From the Director of Early Learning
Dear Families,
As the opening newsletter for 2018 it is important to share the purpose of our fortnightly news edition. The ELC News is a way for families to keep in close touch with events at the ELC, their child’s learning through the news from each of the rooms and some bigger picture happenings that we like to share with families through our newsletters. Each teacher writes a section that outlines some significant happenings in the room and, where possible, includes some photos to support this. Our calendar is also available for you to touch base with upcoming events. My article generally touches on the bigger picture ideas and sometimes includes some housekeeping reminders.
Welcoming Families
As we commence the year we provide many ways to welcome current and new families. In the first week of term the educators tried to personally touch base with each family. I also attempted to be visible across the rooms although much of my time was spent in the Stonyfell Room as I welcome our new friends into their special new learning spaces.
Welcome Morning Tea and Information Evening
Two significant events at the beginning of the year are our Welcome Morning Tea on Friday 9 February at 8.45am on Chiverton Lawns and our ELC Information Evening on Tuesday 13 February at 7pm in the ELC. These events are very important and we encourage families to attend to both be informed about our 2018 year, the learning and the community and also to become familiar with the staff and other families who are in your group. Over the years, long lasting friendships have formed in the ELC and continue on throughout the child’s education.
Embedding Sustainable Practice
I would like to introduce you to our focus for the year and onwards as we endeavour to work towards enacting and understanding the importance of sustainability in our world. As our future generation are right before us, we have a responsibility to raise their awareness to the impact that they can have on their world. Through meaningful learning which stems from our Ferguson Park investigations, we are able to develop children’s ecological understandings. We would like to reduce waste and indeed the use of plastic in our day to day life. This is one immediate way we can have an impact and build understandings that will empower children to make a difference and understand the ‘why’ behind the practice. We hope to become environmentally responsible in everyday living.
Value of Communication
For those of you who know me, you will realise I love to meet with families and engage in dialogue about your child and family. It is important that in our busy lives we find time to communicate where possible face to face. In the event that it is difficult for you to come into the Centre, I encourage emails and phone calls to ensure we are keeping up to date with the happenings in your child’s life. My teachers are also invested in this open communication. We value the significant partnership we share in raising your child and want to do the very best we can to work alongside you. Please do not hesitate to contact me on 83342245 or kmount@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au to arrange a time to meet or share information.
Wishing you all a wonderful start to the school year.
Kate Mount
Director of Early Learning
Important Dates in Term 1
Have you picked up your magnetic calendar with our dates on it? These are available in your child’s room.
| Friday 9 February | Welcome Morning Tea at 8.45am |
| Parents’ and Friends’ Welcome Drinks on the Lawns at 6.30pm | |
| Tuesday 13 February | ELC Parent Information Evening at 7pm |
| Sunday 25 February | The Garden of Saintly Delights from 10am – 4pm |
| Friday 6 April | ELC Festival from 4.30pm |
ELC Welcome Morning Tea
ELC Parent Information Night
A Letter from Ms Yu
尊敬的家长：
新的学期，欢迎大家！
本学期是本学年第一个学期。我希望大家都度过了一个美好的假期。新学期，本月的9号我们幼儿园的朋友们会在学校草坪上举行欢迎早茶会。希望幼儿园的家庭们能有机会互相熟悉互相认识。诚挚欢迎大家来参加。本月的13号我们会举办信息交流会，任何疑问我们会在此解答且借此机会，更加加深我们的联系和友谊。
幼儿园早茶会：本周五，二月九日，8.45am
信息交流会：本周二，二月十三日，7pm
我的邮件是：syu@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au 欢迎来信。
再次热烈欢迎大家来到我们的幼儿园。
Ms Yu
News from the Stonyfell Room
Child’s consent; Why is it important?
Welcome everyone to 2018. We have been excited to welcome all our families and children into the Stonyfell Room. We have started the year off with a strong focus on relationships. We know relationships are pivotal to all that we do as they enable us to grow in our understandings of each child and, in addition, impact on our learning.
An area of focus for us as educators has been empowering our children to build their awareness of making decisions that will directly impact them. We have started this focus by seeking out each child’s consent when we have been gathering their individual photos. We have been taking the time to verbally ask permission to take their photo. With this, we have begun gathering a range of images.
With a selection of photos in hand, we have then involved the children in selecting which ones they would like us to use. For some of our children this may be with a smile, pointing, saying their name when they see the images other are able to say yes. We feel that this photo is a strong representation of that child and we want them to feel comfortable with that image. These photos are used for a range of purposes including locker tags and identity cards so they are significant.
We encourage you to be involved in dialogue with your child about their photos. Perhaps you could ask them a question about their photo. Watch for your child’s reaction? What does this tell you? This exchange in dialogue is the commencement of a strong connection between ELC and home.
Laura Reiters
Stonyfell Room
News from the Bell Yett Room
A warm welcome to the Bell Yett Room in 2018. We are delighted to have families transitioning from the Stonyfell Room and Playgroup, as well as families who are new to our Centre, form our learning community this term.
We have had a wonderful start to the year, observing the children reconnecting with old friends, as well as being open to new relationships with both children and educators. One way that we can support the development of these relationships is through a family photo. We invite you to either bring in or email us a photo of your family that we can keep in the room. The children enjoy accessing their photos throughout the day and they provide a great starting point for conversations and connections.
We are beginning the year with the intention of enriching the ecological identity our learning community brings to the Bell Yett Room. We will deepen our connections to our land, including Ferguson Park, and the rich culture of the Kaurna people. Our learning environments have been purposefully created to be open-ended, enabling the children to be creators of their learning. We know that children bring endless possibilities with them and we look forward to carefully observing and engaging with your children to uncover these potentials.
Our aim is for the Bell Yett Room to be a community of learners with strong relationships between families and educators. This enables us to be authentic partners in your children’s learning. We look forward to connecting with you in a variety of ways during our time together and hope to see you at our beginning of year events.
Leanne Williams and Nell Tierney
Bell Yett Room
News from the Ferguson Room
Welcome to all of our new friends and families to the Ferguson Room in Term 1 2018. The children are to be admired for their resilience and embracing their new setting so quickly. Many have come together with their peers from the Bell Yett Room and this has provided them with a great sense of security. One friend has come from the Stonyfell Room and several more are new to the Centre. Without exception, they have brought their best selves to the room each day, and we their teachers, have had the privilege of beginning a special connection with them.
At a recent professional learning workshop, our presenter told us:
‘Children don’t learn from teachers they don’t like’.
This won’t come as a surprise to anyone, but what does that mean for those of us who are teachers, and how do we ensure we come across as ‘likeable’? In these early days of the term, our whole focus is on building these very important relationships that are characterized by trust, warmth, empathy and respect. We are ready to listen carefully to ‘the hundred languages of children’ in order to discover their passions and preferred means of expression. When the children feel they are known, accepted, liked and valued for who they are, they will be ready to enter into a more structured teaching and learning relationship.
Professor Carla Rinaldi of the Reggio Emilia schools and infant-toddler centres says ‘to educate is the most reciprocal verb of all’. At St Peter’s Girls’ ELC, we strongly believe that we are teachers and learners alongside the children and that we all have much to gain from one another.
We also put great emphasis on the relationship we build with you, their families and first teachers. Your participation in our learning environment is warmly encouraged. When children see their teachers interacting with their parents and families with warmth and smiles, they are further reassured that their teachers are trustworthy and ‘likeable’. This adds to a strong foundation for successful learning outcomes.
We look forward to the coming weeks when there will be more opportunities for us to chat with you at one or more of the events we have planned, including a Morning Tea, Welcome Drinks on the Lawns, and the ELC Information Night.
Mel Angel
Ferguson Room
News from the Hallett Room
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our children and families for a wonderful start to the ELC year. The term has started with such a lovely vibe and the team and I have enjoyed welcoming new and familiar faces into the Hallett Room. Our new Hallett friends have already begun showing the reciprocity of getting to know their roles and finding out more about each other. We have loved seeing the different interactions throughout the day and how children take their time, carefully finding out how they belong to a new group, just as we do as adults.
In the Hallett Room we are advocates for children to have independence. We love to see how the children excel at making decisions, finding solutions and how they work together. Our focus this term is to understand how knowing our land can connect people, places and values. With both these factors in mind, we aim to develop the children’s awareness of their ability to action change for their world and for others. Our links with Tamaru, a Kaurna man, will enhance this understanding and we are excited for the possibilities and plans for this semester. Our ELC Information Night is coming up soon and this is a fantastic opportunity for the educators to share with you and engage in discussion about our focus and intentions for the learning inquiry.
As we will be starting walks into Ferguson Park this week, can you please support us by ensuring your child is wearing enclosed shoes or has a spare pair in their bag. We do have gumboots available, but children often prefer to wear their comfortable shoes from home. Can all children also have (each day) a spare pair of clothes, including socks.
We thank you for your ongoing support and participation in your child’s learning journey. Please do not hesitate to approach either myself, Kirsty Porplycia or any of the Hallett educators if you have any queries or questions that you may like some clarification. I can be contacted via email at preid@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au and Kirsty on kporplycia@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
Pam Reid
Hallett Room