Dates for your diary
FEBRUARY
25th - Living safely with dogs incursion at Bush Kinder
29th - Uniform orders due
MARCH
1st - Healthways water safety incursion (Banksia/Jacaranda)
2nd - Healthways water safety incursion (Waratah/Willow)
4th -Three-year-olds' welcome picnic
10th - Bush Kinder
14th - Labour Day holiday, kinder closed
18th - Four-year-olds' welcome picnic
19th - Working Bee
24th - Easter Egg hunt at Bush Kinder
24th - Last day of Term 1
MAY
8th – Mother’s Day Dinner (social event)
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SOCIAL & FUNDRAISING NEWS
UNIFORM ORDERS
You would have all received your order forms in your pigeon holes by now. If you would like to order any pieces, please complete the form by MONDAY 29TH FEBRUARY and put it in the fundraising box near where you sign in. There’s also the second hand uniform box that you can purchase items from.
3s & 4s WELCOME PICNIC DATES TO PUT IN YOUR DIARY
3 -YEAR-OLD GROUPS & GUMNUTS
FRIDAY 4TH MARCH
TIME: 5:30 – 7:30PM
4-YEAR-OLD GROUPS
FRIDAY 18TH MARCH
TIME: 5:30 – 7:30PM
Futher information to follow
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Director's report
Welcome back everyone for 2016. I'm constantly reminded by our fantastic teaching team of the importance of play in the lives of our children, and the play is now in full swing at Rangeview Preschool for 2016. As of the middle of February all groups were in full swing, including our new Gumnuts program.
To all of those families new to the Rangeview community we wish you an especially warm welcome and there will be a number of opportunities coming up in Term 1 to help you connect with those parents in your group and the wider community. We always look forward to your perspectives, contributions and ideas - so feel free to share them with us over the year.
The committee of management at Rangeview Pre-School continues to be represented by a large number of clever and committed parents who bring a wide range of experience and skills. It is the work of the committee that helps support our staff, provide the beautiful place spaces and keep the kindergarten running as smoothly as it does. I know everyone is looking forward to another great year in which we hope to see our backyard redevelopment completed and exploring a range of new ways to improve the way we can communicate and engage with our teachers and broader community.
I'm always up for a chat and to hear about any idea or thoughts you have. So, feel free to contact me at any stage,
Daniel Donahoo
president@rangeviewpreschool.vic.gov.au
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 Willow & Jacaranda Group News  |
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Amelia, Betty and I, would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and your child to our Three Year Old Groups and to thank you for your time on interview days. It is always a very busy and at times hectic week or two as we exchange information and begin to get to know your wonderful children. The shorter sessions and smaller groups allow all the children the opportunity to adjust to a new environment and new people around them with the support of their teachers. Most of the children have settled well and are beginning to find their way around our kinder. We thank you for your understanding and patience during this settling in time.
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Separating
For some of our young friends and our parents, separating from loved ones can be difficult. It is important that children and parents feel comfortable about being left and leaving. Most children go through the process of separation anxiety. Click here to read an article “Making Goodbyes Easier”.
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We find that developing a consistent routine helps to alleviate some of the anxiety that some children may feel. The start of the session can be extremely important in how your child may deal with the day. We ask that you please arrive on time so that your child can join their friends on the mat at the beginning of the session. This helps your child develop a sense of belonging to their group.
Always say goodbye to your child when you are leaving, let them know that you will be back at the end of the session and then go quickly without lingering.
Even if your child is a little upset, we find that after a short while the tears usually subside. Please be assured that we will call you if your child distress is ongoing.
Kinder Routines: Our routines help us to provide a nurturing environment for our children, teaching them what is expected, providing reassurance and developing a sense of belonging and wellbeing. However long (or little) time it may take, you will usually notice a new confidence in your child once they overcome this stage. Learning to trust is an enormous step for children and we want it to be as easy as possible.
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Parents: It is great when you bring your children to kinder that you catch up with friends as well, however please be mindful of your conversations in the room as the children are greeting each other. It is often very hard to hear when our parents are chatting together.
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The children have a lot to take in, learn and cope with in the first term of kindergarten. They are learning to be a part of a group, and that we must listen to and be respectful of others. They are discovering that sharing and taking turns is a big part of kinder life. As they play the children are learning to think, solve problems, concentrate, act with confidence, create, take responsibility, use initiative, experiment, choose, discover, cooperate, persevere and practise what they are learning, take risks and question.
Wow, that is a lot of learning!
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Our Pre-school room has been planned to incorporate some of the interests that the children’s background information form provided for us as well as our wonderful conversations together on interview days. Throughout the sessions we endeavour to provide the children with a wide range of experiences, environments and sensory play to explore. The sand tray and ice trays are wonderful sensory experiences for the children and a good place to begin interactions with others as their little hands are busy. The train track and the construction site has been popular with the children and we often use these play spaces to encourage the children to interact with us. Often simply asking “I wonder where I will place this piece of track” begins a lovely conversation with a child. Which in turn begins building a sense of belonging in the child.
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Our creative experiences in the room have also been very popular. The pasting table has been a busy place as the children manipulate scissors, glue and brushes to explore colours and shapes to create their artworks.
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Painting at the easel is a wonderful opportunity to learn about and explore colours. Whatever strokes the children use on the paper they are learning to control their movements as they position the brush and move it about the paper. Every painting tells a story, some simply show colours whereas others are more elaborate with tales of rainbows, gardens and people.
We have shared our outdoor play with our friends in the four year old groups. Many of the children were a little shy at first, but soon began to explore aspects of the yard with us. The sand pit and water course were a definite favourite and the outdoor kitchen provided wonderful opportunities for the children to interact with each other and us. We have enjoyed some very delightful “dinners” with the children.
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Healthy snacks for children: During our shorter sessions we have enjoyed sharing some fruit with our friends. The watermelon was very popular and very refreshing and we also enjoyed grapes, apple and banana. While we have eaten the children have been eager to share with us their favourite fruits and vegetables and some that they do not particularly like.
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The children have also been encouraged to drink water, as this helps their bodies stay hydrated and healthy.
Please remember we are encouraging healthy eating and drinking habits throughout our routines. We aim to have snack at about 11am. Please provide your child with two or three healthy items to choose from in their named snack box. Cheese, yoghurt, fruit, vegies, a small sandwich are a good place to start. As we observe the children we will be able to let you know if more or less is required in their snack box. The healthier the food items - the more sustained the children will be as they participate in the session. Children do not require their own drink bottle at kinder, as we provide them with water to drink.
As the children become more settled and comfortable over the term, our mat time experiences will extend. We have read stories to the children and have begun learning some new finger rhymes and songs together.
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Our journey has begun and we are looking forward to sharing many interesting ideas and experiences with your children. I will be giving more information on the program over the next week so keep an eye on your pigeon holes / email. Please feel free to chat to me about any concerns that you may have regarding your child, the program or any other issues.
Again a very warm WELCOME to you all.
Kim, Amelia and Betty
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*Sunsmart Center
Please make sure your child has their hat every day. A legionnaire style or broad brimmed hat with a minimum 5cm brim is required from the beginning of September until the end of April.
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A good idea is to leave one in their locker. Maybe even attach something to it to help them recognise their hat, such as a ribbon, badge etc. as many children at this stage cannot recognise their name yet.
Please also remember to have sunscreen on your children prior to each session.
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* Change of clothes
Children do at times have accidents and may require changing. Please keep a change of clothes, underwear and socks in your child's bag.
Please also read the attached clothing policy especially as to suitable clothes in hot weather.
Name all clothing please. We do at times need to change the children, please clearly name all items; hats, jumpers, t-shirts, socks, underwear so that they do not become lost.
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*Footwear
Appropriate footwear is essential; sandals or sneakers are a good choice for children's feet at kinder as they allow the children to safely climb, run and move about the play spaces.
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*Lockers
Jacaranda & Willow Group Children share a locker. Please be be aware to take only your child's art work and belongings and be respectful of any items left in the locker. At the end of each session only hats should be in the locker, however, sometimes items are forgotten or children have been away.
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*Children's Bags
It is helpful to your child to have a bag that is big enough to keep a change of clothes, their hat, their snack box and their art work. Small bags cause frustration for the children learning to put their belongings away and often mean that items are left out of the bag.
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 Four Year Old Report  Waratah & Banksia
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We have had a great start to the year in the 4 year old room. All of the children have adjusted really well. It has been wonderful to have 13 children in each group to begin and 3 staff. We have been able to spend quality time with each child, getting to know them and making sure they are feeling happy and confident. We are looking forward to a very exciting year!!
Interviews
Thank you to families for coming along to our interviews at the start of term. It was lovely to meet you all and your wonderful children. At the beginning of each year we are focussed on getting to know our families and ensuring that all our paperwork is complete. This is an important time for us to meet you and talk about your child, their interests and discuss individual goals for the year. This helps us in our planning to ensure that we achieve the best possible outcomes for each child during their year in kindergarten. Additionally, we welcome your input and advice regarding your child throughout the year.
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Orientation
The reduced groups sizes and shorter sessions of the orientation program have been invaluable to both staff and children. Having smaller groups sizes has enabled the staff to spend lots of one-on-one time with each child, getting to know them and helping them feel safe and secure in the environment. The small groups have also been important in forming friendships.
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Our Program
During the first few weeks of our program we focus on learning about the routines in the 4 year old room. We have introduced our visual story board which lets us know what is happening “now” and what is happening “next”. Through reading the storyboard each session, children know what will be taking place throughout their day. This is important because this gives children a sense of security and control over their environment.
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We have set up the room so that small groups of children can spend time at activities. This enables the children to participate in small group conversations, get to know each other and begin making friendships. These experiences include play dough, water beads, puzzles, painting, box construction, kinetic sand, puppet play, easel painting, light box, block construction, manipulative construction, home corner and water play.
We have also been using some “getting to know you” games and songs so that the children can learn each other’s names. These include “Bee Bee Bumble Bee”, “Where Is..?” and “Tic Tac Toe” with photos.
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Bush Kinder
We are so excited about our Bush Kinder program. Yarran Dheran offers so many hands-on nature-based learning opportunities. Please feel free to come along and take a look! We had a wonderful first session and look forward to a great year! Please look out for our reflections each fortnight at Yarran Dheran.
BUSH KINDER DATES FOR TERM !:
*THURSDAY 25TH FEBRUARY
*THURSDAY 10th MARCH
*THURSDAY 24th MARCH (Last kinder session)
Please remember - if your child takes their kinder hat home to take to Bush Kinder, to return it at their next kinder session. It would be great if you have two hats for your child so that one hat could be left at kinder and the other used for Bush Kinder.
Weekly Reflection
At the beginning of each week our weekly reflection will be on display in the foyer. This is a document which recounts the previous week in 4 year old kinder, illustrated with photos of the children. Each week we use observations of the children and their individual reflections to inform our planning for future experiences.
Focus Children
From 15 February we began our focus groups. During the week that your child is our focus we take observations of their day and use this information to inform our planning. This information is used to plan experiences that will be of particular interest to your child and build on their understandings. From this, we will write learning stories which will be placed in each child’s Learning Journal. The Learning Journals are on display in the kinder room above the children’s drawers. The schedule for focus children is on display in the kinder foyer.
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We Belong
We have sent home your child’s handprint to add to our “Belonging feature” on the wall before you enter the 4 year old room. We ask that families share with us some of your child’s favourite things to do at home! Please write these on each fingerprint. We will share these with the groups at kinder so we all get to know each other more. Your child’s handprint will then be placed on the “Belonging Wall”.
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Our Family Frame
Please bring in your family photos so we can add to our beautiful family frame! Children enjoy having their family photo at kinder and telling others about who belongs in their family.
Coming Up
This Term we have two incursions planned.
“Living Safely with Dogs” will be visiting Bush Kinder THURSDAY 25th FEBRUARY
This incursion teaches children how to approach dogs safely, what to do if you see a dog off a leash and how to tell if a dog is angry. This incursion will be invaluable if there are any dogs off their leash at Bush Kinder. Families will receive an email soon about this incursion. There will also be a parent session too.
“Healthways” will be visiting us on:
Tuesday 1 March (Banksia) and
Wednesday 2 March (Waratah).
This is a government-run program, which teaches children how to be safe around water at pools, rivers and the beach.
Thursday 24th March is the last session of Term 1.
We will be at Bush Kinder and we will be having an Easter Egg Hunt!
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Reminders
This year we have decided to email most notices to families. Therefore, please be sure to check your emails regularly.
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Change of Clothes
Please remember to send along a spare change of clothing in your child’s bag. Kinder is such a busy, engaging environment and sometimes accidents happen! Please label each item of clothing.
The children are loving digging in the sandpit and using the water pump, they have so much fun, but they can get wet! A change of clothes is so important!
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- Please remember to apply sunscreen on your child before kinder.
- Please remember to sign in and out your child for each session.
- The Parent Roster is next to the 4 year old sign in book, please write your name down for duty for Term 1.
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We have begun our long days. Please ensure your child has a snack (preferably fruit and another item) and lunch. The children get very hungry on the long days so please ensure that they have enough food. Healthy foods with less sugar content will help maintain the children’s energy levels throughout the day.
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Please come and speak to us if you have any concerns, feedback or suggestions!
The 4 Year Old Team
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Our Gumnuts program is in full swing with an enthusiastic bunch of children enjoying their session each Thursday morning. The program featured in the Whitehorse Leader late last year.
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ON THE HUNT FOR GRANTS
Our resourceful grants officers, Jo Harrop and Kyla Petrilli, are already scouting out funds for building, playground and other improvements and they’d be pleased to hear of any funds being awarded by your workplace.
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A note from your Communications Officer - Hi! My name is Belinda Howe - mum to Courtney in Waratah - and I will be compiling the Rangeview Ramblings this year. If you have anything you would like included in the newsletter or posted on our Facebook page, please feel free to email me at news.rangeview@gmail.com
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