In this edition
Dear Families
It was wonderful to officially open our new Atelier this term with a special event for families, giving value to the ‘Hundred Languages’ as a metaphor for the many ways that children express their thoughts, theories and ideas. It was a well-attended occasion, welcoming families to view the space and all it has to offer. It was very special to see children and families engaging in this new space, exploring the materials and being creative together. I imagine this encouraged some rich conversations at home. Each time I walk past the Atelier, there is always an interesting and inspiring project happening; it is certainly a space where our ELC children are keen to spend their time.
This term, there has been wonderful engagement with sustainable loose parts as children have engaged with a variety of materials in a creative capacity to represent their world and as a resource for storytelling. There have also been beautiful recreations of the Ferguson Conservation Park landscape including large group creative collaborations and individual pieces of artwork.
We were excited to host a number of teachers and leaders from across the independent sector as part of the cross-school collegial meetings. During this time, Caterina Pennestri presented on the role of the Atelierista and the Atelier as a conceptual space. Caterina’s presentation was incredibly inspiring with participants keen to view the Atelier and ask questions.
This term, the central idea of our Unit of Inquiry was, ‘Our actions can impact our world.’ Across the ELC, we have connected with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as we explored how we can take action to look after our world and the people in it. It has been exciting to see this inquiry evolve as children’s questions and curiosities have guided the learning. In Learning Community 1, children engaged in sustainable loose parts and connected with the book, ‘It’s Not a Box’, by Antoinette Portis. This led to some incredible creations as children used their imaginations to re-imagine what their boxes could be. This inquiry has been beautifully captured by the picture book that Learning Community 1 created called, ‘It’s Not Rubbish.’
In Learning Community 2, the children delved deeply into the meaning of our Acknowledgement of Country to understand what it means when we say that ‘we will look after everything on the land, people and the animals’ as we work together to nurture our ecological identity. Ferguson Park has played a key role in these investigations; children have had many opportunities to explore the local flora and fauna and the creek system that runs through the park. Our ELC Community Garden has also played a key role this term with some rich discussions around what children would like to plant. Our Pathway to School children even created their own scarecrow to watch over their growing vegetables and herbs.
Our Father’s and Treasured Friends’ Afternoon Tea was a wonderful event that engaged the whole community. The children were incredibly excited to spend time with their special visitors at the ELC. This event, along with our Coffee Van morning, allowed us to connect with families and enjoy some special moments together.
Term 3 concluded with the ELC Parent-Teacher Conversations which were a wonderful way to celebrate the learning that has occurred across the term and to work in partnership to ensure that we are offering the very best learning and care environment for your child.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all families for your continued support throughout Term 3. We are looking forward to what Term 4 will bring and all the wonderful upcoming learning opportunities together.
Liz Schembri
Director of ELC
Important Dates
Monday 2 October: Public Holiday (ELC closed)
Tuesday 3 October – Friday 13 October: Vacation Care
Monday 16 October: First day of Term 4
Pathway to School
Pathway to School has created a unique classroom culture where emphasis is placed on collaborative group learning, where we work together towards achieving a shared goal and outcome. Through our inquiry projects and rich learning environments, the children are further developing their skills, dispositions and independence in the months before their transition to school.
Kirsty Porplycia and Kathy McCabe
Learning Community 2 (Pathway)
News from Learning Community 1
As we near the end of Term 3, we begin to reflect on and evaluate our Unit of Inquiry and the learning journey we have been on with the children. This term we have focussed on the central idea, ‘Our actions can impact our world’. This unit has provided children with opportunities to further explore the key concepts of waste management, reusing, recycling and how we can transform waste into play resources. Through interpretation of these observations, we identified the following key lines of inquiry to further explore with the children:
- Responsibility to recycle, reuse and repurpose materials
Sustainable practices have been created with the children so that they can begin to recognise that taking an active role in sorting, reusing and repurposing can reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. We began Term 3 by sharing the book ‘Not a Box’ with the intention of inspiring the children’s imagination and generating reflections on reusing and repurposing materials. This play-based inquiry helped develop children’s social skills, collaboration, curiosity, problem solving and creativity.
- Responsibility to care for Ferguson Park
The children are actively making connections to our ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ as we promise to ‘care for everything on the land, the people and the animals.’ The children used their senses while noticing the creatures that live in the park, researched the various Wattle trees and actioned change in recognising that rubbish can cause harm to the animals if they eat it. It has been our pleasure to share your child’s journey and engagement in our Unit of Inquiry through our Parent Teacher Conversations over the last two weeks and we look forward to adding this documentation of your child’s learning to their individual portfolios.
Annabelle Redmond, Nell Tierney and Jess Catt
Learning Community 1
News from Learning Community 2
Everyday across the ELC, we say our Acknowledgment to Country; these words are a promise we make, and this term we intentionally decided to focus on the line:
‘We will look after everything on the land, the people and the animals.’
Throughout the term, we had endless discussions with the children about what they thought this meant. We reconnected with Ferguson Park by taking daily trips. We watched, listened and waited, always guided by the children to see what direction our learning would take. We saw one of our main focuses in both the Hallett and Ferguson rooms evolve, and the introduction of recycled and repurposed materials filled our spaces. We thought about how we can look after people and each other through the kindness tree. We explored our connection to the insects and animals that inhabit our space. We used storytelling as a tool to solidify ideas and concepts and we supported the children to use play as a strategy to understand the impact they can have on the world around them.
We’ve had the privilege of sharing your child’s involvement in this learning during our Parent teacher Conversations over the past few weeks and we have enjoyed this celebration of learning and knowledge.
We will be filling your children’s Portfolios with more examples of their involvement. In Term 4, we look forward to welcoming you and your families to the Centre to view the Portfolios closer.
Sustainability, and creating a genuine and authentic connection to the land, is a value we place great importance on at the ELC and we look forward to strengthening this as we move into Term 4.
Chloe Skoss and Laura Reiters
Learning Community 2
News from Pathway to School
Over the past two weeks, we have had the privilege of meeting with families in our Parent Teacher Conversations. We value working in partnership with families to ensure that we are best supporting the children in a holistically and balanced manner. We loved the opportunity to share stories, strategies and support options in an open and honest forum. We appreciated the questions about our practice and welcomed feedback. When you ask us questions about your child and their time in the Pathway room, we feel your sense of pride and awe as you reflect on your child’s learning journey. We recognise that for many, this is the final semester at the ELC as your child will transition to school next year; this often brings emotion and time for reflection. We thank you for taking the time to meet with us this week and we welcome ongoing dialogue to further enhance your child’s time in Pathway to School.
Kirsty Porplycia and Kathy McCabe
Learning Community 2 (Pathway)
Vacation Care – Term 3 Holidays
Vacation Care will run from Tuesday 3 – Friday 13 October.
Please note: Monday 2 October is a public holiday and the ELC will be closed.
Families must book the days they would like their child to attend Vacation Care.
As Vacation Care is staffed based on bookings, please make your Vacation Care bookings by tomorrow, Friday 29 September.
To access our online booking form, click here
Alternatively, you can contact Wolita Harding via ELCVacationCare@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Vacation Care runs similar to a normal day within the ELC, led by Valentina Fernandes in Learning Community 1 and Alexandra Portus in Learning Community 2.
Our days are filled with a range of creative, inquiry-based and hands-on experiences, using our indoor and outdoor spaces as well as our ELC Community Garden and the School lawns. Children will frequently participate in music, dance, picnics on the lawns, gross motor skills and cooking experiences.
Similar to typical ELC days, children will need to bring their own packed lunch, hat, water bottle and a change of clothes. Due to allergies, we ask that you do not pack nuts. A healthy morning and afternoon tea and late snack will continue to be provided to children.
If you need to make changes to your booking, please email ELCVacationCare@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Due to limited spaces during vacation care, please book early. Any bookings made after this date will incur a late booking fee of $5 added on top of the daily rate per child.
Staff Spotlight: Emma Huang
I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my journey of work and learning at our ELC. Over the past six years, our children’s growth and development have continually inspired me to strive to become a better educator. This year, I am pursuing my Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education to deepen my understanding of children’s learning.
In April, I embarked on a remarkable learning journey to Reggio Emilia, a city celebrating children’s voices as active citizens. It was a treasured experience connecting the possibilities happening every second in our ELC. It was a profound resource for me to motivate and empower our young learners. This experience opened up rich knowledge for me to research the field, embracing creative and critical thinking and learning in art education.
In our diverse Learning Communities, bilingual education plays a crucial role. I work alongside Mrs Catt, Mrs Tierney, Ms Redmond and other lovely colleagues to develop children’s languages and connect with their cultures in the ELC; like celebrating Chinese New Year. By fostering children’s sense of belonging and creating a supportive learning community, children feel secure to learn and grow. Open and positive communication with families emphasises respect for each student’s uniqueness to be themselves, supporting the cultivation of their interests and goals. Following Loris Malaguzzi’s saying, I deeply believe that a child has a hundred languages, a hundred hands, a hundred thoughts, a hundred ways of thinking, playing and speaking.
Our efforts to support new children in establishing strong and nurturing relationships are the cornerstones. These relationships encourage engagement and collaboration in rich learning experiences; including storytelling, revelling in the beauty of early childhood literature, the ELC Community Garden and Ferguson Park, exploring nature and sustainability, musical adventures immersing in the rhythms and dancing, gross motor skills and a deep dive into Kaurna culture acknowledging the country and the First Nations People. Children develop deep connections with their teachers and peers, fostering their confidence, resilience, and enjoyment of learning and transitioning to the next journey. In embracing such relationships, children discover the world, their voices are heard, and they know they are cherished, respected, and supported every step with joy.
Children are like tiny seeds; our passion is the sunshine that awakens their potential. Our authentic care forms the foundation, the nurturing soil from which they draw strength. Our unwavering dedication as the water will cultivate them to grow and thrive into confident and lifelong learners.
来自ELC园长：
亲爱的家长们，
这个学期，令我们高兴的是我们的新工作室以一场特别的家庭活动正式开幕。“百种语言”是作为孩子们以多种方式表达思想、理论和想法的一种比喻。我们欢迎许多家庭来到现场，并体验这个空间和它所提供的一切。看到孩子们和家人参与到这个新空间中，一起探索材料，一起创造，这是非常特别的。我可以想象的是，当孩子们回到家中，和家人们分享这一空间的一些丰富的对话，以及它所促的学习。每当我走过这个工作室，总会有一个有趣而鼓舞人心的学习项目正在发生;这是我们ELC孩子们热衷于渡过他们时间的地方。
这个学期，我们的孩子们充分运用了可持续的零散材料（loose parts），并以创造性的方式使用各种材料来表达他们的世界，作为一种讲故事的资源。还有使用这些材料来展现弗格森公园的美丽景观，这不仅包括大型团体创意合作，还有个人艺术作品的创作。
我们很高兴能够接待来自许多部门老师和领导，作为跨学院之间学术交流的一部分。在此期间，Caterina Pennestri提出了美育教学专家和“工作室”这一概念空间的作用。Caterina的演讲令人难以置信地鼓舞人心，到场的老师们热衷于参观工作室并提出问题。
这个学期，我们探索的中心思想是：“我们的行为可以影响我们的世界。”“在整个欧洲经委会，我们与联合国可持续发展目标联系在一起，探索如何采取行动来爱护我们的世界和生活在其中的人们。令人感到十分激动的是，能看到这种探究激发了孩子们的问题和好奇心，并引导学习的发展。在学习社区1中，孩子们参与了可持续的松散部件的创作，并与Antoinette Portis的书《这不是盒子》联系在一起。这带来了一些不可思议的创作，因为孩子们用他们的想象力，重新想象“盒子还可能是什么”这一主题。“学习社区1”制作的图画书《这不是垃圾》精美地记录了这个探索学习。
在学习社区2中，孩子们深入探索了我们对“承认我们的国土和原住民”的这一概念，以理解当我们说“我们将照顾土地上的一切，人和动物”时，我们共同努力培养我们的所处的“生态系身份”是有什么样的意义。弗格森公园在这些调查中发挥了关键作用;孩子们有很多机会探索当地的动植物和贯穿公园的小溪流生态系统。我们的ELC社区花园在本学期也发挥了关键作用，围绕“孩子们喜欢种植什么”进行了丰富的讨论。我们学前班的孩子们制作了稻草人来照看他们正在生长的蔬菜和香料植物。
我们的父亲节以及“欢迎孩子们特别的朋友”的下午茶是一个精彩的活动，整个社区都积极参与进来。孩子们非常高兴地与他们的“特别访客”在ELC共度时光。这个活动，连同我们的“早茶咖啡车”，让我们与家人联系在一起，一起共享这些“特别的时刻”。
第三学期以ELC家长-老师对话迎来了尾声，这是一个很好的方式来庆祝整个学期的学习，并确保我们为您的孩子提供最好的学习和环境。
我想借此机会感谢所有家庭在第三学期一直以来对我的支持。我们期待着第四学期的到来，期待着所有美好的学习机会。
Emma Huang (ELC Educator and Chinese Community Contact, Fluent in Mandarin) works in Learning Community 1 on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8:30am – 4:30pm.
Our New MyLink Parent Portal Tutorials
We are excited to share our new myLink Parent Portal Instructional Tutorials with you. Our tutorials provide insight into the many features that myLink has to offer including accessing your child’s Learning Community Homepage and placing online Tuck Shop and School Shop orders. Please enjoy exploring the range of tutorials via the links below:
ELC Parents
Tuck Shop and Online Uniform Shop Ordering
Accessing myLink for the first time:
Each parent has an individual username to access our myLink Parent Portal. Please note that the username is your ID number followed by @stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au (your ID number has been provided to you in an email from the School). If you have not accessed myLink before or have forgotten your password, please follow these steps:
- Visit https://mylink.stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
- Sign in with your parent username
- Click on ‘Forgot my password’
- Make sure the ‘email’ address is your parent username, type in the code, then click the blue ‘Next’ button
- Enter your mobile number registered with the School, with the area code (Australia is +61), dropping the 0 at the beginning (e.g. +61 400000000). Then select ‘Text’
- Enter the security code sent to your mobile number
- Enter the password you would like to use and click ‘Finish’
- Return to the login screen at https://mylink.stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au to access myLink
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)
Accessing the Canvas Parent App for the first time:
- Ensure you have previously logged in to myLink on a PC
- Download the Canvas Parent App from your App Store
- Click the ‘Find School’ button
- Look up: stpetersgirls
- Log in using your parent username and password
- Tap on ‘ELC 2023’
- Click on ‘Front Page’ on the top right-hand side
- Here, you can navigate the page through the app
Please note: we do not use the message feature on this app, and ask families to contact their child’s teacher via email rather than this message feature.
If you have any issues accessing or navigating myLink, please contact our IT Hub 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.
Car Parking Notice
Families are reminded to be extra vigilant when parking on Hallett Road, Stonyfell Road and within the School car park during drop-off and pick-up times. The health and safety of our community is our highest priority, and we ask families to park in a safe and designated parking space on these roads and neighbouring streets. With a constant flow of traffic on the main roads surrounding our School, and families and children present in this vicinity, it is crucial for all drivers to move in and out of parking spaces with caution.
Please supervise children closely when getting into and out of the car. Families are reminded to use the pedestrian crossing to safely cross Hallett Road and Stonyfell Road and model appropriate road safety behaviour. Please do not leave siblings or other children in the car when dropping off or collecting your child.
Late Fee Reminder
A reminder to all families that a late fee is applied for any pickups after 6pm, Monday to Friday in the ELC.
The fee is as follows: $15 per every 15 minutes after 6pm.
We ask all parents to remember to sign their children in and out when arriving and departing from the Centre. This helps to ensure that we have an accurate record of all children who are present at any given time.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our ELC Enrolments and Finance Officer Sarah Elliott via selliott@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Thank you for your understanding.
Sun Smart Practices in the ELC
Following Cancer Council advice, our Centre has strong guidelines for sun protection, mainly on days the UV is 3 and above. Recently, the UV has been high for small parts of the day; therefore, it is important for families to be aware of the following. We ask all families to please return your child’s hat to the ELC, so our Centre can be prepared for warmer days throughout the term as well as Term 4.
It’s important that children access the outdoor spaces and Ferguson Conservation Park, which requires children to wear their hats depending on the weather. Please ensure your child’s hat is labelled clearly with their name. Thank you for supporting our sun safe practices. For more information, please visit the Cancer Council website.
School Health Centre Notices
Minimise the spread!
To minimise the spread of illness please keep your child at home if they have:
- received Panadol or Nurofen in the morning
- a fever of 38 or above – children can return to the Centre 24 hours after their last elevated temperature
- swollen glands
- a continuous runny nose
- a sore throat
- a consistent cough without a doctor’s clearance
- been unusually tired or lethargic
- been vomiting or have diarrhoea. Children should be kept home until the these symptoms have been absent for at least 24 hours.
- an undiagnosed rash
We look forward to your child returning once their symptoms are cleared so they can be happy and engaged in learning.
Remember to cover coughs and sneezes with your elbow and wash hands regularly for at least 20 seconds.
COVID-19 Information
Please find the latest guidance from SA Health:
- It is strongly recommended that students stay home if they have cold or flu-like symptoms, and test for COVID-19.
- Whether they receive a positive or negative result, they should stay home until symptoms subside (usually five to seven days).
If your child tests positive to COVID-19, please notify the School. Please also notify the School each day of absence, or provide the expected period of absence.
You can notify us via one of the following methods. Please include the name of the ELC Room. If emailing, feel free to ‘CC’ the teacher/s of the room as well.
Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au Text: 0428 601 957 (save to phone contacts as SPGS) Phone: 8334 2200
If children are displaying symptoms, it is mandatory that we send them home. SA Health guidelines advise that symptoms include:
- Fever (a temperature of 37.5˚C or higher) or chills
- Cough
- Loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Tiredness (fatigue)
- Runny or blocked nose
- Shortness of breath (difficulty breathing)
- Nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea
- Headache
- Muscle or joint pain
- Loss of appetite
For more SA Health information, click here
Please note that if your child is unwell, they should remain home until they have recovered, irrespective of the illness.
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
As part of our approach to prioritising health and safety, we implement effective hygiene practices and work to prevent and effectively deal with any infectious disease in line with the Education and Care Services National Regulations and the advice of health experts. If your child has one of the following, chickenpox, measles, rubella, meningococcal or tuberculosis or any other vaccine preventable diseases we ask that you inform the Centre as soon as possible.
Important Allergy Information
Please remember allergy awareness when packing food for your child. We kindly ask you to refrain from packing nuts or nut products in your child’s lunch box. We have members of our community across the Centre with severe food allergies to the following:
- Nuts
- Dairy
- Sesame
- Fish and shellfish
- Egg
- Banana
Due to the severity of these allergies, we are asking that you be mindful of this when packing food for your child. Please ensure food is safely packaged and/or contained. If you have any questions, please see your child’s Room Teacher. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our community safe.
Absences in the ELC
If your child will not be attending ELC due to illness or otherwise, please notify the School via one of the following methods and include the name of the ELC Room. If emailing, feel free to ‘CC’ the teacher/s of the room as well. Please also provide a reason for the absence as the School requires this for government reporting purposes.
Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Text: 0428 601 957 (save to phone contacts as SPGS)
Phone: 8334 2200
ELC Room Contacts
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- Stonyfell – 8155 5778
- Bell Yett – 8155 5780
- Ferguson – 8155 5776
- Hallett – 8155 5775
- Pathway – 8334 2250