Amy’s Message - Reddam House

1 Reddam EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | WOOLLAHRA NEWSLETTER 1 Amy s Message 24 JUNE 2016 Dear Families, We had a great response to the invitation sent to the families to view the Reflection Journals. The children were very proud to show their families what they have been doing over the term. I would like to thank all our families for participating in this event. Please note that the Journals are always available to families to view throughout the term and you are more than welcome to spend a few quiet moments sharing this with your child as it reflects their learning journey and illustrates their participation in the classroom.

2 I would like to thank our amazing team for all the hours of work in putting these journals together. We have been doing weekly tours for new families and have received wonderful feedback that I would like to share with our present families - I can t tell you how much admiration I have for the schools values and approach to learning. I love how Reddam embraces intellectual curiosity and developmental play, fosters individuality and recognizes the importance of education from a young age. It is always affirmation to hear from new families how our school is viewed. Lastly, thank you for your continued support over the past term and being so involved in all that we do with the children.

3 Wishing all our families that will be going away over the holiday period safe travels and the opportunity to make lovely memories. We look forward to sharing our Vacation Programme with all the children that will be at the early Learning School over the holidays. Warm regards Amy Reddam EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | WOOLLAHRA NEWSLETTER 2 The Nest Reflecting on Term Two By Tatiana Botrel, Mary Claire Cronin and Ma Yanran This week was the last one for Term Two. Time is flying and the children in The Nest had another memorable time exploring the end of autumn and arrival of winter. What s inside? was our provocation this term and the children led the way to many more interests that became clear during the last few weeks.

4 The children loved discovering the natural world, looking for insects all over the playground and exploring the little gardens around the trees. Others loved exploring some of the treasures they found inside the surprise boxes, especially the ones related to transports cars, trucks, fire engine, trains planes etc. Watching the children thriving in The Nest brings a great sense of pride. As teachers we are fortunate to see the children s engagement in the activities offered throughout the day and we are also very grateful for being part of their young lives. On behalf of the Nest team I would like to thank all families for being so supportive during the term.

5 It was beautiful to watch you coming in to school to spend some time reading the children s Reflection Journals. Please feel welcome to access this book anytime during the school term as it tells their learning journey and illustrates their participation in the classroom. I would like to finish this last newsletter of the term with a quote from Loris Malaguzzi, one of the founders of the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy, which is also one of the main foundations of Reddam Early Learning Schools. This quote truly inspires us in the Nest as it is the age of discoveries: 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.

6 Hope you all have a lovely weekend and wish you a great school break, whether away or at Reddam . Reddam EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | WOOLLAHRA NEWSLETTER 3 The Nest Photo Gallery Reddam EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | WOOLLAHRA NEWSLETTER 4 The Nest Photo Gallery Reddam EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | WOOLLAHRA NEWSLETTER 5 The Nest Photo Gallery Reddam EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | WOOLLAHRA NEWSLETTER 6 Fledglings I spy with my little During the week we read our story On The Farm I spy with my little We all found different animals that live on the farm. Some of the children even recognised most of the animals before even seeing the illustration. We have been noticing that pigs have small curly tails and we have learned that pigs are pink.

7 In the Atelier, we started creating our own pigs. We mixed red and white paint together to make the colour pink. We then individually glued some small curly tails to our pigs. Dramatic play interest The home corner was clearly of interest this week amongst the children. These experiences are truly rich in communication as lots of conversation could be heard about what food was being eaten and also being polite and pouring out tea for a friend or helping a friend cut their fruit in half. Role-play was clearly evident when the children used the props to eat, drink and cut with the wooden knife and butter some bread.

8 Providing dramatic play experiences for children enhances language, social inclusion and stimulates the children s learning and is a powerful form of play. It is magic to see the children s imaginations open and see how the children observe their world. It is unbelievable to think we have reached the end of Term Two. What a great term it has been. We are so impressed with how settled and confident the children feel with their teachers, peers and in their school environment. We are really looking forward to the next three weeks of the Holiday care program where there is many fun and exciting activities planned.

9 Learning Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners. The children were very excited to hand their mummies, daddies and loved ones an invitation to come into their classroom and share the beautiful work they completed during Term Two. It was so nice to see the children s and the parent s faces fill with pride and joy. This was a very beautiful experience for the children to show off all their special work. Learning Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity. Reddam EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | WOOLLAHRA NEWSLETTER 7 Fledglings Photo gallery Reddam EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | WOOLLAHRA NEWSLETTER 8 Fledglings Photo Gallery Reddam EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | WOOLLAHRA NEWSLETTER 9 Fledglings Photo Gallery Reddam EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | WOOLLAHRA NEWSLETTER 10 Stage 2 Reflections The sharing of the reflection journals of the children with their families was a wonderful way to end Term 2.

10 It was such a delight to see the children showing their parents and grandparents the things they had been doing in school. A sense of belonging to the school is a strong part of a child s social and emotional development and the fact that they take pride in their achievements tells us that we are doing our jobs as nurturing teachers and educators. Thank you to the families for the wonderful feedback we were given. Specialist Classes This term our sports days with Spencer on a Wednesday and our music sessions with Justin on a Friday have been a highlight of the children. Spencer is always greeted with big smiles and enthusiasm and Justin lots of jumping and Yeah to music. Next term these classes will change days and the M-W group will have music and the Thu-Fri group will have sport.