News from Learning Community 1
As educators, we spend many hours thinking, planning and reflecting before the term begins, imagining how best to create an inclusive and welcoming classroom that best reflects our learning intentions and lines of inquiry.
In Learning Community 1, we have spent the last six weeks exploring the stories, rituals and histories of the ELC. We have ignited the children’s curiosity by allowing them to develop a love for learning. The children searched for circles (Palti Circles) in our environment and researched the meaning behind the symbols on the ELC path. They gained an understanding of the story in our ELC canoe, matching and using familiar Kaurna symbols in our storytelling and book making and creating our ‘friends and family’ love circles in our inquiry group learning.
The children identified the meaning behind the symbols and how their purpose brings a sense of belonging to the ELC. Now that this strong sense of self has been established, we will be inviting the children over the coming few weeks to create self-portraits. Self-portraits help children develop social awareness, emotional literacy and a sense of identity. By using tools such as mirrors, light, shadow, photographs and visual representations, they will explore facial expressions and be introduced to a vocabulary of emotions such as sad, happy, angry, surprised and scared.
As part of our literacy focus, we will be sharing the story, I Love Myself by Sally Morgan. Our small inquiry groups will give children empowerment. The children will feel valued as they express their identity and self-image through a wide variety of creative mediums including drawing, painting, sculpting, music, movement, storytelling and dramatic play. These experiences will spark their curiosity and problem-solving skills and provide us with a special glimpse into their individuality and uniqueness.
If you have not yet provided your classroom teacher with a family photograph, please do this promptly as they will be used in this inquiry project.
Nell Tierney, Kathy McCabe and Annabelle Redmond
Learning Community 1 Teachers
ELC Parent-Teacher Conversations
Dear ELC Families,
Bookings for ELC Parent-Teacher Conversations are open and will be held on Tuesday 1, Wednesday 2 and Monday 7 of April (Term 1, Weeks 10 and 11).
There are designated 15-minute, face-to-face time slots to meet with your child’s teacher. Bookings can be made via myLink and will close on Friday 28 March.
We strongly encourage you to book a meeting as it provides us with the opportunity to share your child’s learning journey and significant moments, and the documentation we have supporting this. From these discussions, future goals for your child may be created to ensure they reflect the perspectives of parents and educators.
How to access myLink for bookings:
- Log in to the myLink parent portal using your username (your ID number) and password. Your ID number was sent to you in a previous email. If you don’t know your password, use the link provided on the login page.
- Once you have logged in and arrive on the Welcome page, click the ‘Community Portal’ tab in the top menu, then click the ‘Interviews’ tab and select the required cycle. You can log in and change your booking any time up to 5pm on Friday 28 March.
If you require myLink assistance, please contact the IT Helpdesk via helpdesk@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au or 08 8334 2227.