Shearwater

Little Shearwater on Main Arm Road: Pre-school

Who for?
For children turning 4 or 5 in that year.

Centre Co-ordinator: Craig d’Arcy

Educators

Welcome

A protective wing is placed around the little ones as they enter this new world away from their home. The family-like atmosphere created provides warmth and time for individual and group expression and an appreciation for the wonderful world of nature surrounding is fostered when, by joining in healthy domestic activities, the children develop a real sense of belonging to and caring for their environment.
At Pre-school we strive to develop sensitivity for the ‘unfolding’ qualities of each individual entrusted to us. As in the Kindergarten many artistic experiences are offered: story telling, painting, drawing, singing, drama and cooking. But the specific aim of Pre-school is to provide an all-embracing family-like environment, to make the bridge between home and school life a secure and happy one.

Pre-school’s Daily Program & Practicals

We welcome you and your little ones and look forward to spending many happy days together! All year long, we have many lovely things planned for the children, including the seasonal festivals, which we will also share with you as they arise. Meanwhile, there are a few ways you can help us all year round to make our day’s routine run smoothly.

Daily needs
– Morning tea: consists of plates of shared fruit and the meal we have prepared together with the children that morning, eg bread, porridge, rice etc. Please bring a piece of fruit to share.
– Lunch: Please provide your child with a healthy lunch: no lollies, cordials, chips,  processed or packaged foods (eg. Rollups or muesli bars).
– Drinks: We have filtered water for the children to drink and this is offered at various times through the day.
– Spare clothes: A set of spare clothes, kept in a plastic bag in your child’s bag, is essential. In hot weather add swimmers, a towel and a hat; in cold weather warm socks and pants; in rainy weather a raincoat and gumboots.
– Indoor slippers: If it is inside time we take off our outside shoes and put on our indoor slippers. Soft-soled slippers are ideal and there is a mother at School who hand-makes colourful indoor slippers so, if you are interested, please note that orders will be taken at Pre-school in first term.
– Rest-time sheet: A small plain cotton, pastel coloured sheet for rest time. (Please, no prints)
– Toys: We would prefer children not to bring toys to Pre-school. These can interfere with creative play and are often a source of upset in the group. Rather, encourage them to bring something for Mother Nature’s Table.
– Once a term we ask you to bring 250g of almonds as a contribution towards our prepared morning tea.

Please label everything

Parent/Teacher communication
Parent/Teacher communication is vital to your child’s happiness at Pre-school. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to see us. We are happy to hear from you during the week but please could we reserve our weekends to spend with our own families.

School Hours
Monday to Friday: 9.30am until 2.30pm

Arriving and Departing
Please be punctual in dropping off and collecting your child.
It is important that children do not arrive before 9.30am as the Teachers use this time for the day’s preparation. However, if you do find yourself arriving early we ask that you take time to explore our playground and garden with your child or offer assistance as may be required. On arriving please help your child to put their lunch in the eskies, and piece of fruit into the fruit bowl.
Please do not to arrive late at school in the afternoon either, as this can be upsetting for your child.
When collecting and delivering your child please make contact with a Teacher… a simple hello or goodbye.

Bus travel for Pre-school children is not allowed, this is a Department of Transport regulation.
If there are any changes in travel arrangements please send a note with your child (the lid of their lunch-box is a good place to stick any important messages).

Parent Roster
You will see a blank roster for the term on the wall at school, please fill in your name for one morning a term to help with the preparation of the morning (about an hour).