The Southern Cross Pre-school Celebration Day is akin to the Awards Assembly of the Prep School; but with an age-appropriate twist and element of fun. Under the superpowers and enthusiasm of Class Moms and their creative teams, the Resource Centre was transformed into a jungle for this year’s special day. Papercraft flowers, snakes, and crocodiles adorned the walls and floor creating a vibrantly colourful backdrop for the pre-schoolers who, decked out in gorgeous animal costumes and headgear, set off the celebration with entertainment of poetry and dance. The atmosphere was joyful and energised – such an apt representation of our school!
The understanding of success and achievement at Pre-school age should never be centred around simply the cognitive, or ‘academic’, for the growth of a child is like the most beautiful and intricate of webs - each delicately formed strand and joint connecting and depending on the other to create all-round strength and effectiveness. The underlying skills that create this web, their physical, spatial, perceptual and language ability and more grow both independently of each other at different time and speed, but also in complex combination as one blends into the other. And, determining the sturdiness or resilience of each strand and connection, and ultimately the web as a whole, is the child’s sense of self, their understanding of their place in the world, their ability to navigate daily interactions and situations and their ability to regulate their response. Simply put, emotional maturity.
So, when it comes to celebrating a year of amazing growth and development, the teachers of Southern Cross are well aware of the importance of considering all the angles; be it a gain in self-awareness, stronger recall ability, courage to stand out from the crowd or even a willingness to be a kind and positive friend. The awards, handed over to each of the children by their emotional teachers, hold carefully thought-out words that try to convey our pride for our charges and highlight their special qualities and talents. Fitting in with the jungle theme, the award phrases had parents applauding, amidst tears of pride and smiles of joy, little ones for having the ‘eye of an eagle’, ‘the poise of a swan’, ‘the colourfulness of a butterfly’, ‘the gentleness of a duckling’ or even ‘the speed of mind and body like a cheetah’, to name but a few. It made for memorable moments.
The Pre-school teaching team congratulate all their amazing children, and wish the Grade R’s well on their journey into the Prep School. 2023 is another wonderful year to remember.
