REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL
LINDFIELD NEWSLETTER 17th February 2023
Principal’s Message
By Christine Irwin
Dear Parents It was wonderful to see so many of our families attend the parent information evening that was held at Reddam ELS Lindfield from the 6th to the 9th February 2023. The team enjoyed chatting to parents and showing our beautiful class room environments and learning areas. We hope that this was a positive experience for you all and please don’t hesitate to approach myself or the team If you have further questions or queries Recently the team has been reflecting on how the children in our care have settled into the new year and are separating in the morning from their families into their new environment. We also understand how this can effect the family of the child and the routines at home. This can be an emotional time for not only the child but also for the rest of the family. It is very normal for your child to experience some difficulties when settling into the school particularly if they haven't been in the care of anyone else before. It is important for families to know that all children are individual and some will settle very quickly whilst others take time and that’s ok and completely normal. We as educators understand this and as a team we have experience in assisting children to settle at their own pace. In my own experience it is sometimes more difficult for the family if the child happily separates and says good bye without a worry. I have comforted many parents in my time who’s child was happy to go into their new class room excited to join in the experiences provided. The team will often approach families to find out what interests the child has at home and how we can incorporate this into the arrival at school. Families are also asked to complete a “classroom information sheet” which provides the education team with information all about your child so this can be incorporated into the morning arrival routine. Many of our classrooms now have a sign in and out for the children. This encourages that routine for the children and initiates self confidence in their approach to pre literacy skills. I have noted that some of our children’s siblings are also signing themselves in. Great to see some future students getting use to the routine so early! Other significant routine tasks for the children include putting their own bag away in their locker, placing their drink bottle on the trolley and putting sunscreen on ready for their day.