Princes ELC

PRINCE ALFRED COLLEGE EARLY LEARNING CENTRE

An environment designed to foster creativity, provoke questions, provide challenges and celebrate the achievements of young children. We foster the development of integrity, curiosity, confidence, compassion and Christian principles.We encourage relationships of shared responsibility and mutual respect. We believe in fun and the joy and importance of childhood. We ensure an environment filled with a sense of humour, love of play and exploration, and a sense of community.

Friday, December 18, 2015

Wilkins

Dear Wilkins families and friends,

What a busy week we have had this week! We can’t believe we survived this heat and had so much fun in the meantime. The Wilkins children had so much fun playing in the water, with ice and under the sprinkler. Some of the children even thought it would be funny to wet their teachers!!!!

Inside we have enjoyed relaxing under the air conditioner painting with puffy paint that we’ve had to cook in the microwave. Mikayla reminded the children that we don’t put paper in the microwave at home.

We have also had fun dressing up in Christmas glasses and santa hat and making photo frames for our families, making fairy bread, threading pipe cleaners through colanders and making snow men out of play dough.

On Thursday the children were lucky enough to have a visit from Santa. Most were happy to sit on his lap and tell them what they would like for Christmas but others just sat back and waited for their candy canes. Santa showed us his special glasses and how he was able to bend them into different shapes.

Some children were a bit upset that we had to cancel our wheels day due to the hot weather so we will re-schedule for next year!

We have had a fabulous last week of school holidays and look forward to seeing you all again on 4th January.

Thank you for all the beautiful presents and cards!!

Merry Christmas and Happy near year!


Nicole, Ellen and Georgia




Langley

Dear Langley Families,
Firstly, the Langley staff would like to thank you all for the amazing generosity that we have received over the last few weeks.
This week I am sure everyone has been very hot and has been avoiding going outside! Well it has been the same at ELC. The children have been amazing while being cooped up inside, dancing and singing to the music, throwing balls and using some cardboard boxes as Santa’s sleigh!
Santa came to visit on a hot Thursday morning, bearing sugary gifts!
Ashton sat on Santa’s lap and requested a “Mermaid.”
Paxton asked for “An excavator.”
We have a fantastic year with some very precious children and it is hard to believe that it is almost over!
We wish you all a safe and happy Christmas, filled with joy and laughter.

From Miss Renee, Miss Brooke and Miss Emily.


Angwin

Dear Angwin friends and families,

As they year drew to a close, everyone in Angwin tried to have as much funs as they can despite the scorching weather this week.

Yes, it was hot but this just means lots of water and mud play for them as they took advantage of the early morning sun. Those lovely smiles and hearty laughter and giggles just never fail to warm our hearts.

The yuletide season also got the children into conversations about Christmas mostly thinking about why we have Christmas trees at home.

"Well, Father Christmas needs to have somewhere to leave the presents at Christmas eve", Arwyn explained.
"And it does make the house look pretty too", Lucille added.
"You put lots and lots of baubles in it so Father Christmas like it", Sebastian quipped.
"And lots of decorations", Sujay added.
"Maybe we should have a tree in the classroom too", suggested Campbell.
"Yeah", we should really have a tree", Ashlyn agreed.

And with that, everyone got to working on the class Christmas tree.

"We need lights! sparkling lights!" said Angus
"And paper chains", said Lucille.
"Maybe sparkly tinsels too", added Sebastian.
"And presents underneath the tree too", said Leon.

We are sure you would have noticed our lovely green tree with all the holiday trimmings all done by the Angwin children.

We wish you all a wonderful, safe and fun Christmas and an amazing start to Year 2016.


Coney and Faye







Mattingley

Dear Mattingley friends and families,

All week the children have been dedicating themselves to supporting others who may not be as privileged as themselves this Christmas. After designing posters and asking teachers to support them, the class excitedly washed thirteen of the teachers cars at the low price of $3 to raise money for other children. 

Along with the generous donations for birthday cakes throughout the year the ELC raised $335! 

Thank you to all who have contributed. 

The Mattingley children and their Angwin peers (who helped to wash the cars) have decided this money will be spent on buying toys for children who otherwise may not have received any this Christmas. 

The teachers will be buying them from Kmart and will place them under their Wishing Tree, which the Salvation Army will take.

Have a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy spending precious time with your family and we look forward to seeing you again in 2016.

Love Miss Bowden and Miss Tiarna






Mead

Hello Mead families and friends,

The children had a very busy time in the Mead Room this week. We spent time at the Red Centre on Monday and Wednesday engaging in games with our Mattingley and Cooper friends. 
We walked to the Secret Garden to play Duck, duck, goose and What's the time Mr Wolf on Tuesday and then on Thursday we had a magical visit from Father Christmas. He spent some time talking with the children and sharing Christmas stories  and in the afternoon the children joined Mattingley and Cooper for a Christmas treasure hunt in the Town Square.

We then finished off the year by watching a Christmas movie, eating popcorn and having a casual day on Friday!

In the coming days we will be sending out information about the planned activities for the first two weeks after the holiday period so please check your emails.

**Reminder: Sleep time in the Mead Room finishes today. When the children return from holidays they will be having 'quiet/relaxation' time after lunch**

We hope you all have a happy and safe Christmas with your friends and families.

Kind regards,
Melissa, Jain & Melissa C





Thursday, December 17, 2015

Chapple & Edgerley

Dear Chapple and Edgerley families and friends,

Hasn't this week been a scorcher! Despite having to stay inside most of the week, we have still managed to have a lot of fun!

We have been enjoying the mornings outside before it gets too hot! We have been playing in the water, running through the hose and getting completely drenched in the sunshine! Even the chickens enjoyed a bit of a shower!

This week we had a laugh with a photo booth! The children got dressed up with props and we took silly photos!

Mr Ty was so kind to cook a BBQ in 42 degree weather on Thursday! We went outside with him very briefly before returning to the air conditioning and waiting patiently for our sausages! They were so yummy, most of the children had two...or three...even four! Thanks Mr Ty!

We have concluded our week with a fun Christmas movie and ice blocks!

We hope you all have a wonderful and special Christmas break with your loved ones! For those of you who have finished up at the ELC and are heading to school after Christmas, we wish you all the best! What an amazing journey you have ahead of you!

Merry Christmas and see you in 2016!

Mrs Shakespear, Mr Ty, Mrs Nacca and Miss Gray







Cooper

Dear Cooper room families and friends,

This is it! The year has finally come to an end and what a fantastic time we’ve had in the Cooper room. It’s been a rewarding and wonderful journey to see the children blossom during our 6 months together and I look forward to what the New Year brings.

Due to the extreme hot weather conditions we’ve had this week we spent the first part of the morning playing outside and the remainder of the day inside. 

The children have kept busy creating at the art and craft table, building some interesting creations with the blocks, Lego and magnets, we went for a visit to the Red Centre to engage in some physical play and we painted some festive and creative artwork at the easel.

Thank you for a wonderful year! I will be on leave and return to work on Thursday 14th January 2016.

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and enjoy the holiday season. Stay safe!


Love from Miss C and the Cooper room team.






Chicken relaxing on holiday

The chickens are having a great holiday at Mr Charlwood's house. 

Here is one relaxing by the pool on this very hot day. 

This one is NOT a roasted chicken!!



Happy holidays!


Making friends with the locals!


Tuesday, December 15, 2015

New baby !

Congratulations to the Viscariello family on the birth of their beautiful baby boy. We are sure that Amelia will be a fantastic big sister!


Love all the Mattingley children, teachers and families

The final countdown!

Dear Families

It has been such a busy year and we are finally on the home stretch! I am sure each and everyone of us is looking forward to some well deserved R&R and spending time with our families and loved ones. 

Just a reminder to please let us know if your child will be taking holidays over the January break so that we can apply the holiday leave rate. Please send us an email.

At the end of the year we will be saying goodbye and good luck to a few of our beloved staff members. 

Miss Karla and Mrs Schmidt will be taking the next year off as they welcome new babies into their families -  Miss Karla's first and Mrs Schmidt's second. We look forward to meeting the new additions to our PAC community!

Miss Jain White has decided to pack her bags and set off on a 3 month European holiday - lucky Jain. She hopes to be back in April to join our relief list and also try to gain a teaching position. Happy travels Jain. We look forward to seeing your holiday snaps!

Miss Tiarna will be putting her head into the Uni books and focusing on her studies. Good luck with your teaching degree Tiarna and thanks for all of your help and support since you've been at the ELC. 

Miss Emma Gray will be with us for the January holidays but then leaving us to travel to the UK to take up a teaching position for one year. We wish Emma all the best as she adds to her 'toolbox' of teaching tricks! See you when you get back. 

Congratulations to Miss Emily who has been studying for the past few years and has successfully completed her Diploma of Children's Services. Well done Emily. 

Miss Mason was married on the weekend and is now enjoying a 5 week honeymoon in the US. She returns to us on the 21st January. Happy honeymoon, Kim. 


Staffing for 2016

We welcome Miss Kimberley, Miss Georgia and Miss Elodie who will be joining us at the start of the year and welcome back Miss Jess and Mrs Pip Cooper. 

The new 2016 staff teams are as follows:

Langley
Miss Sarah Marotti (teacher)
Miss Renee Neville
Miss Emily Downie
Miss Brooke Denman

Wilkins
Miss Jess Catt (teacher) - Mon/Tues/Fri
Miss Kimberley Brooks - Wed/Thurs
Miss Nicole Wauchope
Miss Ellen Rousvanis
Miss Georgia Lyng

Cooper
Miss Madeline Gilbert  (teacher)
Miss Caratozzolo (Cris)

Mattingley
Miss Kimberley Mason (teacher)
Mrs Coney Rocca

Mead
Mrs Melissa Prest (teacher)
Miss Elodie Morvan

Angwin
Mrs Pip Cooper (teacher)
Miss Coral Bowden

Chapple
Mr Martin Charlwood (Mon-Thurs) & Ms Louise Wegener (Fri) - (teachers)
Miss Kelly Shakespear

Edgerley
Mrs Emma McKenzie (Mon/Tue) & Mrs Mel Bishop (Wed-Fri) - (teachers)
Mr Ty Simmonds

Support Staff
Ms Kerry Rowbotham
Mrs Melissa Camporeale
Mrs Rosalie Nacca
Miss Faye Littos

Admin
Mrs Mandy Hooper

On behalf of all of the ELC staff we would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thank you for all of your support this year and letting us share in the special memories with your children. We look forward to an exciting and action packed 2016.

Stay safe, see you next year. 

Kind regards 

Melanie






Cooper

Dear Cooper Room families and friends,

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Cooper room. We have been busy creating and decorating Christmas wreaths, posting letters to Santa, making glitter Christmas play dough in the home corner, sorting, dumping and filling Christmas coloured pasta, block building, having some fun at the Rainbow Playground, visiting the Red Centre to engage in running races and play ball games. Wow, what a week it’s been!

The Cooper children have been happy to continue on with show and tell, please feel free to bring in something that your child is interested in sharing with the rest of us.

On Friday 18th December the last day of term we have decided to have casual day, the children can come dressed in their comfortable clothes.

Thank you for a wonderful week and see you all next week.

Happy Weekend!

With Love, Miss C and the Cooper Room team.





Friday, December 11, 2015

Chapple

Dear Chapple Room Families and Friends,

This week we have got into the Christmas spirit! The children have been busy painting and creating the most spectacular Christmas art! You will find a variety of Snowmen, Santa's and Christmas Trees displayed in the classroom. Please feel free to pluck your child's art work off the wall next week to take home!

There has also been lots of merriment with impromptu Christmas song dance parties! These Chapple children have got some great dance moves!

As you will have all noticed, the classroom is looking quite bare! This is to prepare for major necessary cleaning and classroom changes! Despite this, the children have been loving the open space and having the time to dedicate to their expansive building and creating!

Kind Regards
Mrs Shakespear and Mrs Nacca






Mattingley

Dear Mattingley parents and friends,
This week in the Mattingley room we have really been getting into the Christmas spirit. We have made candy cane bracelets, purple snow, wrapped boxes as presents to put under our tree and made beautiful Christmas tree paintings with a shining star on top. 
On Wednesday, we even made yummy Christmas cupcakes! Along with lots of festive experiences we have been washing and taking care of babies as we have many pregnant Mummies in our class and are starting to practice how to take care of them in preparation for the new arrivals.

Love Miss Bowden and Miss Tiarna




Edgerley

Dear Edgerley

Wow, what a start to the week, HOT! Luckily we had prepared with some large blocks of ice to play with and be ‘cool’. Also to help cool down during the afternoon had some ice blocks to eat and cool off some more.

On our school adventure we ended up at the ‘Rainbow Playground’ and it is always a popular holiday destination with the children.

The picnic in the secret garden was an eventful adventure. We found not one secret place but four secret gardens to explore. While exploring and running around the last secret place Johnny said “Mr Ty I’ve found the way out”. So we all followed Johnny and found the Main Oval where there was (guess) more running.

We hope you all have a great and safe weekend.

Mr Ty, Miss Gray and Miss Kendall





Wilkins

Dear Wilkins families and friends,

We can’t believe how quickly the first week of the summer holidays has flown by. Time sure does fly when you’re having fun.

We have kept busing enjoying the cooler weather and playing outside in the sand. Making sand castles using wet sand and knocking them down. We have also enjoyed getting dirty in the jungle.

We have also been excited to have our indoor play space rearranged. We have enjoyed having the book nook where we can sit under the fairy lights and read our favourite stories, playing in the dirt with animals, doing puzzles and continuing to create delicious meals in our home corner.

On Thursday we had lots of fun creating reindeer food. We used oats and red glitter and mixed them together and placed into little bags. On Christmas eve we will sprinkle the food on our front garden so Santa’s reindeers can find their way to our house.        
 
Some dates to remember for next week are;
Thursday 17th December:  Wheels day
Bring a bike or scooter to ride! All children need to bring a helmet

Friday 18th December: Movie day!
Dress in Christmas colours/ your favorite Christmas top/hat to celebrate our last day and the Christmas holidays!

If you have any spare ELC clothing at home can you please return it asap. We are running short on undies, shorts and socks.

Have a great weekend!

Nicole, Georgia and Ellen