23 May 2025

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

SPOTLIGHT ON LEARNING - MRS MULLINS

All That Chatter? It’s Building Brains!

We know it - incessant chatter can sometimes drive families a little crazy. But did you know that oral language is the foundation of all learning? Those endless questions, stories, and observations are your child’s way of building the skills they need to read, write, and communicate effectively.

Strong oral language helps your child express ideas clearly, understand others, and succeed in all areas of learning. At school, children who can speak in full sentences often find it easier to organise their thinking, explain their reasoning, and participate in class discussions with confidence.

You can support this vital development in simple, everyday ways:

• Have lots of conversations: Make time to talk during meals or in the car. Ask open-ended questions like “What was the best part of your day?” or “Why do you think that happened?”
• Read together daily: Share books and talk about the characters, plot, and new words. This builds vocabulary, comprehension and a life-long love of books.
• Sing songs and repeat rhymes: These help children hear patterns in language and improve their memory and pronunciation.
• Play and Pretend: Role-playing games, dressing up as different characters and creating a make-believe world encourages creative language use.
• Tell and retell stories: Encourage your child to explain something that happened or make up their own stories—it builds confidence and narrative structure.
• Limit screen time: Too much time on devices can reduce opportunities for real conversation. Try to balance screen use with interactive, face-to-face talk.

So next time the chatter feels endless, take a breath and smile - your child is learning through every word, and all that talking is helping them thrive at school and beyond!

Jackie

SCHOOL SNAPSHOT

IMPORTANT DATES 

PRESCHOOL NEWS

Werte from Preschool

We are over the halfway mark for the term (how did that happen?) and the children have been busy with their learning and playing at preschool.

The yard has been overcome by little black caterpillars which have been exciting for the children to find – on the concrete, on the playground, on the fences and even in the sand pit! We have been collecting them in our bug catcher, moving them to safer locations so they don’t get squished, and we have been observing their movements. This links to Unit 2’s learning about insects and lifecycles and will be the start of more investigations and learning in Unit 1.

In Unit 1 the children have been practicing writing letters based on the story, ‘Dear Zoo’. They have been using pictures of the animals from the story along with writing letters/words on their letter before popping them into an envelope and posting them in the mailbox. Postcards and lined paper have been added to the space. They have also been enjoying exploring their social skills through role play in the vet clinic. They have been negotiating, turn taking, and showing empathy and care towards one another and the animals, they are treating.

Unit 2 have continued their learning about the lifecycle of a butterfly, role-playing the Hungry Caterpillar story. We used scarves as props and the children had lots of fun popping out of the egg, pretending to eat all the different foods, rolling themselves up like a cocoon and emerging as a beautiful butterfly. The children have also started making their watercress caterpillars – we cannot wait to watch them grow! A special delivery also arrived…a real-life cocoon – we will make estimations about how long it will take for the butterfly to emerge and create some drawings based on what we think the butterfly will look like.

Have a look at our tomato plants! These popped up in the garden bed after we disposed of our old worm farm soil there. Add the bit of rain we had, followed by some warm days and wow! They are now taller than most of the children and almost as tall as the teachers! We will continue to observe and nurture them, hopefully reaping the rewards of some tomatoes soon.

CHILD AND FAMILY CENTRE (CFC)

Our vision is that every child has the best possible start to life.

Children and families are at the centre of all we do.

We live and work on Arrernte Country.

Werte!

Mother’s Day Morning Tea

Last Monday, we celebrated the incredible mums, nanas, and aunties within our Larapinta CFC community. CFC staff created a peaceful, inviting space for these important women to enjoy a delicious morning tea and take a quiet moment for themselves. As carers and parents, we play a vital role in guiding our little ones on their journey of learning and growth. Special moments like these serve as a reminder of the significant impact we have on shaping their development.

Learning How Kids Grow Day - Language

The CFC hosted a special "Learning How Kids Grow" day, offering families the opportunity to deepen their understanding of child development and how we can best support our little ones. This session focused on the Language Domain, where we explored how children’s brains are developing, the importance of language priority, and the many ways communication extends beyond just spoken words. Afterward, families engaged in meaningful conversations about their children’s language milestones, reflecting on their progress and how they can continue to nurture their communication skills at home.

Selfcare and Sisterhood

Last Wednesday the ‘Selfcare and Sisterhood’ girls got back together to participate in a t-shirt design workshop. They worked in collaboration with Cheyne from Alice Springs Media to create a shirt to celebrate the work on selfcare, safety and healthy relationships.

Kele Mwerre

COMMUNITY NEWS

NATIONAL CHILD SAFETY REVIEW – PUBLIC CONSULTATION

Policy options have been developed to address recommendations from the 2023 ACECQA National Child Safety Review. The policy options are now available for review, and you can submit feedback. Nationwide consultation and the collaboration between governments, education and care services, educators, staff, volunteers and families are essential to make continuous improvements to the sector and keep all children safe. A webinar to learn about the policy options and how you can get involved is being offered to Territorians on 8 May from 2pm to 4pm. Register now! Child safety is everyone’s responsibility.  Further information and the feedback submission portal can be found at Child Safety Review Regulation Impact Analysis. The consultation round is open until 11 June 2025.