Saint Kentigern Preschool Yearbook 2022

YEARBOOK 2022

Looking back on a great year...

As we near the end of 2022, and more excitingly the end of our time at Remuera Road, we can take a moment to reflect on what an exciting year we have had. Despite starting the year with Covid once again constraining what we could do, the children have been able to make the most of so many opportunities that have come their way.

Throughout this yearbook you will read merely a snapshot of the work your children and their friends have been involved with. A large focus of our philosophy is to teach children what it means to be a part of a democracy and how important their own role is in their society. Reading through this yearbook you will see the importance placed on developing social skills and competencies that are so essential in life and will allow the children to understand that they are already helpful, valued members of their community. The knowledge that their voice and needs are being heard and that their theories on how the world works are already so important, the realisation that they then can go on to research their own theories and come to their own conclusions, is a powerful concept and a great start to a lifelong passion for learning.

Alongside this, the large focus on numeracy, literacy and of course our Saint Kentigern values all help prepare our children for their transition to the Boys’ School and Girls’ School when the time comes.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the Preschool teachers who despite the challenges of staff being away isolating at different times throughout the year in order to keep our children safe, have maintained a wonderful, seamless and educational programme for our children. At times, running the distance learning programme alongside our day to day programme at the centre was demanding, but the teachers stepped up and ensured that none of our children were left without access to their Preschool education.

Reading through this yearbook you will gain an insight into some of the learning that has taken place in the Preschool throughout the year. Having our Kauri children take part in such a great initiative as the Whale Tale, having the Saint Kentigern College students come to spend time with our Preschool children (bringing some new activities for the children to take part in), and having our younger children designing rainbow gardens, all show the important ways our children can make an impact on our wider community.

I hope you enjoy reading this Yearbook of our 2022 year and we look forward to another great year coming up joining our Boys’ School and Girls’ School at Shore Rd.

Fides Servanda Est

Nikki

A Message from our Chaplain...

The Promised Land

In the Bible one of the key stories is when the people of the Bible journeyed into the promise land. The promise land was a place which sounded amazing, looked amazing and was exactly what they had always hoped and dreamed for. Getting to the promise land wasn’t straight-forward and it didn’t happen as quickly as they had first hoped, but after a long time of waiting and planning and imagining they finally arrived.

I suspect the joy that they experienced will in some ways be similar to the joy the teachers, parents and students feel on the day we shift into the new preschool on the Shore Road Campus. It has been so exciting to see the site transformed. It has been particularly fascinating for me as we lived in the house on this site for 12 years prior to the commencement of the new preschool. The design, use of space and functionality of the new preschool is nothing short of amazing. It is the new promise land for our pre-schoolers and I love how at the very centre of the preschool will lie the cross which reminds us of the God who keeps his promises, the God whose love for us and our littles one is strong, enduring and able to provide the very best foundation for life.

The countdown is on!

Fides Servanda Est

Rev Reuben Hardie

Reverend Hardie reading us our new favourite book “The Kilted Coo.”

Drawn by Rio Zheng

A Peak at the New Build

Written by: Eileen

In August, we were very excited to have an opportunity to walk through our new teaching and learning space on the Shore Road Campus as a teaching team. With high viz vests and hard hats at the ready, we were able to take a peek at this highly anticipated piece of architectural brilliance. It is safe to say, that we were very impressed by the scope and scale of the work that has gone into this new build.

This tour was not only enlightening, but gave us teachers the opportunity to wonder and marvel at all the possibilities the classroom spaces can offer our Preschool learning community, with the outdoor environment showcasing the value we place on exploration, curiosity and learning through play. For many months we only had a mind’s eye view when it came to imagining what our new Preschool might look like. So to be able to tangibly explore the site, has given us a much better idea, and has only increased our anticipation for the big move.

We are feeling enthusiastic about our impending arrival at the Shore Road campus, and we look forward to playing our part in laying an excellent foundation for our youngest Saint Kentigern students both now and in the future. As teachers we will be looking at ways to support our current children and families navigate this exciting chapter ahead, whilst we start thinking abut our classroom spaces to also welcome our new children and families in 2023.

The Whale Tail

Written by: Devon and Eileen

At the beginning of the year we were gifted an opportunity to participate in the World Wildlife Fund’s Whale Tales exhibition at the Auckland Museum. Millie Prior and her family had kindly donated a ‘Whale Tail’ to Preschool for us to decorate with our very own artistic design. The children were captivated by this new beautiful sculpture. The whale tail was a white, lightweight, fibreglass sculpture– a blank canvas full of possibility.

At our group hui times, we spoke about our goal of creating a design before painting our tail and how we would collaboratively bring all our ideas together to come up with a final design. We were eager to see what the Kauri children would be interested in decorating the whale tail with and hear their initial thoughts. The children came up with many different design ideas, from patterns to rainbow coloured and unicorns to spider man skin, very confidently sharing them with the group.

It was clear that excitement and imagination was at an all-time high as they shared their ideas with such enthusiasm. We loved the idea of a patterned and abstract whale tail and as teachers we looked forward to nurturing and inspiring the children’s thinking.

Our next step was to begin the design process and select our colours. Collaborative discussions were had with a general consensus that the Saint Kentigern house colours would be a pertinent tribute to our place in the wider Saint Kentigern family. The children shared collective knowledge of these colours with some already aware of their house affiliations.

With our design and colour of paint agreed upon, it was time to start practicing the concentric circles, inspired by the artist Kadinsky, using each house colour. The children were provided with the time and space to perfect the art of painting concentric circles. They had to be very careful, mustering all of heir fine motor control to achieve the aim of layering the circles . This became a daily task to empower the children to develop confidence with this artistic design, acknowledging the importance of fostering their competence and self-belief.

When it was time to begin painting our designs onto the Whale Tail itself, each child had an important role to play. For some it was painting the foundation layer of pale blue pant, for others it was the all important Saint Kentigern blue dot in the middle of each set of concentric circles. As we were using Resene Paint for the final stages, the children realised the importance of precision and patience as we waited for each circle to dry before adding the next ones. This became a painstaking labour of commitment and perseverance as together we watched our design come to life. As a Preschool community, we were so proud of the children’s dedication and fantastic art skills.

To celebrate the children’s work, and to give the Whale Tail a fitting send off to the Museum, the Preschool community came together for a special unveiling ceremony. The children proudly sat beside the Whale Tail, as they shared their learning journey with their younger peers. Whilst the Exhibition ran at the Museum, the children proudly shared their numerous weekend visits to find their ’Whale Tail.’ The Whale Tail has been returned to Preschool and is in safe keeping until it takes up permanent residence in our new building on Shore Road. We look forward to revisiting this fantastic experience for years to come.

College Service Week

Written by: Eileen

The week the Saint Kentigern College Prefects came to play at Preschool was an amazing experience for the Preschool children, and for the older students too, we have no doubt. The fun kicked off with a game of ’Catch the Chicken.’ The Prefects did a great job at pivoting at numerous turns to make sure that the children understood the task at hand, ensuring our youngest friends had a great time trying to catch the ever elusive chicken. Other physical activities followed requiring the children to use their developing gross motor skills in various ways.

The following day was devoted to music and movement, giving the Prefects the opportunity to share their talent and expertise with us. The children enjoyed participating in a music experience that involved playing instruments alongside their older peers, before engaging with a selection of action songs indoors. Our last session with the Prefects was a morning immersed in Science and Art. The children rotated through thumbprint painting, chalk drawing, volcanoes in the sandpit, and the making of lava lamps.

This was a wonderful week for the oldest and youngest Saint Kentigern students to connect with one another. The Prefects should be commended for their dedication and enthusiasm. They were wonderful ambassadors displaying the Saint Kentigern values of Respect, Excellence, Service, Integrity and Love. The ease at which they interacted with the children warmed everyone’s hearts and the impact they made on their young peers will not be forgotten.

“Flowers.” Liam

Words from the children...

“What makes you happy?”

“Playing with Layla makes me happy.” Angela

“When I have ice cream.” Stella

“When we go fun places on Sundays like mini golf.” Aiden

“Playing with my friends at home.” Mackenzie

“When I get a treat after swimming.” Olivia

"Tickles.” Romy

“My Mummy.” Kaylee

“My barbies.” Angie “Unicorns.” Vienna

“Spa Day.” Harry “Mummy’s smile.” Ashton “Dino.” Finn

“When my Mum says I can do anything I want so I can play basketball, ride my bike and read books.” Luke

“Tickles make me happy.” Marx “My Mummy and my friends.” Aurielle

“Playing ball with Papa.” Naira “A unicorn cat and snuggly cuddles.” Amelia

“Staying with my baby brother.” Lexi “Spinners.” Alex “Going to the beach.” Lucas

“My Mum and Dad make me happy.” Max “Drawing pictures for my Mummy.” Indie

“When my Daddy gives me yummy breakfast.” Lia “My Mum.” Emma

“A castle because they are so big.” Rebecca “Playing with my toys.” Ryan

“When I am at swimming class on the water slide.” Rio

“When my Mum loves me.” Dylan

“My Jessica.” Victoria “Spiderman.” Kousuke

“My brother and my friends and puzzles.” Delbert “Tickles.” Sean Liu

“Jumping in puddles.” Alistair

“Super Wings.” Russell “Playing in the sandpit and Aiden.” Jordan

“Going for ice cream with my Mum and Dad at the beach.” Arlie

“Playing and eating food.” Miller

Matariki Celebrations at Preschool

Written by: Mona

Matariki hunga, Matariki ahunga nui

Matariki has many admirers, Matariki brings us together -

Māori whakatauki

Here at Preschool, we celebrate the many beautiful cultures that we have in New Zealand. Matariki is a special occasion in the New Zealand calendar which marks the start of the Māori New Year. The term Matariki is a shortened version of Ngā mata o te ariki o Tāwhirimātea, or 'the eyes of the god Tāwhirimātea'. It is a time to reflect on our place in the world and the world around us, celebrating with family and whānau the year that has been as well as focusing on our aspirations for the year ahead. This festival is all about celebration, and spending time with family and friends.

Through celebrating Matariki, children had the opportunity to explore and discover the tastes, sounds, language, and stories from the rich Māori culture. They enjoyed listening to Matariki stories, dancing to Māori songs, participating in art experiences and exploring Matariki provocations that were beautifully set up throughout the Preschool. We talked about Matariki and the seven stars during mat times and investigation times as the children showed a lot of curiosity around them. Throughout the month of June the tamariki were encouraged to learn about Māori culture through discussions at hui times, story telling, singing songs and through making their own creations. Through these opportunities our tamariki were able to gain a deeper understanding of this beautiful culture, have opportunities to experiment with different resources where they were able to extend their own individual creative confidence and artistic appreciation. Overall, our tamariki were being presented with a wide range of different situations where they had opportunities to broaden their awareness of their own and other cultures, that helped develop their confidence through speech, language, communication and their creativity.

We were also very fortunate this year to celebrate this special festival with our Preschool friends, families and community after all of the lockdowns and Covid restrictions. At our celebration one Thursday afternoon our Preschool families spent time with us, enjoying many Matariki experiences as well as having delicious hot soup, which was much needed as it was a very cold day. Another special thing about the soup was that it was made out of the vegetables donated by all the children, parents and the teachers. It was a very special time for us to gather around as a community, enjoying each other’s company and learning more about the Māori culture.

In the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum, Te Whāriki, it mentions that children learn to make connections between people, places and things. It has been awesome to see so much enthusiasm and eagerness from the children through learning about the Māori culture.

Our Rainbow Garden

Written by: Kirsty

We are lucky that we have such a beautiful outside space and as teachers we have always used the environment as the third teacher. With such a glorious hot summer, upon returning to Preschool in early 2022, we noticed that some of outside garden beds and plants were looking a little sad and in need of some aroha. The sunflower garden had withstood the hot sun and lack of water, but most other areas hadn’t fared so well in these conditions.

We had taken the opportunity to talk to some of the Kowhai children about our outside spaces and invited them to tell us how we could make the environment more inviting. With a little bit of brain storming, the children came up with what they wanted, and this included a ‘herbal garden’ and a garden with flowers of lots of different colours, this latter concept having become known as ‘Our Rainbow Garden’. In order to take the children’s ideas of the ‘Rainbow Garden’ to the next stage, we sourced some books and read the children some stories that featured rainbows. The children on several occasions during our Investigation times were invited to paint and draw their own rainbows.

The evolving ‘Rainbow Garden’ ideas were discussed with the children and the teaching team, and after our collaborative discussions we settled on two designs that we could adopt that would suit the two garden planter boxes, mirroring the shape of rainbows. Stella helped with the initial pencil outline of each design on two pieces of A3, one in an arc shape and one in diagonals. Each child then added to the design by colouring in sections of our plan.

The children identified the 7 coloured plants that we needed – red, yellow, orange, green, blue, indigo and violet ,and the plants were purchased. Planting out our planter boxes following the plans was the next stage and what a great job everyone did taking great care to plant their

As a continuation, we also planted out our two hanging baskets and the pallets that sit above the sand pit, both which followed our rainbow investigations themes. The pallets taking on a row of each rainbow colour, with the green trees and foliage in our neighbour’s garden, being the backdrop and the green representation element of the rainbow. The concepts of mixing colours and what happens when light hits crystals evolved from these Investigation times. These exploration of these ideas were further looked into through the range of experiments Colleen and Summer introduced, these included experiments with flowers, milk, oil, and painting with ice blocks to name a few.

The children also enjoyed some music and movement, playing with our colourful parachute and learning the song ‘It’s A Rainbow”. The children’s learning was further enhanced with our coloured ribbons which tie in nicely and are used in an interactive basis every time they sing the song. As the year continues we are all looking after our outside spaces and gardens by watering, replanting, weeding and showing respect to our environment and each other. We regularly ask questions and encourage the children to share what existing knowledge they have with regards to the essential elements that are required in order to grown and sustain healthy plants.

The Wonder of Bugs

Written by: Ana

Our bug investigation in the Kauri room has been an exciting and thrilling investigation for our children. It all started when our group of girls found a dead moth in our garden and gently brought it inside to show and tell. All the children were fascinated by the dead moth and had many questions. Their questions and clear interest in the topic blossomed into our bug investigation. This aligns with our Reggio Emilia philosophy of purposeful teaching and learning. Through the wonder of bugs, the children can have the opportunities to nurture their love of learning, practice their researching, and explore different mediums of expression.

The start of our investigation was about establishing what the children’s existing knowledge was about bugs. During this beginning stage, the children were debating lots of important ideas with each other, for example Is a worm a bug? Is a bird a bug? How about a snail? How can we classify a bug? We also used their favourite medium of expression - drawing - to help visualise their interest and existing working theories about bugs. They drew individually in their books, and also drew collaboratively in groups to see how their ideas can work alongside each other.

Not only are the children’s ideas visible in their drawings, they are heard through their debate and discussions. As the investigation progressed, the children went deeper and deeper into the world of bugs. They began to wonder; what makes a bug a bug? What do bugs actually do? How do they move? These questions had us looking closely at bugs, like butterflies and flies, and we ended up discovering so much about them and what they do.

When we had a close look at butterflies, we first analysed how they were different to moths. The children discovered the differences and similarities between both. They were amazed by all the different kinds of patterns that butterfly wings could have, and the children were inspired in their drawings to make wonderful patterns on their wings. It was also amazing how they were able to see a butterfly face up close and see what features they have. This also inspired the children’s artwork and the development of their theories on butterfly faces and features were evident when comparing their previous artwork with their latest.

We dove even deeper, and looked at how caterpillars can turn into butterflies. The children had pre-existing working theories on this already, but when we watched a video on the process happening, the children noticed and began to question why is the butterfly not flying after it comes out of the cocoon? This led to a detailed debate and exchange of ideas and it was wonderful hearing the children’s different perspectives. It was great practice for the children to listen to other opinions, share their own ideas and work in a team to come up with an answer together.

This journey on the wonder of bugs has been an inspiring journey, and has shown us the strong capabilities of our children. They showed us great thinking and listening, tremendous courage with sharing ideas, kindness and respect of others’ opinions and above all, patience and determination. Any question that came up, they were eager to figure out the answer no matter how perplexing the questions were. Our hope is that they will continue to follow their interests with passion and determination, and use their amazing critical thinking skills to find an answer to anything they may wonder about.

Celtic Day

Written by: Katie

The day for our annual adventure up to the Boys' School for Celtic Day had finally arrived. We all arrived very early at Preschool on Friday 6th May, sashes were neatly pinned onto small shoulders, and with friends and teachers in tow, we headed up to the bus for our very exciting 10 minute trip through Remuera.

When we arrived at the Boys' School we were given the very important task of leading the parade (just behind the Pipe Band, drummers, Trust Board and Principals). All the boys did such a wonderful job at setting the pace for the older boys to follow, what a great workout for little legs!

During the Ceremony everyone sat quietly on the field in the open with the sun shining. We listened carefully to the speeches and the Ode to the Haggis showcasing our Saint Kentigern value of Respect to the Boys' School community. Upon our return to Preschool, it was time to refuel our bodies with a yummy morning tea with haggis on the side.

As teachers, we are so proud of all our Preschool boys that did such a great job listening, walking in the parade and looking smart in their tartan, well done boys!

“Spa Anyone?”

Written by: Emily

In the first week of the October holidays the children were treated to a spa experience at Preschool. With the sounds of Balinese music and bubbly water and a basket full of freshly dried towels and the different smells of fragrant creams, the spa ambiance was created. The children relaxed and gained a sense of tranquilly as they soaked their feet in the foot spas and drank orange juice out of beautiful China glasses. Once finished drinking their juice, they quietly sat on the couch while their friends dried their feet. Choosing their favourite fragrance they applied cream to their feet, which made them smell beautiful and clean. The children enjoyed this slow-paced relaxing experience so much that some had another turn later in the day. The Saint Kentigern values of Love, Respect and Service were demonstrated as they waited patiently for their turn and gently dried off each others’ feet.

A week later, the children had a hand spa, where they soaked their hands in lavender smelling luke-warm water with crystals and shells. Once their hands were dry, they chose their favourite hand cream to rub into their hands. Some children decided that they wanted to exfoliate their hands as well using sugar, coconut oil and lavender essential oil. This experience allowed the children to use all of their senses and learn how to slow down and take care of themselves.

We would like to thank Jacqui for organising these relaxing experiences and making the spa experiences memorable and beautiful for the children.

The Commonwealth Games 2022

Written by: Kirsty

Saint Kentigern is proud of the achievements of its former students and often they are seen representing their country in many different ways in sporting and cultural arenas and through The Arts. The recent Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England saw Old Collegians representing New Zealand in various sports, who knows perhaps we may have a future representative in our midst.

The Commonwealth Games provided an opportunity for our children across Preschool to learn more about these specials games, their collaborative and individual learning opening up discussions about the Commonwealth and in particular what countries are in or are not in the Commonwealth. The children were engaged in making medals from paper and clay and also creating their own flags. What was so lovely to see was the medals being worn throughout the day.

Being Experts on Rockets

Written by: Liz and Emily

During one of our investigation times in June this year, we were presented with a great big cardboard box. The box was ginormous and prompted a lot of excitement, so we decided to have a whole group discussion where we came up with ideas on what we could use it for? Lots of ideas came to mind “Pirate Ship”, Boat”, Magicians box” and a “bed”. The most popular by far was a “Rocket Ship”.

We then posed the question: “What do we know about Rockets?” Some of the answers included:

“Rockets fly to space”

“Rockets have lots of Fire”

“Rockets are really fast”

“I have a toy rocket and it has boosters” This question created a spark, captured their curiosity and stimulated their thinking. As teachers, we reflected on what the children already knew and we created some new provocations and opportunities for the Pohutukawa children to extended their knowledge of rockets. Our Investigation times provided opportunities where children could express their interpretations of “what they know” through discussions, watching clips on rocket launches, yoga, and participating in a range of art experiences including, drawing, clay and collaging. In a few investigation times we also introduced the children to loose parts experiences which they thoroughly enjoyed, as it allowed them the opportunity and freedom to make their rockets using various resources, such as construction material and nature. We have found that the children learn better and interpret on a deeper through these types of experiences. These meaningful experiences led to the children’s project of building their own rocket ship out of recycled materials, giving them the opportunity to be creative and think about how materials can work together, as well as, being sustainable.

After making their own individual rockets, it was time to work as a group to build a rocket ship using the ginormous cardboard box. Over a number of investigation times we added items to it, including a triangular top, wings, a steering wheel and engines. Collaboration, discissions, participation and excitement were at the forefront of this big project. The children loved working on the project, and most importantly loved reaping the reward of having a completed rocket ship as they played inside it and showing it to their friends in the other groups. Till this day, the rocket ship is loved and is used in the children’s play.

The children’s learning journey created outcomes that was underpinned by Te Whāriki, our early childhood curriculum, where they are extending their learning about the wider world around them. These include: helping the children to make sense of their worlds where they are generating their own working theories and providing the time and expressing their feelings and ideas whilst using a range of materials and modes along with utilising various strategies and skills to play and learn with others.

Jean Piaget, a well-known theorist in the early childhood sector, formalised the idea and belief that children learn through play and participating in a range of experiences. Through participating in a range of hands on experiences and discussions, the children were able to build on prior knowledge and develop a sense of curiosity and wonder.

Blasting off to Stardome

Written by: Emily

After weeks of learning about rockets and having multiple discussions about them, it was time to visit Stardome to enhance and broaden our knowledge on the subject. The adventure started when we hopped on the bus. The atmosphere in the bus was full of buzz and excitement. We saw so many things on our travel, with children pointing at buildings they recognised and seeing different types of vehicles. When we arrived to Stardome, we were greeted by one of the Stardome educators. We went in a room to look at photos and videos of rockets and how they launch. It was fascinating seeing big engines on the rockets and lots of fire and smoke. We pretended to be rockets, blasting off to space and shared our wealth of knowledge with the educator, which very much impressed her. Venturing outside, we observed the educator conducting a rocket experiment, using water and air in a plastic bottle. We soon discovered that the rocket did not travel far with air on its own, but once water was added as rocket fuel, the rocket went super high. The rocket went so high that for a few seconds we could not see it, but we eventually did as it came back down super fast. Going back inside, we had time to explore Stardome, looking at model rockets and astronaut outfits as well as playing with their interactive resources. It was awesome seeing the children so engaged and sharing their discoveries with one another and with the teachers and parent helpers. To finish off the fun filled trip to Stardome, we watched a film called ‘Accidental Astronauts’ where two robots go on an adventure in a rocket ship, navigating their way in space as they land on planets and the moon and get into a little bit of trouble. Once the film finished, we made our way to the bus and travelled back to Preschool. It was an amazing experience learning about rockets and the wider world. Educational trips help promote curious minds and gives children the opportunity to explore, refine and build on their working theories. We would like to thank the parents who took their time to go on the trip with us.

Easter Celebrations at Preschool

Written by: Eileen

This year our Easter celebrations were varied and exciting. Easter week began with a visit from our very own Chaplain, Reverend Hardie. He shared a poignant message with us about the true meaning of Easter as well as a very large box of delicious hot cross buns that we enjoyed together at morning tea.

With the possible arrival of the Easter Bunny later on in the week, Preschool was a hive of activity as children set about making their own set of bunny ears, and enjoying other creative experiences. With Good Friday around the corner, the children and teachers gathered on the steps to discover that the Easter Bunny had indeed visited, and had left each child a small bag to safely store some yummy chocolate eggs. The children proved themselves to be very astute easter egg gatherers; we reminded our oldest children to make sure that their younger peers did not miss out on collecting the recommended quota.

The children were delighted with their bag of eggs. We were so impressed by the teamwork, consideration and competitive edge the children displayed towards one another. We are sure there were many satisfied tummies that evening– hopefully the eggs were shared with family and friends.

Words from the children...

“Where

would you go if you could fly?”

“Fairyland.” Lia

“To the shopping mall.” Russell

“To my garden at my house.” Max

“I would go to the moon.” Alistair

“Nowhere because I don’t know how to fly and I have no safety gear.”

“To Australia, so I could eat mangoes.” Lexi “To New Caledonia.” Aurielle

“I’d fly into a worm hole because I love worms.” Lucas

“I’d fly to the moon.” Angelo

“I can’t fly.” Ryan “To Rainbow’s End.” Marx

"Sri Lanka.” Ava

“Playground.” Mackenzie “To Waiheke Island.” Scarlon “Arcade.” Ashton

“I’d fly to China because I can see my Grandma and Grandpa.” Emily

“On a trip for a holiday.” Gabriel “In space, like a spaceman.” Ollie

“Australia because it’s so nice and hot.” Indie

“To the moon.” Sean Luo

“The castle because I am a princess” Stella “America.” Ivanna “To the park.” Kousuke

“To Preschool if there were no teachers.” Harry “A park because I like playing at parks.” Vienna

“To China because I want to see my brother.” Luke “Skytower.” Angie

“To the zoo because I can see lots of animals.” Aiden “To New Zealand.” Romy

“America because my Grandma is there.” Rebecca

“Australia.” Finn

“Fairyland so I can see fairies and I’ll have wings.” Amelia

“To Fiji because it has got a swimming pool.” Dylan

“To my party at my house.” Naira

“To the moon and to China.” Miller

“Fly back home to my home in New Zealand.” Harris

“To the beach and the shopping mall.” Jordan

“To the airport.” Arlie

The Saint Kentigern Values

Written by: Emily

At Saint Kentigern Preschool we live by the Organisation’s values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Love. An easy way to remember the values is its acronym RISE with Love. Teaching children and supporting their understanding of what each value means is an important part of our curriculum. Through practising and talking about our values, the children gain a deeper appreciation for their wider world and community around them, build character and develop a good sense of moral principles. It also ensures that by the time their they start Primary School they have a deep appreciation of what it means to be a Saint Kentigern Boy or Girl.

So what do the Saint Kentigern values look like to our Preschool children?

Respect: listening, looking after the environment and appreciating each others’ ideas.

Integrity: honesty, empathy and using manners.

Service: helping and looking after friends and tidying up.

Excellence: perseverance, risk taking, resilience and collaboration.

Love: caring for one another, looking out for new children and using kind words,.

In September we held ‘Service In September’ month where the Preschool community generously supported various charities. In week one we provided blankets to Island Child. In week two we gave food to the Saint Kentigern Foodbank, called the Shed, where they deliver food parcels to the community. In week three we supported Homai Nga Taonga Early Childhood Centre in South Auckland by providing them with pyjamas and raincoats. In the final week we asked children to give some of their money to donate towards our ‘Hangi for the Homeless’ project. Thank you so much for your support and your generosity, we really appreciated it and

Planting and the need for a Scarecrow

Written by: Kirsty

With a change in seasons, it was apparent that some of our herbs in our planters had seen better days. We took the children outside and showed them the herb planters and asked them to think about what else we could grow in our gardens. We had suggestions of carrots, broccoli, onions, pumpkins and tomatoes.

After a little bit of brainstorming carrot, seeds and broccoli seedlings were planted, never having a shortage of volunteers to help with planting, thank you everyone. We have been keeping a close eye on the planters and it was with great excitement when some of the children noticed signs of growth from the seeds. We have been regularly monitoring growth and recently decided to introduce digital media in the form of the Preschool iPads into our learning, inviting some of the children to take some photographs of our plants.

As a team, we have encouraged and extended the children’s learning and interests through a range of different provocations like puzzles and books. As a group, to stretch each child’s imagination and to help them gain confidence, we set the Kowhai children a couple of challenges firstly inviting them to draw what they saw growing in the planters and then as an extension inviting them to do some observational drawings of broccoli, carrots and peas that we sourced from our fantastic chef Lee. The children’s fabulous drawings were then copied and collated and made into signs for our planters.

Through this broad ongoing investigation, we hope our children will develop working theories and scientific knowledge associated with plants and will learn to take further interest in caring for our natural environment, understand kaitiakitanga, where they will develop a love of and sense of responsibility for nature.

Our children are encouraged to be involved in taking care of the plants and sharing ideas as to how we can do this. As part of a natural extension we read the children several books all featuring scarecrows, including the popular “Dingle, Dangle Scarecrow” CD storybook.

Our children are encouraged to be involved in taking care of the plants and sharing ideas as to how we can do this. As part of a natural extension we read and shared with the children several books about planting, some of them featuring scarecrows, including the popular “Dingle, Dangle Scarecrow” CD storybook.

The idea of scarecrows piqued lots of interest and our investigations began to extend in this direction. We provided table provocations, story books, puzzles and on numerous occasions at investigation times opportunities for the children to discover different ways to be creative and expressive using a variety of materials as they all became immersed in drawing scarecrows, making mini scarecrows and drawing a big collaborative scarecrow. The aim was to create a large scarecrow to put outside and finally after several weeks of preparation the process got off the ground. The children did a great job, stuffing, cutting, sticking and finally the scarecrow, was looking like a proper scarecrow, Blues scarf included. The children decided the scarecrow needed a name and after a landslide vote he is now known as 'Rainbow’. Rainbow stands proudly near the sandpit watching over the children, If you ask the children they will say he is doing a great job of scaring away the birds.

We have finally been able to harvest some of our vegetables, we picked some peas and broccoli and shared them with the children. Our carrots are still looking a little green, but hopefully we will get to harvest those in the coming weeks. It has been lovely seeing this investigation go full circle, real garden to table learning. Over the coming weeks, the children will be invited to enjoy more experiences in the garden. We will all be keeping a watchful eye on the planter boxes to see what plants may pop up next.

Picnic With Kent

Written by: Kate

A big focus for our 4-year-olds has been working on making good choices on the way they behave and of course displaying good learner qualities. Their collective effort have not gone unnoticed this year. Each time our children in the Kauri room proactively show exemplary behaviour such as tidying up, showing kindness to others, participating in discussions or actively listening, to name a few, they receive a token in the form of ‘fluffies’ which goes into the special Fluffy Jar.

On one occasion, to acknowledge the hard work the children have put into filling up the Fluffy Jar, our magical and cuddly Saint Kentigern Bear Kent and the teachers organised a special celebratory picnic in Term 2. Kent wrote an invitation to each child asking them to bring their favourite teddy along to the picnic which was held at the old Girls’ School playground.

The children were very excited to go on this picnic with their teddies and friends. There was yet another surprise during the picnic; each of them received a packet of ‘Tiny Teddies’ to enjoy with a personalised note from Kent! The children were thrilled, and once they finished eating the special treat, they went off to play on the playground.

The children really enjoyed the morning celebrating their collective success in filling up the Fluffy Jar. Earning ‘fluffies’ as individuals for the collective good of the entire class helped foster initiative, responsibility, teamwork, empowerment, motivation and perseverance, all key to inculcating our Saint Kentigern values.

As a teaching team we recognise that the children have the potential to rise up to expectations that we set for them. As for the children, they relish the sense of accomplishment and the encouragement from the teachers when they earnt a fluffy for the jar.

Here are some words about what the fluffy jar means to the children:

“You can put fluffies in there when you do a good job” – Dylan

“When you are sharing and playing kindly with each other you may get a special fluffy” – Rio

“If you make sensible choices you will get chosen to out a special fluffy in the jar” – Emily

“You can use your initiative which means you do something good when no one tells you” -Lexi

“When you choose a special fluffy your friends guess the name in Maori” – Amelia

Book Day

Written by: Katie

Book Day was another great day this year, a chance for all the children and teachers to dress up as a book character and bring their book along to share with the group. We were so impressed by the effort and imagination that went into creating outfits that the children felt a great sense of pride in.

With books placed on display as the children arrived, throughout the day we were able to read a selection of books and discuss the children’s favourite parts of the book, in turn increased children’s confidence talking in a group and really achieved that sense of belonging. We were lucky enough to get a much anticipated parade in before the rain came, each child holding their book with pride.

Our Preschool children and teachers love of books and literacy is shown daily in the many opportunities we embrace reading, sharing pictures and provocations throughout the curriculum. Book Day was a time to learn more about our children’s interests and of course the value books play in children’s lives both at home and at Preschool.

The Language of Music

Written by: Emily

At Saint Kentigern Preschool we offer the children extra curricula experiences to help them develop and enhance their skills and capabilities. One of these classes is music. Every Tuesday morning Meichen from Lewis Eady comes to Preschool to do a range of fun musical activities with the children. These group times help our students practice the act of listening, concentration, cooperation, and appreciating the language of sound.

Every class is slightly different to make it fun and engaging. There are times when we do various movements around the room in time to the beat of the music and instrument. This encourages our children to differentiate and practice their discrimination skills to work out whether to go at a fast pace or a slow pace and use their listening skills to decipher which instrument is used to do the correct action. Singing is also another activity we do, where we learn to sing at different pitches, keep in time with each other and participate. The children also explore the use of instruments, like xylophones, shakers, tambourines, and their hands to broaden their understanding of sound and rhythm. These music sessions help nurture children’s confidence and self-esteem to talk and participate in a group setting and encourages them to enjoy the magic, wonder and joy that music brings. Children learn that music is used to amuse, delight, comfort, inform and excite. We look forward to more music sessions with Meichen to ignite children’s passion and interest.

Flora MacDonald Day

Written by: Kirsty

Our girls were invited to attend the inaugural Flora MacDonald Day celebrations with the Girls’ School on their new site in Shore Road. Arriving very early at Preschool the girls had beautiful tartan sashes neatly pinned onto their small shoulders and with friends and teachers in tow, we all headed up to the bus for our exciting short trip through Remuera. Our girls had the opportunity to play a part in the ceremonial proceedings that included marching in the parade led by the Pipe Bands and Drummers. Everyone did such a wonderful job setting the pace for the older girls to follow. During the ceremony everyone sat quietly, listening carefully to the speeches and doing their best to join in with the songs, appreciating the experience and ambiance where we could all absorb and learn about aspects of our proud Scottish heritage.

These experiences offer our Preschool children opportunities to build a sense of belonging within our wider organisational community, giving them a little taster of what is to come in their educational future. It was lovely seeing many family members joining us for this special celebration. As teachers, we were so proud of you all, showcasing our Saint Kentigern Value of Respect and being such a great group of Preschool representatives.

offers moments for the children to appreciate the scenes where siblings can seek each other out for a quick hug or friendly smile, make these times even more special and poignant. Attending events like this also add an extra layer to our transition experiences for our children as they give them a taster of what is to come in their educational future.

We would all like to say a special thank you to Annie, Katie’s mum who kindly made all our beautiful tartan sashes.

Words from the children…

“If you could be an animal, what kind would you be?”

“I would be a lion." Simon and Declan

“I would be a cheetah because they are so fast.” Ava

“A tiger because they are big and scary.” Bryce

“A bunny rabbit.” Alistair

“A cat and a dog.” Angelo

“A unicorn so I could have magic and fly.” Amelia

“An elephant because they can spray water at my sister.” Rio

“A giraffe because they are tall.” Scarlon

“A horse because it is like a unicorn.” Emily

“A giraffe because it is tall getting leaves from the trees.” Atticus

“A unicorn.” Layla

“A pig.” Harris

“An alligator because I like them.” Ollie

“An elephant because elephants can spray water and spray dinosaurs into the air.” Sean Liu

“Unicorns I love unicorns because I love to draw unicorns. I like the unicorns horns.” Helios

“A cold bunny because they eat carrots and sugar.” Emma

“Kangaroo because they hop so much.” Lia

“A tiger because they eat grass.” Alex

“A scary animal because I like scary things.” Dylan

“A crocodile because they are scary.” Ivanna

“A rabbit because I like rabbit’s colours.” Angela

“A zebra because I love them.” Stella

“A unicorn cat because they are pretty.” Lexi

“A pig because pig is my zodiac animal.” Oliver

“A unicorn because they have long horns.” Romy

“A T-Rex because I like them.” Lucas

“Bunnies because they are soft and can stay in my bed.” Olivia

“Monkey because I saw them in the zoo. My dad said we don’t have monkeys because they scratch me.” William

“Tiger because I have a tiger at my home.” Finn

“A tiger because they have stripes on their tail and sharp teeth.” John

“Bunny because they can jump.” Victoria

31

Mother’s Day

Written by: Katie

Finally we were able to celebrate our beautiful Mothers at Preschool on the morning of Monday 13th June. It was such a wonderful celebration and so nice to finally be able to open up our doors and welcome in our much loved Mummies after having to postpone several times before. The children spent the week preceding decorating their own cardboard boxes with drawings for some and collage materials for others. These were packed on Monday morning with yummy treats for children and their Mums to enjoy for morning tea – there was even a pink butterfly cupcake especially for our Mums!

As our Mummies and special people arrived at Preschool, there were many fun provocations for the children to enjoy and explore with their mums which included puzzles, flower pattern boards, tea party set ups, drawing and painting on the easel. Everything seemed to have a hint of pink to really capture the celebration of our special Mummies! All the children loved being able to proudly show off their Preschool, what an amazing atmosphere there was with chatter, laughter and joy. All this play and exploration made everyone feel hungry, so after lots of play and excitement the children found their box and found a spot to sit and enjoy it with their Mummy.

It was then time for the puppet show, which was a hit with everyone! Christine from "Hands Alive" had everyone in stitches with her funny voices and vast array of puppets, hand-made signs and props. Thank you to all our lovely Mums (and Grandmas) for coming along to share in this special event with the children. We love welcoming you into our Preschool and to share these special times with your child, many memories made.

Taniwha and the Dragon

Written by: Summer

Following the celebration of the Māori New Year, Matariki, we continued our learning journey about Māori myth, culture and landscape in Kowhai Room. Taniwha, which are supernatural creatures in Māori tradition, have been the centre of our Kowhai children’s attention. According to the Māori culture, Taniwha are similar to serpents and dragons in other cultures and are said to dwell in lakes, rivers, oceans, or caves. They stand for vital and living energy that guards a place, a mountain, a river, a valley, and any natural feature, and thus a tribe or iwi might have their own Taniwha.

During our investigation times, our tamariki were instinctively drawn to different stories about Taniwha, where we met Tangaroa (God of the Ocean), Ranginui (Skyfather), Papatuanuku (Earthmother), as well as both scary and lovely Taniwha. It is fantastic to hear our tamariki creatively commenting that Taniwha looks like the “letter S”, “a snake”, “a dragon”, “a hook”, “Captain Cook’s hook”, and even a “question mark”.

After listening to the stories, our tamariki were fully engaged in multi-literacy experiences to express their ideas, feelings, and understanding of Taniwha, which included the literacies of visual art, music, and movement, to name a few. It is amazing to observe our tamariki demonstrating great perseverance and high focus and concentration while using various art mediums, such as pencils, colour pencils, pastels, felt-tip pens, paint, clay, and paper collage to visualize their ideas and create their masterpieces.

As an extension of our Taniwha project, our tamariki worked as a team to brainstorm how we could make use of a big cardboard box donated by one of our teachers. We reached an agreement that the box could be a cave for our Taniwha. Following this decision, we painted the box thoroughly, decorated it with our cool drawings such as “baby Taniwha”, “grass”, “tree”, “sea”, and also added vines and leaves made with different sensory materials to our “Taniwha cave”.

With the progress of our learning journey about Taniwha, a dragon, which is a mythical creature from Chinese culture was introduced to our tamariki. The experience of learning and comparing mythical creatures from different cultures could encourage our tamariki to explore their own cultural identity, create a positive sense of their identity, and establish their connections to people, places, and things in their world. After listening to the mythical stories about Chinese dragons, our tamariki commented that they like the “happy Taniwha” or the “scary Taniwha” while they are also amazed by the dragons who can blow “fire”, “ice”, and “smoke”. Then we carefully observed the appearance of dragons and compared them to the Taniwha. It was wonderful to see our tamariki quickly spotting that the dragons have “long tails”, “horns”, and “moustaches” but not the Taniwha. Our tamariki also mentioned that dragons and Taniwha both can fly but only Taniwha “has wings”.

To wrap up our learning journey about Taniwha and dragons, our tamariki confidently and proudly presented a show named “The Taniwha and the Dragon” to our preschool friends. During our production, it was so lovely to see our tamariki sitting down beautifully, listening carefully to their friends, and bravely sharing their knowledge about taniwha and dragons with Pohutukawa and Kauri children. Ka Pai, Kowhai children! We are so proud of you!

Sign Language in the Kauri Room

Written by: Kate

Sign language has become a very popular avenue used to communicate among our Kauri friends and teachers. It all began during sign language week at the start of May when we decided to take the opportunity to share with children a few signs as, after all, it is one of New Zealand's official languages. Children learnt that some people that can not communicate through talking can use their hands to do just as much talking. They were all very fascinated with sign language and were very eager and quick to learn many different signs. This included phrases such as pleased to meet you, wash your hands and then single words like baby, Mum, Dad, Brother, Sister, family, water and more. It then led to children using sign language at meal times. Children now confidently and proudly sign what fruit they wish to have and follow it by signing thank you!

Children became so invested in this special way to communicate and were constantly asking how we can sign different things and incorporating it into their everyday conversations. It was also lovely to see the contribution from home and how excited and pleased children were to share this way of communicating with their family members. It is so very special that sign language has become such an integral part of our communication in the Kauri room and children use it so naturally and respectfully. The Kauri children feel so empowered to be sharing this special language with other teachers and friends in our Preschool.

Words from the children…

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“A policeman because they catch bad guys.” Aiden “Taller.” Romy

“Ironman because he’s my favourite superhero!” Harry

“A fireman because they work hard.” Dylan

“A want to be a daddy.” Harris

“Ultraman.” Luke

“A doctor.” Olivia and Declan

“A painter because I like drawing.” Lexi “A fireman.” Mackenzie

“Spiderman." John

“Teacher because I love my teachers.” Vienna

“I want to be a Mummy.” Ivanna

“A fairy because I want to fly.” Indie

“A Mummy but I wouldn’t play tennis, I’d do adult ballet.” Summer

“A police girl because I can catch bad guys.” Ava

“A pilot who flies aeroplanes.” Lucas

“A big boy and go to big boys’ school.” Max

“An artist I am already am an artist. I don’t need to grow up, I want to be 10 forever.” Amelia

“A princess because they are beautiful.” Rebecca

“A policeman because I like policemen. Or a pirate.”

Scarlon

“An artist because you can craft anything you want.” Lia

“A doctor because I want to help people.” Angie

“A princess because I love princesses.” Stella

“An astronaut because I want to go to the moon.” Sean Luo

“A fisherman … ” Rio

“A mummy.” Naira

“A fairy because they are pretty.” Emily

“A tiger because it makes me laugh.” Finn

The Wonders of the Sea

Written by: Devon and Eileen

The Kauri children had been passionately exploring ‘The Wonders of the Sea’, inspired by the annual national ‘Sea Week’. Their interest into what lies beneath the beautiful blue sea evolved into a fascinating investigation and sparked a lot of wonder and curiosity for the children. This developing investigation aligned well with our Reggio Emilia-inspired philosophy of purposeful teaching and learning. ‘

The ‘Wonders of the Sea’ offered opportunities for the children to nurture their love of learning, encouraging them to become active researchers and explorers through using many different mediums and their ‘hundred languages’. It also embodies many of our Saint Kentigern values and that of Kaitiakitanga, guardianship and protection of our natural environment. As we embarked on our journey into exploring the wonders of the sea, the children’s strong interest into sea creatures guided us. Taking their lead, we were amazed at their curiosity to know more about the various kai moana (sea creatures) and the way in which they use the hundred languages as tools to research and make their thoughts and ideas visible.

The language of storytelling, role play and imagination had been a widely used by the children. Opportunities for the children to play, imagine, invent and experiment were vital aspects of our curriculum. They loved exploring provocations with construction materials, loose parts and recycled materials to create large scale sea scene creations on our mat. These sea scenes became props in which the children used to inspire their group play, acting out how to care for the sea animals, feeding them and rescuing them – becoming Kaitiaki (guardians of the sea).

The children were encouraged to utilise their role play skills in different ways. A popular experience at Investigation time was to take on the role of a sea creature, and to explore how they moved through the ocean, and even how they slept. This was a great way to enhance gross motor capabilities along with their developing spatial awareness as they moved past each other.

In response to the children’s extended interest into the ‘Wonders of the Sea’ the teachers sought out other ways to challenge the children to make their emerging working theories visible. The children were invited to work on collaborative drawings together. These cooperative efforts became a medium that the children could use to notice anatomical details about a sea creature of interest to them. Drawing is one of our preferred mediums in the Kauri classroom due to it’s potential for fostering early pre-literacy knowledge and skills.

With the children showing a defined preferences for certain sea creatures, it was time to extend them even further. The teachers proposed the idea that the children could use their detailed sea creature drawings as a plan or design for representing their sea creature using clay. The children embraced this challenge; we were so impressed by the children’s capabilities to re-create their drawings so closely in their clay work. Interestingly, how children approached this task shed light on the different types of decision-making that was involved in this process, that is choosing to make a two or three– dimensional representation, how big or small it needed to be and so forth.

This investigation into the ‘Wonders of the Sea’ highlighted the value of creating a curriculum that is responsive to children’s interests. The children were given the time and space to express their own understandings. Engaging in processes of exploration using various expressive languages lends children opportunities to build on their knowledge about the marine world. The children became proud experts on their respective sea creature, and created work that reflected complexity and pushed them beyond what we collectively though possible in terms of their competencies and skill sets.

Brain Gym

Written by: Eileen

Our lovely teacher Jacqui brings a wealth of knowledge to our learning programme here at the Preschool. As we are a learning organisation we are always inspired by the collective experiences all teachers bring to the children’s daily learning opportunities.

One of the enduring activities introduced to the children has been ‘Brain Gym.’ This is a motor skill experience that requires that children practice crossing their ‘midline’ in various ways. This could be using their right hand to touch their left knee and vice versa, or to use their right arm to reach behind their back to touch the opposite leg, but to name just a few examples.

This is a challenging set of tasks for the children to participate in, especially if unfamiliar to them. We revisit ’Brain Gym’ from time to time as we believe it has great value for children’s motor skill development along with learning to effectively coordinate their bodies in a range of different ways.

When children become more adept at ‘Brain Gym’ we notice a positive impact on other areas of their learning and growth. Children who are able to cross their midline are better able to engage in experiences that require them to use both sides of their bodies simultaneously , for example, holding a piece of paper still allowing them to draw or write with their other hand. Furthermore, children have opportunities to perfect their listening and comprehension skills, and to fine tune their concentration skills and spatial awareness.

Father’s Day

Written by: Ana

Our Father’s Day Celebration was an opportunity for us to celebrate our wonderful Dads. The children with their Dads arrived in the morning and everyone sat down and enjoyed some breakfast with croissants and juice. They had the opportunity to enjoy the company of other Dads and friends over a delicious breakfast of croissants and juice. It was wonderful seeing the children so excited that their dads were there for the morning.

After breakfast, we gathered together on the deck and welcomed everyone. We then went on and explained the surprise we had planned – the paper plane competition! After we were all familiar with the rules, the children and their Dads went inside and began crafting their paper planes. It was wonderful seeing everyone get into the spirit of some friendly competition and put in a lot of effort to make these planes.

When everyone finished their planes and did a few test runs, it was time for the competition to begin. We lined up room by room and on the count of 3 the children threw their planes as far as they could with their Dads standing proudly behind them.

It was truly a very special time and we would like to thank all our Dads for coming. The children were buzzing about it afterwards and even continued on to make their own planes throughout the day and running their own little competitions in groups. We are sure that this day will remain as a great memory for the children.

Loving Whales and the Fabulous Show!

Written by: Kirsty

The Kowhai children have loved our taniwha investigation and a natural extension was us introducing other stories, books and provocations that featured creatures that live in water. Over the past few weeks we have been inviting the children to extend their learning through group directed opportunities at our investigation times. We have noticed that the interest in whales has lead to more informal child lead play, collaboratively and individually, as the children have independently utilised the provocations and resources that were on hand.

We have a been reading and offering a range of related fiction and non-fiction books to the children, relaying the stories in a variety of different ways, often through songs or using props. A couple of favourites were Katie's books on the mythical legendary Loch Ness Monster. We have sourced numerous other books featuring whales, "The Whales on the Bus" being a good new find, everyone picking up the words to this new song very quickly.

The pandemic has seen many restrictions placed on us at Preschool and like everyone else around the country for well over two years, group gatherings, events and celebrations have had to repeatedly be cancelled. In addition, Preschool trips have been not been possible, so once restrictions were lifted, with a level of confidence not felt for a while, we jumped at the chance of booking tickets to see "The Whale Rider" show, as it tied in so nicely with the children's learning in the Kowhai Room. It was so lovely for us to be able to reintroduce this exciting educational experience and adventure into our learning programme for the children.

After much anticipation and many discussions, stories, and drawings of whales the Kowhai group of 14 children and 11 adults jumped on a big bus and made their way over the Harbour Bridge to the Pumphouse Theatre.

The bus ride was thrilling as the rain was pouring and the sky was foggy, we were all ‘happy as larry’ to be on our way to see the show!

We arrived at the Pumphouse Theatre and our lovely bus driver Hong let us stay in the bus while Katie went to get the tickets from the Box Office. While we waited on the bus Summer played one of our favourite audio books of “Mog the Cat”. After the book we made our way down the driveway towards the theatre, being extra careful not to slip and holding our grown-ups hand extra tight.

The “Whale Rider” show was based on the Witi Ihimaera book, written by Tim Bray. The story was about whānau (family) and tikanga (traditional Māori values). The poignant tale of foraging paths and self-belief was about a twelve year old Māori girl, Kahu whose ambition is to become the chief of the tribe. Her koro (grandfather), Apirana believes this role is reserved for males only. Kahu shows she is the only one who can recover the whale tooth and proves she is the best to become leader. Once Kahu becomes leader she promises “our people will keep going forward, all together, with all of our strength…”

We were absolutely blown away with how well the Kowhai children sat, absorbed in the show from start to finish, after the show we had a quick toilet stop and then straight onto the bus back to Preschool – enjoying a snack of Tiny Teddies on our journey home.

We hope you all enjoyed the trip as much as all your teachers did.

Preschool 2022

Abhiruvee Guansekera Aiden Nikanjam

Alexander Lambden

Alistair Wu

Amelia Klein

Andrew Harri

Angela Liu

Angelo Chen

Angie Nong Arlette Mivelaz

Ashton Forbes Atticus Qian

Aurielle Croft Ava Gafiyatulina

Bryce Liu

Chanel Verissimo Charles Gu

Christiano Verissimo Declan Wong Delbert Liu

Dylan Chen

Emily Gao

Emma Zhang

Finn Prebble Frederick Lee

Gabriel Chai

George Simpson Harris Lee

Harry Roberton Helios Lee

Hudson Rodden Indie O’Connor

Ivanna Ichhpuni

Jackson Greenslade John Comrie

Jordan Nikanjam Joshua Prenter Julian Zhou

Justin Zhou Kaylee Kong

Kousuke Okawa Layla Tao Lexi Wang

Lia Hendrikson Liam Davies

Liam Xue Lily Moghaddam Lucas Jiao

Luke Tang Mackenzie Wei

Markus Cheung

Marx Zhang

Mason Ma

Max Chi

Miller Zheng

Millie Prior

Naira Kaur

Oliver Coker

Oliver Zhang

Olivia Worsley

Rebecca Situ

Rio Zheng Romy Besant

Russell Dong Ryan Omidvari

Scarlon Peng

Sean Liu

Sean Luo

Simon Wei

Stella Yates

Summer Rowe Victoria Qu

Vienna Li

William Yu

Laying the foundation for life-long learning...