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Early Childhood Education
At St Peter's, our Early Years vision is to cultivate confident, creative individuals who embark on lifelong learning journeys. We encourage active participation as informed community members, with a deep appreciation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. We are dedicated to respecting diverse cultural viewpoints and are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable environment.
We embrace holistic education, recognising the interconnectedness of all dimensions of children's learning, including their physical, personal, social, emotional, spiritual and cognitive aspects. We value children's voices, actions and movements in planning and assessment, emphasising the importance of community partnerships and collaborative learning.
Our educational approach promotes inquiry and play-based learning as a dynamic process where children wonder, explore, create and problem-solve. We believe in fostering intentional play that expands children's thinking, encourages agency and stimulates neural connections.
We acknowledge that children's early learning profoundly influences their educational journeys. By prioritising wellbeing, resilience and engagement, we cultivate a growth mindset and a positive attitude toward learning. We celebrate the holistic nature of children's learning, embracing its complexity and dynamism.
Pre Kindy
Our Pre Kindy Program focuses on learning through imaginative, cognitive and sensory play, using the indoor and outdoor environment as the classroom. It is a time to explore, and each child is encouraged to make meaning of their world through hands-on experiences.
Each child is supported in developing his/her own unique gifts through a child-focused curriculum that acknowledges the whole child and further develops his/her unique capabilities and a love of learning. Children develop their creativity, emotional well-being, sense of belonging and social skills. As we venture on walks through the school to visit the chickens, Prayer Garden, Library and open play spaces, we develop a sense of ‘belonging’ to a larger community.
Our program is based on the Early Years Learning Framework and has “a specific emphasis on play-based learning and recognises the importance of communication and language and social and emotional development.” (The Early Years Learning Framework-Belonging, Being and Becoming p.5). We aim to provide a learning environment that caters for the development of each child across the spiritual, social, emotional, language, cognitive, creative and physical domains. The wellbeing of each child is of great importance and we have a wellness session after lunch (in lieu of rest time).
Our staff create a caring, safe and stimulating environment that nurtures and encourages each child to investigate, inquire, wonder and engage in nature-based play.
We believe that the home-school partnership with our families is very important and we look forward to working together, welcoming conversations and communication.
Children can attend Pre Kindy once he/she has turned 3 years of age. Our Pre Kindy sessions are held every Tuesday and Thursday in the school term, between 9am and 2.45pm (classroom doors open at 8.45am).
Kindergarten
St Peter’s welcomes children into our Early Childhood Centre, our focus is to develop the whole child by providing an environment in which children feel they belong through a safe, secure, nurturing and stimulating environment. The Early Years program nurtures the growth and development of each child spiritually, socially, emotionally, cognitively and morally. The program acknowledges the values and beliefs of our children and an awareness of their differences and diversities.
We believe in the importance of ‘learning through play’, providing play based experiences that enhance and enrich decision making skills, self-esteem and self-confidence, a sense of responsibility, resilience, good citizenship and respect for others.
Parents are the primary educators
We acknowledge that parents are their child’s first educators; our role is to support parents on their child’s faith and educational journey through experiences that nurture and develop each child’s sense of wonder and awe of God in their life and the world around them. We foster a strong partnership between home, school, parish and community, this is the is the key to ensure positive and successful learning outcomes for our children . Together we support our children to be, become and belong. We invite parent involvement through class rosters, excursions/ incursions and special events.
Our Program
Our Early Years program has strong emphasis on high-quality Literacy and Numeracy practices. This is achieved through explicit teaching and the development of critical thinking strategies to support the progress of student’s achievements in these areas. Providing a differentiated curriculum ensures we cater for the needs and capabilities of each child.
We believe as educators our role is to provide programs that encourage our children to become happy, confident, active and life-long learners who construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world.