volume 1 issue 33 - reddam housereddamhouse.com.au/pdf/news2013/els/elsvol1issue33.pdfthe children...

Reddam House Early Learning School Newsletter Volume 1 Issue 33 Friday the 8th of November 2013

IN THIS ISSUE :

Virginia’s Message

Dates for your Diary

News From the Rooms

Mighty Mites

Dancearama

Volume 1 Issue 33

Promoting Kindness and Compassion One of the greatest gifts we have is to be able to reach out to others. This year our children have lead the way, showing us that words can be enacted upon and giving meaning to our motto “We Shall Give Back”.

The have taken their natural disposition for kindness and compassion and demonstrated acts of kindness and compassion: from simple every day acts of helping a friend, giving a hug, finding a way to solve problems, finding something to comfort another, being kind when someone is being mean, supporting charities (RSPCA and Cystic Fibrosis).

Celebrating World Kindness Day This week the children have taken their thinking further about the bushfires and have been wondering about the native animals, whose homes and food source have been destroyed by the fires. They have decided that

they want to help them find new homes and food. On Wednesday 13th November the children will be fund raising for Wires (Wires supports displaced and injured wildlife) by bringing a gold coin to fill our Kindness jar. It is a mufti day (no uniform) for Stages 3 and 4.

End of year Celebration: Save the Dates At the end of each year we provide a window on the children’s thinking. This year on Friday 29th November form 4pm to 6pm Stage 1 and 2 will be celebrating their year under our oak tree. The following Friday 6th December, Stages 3 and 4 will celebrate in Adelaide Hall from 10.30am (see invitation on page 2).

Problem Solving By Hayley This week Hayley demonstrated her significant problem solving skills and

mindfulness to solve two problems for her group. Problem 1: The children had gathered around a table to look at the frog but not everyone could see. Hayley suggested “how about the people in the front sit down and the people in

the back stand up”. Problem 2: How many books has the author written? Hayley said eight (the correct number without counting out aloud or pointing to the books). Kelly her teacher was curious and asked how she had got to this number. Hayley explained that “three groups of three is nine, but there is one less in the group, so it is eight” Thinking good thoughts for all. Virginia Aghan Head of Early Learning


Friday, 6th December Term 4 ends Monday, 9th December Vacation Care commences Friday, 13th December Vacation Care ends Monday, 13th January Vacation Care commences Friday, 24th January Vacation Care ends Monday, 27th January School Closed - Australia Day

Page 1 Virginia’s Message

Page 2 Dates for your Diary/ End of year Celebration

Page 3 Stage 1: Hands On Learning

Page 4 Stage 1: Photo Gallery

Page 5 Stage 2a: Celebrations in Our World

Page 6 Stage 2a: Photo Gallery

Page 7 Stage 2a: Photo Gallery Continued...

Page 8 Stage 2b: Solving Conflicts

Page 9 Stage 2b: Photo Gallery

Page 10 Stage 3: A Picture Tells a Thousand Words


Page 12 Stage 4: Story Books Revisted


Page 14 Edible Magic

Page 15 Mighty Mites

Page 16 Dancearama

Contents Dates for your Diary


Stage 1: Hands On Learning

What a fun week! Dressing up for Hallowe’en was definitely the highlight of the week, sparking conversations and providing opportunities for sharing. Saskia very kindly brought delicious Hallowe’en cupcakes to school to share with her friends. Thank you everyone for making such an effort. Continuing with the Hallowe’en theme, we made orange jelly and black Goop. It was a delight to observe the children’s different reactions whilst manipulating the goop. If you would like to experiment with Goop at home, please see the recipe below:

Goop Ingredients: 1 box of cornflour 2 cups of water Food colouring (not essential) Plastic container

Pour some cornflour into a plastic container. Add a little water until the mixture is powdery. Use a wooden spoon (or use your hands) and mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Add more water or cornflour to get the consistency you want (like thick cream). The mixture should “pour” through your hands when you hold it and resist like “concrete” when you push it. Make different colors by dividing the goop mixture and adding food colouring.

The children love to imitate adult activity, particularly those activities they see you doing each day. To support this play we have set up a 'home corner'. It is one of their favourite play zones and offers them a mini version of the environment we adults inhabit each day. As well as offering a safe and fun play environment for your child, ‘home corner’ also promotes the development of a wide range of skills including:

Problem solving

Exploring

Labelling and experiencing different emotions

Practising social skills

Refining fine motor and self help skills

Encouraging co-operative play

Stimulating creativity

Developing their imagination

Encouraging humour and language skills

We would like to wish Scarlett Kennard a happy 2nd birthday. Thank you for the delicious Hallowe’en cake, it was enjoyed by all. The Stage 1 Team, Petra Wright, Monika Ranjitkar, Tori Gordon and Karla Cabezas


Stage 1: Photo Gallery


There are many ways of living, being and of knowing. Children are born belonging to a culture, which is not only influenced by traditional practices, heritage and ancestral knowledge, but also by the experiences, values and beliefs of individual families and communities. Respecting diversity means within the curriculum valuing and reflecting the practices, values and beliefs of families. Respect for Diversity (EYLF) Over the past week the children have been busy celebrating Hallowe’en, Diwali and the Melbourne Cup. We feel pictures are worth a thousand words, and this week’s newsletter is all about the delight that the children had as they dressed up for Hallowe’en and went trick or treating to Stages 1 and 4, danced with Ashiyana as she celebrated Diwali (The Festival of Lights, a 5 day Hindu festival) and made hats to celebrate the Melbourne Cup, an Australia tradition. ENJOY! The Stage 2a Team, Daniella Gosty and Polina Rodov

Stage 2a: Celebrations in Our World


Stage 2a: Photo Gallery


Stage 2a: Photo Gallery Continued...


We were all playing in the playground and we had chosen to play with the bikes and hula-hoops. Freya was riding her scooter when she lost her balance and fell on the ground. On my way to help Freya (as she was very upset), I observed Lucas walking in her direction. I waited to see what was about to happen. Lucas got closer to Freya and asked her if she was ok. At the same time she stopped crying and Lucas then helped her to stand back up. They both left on their scooters laughing together.

Lucas’ and Freya’s actions and reactions made me think about how much the children have grown and how thoughtful and resilient they are becoming. I also reflected on how adults sometimes underestimate children’s ability to solve problems on their own and the importance of choosing when to help and when to wait before helping.

We have also been encouraging the children to express their feelings with their peers and teachers whenever they are in the middle of a conflict situation. We discussed that it is important to make sure our friends are “ok”

It is precious to watch the children comforting their friends when they are crying or even the Teachers; asking if you need help or saying “don’t be sad”! Little children, big hearts… Trick or treating with the Thursday and Friday group Last week, the Thursday and Friday group went “trick or treating” around Reddam. This time, they didn’t just go to the offices in the main hallway of the school, but they went to Stage 3 classroom to share this experience. When we all got upstairs, Stage 3 group was sitting beautifully waiting for Stage 2b. They gave us treats to take home. A big thank you to all the staff and Stage 3 children who embraced the Hallowe’en spirit and made our celebration a very special moment. Melbourne Cup Day Tuesday was Melbourne Cup day. We spoke about the horse races and how people usually dress up for this event. The children were invited to make their own fascinators. We also danced to the “Shane and Josh” song by Carol and Gary Cress. In this song, Shane and Josh have lots of fun riding their horses until they fall asleep! Building the Routine This week we made changes to our morning meeting. Previously the children sat on the floor, they now sit on a chair in a circle for our meetings. We say hello to all of our friends sitting in the circle and try to work out who are the missing friends. Following this we discuss and map out “our day” on a board using picture and word symbols. At this age the children’s understanding of the concept of time is limited, but they do understand their daily routine. Using picture and word symbols supports this understanding. As the day progresses we “check” the board and cross off the activities once completed. Stage 2b Team, Tatiana Botrel, Christina Mandalidis and Yana Bekman

Stage 2b: Solving Conflicts

Stage 2b: Photo Gallery


Drawing To Learn Children draw to express what they are thinking and feeling. The Stage 3 children have been busy draw-ing things that are currently very familiar to them, which in turn gives them the opportunity to think about what they know and how they feel towards particular things such as the bushfires or Hallowe’en (their current interests). They use their memory to recall what they know about certain things, which then allows them to question things that they may be concerned with or confused about. It gives children the scope to get more information and to be reassured if necessary. Woollahra Fire Department Thank the Stage 3 Children The bushfires have been of huge interest to the children and they have been very thoughtful and selfless in donating many of their belongings to the families that have been affected.

As a result of this kindness the Woollahra Fire Department came to visit the children to say a very big thank you to the children and to talk with them about their experiences with the bushfires and fire safety.

The children were very excited when the fire truck pulled up in the big playground. They were given the opportunity to climb inside and look at the equipment. They had a look around and then sat down with the Fire Chief as he talked to them about many important fire topics such as playing with matches/lighters, and reiterated the things we learned about in Term 2 such as the emergency number: 000, what to do if their clothes catch on fire – stop, drop and roll, and what to do if there is a fire in their house/building – get down low and go, go, go. Congratulations and Welcome to the Family On Hallowe’en, Kara became a big sister to her brother Ethan James Crawford McLeod. Kara is so proud. Congratulations also to Graeme, Ian, Catherine and Lily. We can’t wait to meet you! Please see the important dates for stage 3 at the end of the photos section. Stage 3 Team, Anita Martin, Neda Kazemikhoo and Melanie Elderton

Stage 3: A Picture Tells a Thousand Words...



Important Upcoming Dates For Your Diary

Tuesday the 12th of November - Excursion to Bondi Pizza

Wednesday the 13th of November - Gold coin donation/mufti for W.I.R.E.S on National Kindness Day

Thursday the 14th of November - Excursion Bondi Pizza

Friday the 6th of December - End of Year Celebration


At the beginning of Term 4, numerous children expressed interest in creating another group storybook similar to the one produced in Term 2. After an in-depth discussion with each group on the process of publishing books, it was noted that authors and illustrators would rarely do only one draft before completion. So it was strongly agreed upon to revisit the storybooks and each child would edit and redo their page. Taking the time to embark on projects such as these provides children with various opportunities to challenge their problem-solving skills as well as provoke creative thinking. By revisiting,

deconstructing and analysing their work the children have started to make remarkable changes to their storybook illustrations, which are both more detailed and more relevant to the story. In fact, many of the changes are not only extraordinary in terms of improvement to fine motor skills, but are also a testament to the perseverance and patience acquired by the children to complete the task with thought and care over several weeks.

Invented and Emergent Spelling It is about this time of year where knowledge gained from informal learning experiences begin to consolidate, resulting in an explosion of productivity. Over the last few years the children have been moving through emergent writing stages such as scribbling, drawing, pretend writing and pseudo letters, which have now lead to a number of our children beginning to utilise more conventional writing methods.

With encouragement and support from a teacher a number of children have started to experiment with adding words to their work. At times the spelling is correct but often it falls into the category of invented spelling, which draws on spelling unfamiliar words by making an informed guess by using phonetic knowledge. Children use their current comprehension of letters sounds and spelling patterns to spell a word or words as best they can, allowing them to “become aware of the relationships between oral, written and visual Representations”. (EYLF, 2009).

Evidence suggests a positive correlation between invented spelling and later reading and writing. Providing an avenue to extend phonics practice, it also encourages children to begin expressing themselves through writing without the fear of making a mistake, building confidence and a sense of pride. A few weeks ago, William was able to sound out instructions to accompany his picture, ‘Place the batry in the covr’ (place the battery in the cover) and last week Jasmine proudly used a set of plastic letters to write, ‘Jasmine pats the cat on the mat.’ Initially Jasmine used invented spelling such as “kat” but by problem solving with a teacher, she happily experimented with moving the letters around before achieving the actual spelling. Next time you see your child experimenting with writing letters, work together to break down words by sounding them out, facilitating invented spelling. Stage 4 Team, Kelly Nance, Deanne Jacobs, Debbie Zerbst and Cheryl Freeman

Stage 4: Storybooks Revisited


Edible Magic: Destination Flavour

As the children and I continue our food adventures together, it strikes me that the real 'holiday' time fast approaches! With all that the children and I have learned and collectively discovered; my ultimate goal is to leave your littlies with a 'taste' for something more. Yes they've grown in confidence, skills and ability, but it will have all been for 'nought’ if I'm unable to encourage at least one new FLAVOUR in their young lives. Apart from making a great afternoon snack (or fabulous cocktail party addition), these seemingly cute and innocent mini beef tacos are packed with lots of sensations. Crunch, earthy aromas, fragrant herbs and sharp lime... the taste buds are definitely being tickled! I know that we've discussed this before, but let's not underestimate our

future cooks of tomorrow's ability to not only accept FLAVOUR, but to expect it.

EDIBLE MAGIC MINI BEEF TACOS Preparation Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes Servings: Approximately 30 bite-size tacos Skill Level: Easy

INGREDIENTS

30 (275g packet) wonton wrappers 1 tablespoon of olive oil 1 medium brown onion, finely chopped 2 teaspoons of ground cumin 2 teaspoons of ground coriander 1 teaspoon of paprika 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper 500g beef mince 400g can crushed tomatoes 4 large iceberg lettuce leaves, shredded 2 medium tomatoes, chopped 1 and a 1/2 cups of grated tasty cheese METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. 2. Heat oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until softened. Add cumin, coriander, paprika and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add mince. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up mince, for 8 minutes or until browned. Add crushed tomato. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Place wonton wrappers into greased mini cupcake tray. Bake in heated oven for five minutes or until crispy. Remove from oven and allow to cool briefly before filling with seasoned cooked beef.


This week in Mighty Mites… The Stage 2’s: Warmed up their bodies while they acted out a story of The Little Possum Who Couldn’t Fly. Continued reading the Magic Body Book, today they discussed the heart and its function. Spoke about a healthy drink Mighty Mite loves, milk! It keeps his bones strong and healthy. The Stage 3’s: Played a game of scoop and throw while they developed their ball reaction time and catching

skills. Learnt about another layer of their bodies in the Magic Flipchart Book, today they discussed

the heart and circulatory system. Spoke about the health benefits of avocados, they are good for our hearts, skin and hair! This week in Mighty Mites we played a game of scoop and throw! The children each had a turn to catch a ball in a large scoop and to scoop-throw it back to the coach. This game challenged their hand eye coordination and was a great way to develop their ball skills for sports such as tennis, softball and cricket in a fun and age-appropriate manner. For more information visit www.mightymites.com.au or call us on (02) 9460 1100

http://www.mightymites.com.au/�


Stage 2 - Under the Sea Used a picture postcard of 'Under the Sea' as the stimulus to the lesson. Discussed what they might see or find under the sea. Recreated the postcard, each child chose what they wanted to be and told the audience

(others in the class) what they were. 'Teacher in role' acted as a diver, telling us a story of what she found under the sea. The children then followed the diver under the ‘sea’ using a number of props to show the animals they saw. Used the parachute to create the sea, moving it at different speeds to burst the bubbles that

the diver blew. Stage 3 - Role Play and continuing with the stories for the concert Introduced a very basic role-play involving two telephones. This allowed each child as well as

the audience to gain a better understanding of what character they were playing. Within the role-play each child had to ask another child a question and the other child had to

answer it as best they could. Basic Hot Seating of each character in the stories. Continued with the stories/poems the children are acting out at the end of the year.

volume 1 issue 33 - reddam housereddamhouse.com.au/pdf/news2013/els/elsvol1issue33.pdfthe children...

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