Reddam ELS Lindfield Newsletter 9th
June 2023
Friday 9th June 2023
Principals Message
Dear Families,
Over the past few weeks at Reddam ELS Lindfield, Reconciliation week has been included in our program and experiences for the children. Reconciliation week is held across Australia from 27th May to 3rd June and as an Early Childhood School, Indigenous perspectives are incorporated at all times throughout the program. We also reflect on how we implement these experiences for children at our staff meetings monthly so staff are able to discuss ideas and thoughts with the team.
Our education team encourages children to be involved with resources, experiences and literature that reflect the indigenous culture with respect and understanding. We as educators, are also conscious of being positive in our approach to reconciliation and use terminology with the children
that conveys understanding and a forward focus on today and the future whilst maintaining knowledge of the indigenous community.
"Reconciliation is about improving relationships between Australian Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous Australians. Educators have the potential to make a significant difference in reconciliation through their work with children, families and the community.
Working towards reconciliation involves commitment to continued learning about Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and our shared histories. It is inspiring and reassuring to see educators across Australia committing to ongoing learning, critical reflection and building cultural competence in themselves and in children."
Rhonda Livingstone National Education Leader, ACECQA.Resources including craft and visual art supplies, literature and natural materials are provided for children as provocations to explore so they are able to interpret their thoughts when discussing Indigenous perspectives. Aboriginal art work is incorporated into the rooms including pictures and fabric. The children complete an acknowledgement of country everyday at daily morning meeting which you may of heard the children sing at home.
"Reconciliation in childcare services is an ongoing process that requires commitment, empathy, and respect. It means creating a safe and inclusive environment where children can learn about and celebrate the rich diversity of Indigenous cultures and histories
National Reconciliation Week is an opportunity for childcare services to reflect on their role in the reconciliation process and to take action toward building respectful and inclusive relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
It is a time to learn, to share, and to celebrate the resilience and strength of Indigenous communities."
Joanne Lewis May 2023 - Care for Kids.com.auA quick reminder of upcoming dates
• Half yearly progress reports sent to families in the last week of June 2023
• Parent/ Teacher meetings held Mid July 2023
• Term 2 concludes on the Friday 30th June 2023
• Term 3 commences on the Monday 17th July 2023
Looking forward to chatting to you soon
Christine Irwin, Principal
Stage 1R
In the 1R classroom this week the children were invited to invigorate their auditory senses as well as enage with learning experiences related to Reconcilliation Week. Throughout the term as we
““This National Reconciliation Week we urge all Australians to follow in this tradition to be a voice for generations, while also imagining a better country for future generations.” ” (Karen Mundine)
explored 'Me and My Friends', the children have investigated relationships between themselves and others in family units as well as their self identities. As we encourage the children to expland their knowledge and sense of self, we have begun to explore the five senses. We chose to begin this unit of learning with the noisest of the five senses-the children's sense of hearing! Interwind within these experiences, we introduced activites relating to Australia's first nation's people which were relevent to the children's interests and emerging developemental skills as it was Reconcilation Week.
Each day we provided our little friends with different types of instruments to bang, bash, clang and shake. Whether the children played with drums, tapping sticks or xylophones, they were challenged to develop their gross and fine motor skills. It was fantasitc to see the children revisit the instruments thoughout the entire day and show such interest and concentration each time they did.
One of our favourite learning experiences of the week was when we walked to the top garden to collect materials to make tapping sticks. We loaded up our little friends who are still working on their walking skills into our evacuation buggy while our confident walkers conquored the stairs, up to the garden. At the upper grass area we collected thick, short sticks. After we had a handful of sticks, we made our way back to the classroom. In the room, educators wrapped the ends of the sticks with yarn to lesson the likelihood of splinters and sharp edges. Once the all the sticks were wrapped up, the children came together to use our new instuments accompanied by some of our shakers. We sang songs by indigenous artists including ‘Taba Naba’ , ‘Inanay’ and ‘Ngaya Naba.’ It was lots of fun!
Next week we will explore our sense of sight with colourful, light filled, visual experiences.
Heather, Carina and Jing
We started our week learning about Insects as this aligns with our provocation for Term 2. This comes after an expressed interest from some of the children catching and observing soldier beetles and bumble bees in our backyard.
Our group times, this has given the children an excellent opportunity for the children to engage in open discussions about a range of topics. We have been reading stories that introduce children to new words, concepts, and language patterns. They can learn vocabulary related to insects, their habitat, and the stages of their life cycle. The children are engaging in collaborative learning environments and also learning about the world around them from our outdoor environment.
Our learning experiences this week offered the children the to explore the world around them and have a closer look in the sensory trays with magnifying glasses to see if they could find the different insects that were hiding under the bark and dirt, as this is the habitat of the insects. Also by introducing the basic scientific concept and the different stages of an insect's life cycle.
The children gain knowledge about the life and behaviour of different bugs and their role in the ecosystem. This understanding fosters an appreciation for nature and encourages environmental awareness.
‘ A child, more than anyone else, is a spontaneous observer of nature '- Maria Montessori
Next week we'll be diving into the ocean animals.
Have a lovely weekend
Natalie & Resie & May
Stage 2R
This week we delved deeper into ocean life and had the opportunity to teach the children more about its beauty. All children have an innate curiosity about the world that makes them avid learners. A child who has compassion for the ocean is more likely to grow into a conscientious adult who is more aware of their actions and how they affect the world.
Throughout the week, the children engaged with sensory water trays filled with an array of ocean creatures. They also benefited from various ocean-themed sensory experiences, including playdough, shaving foam and kinetic sand, which provided tactile exploration of the ocean habitats Sensory play develops nerve connections in the brain's pathways, which lead to the child's ability to complete more complex learning tasks. Moreover, 2R explored the vibrant underwater ecosystem with the coral reef sensory trays. They had opportunities for free exploration while allowing their imagination to guide their learning experience.
We love all the vibrant colours of coral reefs that seamlessly blend together and create a gorgeous ecosystem. Inspired by coral reefs, the art of the week involved 2R creating coral reef scenes using sponges and paint. A fantastic science experiment introduced sharks' buoyancy to the children. The teachers explained that buoyancy is the ability to float in water or other fluids. Sharks need to work hard to remain buoyant without having a swim bladder. Two full bottles, one filled with water and
“Children have real understanding only of that which they invent themselves." Jean Piaget
one with oil, were used in this experiment. The bottle of oil represented the shark floating at the water's surface. This is because oil is less dense than water. During this experiment, the children observed that sharks have large oily livers inside their bodies, which enables them to be buoyant in the water and not sink to the bottom of the seafloor.
By understanding how everything is connected in the ocean and how we interact with it as humans, the children have started to learn that caring for and protecting the sea will ensure it remains a beautiful place – not just for the fish to swim in, but for all life on Earth.
We hope you all have a lovely weekend!
2R Team
Stage 2E
“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; We borrow it from our children.” (Native American Proverb)
This week’s focus was ‘When I Grow Up, I Can Be the Green Thinkers’. We are privileged to be surrounded by green landscapes and fresh air here in Reddam. The children likely build positive attachments and respectful relationships with the nonhuman world through experiences with significant adults who share interests in nature with them. Natural outdoor play contributes to 2E children’s positive attachment to the natural environment so that the children are aware of the impact of human activity on the natural environment. They would stop a friend from playing with tap water by saying “Wasting water” .
On the provocation table, the children were invited to look at Earth from a space distance. Our planet Earth is recognised by the colours blue and green which represent ocean and land. 2E environmentalists were challenged to classify animals into two different groups: on land or in water. We used slime to enhance the children’s sensory skills in play as well as knowledge about visual representation by the two different colours. Our clever friends quickly group the animals together and place them on the right colour slime. It is a little bit tricky that some animals can live both on land and in water.
Another experience involved children experimenting with water absorption by the Earth Water Science Absorption Experiment on our provocation table. We used round cotton pads, green and
blue water and pipettes. The children soaked the cotton pads, mixed the colours, and made a big Earth in a round-shaped tray. They experimented with mixing the colours and testing how much the cotton pads held the water drops by counting the drops. This type of exploring also led to natural problem-solving too!
Miss Mia invited the children to a small group learning to classify whether this animal live on land or in the sea. The children got each turn to pick an animal, identify them and think if this animal live on land or in the water. When the children needed help, our friends suggested the answers or we had a look on the Earth globe to find that animal. The children classified the animals by putting them in the water or on the grass which represented our land and sea on the planet Earth. As the children took turns picking animals, identifying them, and deciding whether they live on land or in the water, they were engaging in critical thinking and observational skills. They had the opportunity to learn about the unique characteristics and adaptations of various animals and how those traits relate to their habitats.
Have a wonderful long weekend,
2E Team
Stage 3R
"Practicing sustainability empowers children to construct knowledge, explore values and develop an appreciation of the environment and its relationship to their worlds.” (ACECQA,
Active watching, listening and co-construction alongside children have meant that we are narrowing the terms’ provocation into more sustainable practices and understandings. The children this week have been looking at composting, brought on by their curiosity surrounding the worm farm and compost bin around Stage 4. This also tied into the children’s learning about the farm and how we grow vegetables and raise animals. The children explored together the different fruits and vegetables needed to create compost and feed a worm farm! As a group, the children discovered and categorised the different foodstuffs and made connections through similarities and differences i.e. citrus fruits are unable to go in to the worm farm, whereas apples & pears can. The children then put this new knowledge into practice as they sorted their morning tea scraps into a small compost bin which they then took over to the large compost and worm farm. From there, the children were eager to see the worms in actions and all the bugs in the compost bin. The children were able to see the older vegetables and fruits in different stages of decomposition which reiterated the concept of biodiversity.
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This experience was seen again throughout the week as the children continued to sort their fruits and vegetables from morning tea and placed them into the worm farm later on. With the help of the Stage 4 teacher, the children were also able to learn a little more about worms and their role in our natural environment. This gave educators and children alike the ability to learn together such as where worms are naturally found, the role of worm castings and fertilisers. This then created prenumeracy learning experiences where the children could count using one-to-one correspondence, read the cardinal number and engage in environmental literacies also.
Another focus during the week highlighted the reality of a working farm by learning about shearing sheep. The children were able to explore the different uses of wool and why its important for not only the sheep to be sheared, but also for people too.
As a class we also acknowledged Reconciliation Week by integrating Indigenous perspectives throughout our experiences, small group discussions, literature and table experiences. It is crucial that educators embed Indigenous perspectives to demonstrate how valuable and important reconciliation is.
Grace, Jenny & Charity.
During Week 5, the children have continued their exploration of looking at different buildings and constructions found here in Sydney. They started to look at drawings and pictures comparing the height of different buildings including the Q1 Tower, Melbourne Skydeck and Sydney Eye Tower. The children were encouraged to use loose part materials such as bottle lids to try and recreate their own representation of one of the towers. This enabled the children to work independently or in small groups, where they could use their communication skills and behaviour to share their ideas and thoughts. The children shared with each other their achievements and were proud of their creations!
Throughout the week, the children were able to follow and extend upon their interests in using their gross motor skills. In a physical activity, the children were required to use their gross motor skills to either throw using an under arm and the technique of rolling the ball from one line to another. This allowed the children to see how far their ball would travel across the ground to the other side. The children were super excited to see how far they could throw, bounce and roll their ball!
Also, this week the children have enjoyed engaging in movement and dance experiences, where they can enhance their gross motor skills and move through the space with increasing skill and awareness of others. The children have proceeded to engage with their specialised classes, where they can broaden their understanding of the world around them and apply their skills and strengths in many different ways!
“You learn something every day if you pay attention” (Ray LeBlond)
We hope you all have a lovely weekend,
Laura, Kai & Nika
Stage 4R
“We are all storytellers. We all live in a network of stories. There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling.”(Jimmy Neil Smith)
It has been a fabulous week for the 4R children, filled with laughter and incredible learning experiences. We have dedicated this week to the exploration of Reconciliation Week, and it has been truly amazing to witness how we have integrated this learning into our provocation on 'Occupations and Hobbies.'
To kick off the week, we introduced Reconciliation Week in our classroom by discussing the importance of acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land we live on. The children actively participated in the conversation, sharing their thoughts and ideas. We also engaged in many texts throughout the week that highlighted reconciliation. It was wonderful to see their engagement and understanding.
Our exploration of Reconciliation Week extended to our science provocation. We delved into the fascinating world of Aboriginal astronomy, highlighting how Indigenous people were the original "astrologists" who observed and studied the stars. We shared pictures and captivating stories about Indigenous astronomical knowledge, including the Dreamtime stories associated with constellations.
To deepen their understanding, the children had the opportunity to create their own Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander constellations or star patterns. Their imaginative use of various materials brought to life the unique stories and meanings behind their chosen constellations. Their artworks displayed incredible creativity and enthusiasm.
Continuing our focus on Aboriginal astronomy and storytelling, we explored the theme of 'Storyteller.' We engaged the children by sharing pictures and stories about Indigenous astronomical knowledge. Together, with the help of Callum, they created their constellations using a projector. This hands-on project allowed them to make their own stars, using laminated sheets and markers to design unique night sky scenes. We proudly displayed their individual creations against the classroom wall, witnessing their creativity unfold.
As the week progressed, the children became captivated by the many different ways to tell stories. In response, we provided them with the opportunity to reenact stories through role play and create their own class film. They embraced their creativity and imagination, assuming different character roles to bring the stories to life. What made this experience even more thrilling was that the children themselves filmed their reenactments, taking turns behind and in front of the camera. It was a joy to observe them fully immersed in the storytelling process, using their voices, gestures, and expressions to recreate scenes from the books.
We are incredibly proud of the progress and engagement displayed by each child during this week of exploration and learning. Their enthusiasm and willingness to embrace different perspectives have been truly remarkable.
Thank you for your ongoing support in creating a nurturing environment where our children can grow and develop their understanding of diverse cultures.
Warm wishes,
Miss Sarah, Mr Callum and Ms Margaret
Dear Families,
The children are becoming recycling experts as they master how to categorise their rubbish into the correct recycling bins. This week we focused on how we can make more sustainable choices by switching to products that are less harmful to our environment. After learning that it takes over fivehundred years for a plastic toothbrush to break down and promising to by bamboo toothbrushes, the children were interest in learning about more environmentally products.
We read The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle by Alison Inches, learning that they start as crude oil that is drilled from below the Earth’s surface. This is then turned into plastic that can be moulded in various products, including plastic bottles. We learnt that plastic bottles are one of the most common waste items that end up in landfill. In Australia alone, approximately 373 million plastic water bottles end up in landfill and only 1 in 3 is recycled correctly (Bell, L. (2019). You Can Change the World). Our class brainstormed ideas about how we could reduce the amount of water bottles that end up in landfill.
• We should recycle them in the yellow bin to ensure they get turned into new bottles/new items.
“Sustainability is no longer about doing less harm. It’s about doing more good.” – (Jochen Zeitz)
• We can use a reusable drink bottle that we can fill up over and over again, like the ones on our trolley.
• We can choose to purchase water or drinks that come in glass bottles.
• We can stop purchasing plastic bottles altogether.
We then discussed how plastic bottles are referred to as “hard plastics.” This means they are hard to the touch, making them easier to recycle. Items include, milk bottles, soda bottles, plastic punnets that our berries come in, yoghurt and dip containers. Some of the children also mentioned the Return and Earn scheme this week, which has been rolled out across NSW. We watched a short video of some people using the machine and they explained how these “reverse vending machines” are located across the state for the public to collect their bottles and cans to put into them, in return for 10c per item. The children took turns to place an item into the Return and Earn machine Mr Rowel had constructed out of boxes for us and we discussed how along with our yellow recycling bins, this initiative ensures that bottles will be recycled correctly. We continued to learn about what can and can’t be recycled and the harmful effects of “soft plastics.” Plastic packaging and plastic wrap are harder to recycle and often end up in landfill. We should try to purchase products that come in paper or biodegradable packaging instead. For example, instead of buying a loaf of bread that comes in a plastic bag, we should buy one that comes in a paper bag. We then discussed singleuse plastic cutlery and compared it to metal and wooden products. Wooden cutlery can be placed into the compost to break down along with plates that are made from paper and sugarcane. If it comes from nature, it can go back into nature. Lastly, we talked about disposable coffee cups and how the plastic lining and lids prevents the paper exterior from being recycled. In Australia we use over 1 billion takeaway coffee cups every year! Let’s buy a KeepCup instead!
Next week we will continue to extend the children’s interest in recycling and learn about more ecofriendly products we can easily switch to.
Lauren, Rowel, Rebecca, Fiona and Gwen
Playball with Coach Lauren
Drama with Xanthe
Music with Mr. Alan
Mandarin with Miss Chloe
School News and Updates
A quick reminder of upcoming dates
• Half yearly progress reports sent to families in the last week of June 2023
• Parent/ Teacher meetings held Mid July 2023
• Term 2 concludes on the Friday 30th June 2023
• Term 3 commences on the Monday 17th July 2023
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