parkdale preschool · i would also like to acknowledge emma white, ... being an effective...

There will be a hard copy of this newsletter

in the folder in the foyer at the preschool.

To submit articles, email: [email protected]

PARKDALE PRESCHOOL

Newsletter

Issue 6

September 2015

Inside this issue:

President column 1

Framework Focus: Communication 2-3

Working Bee 3

End of the Year Plans 3

Sea Star and Dolphin Diary 4-5

SunSmart Season 5

Parkdale Preschool Fundraising Events 6

Important Policy Update 6

Remember my birthday! 7

Parkdale Preschool in the news 7

Grace as big sis 7

One of our greatest assets as a kindergarten is the support of our parent community. It is

the cornerstone of Parkdale Preschool and sets us apart from other services. Our families

are a vital part of the management of the preschool and the reason why our learning space

and playground are so well resourced.

I have stopped to gratefully reflect on this point more than once in recent times. It was

fantastic to see so many of us come together to show our football allegiances at the

preschool’s major fundraiser - the Footy Trivia Night. The event raised more than $6000

for our planned renovations to the classroom. Importantly, it also allowed us to cement

the friendships we have forged as parents over the kinder year.

The night was a resounding success because of the meticulous planning, co-ordination and

commitment of the event’s sub-committee and I thank Katherine Morrissey, Caroline

Morgan, Catherine Matthews, Christina Anderton and Kate Nixon for their tireless work.

I would also like to acknowledge Emma White, Beck Symons and Natalie Caughey who

worked with our children to design and produce each group’s original artwork that was

auctioned on the night. The resulting pieces were tasteful and impeccably presented. It is

because of these efforts the committee of management can confidently continue with plans

to replace a majority of our rear windows and open up access to our playground with bi-

fold doors.

Our playground itself will also benefit from an imminent make-over because of the

contribution of our parents. Vice President Soren Kemp has successfully applied for a

$2000 Kingston Council Community Grant to replace the aging climbing frame in the

middle of our outdoor area. As a result, the Turtle parents banded together to remove the

old timber structure at the last working bee. It was a huge job and we owe them a debt of

thanks. The teachers are now looking at options to purchase new portable climbing frames

and a crash mat for jumping with the grant. Its removal also allows for a more flexible use

of the space for things such as sport and performances throughout the year. Our next

working bee is November 8 and everyone is invited for a sausage sizzle and to help out.

Resources and parent involvement are just a part of what makes Parkdale Preschool

special, it is also our commitment to reflect on what we do and how we can adapt to meet

the future needs of our children and our families. To this end I would strongly encourage all

families to fill out the 2015 Parent Satisfaction Survey as openly and honestly as you can. It

is this feedback which shapes our education program and ensures we continue to meet and

exceed your expectations. Thank you to those parents who have already returned their

survey. Completed forms can be placed in the box in the preschool foyer.

We are now looking forward to the final term of our preschool year when our children

will work towards making transitions to four-year-old kindergarten or to the momentous

milestone of starting primary school. The committee is also looking at succession planning

as we prepare to elect a new committee at our Annual General Meeting on November 25,

at 7pm. More details will be included in our next newsletter but please save the date in

your diaries – all families are invited to attend.

Belinda Winthrop

Parkdale Preschool Association President 2015

(Grace W’s mum – Turtles)

[email protected]

Issue 6— September 2015

express emotions. This is the first steps towards

reading.

At kinder, we share the traditional stories and

symbols from children’s cultures, re-enact well-

known stories and use the creative arts, such as

drawing, painting and sculpture, drama, dance

and movement. Children create and explore

imaginary worlds through dramatic play and

artworks that communicate their ideas,

observations and feelings.

Children begin to engage with a range of texts

and media, obtaining meaning from them and

sharing the enjoyment of language in a variety of

ways. Fundamental to this development is the

understanding of how symbols and pattern

systems work. Children begin to explore written

communication by scribbling, drawing and

producing approximations of writing. Print-rich

environments and adults who model and respond

to children’s written messages strengthen the

progression to using conventional letters and

groups of letters as words.

There are a lots of experiences you might notice

your child participating in as they develop skills in

being an effective communicator. The role play

area, book corner, borrowing library, drawing

table, story time, the sign-in book on arrival and

creative art areas are just a few of the places you

will see literacy learning taking place in the

classroom.

Music is an integral part of our program. It plays

a role in setting the tone of the classroom,

developing skills and concepts, helping children

move through transitions (such as knowing there

is five more minutes to play, heading off to pack

their bags or wash their hands for lunch) and

building a sense of community. Of course, if you

ask the children, they will tell you singing is just a

fun part of the day!

(Continued on )

Outcome 5 in the Victorian Early Years Learning

and Development Framework is Communication.

Being an effective communicator means that

children:

interact verbally and non-verbally with others for

a range of purposes

engage with a range of texts and get meaning

from these texts

express ideas and make meaning using a range

of media

begin to understand how symbols and pattern

systems work

use information and communication technologies

to access information, investigate ideas and

represent their thinking

Children’s rich spoken language as well as

gestures and action, underpin the development

of basic literacy and numeracy concepts.

We make meaningful conversations with children

a priority and support and encourage parents to

maintain children’s home languages. The

development of children’s pre-literacy begins in

play and the teachers’ capitalise on this through

a range of experiences at kinder.

Initially, children use symbols in play to represent

and make meaning such as pretending a block is a

telephone or a scribble they make on a piece of

paper is a menu. Then they begin to be aware of

the relationships between oral and visual

representations and to recognise patterns and

relationships and the connection between them.

Such as noticing that their name starts with a

certain letter or that when we write the

combinations of letters that make up their name,

everyone will know what it means. They also

recognise the function and value of visual

elements and use them in art works to symbolise

meaning, for example using colour in painting to

Framework Focus: COMMUNICATION

2


Megan Miller, Educational Leader


3

Wibbly wobbly win,

an elephant sat on Finn.

Wibbly wobbly wailee,

an elephant sat on Bailee.

Waddle-Lee Archer

(it’s all about co-ordination and

crossing the midline)

Waddle-Lee Archer,

Waddle-Lee Archer (cross hands

over, cross hands under)

Doodley Do, Doodley Do (hand

on nose and other hand on ear with

crossed arms, swap hands to

other ear and nose with crossed

arms)

Waddle-Lee Archer,

Waddle-Lee Archer

Doodley Do, Doodley Do

I like the rest, but the one I like

best (click and clap x4)

Is Doodley Doodley Do

Yeah! (whispered and thumbs up)

Rhymes, songs and fingerplays

help build vocabulary and

develop sound discrimination

(phonological sensitivity) as well

as listening and thinking skills

(such as comprehension) and

focussing attention which are

crucial skills in literacy

development.

The size of a child’s vocabulary

and their ability to discriminate

sounds are strong predictors of

how easily a child will learn to

read when it is time for formal

instruction.

Try out a couple of our

favourites.

Wibbly, Wobbly, Woo!

(for alliteration and rhyme)

Wibbly wobbly wee,

an elephant sat on me;

Wibbly wobbly woo,

an elephant sat on you;

Framework Focus: COMMUNICATION From Page 2

Our last working bee for the year is

Sunday 8th November from 9am-12noon. Come

along to get your $100 working bee levy

refunded if you haven’t already done one.

Would you like to help out with a project instead of

attending a working bee? We need someone to

help repair a wooden day bed - replace the

support bars, sand and oil the whole thing etc.

Chat to Megan or Natasha if you can help!

WORKING BEE

As we head into

Term 4, we are planning

for our end of year

celebrations and

events. Please let your

class teacher know in

writing if your child will

be finishing kinder

earlier than the last

session of the year.

END OF YEAR PLANS

[email protected]

Sea Star and Dolphin Diary

most days, even though it was

wet and we have had a brilliant

time in the digging patch, turning

it into a mud kitchen, a building

site, a volcano and an

archaeological dig. We have

learnt all about the properties of

dirt mixed with water and some

of us have even remembered to

put on our gumboots first!

Book Week was more than just a

week as we kicked-off our

celebrations by dressing as our

favourite book character. We

loved inviting lots of parents in to

read their favourite stories to us

and we got to listen to some

stories in other languages too!

We were a little disappointed to

miss our walk down to the

Parkdale Library as the weather

prevented us from going. Luckily,

the library was able to come to

us! We found out about what a

librarian does and how to borrow

books at the library as well as

listened to some stories and sang

some songs. We have also been

trying out our acting skills as we

helped to tell different traditional

and modern tales including

Goldilocks and the Three Bears,

Caps for Sale and

Alexander’s Outing.

Our Father’s Day Breakfasts were

great fun and thank you to

everyone who joined us! The

children enjoyed making fresh

squeezed orange juice for the

dads and special visitors and Sonia

put on her chef’s hat and cooked

up lots of delicious pancakes –

yum! Many of the children

enjoyed sharing their favourite

things to do at kinder with their

special guests from building with

blocks, reading stories or climbing

and of course, kicking the footy.

Thanks to everyone who was able

to make it on the day!

(Continued on )

We became keen scientists this

term as we have enjoyed

experimenting with a variety of

science and maths topics. We

looked at measurement - weight,

height, length using measuring

tapes and scales, magnets,

floating and sinking, electricity

and circuits and making chemical

reactions by mixing bicarbonate

soda and vinegar.

We didn’t let the cold and rainy

weather get us down this winter,

as we brought some fun gross

motor activities inside. We

closed up some of our block area

and set up a tricky obstacle

course as well as the whizzy

dizzy in front of the mirror to

watch ourselves as we spun

around! We did venture outside

4


mailto:[email protected]

5


about how to approach dogs

safely – never pat a dog without

an owner there, when they are

eating, sleeping, sick or with their

puppies. Always ask the owner

before you pat a dog you don’t

know (from three big steps

away). If the owner says yes, you

need to let the dog smell your

hand and then you can pat them

along the back! There are

resources about living safely with

dogs in our parent borrowing

library in the foyer on the sign in

desk shelf. Let us know if you

would like to borrow any!

The Dolphins were pleased to

welcome back an old friend from

Turtles who has returned from a

year overseas – Alexander has

joined us for the rest of the year.

We finished the term with our

footy days. Everyone enjoyed

wearing their footy colours or

gear and donating a gold coin

donation to Very Special Kids.

Have a wonderful, relaxing

holiday break and we will see

you again on Monday 5th

October! I wonder where the

learning will take us next term…

Megan Miller

P.S. Please remember to bring your

Kinder hand towels (or a named

spare from home) each session so

we can continue to reinforce caring

for our environment with the

children.

We met Peter and his dog

Willow as part of the

Responsible Pet Education

program. We sang some songs

and learnt some important ideas

From Page 4

Sea Star and Dolphin Diary

SunSmart Season

All children are required to wear

hats and cover up with cool

clothing when outside. Families

are reminded that children need

to bring a hat (keep it in the

kinder bag) and clothing that

covers their skin. Please apply

SPF 30+ sunscreen before kinder

and we will reapply during the

longer four-year-old sessions.

Don’t just wait for hot days,

UV levels are currently on the

rise. SunSmart recommends you

check the UV Alerts for daily

sun protection times when

UV levels are at their highest.

You can do this by downloading

the free SunSmart app, online at

sunsmart.com.au, in the weather

section of newspapers, or check

on the preschool website

www.parkdalepreschool.com.au.

So from September, five things to

remember.

1. Slip on clothing that covers

your skin.

2. Slop on SPF 30+ sunscreen

before going outside.

3. Slap on a hat that shades

your head, face, eyes, ears

and neck. Keep a hat in the

kinder bag so children can

play outside the sun safe way.

4. Seek shady spots to play.

5. Slide on sunglasses labelled

AS1067.


6

Important Policy Update

The following policies were

adopted by the Committee of

Management:

Enrolment and Orientation

Fees

Child Protection

Incident, Injury, Trauma and

illness

Relaxation and Sleep

Child Safe Environment

The committee has also retired

the superseded policy:

Supervision of Children

Parents have 14 days to review

and comment on the listed

policies.

The policies are available in

hard copy in the Parkdale

Preschool Policy Manual.

For the most up-to-date version

or to forward any comments

please contact our

Administration Officer,

Stacey Ferguson.

[email protected]

Parkdale Preschool Fundraising Events

Hope you are all enjoying your

tea towels which are a lovely

memento for the year. This

fundraiser has made

approximately $280 for the

Preschool. There are a handful of

extra tea towels so if anyone

would like one please contact

Victoria Evers (Zoe Turtles)

on 0403019409

or [email protected].

Thanks to everyone who

supported our chocolate drive –

the Preschool staff have praised

you all on how easily this

fundraiser has gone this year. For

those who haven’t returned their

chocolates/money please do so

asap. There are people ready to

sell any chocolates you haven’t

been able to. The chocolate drive

has raised a massive $1080 so far.

This will be a huge boost in

resource funding for the

Preschool.

Any questions please contact

Shannon Clipperton

(Finn Turtles)

[email protected]

Coming soon:

We hope to hold a fun family

event in Term 4. We have also

had numerous requests to have

the plate fundraiser again this

year (your child draws a picture

on a template at home and it’s

turned into a melamine plate).

Keep your eye out for details

early next term.

Save the date:

A friendly reminder that our

Bunnings Sausage Sizzle is on

Sunday 22nd November.

We will require volunteers and

donations for this day.

More information to follow.

Thank you

Fundraising Committee 2015

Hi all, by now all families should

have received the Chalk and

Parent Direct Catalogues. Please

take the time to have a look at

these as they contain many toys

perfect as birthday or

Christmas presents for children

of all ages. Most importantly by

ordering through the Toy

Fundraising catalogues you are

helping Parkdale Preschool.

For every dollar you spend,

20 cents will be donated back

to our kindergarten.

Last year Parkdale Preschool

accumulated over $650 worth

of vouchers enabling Megan to

purchase new toys, books,

puzzles and arts & crafts for

our Preschool. Simply complete

the order forms and select

delivery to your home then

return all orders to the

kindergarten by 20th October.

Any questions please ask

Kelly Cox (James Turtles)

[email protected]

Dolphins Sea Stars Turtles

Name Birth Date Name Birth Date Name Birth Date

Amelia 04-Dec Bailee 20-Dec James 30-Oct

Chloe 23-Dec Finn 28-Dec Mia 18-Nov

Holly 22-Oct Flynn 22-Nov Finn 12-Dec

Lauren 03-Sep Pippa 19-Oct Zoe 11-Oct

Sara 12-Nov Grace W 29-Sep

Summer 22-Dec Grace B 21-Dec

Alexander 06-Oct Lucas 13-Sep

Lachie 28-Nov

Jake M 5-Dec

Remember my birthday!

7


Parkdale Preschool in the news

We were proud and excited to see more of our

Parkdale Preschool students from the Dolphins

class appear in the local newspapers recently.

Our kindergarten has been able to introduce the

West African djembes (drums), kiss kass and

rainmaker shakers to its four –year-old sessions

thanks to a corporate donation by gas and

electricity supplier Jemena.

Drumming helps increase the preschoolers’

motor skills and coordination while encouraging

them to share and listen to one another.

Grace as big sis

Grace Bolger, from Turtles, has welcomed the arrival of her new baby

brother Jack. He was born on September 4 weighing 2.955kg and was

50cm in length.

On behalf of the Turtles group we would like to extend a warm

congratulations to Grace, Sarah and David.

Important Dates Term 4, 2015

MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN

5 First day 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 Butterfly

Adventures

14 15 16 17 18

19 Butterfly

Adventures

20 21 22 23 24 25

26 Wild Action

Australian Animal

Incursion

27 28 29

30

31 1

2

3

Melbourne Cup

Public Holiday

4 5

Wild Action Sea

Life Incursion

6

7 8

Working Bee

9 10

2016 Dolphins

Orientation Session

(No Kinder for

2015 Turtles)

11

Completed

Transition

Statements due back

from parents

12

2016 Sea Stars

Orientation Ses-

sion (No Kinder

for 2015 Turtles)

13 14 15

16

Beach Day

Excursion to Ricketts

Point / 2016 Turtles

Orientation

Session

17 18 19 20 21 22

Bunnings

Sausage Sizzle

Fundraiser

23 24 25

2016 Term 1

fees due / Annual

General Meeting at

7pm (all 2015 & 2016

families invited)

26

School Uniform

Dress Up Day

27

School Uniform

Dress Up Day

28 29

30 1 2 3

Last Borrowing

Library Day

4

Last Borrowing

Library Day

5 6

7 Concert /

Children’s hand

towels collected for

stocktake (all week)

8 9 10

Last session for

the year

11 12 13

14 15 16

Last session for the

year / party

(8.30am-1.30pm)

17

Last session for

the year / party

(8.30am-1.30pm)

Staff clean-up

afternoon

18 Staff clean-up

day (no children)

& preschool

closes for

summer holidays

DECEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

http://www.parkdalepreschool.com.au/

PARKDALE PRESCHOOL

Phone: (03) 9580 1155

E-mail: [email protected]

14 Alameda Place

Parkdale, Victoria 3195

Melways Ref 87/C9

Parkdale Preschool is situated down the quiet

cobblestone lane behind the Como Parade shops

and next door to Parkdale Bowls club.

Find us on

parkdale preschool · i would also like to acknowledge emma white, ... being an effective...

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