We Can Be Kind!

Dear Gecko Class Families, 

Last week in the Gecko Class, the children focused on the theme of kindness. We explored the questions, "What does it mean to be kind?" and "How can we show kindness in our classroom?"

The children engaged with the concept of kindness by looking at photographs of themselves and their peers demonstrating kindness, while also reading the story "What Does It Mean to Be Kind?" by Rana DiOrio, which reinforced their understanding and encouraged meaningful discussions.

As the children began to understand what it means to be kind, our class snail, Sophie, came with a special message inside her shell:

The children who were spotted by Sophie showing acts of kindness were celebrated with their classmates and received a special heart. You may have seen your child come home with one. Please ask your child what they did to show kindness in the classroom and encourage them to continue being kind to others 💜

In addition to these activities, we further strengthened our class community by reading the story "Our Class Is a Family," written by Shannon Olsen. This book helped the children recognise and understand that we, the Gecko Class, are indeed a family!

We then gathered together to co-construct a poster about kindness and how we can be a family in our classroom by being kind. Some ways the children shared included: "making the teachers happy," "playing with everyone in our classroom," and "being a silent snail." We proudly displayed our poster in the calm-down corner so the children can reflect on their thoughts. 

**You can find some snapshots of the children making the posters in our 'Who We Are' photo albums AM / PM**


**If you spot your Gecko being kind to their environment at home tidying up, sharing with their siblings or helping others, please feel free to add your photos to our community album! AM / PM **

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Planning Learning Spaces! 

The children have been planning a beach role-play area in the classroom. Last week they worked on decorations and painting the windows with a sea theme. You can see the start of their artwork below.

**We are exploring what we like to do at the beach. If you have any photos of your children at the beach, kindly upload them to our community album AM / PM We will use the photographs to guide the children's ideas.**

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Self Portraits

The children have been looking closely at their similarities differences and thinking about what makes them unique and special. Last week, they started their self portraits which encouraged children to express their individuality and reflect on their identities, while also recognising the diversity within their classroom.
This week, the children will be celebrating their unique traits and commonalities with peers as they think about their strengths, likes and interests. 

**Some snapshots from the activity can be found here: AM / PM**


***

Enjoy the holiday tomorrow and we look forward to seeing the children on Wednesday! 

Warm regards, 
Ammie 

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