Sumner
Monday to Friday.
Our teaching team
Inside, our Ngahere room is bordered by beautiful painted murals of our natural landscape. Tuawera/ Cave Rock is where we meet each day for our group times, with tamariki empowered to have a voice in the way the programme operates. Our tamariki know their thinking is valued, and they know this is a place of learning where their interests, skills and abilities will be acknowledged and supported in ongoing learning experiences. Children feel they belong to a place where play is valued as “real work”.
We have areas set up for children to explore and engage in play experiences with and alongside each other, choosing from a wide range of resources and equipment: there are quiet, creative and imaginative play areas. Learning happens everywhere at the child’s pace.
In our beautiful, big backyard you’ll find grass, barked areas, native and exotic trees which define the seasons, an edible garden, areas to experience physical challenges, and equipment specially designed to support children’s physical growth and development. We’re all set up for hands-on exploratory play in our stunning coastal setting – sand, mud, water, flowers and foliage!
Tamariki take responsibility to care for the outdoor environment, gaining an appreciation of their part in caring for our natural world– Kaitiakitanga. They take part in planting and caring for the garden, and help to feed the birds in the winter. They can observe life-cycles in our worm farm and insect hotel, watch our trees bud and produce fruit, and enjoy the abundant birdlife that we see and hear every day. Every corner of our outdoor environment is constantly used as a learning and teaching tool.
We deliver a Tiriti-based curriculum, learning about and understanding the cultural history and stories of the Sumner area - and ways that these can enrich the programme offered to children. We get to know our tamariki and their whānau well, fostering respectful relationships to help and support our tamariki succeed with their learning. Here, tamariki are valued, celebrated and affirmed for who they are and what they bring to their learning.
Te Ao Māori is given prominence in all aspects of our kindergarten programme, with a strong focus on fostering Whanaungatanga (family, relationships, history, traditions) and Ūkaipōtanga (belonging and connection) - warmly welcoming and supporting children, parents and whānau. Kaiako value our parent’s voice, views and contributions to their children’s learning at the kindergarten.
We see our Kindergarten as an extension of home for children and their families, where we respect one another and the world we live in. Children at Kidsfirst Sumner experience an environment that promotes a “community of learners” where adults and children learn together (Ako me te Tuakana Teina) and where links between kindergarten and home are valued and enrich our programme. Each child has a web-based portfolio of growth, learning and development. This allows kaiako, parents and whānau to share a child’s journey and provide valuable feedback.
At Kidsfirst Sumner we celebrate the natural world, and we are committed to sustainable practice. A variety of natural resources are always available for children to access and to incorporate into their play. Plastic resources are kept to a minimum and we are committed to reusing resources whenever possible – using recycled equipment or sustainable resources.
Sharing a boundary with Sumner School has allowed us to establish a great relationship, with visits back and forth between, and catch-ups through the fence from friends and siblings! This supports the transition to school for you and your child, as he/she moves on from Kindergarten. We also have strong links with the other local schools, and you’ll often see us out and about visiting the local Playgroup, Library or Care Home, or down at the beach picking up rubbish and protecting the marine ways in our role a kaitiaki (gaurdians) of the seafront steps.
We would recommend that you enroll initially for at least two full days –building up to five days at your child's pace. This gives us, the teachers time to get to know your child and provides consistency around supporting their learning.
Nau mai, tauti mai - come in any time, we are very proud of our unique learning environment and would love to show you around. Kidsfirst Kindergartens Sumner is a wonderful place to learn!
