ACG Sunderland Preschool is delighted to celebrate its first birthday.
With a party planned for the students, both past and present, it will be a time to look back at the first year with the challenges, hurdles and milestones the first year in a new venture brings.
ACG Preschool Head Teacher Natasha Bleach has many highlights from the first year of operation. She said, “Our first graduation and the smooth and successful transition between the Centre and School for some of our very first founding students were among the highlights.”
She went onto say that another highlight was ACG Sunderland Preschool’s first trips that have helped to establish the community feel present at ACG Sunderland Preschool.
For her third highlight, Natasha describes the many amazing projects and explorations that ACG Sunderland Preschool has done over the past year, especially the hatching of its own pet dinosaur Douglas and the creation of two Taniwha.
Natasha says, “They are evidence of the amazing imagination and exploration skills children have.”
ACG Sunderland Principal Nathan Villars said, “It has been very rewarding watching the Preschool go from concept to reality. We have a number of student and parent lead initiatives, which really make it a unique educational opportunity for Preschoolers.”
The literacy programme at ACG Sunderland Preschool was requested by the parents and has been a huge success. The small students are given pre-school friendly tools to learn how to understand and make letters.
They participate in the programme if they show interest and want to learn these skills. Natasha explains that the tools provide another way for children to express themselves.
The Preschool is designed in part to make the transition to school as seamless as possible. The strategies undertaken by the Preschool and Primary School have been a resounding success. These include starting five-year olds in groups at the beginning of a term, through to smaller school-ready skills.
