Our early years program fosters a play based curriculum where your child learns and develops their skills and understanding in a nurturing and fun environment. Waggrakine currently has Kindergarten and Pre-Primary classes, accessing the West Australian Curriculum and Kindy Curriculum guidelines. Our ECE classes have Education Assistants to help ensure your child has the best start to their schooling. Our ECE playground is one of the biggest in Geraldton with plenty of room to move and some great facilities and bright murals.
Kindergarten and Pre-Primary uniforms are royal blue shirts with orange collars. ECE children are asked to wear either a legionaries hat or the broad brim hat. New hats with faction colours underneath are available for purchase from Total Uniforms.
The National Quality Standard is comprehensive and sets a ‘high bar’ for early childhood education and care. Waggrakine continues to meet the National Quality Standards, it is necessary to meet every element that makes up every standard within all seven quality areas.
Follow this link National Quality Standards – ACECQA to view the ACECQA website and view relevant information relating to the National Quality Standards for Early Childhood Education.
The framework offers a vision where all children experience learning that is engaging and builds success for life. It has been designed so that we can develop our own strategies to implement the curriculum under its three objectives: Belonging, Being and Becoming. Follow this link to the Early Years Learning Framework website for more information
To support and encourage the love of reading in the Early Years, Waggrakine has a well-established shared reading program. During the year your child has the opportunity to bring home a beautiful picture book for a week. During this week you and your child get to immerse yourself in the book. Support questions are provided for different pages in the book to help promote constructive discussions around the book. In Pre Primary you can record each time you read in your Home Reader diary to go towards our whole school reading awards.
The AEDC is a nationwide census that gathers information about young children’s development every 3 years. The last census was conducted in 2018. It provides a snapshot of children’s progress at national, state/territory and community levels. Schools throughout Australia participate in the AEDC, with teachers completing the Australian version of the Early Development Instrument for children three months after they start Pre-primary.
Better Beginnings is a Western Australian government initiative that aims for every child to have a wonderful experience of sharing books and stories with the adults in their life. This supports early literacy skills that your child needs to become a good reader and succeed at school. Our Kindergarten students are visited by our local Library and given reading packs to take home each year.
Research shows that 90 per cent of a child’s brain develops by the age of three. So all the experiences they have during this time influences their success at school and in later life.
To make sure these children get the best possible start to life, Child and Parent Centres have been set up on or near public schools to support families as they lay the foundations for their children’s development and learning. Rangeway Child and Parent Centre.
The more children learn, the happier and more confident they are, and the more positive their experience when they start school – so get involved as much as you can. There are lots of exciting things you can do at home or when you are out, making learning enjoyable for everyone! Resources for families are available here.
