AISWA Early Childhood Local Study Tour Event 1

Description

Join us for our first local study tour of 2017. Local Study Tours provide educators with the opportunities to visit other AISWA schools, to view their learning environments, talk about their pedagogies and practices and network with other AISWA educators.

On our first local study tour we will be spent at Serpentine Jarrahdale Grammar School and John Wollaston Anglican Community School.

John Wollaston Anglican Community School caters for children from Pre-Kindergarten through to Year 12. We are authorised as a world school of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP).  The IB pedagogy we adopt is a construtivist, transdisciplinary, inquiry-based approach that reflects the attributes of the IB Learner Profile; we encourage our students to be risk takers, reflective, caring, open-minded, thinkers, knowledgable and balanced.

Play based learning is at the core of our philosophy. We believe in developing a sense of belonging and secure attachment so that our children are ready to engage in learning experiences; to wonder, explore and discover. Central to this is our motivation to care for each other and expand our knowledge; through developing warm and trusting relationships with children and their families, while adopting a balanced curriculum. This incorporates play based learning and intentional teaching to address the requirements of the Australian Curriculum, the Early Years Learning Framework, State Kindergarten Guidelines and the IB Primary Years Programme.

The Early Learning Centre has been purpose-built to provide a safe and secure setting for the first years of schooling. Our environment is creative, stimulating, and natural with beautiful views of the Perth foothills. Each classroom has been designed to stimulate, engage and challenge the curious minds of our youngest students. We welcome visitors and enjoy learning from others as we all strive to provide our students with a rich, stimulating learning environment. 

Serpentine Jarrahdale Grammar School’s  Early Learning Centre has been operating since the beginning of 2016. The environment and the program reflect the natural beauty of the area that also easily lends itself to a nature based play curriculum. The buildings are designed to be similar to a home and already the second building stage has begun due to a high demand for our 3 year old program. 

Our children in Pre K/ K have been divided into groups and a staff member has become their particular ‘special’ person. Whilst the teacher still oversees the curriculum and reporting procedures during weekly planning sessions, the assisting staff then plan together how their group of children will best engage with the learning intentions. The purpose of these groups is to encourage strong and meaningful relationships where the needs and the interests of the children in Pre-K/K/PP can be nurtured.

The Early Learning Centre in 2018 will have the ability to support our families from birth with the facilities offering a parent room and a specialist support space and playgroup. The children will also have the opportunity to participate in an indoor /outdoor program. So much has happened in a short time at SJ but we continue to look for ways to develop our school culture and the needs of our families.