The power of the storyWhat is your child's unique learning style?Introducing our Home & Kindergarten CommitteeICT tools inspire scientific discoveryMeet Clare Wells, NZKinc Chief ExecutiveECE Taskforce report open for consultation

ISSUE FOUR July 2011

news&viewsviews

geraldinekindergarten.blogspot.com

NEWS & VIEWS issue no.4

Ashleigh

GERALDINE KINDERGARTEN

News & Views Magazine25 Wilson Street, Geraldine 7930

HEAD TEACHER: Tania BolandPHONE: 03 693 8888

EMAIL: geraldine.kindy@xtra.co.nzBLOG:

geraldinekindergarten.blogspot.comGK NEWS & VIEWS ARCHIVES:

kindergartengeraldine.blogspot.com

DESIGN & PRODUCTION

Fi McCafferty@Saltmine Design24 Hislop Street, Geraldine 7930

PHONE: 03 693 8237EMAIL: fi@saltmines.co.nz

Greatcommunity.Great

education.Greatkids!

Greatcommunity.Great

education.Greatkids!

Hello everyone! My name is AshleighMcPherson and I am the new full-timeteacher here at Geraldine Kindergarten.I am in my first year of teaching afterstudying in Christchurch. I grew up inTimaru where I completed my schoolingand have recently moved into theGeraldine district. I have got back intoplaying hockey since finishing mystudies and have joined the Geraldinewomen’s’team. I am so excited aboutgetting to know you and your families -please feel free to approach me andintroduce yourself and your children! Ilook forward to my time here andmeeting you all.

New arrival!

THE COMMUNITY GET INVOLVED - P1 & P2 CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:

Leon Lithgow shares his work as anartist working backstage in films

around the world; our bantams winsecond and third prize at the

Mackenzie A&P Show; Fonterra repspresent high-vis jackets to the

children; Elsie, an actor from theCourt Jesters, engages the children

in drama; Geraldine Kindergartensupports Westpac’s Annual

Helicopter Appeal; our sunflowerhead wins first prize at the Geraldine Farmers’ Market.

from the EDITOR |2

WELCOME TO OUR fourth issue of GK News & Views. In this issue we introducethe latest talent to join our Geraldine Kindergarten team, show you howchildrens learning styles and stories support their learning and share ourscience learning through research and discovery. We are also introducing newrecipes and a ‘Homework’ column in response to reader feedback.

Our learning opportunities at Kindergarten have been enriched since our lastmagazine by a number of experts and through our children being involved inour local community. These experts kindly mentor our children, immenselybenefiting their learning through opening their eyes to new expertise andexperiences. Our bulging programme has been so rich that we could notpossibly include everything in our magazine so we urge you to visit our blog,geraldinekindergarten.blogspot.com, for more photos, videos and storiesshowing the learning your child has been involved in at Kindergarten recently.

Kia ora tatou

TaniaTANIA BOLAND, HEAD TEACHER

An independent Early ChildhoodEducation (ECE) Taskforce wasestablished by Education Minister AnneTolley in October 2010 with the visionthat they would research and makerecommendations to the governmenton the future direction of ECE in NewZealand. The report, ‘An Agenda forAmazing Children’ published on 1 June2011, outlines recommendationscovering aspects such as:• continued investment in ECE• ensuring ECE services are high

quality because investment in low-quality is poor value

• prioritising funding for groups ofchildren with low rates of ECEparticipation

• improved performance andaccountability arrangements,including much clearer reporting to parents, and

• building a strong evidence base to guide future investment.

TASKFORCE KEY MESSAGES‘Giving our youngest citizens a strongstart is part of nation-building. It’s thebasis of a great society and a vibranteconomy.’

‘Social and individual returns from high-quality ECE are substantial. They last alifetime. Spending on high-quality ECEis an investment.’ 1

Parents, whanau, employers and theECE sector are being encouraged totake part in the consultation process(closing 8 August) so that Governmentcan consider public feedback.Information is available via ourblogspot. You can also visithttp://www.lead.ece.govt.nz/LeadHome/ManagementInformation/RecentAnnouncements/ConsultationECE Taskforce.aspx for fullcopies of the report, recommendationsand to post feedback online.Questionnaires will be available overthis time in our foyer and we will makea computer available to anyone whowishes to view relevant information orpost feedback online.

‘An Agenda forAmazing Children’ ‘An Agenda forAmazing Children’

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3| COURAGE & CURIOSITY adventures from the playground

FROM THE START OFterm two a group of children have beeninterested in volcanoes.ICT equipment was usedto research volcanoesand several videos werewatched of differenteruptions around theworld. Children saw theimpact that volcanoes canhave on both rural andresidential environments.As a group, scientificpictures of the inside of avolcano were looked at

closely to further explore how the earth works.

The children watched videos of how toconduct experiments that create similareffects as the lava in a volcano. The followingday the group of children wanted to conducttheir own experiments as they had seenothers doing in the videos. The children gottogether, shared their thoughts and ideasand a plan was developed. The experimentsbegan and together the children were able to see a scientific replica model.

Children participating in these experimentsquestioned and problem solved, appliedpast knowledge to a new situation andresponded with wonderment and awe.

Using ICT to support the group’s curiosity and interest in volcanoes allowed them todevelop specific scientific knowledge andunderstanding. Children also extended theirinterest into the arts where they drew verydetailed diagrams of volcanoes erupting.Taking advantage of the ICT equipment andapplying the learning behaviour to questionand problem solve is a necessary skill theywill need in a changing technological world.

Through using ICT to support learningchildren are able to recognise that:

• Different technologies may be used in various places and settings;

• ICT can be used for a variety of purposesas they explore their world;

• Problem solving together developsunderstanding of how ICT can help them and others.

From day to day the children are returning to investigate volcanoes in a variety of ways.We love to follow up the children’s ideas tosee where they will lead, allowing them todirect their play – where they communicatewhat it is they want to learn.

ASHLEIGH McPHERSON

ICT supports ourscientific learning

Silverbeet QuicheSilverbeet Quiche

|4

Researchingvolcanoes is a

very seriousbusiness!

1/4cup melted butter3 large eggs beatenwith salt and pepper 1 finely chopped onion1 grated carrot1 cup grated cheese4-6 silver beet leaveschopped finelyBacon (optional) 1/3 cup milk1/2-2/3 cup

self-raising flour

Mix all together addflour last. Pour intoflan dish. Cook 20-30minutes at 180 degrees. The flour can besubstituted for sameamount of gluten freeflour and 1 teaspoonbaking powder.

IS YOUR CHILDGLUTEN SENSITIVE?

Why not try:

THE TERM ‘learning styles’ refers to howchildren (and adults) investigate the world,learn concepts, incorporate what they learnand finally use what they figured out.Research tells us that there are three mainstyles of learning these are:

Auditory learners• learn by enjoying oral discussion;• remember by communicating verbally; • need to have things explained out loud;• have trouble with written instructions;• talk to themselves while learning

something new; • repeat things to remember them.

Visual learners• remember visual details;• prefer to see what they are learning;• like to have paper and pens on hand; • doodle while listening;• have trouble following lectures;• like to write down instructions.

5| each child is UNIQUE and full of potential

What is your child’s

The most importantthing a child can be

given to supportlater literacy is alove of language.

Stories, rhymes,songs, jokes,jingles and

CONVERSATION arethe riches awha-nau can

give a child.

Kinesthetic–tactile learners• often prefer activities;• want to actually do whatever is

being talked about or learned;• like to move around while

listening or talking;• often ‘talk’ with their hands;• like to touch things in order to

learn about them;• remember things by recalling who

did what rather than who said what.

Other ways of looking at these styles oflearning are: ‘I can see what you mean,’(visual); ‘I hear what you are saying,’(auditory), ‘It feels right,’ (kinesthetic).1

Your child is unique. Their favoured learning style may still be developing so sit back and observe. Most are verytactile – they want and need to be actively involved in order to understandthings. Even though we may have apreferred learning style we can still learn through other styles as well.2

GAEL WILLIAMS

learning style? TIP 1 - BOARD GAMESTurn off the TV, pull up a chair or acushion and break out those old boardor card games.

POTENTIAL LEARNING:

• Healthy competition: taking partis equally important to winning and success is a great motivator. A healthy serving of success boostsanyones self-confidence.

• Learning to engage with a group ofpeople, take turns, negotiate andwork together

• Learning to follow instructions andguidelines

• Laughter and quality time,conversation, encouragement andpraise - the simple act of spendingtime with your child raises their self-esteem. A positive self image andself- confidence supports children toachieve in their learning by givingthem the confidence to feel goodabout themselves, to contribute theirthoughts and ideas, and to take a riskand try something new.3

Support yourchild’s learning

at home:

Support yourchild’s learning

at home:

1. BOYES, K (2011, MAY5) VAK COMMUNICATION STYLES BLOG; POSTED BY SPECTRUM EDUCATION. 2. VAIL, P.L. (2011) ARTICLE IN JUNIOR HORIZONS

VOL.II, NO.4, AUTUMN. 3. INFORMATION FROM SKIP RESOURCE – CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOUR. FOR MORE PARENTING TIPS & TO ORDER

SKIP RESOURCES GO TO WWW.SKIP.ORG.NZ

7| LEARNING IS FUN so be a learner every day

THE FINDINGS from our recentquestionnaire to parents andwhanau indicated that the‘learning story’ is the best waywe share information onindividual children withfamilies. We found thisparticular result very

encouraging and we began to think about,

‘How powerful is the Learning Story?’

A good ‘story’ engages the reader,describing feelings and actions and usuallytakes place over time. The learning story isan assessment tool we use to record achild’s learning. The formal record is ourassessment, planning and evaluation of thelearning of each and every child whoattends Geraldine Kindergarten.

When a child begins at Kindergarten a firstday photo page is entered and learningstories are added each term during theirattendance. The learning stories includephotos, movies, and narratives to show anindividual child’s progress over time andstrategies for teachers and family tosupport their learning further.

Teachers notice a great deal as they workwith your children and increasingly learnmore when collaboration occurs with the

child, other teachers, families andcommunity. The learning story gives us anopportunity to cross the borders betweenhome and school to share what we eachknow about the child. We, the teachingteam, value feedback from the child andtheir families to enrich the stories and addrichness to the childs learning. The storiessupport the child’s learning anddevelopment in the moment as they allowthe child to see themselves as a capableand confident learner and strengthen theirability to reflect on, or revisit theknowledge, skills and learning tools/behaviours (habits of mind) they are using.This supports the child to develop theability to learn – a necessity in our rapidlychanging technological world.

Stories can be created in multiple ways.The visual images invite the child and theirfamily to share the information at homeand kindergarten. For example, an idealway to show real evidence of the childsettling into play at kindergarten can berecorded through a video/movie.

‘Learning Stories provide us with a picture of real people in real situations...’(WITHERELL & NODDINGS, 1991)

The child then shares the movie with hisfamily at home and at Kindergarten. The

CONFIDENCE AND COMMUNICATION:

The power of the

“Live as if you wereto die tomorrow.

Learn as if you wereto live forever.”

MAHATMA GHANDI

child enjoys seeing him or herself and the smiles and exclamations of, ‘That’s me!’ are shared with family and peers. The confidence grows within the child. The images allow the child to reflect on their play and how they felt, providing themotivation to begin playing and feelinghappy when separating away from those thechild knows best. The movie images worktwo-fold also reassuring the family that theirchild is coping away from them. Therefore,strengthening the separation process – thechild is learning and the story is supportingthe learning in the moment.

LOUISE SHERRATT

|8

story

RESPECT • EXCELLENCE • LEADERSHIP • TEAMWORK • PERSEVERANCE • ACCESSIBILITY

2011 TERM DATES

TERM 1: 26 January - 15 AprilTERM 2: 02 May - 15 JulyTERM 3: 01 August - 07 OctoberTERM 4: 24 October - 21 December

Kindergarten is iconic in New Zealand. For over120 years we have provided high quality earlychildhood education (ECE) to our youngestcitizens, working with families acrosscommunities nationwide.

New Zealand Kindergartens (NZK) is theumbrella organisation representing twenty-nineregional kindergarten associations across New Zealand, including the Geraldine DistrictFree Kindergarten Association. Our networkcomprises over 430 kindergartens and ECEservices, with nearly 30,000 children and theirfamilies involved.

We are passionate about kindergarten, workingalongside families to support every child to besuccessful and to reach her or his potential, tobe confident about who they are and wherethey belong in the world, and to take thatnext step in their learning. Literacy,information technology, the arts,mathematics, and science are all part of theECE curriculum Te Whariki. While these maynot be presented in the same way as in schools,each curriculum area is very much part of thekindergarten programme. Our 100% qualifiedand registered teachers work with thecurriculum to ensure children experience awide range of opportunities, encouraging themto extend the boundaries of their own learning.

Although kindergarten has been around forsome time, we have continued to grow andchange to meet the changing and diverseneeds of families over the decades, and tomake sure teaching and learning is based onresearch evidence. We work with our regionalassociations to assist them in their role ofproviding high quality ECE services. We work at a national level, advocating for greaterinvestment in ECE and policy to ensure earlychildhood education is accessible, affordableand of high quality for all children and familiesin every community.

Kindergarten is community-based and kiwi owned. It isnot-for-profit with everydollar of funding investedin kindergarten to achievethe best teaching and

learning outcomes. If you would like to knowmore about kindergarten, go to our websitewww.nzkindergarten.org.nz or sign up to ourKindergartens – Great Start 100% website,www.greatstart.org.nz, and support us topromote high quality early childhood educationas a right for every child. CLARE WELLS

GKFKA AGM

The 2011 Board of trustees are:

President: Matt MorrisonVice President: Sarah Foley-SmithTreasurer: Max de BonthMembers: Adele Quinn, Ash Pace,Sarah Wilson

Copies of the report are availableat the Kindergarten.

Clare Wells is the chief executiveof New Zealand Kindergartens ‘

Te Putahi Kura Puhou o Aotearoa’ and works in the NZK national

office in Wellington.

9| BEHIND THE SCENES our Board of Trustees

NZKinc

EXTRACT FROM THE PRESIDENT’S REPORT:

“Finally, I would like tosay a personal thank youto all of you. The last 12 months have again beenbusy, but immenselyrewarding. We continue tobe a Kindergarten that‘raises the bar in EarlyChildhood Education’. Thisis no fluke, you shouldall be very proud of whatwe have here.” MATT MORRISON

parents NOTICEBOARD |10

RESPECT • EXCELLENCE • LEADERSHIP • TEAMWORK • PERSEVERANCE • ACCESSIBILITY

The newly formed Geraldine KindergartenHome and Kindergarten Committee (pictured on the right) is a Board of Trusteesinitiative which aims to provide a supportingrole to the teaching team and Kindergarten. By communicating with other families andwhanau and providing valuable feedback wecan help build relationships which will assist theteaching team to create an efficient and happylearning environment for our children.

Two of our main responsibilities is to overseefundraising initiatives and to raise the profile ofthe Kindergarten within the wider community.Funds raised will be used for special projectsand purchases which will ultimately enhanceour children’s learning environment.

We are a new committee with an enthusiasticand dedicated team, but we welcomeinvolvement by all parents. Feel free to contactany of the committee at any time to discussideas, suggestions or to join the team. KAREN PACE

Our CommitteeKaren Pace, Chair I am married to Ashleighand we have two boys, the youngest of whomrecently started afternoon sessions at Geraldine Kindergarten. We enjoy being partof the community and have found it a greatway to get to know people and make Geraldineour home.

Amanda Taylor, Secretary Andrew and I havetwo boys; Harry who has just started afternoonsessions and enjoying every moment of it; andJames, who has another two years before hestarts Kindergarten.

Fra (Frances) Mills, Treasurer I ammarried to Allen and we have two boys,Josh, at Carew Peel Forest School, andOlie who is at morning Kindergarten inGeraldine. We moved down from Taurangaa year ago and are dairy farming atRangitata. We love being part of thiswonderful Geraldine community; it’s a very special place.

Lyn Holmes I am married to Alister and havetwo children. Harry started at Kindergarten thisyear and Guy is 18-months-old. We are sheep,beef and deer farmers at Woodbury.

Philippa Goldsbury Aaron and I moved toGeraldine from Hamilton a year ago with ourchildren Will (5) and Emily (3). Will loved hisshort time at Kindergarten before startingschool and Em is a little dynamo who adoresher friends, her teachers and all the activitiesavailable to her at Kindergarten. We feel solucky to be back home in the South Island andvery privileged to be part of our newcommunity.

Marcelle de Bonth Mother of three girls, my eldest recently started primary school,middle child at morning Kindergarten andyoungest is a year off afternoon sessions. Rarespare time I spend crafting, sewing or reading.

Lynore Bradshaw I have lived in Geraldine for nine years. I am married to Murray and havefour children; Jackson (16), Kegan (13), Shilah-May (4) and Tahlea (2). ‘I am here to serve.’

BOT RepresentativesSarah Foley-Smith; Sarah Wilson

Teaching Team RepresentativesTerm 2&3: Gael Williams; Louise Sherratt

Geraldine Kindergarten Home and Kindergarten Committee

EACH TERM The Home andKindergarten Committee will beholding a casual get-together withparents and caregivers of childrennew to Geraldine Kindergarten, onthe waiting list or who would justlike to know more. These dates willbe advertised in The Prospect andon the Kindergarten noticeboard.

TUESDAY 28 JUNE Meeting of the Home and KindergartenCommittee. if you would like to bepart of the committee, or can offerhelp on a sub-committee, pleaselet us know. We appreciate yourhelp and support.

TUESDAY 30 AUGUST Our firstmajor fundraiser as a committee:A night out for the ladies ofGeraldine featuring a range ofpamper & wellbeing specialists.The night will be broken up into ten minute ‘tester’ sessions oftreatments and new experiences.An evening of fun, entertainmentand pampering. More details tofollow soon.

For yourDiaryFor yourDiary

Wilson Street, Geraldine 7930 PHONE: 03 693 8888 EMAIL: geraldine.kindy@xtra.co.nz BLOG: geraldinekindergarten.blogspot.com