Our teachers develop an education program based on their knowledge and understanding of children’s development and learning styles. Our program is adapted through observations of individual children and group interests and abilities as a whole. Our key beliefs that are common to all include:
Children learn through play
- Children learn through interacting with their environment.
- Children develop through a defined sequence, but at different rates.
- Children construct their own knowledge.
- Children learn though social interaction with other children, staff and adults.
- Children’s interests and their natural curiosity motivate learning.
- Best outcomes are achieved when children initiate and direct their own learning.
- Learning environments, strategies and experiences need to be adapted to cater for individual children.
Teachers see a partnership with parents as critical to positive outcomes for children.
Parents are seen as the primary influence within a child’s environment and therefore in the development.
Our teaching staff will use strategies that focus on engaging children in the program – challenging them to solve problems, ask questions, listen and reason; attend to and complete tasks; relate to peers and adults positively; resolve peer social issues appropriately and successfully; work independently and in a group; take responsibility for themselves; and extend their experiences and knowledge of the world.
Our kindergarten program focuses on developing the learning skills, strategies and knowledge that young children need to be productive members of society and to continue to be active learners throughout their lives.
The day-to-day kindergarten program is written by the teacher and displayed for parents to view.
In your child’s first five years they develop and learn much faster than at any other age. Kindergarten provides them with an environment in which this development can be encouraged and stimulated. The best outcomes for children are achieved when kindergarten staff work in close partnership with parents.
To enhance children’s ability to succeed to their full potential at school, children need to have developed minimal social skills by the age of six. These skills include gaining confidence in a variety of situations; ability to communicate with adults and peers; ability to express ideas and concerns; and perseverance and willingness to try things even when unsure about the outcome.
Also, by the age of six children have developed their ‘self concept’ – how they view themselves as people and learners; whether they feel capable, confident, self reliant and ‘in control’ of their world. It will affect all that they tackle; how they relate to others; how they feel about trying a new task; whether they feel able to solve a problem or to suggest an answer to a question.
At kindergarten, children will be encouraged to develop confidence, independence, self-awareness and a feeling of self-worth. They will become more aware of the world around them and have many opportunities to develop warm, caring relationships with other adults, as well as, friendships with other children.
Activities at kindergarten are based on play, on interacting with the environment, with peers, and with adults, which is the most important way children learn. There will be many opportunities for children to develop intellectual, physical, emotional, language and social skills.
Parents and staff want children to develop skills and strategies and gain knowledge that will enable them to continue on to a lifetime of successful and rewarding learning.
Children achieve this through playing with activities in an environment planned by staff.
‘Literacy’ is the ability to read, write, speak and listen effectively. Kindergarten teachers, like primary school teachers and parents, believe the development of literacy skills is vital to a fulfilling adult life.
The early stages of literacy development are about exposure and immersion. Children learn to talk and listen by being spoken to, actively involved in discussions that interest them and listened to. Children learn about reading and writing in the same way. Children need to have been read to and to have observed the written word.