Teaching and Learning Programme

As educators, we provide children with the freedom to explore a rich, engaging and challenging environment where they embark on their early learning journey with wonder and curiosity to make their own discoveries through their senses. 

 

We aim to provide learning opportunities for our children to grow as individuals through identifying  their potential learning dispositions across different contexts and settings. This also has a lifelong benefit which provides a platform for them to be ready to continue their future learning journeys. 

 

Our qualified and stable teaching team and high teacher : child ratios allow teachers to be aware and responsive to children’s interests and strengths, incorporate and extend these interests with different teaching strategies through many aspects of our programme planning. 

 

We believe ‘play’ is the vital key to children’s learning and development in a holistic way. At Jolly Stars, we mainly have two forms of play:

 

Spontaneous play

 

• welcoming, fun and challenging environment both indoor and outdoor with rich resources that cover all learning areas. 

 

The environment is set up according to our programme planning based on children’s interests. We assess and evaluate each programme  to look for opportunities to extend this interest and challenge children’s learning. In the meanwhile we identify new interests under discussion and design a new programme planning around new identified interest. 

 

Structured activities

 

• Mat-time

 

We have short and fun mat-times to gather everybody together to sing, play, share and read together. It is also aiming for a smooth transition from play time to meal time.

 

• Before school group time

 

The purpose of this group time is to prepare children for the transition to school which include a more complex and challenging literacy and mathematics learning opportunities and some time to get familiar with schools. Pictures and conversations about primary schools also take place at this time. Children share their school visit experiences and talk about the differences between school and Jolly Stars. 

 

• Culture celebration 

 

We plan different activities to introduce and celebrate all cultures at Jolly Stars. Children enjoy experiencing language, stories and typical activities from each culture. 

 

Settling into Jolly Stars

We have experienced primary caregivers to meet your child/children physical and emotional needs when they start at Jolly Stars. We are flexible and aim to help your child to have a smooth transition from home to centre.
At Jolly Stars we have a strong family-like culture. Our children are always taking good care of new friends. The warm, friendly, welcoming and secure environment will help your child/children to settle much quicker. 

 

Portfolios

Your child/children will have their very own book which documents their learning moments, artworks and progressions through their journey at Jolly Stars. These books are kept at the Centre and are reachable for you and your child/children to read and share at any time. 

 

Culture

We have a rich cultural background at Jolly Stars. Teachers are aware of each child’s culture identity and we respect and embrace all cultures. Our children are confident and proud to share their language and culture with others and grow up aware of their cultural differences.

 

Families and whanau

We believe parents, families/whanau play an important role in our children’s life. At Jolly Stars, we provide different opportunities where you can share your feedbacks and thoughts with us, such as, Parents’ feedback form, Parents’ Aspiration Board, whanau’s voice in portfolios, cultural celebrations and everyday conversations. We believe that  a strong, positive, responsive, reciprocal and respectful relationship with you is formed only through honest and open communications. We appreciate all your contributions and feedbacks.