Successful Foundations is a project which supports the positive transition to school of Kindergarten children and their families through a system wide implementation of the Early Learning Policy for Catholic schools in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. Successful Foundations schools collaborate closely with Bridie Stanger (Education Officer – Early Learning) and Taylor Stokes (Project Officer – Early Learning) from the Catholic Schools of Maitland-Newcastle. As Kindergarten classrooms come to life over the next few weeks Bridie and Taylor will share their insights into this innovative project and how it supports our youngest learners as they take their first steps in school.
Successful Foundations provides open-ended play for children’s learning and wellbeing for the first hour of the day for at least five weeks of Term 1. Children will enjoy the love, delight and wonder of play. In addition, Play Reflection and Play Stories are a crucial element of the project and will be further unpacked with you in the coming weeks.
The project provides children with the opportunity to actively demonstrate their funds of knowledge and interests, build relationships and become familiar with the context of the school. Successful Foundations also provides teachers with the time and opportunity to develop meaningful relationships as they observe and interact with the competent, creative and capable child.
The learning environment of the classroom and the outdoor setting is intentionally and thoughtfully designed to invite your child to play and to provoke deep knowledge and understanding. These intentional spaces are called “provocations.”
There are five specific provocations including:
- Dramatic Play
- Blocks and Boxes
- Maps in My World
- Sharing Stories
- Being Outdoors
Successful Foundations endorses current research and acknowledges the diverse ways young children learn and engage with their worlds. Successful Foundations provides a continuum between prior to school and school environments.
Successful Foundations is based on declarations, which are belief statements about children. The declarations are the foundations of the Early Learning Policy for all primary schools in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, as listed below.
Stay tuned for more information over the coming weeks!
