Reddam ELS Lindfield Newsletter
Friday 22nd September 2023
Principals Message by Lara Wilson
Dear Parents and caregivers,
Over the past week, I have observed the documentation of children’s learning and what this entails in each Stage and learning space. As you may be aware, Reddam ELS Lindfield achieved an exceeding rating in the last Assessment and Rating process last year. As we near the end of 2023, many discussions have taken place about how we can further improve in this area as we continually reflect on our practices.
The approved learning framework, the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) recognises the individuality of each school and allows the team of educators to explore a range of styles and methods that work best for families, children and the local community. Here at Reddam Lindfield, we focus on documentation that supports quality outcomes for children.
Documentation is an important part of our work and we carefully consider not only what we are observing but how this can best be recorded to form part of a cycle of observations, analysis, planning, implementation and reflection. We capture the children’s voices and really listen to what is being said to then incorporate into our further planning. It is not possible to capture all the rich experiences we are providing throughout the day as we are selective about what we document to ensure the children’s interests are identified and create the basis for learning extensions.
The process of documentation guides our team to plan for current and future learning and determines the extent to which children progress in their learning outcomes, allowing us to view what may be impeding children’s progress. We are constantly reflecting on our practices as teachers
and the effectiveness of the learning opportunities we are providing. The most important aspect of documentation is how this is then being used to plan learning opportunities and communicate children’s learning and progress.
We pride ourselves on the trusting relationship we develop with each and every child and take every opportunity to share our documentation and curriculum with families. Please see the team in your child’s room if you have any feedback – we appreciate your valuable input and together we can work collaboratively to provide achievable learning outcomes for our children.
Have a lovely weekend and I look forward to seeing you all next week.
1R
Lara Wilson, Principal StageDear Families,
This week we explored how we collaborate and discover our environments together through our learning extension of animals. Learning about each animals environment and habitat allows children to understand how we care for the animals, how the animals look after each other and in turn, this encourages the children to work collaboratively to build on their understanding and knowledge. The children were invited to also discover different sensory modes and participate in a hands on experience for how we care for animals with activities including washing and rescuing.
Monday was a busy day for our 1R children where we developed our fine motor skills by rescuing the animals when they were stuck, removing the dirt (slime) off their bodies to clean them and then
“These are the three teachers of children: Adults, other children and their physical environment” (Loris Malaguzzi)
later in the day, we collected and bathed them. The children delighted in creating bubbles in the water and used sponges to give the animals a good bath. Later in the week, the children revisited the rescuing adventure where we discussed what we can do to protect our animals. On Friday, we used our new wooden scoops to transfer some sea animals stuck in the sand to their much needed water. The children developed their hand eye co-ordination as they manipulated the scoop to pick up their sea creature and placed them in the water.
With the warmer weather upon us, Miss Nika and Miss Jing incorporated the application of sunscreen into the daily routine with collaborative discussions about why we need sunscreen, a hat and protective clothing in warmer weather. Some of the children thought it would also be a great idea to place sunscreen on our much loved animals! As we move into Spring, if you could please place sunscreen on your child before arriving to school, we know they will be protected from the sun for morning outdoor group times as after applying sunscreen, we wait for 20 minutes for maximum coverage. We check the UV daily prior to outdoor experiences and abide by the recommendations for sun safety.
The learning experiences the children engaged in throughout the week were carefully planned based on the children's emerging interests. We welcome and value family input - if your child displays a particular interest at home, please let us know so we can incorporate this into our planning.
Wishing all our families a wonderful weekend.
Nika,
Jing and Cigdem
Stage 1E
'Be a rainbow in someone else's cloud'- Maya Angelou
Dear Families,
We are exploring the song, ‘I can sing a rainbow’ this week based on our children's interest in colours this term. Our young learners thoroughly enjoyed classifying and sorting and with this, the children were invited to explore the coloured balls as they were encouraged to match the corresponding the colours to the boxes. This week the children have embarked on a colourful journey of discovery, an essential building block for early development.
We implemented an enchanting experience where we explored the magic of mixing colours, using pipettes to create a beautiful rainbow. Each child turned to blend the vibrant hues of red, green, blue, purple, and yellow into clear water bottles. The children's faces lit up with excitement as they observed the colours swirl and merge together. Julio joyfully exclaimed, "yellow" while adding the yellow liquid, Lucas eagerly shouted, "red" when asked about his choice and Xavier delighted in saying, "purple" as he introduced the royal hue into the bottle. Each child had a moment of wonder, witnessing the mesmerising effect of combining red, blue, yellow, and purple in water. Later, during group time, the children added a musical touch to their colourful adventure by singing their favourite song, "The Rainbow."
Our learning experiences demonstrate the children’s engagement with sensory exploration whereby the children develop abilities to identify and manipulate colours, fostering cognitive development and fine motor skills. The cognitive and language development occurred as children verbally labelled, sorted colours and interacted verbally and non verbally with their friends and teachers. Social interactions were encouraged as children played together, sharing experiences and emotions. This also aligns with the constructivist theory of development, as children actively engage in hands-on exploration and experimentation with colourful strings, constructing their understanding of colours and textures through direct sensory experiences.
Have a lovely weekend. We look forward to seeing you next week.
Regards, Natalie, May, Resie & Jaycel
Stage 2R
Dear Families,
In week 8, inspired by our previous engineering week, we delved more into engineering and focused on construction sites, civil engineers and construction workers. Construction play is proven to make a difference in the way children think and complete tasks. Simple things such as counting blocks, measuring weight and moving objects all contribute to encouraging a child think outside the box. We discussed the importance of construction work and how people who work at a construction site have to work together as a team to succeed.
A variety of construction sites' sensory experiences and small worlds provided 2R with a rich learning environment, where they explored and investigated their play materials and used scientific methods of observing, forming hypotheses, experimenting and making conclusions. It involved them engaging their creativity in role-playing with their peers which resulted in developing their communication and language skills, allowing them to act out and make sense of real-life situations and more importantly, developing their social skills as they were collaborating with others. They had the greatest time moving and bulldozing different materials around the bins and making their workers work hard. They
“ Every child has a different learning style and pace each child is unique not only capable of learning but also capable of succeeding"
(Robert John Meehan)
rolled the trucks through the sand or rocks, filled the dump trucks, and made lots of noises while driving the loud equipment while pretending to run their job site!
With the pom-pom colour construction site, children practised their colour recognition and developed their fine motor skills, as they used construction vehicles and tweezers to dump the coloured pom poms into the corresponding bowls.
Permeating the children's interests through the curriculum, the children engaged in expressive arts to paint using construction vehicles. The car tyres made interesting patterns in the paint and the children experimented with different cars to observe their unique patterns. Process art has no predetermined or predefined outcome for the art project, the children have the opportunity to just create their own artwork which will be what it will.
Our Reggio Emilia approach always engages children to see the world through their own eyes while they are involved in the play, it constantly stimulates a child's brain, hence, aiding their education. By allowing children freedom in construction play, we guide them to them think independently and make decisions based on what they are learning. In time, this will then transpire into other areas of education and ensure each child is a well-rounded learner as they progress through the coming years of their education.
We hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Miss Vivian, Miss Connie and Miss Fatima.
Stage 2E
Dear Families,
It is hard to believe we are already in the last week of Term 3! Throughout the term, we have explored the wonderful world of transportation and engaged in various hands-on experiences related to planning, designing, and building.
Following on from last week, the children have shown further interest in garbage trucks. The children shared with their friends that they had seen garbage trucks at their homes and had different coloured bins: red, green, and yellow. In Miss Mia's small group, she read a book called 'Lift-the-Flap Questions and Answers about Recycling and Rubbish" by Usborne. We answered all the questions about where the garbage goes and how we can recycle and sort garbage. Then, Miss Mia introduced a bin system learning experience in which the 2E children can help sort all the garbage into different bins. The children contributed before the activities:
- Reyaan: "I have red and blue bins at home."
- Bao: "My mom puts the bin out for the garbage truck."
"Play is not just about having fun but about taking risks, experimenting, and testing boundaries” (American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Nicholas: "Leaves go in the green bin."
- Charlie: "Does the banana peel go in the green one, right?"
Each child took turns picking up a waste item and driving it to the correct waste category. While driving, some children got confused about where to go, but some other friends tried to help by sharing their ideas.
The children continued to show their interest in creative art experiences through drawings and painting. With the start of Spring, Miss Chloe warmly invited the children to an expressive arts experience, encouraging them to express their creativity by painting vibrant flowers. To begin, Miss Chloe prompted the children to capture their best smiles in a photograph. Subsequently, we employed plastic bags as tools, dipping them into pink paint and pressing them onto paper to create an enchanting background. The children utilised flowers as brushes to make marks on their paper. Miss Chloe emphasized the fragility of the flowers, urging the children to exercise delicate control as they applied the floral imprints to the paper.
To follow up on the children's ongoing interest in numbers and construction tools, Miss Chloe engaged them in a creative learning activity - hammer splat painting with numbers. First, the children each randomly selected a number block from a bag, and together, they read the numbers. Hayden, Jackie, and Hamish took the lead in confidently vocalizing all the numbers, inspiring the other children to join in and attempt to identify the numbers themselves. Next, the children embarked on a quest to locate the same number on a cotton pad. With the hammers, they gently struck the cotton rounds, eagerly observing as the paint splattered from the sides. Miss Mia then posed the question, "What colour lies beneath the cotton pad?" The children were collectively astonished to discover the hidden colours.
Miss Mia invited our builders to a small group learning session. She introduced dice and explained how we can use these to play games with them. There are 6 sides, and each side has dots to help our friends count. Our friends quickly understood the game after Miss Mia's demonstration. The children took turns throwing a die and counting how many dots. After that, they picked the same number of blocks to build their house. We observed the children's concentration skills in counting dots and blocks and then balancing their blocks. While building, the children observed and reflected that it was easier to build and balance with cubes or rectangular prisms compared to triangular prisms.
Have a lovely weekend! We are excited to see where our learning journey in Term 4 takes us.
2E Team
Stage 3R
"Creative play is like a spring that bubbles up from deep within a child". (Joan Almon)
Dear Families,
Welcome to a week of learning and discovery through play. This week each morning, the children have engaged in a small group experience to actively participate in the making of playdough. The
children eagerly assisted Miss Tania to make play dough. The children furthered their mathematical knowledge through the use of measuring cups and then placed the ingredients into the bowl. The children observed a recipe that Miss Tania had brought in and the importance of following the recipe to ensure the end product was emphasised. The children helped to measure and count out the correct amounts of flour, oil, cream of tartar and water needed to make play dough. Miss Tania separated the play-dough into balls for the children to practice kneading the dough. When the dough was ready the children had a choice of colour. Charlotte, Victoria and Emily replied, “purple” Miss Tania, Charlotte and Henson headed outside to the garden to collect fresh lavender to add to the playdough. The children then spent time manipulating the playdough, developing their fine motor skills and strength in their fingers, all pre requisites for correct pencil grip and hand strength required for writing.
This week we have enjoyed listening to our children continue to share their show and tell experiences with their peers. The show and tell experience has been a highlight for all our children this term. Through this experience the children have gained confidence in speaking in front of the class. We have observed incredible creations that the children have brought in. A special thanks to all the parents who have been involved in helping create something special with their children. The positive benefits of this project have been outstanding, thank you.
Victoria proudly showed her poster she made to the class. Victoria cut out and pasted her pictures on her poster. It was evident Victoria spent a lot of time creating this for the children to see. Victoria told her friends that she helped prepare dinner with her Mum. Victoria enjoyed whisking the egg and washing the vegetables to add to her sushi. The class all agreed that sushi is yummy!
Riley discussed in detail how she made her volcano. She relayed to the class that she used clay to mold the bottle. When the clay was dry, Riley painted the bottle to make it look like a volcano. Riley also painted the floor of the container blue and added grass and grass mounds to her design. By doing this Riley created a dinosaur oasis. It was incredible! Riley explained to the class that she added bi-carb soda inside the bottle, then poured the vinegar and food colouring into the volcano, creating an eruption. The children were very excited and everyone moved closer to get a better look at Riley's volcano. We talked about what happens with an active volcano and that the lava boils under the ground before erupting out of the volcano. To extend on the children's interest in volcanos, we observed photographs of active volcanos and all agreed this would not be the safest place to be!
We hope you all have a lovely weekend!
Jenny and Tania
Stage 3E
"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it"(Billy and the Minpins)
Dear Families,
During Week 8, the children continued to listen to a wide range of quality picture books where they could use their comprehension skills to unpack what the stories were about while responding to various questions and engaging in group discussions where they could show curiosity, listening and engage with shared sustained learning. The children were able to deepen their literacy knowledge and understanding by exploring various dramatic play areas including vet hospitals where they could provide care and nurture towards the animals and engage in meaningful conversations about how we become kind friends towards living and non-living things.
Throughout the week, the children continued to show lots of interest in exploring the Vet Hospital and using their imagination to think of different situations and scenarios for each of the animals. The children were also able to build upon their mathematical knowledge by exploring 3D and 2D shapes using concrete materials and tools. They were able to gain an understanding of shape transformations through pictures, videos and real-life objects which enabled them to recognise and identify three-dimensional shapes by constructing shape-based buildings and using their bodies to recreate these shapes.
Towards the end of the week, the children noticed all the smoke outside and decided to engage in a conversation surrounding fire safety and the procedure of what to do in case there is a fire. The children were confident in saying the places we go when there is a practice fire drill i.e., the park. Also, the children proceeded to engage in literacy experiences such as Letter Bingo and Go Fishing which enabled the children to think about what they can see in front of them and match pictures to their corresponding sounds and collect different short words. Well done!
Hope you have a lovely weekend,
Laura & Ona
Stage 4R
“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.” (Unknown)
Hello wonderful 4R families,
This week has been another exciting chapter in our exploration of 'Our Amazing Bodies' and the multitude of challenges our young learners can conquer. While we initially delved into the physical
aspects of these challenges, this week we expanded our horizons to explore the incredible capabilities of the mind.
On Monday, we embarked on a journey that challenged the children both physically and mentally. Equipped with an array of coloured pencils, paper, and markers, we encouraged them to push the boundaries of their storytelling abilities. The children eagerly embraced this task, creating unique stories and accompanying drawings. The following day we delved into the power of visual storytelling. Divided into groups, the children created drawings to illustrate their narratives and reinforcing the role of imagery in storytelling. Their enthusiasm during story presentations was remarkable, showcasing their growing focus and active listening skills in peer discussions.
Midweek, our learning experience took a thrilling turn into experimentation, trial and error, and the world of human challenges. While we previously concentrated on physical challenges, we also acknowledged the children's keen interest in sharing stories and engaging in conversations. The highlight of the day was a blindfolded obstacle course, a mental and physical challenge that demanded effective communication and trust among peers. The teacher's demonstration of navigating the obstacle course blindfolded set the stage for the children's turn. With clean blindfolds secured, they embraced the challenge with unwavering determination. Witnessing their effective communication and remarkable ability to complete complex gross motor tasks without the use of sight was truly impressive. It was a day filled with excitement, growth, and valuable lessons in effective communication, which will undoubtedly benefit them in various aspects of their future learning journeys.
During the end of the week we followed-up on our exploration of the importance of communication and teamwork, inspired by the children's interest in music. We delved into the significance of rhythm, not only in benefiting the human body but also in creating music itself. Starting with simple rhythms as a warm-up, we gradually transitioned into an interactive music session. Playing along to "I Have a Little Hammer" by Kathy Reid-Naiman, a delightful hammering song that encouraged the children to tap along with the beat. To conclude the week we gathered in our cosy corner, and started practising songs that may be used in the Christmas concert.
As we conclude this week's adventures, we look forward to more exciting learning opportunities and growth in the coming days. Thank you for entrusting us with your wonderful children, and we're excited to see what the future holds for our 4R class.
Warm wishes,
Miss Sarah and Mr Callum
Stage 4E
Dear Families,
“Every day I discover more and more beautiful things. It’s enough to drive one mad. I have such a desire to do everything, my head is bursting with it.” – (Claude Monet)
We’ve had another rich week of learning in our classroom. To extend the children’s interest in famous artists, we learnt about French expressionist painter, Claude Monet. In our atelier, the children were invited to create their own interpretations of the water lilies, using similar hues of paints – blue, purple, pink, and green, as well as mixed materials to create textured flowers. To continue with the children’s other interest in making models out of paper, we gathered around the mat to conduct an experiment. Miss Lauren gave each of the children a water lily shape, like a star. She demonstrated how to fold the triangular parts inwards and explained how these would be the petals of the water lily. In the middle of our mat, was a bowl of blue water with some frogs at the bottom and a faux water lily. The children then took turns to place their paper water lily onto the surface of the water and watched the magic happen. We discussed the science behind this magic and how the paper is a thin material produced by pressing together moist fibres which are like thin tubes. As the water went up into these capillaries to the top of the petals, the paper swelled up forcing the petals to open one at a time. Some flowers opened faster than others, but the children delighted in watching the peaceful process. The children also wondered if the paper would sink or float if we put one of the toy frogs on top. One frog kept the lily afloat, but two made it stink to the bottom of the bowl.
Some of the children have also been interested different countries around the world and their flags. This week our interest table features famous world landmarks, figurines of people in their traditional dress, flags, and world maps. Together, our class discussed the items, making comments about how the clothes looked different to ours and how each country has its unique flag. The children especially loved admiring the Korean dolls in their celebratory attire, the Spanish dancer, the Pinocchio dolls who said he “doesn’t like chocolate”, a Chinese lantern, and a statue of the Eiffel Tower in France. To extend the children’s interest in craft-making, Miss Rebecca introduced the children to the Japanese art of origami, providing them with a wonderful opportunity to channel their creativity and furtherdevelop their fine-motor skills. The children were guided through the process of folding square paper to create origami, focusing on folding horizontal and vertical triangles. The children selected their preferred colour of paper, folded it in half, and further folded the bottom and sides of the paper to create the structure of a paper bag, using the strength of their fingers and nails to achieve sharp folds. Once their paper bags took form, the children unleashed their creativity, adorning their bags with finger-painted designs that were uniquely their own and coloured paper to fold simple animals or flowers to stick on the front. So many creative designs!
Throughout the week we learnt more about Asian cultures. We read Cleversticks by Bernard Ashley, about Ling Sung who was struggling to master the same skills his friends could do. However, during afternoon tea he grabbed two paintbrushes and turned them into chopsticks to eat his food. His friends were curious and wanted Ling Sung to teach them how to use chopsticks too. In return, the other children showed him how to master the skills he was still practising. Our story prompted a discussion about how we all have different skills and talents. If we want to master a skill, we need to practise and persist. At times we saw Ling Sung want to give up, but we talked about how his friends supported him to keep trying. Our class made lots of comments about Ling Sung’s chopsticks and shared if they had used them before. Many of the children said they use chopsticks at home with their families as part of their Asian culture, and others said they have used chopsticks in restaurants to eat sushi, rice, and noodles. We discussed how different cultures can use various utensils to eat with. Some used spoons, forks and knives, some use chopsticks, and in some countries, they even use their hands as well.
Miss Rebecca kindly shared more information about her home country of South Korea. She laid two pink dresses out on the mat along with some very high-heeled shoes. She explained that the dress is
called a “hanbok” and these clothes are usually worn by women when they get married. Miss Rebecca then invited the children to try on her special dresses. Our friend Toshimitsu also brought in a traditional piece of clothing to show us. He put on his shirt which is called “Kariyushi shirt” in Japan. He said he wears his shirt when he’s in Japan and for special occasions. He was then kind enough to invite his friends to try on his top as well. The children enjoyed taking photos in the traditional dress and appreciating both Asian cultures. To further explore and celebrate diversity, we read the book I Am Lupe by Sela Ahosivi-Atiola. This beautifully illustrated book provided valuable insights into the importance of acknowledging and cherishing our individual uniqueness. Through the story of Lupe, the children learned that diversity should be celebrated and that our differences make us special. In addition to the literary exploration, Mr. Rowel invited the children to construct pyramid models using cardboard and sand, symbolising the rich cultural heritage of ancient civilizations. This hands-on experience allowed the children to appreciate the diverse histories and traditions that have shaped our world.
What a busy term we’ve had together and what a diverse range of interests we’ve covered!
Lauren, Rowel and Rebecca
Monday - Yoga with Instructor Toonie
Tuesday - Drama with Miss Chelsea
Wednesday - Music with Mr. Alan
Thursday - Playball with Coach Lauren
Friday - Mandarin with Miss Chloe
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