ELC Newsletter - St Andrews Lutheran College

ELC Newsletter
Issue 4 / April 2016
ELC News
As this week has begun I would like to take a little inspiration from our College Principal, Tim Kotzur. Last week he
delivered a most courageous speech to staff about the horrible events that transpired at the College on ANZAC day. As
Mr Kotzur spoke to staff about the loss of materials and the
damage to the learning spaces at the heart of his message
was St Andrews is a Community that is more than bricks and
mortar. It is about the people in it and the journey we are
all on together. Just like the ANZACs who supported each
other, worked together and made amazing things happen
and that is the legacy we hold today. You and your child
are a part of this Community and join the College on this
journey, so please keep staff, children and families in your
prayers this week. The ELC wanted to do something for the
children who have lost personal items from the fire so we
thought from the “little people” in the ELC and their families
we could give to the “big kids” in the College, the Years 12,
11 and 10 students that have lost items. I emailed families
and asked for raffle prizes so we could hold a raffle, the
response has been amazing - thank you! Tickets will sell for
$5.00 each and we will be sending tickets home this week
to sell books of 5. Please assist by selling your booklets. For
more information please see the attached flyer.
To thank those who have donated items and to support families we are going to create a “Family ELC Business Wall.”
Please bring in an A4 size or smaller poster or business card
to promote your business. The ELC does not necessarily support or advocate for the businesses that are on the wall but
would like to share and build community connections.
Thank you for your feedback from Parent surveys. As a result
of the feedback hopefully you have noticed a difference in
the playground set up in the morning and afternoon. The
educators are working very hard to continue to challenge
and support your children, providing experiences that scaffold their learning and provide routine for them.
P & F meetings are held every term and dates are always in
the newsletter under upcoming events. The P & F is a great
way to find out what is occurring in the ELC and the College and by attending meetings you can have input into the
future of St Andrews. If you have feedback or suggestions
and would like to contribute to service decisions to be taken
to my management meetings please come and see me or
email me at bronwynw@salc.qld.edu.au or email our Service
Manager: ann-marie.davis@qlecs.org.au
We hope your children enjoy the new kitchen area near the
sandpit created to stop the continual sand erosion that was
occurring and water drainage problem. Thank you for the
playground ideas that were suggested. We are hoping to
install a small rainwater tank in the area.
With the cooler weather starting to slowly appear please assist us by keeping your child/ren if they are unwell at home
and collecting a clearance from your doctor. We have to send
your child home if they are unwell. To assist with hygiene
practices please wash your hands and your child’s hands on
arrival and departure as per centre policy and help us to reduce the spread of infection. You will find hand sanitiser in
the foyer near the book shelf and outside playground if you
are wanting a quick sanitising option.
Policy review is ongoing as you would have read many times.
I am going to be holding a policy review morning on Monday
16 May if you would like to join me to have input into Service policies. If you are interested, please come and see me
or email me so I can forward some policies for you to review
prior to 16 May.
Remember PLAY is the way children learn. Support and
guide them on their journey, and talk positively about the
good choices that have been made for the day. Record feedback in their profile books on the program or in the communication books. Partnership is the key to successful growth
and development.
Don’t forget the annual family Church service on Sunday 22
May. All children have started learning their songs to sing. It
is a 9am service, with the whole family and friends welcome
to attend morning tea afterwards with the congregation.
ACECQA – Rating and Assessment process for evaluation of
services against the National Quality Standards and Regulations is designed to be a cooperative process. We have received notice to say that during June we will have an authorised officer come and review the service and observe
how we meet the National Quality Standards and learning
outcomes based on the early year’s frameworks we use to
guide children’s play, development and learning. I will keep
you informed on the process.
Bronwyn Waters
ELC Director
Dates to Remember
Monday 9 May
Indigenous Awareness Show Covers didgeridoo music and playing, dance,
Aboriginal artifacts and storytelling.
Junior Kindy 9am - Pre Prep 1 9.30am - Pre Prep 2 10am
Children will be inside early on this day to allow the show to
be conducted in the playground.
It will be very interactive, educational and entertaining.
Sunday 22 May
Family Church Service
9am St Andrews Lutheran Church
All welcome!
Community Links
& Services
Community Health
www.qld.gov.au/health/children/index.html
Information on early childhood health matters, breast feeding,
developmental milestones.
Triple P Parenting Program Online
www.triplep-parenting.net.au/qld-uken/get-help/which-triplep-is-right-for-me/triple-p-online-your-personal-parentingprogram-247/
Junior Kindy News
Through the month the children have initiated interest in exploring their wonder about the outdoor environment. We
have had ongoing interest in the yarning circle, where role
play was carried out as the children have imitated the “workman’. This has developed into a large learning opportunity
with tools being used and ideas being shared. “We are making concrete!” Hannah explained. “We need to do more
work and dig a hole.” Jagger communicated.
The children are developing their confidence in exploring,
‘mess’. If you take a moment to reflect on the best memories
you can recall as a child, a few things that seem to strike a
cord with myself, include being outside making mud pies
and collecting treasures. This is the type of opportunity we
are guiding the children into, where their inquisitive natures
are supported. After having some recent rain, mud has developed and puddles were evident. This enabled the opportunity for the children to investigate, ask questions, discover
and develop new play scenarios.
Sensory fun has evidently proven to develop a sense of
confidence in the children where they are feeling safe and
excited. Our recent introduction with slime was something
that offered many opportunities for discoveries of science
concepts through exploration as they experimented with the
change in texture as it transformed from hard to runny. Adding water to sand creates news concepts too, in addition to
play dough and clay. Hands on experiences are one of the
best ways to learn and to continue to have the children engaged in their learning.
St Andrews Lutheran Church Play Group
All Welcome!
WHEN: 8.30am - 10am Wednesdays
WHERE: St Andrews Lutheran Church
Activity Room - below the Worship Centre
COST: $2
Please Contact:
Edna 5575 9777 or Joanne 0415 394 425
Japanese News
Visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vlSlSZagVc to listen to a
Japanese Folk Song ‘Carp Streamers’.
May 5 is Children’s Day in Japan, and this is the most popular
song for this holiday.
Something simple as collecting rocks can lead to math concepts including counting, sorting, and exploring size. It supports language, cooperation with others and imagination.
As our philosophy reflects our play based learning, which is
the best way for the children to create their own learning
and for us to use these opportunities to extend and support
them further.
Throughout the month the children have continued to
strengthen and focus on ongoing interests including garden-
ing. We planted some pineapple heads in our garden bed,
in addition to the lima beans we were growing in our class
room. The children assisted with this process gaining a sense
of responsibility. This garden experiences, lead us into using
rulers to measure the growth of the lima beans and touched
on their understanding of numbers.
We had some wonderful participation for our special fund
raising day for the RSPCA, sharing a visit from a special dog
named Rusty. The children loved having a chance to learn
about caring for animals and teaching the dog tricks. Thank
you so much for your support, we all had a great time dressing up too.
This has connected really well with welcoming our new pet,
“Rainbow Ariel” our pet fish. Thank you to Hannah and her
family, for setting up this experience for us. The children
have really been developing understandings of caring for living things and what is required.
Recently I have had several requests from our families to
eliminate sleep for some of our Junior Kindy friends. I just
wanted to remind you all of the importance of sleep.
“BRAIN” – for paying attention, concentration, solve problems and memory
“BODY” – for your body to repair itself, skin, bones and
muscle growth. To stay healthy and fit
Lack of sleep may affect temperaments, learning and social
behaviour. Rest and sleep are essential to children’s health
and wellbeing. This allows the children to participate to their
full potential.
We will not insist the children have a sleep, but the opportunity to provide quiet time. We will do our best to gently wake those that require limited sleep. We will also use
our judgement to ensure the needs of your child is met and
reasonable steps are taken in supporting your child’s sleep
preferences.
“Sleep is the power source that keeps your mind alert
and calm. Every night, at every nap, sleep recharges
the brains battery.”
“Healthy sleep habits, Happy child.”
Marc Weissbluth, MD provided these insightful comments
on the functions of sleep.
Miss Stephanie, Miss Ali, Miss Jana, Miss Sophie & Miss Sarah
Thank you to our families who have continued to support
our “Baby’ interest with donations. The children are just
thriving off all the resources that support their play.
Reminders:
• Don’t forget to take some time to explore
your child’s portfolio with them, adding
suggestions, and or comments
• Please remember to sign old attendance
forms, including public holidays
• Encourage your child to limit toys they
bring to kindy, to avoid belongings
getting broken, lost and causing distress
Pre Prep 1 News
April has been an exciting month within the PP1 room with
many changes to our routine. For the second half of April we
have been utilising our outdoor environment for the majority of the day. The children have enjoyed meal times, free
play and rest time outside. Coping with change is a very important skill for children and it develops resilience. Adapting
to this change has allowed PP1 to develop their emotional
wellbeing. This change in the routine has created a calmer
environment for the children as we are limiting large transitions. Although we are utilising the outdoor environment
the children are still engaging in focused activities.
Science experiments have been a favourite of the childrens
this month. The educators have been extending the children’s
interest in solids, liquids, gases and the water cycle through
a variety of experiences. Scaffolding and questioning during
these experiments has challenged the children’s higher order
thinking skills and allowed them to make predictions and
observations on scientific concepts.
The educators have noticed many children bringing in show
and tell items this month. Show and tell is usually in the afternoons after rest time. As it is the end of the day, the children’s attention span is much shorter. Therefore, the children
cannot sit at group time for a long period of time. Due to
this we ask that your child brings show and tell a maximum
of once per week. Show and tell items are encouraged to be
meaningful; for example, a book, photos, stories or natural
resources. Toys for show and tell are discouraged. Thank you
in advance for your cooperation with show and tell.
Miss Jaime-lee, Miss Stacey, Miss Kim and Miss Shelly
Reminders:
• As it is getting cooler please pack a
jumper and long pants in your child’s
bag each day
• Please remember to bring sheets for rest
time every day even if your child does
not sleep
• Encourage your children to use the
children’s sign in folder on the table next
to the lockers each morning to practice
writing their names
Pre Prep 2 News
There has been much learning in the Pre Prep 2 classroom
this month. There has been many different themes emerging, such as ants, the life cycle of a butterfly, patterns, mud
and we also touched on dragons. We have been doing a
letter a week, which involves singing a song and show and
tell with something starting with that letter. We have had
incursions with Animal Welfare League and an excursion to
the ELC carpark to see Dustin’s camper trailer. It has been a
very busy and exciting month.
Patterns have been a big focus this month. Research suggests, that pattern recognition is to have the highest correlation with general intelligence. Pattern recognition is the
ability to recognise order in chaos. Patterns can be found in
ideas, words, symbols, numbers and images. They can also
be found in behaviour, routines and in nature. We have been
particularly focused on ‘AB’ and ‘ABC’ patterns, for example,
an ‘AB’ pattern could be, X I X I X I… We have done this
through different art experiences, such as painting patterns
on the back of our caterpillars, using coloured paper for the
dragon’s body and painting Indigenous Australian sticks.
There have also been fine motor activities that we have implemented to support pattern skills. This includes, threading plastic shapes to make a necklace, or engaging with the
coloured pin board. Throughout the children’s play, we have
encouraged the children to recognise patterns. For example,
Liam and Joe were building a tower with the Duplo and they
had made a coloured pattern of yellow and red. The children
have started to show interest in patterns. They will eagerly
show us different patterns they have formed during their
play. To support this interest, we have set up a pattern area
in our classroom.
The letter of the week has been accepted positively by the
children. This is often only a short experience held straight
after shared fruit. We have been looking at the phonics, letter formation and sign language for each letter. We have
been doing the alphabet in order, as the children are excited
to and able to predict which letter will be next. This is something that we discussed at the parent information evening
and said this would not occur, however, the children have
showed interest in writing and sounds. Yes this may have
been introduced by families and brought into the service but
the children are naturally enquiring about this, so therefore,
we are supporting this concept as part of the enquiry and
child focused program. Concern has been raised about appropriateness of this experience and as long as the children
are engaging, then this will continue like all other learning.
We will also be saying goodbye to Dustin. Dustin and his
family are off to travel around Australia. Dustin may be back
for visits or at the end of the year. Dustin’s dad came and
visited our class to show us their new home. We were very
fortunate to have Dustin in our class. You will be missed.
Thank you for your support this month. We look forward to
see what May brings to Pre Prep 2.
Miss Jess, Miss Mardi, Miss Kim & Miss Shelly
From Little Kids
To Big Kids RAFFLE!
Raising funds for students affected
by the fire in the College
TiCkeTs: $5 eaCh
Drawn: Monday 16th May 2016
PRiZes:
*$600 Premium Scratch Removal for Car
*$600 Chanel Sunglasses - Luxottica
*$300 Billabong Suitcase
*Billabong Backpack, Towel & Headphones
*$250 Pilates Voucher - Pilates & Co
*$110 Carpet Cleaning & Pest Control Service PHJ Cleaning Services
*$100 Event Cinemas Voucher
*3 x $100 Myer Giftcards
*$50 Manicure & Spa Pedicure
*$15 Bakery Voucher - Foster’s Bakery
*Hamper of Goodies
get clicking!
Prizes to be won, and selected entries will be entered into the QiEU art awards in Brisbane in July.
See Oliver Waddingham (Cultural Captain year 12), or mrs harman for further information.
Entries due: Friday 20th may at 12pm
Send your entries to: ngaireh@salc.qld.edu.au
Digital Exhibition: Friday 27th May - Venue to be confirmed
theme: “In the Garden”
interpreted any way you like, our garden here at school, yours at home,
the Botanic gardens, the surrounding landscape. Let your imagination run wild!
Open to all St andrews students from ELC to year 12
SCOPE PhOtOgraPhy COmPEtitiOn
SCOPE