Program
At Narnia we strive to achieve high quality child focused programming techniques which cater for all ages and abilities.
We utilise various formats to provide information for all families that are child focused and current. All Educators are provided with focus children to observe in a monthly roster. This ensures all children are closely monitored, evaluated and programmed for on a regular basis.
All of our program formats are parent friendly and allow for families to be active participants in their children’s learning. Educators pride themselves on providing various forms of daily reflection in both written format and in particular verbal communication on both morning and afternoon pick up times.
Each service has an educator allocated as the Educational Leader. It is their role to oversee all areas of the service’s program and to work alongside the educators and families to help evolve/evaluate and document the critical elements of programming on a continuous basis.
Christian Education
Our endeavour is to further encourage the Christian values and principles you have in your own home and help you to fulfil your God-given responsibilities in raising your child.
At Narnia, our Christian faith underpins all we do. Our endeavour is to further encourage the Christian values and principles you have in your own home and help you to fulfil your God-given responsibilities in raising your child. We believe that a child’s spiritual development encompasses those spiritual elements such as identity, belonging, relationship, wholeness, wonder and awe as well as paying attention to and respecting others and developing a relationship with God.
“Children’s spirituality and their spiritual development have been shown in the literature to be of central relevance and importance to who they are and who they will become. Their identity, sense of belonging and sense of meaning, as well as purpose in life are all linked to, and affected by, their spirituality and the ways through which that spirituality might be nurtured.” Dr Jan Grajczonek
The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia refers to the child’s spiritual development as an important aspect of their sense of identity. Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of Identity.
Transition to School
Our program focuses on developing the whole child, with particular focus on building resilience and positive social and emotional skills.
The Transition to School Program, based in The Great Woods room, is focused on children who are attending school the following year. The children in the transition program have many and varied activities in addition to a daily preschool based program. Our program focuses on developing the whole child, with particular focus on building resilience and positive social and emotional skills.
Some of the specific programs we utilise in our transition program is the “You Can Do It” program. This is a social skills program based around a series of activities and puppets to build children’s confidence and willingness to try new things. The main characters we utilise are Connie Confidence, Gabby Get-a-long and Pete Persistence. There are more characters that are used in the Kindergarten program. Our characters focus on the key skills needed to try and persist whilst being a great friend.
During the latter part of the year we also focus on pre-reading skills and immerse our children in the literacy program used in Kindergarten. At Waratah this is ‘Jolly Phonics’ and at Gosford it is “Pre-Literacy Program.
An additional feature of the transition to school program is the proximity to the school and its facilities. The children have regular visits to the Junior School to visit the IRC (Library), for PE lessons, music, and to attend school chapel or assemblies. During Term 4, many have visits to Kindergarten if this is their enrolled school for the following year. The visits to the Junior School assist the children to become familiar and confident with the school environment by the time they start Kindergarten and to understand more about how school looks and feels.