Reddam ELS Lindfield Newsletter Friday 27th October 2023 Principals Message by Mrs Lara Wilson
1 - “Photography is a language more universal than words” – Minor White
Dear Families and caregivers,
Here at Reddam ELS Lindfield, we view children as competent, curious, full of knowledge and potential with a strong interest in connecting to the world around them. Our teacher’s have observed each and every child’s interest and potential and from here, they have collaboratively constructed the curriculum and learning environment for children to immerse themselves in. Children communicate their ideas and knowledge through a variety of creative expressions and the children in 4R have encapsulated their ideas of the changing world around them through photography. Through collaborative discussions, the children embarked on a learning journey where they explored the fascinating concept of how our world has transformed over time. The children’s voices resonated with both curiosity and wisdom as the children themselves, photographed something of significance to themselves in their world around them. Outside of 4R, the children’s photographs have proudly been presented for families to view. If you have a free moment when you arrive, please feel free to stop by to outside of Stage 4R and view the children’s photography we have showcased for our Reddam community.
Upcoming diary dates: 1. StEPS Vision Screening The StEPS program is an initiative of NSW Health and offers all 4 years old children free vision screening. NSW Health advises all children to have their vision screened before they start school and strongly recommend that all four year old children participate in the vision screening program. Children need to be 4 years of age before the 12th December 2023 to participate. Dates of Vision Screening – Tuesday 31st October, Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd November The original consent form provided by your child’s teacher must be returned to us completed and signed for your child to participate.
2. Stage 4 Graduation We are delighted to invite all Stage 4 families to the “Graduation of the Class of 23” on Wednesday 6th December 2023. Stage 4R will be held at 11am – 12pm Stage 4E will be held at 9am to 10am
I will send out further correspondence shortly in regards to end of year celebrations for all other stages.
Wishing all our families a lovely weekend ahead.
Lara Wilson, Principal
Stage 1R “Creativity seems to emerge from multiple experiences, coupled with a well-supported development of personal resources, including a sense of freedom to venture beyond the known.” ~ Loris Malaguzzi
Dear 1R Families, We have had such a busy week, our room has been alive with creative arts, felt boards, finger puppets, water play and more! Our book of the week is "The very hungry caterpillar" by Eric Carle and many of our experiences and small group times were centered around our favourite story. We commenced our learning journey with an enchanting caterpillar puppet show. The colorful caterpillar puppet captured the children’s attention and through this form of storytelling, we acted out various sequences from the book, bringing the characters to life. With the children's interest in caterpillars and the life cycle of the butterfly, we added a variety of resources to support the children's knowledge such as handmade eggs, a cuddly caterpillar, a cozy cocoon, and a beautiful butterfly. To engage the children even further, we created a handcrafted caterpillar prop and the children took turns 'feeding' the caterpillar as they had observed in the storybook. This experiences allowed the children to act out sequences from the book and facilitated a learning space for collaborative discussions about the food the caterpillar eats and the introduction of early mathematical concepts such as counting the various amounts of food consumed by the caterpillar. Through our storybook, we introduced the life cycle of a butterfly using a hands-on life cycle spinner. The children were able to interact with the spinner, watching the caterpillar transform into a cocoon and then into a beautiful butterfly.
A variety of coloured playdough was provided to the children and we observed the caterpillar and butterfly and used our creativity and imaginations to create our very own caterpillars, providing lots of praise through verbal communication to the children - what very clever creators we have in 1R! Furthermore, the storybook of the week provides a space for collaborative discussion about healthy and sometimes foods as we observed the caterpillar eat their way through a huge amount of food! We discussed the colours of each food and listened to each child's preferences including their likes and dislikes. Towards the end of the week, the children were encouraged to use their imaginations and were provided with the inspiration of the storybook and various props we had made over the week. The children created their own 'very hungry caterpillar' using pain, sponges and paint brushes. These are displayed in our 1R Art gallery so please feel free to pop in and view our showcased artwork. Wishing all our families a safe and healthy weekend ahead. Jing, Nika and Cigdem
Stage 1E
"Our task regarding creativity, is to help children climb their own mountains as high as possible. No one can do more" Loris Malaguzzi Dear Families, This week we have continued exploring transport on land, predominantly through the use of construction vehicles through creative and sensory experiences. The children were engaged in a small group time listening to the story titled, ‘That's not my Car’ by Fiona Watt. This delightful series of Board books aims to develop sensory and language awareness through bright pictures with patches of different textures. The children showed their excitement through various giggles and squeals and of course opened up the door for the children to engage in collaborative discussions with their peers and teachers. The opportunity was offered to the children to design their cars through paper cutouts where artistic exploration not only nurtured the children’s creativity but also enhanced their fine motor skills. Through play based experiences the children have shown great interest in, we have introduced early mathematical concepts of counting. The children explored with their senses ice tubs this week and then described what they were feeling to their friends and teachers. Our outdoor play experiences this week highlight the children’s active exploration through sensory and social interactions. Through hands-on play with bubbles, foam and toy vehicles, the children developed their fine and gross motor skills through an appreciation for tactile and sensory water play. Water play in the warmer weather has become one of our most popular experiences and the children described the bubbles using a variety of words, furthering their expressive language and vocabulary. The children relished in their time playing with water and experiencing the softness of the bubbles.
Wishing all our families a wonderful weekend ahead and we look forward to seeing you all next week.
Regards,
Natalie, May & Resie
Stage 2R " Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela.
Dear Families,
Learning about various cultures supports children to appreciate diversity and cultivate a keen interest in the world. This week, the children were offered a variety of sensory experiences to explore Japan and Korea. The primary ingredient in Japanese cuisine, rice, has even been dubbed the essence of the 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 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 our classroom where we 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 a great way to introduce a culture to them and this was evident when Miss Vivian invited the children to actively engage in a cooking experience to create Korean fried rice cake. Their ability to recall the ingredients and the cooking process step by step demonstrates their cognitive development, including memory and language skills. When they tasted the rice cake, their expressions of “It’s Yummy” or “I want more” indicated a positive sensory experience, reinforcing their learning through hands-on participation. The social interaction among the children showcased their growing ability to communicate, cooperate, and express their emotions. Miss Vivian’s guidance and choice of a culturally diverse activity have contributed to a rich and inclusive educational environment, fostering both cognitive and social development in the children. Moreover, Miss Connie made Japanese 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 cooked chicken, cucumber, capsicum, and carrots for our Kimbap sushi. 2R helped Miss Vivian to place the filling in the seaweed and roll the sushi. Our pretend Korean Kimchi learning space was very popular this week. These experiences stretched 2R's imagination and enriched their creativity. They devised 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. Miss Vivian, Miss Connie and Miss Fatima.
Stage 2E "“Sometimes superheroes reside in the heart’s of small children fighting big battles.” (Unknown)
Dear Families, On the roller coaster of emotions this week, we focused on bravery and contradictory feelings including; shyness, nervousness, anxiety and fear. We created a warm and welcoming environment for the children to feel safe and secure and then invited the children to engage in collaborative discussions about some important upcoming transitions such as meeting new friends, moving to Stage 3 or perhaps trying new foods. We discussed what signs we notice when we feel worried or scared and how we can use breathing techniques to alleviate some of our worries. Young children can have fears of the dark, insects, animals, being alone, strangers, monsters or other scary imaginary creatures. Therefore, we continued supporting our little friends to explore their fears, encouraging them to face their fears with a variety of techniques. With a simple chart of colour-coded feelings, our friends identified the symbolic meaning of each colour. They confidently shared their
feelings openly by placing their face on the chart associated with the emotion they felt and talking about why they had this specific feeling. During group time, we read from the popular series about emotions and feelings of Trace Moroney When I'm Feeling Scared. This book expresses the different experiences that made the bunny feel scared. Later on, he realised that they were not scary after all when he talked with someone who could help and even the scariest feeling is in the end, just a feeling that will pass. Discussing big deep breaths and how to overcome fear and anxiety can help our friends cope with stressful situations. "What makes you scared?" Miss Mia asked the group. - Zoe: "Monster"
- Arabella: "crocodile looking at me"
- Evie: "Nothing
- Rory: "Lion"
- Kaiden: "I'm brave" - Eleanor: "Pretend monster" - Kylie: "Tiger" - Elijah: "I'm not scared" During our group time, we also read the story, Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson. After finishing the book, Miss Xanthe asked the children if they would like to participate in her drama lesson. The children were very excited to join in! Xanthe explained that we needed to dress up as a witch, so we began by putting on our witch shoes, witch hats and witch capes. We then hopped onto our imaginary broomstick and "whoosh", we flew around the classroom. Xanthe invited the children to role play different characters from the book. To conclude, we sat in a large circle and in the middle of the circle, we pretended there was a large cauldron. Miss Xanthe asked each child what they would put into the potion. The children expressed their creative thoughts verbally with their friends and we heard a lot of ideas such as dogs, cats, snakes, paw patrol characters and boxes. We mixed our potion together and chanted "Iggety, Ziggety, Zaggety, Zoom" like in the book. The potion worked and we had an amazing new broomstick to ride around the room on. Following up on the children's favourite story, Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson, Miss Mia invited the children to create a witch's potion. We embarked on an imaginative journey to make a purple bubble tea for a thirsty witch. The children eagerly set off on a leaf collection mission, each one armed with a pumpkin basket. We needed to gather three fluffy leaves, 'like bunny ears,' Rory said. 'One, two, three! I've got them,' exclaimed Seoha. Next, the witch instructed the children to find some dried leaves, a stick, and a pink flower. With all the ingredients in hand, we began mixing them in a black pot. Each child took a turn pouring them in and adding spiders. Then, we poured in the purple tea (made from purple vinegar) and gave it a good mix. The witch finally asked the children to sprinkle magic powder (bicarbonate of soda and glitter), creating an immediate chemical reaction, fizzling and bubbling. It was a delight for our ears and eyes to witness this simple hands-on experiment, leaving the children surprised and amazed! Have a lovely weekend, 2E Team
Stage 3R "Emotion is energy in motion” (Peter Mcwilliams)
Dear Families, This week, we chose to spotlight emotions through our learning activities, and it's been absolutely delightful to observe the children's enthusiasm and curiosity. Emotions play a significant role in developing a child's wellbeing, social skills and understanding of self. Being able to identify and express emotions is an essential life skill that aids in positive interactions with others, decision-making and learning. Throughout the week, we immersed ourselves in the world of feelings through various engaging activities. We championed storybooks as an introduction to emotions, which led to discussions about characters’ feelings and reactions. Integrating our programming with painting and drama offered the children hands-on opportunities to express themselves using a variety of languages to express themselves. We noticed how children began to incorporate their emotions and stories into their artworks and drama scenes, a beautiful sight to see.
Our STEM experiment was centered around the topic of ‘Emotion Colours’. This incorporates the philosophy of Reggio Emilia, where emphasis is placed on observation, listening, and engaging with children. We conducted experiments with primary colours and through these, the children's love for art was nurtured through an exploration of primary and secondary colours, as they created a rainbow bridge using cups of red, yellow, and blue water with paper towels. Their fascination with colour absorption led to exciting colour transformations. Additionally, Joel, Victoria, and Emily showcased their artistic skills by creating symmetrical artwork through painting and folding. It’s been an enriching week observing the children absorb new understanding about emotions, develop their communication skills and build on their artistic and scientific knowledge. Moving forward, we plan to extend the learning journey of emotions by delving into more advanced emotional concepts and exploring emotion-related activities in our programming. Children's voice Kai expressed, "I feel happy when I share." Aryan questioned about the scales of the fish, "Where do the scales go? Can the fish have them back?" Charles said, "I would draw a shark with a rainbow." Ethan: "I feel sad when there was a fire at the park" Emily H: "When we don't go to the park"
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Winnie, Jenny and Tania - 3R Team
Stage 3E "“Happiness can always be found, even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light”- Dumbledore (n.d.).
Dear Families,
During Week 3, the children continued their exploration of the human body through small group activities. Some of the children were invited to explore their physical environments where they could use their large gross motor movement skills while throwing and catching balls to each other and into a hoop. The children expressed their enjoyment in interacting with each other in a positive way while finding happiness in working collaboratively. Also, some of the children were able to engage in a movement experience where they were required to listen to music and move their bodies in many different ways, which enabled them to build upon their listening and receptive language skills. Furthermore, others were able to engage in a group discussion where they could reflect upon all the things they could remember about the human body. We had some wonderful ideas including, “We need blood” and “We
need a brain to help us think” This meaningful conversation deepened the children’s critical thinking skills as they were able to connect the function to the body part and briefly share what each does. Throughout the week, the children seemed to enjoy learning more about organs such as the lungs, heart, and intestines. While also building upon their vocabulary by understanding the differences between red and white blood cells, including platelets. Later, the children were encouraged to draw the organs and incorporate loose-part materials to represent their thinking and understanding. Some of the children engaged in a creative art experience where they were able to learn about Leonardo Da Vinci and actively discussed how he was both a surgeon and an artist! The children were able to create their own drawings of skeletons while making an attempt to label and identify the different body parts. Also, the children continued to show a strong interest in building upon their emotional regulation and applying their previous skills and understanding of emotions to unpack the meaning in various picture books. They responded well to the story, “In my Heart” written by Jo Witek which has continued to be a favourite throughout this year. The children were able to use different coloured paper and pencils to create a visual representation of how they were feeling that day. This enabled them to connect to other feelings and emotions they may or may not be familiar with including happiness, bravery, anger, frustration, excitement and sadness.
We hope you have a lovely weekend,
Warm regards,
Laura, Kai & Ona
Stage 4R "“Play is the work of the child.” – (Maria Montessori)
Hello wonderful 4R families, This week has been another exciting chapter in our exploration of 'The Changing World.' The children's interests have led our week of learning to focus on 'How construction has changed over time,' but we've also continued our exploration of historical modes of transportation. To kick off the week, Miss Sarah set up a learning experience with wooden blocks and images of pyramids. The children had an engaging discussion about what they saw in the pyramid images. They shared their thoughts and knowledge, linking these structures to Egypt and even movies they've seen. They were then encouraged to create their own pyramids using the blocks, showcasing their creativity and collaboration. It was great to see the children's creativity shine during this experience. Some children worked in groups or pairs while others elected to create their own pyramids. Once we had made our pyramids, the children walked around and inspected each other’s pyramids before explaining the features and elements of the pyramid they had created. The children's interest in construction persisted. Inspired by the book "Window," they decided to create their vision of Sydney. They divided into groups and constructed their interpretation of Sydney Harbour. Their creativity and enthusiasm were evident as they added details like the Opera House, water, and boats. It was a fantastic day filled with imagination and teamwork. The children chose a photo of Sydney Harbour as their inspiration and worked together to create their vision of the city. As the children chose a photo of Sydney Harbour and took on the challenge of re-creating the cityscape, they actively engaged in the learning process. This hands-on, collaborative endeavour helped them develop skills related to problem-solving, creativity, and resilience. As they discussed and worked together in groups, they practised negotiation and communication. The next day, the children's voices echoed in the room about aeroplanes. Their curiosity about the changing world and aeroplanes continued. Miss Sarah set up an activity with images of various planes from different eras and with different purposes. The children engaged in a thoughtful discussion about the planes, exploring the materials used, technology, and potential uses. They then had the opportunity to create their own planes, and each child approached this task uniquely, reflecting their individual creativity and imagination. To end our week, we brought both interests together. The children collaboratively constructed a runway for the aeroplanes. Their teamwork and communication skills were evident as they discussed the best placement for the runway. After completing the runway, they learned to craft their paper aeroplanes. Each child eagerly participated, demonstrating patience and cooperation as they followed instructions. The highlight of the day was the thrilling test of their paper aeroplanes on the newly constructed runway. Their collaborative efforts in constructing a runway and discussing the placement and purpose of each element emphasised the idea that children are active contributors to their environment. Furthermore, the creative merging of construction and aviation interests allowed the children to appreciate the interconnectedness of various aspects of their world. It's been a week filled with exploration, creativity, and curiosity, as the children have continued their journey through the changing world. We hope you enjoy the snapshots of their exciting learning experiences.
Warm wishes, Miss Sarah and Mr Callum
Stage 4E “Colour is a power which directly influences the soul.” – (Wassily Kandinsky)
Dear Families, The creative children in 4E have been learning about shapes and incorporating them into their artworks. This week we learnt to identify some basic shapes including a square, rectangle, circle, oval, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, and octagon. We then looked at some photos of everyday objects including buildings, machines, and nature. The children studied these photos and identified the shapes they could see. For example, rectangular windows, circular buttons, and a triangular traffic sign. Miss Lauren then introduced another famous artist to inspire the children’s artwork - Henri Matisse. He was born in 1869 in France and is known for his use of bold colours and shapes. Matisse contributed to modern art and colourism by trying out different media, styles, and movement. However, when he was around 70 years ago, he became ill and confined to his bed. Since he no longer had the energy to paint, he decided to pick up his scissors and cut out intricate shapes to create his colourful masterpieces. We read a story called Henri's Scissors by Jeanette Winter and saw how Matisse created his most beloved works - enormous and breathtaking paper cutouts. Some of the shapes reminded the children of leaves, coral, plants, they saw the shape of a bird, and irregular-shaped stars. To extend the storybook, the children were invited to the atelier to create their own Matisse-inspired picture. They drew their own shapes on coloured paper before cutting them out, experimented with how to layer their coloured paper shapes, where to position them and create their unique masterpiece. It was encouraging to see the
children demonstrating a lot of confidence with their scissor manipulation skills and thinking of interesting shapes to include in their pictures. The children have become increasingly interested in how to tell the time using watches and clocks. To foster this interest, we read Grandfather Clock by Roger Hargreaves, and saw how this character changed himself into the time. As we followed his daily routine from morning to night, the children were encouraged to identify the time on Grandfather clock’s face. The birds woke him up at 5 o’clock so he slept in until 7 o’clock. He went for his morning stroll at 9 o’clock, had lunch at 12 noon, and walked the children home from school when the bell rang at 3 o’clock. Bath time was at 7pm and bedtime was strictly at 8 o’clock. Grandfather was so tired by the time he got home at 10 o’clock that he stayed in bed the following day. We then referred to the times in our story book and related them back to our own daily routines. We discussed how at Big School, the bell rings throughout the day to signal different times of the day including the start of the day, morning tea, lunch, and home time. Miss Lauren then used the toy clock to wind the hands around and invite the children to practise telling the time - o’clock and half past. We also discussed what quarter to and quarter past mean as well. This week as part of our social-emotional learning, we have been focusing on what it means to be happy. We referred to our yellow Colour Monster poster and reminded each other different ways we can say we feel happy including, feeling excited, positive, cheerful, and delighted. We then went around the circle, sharing what happiness means to us. What made you feel happy today? “Building in the construction area.” - George “I was drawing next to Josie.” - Eden What do you do to make yourself happy? “I like to draw rainbows.” – Natalie “Doing puzzles with Mummy and Daddy.” - Olivia How can you make someone else feel happy? “I can give my friend a cuddle.” – Alison “I can play nicely with my friends.” - Steven Later in the week, Miss Rebecca observed an enthusiastic group of children engrossed in spinning experience with connector blocks. They discussed why tops spin with Miss Rebecca explaining the scientific principles behind it: when an object spins fast, it generates two opposing forces - centrifugal force pushing away from the centre and centripetal force trying to maintain balance around the axis. This delicate balance allows a top to keep spinning until friction slows it down. To make a top spin longer, stronger kinetic energy is required, or a top with less friction and more weight. Using various educational resources in the classroom, the children made different types of spinning tops, choosing the blocks in their favourite colours and crafted their own uniquely shaped and balanced spinning top. The room was filled with excitement as they proudly showcased their colourful creations. The children not only learned about scientific principles but also got to apply them practically. This hands-on learning helped them
connect theory with real life, making the concepts more understandable. Additionally, the experience sparked creativity and critical thinking amongst the children.
We are certainly on a creative roll in our classroom!
Lauren, Rowel and Rebecca
Monday - Yoga Tuesday - Drama with Miss Chelsea
Wednesday - Music with Mr Alan
Thursday - Playball with Coach Lauren Hi champs! Lauren taught us how to play the “shark and the stingray” game. The sharks and the stingrays cross over the ocean without “boofing” into each other. Lauren then went faster and faster and we were running around in circles. Crazy!!We all found our own hoop and Lauren instructed us what to do with the hoop – jump into the hoop, jump out of the hoop, jump over the hoop, walk around the hoop, etc. We all had a turn to spin the hoop, wait for the hoop to fall onto the ground and jump in. Wait, wait, wait and jump! Parachute! Lauren brought a parachute with her today and we got to play many games with her like keep the ball up and popcorn! Lauren placed some hurdles on the court, and we did some throwing OVER the hurdles in front of us. Then, we did some ROLLING UNDER the hurdles. Lauren held up a hoop and we threw our balls THROUGH the hoop. Lauren set up an obstacle course for us with hurdles, beanbags, tunnel and hoops and we tried to cross the circuit from one piece of equipment to another, always remembering to cheer for our little friends. YAY!! That’s how good sports behave! Hot balls...... we ran around the court and Lauren rolled “hot balls” towards our feet. We need to really use footwork skills and try our best to dodge the balls. Creep crawly.....ask your children! See you next week champs! Lauren ☺
Friday - Mandarin with Miss Chloe Thank you
2 - https://www.reddamels.com.au/our-schools/lindfield
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