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Our Team
At Busy Bees Burwood, our qualified, experienced teachers are warm, welcoming and fun. They support tamariki in engaging in open-ended experiences, with respect for, and trust in, tamariki to be initiators, explorers and self learners. Kaiako have a commitment to honouring the partnership of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and our strong bicultural practice reflects this. Whanaungatanga underpins what we do, as kaiako focus on meaningful relationships with tamariki and their whānau to enhance learning. We acknowledge whānau as the child’s first teacher and encourage them to engage with the centre as much as possible. We respect children’s need for freedom to move and uninterrupted time to explore and facilitate this through a calm and unhurried environment. We value professional development, and encourage our team to participate in a variety of courses, in order to grow and keep up to date with new developments in the educational field.
Our Home
Our whare kōhungahunga (preschool) is divided into four areas which are centred around the interests, abilities and stages of the children who occupy them. Equipment, activities and interactions invite participation and facilitate meaningful experiences. Each room has been gifted a name from our local iwi, meaningfully chosen based on our cultural narrative, connecting us with the whenua (land) that we are built on. These names refer to four native birds of this area, which have been selected as their traits reflect the characteristics of the children within the room.
The open plan of our early education centre design provides flexibility for the children to mix and mingle, with many opportunities for tuakana/teina interactions to occur as tamariki of different ages engage with each other. Close connections between the rooms facilitate whanaungatanga (meaningful relationships) between all of us (staff, children and their whānau) which, in turn, promotes the transition between each room as a natural progression.
Each room has its own outdoor play space, landscaped to incorporate features of the natural world, setting the stage for open-ended and multi-sensory learning opportunities. Kaiako at Busy Bees Burwood place great value on this approach to children’s learning as it inspires problem solving, imagination and creativity, evoking the true spirit of the child.
Environment
At Busy Bees Burwood we are fortunate to be situated in the beautiful area of Ōruapaeroa, providing many opportunities to explore the natural surroundings.
Clare Park, that the centre backs on to, provides a natural extension to our preschool playground where we enjoy picnics under the shade of the trees, roll down the hill, play games and enjoy the thrill of the wide open spaces. Our tamariki enjoy plenty of physical activity alongside our centre run programme Karawhiua! which promotes daily physical movement to enhance the body and mind.
Frequent planned and spontaneous excursions include walks in our local area, where there are multiple opportunities to observe the goings on in the neighbourhood – transportation on the motorway, lawnmowers in the park, sports teams, school sports and neighbours exercising themselves and their dogs
Through our connection with the Ōtakaro Kāhui Ako (local community of learners) we regularly visit and interact with the schools in Ōruapaeroa, including Waitākiri Primary, Shirley Boys High School and Avonside Girls High School.
We are proud to be a lunchbox centre. This promotes independence as well as encourages self-help skills in preparation for school. We encourage families to make healthy food choices and ensure their child’s pouaka kai (lunch box) meets centre guidelines as well as Ministry of Health criteria for Early Learning Services.
Curriculum
We are committed to follow the aspirations of the New Zealand National ECE Curiculum, Te Whāriki which provides a framework of principles and strands.
The principles are the foundations of curriculum decision making and a guide for every aspect of pedagogy and practice.
The strands are 5 areas of learning and development, where the focus is on supporting children to develop the capabilities they need as confident and competent learners.
We trust and respect each child as fully capable and competent human beings, initiators, explorers and self-learners.
Each setting takes these principles and strands and, in partnership with parents and whānau, uses them to ‘weave’ a curriculum whāriki (mat) that is specifically designed for their children.
Documentation of your Child’s Learning Journey
At Busy Bees Burwood, each child has their own profile folder which contains documentation in the form of learning stories; a narrative form of recording a child’s learning journey. Each story is expanded through a comprehensive assessment which links to the five strands of Te Whāriki (Early Childhood Curriculum of Aotearoa).
Learning stories and assessments make the learning visible and reflect the deep knowledge and understanding kaiako have of your child’s disposition, along with their strengths, interests and challenges. As your child’s learning journey progresses you will be able to make clear links through the sequenced learning outcomes which are a formal part of these assessments. Kaiako promote a collaborative approach as stories are shared with whānau and they, in turn, are asked to respond to stories, give written feedback and add to their child’s profile folder.
At Busy Bees Burwood we place value on a comprehensive assessment format which provides a clear link and sense of continuity between the principles and strands of Te Whāriki and the values and key competencies of the New Zealand Curriculum (for schools).
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