Preschool

Children should be active protagonists in their lives. Children have a voice that deserves to be heard and deeply listened to. We believe it is our responsibility to listen to their hundred languages and to make them visible. Children are powerful contributors to their own learning. 

We are incredibly fortunate to have a Preschool as part of our school community. We recognise how important transition to school is in the lives of our children. Our Early Learning team work in close collaboration and possess a shared vision for early childhood education which provides a seamless transition into school. Children attending our preschool have access to school facilities and programs, such as our library, Mercy Hall and specialist lessons.They experience a feeling of belonging as they become familiar with the physical school environment, form positive relationships with our staff and enjoy meeting and working with other children in our school community. 

As educators, we listen, co-construct, facilitate, communicate, observe and document the learning of children. We aspire to develop authentic relationships, confidence, well-being and life-long learners. It is our responsibility to nurture their inquiring minds and support their learning through meaningful experiences that enable them to touch, move, listen and observe. We promote strongly social and emotional development and well-being. As educators we believe the smiles on their faces, their laughter, well-being and happiness is evidence of them delighting in being a child and wanting to explore and learn in a social context with others.

 We believe that children deserve the absolute best in regard to education and care. It is vital that we educate children with an eye to the future. As such, we strive to develop confident and involved learners for the 21st Century. Children at our preschool have access to contemporary learning technologies that are integrated into our everyday learning experiences. Our learning design facilities the development of positive learning dispositions such as curiosity, creativity, resilience and learning relationships. These dispositions can be applied to any learning experience that the children encounter in the future. 

St Thomas Preschool is a certified Little Scientists House. This certification provides recognition of our Preschool’s commitment to STEM and best practice. It exemplifies our commitment to hands-on, inquiry-based STEM education, the development of metacognition in our youngest learners and our belief in the significance of co-constructing knowledge and learning with the children that we are privileged to work with.