Thursday 28 January 2016
welcome!
We've welcomed so many new families over the last week or so... it's great to meet you all! We've had some discussions with families over the notion of a 'welcome story' in children's profiles. At Northland kindergarten we take a series of pics as children start kindergarten and cobble them into a photostory clip... which we email home. The idea is for families to be able to be a 'fly on the wall' to see some of the things their child has been involved in when they aren't there to see how it is all going. There's a lot to take on board and find out about for children when they join a new learning environment and begin to forge a new set of relationships! It gives the children a chance to revisit what they have been involved in and to develop ideas about play choices and about what might happen next in an every day kindergarten day. Sometimes it even gives them a window into common kindergarten waiata repertoire if they listen and look often enough! Part of the welcome Tikanga is also when the group attending the mat time hui at session end offers waiata to the new participants. Tihei Mauriora my friends! welcome stories are written to DVD and are available in children's individual learning profiles. Have you noted where your child's book is? they live in the cloakroom foyer and learning stories arrive in them regularly. So keep on checking the books for new entries! And if you have ideas to write in them you are welcome.... if you have some learning stories from home, we are happy to print and file them for you.
Here's George's welcome story ( above ) as an example of what we mean. Nau mai haere mai!
Here's George's welcome story ( above ) as an example of what we mean. Nau mai haere mai!
Wednesday 20 January 2016
Get the mindset early...
Monday 18 January 2016
Welcome back ... .tomorrow! How time flies!
Well I don't know where that time went, but the team are looking forward to seeing you all back.. first day of term the 20th of Jan! Here are some experts views on getting ready for school.. I bet our experts would have lots of great and some similar advice!
Thursday 14 January 2016
Ponderings on who children are:
This from a blog I like to follow on
occasion ( Educational Leadership Project ) … keeping up with the movers and
shakers leading professional development for trained and registered teachers
for a long time in New Zealand… this was interesting ( below)
“ Notes on an unhurried Journey.
While getting lost in the internet, as I often do - sometimes only to surface several hours later for a coffee and a time to ponder on the journey, I found these wonderful words by Professor T. Ripaldi :
Notes On An Unhurried Journey
When we adults think of children, there is a simple truth which we ignore; childhood is not preparation for life; childhood is life. A child isn’t getting ready to live; a child is living. The child is constantly confronted with the nagging question: “What are you going to be?” Courageous would be the youngster who, looking the adult squarely in the face, would say, “I’m not going to be anything; I already am.”
We adults would be shocked by such an insolent remark, for we have forgotten, if indeed we ever knew, that a child is an active participating and contributing member of society from the time he is born. Childhood isn’t a time when he is moulded into a human who will then live life; he is a human who is living life. No child will miss the zest and joy of living unless these are denied him by adults who have convinced themselves that childhood is a period of preparation.
How much heartache we would save ourselves if we would recognize the child as a partner with adults in the process of living, rather than always viewing him as an apprentice. How much we would teach each other… adults with the experience and children with the freshness. How full both our lives could be.
A little child may not lead us, but at least we ought to discuss the trip with him; for, after all, life is his and her journey too"
How true.. and how much like our core curriculum in New Zealand!
“ Notes on an unhurried Journey.
While getting lost in the internet, as I often do - sometimes only to surface several hours later for a coffee and a time to ponder on the journey, I found these wonderful words by Professor T. Ripaldi :
Notes On An Unhurried Journey
When we adults think of children, there is a simple truth which we ignore; childhood is not preparation for life; childhood is life. A child isn’t getting ready to live; a child is living. The child is constantly confronted with the nagging question: “What are you going to be?” Courageous would be the youngster who, looking the adult squarely in the face, would say, “I’m not going to be anything; I already am.”
We adults would be shocked by such an insolent remark, for we have forgotten, if indeed we ever knew, that a child is an active participating and contributing member of society from the time he is born. Childhood isn’t a time when he is moulded into a human who will then live life; he is a human who is living life. No child will miss the zest and joy of living unless these are denied him by adults who have convinced themselves that childhood is a period of preparation.
How much heartache we would save ourselves if we would recognize the child as a partner with adults in the process of living, rather than always viewing him as an apprentice. How much we would teach each other… adults with the experience and children with the freshness. How full both our lives could be.
A little child may not lead us, but at least we ought to discuss the trip with him; for, after all, life is his and her journey too"
How true.. and how much like our core curriculum in New Zealand!
Monday 11 January 2016
Stuart Brown: Play is more than fun
So- here's the backing for evidence for play as a way to understand and tackle life. what next? trained facilitators of the play, trained assessors of how it's going and planners of 'what next'.... trained and registered teachers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)