From the Director of Early Learning
Dear Families
This will be the last edition of our ELC News for the term. We hope you have enjoyed the variety of articles and videos that have been included and that the information provided supports you in ensuring you have up to date and current information on life at the ELC.
We have had a wonderful and very full first term. There is no doubt that our team of teachers and educators have worked extremely hard to implement our new Learning Community model. I am so proud of all of them for their ongoing professionalism and high level of operation during this time. The first phase of any new model is always going to be the most challenging so I support everyone for the obvious success that we are now seeing on a day to day basis.
It is not often that we get to stand front and centre on a big stage and share our latest research and practice but when given the opportunity with Project Quattro we were able to confidently deliver. Last Friday Kirsty Porplycia and Caterina Pennestri supported me to present our work from the past two years at the National Wine Centre to a group of in excess of 120 educators, Politicians and University Lecturers. We were commended for our courage and vision in the way in which we have embedded the Reggio Emilia Principles into practice, promoting the learning opportunities of all children.
Whilst only a team of three presented, we were representing all of our educators, children and families and we did this with pride. To support the Symposium, an exhibition is on display for the next month of our work and documentation that demonstrates the importance of democracy and groups in the early years. Part of the expectations of being selected for and receiving grant money for this project was that we could share our knowledge with others so that across the state of South Australia we can make a difference. It was a privilege to share our Quattro journey with Alberton Primary, Pennington Children’s Centre and Halifax Street Children’s Centre.
I wish everyone a relaxing holiday period with both the Easter and Anzac Day breaks incorporated into them. We know how valuable this special family time is for our children. Safe travels if you are planning a trip.
Kind regards
Kate Mount
Director of Early Learning
Save the Date
Thursday 11 April: End of Term Morning Tea 8.30am
Monday 15 April: Vacation Care begins
Friday 26 April: ELC closed for the day
Monday 29 April: Term 2 begins
Monday 13 – Wednesday 15 May: Parent-Teacher Conversations
Sunday 26 May: Ladies’ Day Out
Staffing News
It is an exciting week for Ms Mel Angel as she departs for the Reggio Emilia International Study Tour. Mel leaves Adelaide with a group of South Australians and will join her other Australian colleagues in Reggio. It is such an exciting time for her and we can not wait to hear about her incredible learning. Ms Jess Ash will step into the teaching role during Mel’s absence.
We farewell Ms Sonia Samuel from Learning Community 1. Sonia has worked at the ELC for two years. During this time she has been a valued staff member working with our 2 and 3 year olds.
We wish Sonia all the best as she dedicates time to her daughters.
“Dear ELC families,
I truly feel like I am leaving behind a part of my family, I have worked so closely with staff, children and families for the last two years and now it is time to say goodbye. I have learnt and grown alongside the children, building beautiful memories and friendships. Although I am leaving so that I can spend more time with my children at home, I will miss working at ELC.
Thank you all for including me as a part of this wonderful journey.”
– Sonia Samuel
Parent-Teacher Conversations – Term 2
ELC Parent Teacher Conversations will take place between Monday 13 May and Wednesday 15 May. There are designated 15 minute time slots to meet with your child’s teacher.
We strongly encourage you to book a meeting, as it provides us with the opportunity to share your child’s learning journey, significant moments and documentation that we have to support this. From these discussions, future goals for your child may be created to ensure they reflect the perspectives of families and educators.
Bookings will be open from 9am, Monday 8 April and can be made online via myLink. More information and instructions will be sent to you via email.
Introducing the Work from the SOL Team
The Symphony of Language Team, the SOL Team is coordinated by the Atelierista Caterina Pennestri and supported by Magdalena Moss who has a passion for creative arts, and Eva Simistis who is a qualified Dance teacher.
In Learning Community 1 we are promoting the expression of thoughts, ideas and stories through loose parts. Materials together can create a dialogue, a new language that we are exploring and researching together with the children.
Children use their body as a vehicle to communicate themselves. We want to support and implement the capacity to express their feeling through music and dance.
Encouraging many languages is important in enriching children’s learning experiences. We are proud and excited to support all the children’s languages to create a symphony of experiences.
Vacation Care Bookings
Vacation Care forms were distributed last week. Please fill them out for the sessions you require during the two week period.
Please note, the ELC and School will be closed on Friday 26 April during the school holidays due to a major upgrade of our electricity infrastructure. As such, ELC Vacation Care will not be available on that day.
For our new families please note that term time bookings do not apply during this period of Vacation Care. You may choose to attend the same sessions, or more or less depending on your situation. You will only be booked for what you require. Normal bookings commence at the beginning of Term 2.
If you have not received a form, you can download one here.
Kate Mount
Director of Early Learning
Reggio Emilia Study Tour
“A school needs to be a place for all children not based on the idea that they’re all the same, but that they’re all different.”
– Loris Malaguzzi, Founder of Reggio Emilia schools
Reggio Emilia is a city in Northern Italy, and on 2 April I will be travelling there as one of many Australian educators who are seeking to learn more about the Reggio Emilia educational project. Each year thousands of educators from around the world attend Study Tours to understand more about this unique and inspiring approach to the education of our youngest citizens. In 1991 Newsweek magazine identified these schools as the most innovative, excellent preschools in the world. Their reputation has never dimmed and they continue to lead the world in the area of early learning to this day.
What an opportunity! This will be my first trip to Italy and of course I am excited to visit the cities, taste the food, see the sights and of course, buy the shoes. However, as a passionate educator of young children, going to Reggio Emilia is like a pilgrimage for me, and I know I will come back filled with a greater understanding of the values and principles of this practice that will inspire and empower me as a teacher. I am particularly interested in the work that is being done with infants and toddlers. Already I have been incredibly fortunate to work alongside Ms Caterina Pennestri, an Italian artist and educator who has worked in schools in Reggio Emilia, and who continually supports and inspires my learning and practice.
I would like to acknowledge and thank St Peter’s Girls’ School, in particular Kate Mount and Julia Shea, for supporting my professional learning by sending me on this Study Tour. I am extremely fortunate to be employed at a school where such opportunities are possible. I am very committed to sharing the benefits of this experience with my colleagues, students and families and I look forward to having opportunities to do this when I return.
Ciao amici!
Mel Angel
Accessing your Child’s Canvas Page
Your child’s Canvas homepage is a dynamic online sharing space that invites you to participate in your child’s learning as it happens. It provides a window into your child’s life at the ELC as educators share intentional teaching, specialist lessons and spontaneous moments.
We can share videos and images directly with parents that capture the rich learning experiences in which your child is engaged throughout their time at the ELC. The Canvas homepage also enables us to share more of the process of learning – rather than just the end product.
Your child’s Canvas page is accessed through the myLink Parent Portal. If you have not accessed your child’s Canvas page before, please follow the below instructions.
Accessing Canvas through the myLink Parent Portal:
To access myLink for the first time, please follow these simple steps:
- Visit https://mylink.stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
- To set your first password, click the link below the sign in section
- Enter your username, click ‘Next’
- On the next screen, enter the security code emailed to you
- Enter the password you would like to use and press submit
- Return to the login screen at https://mylink.stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au to access myLink
- Several instructional videos are available via the Welcome page if you click on the “How to use myLink” tile.
If you have any problems accessing or navigating myLink, please contact the IT Helpdesk on 8334 2227 or email helpdesk@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
Photo Etiquette:
Please note that your child’s Canvas homepage and Portfolio will contain some images and video footage of other children. We therefore ask that you do not copy or share images or videos, especially on social media, if they contain other children.
来自黄老师的信息
Emma works in Learning Community 2 on Monday, Thursday, Friday from 9am – 5pm, and Jade works 11am – 6pm every day in Learning Community 1.
Enjoy a Ladies’ Day Out
Join us for a relaxing day out, especially for Mums, on Sunday 26 May at Golding Wines, Lobethal. The bus departs School at 11am and returns at 5pm.
The cost is $75 per person and includes a 3-course share menu for lunch, and bus transfer to and from the venue. Drinks can be purchased on the day. There will also be fantastic raffle prizes to win.
Book your ticket via www.trybooking.com/BBYQR
Friends of the ELC
Learning Community 1
News from the Stonyfell Room
Our Inquiry is a very big part of our day in Learning Community 1.
We have had several strands of inquiry this term that help us to explore the concept of building communities. Currently we are inquiring into the Kaurna language, supported by Tamaru, our Kaurna friend and an Elder of the local community. We are doing this through songs and discussions in our Morning Meeting and extending on this through mark making and representing the symbols with clay. This is an important step in the development of our literacy skills as well as our cultural competence. Understanding that language can be expressed in numerous ways, including written symbols, is a critical component of learning to read and write.
Documentation of this work can be seen in the Stonyfell Room, both next to our entrance and within the room, close to the back decking. Please take some time to have a look. You will see photos of the children’s explorations and their artwork.
In addition to this, your child now has a portfolio filled with evidence of their learning this term. We invite you to look out for these in the Room and then spend time reading through them together with your child. You will feel so proud as you see the photos and read about their strong engagement in the community this term.
Ultimately it is our shared experiences and our collection of memories that make us a community. The educators of the Stonyfell Room have felt extremely proud and privileged to share this term with the children and their families. We have built a strong foundation for living and learning together as members of Learning Community 1.
I will leave for Italy on Tuesday 2 April, and will return in time for Term 2. I thank all of you for your trust in us, for working in partnership with us, and for supporting us throughout Term 1.
Ciao!
Mel Angel
News from the Bell Yett Room
Our Portfolios – sharing the individual within the group
In groups we encounter new perspectives, strategies and ways of thinking that enable us to learn from others.
Over the past week you may have noticed the addition of the Portfolios in the Bell Yett Room. Filled with photos, work samples and inquiry documentation, these Portfolios have become a very special sharing tool for the children in the room, with many delighting in sitting down alongside their friends and educators to share their special ‘book’.
The Portfolio documents each child’s engagement in the Learning Community inquiry, which this term has included:
- The Atelier of Food
- Growing seeds
- Work with clay
- Ferguson Park
- Caring for our creatures and many more.
The documentation of inquiry has a specific focus on how each child has learned both alongside and with others. Each piece shares how they were aware of others in their group; with examples of how they shared and responded to ideas, theories and questions, both verbally and non-verbally. At St Peter’s Girls’ ELC we believe learning happens in relationships. Early childhood research will tell us that learning in a group creates a ‘culture of community’ and ‘collective knowledge’, larger than what any individual can know on their own.
Our children have already begun using the Portfolios as a tool for sharing and have noticed those who are alongside of them:
“Alessandro and Willow are in my book. I was with them outside, we were running” – Elsie to Sophia
“You are in my book with me” – Liam to Miss Redmond
“That was planting the seeds with the friends” – Vincent to Stella
The Portfolio is an invitation to be a part of your child’s learning journey. We invite you to regularly sit with your child and share their Portfolio with them. We welcome you to communicate with us your insights and perspectives. Whilst sitting and sharing with your child, do not be surprised if you are joined by many other children – our Portfolios have naturally become a communal experience.
Annabelle Redmond
Learning Community 2
News from the Ferguson Room
Can we make the ELC?
Discovering a challenge and working towards a solution.
Our challenge: The children needed a map of the ELC to support their inquiry.
We went to Mrs Mount and asked for an ELC map. Mrs Mount looked worried as she explained that the ELC map had been lost and she could not find it!
Our solution: “We could make you a new one!” – Evelyn
This provocation is driving our inquiry forward. The children have discovered a problem that they feel confident in attempting to solve. This challenge will allow them to put into action the knowledge that they have gathered over the course of the term in relation to mapping. Our learning spaces have been curated to reflect and support this challenge. Through small groups the children have begun exploring how we can create this map for our community using a range of materials and creative languages.
The children have been working in various capacities to begin to gather the information that they need. Some children have been using photography to capture images of the spaces that make up the ELC, some are beginning to drawing the spaces they know and others have been constructing the spaces using a range of loose parts. We have been collaborating with Miss Caterina in the Atelier to support our mapping investigations and further develop our ideas.
As we move into the last two weeks of term, our plan is to construct a map of the ELC and have this as an ongoing body of work that the children can create, interact with, and share with others.
Laura Reiters
News from the Hallett Room
At the beginning of term, we shared with you our Atelier of Sound and its place in our inquiry – working together can create community. What began with a small group of children exploring musical instruments has evolved into an ongoing project that has engaged the hearts and minds of all our young learners.
As educators, our intention was for the children to work together effectively as a group, using the expressive language of music as a vehicle. Our objective was clear, but our plan was not! We know that the children always have their own plans, far more magical and meaningful than what we can imagine. The children quickly formed their own intention – to create a band so they could play music for all of the children in the ELC.
To enhance their thinking, we immersed the children in a range of musical invitations and genres, including traditional Chinese and Aboriginal music. We used picture books as another means of exploration and were delighted when the children demonstrated a strong connection to a particular book, Thunderstorm Dancing, requesting for it to be read over and over. Throughout this, we were closely supported by our music and dance specialist educators, Mrs Patton and Miss Sims.
Children make sense of their world through relationships and connections and it was only natural for them to ask Miss Sims, “Are we dancing with you today? Can we do thunderstorm dancing?”. The initial idea of sharing music with their friends has become a composition of music and dance. Through the children’s collaboration we have fulfilled both of our intentions, as well as developing meaningful literacy and numeracy skills and concepts. The children have created symbols and codes to design and conduct a musical score that guides our composition and we invite you to view this in more detail in our learning environment and on our Canvas Page.
Throughout the project, the children have genuinely worked together to create a community. They have demonstrated cooperation, leadership, open-mindedness and teamwork to collaborate and create a masterpiece that has connected the entire Hallett Room. This week the children will be presenting invitations to the children in extended Learning Community Two, Learning Community One and Play Group to join them in their Thunderstorm Dancing Symphony. The nature of the children’s gift is that it is not purely a performance but an experience that our whole ELC community can encounter and connect with.
As we began creating these invitations, one of the children asked, “What about our families?”.
Watch this space!
Nell Tierney and Leanne Williams