Preschool Celebrates Harmony Week

During Week Seven, the children at preschool did some learning around Harmony Day.  Harmony Day is celebrated annually on March 21st in Australia.  The overarching message of Harmony Day is 'Everyone Belongs'. It is about community participation, inclusiveness, celebrating diversity, respect and belonging.  As we have been focusing on belonging at preschool this term, it was wonderful to be able to extend the children's learning around this concept.

The children decorated a hand using paint and oil pastels.  They then placed their hands in one of the preschool's front entrance gardens, symbolising that while we are all different and special, we are all part of one community that works harmoniously together.

As well as creating our Happy Harmony Hands, the children listened to some stories including I Am Australian Too by Mem Fox and enjoyed learning some songs and dances about different ways people around the world greet each other.  Some of the greetings they learnt included Konichiwa (Japanese), Namaste (Indian), Bonjour (French), Ciao (Italian), Buenos Dias (Spanish), Guten Tag (German) Do-Brey Dien (Russian), Shalom (Hebrew), Kia Ora (Maori) and Ni Hao (Chinese).

Please see some photos below of our Happy Harmony Hands.

Below is a link to I Am Australian Too by Mem Fox so that you can listen and view the story with your family.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAQ4lfxDxmU

Preschool Rules

As part our learning around Belonging at preschool, the Kangaroos, Koalas, Bilbies and Echidnas discussed the importance of having rules at preschool. 

The children decided that rules are important because they help to keep people safe, happy and make things fair. Everyone agreed that we should have rules at preschool and that these rules help us to learn inside and outside.

As part of their discussions, the children were asked to share some ideas around rules that they think we should have.  The teachers then took their ideas and put them together to be displayed on a poster in the classrooms.  The children and the teachers put their thumb print on their rules to say that we all agree to follow our rules at preschool.

Please see below our preschool rules for 2019 at preschool.  Feel free to have a discussion with your child at home about the rules we have at preschool, the rules you have at home and any similarities or differences you notice.

At preschool we are kind, safe and respectful learners.

We listen to each other and use quiet voices.

We keep our hands and feet to ourselves.

We walk inside and run outside.

We listen with our whole bodies.

We look after our things and help to pack away.

We take turns and share.

We learn and play together.

We are kind to everyone and try to have happy faces.

Fraser Fete

It was so wonderful to see so many families at our Fraser Fete on Sunday, celebrating forty years of our amazing school.  Thank you to the families who volunteered their time and/or donated fruit and chocolate for the Preschool Fruit Stall and chocolate toss.  Your contributions helped us to hold yet another successful fete.