In Kindergarten, we provide an integrated programme which offers each child the opportunity and time to play, to discover and explore, to question and wonder. We value play as a powerful tool for learning which enables students to develop at an appropriate pace through meaningful interactions with adults and with the world around them. We value the role of the natural environment in the lives of students and the development of an environmental identity.
Features of our Kindergarten programme include:
- Indoor and outdoor learning environments
- Oral language development through story, song, rhymes, discussion and inquiry
- Development of numerical and problem solving skills through construction and play
- An introduction to sustainability and caring for our surroundings, looking after our Kindergarten garden and chickens
- Weekly cooking sessions using produce we have grown
- Regular Bush Kindergarten sessions helping students develop a sense of wonder as they explore their environment
Sacred Heart College welcomes students into one of two Kindergarten classes. Students attend from 8.45am until 3.00pm, for 3 days each week: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday or Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. With both groups in class each Wednesday, this is often an occasion for the entire Kindergarten group to work together or to take excursions. Each class is supported by one teacher and two teacher's assistants.
Prior to the formal Kindergarten programme, families with younger children are warmly invited to attend our Early Years Programme (B4@SHC) - a programme for birth to 4 year olds which takes place each Tuesday or Thursday during term time. Children and their parents meet each week to enjoy a wide variety of activities including craft, music, stories, baking and exploring.
The transition to school life is further assisted through our Pre-Kindergarten Programme, welcoming students and parents throughout Term 4 of the year proceeding commencement. These sessions are a wonderful opportunity to establish early routines and for students to establish new relationships with their classmates and teachers.