Parent Handbook. Where Children are unique, resourceful, capable and competent learners

Transcription

1 There is a lot of information to absorb when starting pre school, so if and when you have questions please speak to a member of our staff and we will happily help. Parent Handbook We look forward to getting to know you, your child and your family during your time at pre school, from the Pre School Staff Team Where Children are unique, resourceful, capable and competent learners Providing Coonamble and District with Quality Early Childhood Education since 1967

2 Hi and welcome to Coonamble Pre School. By now you will have enrolled and are most probably already attending? We have prepared this booklet for you, to give you an overview of our philosophy and curriculum. Each time you come to Pre School there will be environments set up for you, ready for you to play, learn and develop in. These areas will change over time, but there are many resources and activities that will always be available for you. In this booklet we will give your family some ideas of the skills and learning outcomes you will develop from regular and familiar learning environments and resources (eg painting and playdough). This overview will save us time talking about these things each day and will give us time instead to talk to you and your family about the special things you are involved with and interested in. ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS The Pre School operates a special Occupational Therapy Based program called Leaps and Bounds. This program was developed by Gemma Pettiford (Director) and Bettina Spora (Occupational Therapist) and has been in use at the Pre School for the past 9 years. This program is specifically designed to suit our centre, children and Educators. It is something extra that we work hard to offer to you as a part of our Pre School Community (you would not normally see this in other centre's). The program assists children with overall development and school readiness skills and employees the expertise of a private Occupational Therapist to provide assessment and advice for Children, their Families and our Educators. The Pre School has access to Speech Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Early Childhood Nurses and many other agencies and specialists. We can assist you with referrals or accessing these services.

3 HOW WE TRY TO ENSURE YOU KNOW WHAT S GOING ON? It is often difficult to find out from your child how their day at Pre School was and what they were involved in (eg how was your day? - Good, What did you do? - Play!) If you have time, have a quick chat to a staff member at pick up OR glance at the Day Book. If you are using a school bus we will TRY to send copies of the day book home, but please understand that we can t physically manage this on a daily basis for every child. We do these intermittently and send a paper and copy of the newsletter each month. Your child has a mail pocket at pre school, where we place all their mail, notes, fees, bookclub, newsletters etc. After lunch each day children are helped to put their mail in their school bag and take it home to you. IF you find you are not receiving these notes please ask our staff and we can work out an alternative for you. Daily Routine 8.30 am Children on school buses & working families begin arriving Indoor/Outdoor program commences depending upon weather, child and staffing numbers a flexible (in/out) or a set (indoors or outdoors only) environment will be available 9.00 am All other children arrive at Pre School Children s WORK TIME continues am Group time either a whole group or multiple smaller groups (split group if over 20 children) am Fruit & Veg Time am Children s WORK TIME continues pm Group time - either a whole group or multiple smaller groups (split group if over 20 children) pm Progressive Lunch Time children choose to eat or play, however all children have lunch by pm Rest & Relaxation time eg 5-10 minutes yoga/story etc before resting quietly with a book while calming music plays 1.45 pm Indoor activities while our sleeping friends awake - eg. stories, games, dancing, puzzles, construction, free play, group experiences etc 2.15pm Outdoor/Indoor activities continue - Tailored to suit depending upon weather, programming and children s interests and needs. 2.45pm All gather together for group time / play games, afternoon meeting to reflect the days events etc pm Home time for the children Our daily Rou ne is flexible and reflects the children s, Educator s and Families voices

4 Getting to know each other Concerned about toileting &/or meal times? Please speak to our staff and let them know what you are worried about and what is normal for your child. Please be reassured that our Staff have worked with hundreds of children aged 3-5 and will regularly throughout the day take the children to the bathroom, offer meals and drinks etc. We know that they become SO absorbed in their play (especially with so many new toys and people to get to know) that they can need help and reminding about the basics. Over the first few weeks of pre school staff will take photos of every child. This photo will go on their locker for the day, mail pocket, etc. We will send home a page of photos for each day of the week, showing you all the children and staff that come to pre school with your child that day. This is to help you and your child have a sense of belonging and to learn their friends and teachers names. Philosophy The philosophy of Coonamble Pre School underpins our principles and practices, all of which are guided by the National Quality Framework and the Early Years Learning Framework and are demonstrated through our daily practice. At Coonamble Pre School we believe pre school should be about; Children fun, laughter, joy, excitement, building independence, self confidence, friendships and relationships. a safe, welcoming, home like place to come and belong in, where everyone is welcomed by name. a place you can belong, learn, explore and try new things where you will be supported and encouraged by adults who know who you are, what you are great at, what you know well and like to do (at school and home) and who will help you to become an independent person, developing the skills that you need to thrive (at pre school, school and in life). Families a welcoming and accepting place that any individual, parent, guardian and family can visit and feel a sense of belonging and pride. having educators that will take the time to get to know you and your family, who will show respect, value what is relevant & current to your family and reflect that within the service having educators with a wealth of experience and training in Early Childhood to talk to your Mum/Dad/Nan/Pop/Family to help them in their huge role as your parent, to give them support/link them to services wherever necessary and to just take the time to stop, chat and talk about our day. supporting families in their role and being passionate about helping families by meeting their individual needs. being committed to open and constructive communication with families through a variety of ways (for example discussions, child portfolios, daily reflection book, newsletters and s). Curriculum In-depth planning and thoughtful use in regard to resources, displays and routines that will provide rich learning experiences, opportunities and reflection. having a consistent daily routine that gives children familiarity in their day. The routine is flexible, allowing time during the day for spontaneous play, planned activities, individual, small and large group experiences. a play based curriculum (set within the framework of the daily routine) where educators support children using a variety of teaching methods, including intentional teaching, to enable them to make choices in their

5 work time throughout the day, to become independent learners and thinkers, reaching their individual potential. Environment Utilising the environment as an invaluable teaching tool and an integral part of the children s work, allowing children to learn through hands on play. a natural environment, with added elements that is a reflection of our community and the children s, families and educators lives. providing children with opportunities to develop a positive attitude to caring for their environment and learning how to sustain it. Staff/Educators providing high staff:child ratios to foster quality relationships and interactions between educators, children and families and to give educators release time to reflect upon their practices and plan for ongoing learning. supporting educators continued professional development, providing an annual budget for training & travel. providing a family friendly work environment for staff, so they are supported in their role as parents & individuals and can make work fit in with family life. our educators and staff being proud of our pre school and their role in developing it. We value each other and are constantly learning and supporting one another in our team. We come from a variety of backgrounds, have varied interests and beliefs and reflect that diversity in our work. We value open communication and respect and maintain confidentiality. Community Reflecting our community, it s people, Indigenous culture, local and worldwide customs and events that impact and are important to our community being an active part of our community, engaging with people, places & events in our town, developing partnerships and relationships with other local services and schools. regularly evaluating our service to ensure it is meeting the needs of the community. operating a successful business utilising strong leadership, governance and management practices, which reflects community input through a parent committee, ensuring pre school is viable for many future years & children. From this Philosophy we have developed many policies and procedures, which our centre operates on. Policy review and development is an ongoing process. Current policies are located in the office. Providing Coonamble and district with quality early childhood education since 1967 HOW TO KNOW YOUR WAY AROUND? Pre School is a busy place, especially at 9am and 3pm, when lots of children are arriving and leaving for the day. When you first start at pre school a member of Staff will give you a TOUR of where to sign your child in and out, where their bag, lunch, morning tea and sleep bag goes and where the bathroom is located. We have sunscreen and a water cooler available at all times for the children and encourage their independence skills to help them learn care for themselves and their belongings. If you are concerned about leaving your child, please TRY and make drop-off a quick moment and if there are tears (from either of you!) PLEASE phone our Staff in about 15 minutes to see how your child has settled. We will tell you if they are not settling and work out with you the best course of action for a happy day. At arrival; sign in, lockers, fridge, day book

6 COONAMBLE PRE SCHOOL STAFF/EDUCATORS The Pre School employees a dedicated, highly experienced and qualified team of Early Childhood Educators to teach and support your child. Gemma Pettiford Nicole Cleary Director & Nominated Supervisor Administration Assistant Bachelor Teaching Early Childhood In Office on Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursdays In Office on Mondays Educators reflect each child s development through observations in their individual portfolio. A progression of entries (including observations, photos, work samples etc) will be documented over your child s time at Pre School. These books are maintained by the Educators, please note that your child s book may not always be up to date, as it takes time to complete and glue in observations for 60+ children! Our priority is spending time on quality interactions with your child, the books entries will be updated periodically. With that in mind it is a good idea to look at you child s book once a term to see an overview of their time at Pre School. (Please note that for example, children who attend one day per week will have less entries than a child attending 3 days per week). These books are confidential, so ask an Educator to help you locate your child s. Davis (Monday-Friday) Kellie Robinson (Monday-Friday) Genelle Lander Coordinator and Certified Supervisor Teacher Diploma Children s Services Bachelor Education Early Childhood Education Children s Portfolios

7 WHERE CAN I SEE WHAT MY CHILD HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN? The Daily Reflection Book at the sign in area which shows the children at work throughout the day, giving an overview of a group activity for the day. This evaluates the days program and includes special areas of the children s interest from the day, that will then be used for future planning. Often their will be a photo slide show of children that day, playing on the digital frame or smart board. Mandy Buckley (Monday-Thursday) Mandy Jerrett (Tues/Thur/Friday) Educator & Certified Supervisor Educator Certificate III Children s Services Certificate III Children s Services (Currently studying for Diploma) s (Mon/Wed/Friday) Leeza The Sign In area Educator Certificate III Children s Services

8 CURRICULUM Principles and Practices at Coonamble Pre School are guided by the Principles of the National Quality Framework and the Early Years Learning Framework. The Pre School employees a dedicated, highly experienced and qualified team of Early Childhood Educators to teach and support your child. The Pre School implements a play based curriculum, set within a structured framework of a consistent daily routine. Educators support children to enable them to become independent learners and to make choices in their work time throughout the day The environment plays an integral part of the children s work, allowing children to learn through hands on play. Our environment is natural with added elements and is a reflection of our community and the children s, their families and educators lives. Time is set aside during the day, both spontaneous and planned, for individual, small group and large group learning experiences. Educators use intentional teaching to draw upon individual children s interests and a variety of teaching techniques to develop the child s strengths, build skills, friendships and social interactions. Educators reflect children s development through observations in their individual portfolio. A progression of entries will be documented over your child s time at Pre School. There is a Daily Reflection Book at the sign in area which shows the children at work throughout the day, giving an overview of a group activity for the day. This evaluates the days program and includes special areas of the children s interest from the day, that will then be used for future planning. We welcome your family input and want to know what is happening at home that is important to your child and you, there is space for you to add notes and messages at the sign in area.