Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

Shabbat

This term we welcome Kornmehl families to our special Friday Shabbat celebrations. Each Friday, parents of the children sitting at the Shabbat table will join us. Your involvement and participation in our Kabbalat Shabbat, give us the opportunity to show you the wonderful warm and spiritual way in which we celebrate and honour our heritage, tradition and culture.  

Centennial Park – Bush School

This term, all three groups will be participating in walks down to Centennial Park for Bush School. For the Seashells, this will be the first time they have been taken out of the gate on an excursion. We are excited for them to discover the wonders of nature and how special it is to have this uninterrupted time to engage with nature at Bush School.

Bush School is proving to be such a wonderful part of our curriculum, and it’s interesting to note that with each visit comes a very different experience. Each session in the bush is special and memorable and the children are able to recall experiences from each week.

For many, Bush School provides opportunities for new experiences and new skills. It may be climbing a tree or building a ‘nature house’ and decorating it with leaves. It might be creating a family of ‘mice’ out of Banksia. Being in nature promotes imaginative play.

Children who have first-hand experiences of nature also appreciate what it means to live sustainably. Such experience is vital when considering the contribution that nature-based learning can offer to sustainable lifestyles and the delivery of education for sustainability.

The children are able to experience the natural cycle of the seasons and explore the various natural elements produced by varying weather. We see this every few weeks on our way to our bush classroom as we are greeted by ‘the upside-down tree’. We witness this special tree change with the seasons.

The bush can offer a smorgasbord of senses with lots of tactile experiences, a sense of timelessness, freedom, and a sense of belonging to the place. The children become confident, capable and relaxed in natural environments.

Bush School is about letting the children be, having time to explore and time to feel the sense of freedom. It allows for more open-ended communication and a less routine-based program. Outdoor nature play is authentic, real and hands-on learning. It develops an increase in children’s independence, confidence and creativity and physical and emotional resilience.

(Children in Wild Nature – Niki Buchan)

Aboriginal culture and focus 

Together with the children, we will be acknowledging National Aboriginal and Islander Children’s day on Friday 4 August.

This connects well with our Baby Pack project as well as our collection of pre-loved toys and books for children in the Aboriginal Pre-schools, from last term, as well as our two wonderful Aboriginal Performers Graham Toony and Monty Prior, who visited last term.

During the term, we will continue to be inspired by Aboriginal art works and will incorporate Aboriginal music, puzzles, games and stories into our program.

Parent information talk

Parents are invited to join the Primary School parents for an informative and insightful talk from Deborah Blackman on Protective Behaviours – Talking to Children about Difficult Topics. How do I talk to my children about feelings, secrets, good touch and bad touch, and teach them some useful skills for staying safe? Deborah Blackman is highly regarded as a speaker on this topic. This will take place on Thursday 10 August from 7.30 am to 8.30 am in the Primary School Library.

Breakfast and Pyjama Day

Our famous Breakfast and Pyjama Day is coming up on Thursday 3 August. We would love to have 2 parent helpers in the morning to help us get ready for the breakfast.

On this day, the children come to Pre-school in their pyjamas, gown and slippers. They can bring their favourite soft toy and a torch. We all pretend we are sleeping and wake up for a delicious breakfast together. We also lie on our beds and watch some short movies. What fun!

Jeans for Genes Day

We will be collecting tzedakah next week Friday 4 August for this worthwhile cause. Each year, Australians unite by wearing their favourite jeans and denim outfits, and donating money to support genetic research. Every dollar raised on the day helps scientists at the Children’s Medical Research Institute discover treatments and cures, to give every child the opportunity to live a long and healthy life.

Grandparents and Special Friends Day

We will be celebrating Grandparents and Special Friends Day on Wednesday 16 August for the Seashells and Thursday 17 August for the Dolphins and Starfish.

We are looking forward to sharing this special time together with our wonderful Grandparents and special friends, many of whom we know very well and whom we see on a regular basis when they come into the Pre-school to drop off or pick up their grandchildren. We need 2 or 3 parent helpers on each of these days in the morning from 8.30 am to assist with setting up for the morning tea. We also need 3 parents to come in and bake for Grandparents Day on Monday 14 August. Please let Terry know if you can assist in any way.

Happy Birthday

We wish a very happy birthday to Sienna Carnegie (5), Ruby Isenberg (5) and Toby Stein (5). We also wish our special educator Heather Marshall a very happy birthday. We hope you all had a wonderful day.