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!