simone’s message by simone cooke, principal · “the natural wonders of the beach” project:...

1 REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER 1

Simone’s Message By Simone Cooke, Principal

Dear Parents,

What a busy week we have had. The February heatwaves have somewhat curtailed our outdoor play

this week, however, the teachers have taken advantage of our fabulous Art Atelier, Piazza and extra

learning spaces to involve the children in many hands on discovery and investigation experiences. Small

group project work which fosters collaboration and builds peer interactions is an important component of

our programme as children learn the importance of valuing the opinions and views of others.

With further heatwave conditions expected, we ask that children arrive at school with sunscreen already

applied and with their hats. Please rest assured that the teachers apply sunscreen regularly and are very

diligent at ensuring that the children are well hydrated. We provide the children with regular water breaks

and restrict play outside on the particularly hot days.

PROVOCATIONS

As you read through this week‟s newsletter you will see teachers referencing Learning Provocations. A

Provocation is an element of Reggio Emilia inspired learning which we embrace here at Reddam. It is

intentional teaching which builds on the individual interests and needs of our children. Provocations are

designed to provoke questions, interests, discussions, creativity and problem solving. You will see across

the classrooms a wide array of Provocations. Resources and activities are displayed beautifully to

provoke interest and encourage involvement. They are designed to be open ended and to foster

individual expression whilst also fostering collaboration.

Our teachers create a “Mind Map of possibilities” which is drawn from the children‟s own brainstorming or

observed interests. Each week our teachers are documenting your child‟s learning journey to ensure we

are tracking their development. In addition to your weekly Tapestry update your chiilds individual learning

journey is collated into a beautiful portfolio of photographs, learning experiences and work samples

which the children will take home with them at the end of the year. Should you have any problem

accessing your Tapestry upload please do not hesitate to contact us so we can send a fresh link.

10TH FEBRUARY 2017


Provocation: Creative Artists

This week the Hatchlings and Nest children were involved in a fabulous, messy art experience:

finger painting!

Not only is finger painting loads of fun, it is also an excellent feeling (kinaesthetic) experience

and is fantastic for the development of all the big and small muscles. Finger painting is

wonderful for the development of colour recognition, experimenting with colours and colour

mixing and is terrific for developing creativity skills and simple cause and effect thinking skills.

Yes, it‟s messy! However messy play for babies and toddlers is actually crucial to healthy sensory

development. These „messy moments‟ provide important foundation building blocks, sensory

experiences, muscle and brain growth – all of which prepares them for later success and

learning.

To do this amazing activity we used the painting frame and we gave the children the choice of

3 different colours: Blue, red and yellow so they could do they colour mixing and discover new

colours.

The feel of the paint enthralled the children; they not only smeared the paint on the frame they

also played with the paint on their fingers.

To save a copy of this masterpiece we lay a A3 paper on top of the artwork while the paint is

still wet, pressed firmly all over, peeled it off and hung it up to dry. Please come and have a

look at your child‟s artwork displayed on our documentation wall!

Stage 1: The Nest & Hatchlings By Gabriela Guimaraes


Stage 1: The Nest & Hatchlings Finger Painting


Stage 1: The Nest & Hatchlings Outdoor Play


Stage 1: The Nest & Hatchlings


Provocation - Project 100

Children are naturally connected to nature and use all their senses to explore it! When exposed

to natural materials children can freely use their imagination to create.

As an extent to our project 100 Colours the children were exposed to natural materials to create

our Painting entitled „The Nature display”.

To initiate, we displayed a large wooden stick and the children were able to use different colours

to paint on it. As they were highly concentrated on this activity we noticed that some children

preferred to use their hands to paint instead of brushes and others were even painting the table

cover! Once they finished painting the stick we let them explore mixing colours on the table

cover, using their hands and brushes to create new shades.

The children were then given pinecones to paint to add to our installation. Some of the children

touched the pinecone for a little while and others would smell them first. This activity supported

curiosity and creativity. Children are naturally curious about the world around them. Natural

resources connect children to nature and allow them to freely express their creativity.

In addition we have been using wooden blocks wrapped in cotton to create beautiful rainbow

paintings that will be displayed in our drawing corner. We covered blobs of paint on the cotton

and the children used a wooden block to splash it. The result was beautiful! This activity

supported eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills.

“Children need the freedom to appreciate the infinite resources of their hands, their eyes, and

their ears, the resources of forms, materials, sounds, and colours.”

Loris Malagazzi

Stage 1: Fledglings By Michele Santos


Stage 1: Fledglings Project 100


Stage 2: Chicks, Sparrows and Robins By Kasia Rymarczyk

The educational program is in an advanced stage and children are working everyday on our first

project of the term. We are investigating the natural wonders of the beach. During discussion with

the children it became apparent each of them has spent some time at the beach, playing with

sand, making sand castles, collecting shells, pebbles and driftwood. It is delightful hearing them

recount their experiences with the group

William M: “The sand is hot.”

Christos: “I go to the beach!”

Every day we provoke the children‟s thinking and creativity by setting up beach related displays

and installations. These include experiences where children, explore, problem solve, discover,

create and question.

Examples of Learning in Action

Our Teacher Eva invited the Stage 2 Chicks to explore sand play dough, providing them with a

variety of textures set out in individual trays. She displayed illustrations of the beach and

underwater world. Eva added a small round aquarium filled with decorative pebbles and shells.

This carefully crafted setup inspired the children to think, observe and explore. The children used

their senses and communicated their ideas either verbally or through art and body expressions.

They listed to the sound of the ocean by placing shells to their ear. Our Teacher Kasia provoked

children‟s problem solving and experimenting skills by setting out an investigation of freezing and

then melting objects in the block of ice. The children placed natural objects (from the beach)

into little containers and then filled them with water. The containers were placed in the freezer

and we waited and waited some more…. This was a scientific discovery on its own where the

question was posed: “I wonder how long it takes for the water to freeze? We checked a few

times during the day but the ice was not ready. We had to wait until the next day. When the ice

blocks were ready the children were eager to investigate the melting process. They used salt

and warm water, it made the surface slushy and grainy, having an immediate effect, but did

not melt the whole block. Evie noticed: “We have to put lots of warm water to melt it fast.”

Steven immediately responded to that idea by pouring whole cup of water over the block. Other

children worked quietly touching the ice trying to scrape the pieces of it and all were deeply

immersed in the task of getting the objects out. The whole investigation ended when we went to

the dining area for morning tea and we left the ice block unattended. When we came back all

the ice had melted and it turned into liquid. We repeated this engaging experiment over and

over again.


Stage 2: Chicks, Sparrows and Robins Our Teacher Lauren invited groups of children to explore the art medium of paints. She added

additional textures to the paints enriching the children experience. Lauren displayed digital

photographs of world famous paintings to inspire children‟s creativity. She further extended their

thinking by giving them space and time. She created a calm atmosphere where the children

could fully engage in creative process. Some of the children used the paints to develop skills of

manipulating the paint brush, mixing colours and making connections. Others experimented

with ways of expressing their thoughts and make meanings through creative arts. The whole

process of art making has a great value to children‟s learning where open ended materials were

offered by Lauren so the children had freedom of expression.

“The Natural wonders of the beach” Project:

Topics for projects emerge from both the learners and the teachers. A project topic should be

worthy of investigation. We together with the children thought that the wonders of the beach

offers great potential for learning and connecting with nature.The children will be engaged in

critical thinking, problem solving and not just gathering facts. An inquiry inspired by a trip to the

beach and a fascination with found objects become more than a project entitled “Beach”

when we posed it as a learning question; “What can we do with shells, pebbles and driftwood?”

We can create, make stories, we can count, build and test ideas. We support children in their

educational endeavours by teaching them how to think, not what to think.


Stage 2: Chicks, Sparrows and Robins


My Family

As the children have started to bring in their

family photos, they have become more

interested in who is in each other‟s

families. Belonging to a group helps the

children become more confident with who

they are, their place in the world and helps

them settle into their new

environment. Learning Outcome: 1.1

Children feel safe, secure, and supported.

As we took a closer look at the photos, we

discovered the wide variety of different

family structures and then went on to draw

our own family. We have extended families,

cousins and grandparents in our pictures and

a variety of different family compositions.

Many different cultural values was evident in

the photos such as cultural dress, foods and

landscapes. This provides us with a greater

understanding of the diversity of our class

and our community. Extension of this

learning is wide and varied as we plan to

make our own clay sculptures of ourselves

and participate in role play experiences

consisting of blocks with our own faces on

them!

How Tall Am I?

Following on from the „All About Me‟

provocation, the children started printing

with their hand and foot prints on paper.

We looked at the different sizes of hands and

feet and the sensory feel of the paint on our

skin.

“It‟s cold,” said Nathaniel

“It‟s squishy!” exclaimed Bella

“I like hand prints.” stated Ella

Smiles and laughs from Isabel O and Samuel

“What are we doing?” asked Sam

These hand prints evolved into a height

activity. Each of the children stood against

the wall and were measured with a piece of

string. The string will then be lined up across

the wall and we and we can see how tall we

are growing. It will be of great interest to us

all, as the year progresses how each of us

grows. It will be interesting when we measure

ourselves again at the end of the year to

compare these results!

Friendly Reminders

Please remember to pack your sun hat

each day

Please remember to pack a water

bottle each day

Please check News Roster for your

child‟s news day

Stage 3 - Kookaburras & Flamingos By Riina & Amanda


Stage 3: Kookaburras and Flamingos


Stage 4: Cockatoos & Rosellas By Sue Mayer & Bernadette Casey

Provocation - Belonging

What a fabulous start to the year! We have

been so impressed with how the children have

coped with the extremely hot weather and

adjusting to settling back into school. For chil-

dren in Stage 4 they are preparing themselves

for the independence that comes with starting

school. Both Bernadette and I are passionate

about creating an environment that fosters this

independence which upholds the Reddam

ELS value system which encourages kind

hearts, listening ears, walking feet, gentle

hands, good manners, and most importantly

respect - respect for each other, our teachers,

our equipment, our school and our greater

community.

To create a sense of respect you have to have

a sense of belonging and this is where our

provocation this term has been heading. It

started with our identity of celebrations -

celebrating Australia Day through landscapes

and their colours and the vibrant colours of

the Lunar New Year, the rich red and gold.

Through drawing self portraits and describing

our families we indirectly learned more about

each other and as the week has progressed

our sense of belonging has led us to look clos-

er to where we live and the different housing

that our families live in and where. We have

focussed on numbers - what number house or

apartment we live at and represented our

homes through the mediums of drawing and

watercolour.

For those of you that don't know me from last

year, I am a mother of 4, however my children

are all grown up with my youngest aged 15. I

am passionate about early childhood educa-

tion and have worked extensively in the field

over the past 10 years. Both Bernadette and I

believe education is a partnership with families

and we look forward to a fulfilling year ahead

preparing your children for their next big ad-

venture of Big School.


Stage 4: Cockatoos & Rosellas


Music By Justin Sze

Stage 1 & 2:

Our older children sang their own name as

part of the Calypso song “Hey Lolly”. They

also led the group in an action that could

keep the beat... all part of the song. Then

they pretended to sleep as we sang “Are you

sleeping”. But in the middle of the singing, the

Alarm Clock rang and we were all suddenly

woken up (all part of the plan of course). We

then pretended that the fingers were slowly

waking up. First was the thumb, then the

pointer etc. This was a new experience for

some of the children as they discovered they

could independently control the individual

fingers. This development of fine motor skills is essential for formal playing of musical instru-

ments in the near future.

We are also working on inculcating a good

singing voice from this early stage with a fa-

miliar song, “Twinkle, Twinkle”. It is encourag-

ing to see these little ones already trying to

sing along. Our children were also given the

bells and egg shakers to explore and experi-

ence the metallic and plastic sounds. Eventu-

ally, we will teach them that different instru-

ments have different “timbre”... that‟s in the

near future.

The younger ones explored with the bells,

shakers and scarves and experienced the

concept of “high” and “low” through a

variety of different styles of music. They ended

the lesson with a “peek-a-boo” activity while

we sang “love somebody”. They loved that

game. You should try it with them at home!

Stage 3 & 4:

We walked, jumped, skipped and shook in

the grass in order to get to the music farm. Children learned to follow instructions through

song and fun actions. They were having lots of

fun and probably didn‟t realize it. But the pos-

itive experience of following instructions given

by teachers is going to give them a head-

start in school for sure!

At the farm, they drew circles with scarves,

noses, elbows etc., then they met the donkey

who ate with a knife and fork and a mouse

who went “Round and Round the haystack”.

Did they play the musical game with you yet?

Ask them to show it to you. It‟d be good fun!

The class ended with another creative song

where children gave suggestions of actions to

include in the song. Because this was done

last week, children readily gave very good

suggestions of very creative actions which

were included in the song. What creative chil-

dren we have this year!


Mandarin Class

My name is Sherry (Xiaoping) Zhu, a qualified

mandarin teacher from China with more than

16 years teaching experience.

I graduated from Capital Normal University in

2002. Then I worked as a Chinese teacher in a

high school for 5 years. Afterward, I found that

I was interested in teaching mandarin as a

foreign language, so I became the teaching

manager of a language institute, located in

Shanghai. In 2009, I took the position as the

director of Minsi International Language Insti-

tute. The job provided opportunities to coop-

erate with international companies, mainly

customized study plans for managers and

their family members, such as UBS, JP Mogan,

and Macquarie Bank. I gained considerable

experience in how to make tailor-made les-

son plans.

Being an excellent language teacher, it is

necessary to upgrade the knowledge system

timely., so I applied and studied at the Univer-

sity of Sydney for 2 years.

Last year, I was granted double master de-

gree of Educational leadership & manage-

ment and General Education. Meanwhile, I

had the opportunities to teach students in lo-

cal public schools (through working in com-

munity language schools), such as Cammer-

ay public school, Waitara public school and

Wahroonga public school. The age scope of

students is from 4 years old to 12 years old. All

students are from different backgrounds and

with different personalities. The varieties offer

a good platform for me to improve my man-

aging classroom abilities and teaching meth-

ods to make my students enjoy the lessons.

As for teaching methods, it is popular that in-

terest is the good teacher for children.. So I

would like to design my lessons based on my

students‟ age and their interest. During the

process of teaching, it is important to adjust

the teaching activities and forms based on

the feedback of students. With the help of the

teachers at Reddam, I will be ensuring that

the children enjoy their mandarin lessons.

simone’s message by simone cooke, principal · “the natural wonders of the beach” project:...

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