Kinder Shared Learning and Wellbeing- The Kit 

We had such a great start to the year across our 3 and 4 year old curriculum. We were very excited to see all of the personalities, interests, theories, histories and particularly ideas that our little people had.From this we organised the learning and well-being kits. 

The Scavenger Hunt- Conversations across all groups were very active and interesting and it started to provoke some amazing learning strands. Some of these we wanted to share with you all and so the scavenger hunt was born. Sometimes we had a treasure hunt, a collection of interesting things to classify, gathered by a small group of children... traces of play and learning. We thought your children might like a scavenger hunt to learn with you at home and by all feedback there has been many an extended adventure.

The Koala and Emu Diaries- We were very focused on getting to know your little people and you as your child's first teachers in Term 1. We wanted to ensure you felt relaxed and comfortable within the kindergarten community.  Even now please always feel you can speak with us about any matter, everything is important to us. You can always give us a call or email us and we can call you.
Many children have been interested in animals and especially indigenous animals. So our new Koala and Emu friends means you can share experiences with us and we can share with the kinder community.
Edwina the Emu has been a very popular book especially in 4yo so if you child wants to see us read this, please see the remote learning release next week.

Stretching and Relaxation- For children it is important to be able to go at full pace, follow wondrous theories through investigation and exploration, but equally as part of developing sound wellbeing and mental health, they need to relax and spend some quiet time. Core strength development is also critical for school readiness, promoting focus and concentration.We are loving seeing Koalas and Emus partake in this too. Who needs Yoga classes by zoom?

The Painting and Drawing Challenge- This was designed based on the interest of many children but creative expression is also an important tool for children in times of change, uncertainty and joy.
Our 3yo children are often focusing on free expression using large paint brushes or their hands, thick paint and large paper and this is developing very quickly in some cases mixing it up to explore different mediums.
4yo are working on using a wider range of materials including drawing their own outlines, using watercolours, making their own paint and colours, exploring art perspectives and challenging their skills more and more. This could also involve grip changes to more mature holds, exploring early literacy within these spaces such as writing and using symbols. 
But.... the most important thing is to have fun!!!

Life Remotely and at Kinder

Week 3 and we have a very small group of children at kinder with most children at home. At this point there has been no change in recommendations and kinder life is very different with parents dropping children at the door. Children have been amazing organising their bags, lunches and hand-washing. Hand-washing comes with joyous singing and lots of bubbles 

We have set up some more learning and fun but it is up to you to engage as much as you want to, as much as you can manage. Maybe that is a lot one day and very little for the rest of the week. Maybe it is nothing until your settle in to primary and secondary remote school learning.

We have designed these tools so we can assess children based on what we already know and our role as teachers in the early years before school. More Remote Learning will be released next week and a special surprise for all our Mums.


3 year old Families- Preschool/ 4yo enrolments
Please see right for term fees and information, but this is just a reminder to put in your preschool registration with Nillumbik council's preschool team as soon as possible as they will go ahead with their usual timeline despite Coronavirus. Other councils may not and may be pushing our due dates but Nillumbik are not planning on changing their dates and we don't want any family to miss out because we didn't communicate this. You can speak with the preschool team on 9433 3135 or email them at preschool@nillumbik.vic.gov.au or give us a call 9438 1515.
  
This may be important as we reflect with preschool families about their children and any child needing to do an honours year (2nd year) of 4yo in 2021. 


Preschool Families- School Readiness and Parent Meetings
At this time, we start to organise parent teacher meetings which of course we cannot do face to face at the moment but we are very happy to do this over the phone with you. 

We will organise some formal times but until this is confirmed, we are very happy to have parents call us Monday, Tuesday or Thursdays anytime from 9.30am to 1.30pm. This is especially important if you are concerned and think a second year might be worth discussing as soon as possible. Nillumbik Preschool team are already asking us for numbers to reserve enrolment places for next year. 

If you are a preschool parent, watch out for an email about booking a parent teacher meeting within the next couple of weeks. Please don't feel like you need to wait.


A little about our team...
We are going to showcase one educating team member each newsletter. 


Dee

• Preschool teacher
• Educational leader

I have been involved in the education and care of young children for the past 30 years. I commenced my career as a nanny of two children while studying to become a Mothercraft Nurse. I then spent many years working with babies, toddlers and their families in centre-based care services.

Then as an Out-of School Hours (OSH) care Coordinator for a before-school program, I was involved in the accreditation process for this service before it was formally introduced into OSH by Government.

After completing my Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education, I worked as a Kindergarten teacher and Director of a Kindergarten where I implemented an emergent style of curriculum, focusing on children’s strengths, interests and development. I have worked within various early years settings as a Kindergarten Teacher and Educational Leader.

I then changed direction slightly to support and teach student educators in both accredited and non-accredited training. As well as a Kindergarten teacher, my most recent role is as an Early Year’s Consultant supporting and guiding professionals working with children from birth to eight years.

A mother of four, I often draw from my personal experiences when supporting families and educating and caring for children.

Qualifications:

• Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood (Pre-school)
• Advanced Diploma of Children’s Services (partial RPL)
• Diploma of Community Services (Child Care)
• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAA)
• First Aid (level 2) inclusive of CPR, Asthma and Anaphylaxis Management

Upcoming Events and New Information

Coronavirus Update and Effects on Kinder

The recommendations from the Victoria Government remain the same. We remain open for 'especially for essential workers and anyone who needs education and care' and stage 3 restrictions remain. We receive daily updates and the state of emergency for Victoria ends on May 11 so we will watch this date with interest.

We are trying to rise above the recommendations of the  Department of Education and Training (DET) which are:

'For children who are not attending, services should make reasonable efforts (if possible and in line with their particular circumstances) to support home learning. We know many services are doing this or planning for it already.

The type and frequency of contact with families will depend on each service’s individual circumstances and resources. It is understood that staff occupied with delivering the on-site program will have limited capacity to engage with other families.'

It is worth noting that we do not have a full staff team at this stage for personal and health reasons. Next week may see a change but we only have a team of three for now doing both face to face and remote learning. 

More remote learning released next week..

Coronavirus and Talking to your Child
We have been asked by several parents about how to talk to children about coronavirus. This is the current DET recommended factsheet for early childhood. There has been discussion about 'big germs' at kinder that can make you sick and why we should wash our hands more and this 'big germ' idea was brought to us by children so we are using this term at this stage. This may change if children's terminology evolves and we will communicate this with families.

https://www.rch.org.au/rch/Coronavirus_%28COVID-19%29/#talking-to-your-child-about-covid-19


Three Year Old Kinder for Term 2
There will be no charge for term 2 for three year old families even if we have the opportunities to return face to face. We are happy to return if and when we have more interest or Victoria Government restrictions change.

Please always feel free to call or email with any questions and I will endeavour to do small Kidsapp posts of frequently asked questions if need be. I can ask committee to also post these on Facebook.


Four Year Old Kinder for Term 2
There will be no charge for term 2 for four year old families even if we cannot access government initiative funding. We will charge for aftercare on Thursdays for now. 


 

New Website and Parent Portal on its way...

We are in the process of redesigning our website to be totally integrated as a place where parents can find everything kinder. This will include:

General Kinder information
Facebook links
News and events
Parent Portal:  

• Curriculum for remote learning and post COVID19 for documentation
• Parent information such as policies and family support information
• Notifications such as closures on code red days
• Invoicing (more simple system)

'When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it's our job to share our calm, not to join their chaos.' 

L. R. Knost