EARLY LEARNING CENTRE NEWS
Posted CGGS Newsletter 23 - 15 August 2008
Reception C Class
This term, the students in Reception C have been exploring different forms of communication. We have been thinking and talking about how and why people communicate. As part of this discussion, we have been talking about different languages and have even been having a go at saying “good morning” in different ways.
As well as the different languages spoken around the world, we have looked at some of the different cultures. We were very lucky to have some wonderful helpers from Italy come and make fresh pasta with us. From just flour, water and a very special machine we made long strands of fettucini! We put some yummy tomato sauce on top of before we had a taste. It was truly the best pasta we had ever eaten! A big thank you to our parent helpers on the day - Nonna Josephina, Maria, Julie, Lisa and Kim.
In our communication unit, we have also looked at some of the signs that we see when we are driving in the car. We tried to understand what message each sign was trying to tell the car drivers and decided that the signs were mostly warning car drivers of things to be careful of on the road. The students then had a go at making their own signs to warn people about things on the road.
In Reception C we have also been swept away by ‘Olympic Fever’. The students have been ‘researching’ with Mum and Dad (on the Internet and in the newspaper) at home to find out how many medals Australia has won and we add more medals to our chart to keep it up to date. We have also talked about the Olympic Rings and learnt that they are a special symbol that tells us that something belongs to the Olympics. The students have also been very intrigued by the Olympic mascots and we noticed that they are the same colours as the rings. We have had many discussions about the sports seen on television and the fantastic Opening Ceremony! We look forward to watching the progress of the Olympics over the next week!
Kate Columbine
ELC Senior teacher
Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter 23 - 15 August 2008
Posted CGGS Newsletter No. 20 - 25 July 2008
Welcome
A warm welcome to Maurishika Banan and her family who has joined our class. We hope that you will enjoy your time at the ELC and in the whole School community.
We are Communicators
This is the title of the unit of inquiry that the two Reception classes will be studying during this term. The main concept we aim for the children to understand is that people use spoken and written language to communicate. The children will have opportunities to hear and try out a number of different languages in a variety of contexts. They will also explore the relationship between spoken and written language. Some senior students will perform puppet shows in different languages as a part of the children’s learning experiences.
We would also like to involve parents in this unit of inquiry. If you speak another language, please come and teach the children simple greetings and how to say simple words such as “please” and “thank you”. We intend to translate a well-known English song into other languages and your help will be greatly appreciated. There are some bilingual books that you can read to our young audience. Please let Mrs Columbine or myself know if you would be interested. We look forward to hearing from you, and learning to speak many different languages!
Lu Han
Reception H Class Teacher
Click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No, 20 - 25 July 2008
Posted CGGS Newsletter No. 18 - 20 June 2008
PRE-PREP O
Term 2 has been very exciting in Pre-Prep O and as we get ready to conclude the term we are already planning for a fun packed Term 3! This term we welcomed Angus Knowles to our class who is attending part time this year.
Term 2 was also the beginning of our first group of students turning five which is an exciting time for the children, parents and teachers alike! Congratulations to Yasmin, Maddison, Melanie, Arthur and Amy who all turned five during Term 2.
As part of our Primary Years Program (PYP) Learner Profiles the children have been exploring what it means to be an inquirer. As part of our deeper understanding we began a ‘Mystery Bag’ which allows the children to develop their questioning technique and listening skills. We have had some really tricky objects to guess, for example a wig, an apple peeler and corer, a sunflower head and a boomerang. Our questioning has improved dramatically with questions such as “What letter does it begin with?” and “Can it be moved with our fingers?” The children have enjoyed trying to ‘trick’ the other children with their fabulous objects.
Over the last month the two Pre-Prep classes have been participating in a gross motor activity (Perceptual Motor Program) which involves stations. The stations are set up to develop different aspects including hand-eye coordination, balance and climbing ability. The children have enjoyed the experience and the enthusiasm that Mrs Kuypers provides.
Over the last term Pre-Prep O has been spending time with their Buddies from 5R. The children have enjoyed the older students coming down and reading their favourite story to them and in return the ELC children showed off their literacy and numeracy skills. We also demonstrated our understanding of literacy and numeracy when we showed our buddies the educational games that we play in the classroom. The children really enjoy the experience of buddies, the chance to show their skills and an older person to call hello to as we walk through the Junior School. Their greetings are usually returned by an even louder “Hello!”
Within the ELC we have initiated a Waste Wise program which is a program that focuses on reusing, recycling and reducing waste. All four classes have started to recycle paper. We give our morning tea scraps to the worms in our worm farm and our lunch scraps to the chickens, which are located at a farm out of Canberra. Eventually we hope that we will start to recycle other items such as plastic, glass and aluminium. The children have enjoyed discovering all the fun things we can recycle. In Term 3 we will be discovering more about recycling when we begin out next PYP unit entitled “Let’s have fun with recycling”.
Gillian and I hope everyone has a relaxing holiday and we look forward to an action packed Term 3.
Kate O’Brien
ELC teacher
Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No. 18 - 20 June 2008
Posted CGGS Newsletter No. 17 - 13 June 2008
BULA!.jpg)
This was the favourite way of the students of Pre-Prep H to say hello in our good morning song – sometimes they can even be heard by parents walking up to the Junior School on the other side of the building!
This term the children have been busy completing their What Makes Me – Me! unit by looking at the Canberra community as well as the community in the ELC and CGGS. They busily explained all the special places that Canberra has that other communities don’t. During this unit we also had Jacob’s mum (Vivian) come in and read us a story about Clifford in Spanish and Elodie’s Mum (Mireille also came in and read us a story in French so the children could understand more about the different cultures we have in our class community.
This term we have also been using our good ‘thinking’ skills by using De Bono’s thinking hats to help us think in different ways. Last term we began using the black and yellow hats to assist the children in thinking in positive and negative ways, this term we have started looking at the red hat and how we feel in different situations. At the end of the day the class will quite often reflect on their day at school by using the hats to help them look at things in different ways.
In our music lessons the children learnt about Peter and the Wolf and the different instruments used in an orchestra. They also watched the movie and went to see the puppet show at the Junior School. The wolf was a bit scary in the movie – but not in the play. In fact I was told that “Puppets are just toys Mrs Hodgson” and then we were all able to have a giggle at him when he came out in the play.
In Term 2, the children have also met their buddies in 5K. On their first visit, the girls came down to read stories and play with the children to get to know them better and learn about what the children do in Pre Prep H. On their second visit the girls came down for a games afternoon, where they had three legged races and wheelbarrow races with their buddies. There were lots of laughs and giggles from everyone who was there!
Stacey Hodgson
Pre Prep H teacher
Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No. 17 - 13 June 2008
Click here to return to 'In the News'
Click here to return to Sport News
Posted CGGS Newsletter No. 14 - 23 May 2008
What a busy time it has been in Reception C this term!
 |
|
Playing dinosaurs on the volcano web |
This term, we have been learning about some wonderful Australian books, including Possum Magic and Wombat Stew. We have read these favourite stories many times and have become very good at helping to retell them.
When we looked at the story of Possum Magic, we discussed the concept of ‘visible’ and ‘invisible’. We made some amazing ‘magic’ pictures using lemon juice which started out being ‘invisible pictures’, but when Mrs Columbine carefully ironed them with the hot iron, they became ‘visible’… just like Hush did!
We have loved the story of Wombat Stew and have been especially good at using the animal puppets to act out the story. We have had to think hard about the order in which the animals come in the story and the ingredients that each animal adds to the stew. Our favourite part is when we all get to have a ‘taste’ of the stew as we all get to make terrible faces just like the Dingo in the story!
In Wombat Stew, one of the characters is a lizard. We were lucky enough this week to have a visit from a real lizard! Many thanks to Lily Burtenshaw and her mum Kirstie who brought in their very friendly lizard (George) for us to meet, hold and pat!
This term, the children have also been learning some yoga moves. We have been doing yoga to help us to relax before rest time and to help us be ‘balanced’. Some of the moves we do include ‘rest position’ and the ‘table’. We are getting better each day as our strength and balance improves!
Another change for this term has been to our ‘play tent’ which has been converted into a dinosaur land! We have built a huge paper mache volcano, complete with lava, for our dinosaurs to play on. We have also been singing some counting songs involving dinosaurs. Our favourite one is about ten huge dinosaurs sleeping on a cave floor. You can only imagine the roar that they give when they wake up!
Kate Columbine
ELC Senior teacher
 |
 |
|
Reception C acting out Wombat Stew. |
Hanging with George the Lizard. |
 |
 |
|
Making invisible pictures. |
Yoga - the table pose web |
Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No. 14 - 23 May 2008
Click here to return to 'In the News'
Click here to return to Sport News
Posted CGGS Newsletter No. 12 - 9 May 2008
Mothers’ Day Assembly
On Wednesday 7 May, the ELC children hosted a special Assembly for their mums and grandmothers. In preparation for this Assembly, the children in all four classes spent time making gifts and practising their items. They also discussed what special things they could do for their mums on Mothers’ Day.
The Assembly began with Reception C class singing I Love You Mummy, followed by Reception H reading My Mum, a story by Anthony Browne. Pre-Prep O children presented a song called I’d like to Have a Cuddle and Pre-Prep H Do Re Mi. This was the favourite of many mums. After the performance, the children invited their mums to have morning tea with them. What a yummy treat! The mums also received handmade gifts from their children. What a nice surprise!
We hope that everyone enjoyed this special occasion, and all the wonderful mothers will have a great day on Sunday!
PALS Program
 The two Reception classes have started a new social skills program entitled PALS. PALS aims to teach children constructive ways to solve problems that arise in social situations. The ten sessions will be delivered throughout Term 2 and 3, using two weeks to learn and revise the sessions. Each structured lesson includes stories, songs, discussion and a short DVD episode. A summary will be published every odd numbered week. This will also contain some strategies that parents can use at home. Please watch out for it in the bulletin areas on our classroom doors.
During the last two weeks, the children were encouraged to look, smile and say ‘hello’ when they meet people. During the next fortnight, they will be learning about taking turns when talking and listening.
If you have any questions or would like to have further information regarding this program, please feel free to talk to your child’s class teacher.
Lu Han
Reception H Class Teacher
Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No. 12 -9 May 2008
Click here to return to 'In the News'
Click here to return to Sport News
Posted: CGGS Newsletter No. 8 - 28 Mar 2008
Class Pre-Prep O
It has been a very busy couple of weeks for Pre-Prep O. As part of our PYP unit What makes me-ME, we have been discussing and illustrating the differences and similarities between us. We discovered that while we all have hair, eyes, skin and wear clothes, some of us have different or similar coloured hair, eyes and skin. We came to the conclusion that while we wear the same clothes at school we wear different clothes on the weekend and after school. To demonstrate our understanding we traced around ourselves and painted what we believe we look like. We used a full length mirror to help us gauge an understanding of what we look like. In addition, we have also been discussing our families and exploring questions such as ‘What is family?’, ‘Who is in our family?’ And is a pet a family member? We have been busy drawing our family members and making our class family scrap book. Next we will be inquiring into how our families fit into our community, both the School community and the wider community.
| In literacy we are getting much better at writing our names, identifying upper and lower case letters and exploring words that begin with the letters a,s,i,p,t and n. In numeracy we have exploring the numbers 1 to 5 including how to represent each number with dots, lines and objects. |
 |
 |
 |
In our classroom we have a table which is dedicated to nature. For news we bring in objects that we have found in nature which have fascinated us in some way. We have a wonderful collection of very interesting, and sometimes scary, objects which includes; a cow’s skull, a complete skeleton of a snake including some skin, bird's nest, a turtle shell, snail shells and huge spiders, which we release once they have been thoroughly looked at! The nature table is a wonderful opportunity for us to explore our beautiful surroundings and everything important that lives within it.
 The past week has also been extremely busy for all the other children in the Early Learning Centre. On Thursday 20 March, the Early Learning Centre took part in the Easter Hat Parade along with children from Junior Primary, where we paraded our beautiful hats and crowns, laughed, smiled, sang and entertained our families. It was a wonderful day where all families came together and enjoyed this special moment with their children, and class mates, and ate a yummy morning tea of hot cross buns. In the afternoon the children were surprised with an Easter egg hunt which took place in the Early Learning Centre's play area. All children did extremely well and everyone, including teachers, enjoyed the eggs throughout the afternoon, and possibly the evening!
With only a couple more weeks of Term 1 left, Pre-Prep O has had a wonderful beginning to 2008 and we are already excited about Term 2!
Kate O'Brien
Prep Teacher
Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No. 8 - 28 Mar 2008
Click here to return to 'In the News'
Click here to return to Sport News
Posted: CGGS Newsletter No. 6 - 17 Mar 2008
The students in Pre Prep H have had a busy and exciting start to the year! We have been learning about the different learner profiles in the Primary Years Program (PYP) and have been looking at how we are best to balance our lives at school by trying different activities and eating lots of healthy foods. The students have loved learning about the learning profiles and have been exclaiming “I’m being caring” or “Look! That’s being balanced isn’t it?”
In our room we have an interesting table where the students can bring in exciting things to share with the class. We have had a variety of leaves, plants and rocks, as well as petrified wood, lizards, spiders and a dragonfly to name a few (all released of course). We are also keeping a class tank of hermit crabs, they are doing well and last week we saw one lose its exoskeleton. We have also had three caterpillars which we have watched make their cocoons, and after staying inside all winter (!) they will turn into dainty swallowtail butterflies.
The class has also been looking at themselves and what makes them who they are. They have been drawing self-portraits and discussing the similarities they have with other people. The children also drew around their bodies and drew or painted all of their features onto them.
As you can see, the Pre Prep H students have been doing lots of fun learning along with the literacy, mathematics, and games, songs and outside play.
Stacey Hodgson
Pre Prep H teacher A
Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No. 6 - 14 Mar 2008
Click here to return to 'In the News'
Click here to return to Sport News
Posted: CGGS Newsletter No. 4 - 29 Feb 2008
What a wonderful first few weeks the children of Reception C have had! They have quickly settled into their new routines and are busily fitting much fun and learning into their three days at school. We are quickly learning some of the important things that we do at school, like packing up when the bell rings and using our whole body to listen at group times. We are also playing lots of group games that help us to learn each other’s name. Our favourite game is ‘Bug in a Rug’ where one of our classmates disappears under a rug in the middle of the circle and we all have to guess who is missing!
This week, we made our first expedition to the Junior School to have our Music and Library lessons. Mrs Selleck and Mrs David were there to greet us with their smiles and they were very excited to show us their special rooms. The children were equally as excited, but were able to concentrate and listen carefully to the stories and songs that we shared. Mrs Selleck gave each class a special new teddy bear ‘friend’ who will live at the ELC with us and will help us to walk up to the Library each Wednesday. I wonder what we will name our new friends?
Over these first weeks, we have shared discussions about our Primary Years Program (PYP) focus areas: being ‘caring’ and ‘well-balanced’. We have tried to be caring towards each other and the toys at school and we are noticing more and more actions that show ‘caring’. We thought carefully about what caring might look like, sound like and feel like in our classroom and decided it is very important to be a caring person at school and at home. We have also talked about trying to balance the type of activities we do, the food we eat, playing and resting, and have even tried balancing on one foot (which can be very tricky when you are 3!). We are trying hard to be more ‘balanced’ in our choices of activities and we are making an effort to ‘have a go’ at new things. It is wonderful to hear the children begin to use the PYP vocabulary in their conversations with their teachers and their peers.
Kate Columbine
Reception C Class
Click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No. 4 - 29 Feb 2008
Click here to return to 'In the News'
Click here to return to Sport News
CGGS Newsletter No. 02 - 15 Feb 2008
The ELC children have settled so well in their new classes that it is hard to believe that this is only Week 2! We would like to share with you what has happened this week in the ELC.
The First ELC Assembly
On Tuesday 12 February, we had our first whole ELC Assembly. All four classes, all the staff and some parents gathered in the Piazza at 2:30pm. To start the Assembly, we all stood up and sang the National Anthem. Then our weekly birthday stars were invited to the front to receive their birthday cards and birthday songs. As our first assembly’s host, the children in Miss O’Brien’s and Mrs Jordan’s class showed us the self-portraits they had drawn. The other highlight was counting how many balls we had earned this week. In every class, there is a jar and a bowl of balls. Every time when we have done something well or have made progress in something, we put a ball in the small jar. At each assembly, we pour the balls from the four small jars into a big jar. When we fill the big jar, we will have a special treat! We already have seven so are well on the way. The assembly ended with a prayer from Pre-Prep O.
We thank all the parents who joined us, and look forward to seeing you next Tuesday.
Curriculum Information Evening
On the evening of Monday 11 February, many parents came to the ELC for an information session. During the first part of the session, Mrs Ablett introduced the teachers who work with the children at the ELC. Then Mrs Patterson and Mrs Columbine talked about the routines for all classes, and the transition for the Pre-Prep classes.
The second part of the session focused on the curriculum. The parents were invited to their children’s classrooms and listened to their children’s teachers who detailed the learning programs. The parents were very interested to know about the essential learning areas of the curriculum such as literacy, numeracy, gross motor, fine motor, etc. The teachers also briefly introduced the Primary Years Program (PYP) Learner Profile and invited the parents to attend the PYP Information Evening that will be held on 3 April.
It was agreed by the parents that the session was both informative and helpful. For the parents who were unable to attend the evening, there are hand-outs for you to pick up at the ELC. Please also feel free to come and ask your child’s teacher any questions.
Lu Han
Class Teacher, Reception H
Click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No. 2 - 15 Feb 2008
|
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
6.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
