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3 Year Old
Kindergarten
Centres Philosophy
We believe that children learn through
their play. Our aim is to provide a quality kindergarten which is
clean, safe, stimulating and develops the “whole child”. To provide
quality care and development opportunities for children's needs and
interests.
The educational program is designed and
based on what is important in your child's life, according to their
age and stage of development. Individual records are maintained for
facilitating optimum development of each child.
Aims
Our broad aims for the Three Year Old
Kinder is for each child to show progress in the following areas:
Building relationships with adults
which give security and confidence
Learning behaviour expected in the
group
Making happy and satisfying
relationships with other children
Developing the ability to be creative
and think imaginatively
Maintain health and develop physical
skills
Gain understanding of the world around
them.
Weekly themes or topics of interest are
used to organise and consolidate children's learning. The themes in
conjunction with observations of the children are used to provide a
focus of interest around which to enhance language, music and
manipulative, creative and physical activities.
Individual and small group activities
in all areas are encouraged. Strong emphasis is placed on providing
a wide variety of language, cultural and music orientated activities
to facilitate learning.
Our aim is to help each child fit
happily into the Kindergarten group. This means learning to share
the teachers time, share equipment, wait for turns, learn new
routines and make new friends.
What do
children do, and what do they learn?
Firstly, children enjoy Kindergarten.
There are so many things to do - messy things, wet things, quiet
things, noisy things, things to do with friends, things to do alone.
Many of the activities that the teacher
plans and prepares are, perhaps not suitable for you to provide in
your own home, or perhaps you do not have the facilities, or the
time for them, (or cleaning them up!). This is what kindergarten is
all about.
The teacher prepares activities for the
children, with specific learning opportunities in mind, the mess
doesn't matter. What does matter is that the children learn as they
play, make new friends, and enjoy a whole new social world! Of
course not all the things children do are as messy as finger
painting, water play, clay and sand play.
There are books to read, puzzles to
fit, construction kits and blocks to build & a home corner for
dramatic play. Bridges and railways to build, roads to construct &
water to play with. Cards to sort and match, beads to thread,
cutting out and pasting & puppets to make. We have songs to sing,
music to dance to, stories and poetry to hear & tell, as well as
instruments to play, swings, tunnels to crawl through, carts to
push, insects to collect, magnets, prams, play-dough, games to
play......a seemingly endless number of activities to stimulate the
children's interest and to provide them with many happy hours of
educational experiences.
Perhaps even more important is the
social aspect of Kindergarten. The children learn to care for each
other, share and to take turns. They begin to understand about
rights of other people, to respect the feelings of others and to
express their own feelings, in a manner which is totally acceptable
to others.
About the
Kindergarten Teacher
The program the teacher plans
throughout the year is designed to take into account the needs and
interests of the groups as a whole, and of individual children. The
teacher provides a stimulating range of activities which will enable
each child to learn by inquiring, observing and experimenting by
“finding out for themselves”.
Each kinder session has an experienced
assistant thus providing a better child staff ratio.
Remember, whilst Kindergartens are not
all the same, Kindergarten teachers all share the same concern for
children - for the care, development, sense of well-being and the
happiness of each individual child.
A suitable time can be arranged to
discuss concerns, or any other issues regarding your child or
related to the Kinder program.
Settling into
Kinder
The settling in process can initially
be a difficult time for both children and parents. Some children
settle in quickly or have a delayed reaction, other children become
upset when first separated from parents or caregiver, there may be
tantrums, crying, kicking and clinging
It is important when separating from
your child that you say Goodbye and reassure them that you will
return. You are more than welcome to phone the centre at any time to
see how your child is going.
Arrival and
Departure
Each time your child comes to
Kindergarten, the adult who brings the pre-schooler must sign the
attendance book inside the room. This must be repeated when the pre-schooler
is collected from the Kindergarten. Children may only be collected
by their parents/ guardians unless authorisation has been received
from caregiver to Kindergarten or otherwise specified on the
enrolment form. Parents are asked to remain in the foyer together
until a staff member opens the door to greet them and welcome them
in on arrival and departure.
Clothing
The teacher will do their best to
protect the children's clothes, and they will wear smocks when they
paint and participate in other messy activities. However, it is not
possible for children to stay clean at all times, and so it is best
for children to wear clothes that wash easily and are comfortable to
play in.
Remember to dress children in clothes
that they can manage themselves; for example, trousers that pull
down easily when children go to the toilet. During the colder
months children will need to bring a warm hat and jacket. It is
also a good idea to keep a change of clothing in your child's bag.
Little accidents do occur from time to time.
Toilet
Training
It is advisable that all children are
toilet trained before commencing kinder. Please speak with your
teacher if you have any concerns with regards to toileting.
What to bring
to kinder
Children need to bring their own :
A drink bottle or box drink.
An afternoon snack, a piece of fruit
and/or a sandwich.
A Kinder bag with sun hat
(Legionnaire or wide brimmed hat ONLY )
Spare change of clothes
Nut Free
Policy
The Centre has adopted a nut free
policy in order to prevent any serious circumstances arising. All
nuts, nut by-products or additives such as Peanut butter, Nutella,
Muesli bars and biscuits containing the label “May contain traces of
nuts” or “Manufactured on equipment that processes peanuts” are all
prohibited from this centre.
Labelling
It is most important that your child's
drink bottle, bag, jumper and hats etc are clearly labelled to
assist with identification.
Sun Smart
Mill Park Heights Three Year Old
Kindergarten is a registered Sun Smart Centre and therefore children
need to bring along a sun hat each day during the 1st and 4th
terms. No hat, no outside play. It is best if sunscreen is applied
at home, before attending Kinder. Parents on kinder duty and staff
are also required to wear a hat and sun screen whilst outside.
Please ensure a hat is in your child's kinder bag for every kinder
session , even if the weather is overcast.
Hygiene
The Kinder actively promotes children's
hand washing: Children will be encouraged to wash hands :
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before eating
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after toileting
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after handling animals
Children will also be encouraged not
eat food which has been handled by another child or use utensils
which have been used by another child. It is imperative that
children do not share the same hand towels, sun hats or drinks
whilst at Kinder.
Lockers
Each child will have their own locker
to leave their bag. Please check your locker for any newsletters or
other information.
Birthdays
We welcome the opportunity to celebrate
birthdays at Kindergarten. Unfortunately due to Health regulations
cakes cannot be bought in to share amongst the group. “Happy
Birthday” will be sung with a playdough cake and the child will be
able to blow out their candles on the playdough cake. Parents
wishing to supply lollies for their child’s birthday may do so in a
seal packet. As the centre has a Nut Free Policy only
lollies from the “Natural Confectionary Company” will be accepted.
Staff will distribute these at the end of the session.
Kinder Duty
During first term we commence a kinder
duty roster. It provides parents with the opportunity to share their
child's day, discover their interests, meet their friends and most
importantly join in on the activities. Children really look forward
to having mum or dad at Kinder.
While on Kinder duty, parents can be of
assistance by participating in activities, wiping tables, sweeping
floors, packing away activities and putting children's work away in
their lockers.
Fees
Fee's are paid on a Term Fee basis. It
is preferred if full term fees could be paid into the fees box
located in the foyer. Please place cash or cheque in an envelope
with your child's name and kinder group. A 10 % discount is
available for Health Care and Pension Card holders. Fee's must be
paid in full prior to the commencement of each term. A late fee is
also applicable if your child is collected after the designated
finishing time of the class, $1.00 per min plus GST.
Other Ways in
which Parents can Help
Any help that parents can give to the
kindergarten is appreciated.
Kinder
Duty
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Becoming a
member of the Centre's Committee, organising fundraising
activities and social evenings
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Sometimes
the teacher needs help from parents if children are attending an
excursion
-
There are
always jobs to be done like sewing, mending broken equipment
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Donations
of items used for art & craft activities, at different times
during the year we will be asking for specific items.
-
Often
parents have skills and talents, or work in a particular
occupation that would be of great interest to the children. We
value your contribution and look forward to working together for
the benefit of the children.
Parent Responsibilities
It is important that children and
collected at the correct departure time. Staff need time in order to
set up for the next class. A late fee will apply if a child is
picked up late.
It is also up to parents to keep all
enrolment information up to date, contact telephone numbers and
immunisation details Please read the kinder information board as to
your child's program . Look out for dress up day's and what to
bring for the weeks ahead ( eg photo's , boxes).
Sick Children
Children should not attend kinder if
they are unwell or have a illness that may infect other children. An
infectious disease policy is displayed outside the kinder room. The
kinder teacher will notify you if your child does become unwell
while at kinder or is injured. The kinder has an accident
/illness/trauma form to record any relevant information, this must
be signed by a parent / guardian on collection of the child. If
your child is not coming to kinder please ring and notify the
Centre.
Children not immunised
Children not immunised will be notified
of any infectious disease and be excluded from kinder until the
final case is cleared by a medical practitioner.
Kinder
Photo's
During Term Two a professional
photographer comes to the centre to take photo's of the children at
play. The children will also have a group photo taken with their
teachers.
Suggestion
Box
A suggestion box is located outside the
kinder room, we welcome your input regarding general feedback,
fundraising activities, newsletter information etc.
Non-War Toy
Zone Policy
The centre is a Non War Toy Zone.
Therefore gun's, swords, super heroes or toys that promote
aggressive behaviour are not permitted. Children are to be
discouraged from bringing toys that imitate weapons.
Evacuation
Procedures
In the event of on emergency staff will
evacuate children to a designated evacuation area. Children will
practise fire drills on a regular basis through out the year. If you
are dropping off or picking up your child at the time of an
evacuation, please remain with your child's group as staff will need
to account for every child. Emergency procedures are displayed in
the foyer and kinder room.
Centre Information
If you require further information
please find policy & procedures displayed on the main notice board
in the foyer. Staff are also available to assist you with queries
where possible.
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