What Learning Happens at St Mark’s Preschool?
Workshops - The children participate in a variety of planned and spontaneous learning experiences that are intentionally considered each day by the teaching staff. We offer a variety of different learning areas such as dramatic play, the visual arts, music and movement, play dough, clay, loose parts, physical activity, literacy, numeracy, and STEM. A favourite play space is our climbing fort in the playground!
Self-help skills - The children develop self-help skills throughout the daily routine and "listen to their body" to manage such tasks as toiletting, maintaining proper hygiene, dressing and undressing, and taking care of their belongings.
PreLit program (by MultiLit) - Every day the teaching staff implement a PreLit lesson to the children in their year before formal schooling. It is a fun and engaging way to teach children pre-literacy skills such as phonological awareness and oral language development.
Assessment and planning - The program is designed each week with children’s strengths, educational goals, interests, and culture in mind. At the end of each term, educators collate data that has been documented for each child and a summative assessment is written and shared with families via the Story Park application. In addition, biannual meetings with families enable the teaching staff to learn about the child and to support parents in their role. Each week families receive a learning story on the key learning highlights called "Curriculum in Action" for the whole class via Story Park.
Family engagement with the service - Family members are welcome to join us on our excursions, events and share special talents with the children.
Munch and Move - St Mark's Preschool Kindergarten implements Munch and Move experiences every day that align with its principles - such as "Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) development" and healthy eating. There is also a quiet space available at the preschool for breastfeeding mothers.
Community Engagement - We take pride in hosting several annual events and celebrations at St Mark's Preschool Kindergarten. One tradition is the annual Family BBQ in term 1 where everyone is invited to enjoy a night of entertainment, full dinner buffet, jumping castle and more! The other is the annual Open Day where members of our community are invited to explore our preschool and add their child/ren to our waiting list.
Sleep and Rest - Children are given the opportunity to sleep or engage in quiet play as per our Sleep/Rest Policy. We provide all linen and ask that families wash them at the end of their week with us, as we do not have laundry facilities on site.
Transitions - Transitions to St Mark's Preschool Kindergarten, during routine times and eventually the transition to school all aspects of the program are carefully considered and designed to support each child's social and emotional wellbeing. Some ways the staff at St Mark's Preschool Kindergarten do this are; tours, one-on-one orientation interviews with families, orientation visits at different times of the day, visits to our local school, Connells Point Public School, predictable routines and the use of photographic routines (visuals).
What to bring to preschool?
A wide-brimmed sunhat, plenty of spare comfortable and weather appropriate clothes, underwear and socks, a water bottle, and a healthy "nude food" morning tea and lunch (please label these items with your child's name), a large backpack to keep all belongings and big enough for your child to learn how to pack and unpack their bag independently.