News from Learning Community 1
Mathematics in Practice: Mapping Our World
This term, our Learning Community 1 children have been deeply engaged in exploring mapping as an early mathematical skill. Following regular walks through the Ferguson park, children began revisiting their experiences through conversation, memory, construction, and drawing. What started as noticing pathways, trees, bridges, and landmarks during our walks has grown into rich mathematical thinking.
Children first explored their understandings by collaboratively building 3D representations of the park and our journey through it. Using loose parts, blocks, recycled materials, and natural resources, they recreated pathways, spaces, and familiar features, considering ideas of position, distance, shape, and direction. Through this process, children explored early mathematical concepts such as spatial awareness, sequencing, problem-solving, perspective, and measurement language including over, under, next to, near, and far.
As the project has evolved, children are now beginning to represent these experiences through drawing. Mapping our walks on paper allows children to revisit memories, make connections, and communicate their understanding symbolically. Some children draw pathways and landmarks they remember, while others represent movement, direction, or important places that stood out to them. As part of this learning, children have also begun exploring Kaurna symbols, using them to represent important features of the land and deepen their understanding of place, connection, and symbolic communication within their maps.
We encourage families to continue this thinking at home by talking about routes you take together, drawing simple maps, noticing landmarks, or discussing what comes “next” on a familiar walk. Everyday experiences provide meaningful opportunities for mathematical learning.
We look forward to sharing how this project continues to grow through the children’s ideas and discoveries.
Kathy McCabe, Olivia Buttery, Nell Tierney and Monquie Gannon
Learning Community 1 Teachers
Erindale Meet the Teacher & Junior School Twilight Tour
You are warmly invited to attend our Junior School Twilight Tour and Erindale Meet the Teacher Evening on Tuesday 9 June.
The Junior School Twilight Tour will run from 5.30pm to 6.15pm, with families asked to gather in the ELC Piazza. This will be followed by the Erindale Meet the Teacher Evening from 6.30pm to 7.30pm. Please meet in Kamparriti in the ELC for this session.
Please note that the Erindale Meet the Teacher Evening is a parent-only event for families whose children will be transitioning to the Erindale Room (Learning Community 2) in Term 3. The Junior School Twilight Tour is open to all ELC families.
Kindly RSVP by Tuesday 2 June to [email protected].
Key Dates
- 29 May – Reconciliation Week Gathering at Ferguson Conservation Park
- 1 June – Mid-Year Reception Transition Visits Commence, 8.45am to 12pm
- 8 June – Public Holiday (ELC Closed)
- 9 June – Junior School Twilight Tour, 5.30pm to 6.15pm
- 9 June – Erindale Teaching and Learning Evening, 6.30pm to 8pm
- 15 June – Mid-Year Reception Transition Morning, 9am to 12pm
- 22 June – ELC Hat Ceremony, 12.15pm
- 25 June – Celebrating Our Pathway to School, 2pm
- 29 June – Vacation Care commences (until Monday 20 July)