Kornmehl

Terry Wizen – Director Kornmehl

Kornmehl Karnival

On Sunday, 163 Kornmehl children and parents gathered in the MPH and on the basketball court for an afternoon of fun, games, physical challenges, short movie episodes and face painting. We all enjoyed delicious hot dogs lovingly barbequed by Mr Danny Stein, Mr Neil Shilbury and Mr Gabriel Telesca. Thanks also to everyone who helped out – Danielle Siegel, Allison Grodin, Karen Drutman, Sharon Miller, Gaby Kahn, Mel Shilbury, Justine Hoffman, Jade Marishel, Anita Weinberger and, of course, Gail Stein for her momentous effort and time spent in pulling this huge event off. Thank you to all the Kornmehl staff who came along to help and to everyone who helped to pack away at the end. Thank you also to everyone who donated prizes for our raffle.

It was a fabulous action-packed afternoon and the kids all had so much fun and an abundance of energy. After all expenses we raised $1300 – a huge effort and the money will be put back into the Pre-School for resources and to complete our car park project.

Centre Visits

Both the Starfish and Dolphins visited the Burger Centre this week to sing for the elderly visitors, who are always delighted to see the children and to join in with the singing. Taking the children out into the wider community has many advantages for both parties. It’s important for the children to realise that they are part of a wider community and that they can make such a big difference in someone’s life to bring them joy and happiness through the power of song, music and just their presence. Teaching the children to have empathy and an emotional connection to elderly members of our community builds their confidence, resilience, as well as feelings of worth and positivity. All of these factors were evident in our visits this week. We are so proud of the wonderful mitzvah we all did by visiting the Burger Centre and its guests.

On a side note, but relevant to this experience…. on Tuesday night many of our staff watched a television programme on the ABC called Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds. It’s a program about a unique social experiment that brings together elderly people in a retirement community with a group of 4-year-olds. The intention is to look closely to see if the encounter between young and old help transform the lives of the elderly? A number of aspects are being examined and tested including increased mobility of the elderly and the impact of their emotional wellbeing. Also, the ways in which the children respond to the adults are being observed too.

After watching the first very heart-warming episode, it was so evident already what the impact and effects these young pre-schoolers were having on the lives of these elderly people. They brought back their vitality and self-worth.

It was such a lovely feeling knowing our pre-schoolers put joy and smiles on the faces of the elderly at The Burger Centre.

Preparations for going to school

It’s that time of the year when we need to think, reflect and start to prepare some of our Kornmehl children for going to Year K next year. Below are some ideas to start thinking about:

Each child responds differently to changes and each child will deal differently with the transition into school. Children need help to adjust to the rules and way of doing things that school offers. Some of these changes include:

Physical environment is bigger with playgrounds that are shared with older children and facilities spread across a wide campus.
Routines may be a lot more structured, with set times to eat, play, go to the library or the toilet.
Relationships may be more complicated than previously, where the child will have to learn to relate to different teachers, specialist teachers and lots of different children across many age groups.

Children who make a positive start to school are more likely to feel comfortable, relaxed and valued, good about themselves as learners and develop a sense of belonging to the school community.

It is important for parents to talk positively about going to school, without building up unrealistic expectations. Try to listen to any concerns your child may have and answer any questions. Make sure your child attends the school’s orientation programs usually held in Term 4. If necessary, take them for a walk around the school, pointing out their classroom and mapping the journey from the room to the toilets, library and other key facilities.

Below are a few tips to think about:

Personal skills – include the ability to look after yourself and your belongings, to manage your time and get tasks done and understand that particular rules and routines apply in each situation.
Relationship skills – include being able to join in games, take turns, make and maintain friends and learn how to talk with less familiar adults.
Learning skills – include being able to keep going with a task, knowing how to ask and answer questions, how to listen to and follow instructions and having a positive disposition or attitude towards learning new things.

Parents are the safe base from which children can move out to explore the world, to learn and grow and become socially confident, responsible young people.

Things you can do to build your child’s personal, social and learning capacity:

Gradually ask your child to take responsibility for organising their belongings e.g. setting out clothes for the next day.
Give your child small manageable responsibilities at home, such as cleaning up, setting the table, clearing their plate, putting their toys away.
Involve your child in family decisions according to their age and ability; offer them choices about what to wear, what they want to eat, or where the family could go on an outing.
Talk about the different rules that apply for different situations e.g. wearing a seatbelt in the car, crossing a road, in the park, at the pool etc.
Play games as a family and remind children about rules and turn taking.
Invite children over to play and guide your child into joining in and making friends. It’s important for parents to model kindness and respect.
Sit with your child doing small tasks, encouraging them to persist and solve problems.
Read books and develop your child’s listening skills, concentration, comprehension, thinking and conversation.
Encourage your child to explore, be curious, come up with questions and investigate how things work.
Encourage your child to be independent, to believe in themselves and to take some risks in a protected way.
Teach your child that things don’t always work out the way we want them to, but that we can learn from every situation and to keep trying until we succeed.

Taken from Your Child’s First Year at School – Getting off to a good start. A guide for parents – Jenni Connor and Pam Linke, 2012

Holiday care

Holiday care will take place in the first week of the holidays on: 2, 3 and 10 October 2019 from 8.00am to 4.00pm.

Happy Birthday

This week we wish a very happy birthday to Bianca Ross (5) and our special educator Marlene Einfeld. We hope you both had a special birthday celebration.