Kia ora koutou,
Spring has finally approached us. We hope for more sunshine to brighten our days and bring warmer weather.
BUSY TAMARIKI KARORI KIDS
1. Te Wiki O Te Reo Māori
As Te Reo is part of our everyday interaction, for the month of September, we have focused our programs in learning the language as well as extending our knowledge about Māori principle and concepts. Our kaiako Reena has done great mahi for each tamariki. Our tamariki and whanau really enjoyed looking at their beautiful treasured mihi.
Mercy with our tamariki also revisited the story of how Maui showed the sun.
| Learning Outcomes (Te Ara Whānui Whāriki and NELP) 1a. Meaningfully incorporate te reo Māori and tikanga Māori into the everyday life of the place of learning 1b. Making connections between people, places and things in their world | te waihanga hononga
1b. Learning priorities: Have high aspirations for every learner/ākonga, and support these by partnering with their whānau and communities to design and deliver education that responds to their needs, and sustains their identities, languages and cultures.
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2. Transition to school programme For this month, we have started taking our older tamariki for school visits to Karori West and Karori Normal School which has given them the opportunity to become familiar with school environment, daily routine and meet their teachers in primary schools. It has been a great way to help them feel more comfortable and prepare for the next step in their learning journey.
As this is our current internal evaluation, we will be looking at different ways to make sure that we provide smoother transition to school.
| 2a. Understanding how things works here and adapting to change/ Te marama ki te ahua o nga whakahaere me te mohio ki te panoni 2b. Reduce barriers to education for all, including for Maori and Pacific learners/akonga, disabled learners/akonga and those with learning needs. | |
3. Tumbling Tots
Our Tumbling Tots sessions have now come to an end. This was the highlight activity of the winter season, and the children truly enjoyed the fun, active movement while developing their physical activities. We look forward to brining Tumbling Tots again next year.
| 3a. Keeping themselves healthy and caring for themselves/ te orange nui
3b. Te wero a-tinana/ Moving confidently and challenging themselves physically
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1. Self-help skills Our tamariki have made great strides in developing their self-help skills. A lot of our toddlers are now fully toilet trained and our older tamariki are taking on the responsibility of helping look after the younger ones. It is wonderful to see their growing independence and care for each other. te whānau, ke te pehea koi. | 4a. Keeping themselves healthy and caring for themselves/ te orange nui
4b. Keeping themselves and others safe from harm/ ten oho haumaru | |
We had a successful trip to Space Place for the month of September. The Place was like sitting in a cinema with beautiful rainbow screening across the dome and relaxing chairs. The tamariki were completely captivated by the scene.
In addition to the exciting venue, the children and kaiako had experienced a pretend travel in the sky planet using cinema effects, galleries, and telescopes. While pretending we are on the spaceship, we learnt the name of each planet in English as well as in Te reo Maori which provided the opportunity to revisit children’s learning about Matariki. | 5a. Tangata Whenuatanga: Placed-based, socio-cultural awareness and knowledge. Knowledge of whalapapa, identity, language and culture. 5b. Te rangahau me te mātauranga/ making sense of their world by generating and refining working theories.
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6. Going for walks
We continue to take regular walks to with the tamariki to enhance community awareness and support a holistic approach to learning. In the afternoon at least 2x a week, we also offer other walks for the tamariki who need more challenging activities. This allows us to provide focused time for other tamariki to cater to their individual needs.
| 6a. Keep themselves healthy/ te oranga nui 6b. Keeping themselves and others safe from harm/ ten oho haumaru 6c. Make connection between people, places, and things in their worls/ te waihanga hononga 6c. Move confidently and challenge themselves physically/ tew era-a-tinana
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7. Thunderbird set up and topics
The Thunderbird have now been divided into two groups to better meet the individual needs of each child. This allows for more tailored participation and help us set more focused goal for every child, ensuring their development is supported effectively.
Topic: Solar system One of the topics that was introduced to tamariki for the month of September was about solar system-an extended activity that our tamariki learnt during our Field trip to Space Place.
The children were engaged through reading books, discussion, art and craft activities which have helped them increased their content knowledge as well as refining fine motor skills. It is a way to combine learning and hands-on activity.
| 6a. Making connections between people, places and things in their world/ te waihanga hononga
6b. Making sense of their world by generating and refining working theories/ te rangahau me te mātauranga.
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Professional Development
Our kaiako have been attending professional development
-Gina attended a webinar on Early Learning Curriculum Framework, ERO processes and system, Te Ao Maori.
- Debbie attended a webinar on ‘e hoa te waka’ and supporting ADHD.
-Regan is continuously completing his Incredible Years Programme.
These PD were provided to ensure that we are up to date with our current practices and system.
Our new internal evaluation is entitled: “To what extent are we providing our tamariki with the necessary support to ensure a smooth transition to the school program?”
Update: The team has begun gathering data to explore ways to ensure a smooth transition to school for our programme. Gina has distributed a questionnaire to teachers to determine their understanding their perspectives on the connection between Te Whariki and the New Zealand curriculum. In addition, school visits have been conducted to observe how different schools foster a sense of belonging for both children and their families. These insights will be invaluable as we refine our approach.
Upcoming events
1. Teachers Only Day (Tuesday, 29th of Oct)-The Centre is closed
2. Diwali Day (Thursday, 31st of Oct)
3. Costume Day, (Friday, 1st Nov)
4. Working bee (Saturday 2:30-4:30, 9th November)
5. Photo Day (Friday, 22nd of November)
6. Sports Day (Friday, 22nd of November)
7. Christmas Party (Friday, 13th of Dec)
8. Last day of 2024 (Friday, 20th of Dec.) Christmas holidays (21st Dec-12th of January)
9. First day of 2025 (Monday, 13th of Jan)
Reminders:
Reminders about providing us a copy of the 4 years old immunisation records.
Please ensure your children wear appropriate walking shoes for our regular walks.
As part of the enrolment agreement, please be reminded that your child is required to attend at least six (6) hours each day.
Please continue to discourage your children in bringing toys from home at Karori Kids
General
Finally, as I always say, it is your tireless efforts and initiatives and providing valuable insights significantly contributed to the success of Karori Kids. We deepely appreciate the time, enegy and passion you investment here in our Centre.
“ Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi
With your basket and my basket the people will live
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