March Newsletter
Sinking and floating, collecting rain, walking in the rain, mud pies, water canals, making ice-blocks, learning new vocabulary and trips to the local stream are all part of our “Water Project”.
Thank you for the wonderful attendance at our parent evening— ’the power of once’. Parents are sharing some great success stories with me. If you wish to buy the DVD then it is just $10.
Getting to ‘school’ on time: We structure our learning activities so that children experience language, mathematics, science, music and creativity in a holistic manner throughout the day. However, there is a greater emphasis on reading, writing and mathematics in the morning programme. It all starts at 9.00am. It means that for your child to really benefit from being here, and to gain a head start for primary school, they need to arrive by 9.00am. Those who arrive later will miss out on the more directed teaching times. Early to bed and early to rise—that is the answer!
Policy Review During March we will be reviewing our education programme policy. If you would like to add your ideas and thoughts please take the time to read the policy and fill in the suggestion slips. The policy review folder is found on the coffee table just in front of reception. Thanks—we value your input.
Self-Review within our centre:
The purpose of self-review is to improve our practice so that our practice supports children’s learning in the best possible ways. We recognise the fact that learning is on-going and context based. The way we foster learning is informed by our knowledge of theory and of practice as well as by our ability to put theory into practice (and vice versa). For this first six months of the year we will be reviewing our mathematics teaching and learning practices. The questions we are answering are—In what ways does our service promote and support mathematical teaching and learning? How can this be improved? We would love your help to kick start this self-review. We would appreciate it if you could spend 10 minutes of your time completing the attached questionnaire. We will gather all the information and begin to analyse the data as well as investigate current theories' in the practices of teaching young children mathematics. Thank you so much! We love to read!
March 2012 Reach Forward Early Learning Centre (09) 950 4400 Email:
[email protected] Web: www.reachforward.co.nz
Pencil Grip It’s widely known that correct pencil grip can improve handwriting and the general comfort and fluidity of writing, and many educators believe it can help with overall brain development as well. Occupational therapists have been focusing on using the correct pencil grip for some time now. “Pencil grip is very difficult to change after about age 6. It can be done, but it can be a struggle,” says Stephanie Capshaw, paediatric occupational therapist and professor in the Occupational Therapy Program. “It is very important to address pencil grip early, because if it is not corrected, it can later affect speed and legibility, as well as put undue stress on developing joints, which can later cause the development of arthritis.” So what is the right way to hold a pencil? The correct pencil grasp is essential for good handwriting. The “Tripod grip” is considered the desired pencil grip. The pencil is loosely held between the thumb and first two fingers. Some occupational therapists teach children to think of their fingers as a family driving in the car. The index finger and thumb gripping the pencil are the two parents in the front seat. The three other fingers are the children sitting in the back seat. They remind children that we don’t want anyone sitting in anyone else’s lap, nor do we want everyone in the front of the car. An efficient pencil grasp is one that allows the child to write neatly at a reasonable speed without tiring easily. Poor pencil grasps look awkward and do not use the hand muscles efficiently. This results in the child tiring easily and being unable to produce neat handwriting. The key is not to grip too tightly. When a child has white knuckles, holes in his paper, or frequent snaps from the lead in his pencil, you can bet his grip is too tight. Before a child begins to write, we build fine motor skills through activities such as lacing, threading, or sorting small objects like paper clips or by using tongs. We encourage the correct pencil grip by supplying children with fat crayons, chalk and chunky paintbrushes. It is important for children to develop a mature, efficient, correct pencil grasp by going through the developmental stages of grasping and holding objects. There are a wide variety of grippers that can be bought from stationery stores which can be slipped onto a regular pencil and used to guide their fingers into the correct placement. At Reach Forward Early Learning Centre having the correct pencil grip is one of the many important things we teach here.
Port-folios are a record of your child's learning and development whilst they are in our care at Reach Forward. The teachers try to look for "news worthy" events that show a specific skill being developed. Learning Stories cover a range of developmental areas: social, cognitive, thematic, physical etc. Port-folios are kept in your child's classroom and at any time, you are welcome to look at them.
Our favourite quote:
“brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.” President Obama (USA) re: Steve Jobs
March 2012 Reach Forward Early Learning Centre (09) 950 4400 Email:
[email protected] Web: www.reachforward.co.nz
