Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl Pre-school

Shavu’ot

We celebrated Shavu’ot on Thursday with a Bikkurim parade and yummy milk lunch, consisting of macaroni cheese and ice cream. The children came to school dressed in red, orange, yellow or green and wearing flowers and leaf garlands in their hair. The staff and children looked very colourful and festive and we all sang and danced, celebrating this beautiful festival together.

We collected a generous supply of dried and tinned food to donate to Oz Harvest. A reminder that we are closed for Shavuot on Friday 29 May 2020.

We wish all our Kornmehl families a Chag Sameach.

As the Jewish people received the ten commandments on the top of Mount Sinai, it creates a beautiful time of reflection and we have been given this opportunity to think about rules and what these mean for us at Pre-school. We spoke about what a rule is and where you might find rules… on the road… at school and at home.

Inspired by the Festival of Shavu’ot (Moses receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai) we discussed the concept of rules. We have been focussing on outdoor rules. We encouraged the children to phrase the rules using positive language.

Some of the questions the children were asked were:

What is a rule?

When do we have rules?

What rules do you have at home?

What rules do we have at Preschool?

Penny: The Jewish people said you must love your mum and dad.

Evan: My dad’s rules is you are not allowed to bite your nails at my house.

Uriel: You don’t smack.

Arabella: You have to say sorry.

Ava: You have to wash your hands.

Talia: We let people play with us.

Miles: We keep the sand in the sandpit. We put the dirty spoons in the water.

Alona: We can use a soft voice outside. We check out the table for rubbish.

Julian: We treat each other kindly.

Kirra: We include people when we play. We listen to the teacher when we need to go inside.

Zola: Don’t pull the plants. We treat the plants with respect.

Sam M: We put the chairs back under the table. We keep toys at home.

Lev: Wash your hands. You don’t break toys and you don’t make too much noise.

Ethan: You don’t go with strangers.

Noa: You have to be nice to your friends.

Daisy: Keep your hands and feet to yourself.

Rafi: You don’t hurt anyone. You have to be nice and say we are your friend and we like you.

Cooper: You have to pack everything away.

Mili: Sand belongs in the sandpit and you don’t throw it. You can’t go down the side without a teacher and if there is a gate.

Archie: When a teacher says it’s lunchtime, you need to go.

There have been connections between keeping the ten commandments and mitzvot, as the children have been freely sharing mitzvot that they have done at home and things they have noticed others doing.

Sam: Can I please have some mitzvah notes to take home because my mum and dad always do mitzvot and I don’t have mitzvah notes at home to give them?

The children were shown a Torah and asked what is a Torah?

Ava: It tells us a story about Shabbat.

Etta: It’s a book telling stories.

National Reconciliation Week

What is reconciliation? It is about two groups settling their differences so we can move forward together. In Australia, it is about Indigenous and Non-indigenous people learning from each other and building respectful relationships and working together. Early childhood settings and schools are ideal places to learn about and model reconciliation. They are places where people from different cultures come together and learn to communicate in a positive and respectful manner. Where children gain knowledge about the world and each other and learn to respect each other’s cultures.

We read Stories for Simon‘ to all the children – a book written by Lisa Sarzin, a past Kornmehl parent and now Emanuel parent. This outstanding book deals with The Stolen Generation and is written in a beautiful way that engages children and helps them to understand what happened to the Indigenous children of Australia many years ago.

As part of National Reconciliation week, the Pre-school children engaged in meaningful discussions within their groups, as well as all contributing to a lovely art installation around the theme for National Reconciliation Week: In this together. This reminds us that whether we are in a crisis or in reconciliation we are all #InThisTogether. “2020 also marks the 20^th anniversary of the reconciliation walks of 2000, when people came together to walk on bridges and roads across the nation and show their support for a more reconciled Australia. As always, we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, and Australians now benefit from the efforts and contributions of people committed to reconciliation in the past. Today we work together to further that national journey towards a fully reconciled country.

“Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians – as individuals, families, communities, organisations and importantly as a nation. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We strive towards a more just, equitable nation by championing unity and mutual respect as we come together and connect with one another. On this journey, Australians are all In This Together; every one of us has a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories and cultures.” www.reconcilliation.org.au

Our Care Pack Project is well on its way and is another example of supporting and working collaboratively with Aboriginal communities in need. Our aim is to collect 500 Care Packs by the end of June.

Parent/teacher meetings

This term we will be conducting parent/teacher interviews via Zoom. These will be held on Thursday 11 June 2020 and Thursday 25 June 2020 from 3.45 pm to 6.45 pm. Please make sure you book a time for an interview using the link provided during the week.