In this edition
Dear Families
With the end of year fast approaching, I thought I would bring focus to some of our beautiful ELC traditions that over my time at Saints have become extremely special to me. These events form part of our annual calendar and our everyday. Last week, my teaching team celebrated them with me, recapping on some of the magical moments of the past 16 years. There were some treasured memories in the video that was made for me by my team. I am so thankful to Kirsty Porplycia who has led these special recaps during Term 4, celebrating my time at St Peter’s Girls’ ELC. This has given me the invitation to pause and reflect; I hope it also creates some similar opportunities for you.
I searched for a significant meaning of what makes traditions so special and came across this one which resonates so beautifully with me:
Traditions represent a critical piece of culture. They help form the structure and foundation for our families and our society. Tradition reinforces values. It contributes to a sense of belonging. It also serves as an avenue for creating memories.
What are some of the wonderful traditions that come to mind? Let me list a few:
- The Friends of the ELC – the morning teas, the Twilight Picnics, the special breakfasts
- Walks and family gatherings in Ferguson Park
- The big Christmas Tree in the piazza, named the Giving Tree, that represents thinking of others and the communal decorating ritual
- The Smoking Ceremonies and Welcome to Country with Kaurna elder Tamaru
- The Morning Meetings I share with my teaching team to commence the day and our special stovetop coffees that bring a touch of Italy to our everyday
- Playgroup, something I have treasured dearly
I have used our ELC traditions to reinforce our values within our community, to strive to ensure there is a solid foundation built upon our beliefs and to role model to our children the importance of gratitude. I believe we have created a strong backbone to our ELC culture through many of these traditions. For me, they have reiterated the importance of our language of welcome. I hope you can share in some of these special moments of celebration and reflection as we enter our last weeks together.
Kind regards
Kate Mount
Director of Early Learning
Important Dates
Friday 19 November: ELC End of Year Celebration, 5pm
Monday 29 November: ELC Hat Ceremony, 12.15pm
Thursday 2 December: Mrs Mount Farewell Morning Tea, 9am
Thursday 2 December: Learning Community 2 Farewell Afternoon Tea, 2pm
Friday 3 December: Last day of Term 4
Love of Literacy in Learning Community 2
In Learning Community 2, we place great emphasis and value on the literacy experiences children have before they start school and recognise that these support powerful brain connections. We curate a language and literacy-rich environment where we give time and value to our rituals, providing children with the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of literacy experiences. Watch our video to see more!
ELC End of Year Celebration – Tomorrow!
We’re looking forward to seeing our fabulous ELC community tomorrow at 5pm on Chiverton Lawns for our ELC End of Year Celebration!
ELC Christmas Giving Tree
This week, the Friends of the ELC decorated the ELC Christmas Giving Tree with the help of some very excited children. The tree is a treasured tradition for our ELC community and is part of our ELC – 12 Service Learning program.
In 2021, we are partnering with AnglicareSA, and families are invited to donate a gift to a child less fortunate. Gifts could include books, board games, craft sets, push and pull toys, footballs and soccer balls, toy cars and dolls. Please refer to the poster in the ELC foyer for further ideas.
Please note, all items must be new, not wrapped and delivered to the ELC by Thursday 9 December.
We thank you for your participation in this special giving tradition.
Farewell Mrs Mount!
Join us for a morning tea on Chiverton Lawns as we farewell our beloved Director of Early Learning Kate Mount after 16 phenomenal years.
9am, Thursday 2 December
Chiverton Lawns
A light morning tea of scones, coffee and tea will be served.
For COVID-Safe and catering purposes, RSVP by 5pm on Friday 26 November via www.trybooking.com/BVTCY
Vacation Care Bookings Open
In order to streamline bookings and make the process easier for our families, the ELC Vacation Care booking system is now online through TryBooking. Bookings can be made until 6pm, Friday 26 November via www.trybooking.com/BVMZD
Please note: The ELC will be closed from Monday 20 December 2021 and reopen on Tuesday 4 January 2022.
Henrietta Balnaves and Danniella Capaldo
Extended Hours Care Team
Results from the Narragunnawali Awards
As you know, recently our ELC was honoured as a Top 3 Finalist in the Early Learning category of the national Narragunnawali Awards for reconciliation education. While we didn’t win, we are incredibly proud of our wonderful ELC community and look forward to continuing this pivotal journey together.
Since being nominated, we have learned an incredible amount about ourselves as educators and this journey has been a powerful professional learning opportunity. The courage my team demonstrated throughout was truly inspirational. They have a deep understanding of their role in shaping the future generation, and are excited to share their learnings with the children and their families.
Congratulations to all the finalists, in particular the Early Learning winners, Balnarring Pre-School and Tumut Community Preschool.
Kate Mount
Reconciliation Action Plan
In our commitment to reconciliation at the ELC, the teaching team annually reviews our nationally-endorsed Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). This review process enables us to reflect on the actions our Centre has achieved over a 12 month period and then enables us to set new goals for the coming year.
Supported by Kaurna elder Tamaru, Monica Williams from the Association of Independent Schools of South Australia (AISSA), and members of the broader School community, we were able to celebrate many significant achievements while identifying new directions for 2022.
The ELC RAP encapsulates our vision for reconciliation and provides a record of how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, cultures and language are embedded into our daily practice.
Keep Unwell Children Home
The ELC is appealing to families to please be vigilant following incidences of children arriving at the Centre with symptoms of illness.
It is absolutely imperative to keep unwell children at home until they have recovered, even if symptoms are only mild. This is not only for their own health and safety, but for that of all families and staff.
Common signs of illness include sore throat, cough, runny nose, congestion, green/yellow discharge, fever, stomach pains, vomiting and diarrhoea.
If your child will not be attending ELC, please notify the School via one of the following methods:
Text: 0428 601 957 (save to phone contacts as SPGS)
Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
(If sending via email, please include the relevant room teacher)
Phone: 8334 2200 or phone the relevant room as per the contact list below
ELC Rooms:
Bell Yett – 8155 5777
Ferguson – 8155 5776
Hallett – 8155 5775
Stonyfell – 8155 5778
Thank you for your cooperation.
Keeping Sun Safe in the ELC
As the weather warms up, we ask families to please bring their children to ELC with sunscreen, a named, broad-brimmed hat and appropriate footwear for play.
If you do not have an ELC uniform hat, we ask that you pack another broad-brimmed hat for your child to wear. As we move into the warmer months, it is extremely important that we adhere to our policies and procedures. If your child does not have a hat, they will be asked to play under the shaded areas or indoors.
We also ask that your child wears their correct ELC uniform and avoids wearing dresses or singlets where the shoulders are exposed. Appropriate footwear is also required, such as sneakers or sandals that have a backing.
Please note that sunscreen application also occurs regularly at the ELC. If your child requires a specific sunscreen, please provide this to your child’s teacher.
来自黄老师的信息
亲爱的家长朋友，
随着年末的临近，我想把重点放在我们ELC的一些美好的传统上，在圣彼得女校的期间，这些传统对我们来说已经变得非常特别。这些活动是我们年度日程上的一部分，也是我们每天生活的一部分。
上周，我们的教学团队和我一起分享了一段视频，回顾了过去16年里一些珍贵时刻。我非常感谢Kirsty Porplycia老师在第四学期安排庆祝总结我在Sants Girls ‘ ELC的日子。这给了我时间停下来深思，我希望这也为大家带来这么一个特别的机会去回顾。
我在寻找是什么让传统有如此特别的重要意义，并找到了这个让我产生如此美妙共鸣的意义:
传统是文化的重要组成部分。它们帮助我们形成家庭和社会的结构和基础。传统强化价值观。它有助于产生归属感。它也是创造记忆的途径。
在ELC, 我们能想到哪些优秀传统呢? 让我们来列举一些:
- ELC家委会——将社区成员聚集在一起，积极参与到我们的“早茶会”、“暮光野餐会”和“特别早餐会”
- 在Ferguson公园里漫步，举行特别的家庭聚会
- 每年大厅里的大圣诞树，命名为“ELC 给予之树”，代表着对他人的关心和共同装饰的仪式感
- 与土著长老Tamaru一起参加土著特别的“点烟仪式”和“欢迎来到这片土地”的仪式
- 我和教学团队的老师们开始一天的晨会，以及用我们独特的摩卡壶冲调的咖啡，给我们的早晨带来了特别意大利的气息
- Playgroup——看着我们年龄最小的朋友和我们一起开始他们的学习之旅，这是我最珍视的教学
我们一直用ELC的传统来加强我们在社会中的价值观，努力确保我们的信仰有一个坚实的基础，并向我们的孩子们树立感恩的榜样。我相信，通过这些传统，我们已经为我们的ELC文化创造了一个强大的支柱。这也再一次展现了“欢迎”这一语言的重要性。在我们共同渡过最后几周之际，我希望你们能分享这些特别的庆祝和深思的时刻。
园长 Kate Mount
Emma Huang works in Learning Community 2 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9am – 5pm.
News from Learning Community 1
This term in Learning Community 1, children and educators have been exploring our inquiry focus of ‘Knowledge can be shared through storytelling’. We have shared new and familiar stories and created our own with experiences unique to home and ELC.
Across the term, the children have begun to understand that stories can be shared in a variety of ways. We can share a story with books, drawing, song and dance, role play and puppetry. We can watch a story being acted before us or close our eyes and listen to a story being read. Kaurna elder Tamaru shared stories with us in Ferguson Park by drawing marks in the dirt. As the children demonstrated a curiosity for all forms of storytelling, educators utilised their own passion and skills, creating experiences to further explore storytelling using visual arts, light and cooking. It has been an inquiry focus that children and educators in the Learning Community have connected closely with, entering and engaging at a range of different capacities.
As our explorations deepened across the term, we noticed groups of children revisiting storytelling experiences in their play. They transformed loose parts from around the room into props and characters and moved furniture to create a stage for storytelling. Responding to these observations, educators alongside children created set ups to enhance this drama-based play. We differentiated experiences to the understandings, skills and abilities of all ages across the Learning Community. We discovered our youngest learners observing their older peers, beginning to explore puppetry at the curated story tables. The older children began to initiate quite elaborate role play performances, tasked with sharing and allocating roles and maintaining the flow of the story. You will find documentation of how your child has engaged in our storytelling exploration on our online Learning Community Home Page and in their individual portfolios, due to come home at the end of the term.
Frequently as educators, we are asked, ‘How can we continue the learning at ELC in our home?’ Storytelling is a powerful tool to share knowledge and experience and to form connection. It is an exciting discovery of different cultures and parts of the world beyond our own communities. For children aged 2 and 3, storytelling supports language development and the early development of many key literacy skills. For our bilingual families, we recommend sharing stories in both languages to strengthen and maintain connections to both cultures, and to support language development.
Annabelle Redmond and Jess Catt
Learning Community 1
News from Learning Community 2
The Learning Community 2 teachers are currently working hard on their 2021 reporting practices for all children. You have likely heard teachers refer to the terms ‘assessment’ and ‘reporting’ during Parent-Teacher Conversations or through your own research into teaching and learning within an early childhood setting. Assessment is the ongoing process of identifying, gathering and interpreting information about students’ achievement of the learning outcomes. Reporting is communicating to students, families, teachers and others, the information gained from assessing students’ learning.
In Learning Community 2, we have several reporting structures in place to communicate your child’s individual progress within the group inquiry. When we assess the children’s involvement within the inquiry investigations, our main aim is to provide feedback on the learning processes. We identify what the children know, understand, and can do at different stages of the inquiry. We consider the diverse and unique ways in which individuals learn, construct meaning and applying their understanding.
The way we report on the children’s individual involvement in the inquiry is through a written document which we refer to as an ‘End of Semester Summary’. Through these statements, the teachers report to families on their child’s engagement in the inquiry, their achievements and the areas we can continue to support and encourage. These statements are supported through the documentation that has been gathered throughout the semester that give value and further meaning to the semester statements. The End of Semester Summary statements will be found in your child’s portfolio at the end of the Term 3 and 4 documentation pieces.
The children who transition to school receive a ‘Transition Report: ELC to School’. This summary of the children’s overall development includes information about their involvement in the inquiries, fine and gross motor development, and emotional and social wellbeing. It has been created with reference to the Early Years Learning Framework and is designed to be used as a guide to a child’s development. These documents are written for families, and we also encourage that these are shared with the children’s chosen school, supporting their transition.
Nell Tierney, Laura Reiters and Kirsty Porplycia
Learning Community 2
Find Out What Happens Throughout the Day at ELC
The ELC Learning Community Home Page is a dynamic online sharing space that invites you to participate in the communities’ learning as it happens. We use this tool to communicate important information with families and provide a window into the children’s life at the ELC, as educators share documentation of teaching, specialist lessons and spontaneous moments.
Accessing myLink for the first time:
You have an individual user name to access our myLink Parent Portal which has been provided to you. To set up your myLink access you will need your user name and access to your mobile phone to setup your recovery details. Please note that your user name requires your ID number followed by @stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
- Visit https://mylink.stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
- To set your password, click the link provided
- Enter your user name and click ‘Next’
- Click on ‘Forgot my password’ in blue under the password field
- Enter the characters in the picture and click and click the blue ‘Next’ button
- Select ‘Text my mobile phone’ radial button
- Enter your phone number in the following format +61 0400 000 000 (if you are in another country, please use the correct country code) and click the Blue ‘Text’ button
- You will be texted a code
- Enter the code and click the Blue ‘Next’ button
- You will then be taken to a screen to set a new password for your parent account
Please note: If you forget your password in the future, you can use this method to reset it. Please return to the login screen at https://mylink.stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au to access myLink and use the username from above with the password you just set up.
Accessing the Learning Community Home Page through myLink:
- Access myLink as per the above instructions
- Click on the ‘MYLINK HOME’ tab
- Click on your child’s name tab
- Under ‘Class Contacts’, click on the ELC room name (you may need to enter your user name and password again)
If you have any issues accessing or navigating myLink, please contact the IT Helpdesk via helpdesk@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au or 8334 2227.
ELC’s Online Etiquette Policy: Please note that the ELC Learning Community Home Page and ELC News contain images and videos of other children. We therefore ask that you do not copy or share images or videos, especially on social media, if they contain other children.
Absences in the ELC
Student Absences Please notify the School via one of the following methods for late arrivals/early departures and absences, ensuring a reason for the absence is included.
Text: 0428 601 957 (save to phone contacts as SPGS)
Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Phone: 8334 2200 or phone the relevant room as per the contact list below.
Please include the relevant room teacher when sending via email.
ELC Room Contacts: Bell Yett – 8155 5777 Ferguson – 8155 5776 Hallett – 8155 5775 Stonyfell – 8155 5778
ELC Immunisation Policy
Under the Government’s No Jab No Play policy, families must meet immunisation requirements to attend the ELC and receive the Child Care Subsidy. Families are required to provide all approved immunisation records to the ELC. Further information is available by clicking here.
Children who are suffering from illnesses such as those listed below must be excluded from ELC in line with our Exclusion Policy:
- Influenza
- Chicken Pox
- Conjunctivitis
- Diarrhoea
- Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease
- High Temperature
- Infectious Hepatitis
- Measles
- Meningitis
- Mumps
- Rubella (German Measles)
- Scabies
- Scarlet Fever
- School Sores (Impetigo)
- Upper Respiratory Tract Infection
- Vomiting
- Whooping Cough