Ms Justine Heydra & Alessia Angilletta
This week in Stage 1E, we started revision on the wonderful term of “Animal Habitats” we have explored and discovered during term one. The children loved revisiting the ocean and mini beasts and had a great time exploring all our sensory activities. Our first sensory activity was exploring “The Ocean” The children each had the opportunity to play and discover our ocean tray. The tray consisted of blue sand (water), beach sand, green pasta (seaweed) and a variety of ocean animals. They all loved placing the seaweed into the sand and scooping the sand with their beach shells. The children also identified the different animals that formed a part of our ocean habitat. Our second sensory activity was based on the farm. We shredded brown paper to represent hay and the children played with the shredded paper and their farm animals. This activity was great for exploring texture and working on fine-motor skills and the children enjoyed manipulating and tearing the paper. They also loved hiding their animals in the shredded paper and playing peek-a-boo with them. Our final sensory activity allowed the children to rediscover and explore the wonderful world of minibeasts. Using our sensory table we gave the children some green playdough and a big selection of mini beasts. This activity promoted social skills as the children spoke to one another as they played and we used the mini beasts to identify our colours. In stage 1E we absolutely love our sensory play and 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 in toddlers. The children have grown and developed so much this term and they have all developed a love and fascination for sensory activities. Wishing you all a great weekend
37
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
37
Stage 1E
38
By Ms Justine Heydra & Alessia Angilletta
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
38
Stage 1E: Ocean exploration and fruit art
39
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
39
Stage 1E: Revisiting minibeasts and the farm
40
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
40
Stage 1R
By Ms Amanda Felton
My Gym was a real blast this week as our beautiful children learnt many new skills, practising their balancing and rolling and building confidence in their gross motor skills. They particuarly enjoyed walking the ladder and doing their seatbelt flips. How brave our little ones were, Well done everyone! Our nursery rhyme focus this week was Jack and Jill. We had some wonderful sensory play and language experience for the children as they incorporated movements, rhymes and actions with the songs and made association with the nursery rhyme. All the children really enjoyed taking part and loved coming back to play with
41
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
41
Stage 1R:
42
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
42
Piano
43
By Mr Alan Tang
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
43
Piano
By Mr Alan Tang
This week the main theme was Major and Minor Tonality. Even though all the children had been exposed to this topic before, this week we were spending more time hearing the difference between the two. Swan lake and Ode to joy were played to demonstrate the contrast in tone. They were also entertained by "The Piano Song" (which they often sang in class) in both Major and Minor.Other than that, the children also revised what they had learnt last week. The advanced Stage 4 looked at "Fur Elise", "Happy Birthday" and "Baby Shark". Some kids in Stage 3 and 4 requested to relearn "Brother John" and "Potato Song". They were all great songs, because it helped to build a strong fundamental basis of playing the C, D and E keys on the piano. Stage 2 and under had a great time singing along to "If you are happy and you know it" and "The Black Key patterns song" that I made up to help them remember patterns. Some of the children in the baby class were starting to voice out single words such as Black and White, which was great to see such advanced development in the children across all stages at Reddam ELS.
44
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
44
My Gym
45
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
45
My Gym
46
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
46
Drama
By Laura Hudson
In Stage 1 and 2 this week we began by learning about a small animal. I asked them to show me their ears, a small nose and whiskers and a long tail. In Stage 2 I asked the children to guess what animal it was. Isabella said it sounded like a mouse and she was right. I asked all the children to become a mouse. We practiced our singing to Hickory Hickory Dock. We sang about the mouse and made sure to tick tock with our heads and arms at the end of the song. Stage 1 reacted very well with the song by getting involved that we ended up doing it twice! Stage 1 also explored emotions. I asked the children to show me a happy face, sad face, shocked face. Zac showed us a tired face and Lia showed us how to laugh. We then put all these emotions into a dance. We all sang and danced to “Dancing Face” by Justine Clarke. Stage 1 had a friendly visit from a Froggy book. I read it out loud and everyone got a turn touching the different animals. Stage 2 Continued on the Hickory Hickory dock story. We packed our bags and went for an adventure inside the clock. It was very dark, so Abigail suggested we use our torch. We found lots of traps and booby traps. Benji found a big hole and we had to jump over it. Amelia suggested using a knife to fix it, we used our knife and put some plaster on! We also discovered lava, spiders and notes along the way. Madeline found the staircase to the Clock tower and we travelled up it to find the Mice sleeping on the clock which is why it had stopped working. In Stage 3 and 4 we continued using our time machine to travel to different places. First we discussed some different techniques of drama and focused on mime again. I put a piece of classical music on and we went through the forest to the jungle. Mark in Stage 3 showed us how to go over the wobbly bridge. We then went through the mud, climbed all the way to the waterfall, swam through it, past the monkeys, up into our tree house cabin. We looked out the window and decided to go flying down the flying fox to get the best view! Stage 3/4 played a drama game called postcards. I asked all the children to freeze as an animal or something they would find in the Jungle. Ethan Cheng showed us his tree and Amelia roared like a tiger. I then took a photo of it with my pretend camera. Stage 4 made their post cards come to life when I said action and froze when I said postcard. Diana showed us her Elephant. Ryan found a parrot who took us to our tree house. We all explored what animals we would find in the Jungle by becoming these animals and dancing. We use the "Monkey dance" song by the wiggles. Golden in Stage 4 laughed a lot at the monkey dance. We finished our lesson by discussing the main words in today's lesson. Mime, jungle, forest and postcards. Looking forward to discovering something new next week.
47
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
47
Drama
48
By Laura Hudson
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
48
Drama
49
By Laura Hudson
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
49
Mandarin
50
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
50