Our teachers
Renaye Harnett is the Head teacher in the Babies room. She has a Diploma of teaching (ECE) and is a Registered Teacher.
"Children are the building blocks of our future. I feel children need to explore, develop and grow within their own time and I like being part of this process. Working with children has taught me to appreciate the simplest things - to be happy and find the joy in every day."
Our Vision
In our room we strive to provide a nurturing and caring environment where children are encouraged to explore, learn and grow.
We believe children are individuals and we cater to their specific needs; basing our exclusive programme planning on individual interests as well as the group as a whole.
We believe that respecting a child means treating even the youngest infant as a unique human being.
We endeavour to extend the children's confidence, self esteem and development through providing stimulating environments, helping children to feel safe and secure in their surroundings and by supporting children and their families and their various cultures and beliefs.
We will work in partnership with parents and whanau to ensure all children are given the best start in life.
Planning profile
In the under two’s room we have a "photo garden" on the wall and each flower is a child. Each child has mini-observations recorded about their interests and milestones.
At the end of each month the teachers collaborate all the observations, find a common denominator and use this as the starting point for the next “theme” and “centre of learning” within the room.
Writing the observations allows the teachers to plan activities and see where to extend the children further. It is also a form of communication between teachers and parents/whanau as parents often stop and read these anecdotal stories and we welcome parents to write on these flowers as well.
The teachers brainstorm activity ideas to implement over the month. Our goal is to:
- engage the children,
- challenge their thoughts,
- promote physical skills
These activities are then documented with photos and stories and displayed on our wall.
This planning cycle also links to our portfolios as we write about the child’s involvement in the “theme” as well as the child’s interests within the centre environment.