N EWSLETTER
March/April
2016
Tigger’s Montessori Preschool
Term One
We have started a “Tigger’s Face book Page” –
Please “like” to receive updated information and
happenings within the school.
If your child has a green discharge from their nose,
this indicates infection and your child needs to see
a doctor and feel well to be at preschool.
Important dates to Remember
Term 1 Ends – 15th April 2016
Term 2 Starts – 2nd May 2016.
Good Friday march 25th 2016 (school closed)
Easter Monday 28th March – (school closed)
Anzac Day - Monday 25th April (school closed)
The school holiday programme is implemented
outside these dates. 18th April – 29th April
General Parent Information and Reminders
Many thanks to all the families who have given us such
If you are booked at e.g. 9am your need to arrive on time, and pick up
positive feedback particularly relating to your child’s
at your booked times, to ensure we maintain staffing ratio, If you
development, skills learned, independence and curriculum
arrive or collect outside these times, our system will charge additional
growth and knowledge. It is very exciting for us to hear how
fees. Please note all children must be collected before closing time of
well our pupils do when they progress onto Public and
5.30pm we are not licensed to have children on the premises past
Private Primary schools alike. Always remember if you have
5.30pm
anything you wish to ask, inform us of or discuss, please
come immediately to your classroom Supervisor/Team
Staffing - Welcome Hayley into the Prep Room. Hayley has enjoyed
leader, staff member or even manager and owners. Many
getting to know your children and our fun classroom and is a qualified
questions can be answered immediately if you direct them
to the informed source i.e. via the Tigger’s Staff.
teacher working towards registration and joins the team in undertaking
her Montessori Diploma this year. We will be welcoming Shaanah also
to the Prep room on the 4th April, Shaanah is a qualified and registered
Lockers – Please remember to choose a number on the whiteboard
teacher and also has her Montessori Diploma. She has 2 daughters who
and select the corresponding locker for your child’s belongings,
will also start at the preschool, and they are looking forward to settling
Take note the numbering system is the number located at the top
into the Tigger’s Environment and meeting you all.
of the locker.
Welcome to Bella who joins us as our 3rd teacher in the junior room.
Equipment Purchases – To let you know of recent we
Please make them feel welcome and introduce yourself. Starting 4th
contributions. We have recently purchased new chairs and tables.
April.
Climbing boxes, a Tunnel for the Nursery, a large range of new
Dress Ups, extra sand pit spades also construction materials for all
Lunches – The children have been enjoying their delivered
areas. Our Montessori biology, geography and practical life areas
preschool lunches and it is excellent to see them trying the
also have new equipment and an ever growing supply and demand
different food each day. Just a reminder, if your child is sick then
in art and stationary supplies to facilitate the children’s creative
you need to contact the restaurant directly to tell them not to
experiences. Several staff from throughout the school started their
prepare your child’s food otherwise you will be charged. Also if
Montessori Professional development this year. We are very
you do not pay then no food will be delivered. You must email
excited to see the momentum created by ongoing professional
the restaurant by 9am at the latest if you do not want to be
charged. [email protected]
learning and experiences.
Takahe/ Prep Room
Page 2
Classroom Happening’s
Grace and Courtesy. We have started the New Year off with focusing
on grace and courtesy, this has been a wonderful way for us to create a
calm and peaceful environment for the children. We have been
discussing how to use our manners through role playing and small
Ballet and Recorder. Ballet and recorder lessons are
in progress for the new term and the children are having a
great time learning and developing their skills. If you wish
to book for the new term please ensure enrolment and fees
are paid by the 22nd April for term 2. There is a waitlist for
some sessions.
group learning in the discovery room.
Programme Planning We have noticed how inquisitive
the children are and how they are always wanting to know,
what, why, how and when. We have decided to start
“measuring” as a focus where we can explore a wide range of
activities for the children that answer many of their inquisitive
Reminders. If your child’s birthday is coming up please see a teacher to
questions. What fun it will be. If you have any suggestions on
arrange their birthday celebration.
things we can do with the children we would love to hear your
ideas, we value parents contribution to our centre. Time,

Pack a spoon in your child’s lunch box. Place your child’s hot
temperature, size, growth ages and volume etc.
food container in the fridge.

Pack a variety of winter and summer clothes, as the weather can
Life cycle of the caterpillar - As many parents
change quickly.
have already seen we have swan plants at preschool. What an

You do not need to pack a drink bottle, as the children use both
amazing time the children have had watching the caterpillars
cups and the drinking fountain.
develop through their life cycle. We were lucky enough to see
a butterfly come out of its chrysalis and the children certainly
watched in wonderment.
As the weather is often still warm we are applying sunblock for outdoor play. Please ensure that your child is sun
blocked before arriving to preschool in the morning, we will reapply after lunch. The $5.00 sunblock fee will be
invoiced and payable on school fees. Many thanks.
exciting to develop relationships with new children and each one of
them brings something unique to our classroom. The children are
settling in well and enjoying the small group environment. Our
topic is measurement and we will incorporate this into all our
News form the Kahikatea Room……
learning ideas.
Life as we know it in the Kahikatea Room has changed this year. We are
Please feel free to look around the Kahikatea Room and
saying goodbye to many of our dear friends who are heading off to big
encourage your child to show you some of the activities they enjoy.
school. It is an exciting time for them, a step into the unknown world of
I work 9-1 Mon, Wed and Friday and 9 – 3.30 on Tuesday and
school for many parents and a sad time for me as I farewell children I have
Thursday. I look forward to meeting you.
become very fond of. They are ready for the next step in their learning
journey and I hope the experience that have had in the Kahikatea Room has
Tracey R
prepared them well for this. Good luck to all these very special children. I
wish you well.
Please bring in your child’s “Before School Check” paper
work as soon as you receive it to give the teachers ‘time’ to
On the flip side I welcome all the new children to the Kahikatea Room and
fill it in.
look forward to working with you and getting to know your families. It is
Sarah, Sam, Sisco, Ashleigh, Hayley Tracey and Clare.
Kea/Junior Room
Page 3
Our classroom Happenings.
Policy Review
Every month the Centre reviews our policies
during staff meeting and they are then forwarded
to you via email for comment. Even if you agree
we appreciate your feed back. Thank you.
A huge welcome to our
new and transitioned children and their families, Jessie,
Haruto, Zoe H, Olivia, Doris, Dawn, Max, Percy, Kate,
Fletcher, Oscar, Sasha. We are glad to see you have
settled very well into the Kea Room and becoming
familiar with the routines and programme. This is all
about trying new experiences that help your to find an
area of interest and comfort in a new space.
We say good bye to Ming Ming, Juliano, Alex, Mila, Oscar,
Fletcher, Sasha, Corban, Christopher and Lewis, who have
now transitioned to the Takahe Room. They have settled
very well into the Takahe Room and are already gaining
lots of new skills. All the best.
PROGRAMMING FOCUS
We have a few new children who have joined us recently
in the Junior School and the teachers are supporting the
children in their learning by building a sense of belonging
and intergrating the focus into the daily routines and
experiences within the environment. The aim of this is
focusing on settling the children through planning
meaningful interactions during mat time and through
sponateous play. The children are participating in these
planned experiences and are developing and supporting a
sense of belonging and trust with their teachers and
peers, whlist developing familiarity with our environment
and routines.
It has been a delightful opportunity to increase their
social and language skills by getting involved in planned
experiences that are occuring on a daily basis in the Junior
Room through interactions with their peers. E.g. they are
holding hands to jump on/off the beams and protending
to feed each other and role play in the family corner. The
teachers also acknowledge the importance of parent
involvement in our environment . We are so thrilled to
see that you as parents and your extednded family have
been contributing to our programme by bringing the
family photos and Mihi. We display these photos and
this helps the children learn about their own and other
families.
Please be mindful that if your child is enrolled to
attend at 9am in the Junior Room it is important that
he/she has arrived five minutes early in order to be
prepared for mat time at 9am. This ensures that all
children are engaged in mat time and ready to start the
day interruption free.
Friendly Reminders – As the weather is changeable,
please ensure that your child is having both winter and
summer changes of clothes in their bag. Also, their wet
bag must be in the bag every day to send home wet or
soiled clothing in.
Tracy, Danielle and Bella
Wax Eye / Nursery
Page 4
Nursery News
Our Focuses of the month
October
Shape: Square
Number:
Colour: Orange
10
Letter: E
The teachers have noticed that the children are taking
an interest in exploring with water, foam and other
messy play substances. We have been setting up
outside with messy play stations for the children to
investigate, explore, design and develop creations with
new ideas and understandings of the world.
Reminder:
Demonstration: Rolling a mat.
-
Please make sure all of your children’s belongings,
bottles and food containers are clearly labeled.
-
clothes clearly labelled packed in their bag each day,
A big welcome to
with wet bags available to place wet and soiled clothing.
our new children Tom, Gia, Grace E, Claire, Grace Q,
Please note that the wet bag is not to be used as your
Levi, Luke, Scarlett, Noor, Carina and Maia into the
child’s primary bag for preschool. We do not accept
Nursery. We also say goodbye and good luck to Emma
items being sent in a plastic bag either as they are unsafe
and Jessie who have now transitioned into the Junior
to have in the locker areas where children have access.
Room.
Programming Focus
Please ensure that your child has a spare change of
-
In all areas of the Preschool we advocate healthy eating
so please ensure treats, such as chips are only prepared
for Friday lunches at preschool.
This month our programming focus has
been on celebrating the different cultures around the
world. This focus helped the children to learn about
how we should respect others by listening and taking
turns and also why it is important to also respect
ourselves. The children also started to develop an
awareness of the different countries that exist around
the world and to develop and appreciation for them.
It was great to see a lot of our families contributing to
our focus “cultures around the world”. Our families
brought in traditional recipes from their homes and
also contributed to our ‘Bring a plate day’ where we
celebrated all of our children’s cultures.
-
If your child is booked in to attend in the Nursery at 9am
please ensure that you are here 5 minutes before 9 to
avoid disruption to 9 am mat times. If you have a child
that is settling, this is paramount to a smooth transition.
Place all items away then hand your child to a staff
member, saying goodbye to avoid sending the child
mixed messages. We also ask that you keep the adults at
drop off to 2 to reduce the stress for all the children
attending.
Thank you for your support, Kim, Millie, Arnica, Manu and
Joanna.