Programme

Programme Planning

we use Te Waariki, (New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum) as our terms of reference when planning our programmes. Te Waariki means 'The Woven Mat' which weaves together five strands of learning. It is within these strands that all learning in the early childhood setting takes place.

Those strands are:

Individual Development Portfolio (IDP)

We observe children at play and record these observations in a narrative style called a LEARNING STORY. These are then pasted into a file called an Individual Development Portfolio (IDP). Using this information we assess where your child is at, where they may progress to, and how we can help them get there. When we plan for your child, we share our findings with you and ask for your input.

Also contained in your child's IDP is their artwork and photographs. It is a wonderful record of your child's time at Trinity. We encourage you to look at your child's file at any time, take it home to share with your family (please remember to return it ASAP). And we welcome your comments on how to improve IDP's. All IDP's are located on the shelves inside the teaching room in alphabetical order by Christian name. Please only look at your own child's file.

Daily Programme

Our day consists of a mixture of free play activities, teacher facilitated play and structured times.

Sessions open with a period of Free Play. Children can choose which areas they would like to play in and can move freely between inside and outside.

This is followed by Mat Time. During this time we call the role and encourage the children to answer their name. A part of mat time is News Time - this is a special time when your child has centre stage (so to speak). Children are encouraged to share news from home - this can be anything from the birth of a new baby to what they had for breakfast (this is not a show and tell time, so please don't send your children along with toys). The purpose is to stimulate language development, encourage confidence and develop self-esteem. It is a fun time for all and even the shyest child will often stand up and say a few words. We then have Finger Plays, Magnetic Stories, Singing - in fact all kinds of things.

After mat time, the children wash their hands and sit down for Morning Tea/Afternoon Tea. We actively encourage good manners at meal times, it is a time of day when children can sit together and enjoy their healthy snacks. This is followed by Free Choice Activities as well as Teacher Supported Activities. The teachers at Trinity are firm believers in teacher supported activities. Only by working closely with your child can we see an insight into their development. We plan for these times and are often found playing games with your child, practicing counting or puzzle building. We pride ourselves on our calm, peaceful centre where children are free to explore independently as well as being guided by dedicated, competent, trained teachers.

Then it's Tidy Up time, and all the children are given tasks to do. We teach them about team work, sharing jobs, and helping each other.

When that's all done it's Final Mat Time, which is usually dancing, singing or circle games. We feel strongly that children need the lessons and skills that these games teach us. Making choices, choosing partners and turn-taking are essential ingredients for developing and building social competencies. We close with our good-bye song and a thank you prayer.

Activities

Children have plenty of opportunity to become involved with what is happening at kindy. There is always a large range of activities including, but not restricted to, collage, painting, drawing, play dough, role play, building with blocks, climbing and manipulative.

Each day we provide teacher facilitate activity for example, a matching game to develop math skills or a treading activity to encourage fine motor skills. All these activities are provided so that your child can be stimulated and challenged.

We also run a four-year old Rising Stars Programme on Thursday afternoons centred around getting your child ready for school. Please click on the link above to access information about these sessions. Thank you.