Preschoolers Wowed by Facilities at Big School!

On 20 August we welcomed some visitors from Goddard Crescent Preschool who came to experience a morning at big school.

The school readiness group included 4 staff members, 31 preschoolers and 8 prospective parents who were interested in seeing whether our school lived up to our magnificent reputation, of which we did!

Some people wanted to have clarified what our learning spaces looked and functioned like (operated). Their feedback was that they were amazed and delighted with what they saw.

In the Diocese of Parramatta the approach to the design of schools and classrooms is focused on student wellbeing and learning. Schools are designed to be safe, welcoming and friendly. Children learn differently at each stage of their lives so this is considered in our planning and design, as well as the best way for a teacher to deliver that learning for each age group.

Flexible learning spaces support tailored delivery of learning for the individual child, small groups of children and when larger groups are together. One classroom can be used in many different ways and even the furniture is carefully selected so that the right pieces can be easily moved around and used for different purposes.

A smart approach to school and classroom design includes lighting, ventilation, access to outside spaces, the right level of technology and even floor coverings.

Kindergarten children sit on the floor a lot, so carpet with a thick soft underlay supports their learning.

Senior students will have chairs and tables on wheels that are easily moved as they work in different project groups, and share their learning with each other. Their floor coverings are harder so the wheels don’t get stuck!

All classrooms will have spaces where children can demonstrate their learning, an important skill they develop for use throughout their lives.

Multiple spaces support students to share learning with just a few other people, a large group of their classmates or even their parents.

This level of attention to detail ensures that each new space is truly providing the ultimate learning environment for each child.

Our preschool visitors got to experience these spaces firsthand and engaged in some reading and literacy activities with our Year 6 students while our student leaders took parents on tours around our beautiful and modern school to see learning in action.

One of the takeaways is that our visitors had so much fun they wanted to have more involvement with our school and set up a regular visits as part of their school readiness program.