Week 10: The Penguin Post – Kindergarten Weekly

🌈 KINDERGARTEN NEWS 🌈

It has been another exciting week in Kindergarten. with students exploring the legends of King Arthur and caring for our chickens to making slime, visiting Parrotdise Farm, and enjoying a wonderful live music performance, the children have continued to learn through play, curiosity, and new experiences. We hope you enjoy reading about everything they have been up to and what is planned for the week ahead.

This Week

By Harris (Edited by Matthew)

This Friday, the kindergarteners will be jumping straight into their swimming lessons and making a splash at Hampton Swimming Pool. Please remember to send your child with swimwear, goggles, a towel, a plastic bag for wet clothes, a change of clothes, sunscreen, and a water bottle.

Ethan and Sophie, the two talented violinists volunteering with us, will be performing for the whole school during Circle Time on Monday at 2:50 p.m. Parents are very welcome to attend.

This Wednesday, the Halio Band will perform a few songs at the student café. All parents are warmly invited to come along and enjoy the performance. We look forward to seeing you there!

Parent-Teacher Meetings will take place throughout Thursday. These meetings are optional, but we warmly invite parents to attend if they would like to discuss their child's progress.

Highlights from Last Week

By Davide, Alisa and Daniel

• Last week, the kindergarteners explored history, creativity, and learning to enjoy being part of the community.

  
  

  One of the ways the kindergarteners explored history was by learning about King Arthur and Excalibur. Starting in Miss Celden's class, they continued the theme during their free time, playing with swords and crowns and taking part in lots of role play. One of the funniest moments was when one student declared they were the "Queen of Halio"! In a playful way, some of the boys also enjoyed pretending to battle with cardboard swords.

  
  

  Talking about friendly fun, some kindergarteners enjoyed rough-and-tumble play on the trampoline. This really impressed us because they are learning when to stop and how to control their limits. While some children were play fighting, others were playing with magnetic cubes. They made all types of shapes, including squares, cubes, triangles, prisms, and more. They were even beginning to think like Pablo Picasso as they experimented with different designs.

  
  

  The kindergarteners also visited the school farm. They collected dried grass, hay, and weeds to feed our organic chickens. They said they enjoyed feeding the chickens because they were funny! The children took responsibility by caring for the animals and treating them kindly.

  
  

  On Friday, some of the kindergarteners visited Elder Blossom to listen to a piano and violin performance. This helped teach them patience and an appreciation of beautiful music. A special thank you to Sophia and Ethan for sharing their wonderful performance with us.

• Last Wednesday, the kindergarteners had lots of fun making slime during their club activity.

  Throughout the session, they developed their independence by choosing colours and mixing the ingredients themselves. One of the highlights of the week was watching the slime come together as each child created their own unique design. The children especially enjoyed mixing the ingredients and experimenting with different colours.

  
  

• For Friday's trip, the students embarked on a new adventure at a place called Parrotdise Farm. During their visit, they fed a variety of animals, including birds, pigs, chickens, and fish. The birds proved to be especially popular, with students seeing a wide range of beautiful species, including cockatoos, parrots, and the impressive cassowary, which they nicknamed the "dinosaur bird".

  After feeding the animals, the children explored the playground, which included a slide, swings, and a climbing frame. Many of the kindergarteners climbed to the top, where they enjoyed hanging, jumping, and playing together.

  
  

  They finished this wonderful trip by enjoying a delicious lunch at the farm. The experience helped the children become more engaged and eager to learn about farms and the animals that live there.

Classes from Last Week

By Amanda and Toa

Throughout last week, the kindergarteners continued their classes, including Hands and Hearts, Project Play, Tales and Treasures, and Music.

In Tales and Treasures with Mrs Sara, the kindergarteners began by reading Winnie the Pooh before playing a game called Pooh Sticks. The children enjoyed watching their sticks float along the water while predicting whose stick would travel the furthest.

Next, the students created magnifying glasses with coloured lenses. They enjoyed exploring the outdoor area and observing the world through their new creations.

Afterwards, they made a witch's brew in paper bowls, using ingredients such as garlic to create their magical potions.

In Music with Mr Tommy, the kindergarteners participated in interactive songs and sang many familiar favourites. They were enthusiastic throughout the lesson and clearly enjoyed expressing themselves through music.

The kindergarteners continued to contribute, learn, and have fun throughout the week.

At the beginning of the week in Project Play with Mrs Celden, the children explored different kinds of movement through dancing, singing, and acting. These activities helped them become more confident and comfortable expressing their personalities while working alongside their friends.

On Wednesday, the kindergarteners explored the story of King Arthur before designing and creating their own Excalibur swords.

In Hands and Hearts with Mr Chad, the children learned the difference between this and that and these and those, while also exploring singular and plural nouns. They then worked in small groups, playing games that encouraged them to use the new language they had learned throughout the lesson.

Closing

Thank you for taking the time to read this week's Penguin Post. We hope it has given you a glimpse into the many exciting experiences and learning opportunities our kindergarteners have enjoyed. We look forward to another fantastic week together and, as always, thank you for your continued support of our school community.