Preschool

Preschool Newsletter Week 5 Term 3

Hello Everyone

The children have really responded to the shapes project. This week we have been exploring shapes found in nature – spirals, circles, cylinders, ovals and symmetrical shapes. This has led to looking at patterns in nature as well. Yesterday Elizabeth, Alexander’s mum, brought in  some of the stunning quilts she has made and is making to show us the shapes she used when making the quilts. There were triangles, squares, rectangles, crosses, hearts and stars.

We have also been looking at treasures and treasure boxes. We have had a look at Chris’ treasures and started painting treasure boxes. If anyone has any treasures or a treasure box they’d like to share with us come and show us!

We have also been singing shape songs and shape movements in Music with Tony. Gabriela has also been singing some Spanish songs. We have a Latin American show coming to preschool on Wednesday 9th September 2009 from 10.30 – 11.30 am. The cost for this will be $8.00.

Sisse has been doing experiments with flowers, seeing if we can make watercolour using petals and leaves. Last week the flower arranging was very popular. Thanks for all bringing in flowers. Yesterday Sisse is baked delicious Danish Cinnamon Snails with the children. 

Sally and Noel (Hamish’s grandparents) planted seed potatoes in tyres on the tanbark near the spiderweb with Sisse and preschool. We are going to add a tyre every now and then and as the potatoes grow upwards they will make new potatoes along the stem. We should be able to harvest them in December. Thanks Sally and Noel!

Thanks to everyone who comes on a Monday for signing the new park excursion permission form, and for everyone getting to school in time for us to leave at 9.30 am.

Thank you to all the people who have let us know their plans for next year. The list for preschool places is still up on the window next to the sign on sheet. I will take this down at the end of the week and then begin contacting people on the waiting list.

There is a Cafe on this Friday at 2.00 pm, so bring a cake (no nuts, chocolate or kiwifruit, but cocoa is fine) to be sold at the Cafe and then come and have a cup of tea or coffee and a slice of cake with the Currambena community. There are notices up around school with the details.

Thanks to Anne for all the really useful rolls of paper and thanks to everyone who does the washing so efficiently.

Love from

Sue, Chris and Gabriela.

Posted August 27th, 2009 in Preschool by sueg

Preschool

Preschool Newsletter Week 4 Term 3

Hello Everyone

Thanks to all the parents who came to the fire station with us on Friday. We had a good session with the firefighters and learnt what to do if there’s a fire in your house or if your clothes catch on fire. We also climbed in the fire truck, used the hose and saw the ladder truck with its twelve storey ladder. We came back and wrote thank you letters to the firefighters and then posted them.

This week we have been continuing our exploration of shapes by looking at 2D and 3D shapes, imagining the movements of shapes and the sound of shapes and writing a poem about circles. We have also started a big Kandinsky inspired shape painting on the big wall. Sisse has been doing flower arranging with the children. Thanks to everyone who has brought in flowers and leaves.

A parent has expressed interest in the kind of topics children have wanted to explore this term. Here they are – fires and fire stations; shapes; buildings and building houses for Hot Wheels, Barbies and for really tall things; learning the alphabet, writing letters, painting letters, capital and small letters; helicopters and planes; playing games like hide and seek and chasing games  and looking after the ocean and helping animals that live in the ocean.

Our park visits are causing the teachers a lot of stress and we need your cooperation for them to work smoothly. The children learn so much on park visits – road safety; a joy in physical exercise; stamina;  looking at numbers and writing in the environment; walking in a group; looking at nature and the built environment and also just having fun playing games, eating fruit together, swinging, climbing and imagining.

What we need is for children to arrive at 9.00 am so that they have time to separate from their parents and have a quick play. We aim to have Morning Meeting at about 9.15 am, leaving enough time to go to the toilet and put on shoes before leaving school at 9.30 am SHARP.

We are going to trial a new permission form system instead of the weekly park permission  form as parents are still forgetting to sign this form each week. This causes confusion and stress and slows down our departure for the park. As this is a routine excursion we are assuming all parents and children know we will be going to visit the park each Monday (except if it rains).

I will be putting out a park permission form to cover the park visits for the rest of this year. Each family will need to sign this form. We will assume we have your permission unless you tell us otherwise. It is also imperative that you sign your child in on the sign on sheet every morning. Please do this promptly on Monday mornings so we know who is at preschool before we leave for the park and are able to do an accurate head count. Thank you for your cooperation!!

Fran’s “Kindergarten Information Night ” is on this Monday 24th August 2009 at 7.00 pm. All are welcome. Please fill in the preschool questionnaire that was in your child’s locker last week as there is a RSVP at the bottom of the form. We also need to know your plans for your child for next year. There is a list on the preschool window to write down the days you need for your child to attend preschool. Please talk to me if your child will be going to Fran’s or to another primary school or preschool.

Preschool hours are 9.00 am to 2.30 pm. We use the time before 9.00 am to set up the room, work on journals and have meetings. We are not available to supervise children during this time. If you arrive earlier than 9.00 am you will need to stay with your child until 9.00 am. We appreciate your cooperation with this, thank you.

There are head lice in preschool. Please check your child’s hair as a routine twice every week and treat if there is evidence of head lice. Thanks!!

Love from

Sue, Chris and Gabriela

Posted August 20th, 2009 in Preschool by sueg

Preschool

Preschool Newsletter Week 3 Term 3

Hello Everyone

Welcome to Max and Josie and their families.

Today is Information Morning and Bec is coming in to play and weave her special magic through preschool. Later on Hari’s aunt is coming to read stories in Greek with puppets. Last week Steve and Lucy brought in their fire pit and we made a fire. We tried toasting bread and marshmallows. Today Jenny and Josh are planning on visiting Reverse Garbage for some paper and other supplies. Last week Elizabeth went to Reverse Garbage for us as well. It’s wonderful to have such fantastic support and we appreciate all the sweeping, cleaning, washing, building planning, library tidying and chicken caring that happens behind the scenes as well. Thank you!!

This week we have been exploring shapes. We have some beautiful wooden solid shapes as well as flat shapes, books and  pictures. In Group Time we have been doing activities to aid in the understanding, naming and recognition of shapes. We have also been looking at a book on the Gee’s Bend quilts in America and making shape collages. In Craft tomorrow we will look at the beauty of shapes and look at Kandinsky’s work.

On Friday (this Friday 14th August) we will be going to the Crows Nest Fire Station.  We have prepared a list of questions to ask the firefighters. The children who attend on a Friday will be travelling by private car (either with a teacher or a parent). We will be leaving at 9.30am so everyone needs to be at school by 9.15am. We will return again at about 11.00am. There will be a permission form on the sign-on sheet on Friday morning. This must be signed for your child to go on the excursion.

Last week Karen put a questionnaire in each child’s locker. Please fill it in and return to Julianna or Sue. The RSVP for Fran’s “Preparation for Kindergarten Night” is at the end of the questionnaire. This evening is the opportunity for you to talk to Fran and other parents about preparing your child for kindergarten. It is open to everyone, not just families with children going to kindergarten, and not just for Currambena families. There are flyers outside preschool for you to take to give to friends. This event will be held on Monday 24th August 2009 at 7.00pm. There will be childminding available in preschool with some of the CASP team. Last year’s night was fantastic, so don’t miss it!!

We have begun our whole school planning for 2010. There is a list of the days for next year up on the window above the sign-on sheet. Please choose the days you would like your child to attend next year.  This applies to current preschool parents and also families in the primary school with siblings coming to preschool next year. Come and secure your days now! If your child will not be attending preschool in 2010 please come and tell me. We need to know if children will be going to Fran’s or to another school or preschool. Once everyone has chosen their days I will be offering places to people on the waiting list.

Lastly, we need someone who loves attending to detail to sort out puzzles and put all the stray pieces back where they belong. If you think you’d like to do this come and speak to one of us.

Love from

Sue, Chris and Gabriela.

Posted August 12th, 2009 in Preschool by sueg

Preschool

Preschool Newsletter Week 2 Term 3

Hello Everyone

This is just a quick newsletter this week as the server has been down. Here are the essentials for this week-

Welcome to Sisse, who is a social eductor student from Denmark. Sisse will be with preschool this term and with Fran and Jo next term.

This week we have been talking about volcanoes, doing fire experiments and finding out about helicopters and flying machines. We have also been making sandwiches and crackers with a variety of fillings. We are also doing nature collages inpired by the work of land artist, Andy Goldsworthy. Tomorrow we are making a fire with Steve, Elaine and Lucy!

Next week we are going to visit the Fire Station on Friday 14th August, leaving at 9.30am and returning at about 1.00 am. Transport will be in teachers’ and parents’ cars. Please sign the permission form on Friday morning.

On a Monday we have canteen and children can buy morning tea, lunch and an iceblock. Also please sign the permission form every Monday morning as we go to the park every week.

One child in preschool has chicken pox. Look out for spots and feeling unwell.

We have also had headlice in preschool. Can everyone make checking their children’s hair a regular routine? Thanks.

We love parents to borrow the journals to read and to add to, but we need them back the next preschool day as we work on them continually.

There is an online survey for parents to provide feedback on the “Regulation Impact Statement”  to do with the new national regulations and quality rating being formulated by COAG.  A new Early Years Learning Framework has been released as well. Have  your say  at www.deewr.gov.au/earlychildhood or make a written submission to ECECQuality@deewr.gov.au

Thanks to everyone who has read books, brought in craft and play materials and spent time in preschool with us this week.

Love from

Sue. Chris and Gabriela.

Posted August 5th, 2009 in Preschool by Newsletter

Preschool

Preschool Newsletter Week 1 Term 3

Hello Everyone

Welcome back!  We hope everyone had a good rest over the holidays. Thanks to everyone who helped with the end of the term cleaning and washing.

We have started exploring the big topic of  ’fire’. This came out an interest in fire fighters and fire stations. In the last week of last term Charlie’s Uncle  Tad came and spoke to us about his work as a voluntary firefighter in country Victoria. We also painted a big fire truck and fire on the big wall. We used some of our ‘action’ paintings to symbolise the fire. 

This week we have been talking about how fire starts, what we think it is, the different types of fire and how we use fire in all kinds of ways in our homes. In Craft we will be looking at paintings by Tim Storrier and painting fire.  Next Thursday we are  planning to make a fire with Steve, Lucy’s dad, and see if we can toast some bread.

We have an excursion planned to Crows Nest  Fire Station on Friday 14th August. We will travel by private car, leaving at 9.30am, then have a talk with the firefighters and see all their equipment. We will then drive back to school at about 10.45am. We need about two more drivers to help transport children to the Fire Station. You will need a back seat with a seat belt for each child travelling in your car. If you can help please speak to me. There is no cost for this excursion. There will be a permission form on the day. Please make sure you sign it!

This week we have also been making vegetable soup using vegetables from Chris’ garden and the school’s vegetable garden. Next week we will be making sandwiches in preschool.

We are starting our whole school preparations for 2010. We need to know which children will be continuing into Fran’s class for Kindergarten next year. Please come and let us know of your plans. In a few weeks I will be putting up the days of the week for 2010 and asking parents whose children will be continuing in preschool next year to choose the days they would like their children to attend.

Fran will be hosting an evening called “Preparing for Kindergarten” on Monday 24th August at 7.00pm. This is open to the wider community, regardless of whether your child attends Currambena, is going to Fran’s or even to Kindergarten next year. Last year’s talk was a really fantastic session with all kinds of valuable topics discussed. Come and share the discussion and invite your friends too!

Wendy, Fran and the children who went to Laura will be holding a Laura Presentation on Tuesday 11th August at 7.00pm. They will tell us all about their amazing trip and think of the next one in 2011.

Lastly, we need our new fire extinguisher put up on the wall. If you’d like to do this and use up some maintenance hours just come and see us.

Thanks to Eduardo, Magda, Leo and Pablo for looking after the chickens during the holidays!

Love

Sue, Chris and Gabriela.

Posted July 29th, 2009 in Preschool by sueg

Preschool

Preschool Newsletter Week 11 Term 2

Hello Everyone

The Currambena 40th birthday party was such a fantastic occasion, there were so many people, reminding us that Currambena is so much more than just the sum of us who are part of it now. Thanks to all who made it such a happy occasion.

The Nepal Stall was very successful yesterday. We raised $385.00!! Everyone worked hard sorting, setting up the stall and pricing. Thanks to all the children and everyone who baked and brought in things to sell. Thanks to Paul for helping sell goods. Here’s a Currambena story that touched all our hearts. An ex- Currambena preschool pupil and her dad were out shopping a few days ago and found $50.00 on the street. The child’s father asked her what they should do with the money. She replied, “We should give it to some poor people.” They gave it to the Nepal Stall. That can keep fifty children in school for one day, or one child in school for fifty days!! Thank you!!!

This is the last week of term, school re-opens on Tuesday 28th July 2009. We say good bye to Sebastian and also to Lawson, who is  going to China!  Alex and her family will be returning from a term’s overseas travel.

This week we are cleaning, taking down work and winding up the term. We have been talking about what we’d all like to learn about and do next term. 

Tara and her family have donated their old unworking microwave to the sandpit play area. Everyone is very pleased as it has a door that shuts. A lot of cooking and baking gets done out at the sand pit.

We have not got any more mice yet. I will get them in the school holidays. The chickens also need somewhere to stay for the holidays. If anyone can look after them, please see me. You just need a secure place for them to sleep at night.

Have a happy holiday everyone!

Love

Sue, Chris and Gabriela.

Posted July 8th, 2009 in Preschool by sueg

Preschool

Preschool Newsletter Week 10 Term 2

Hello Everyone

It’s Currambena’s 40th Year reunion on Sunday at 12 o’ clock. All kinds of interesting things are planned – a delicious lunch and a sausage sizzle, whole school singing, various speakers, meeting Currambena’s alumni and founders and more. Please come and bring some food to share. There’s a list on the noticeboard where you can write down your contribution.

This week we have been talking about pollution in the sea and mermaids. We are making a mermaid grotto to play in. In Craft tomorrow we are going to do some action painting. Ann, Ben’s mum, is planning on making pancakes with preschool this morning. Last week’s pancakes were delicious and very popular with the children (and adults).

We also went to the park on Monday as we finally had a sunny Monday. Please remember to sign the permission form each Monday morning. It’s on the sign-on sheet. Also, please can people remember to sign the sign-on sheet every day that their child attends preschool? Thanks!!!

The Nepal Stall is being held next Tuesday. Please bring in things to sell and also money to spend on the day. We need things baked for the day as well. Yesterday Preschool had a meeting with Fran, Jo and the Aussiekids to work out how to run the stall.

It’s the second last week of term. A list of cleaning jobs needed to be done has been put on the glass doors next to the lunch table. Please come and put your name down for a job to be done next week. This counts as maintenance so don’t forget to write it up in the maintenance folder in the front foyer of the main building.

The last day of term is next Friday, 10th July 2009. We re-open on Tuesday 28th July 2009. CASP is open for the whole day on Monday 27th July 2009, so see Colin if you would like to book your child in. Amba is also running holiday CASP on certain days. There is a list on the main noticeboard, so write your child’s name down if you need care for them during the holidays.

The chickens need a holiday home for the holidays.If you would like to look after them see me. They need a secure place to sleep at night, fresh food and water each day, a laying box and access to the garden during the day.

Preschool now has a laptop computer! Thanks to Tony, Ferghus’ dad, for getting it up and running.

Chris has been working tirelessly putting out the lost property each morning, both outside preschool and under the blue umbrella. Quite a lot of things have been taken home. Please claim your child’s things as all the left-over lost property will be going to Vinnie’s in the holidays.

Here are some Spanish words and their pronunciations-

vamos (vamos) - let’s go

vamonos (vamonos) – we’re going

uno (oono) – one

dos (dos) – two

tres (trehs) – three

adentro (adehntro) – inside

dime (deemeh) – tell me – you say this when someone calls your name. In English we say “Yes?”, in Spanish you say “Dime”.

There is some more Spanish pronunciation information in the newsletter today. 

Love from Sue, Chris and Gabriela.

Posted July 1st, 2009 in Preschool by sueg

Preschool

Preschool Newsletter Week 9 Term 2

Hello Everyone

This week we have been discussing mermaids, finding out about different mermaid legends, drawing mermaids, making little mermaid gardens and writing a poem about them. We have also been doing water experiments and marbling using oil based marbling paints. Some of us cleaned out the drains yesterday and that opened up discussion on where the water in the drains went once it left the school. We also looked for worms.

Gabriela has been speaking lots of Spanish with the preschool. Here is a list of the words children have been using this week with their pronounciations in brackets-

tortuga (tortooga) – turtle

tiburon (tiibooron) – shark

playa (plaiia) – beach

hola (ola) – hello

si (see) – yes

no (no with a short “o”) – no

gracias (grasias) – thank you

We have also been doing “Boy CR” which is Conflict Resolution tailored to the behaviour we have been seeing in the boys, which is lots of physical resolution of problems, but not a lot of talking. We have been discussing what you need to say and how you need to say it when you have a problem with someone else, instead of hitting, pulling and pushing.

The Nepal Stall is being held on Tuesday 7th July 2009. Preschool and the Aussiekids (Fran and Jo’s) are holding it. Please collect books, toys, cds, dvds and any other things you no longer need and bring them in to preschool on Tuesday 7th July. We will also be selling food on the day so cakes, biscuits and any other food items will be welcome too. Just remember no nuts, kiwifruit and chocolate (cocoa is fine).

The last day of term is Friday 10th July. The first day of next term is Tuesday 28th July. CASP will be open for the whole day on Monday 27th July 2009. See Colin or one of the CASP people if you need care (and fun, imagination and physical play!) for your children on the day.

We will be putting up a list of preschool maintenance jobs to be done in the last week of the term. Please come and put your name down to do a job or two for maintenance hours. Craft has now moved to a Thursday, so there will be Craft tomorrow instead of today.

Can all parents please check the preschool area at the end of each day and take home their child’s belongings. We will be taking all the unclaimed lost property to Vinnie’s in the holidays. Thank You!!!

Thanks to the following people-

Steve, for replacing the neon light in preschool

Jin Hua for cutting easel paper

Uli for reading books in German to the children

and Ann and Ben who are planning on coming in to make pancakes with us today.

Love from

Sue, Chris and Gabriela.

Posted June 24th, 2009 in Preschool by sueg

Preschool

Preschool Newsletter Week 8 Term 2

Hello Everyone

The aquarium visit was lots of fun. The rain held off at the right times, the dugongs were beautiful, the sharks and fish all interesting and a rainbow shone for the journey home!! Each dugong eats 90kg of lettuce every day! It’s a full-time job catering for dugong meals as all the lettuce has to be washed and threaded onto special frames and then lowered into the tank. Thanks to all the parents who came with us and made the excursion such a happy learning experience. We appreciated your help.

This week we have continued the exploration of marine life. Yesterday we added photos of the creatures we saw at the aquarium to the mural. There is also a poster of photos of us all enjoying the excursion. In Craft today we are planning on making a life-size shark.

There is also an interest in cars and we have some car books and have started a project on cars. If anyone has an interesting/sports car we’d love to have a look at it! 

Last Wednesday Chris, Gabriela and I went to a talk on bilingualism, simultaneous and successive language learning. It was really interesting and informative. What is most important in families where one family member speaks another language is that they consistently speak that language to the children of the family. Another thing we learnt is to value the incredible resource that a person who speaks another language brings to an environment. In light of this, Gabriela has started speaking a lot more Spanish in the daily routines. We also have some bilingual children’s books from the library. If anyone has any linguistic resources or experience to share we would love you to come and share it with us and the children.

School Meeting is now at 9.30am on a Friday morning to give a longer period of unbroken time on Fridays. The primary school has reinvigorated the Friday program to enable children to have more choice in personal projects and more extended time to devote to these projects.

Today is Willem and Luuk’s last day. We hope they have lots more fantastic experiences in their last month of Australia, and find wonderful schools to work in when they get back to Holland.

Lastly a reminder to parents to please sign the sign-on sheet each morning when dropping children at preschool.

Thanks to Kasia and Stan for the beach materials and Rebecca and Oscar for the dress-up items.

Love from

Sue, Chris and Gabriela.

Posted June 17th, 2009 in Preschool by sueg

Preschool

Preschool Newsletter Week 6 Term 2

Hello Everyone,

We are halfway through the term already! This week we have been talking about families, who is in our family, what families do and drawing our families. The discussions and drawings are up on the wall next to the heater. There are some new babies up on the baby photo poster as well. We have also been playing with the dolls house and little people.

The Currambena AGM is on this Thursday, 4 th June,  at 6.00pm. Please bring a pot of soup and some bread to share.  Payman needs help setting up, so talk to her if you can help.

We have had several children bringing in Uncle Toby’s muesli bars with almonds in them. Please read the ingredients of any food that you bring to school. Foods that say “may contain traces of nuts” and “processed on equipment that also processes nuts” are fine to bring to school, just no nuts, kiwifruit, chocolate and lollies, please! 

We are planning an excursion to the Sydney Aquarium on Tuesday 16th June 2009. The cost will be approximately $20.00 per child and per adult helper. We will need 5 parent helpers on the day, preferably with no younger siblings as you will have the care of three preschool children for the day. We will have limited seats on the bus, so we need to keep the amount of helpers to 5 only, if possible. More details will follow in the next few days, so look out on the noticeboard and in the newsletter. If you would like to help speak to Sue. Thanks!!

We have a request from school meeting. If anyone uses the spare room it needs to be locked again  afterwards.  Valuable Maths and Sport equipment is stored in the spare room and we want to keep it intact. Please make sure there are no children in the room before locking!! Thanks!!

Thanks to the following people -

Christine, for the bags and boxes.

Myung-Jin and Charlie, for coming and talking to us about looking after a baby.

Julie, for the craft items.

and everyone who does our washing!!

Love from

Sue, Chris and Gabriela.

Posted June 3rd, 2009 in Preschool by sueg