The saying, “time flies when you are having fun” has certainly rung true for the ELC in Term 1.

It only felt like yesterday that we welcomed 88 new families to the ELC in January and we’re already wrapping up Term 1.

Establishing Relationships & Routines
The focus for this term has been for staff to build strong relationships with each family, develop consistent routines and set clear boundaries, and plan an engaging learning environment based on the interests of the children. These core areas enable the children to feel safe and secure, knowing each day they will see the same trusted staff, and be able to predict what happens in their flexible ‘rhythm’ of the day.

Classroom Explorations
Following the children’s interests has varied across each room; Colley Room children developed a class inquiry around maps; Hastings Room focused on measurement – measuring the children’s heights and comparing the lengths of different items by using non-standard units of measurement. In Moseley Room insects and bugs became the strong focus where the children particularly enjoyed the ‘Insect Scavenger Hunt’ around the school grounds. All rooms have completed their Term 1 Self-Portraits and are on display in all the rooms. It’s lovely to see over the year the progression of each child’s fine motor skills and stages of drawing development grow.

Celebrating Harmony Week
Harmony Week was celebrated earlier in the term, with the theme ‘Everyone Belongs’. Preschool rooms celebrated by reading the story, ‘Whoever you Are’ by Mem Fox – a story exploring everyone’s differences, including the language we speak, our appearance and where we are from – we all belong. Hastings and Moseley Rooms collaborated to create a shared art project that is currently on display on the glass doors between both rooms. In Colley Room the Kapara residents helped them celebrate Harmony Week by making hand leaves for the Harmony Tree which is now on display at Kapara. Even our youngest students in Ramsgate Room decorated a petal each to create Friendship flowers for Harmony Day.

We look forward to seeing what new learning opportunities arise next term.

Article shared by Virginia Files, ELC Executive Director.