From the Office

Hello to all of our families and friends and welcome to another month of activity at Cannon Hill.  

Our children have all been working very hard on creating Mothers day surprises for all the special mums out there. It has been wonderful walking through the rooms and seeing them all hard at work on their gifts. I am sure there will be smiles all around on Mothers Day ! 

I have also noticed that there are many new learning displays on the room walls, so please take the time to stop for a moment and take a look at the learning that is happening in your child's class. Talking to your child about their day is a wonderful way to build their self esteem and also help them learn to reflect on their actions and feelings.

Thank you to everyone who has so far donated to our charity boxes in the front foyer. There is definitely still time to bring in items if you haven't donated. We are looking for more items for the Share the Dignity box so if you can spare a couple of dollars for some women's sanitary items to drop in, it would be greatly appreciated. We really want to fill the boxes before we take them to the drop off points.

Book Club

Our book club catalogues are sent out regularly for parents and children to browse and order from. To order from the catalogue, just go to the website listed and follow the directions to order. It is really easy. Once you have ordered and paid, a notification is sent through to the centre and it is processed from here. The order normally arrives within a week.

Bike Day

The children had an AWESOME day riding their bikes and scooters. We observed a lot of sharing amongst the children and conversations about their bikes, how they learned to ride and where they go riding. This was also a great opportunity for the children to learn about co-operation and sharing space.

Friendly Reminders

Respect for staff. We all have bad days and that is understandable, however abusive  behaviour and foul language toward staff will not be tolerated and is not ok!

Children in Cars. We have noticed that at drop off and collection times there are some parents leaving siblings in cars while they come into the centre to collect their child. Please bring your child in with you as it is illegal to leave children unattended in cars where you cannot visibly monitor them. 

Staff Bathroom. Our staff bathroom is available for parents use however we kindly ask that you toilet your children in the child toilets in the rooms. For older children who may need some privacy we do have a toilet with a door at the back of the Senior Kindy/Preschool bathroom.

Breakfast. Please remember that we can only serve breakfast up until 7.30am in the mornings. After this time we have alot of children arriving and activities going on and we are unable to monitor children eating.

Upcoming Events

Pre-School

Minasan, konnichiwa (Japanese: Hello everyone),

There has been an exciting start to Term 2 as the long-awaited time for technological access has begun! We are aware of the benefits and associated risks of screen time and have found the Australian parenting website to be useful. Feel free to access it from here.

By now, you might be hearing your child utter some unfamiliar words or sounds.Most likely, that is because of the learning obtained from the introduction of the Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) program, which is part of the Australian Government's commitment to supporting language study in preschool classrooms on national scale. All children in the preschool age-group (who will be going to Prep in 2018) are eligible to access this free program. The chosen language is Japanese and through this educational application, it takes your child on a unique play-based and intentional-led journey to discovering the practicality of the Japanese language and culture. This program is not only fun and educational; but it has also enabled new friendships to blossom through a collaborative effort into understanding more about the language and culture. You can find more information about the ELLA program from https://www.ella.edu.au .

At the end of Term 1, many the portfolios were sent home for your child to share their learning in preschool. Thank you for taking the time to complete the feedback form as our team thrives on consistent and honest feedback This enables us to critically reflect and adjust our teaching practice and strategies. As you are aware, there are many ongoing projects displayed around in the classroom. Each child develops at their own unique pace and sometimes this may spark a few concerns in regards to school readiness. Please do not hesitate to approach us so that we can clarify and provide a better insight into your child's progress.

Over the course of Term 1 and into Term 2 now, there have been a variety of topics the children have been interested in. Some of the learning has included my body and my health, Easter and ANZAC day. The ongoing project is currently my body and my health which was sparked from an interest in Cloe's dad's broken hand. Her Father very kindly donated copies of the x-ray films for us to display on the wall! If you have x-ray films that you would like to share with us, please do! The children are fascinated by these and we will continue to extend on the children's interests by providing creative experiences that allow them to express their ideas in a visual way. Through intentional tasks like tracing we provide opportunities to cross the mid-line, enhance their coordination skills and practice obtaining a more definitive tripod grip (what is crossing the mid-line? You can find more information from here).

As we near the half way point in 2017, we urge you to begin considering the schools in your area contacting them in regards to the process of enrolment. Many children have already undergone the interview process and the majority have had successful and positive experiences. Interviews can be quite scary for your child – they may meet a person who they have never met before, they may have many questions to answer, they may have to complete a few drawings, name a few things, trace over dotted lines, write their name…and the list can go on and on! The most important thing about these interviews is that your child is relaxed and goes in with a positive mindset to give each experience a challenge. If you have any queries in regards to schooling options, Joyce has already been in touch with a few local schools and is awaiting their response in regards to the following details (questions families have asked from the beginning of January):

Transitions

• How does the school accommodate the children from a preschool setting to a formal school learning environment?
• Do you still provide rest time during Term 1?
• What are your expectations for a Prep student?
• How is the school routine set?

Schooling

• How does the school deliver the Australian Curriculum? In the mode of play-based learning or is it completely through the intentional/teacher-led model?
• What are the specific behaviour management policies?
• Is my child able to go to school for only a few days in a week? And the remainder of the days attend preschool?
• How does the school cater for children with a unique set of needs?

Many children are beginning to show an interest in mastering certain skills which the educators continue to observe, monitor, support, and extend upon. The preschool room environment is very much play-based but it also considers the importance of the intentional teaching that is mentioned the Early Years Learning Framework, and the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines. With the element of intentional teaching, children can continue discovering and exploring ideas in a more meaningful manner where educators are consistently supporting and questioning the them to understand their thoughts and support their learning progress.

After Miss Joyce comes back from her trip to America, there will be a series of parent-teacher interviews scheduled in from Tuesday 4th July to Friday 21st July. Each session will run for approximately 20 minutes long and will cover the following:

5 minutes: Developmental progress checklist derived from a variety of websites

• https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0030/427179/28132.pdf
• http://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/4-to-5-year-old-milestones
• https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-4yr.html

5 minutes: Developmental overview summary (strengths and goals)

10 minutes: discussion time – for any questions and/or concerns, any clarifications about your child's progress

At the end of the interview session, you will receive a copy of what is noted above. We do understand that each of you has a busy schedule. Therefore, if you are unable to make the scheduled times, please inform Miss Joyce to make an alternative arrangement. As we approach the dates listed above, a list of the time slots will be made available near the chalkboard area on the right of the preschool entrance sliding door.

Kodomotachino puroguresuni kitaishiteorimasu (Japanese: We are looking forward to the children's progress).

Matane (Japanese: Until next time),

Preschool team (Miss Joyce, Miss Sara & Miss Sunny)