Dolphin Class: New Adventures

Settling In

The first day of school can be a challenging transition for our little learners. For some of us, it was our first time in an unaccompanied class with all new faces and a new learning environment to boot. The dolphin team are incredibly impressed with how all the children have been adapting to the school routine and how brave they've been in meeting their teachers and classmates. Although some of us felt a little uncertain about being dropped off without our adult, we were all able to pull ourselves together, dry our tears, and join in within minutes of being in the classroom. All of the children have been accessing a variety of activities, playing alongside new friends, and taking part in Circle Time routines.



At this stage, we are focusing on settling into the classroom environment, putting priority on developing skills to enhance communication, social interactions and independence. We want all of our dolphins to feel able and confident to let their teachers know if they need or want anything, and to begin to communicate their opinions and ideas during small and large group discussions. This sense of agency comes through in their sense of responsibility for their own wellbeing. The children are encouraged to make their own choices throughout the session, whether in relation to the activity they would like to explore, when they would like to eat their snack, or when they need to go to the bathroom. 


Currently, we are also fine tuning our physical development skills through our self-care habits when pulling pants up and down in the toilet, opening containers at the snack table, and opening and closing our school bags. 



Exploring the School

The Sandpit

Nestled next to our classroom is the K1 sandpit. On Tuesday, we got the chance to have a go at digging, sifting and pouring alongside our classmates. Before we get into the sandpit, we have a little routine to practice. We need to take off our socks and shoes independently, put our socks inside our shoes so they don't get lost, and then neatly line them up along the edge of the sandpit. After washing and drying our hands, we can get stuck in. Once we've had enough, we need to wipe off our feet, and have a go at putting our socks and shoes back on our feet ourselves. This is a great chance for us to practice putting our socks and shoes on independently and we took great pride in how much we could do all on our own. 




NEXT WEEK

The Playground

As our Dolphins have settled into the classroom so beautifully, we will be visiting the playground next Thursday. Until we are ready to have all of the K1 children in the playground at the same time, we will be going to the playground every Thursday. Please remember to keep a hat inside your child's school bag and apply sunscreen and mosquito spray before they come into school on Thursdays. Later in the term we will switch to going to the playground every day and I will let you know when this transition begins. In the playground, we will be working on our gross motor skills with lots of running, jumping and balancing. 



The Library

Part of our library sessions will be about encouraging and nurturing our love of literacy, learning how to 'read' books by making a story from the pictures, and being responsible learners by being gentle with the books. Starting from next week, we will be able to borrow books from the library. The dolphins will get a chance to choose books that spark their interest, and these may even be in languages that you don't speak at home. Don't worry though! If your child does choose a 'foreign' language book, you can practice the art of storytelling by using the images on each page to make up your own tale. Please remember to bring your library bag in every Wednesday so that your child can borrow and exchange each week. We will be unable to lend out books if there is no library bag present. 




Google Albums

Each time I add a blog update, I will provide the links for the Google Albums below. Once we move to the 3 hour day (Monday onwards) the albums will be updated once a week to give you ongoing insights into what we are doing in the classroom.

AM Dolphins: Settling In

PM Dolphins: Settling In






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