Community Kindergarten
Aurora School Community Kindergarten
Aurora School Community Kindergarten is an accredited, inclusive kindergarten providing 3 and 4 year old programs for hearing children from the local community, and deaf and hard of hearing children from Aurora School. This inclusive program provides a well-supported, safe and nurturing environment for all children.
We are a bilingual kindergarten that uses both Auslan (Australian sign language) and English. We value both Auslan and English equally, however, we also acknowledge and value the language that you use with your child at home.
Our aim is to enable your child to maximise their development, particularly their language, communication and social skills in a safe and secure environment. We share knowledge and skills with families, provide support and promote an understanding of the impact of hearing loss.
Aurora School Community Kindergarten is assessed under the National Quality Standard Assessment and Rating Program.
Aurora School Community Kindergarten Philosophy
Within Aurora School, we offer a community kindergarten supporting local and Aurora School 3 and 4 year old children in a Bilingual Auslan English program.
At Aurora School Community Kindergarten, we aim to embrace the whole child. We believe children are unique and come to our kindergarten with different needs and capabilities.
We value interactions with children, families and colleagues and the wider community and we include these as sources for our planning and implementation of the Early Years Framework.
We provide a program incorporating open ended learning experiences accessible for all children with the opportunity to play in a warm inclusive, collaborative and nurturing space.
We aim to provide an inclusive environment that is adaptable and takes into account what children require to engage in meaningful, play based learning. We achieve this by observing and assessing children’s individual interests and individual learning styles.
Children can actively engage, explore, problem solve and take risks within this safe and supported environment.
We respect and value children and aim to empower them with the skills essential to building strong foundations for future learning.
We value the importance in building children’s positive self-esteem by providing opportunities that create a foundation for lifelong learning, health and wellbeing.
We believe in every child’s right to learn and to participate as a valued member of the community.
Educational Program
Our program nurtures the children’s social, emotional, physical and intellectual skills, allowing them to become independent and a co-operative member of a group. Our staff use the Early Years Learning Framework in partnership with families to develop learning programs responsive to children’s ideas, interests, strengths, and abilities.
Activities are based on play, which is central to the lives of all children; it is a natural behavior through which children learn most effectively. For play to develop, children need adults who respect, value, resource and facilitate their play.
The Framework conveys the highest expectations for all children’s learning from birth to five years and through the transitions to school. It communicates these expectations through the following five outcomes. The Framework provides broad direction for early childhood educators in early childhood settings to facilitate children’s learning.
- Children have a strong sense of identity.
- Children are connected with and contribute to their world.
- Children have a strong sense of wellbeing.
- Children are confident and involved learners.
- Children are effective communicators.
We hope to make important links with home and kindergarten.
As a record of your child’s development, we will also keep a journal of “learning observations and stories.”
You are welcome to add to this journal with new experiences and learnings that have taken place at home.
You are welcome to add to this journal with new experiences and learnings that have taken place at home.
Staff Information
The Director of the program is a qualified Early Childhood Educator and is supported by a highly trained team of Deaf Educators, Teachers and Teachers of the Deaf. Aurora School Community Kindergarten’s staff are dedicated to providing the very best services to all children and their families.
All staff have First Aid, Anaphylaxis and Asthma training.
Our employment of qualified staff is in accordance with the Children’s Services Regulations 1998.
Policies
Aurora School Community Kindergarten (ASCK) has a range of policies that reflect best practice in Early Childhood Education.
Click HERE to view them.
Click HERE to view them.
Enrolment Process
Aurora School Community Kindergarten is part of the Whitehorse Pre- School Association (WPSA), and all community enrolments should be forwarded to WPSA.
Enrolment forms are available at https://www.wpsa.com.au/enrolment.html
How to Enrol?
The Whitehorse Pre-School Association maintains a Central Application Scheme for three and four year old pre-schools in the City of Whitehorse. Application forms may be obtained from:
- The ‘Form’ page of the ‘Enrol’ section of the WPSA website.
- All Whitehorse Kindergartens.
- City of Whitehorse Council Offices.
- Maternal & Child Health Centres.
- Whitehorse Information Centre at Forest Hill Chase.
Enrolments are accepted for children at two years of age. Positions are allocated in the year before your child is due to attend pre-school. Enrolment applications close on 30 June each year. You will be contacted by the pre-school some time between July and September of that year regarding your child’s position. No guarantee is given to families when applying for pre-school preferences or alternatives.
Submit your enrolment applications to the WPSA Applications Office.
Requirements of Enrolment
- Your child must be two years of age before applying.
- Your application will not be processed if it is received before your child is two years of age and may be returned to you.
- If you are applying for three-year-old pre-school you must also apply for four-year-old pre-school at the same time.
- You may apply for one year only of three-year-old and four-year-old pre-school.
- You should select one pre-school preference and up to two alternatives only.
- You may lodge one application only per child.
- Enclose with your application your non-refundable application fee of $50 per child.
- To be eligible for a year of funded pre-school, your child must be four years of age by 30th April in the year they attend four year old pre-school.
A guide is listed below to inform you when your child is eligible to attend three and/or four-year-old pre-school.
Year To Start | 4 year old kindergarten entry |
2024-2025 | 3&4 Year Old |
2025-2026 | 3&4 Year Old |
2024 | 3 Year Old |
2025 | 3 Year Old |
2024 | 4 Year Old |
2025 | 4 Year Old |
2026 | 4 Year Old |
For further information, please refer to the ‘Application Information’ document, found on the ‘Form’ page of the ‘Enrol’ section of the WPSA website. If you have a question that cannot be answered by the information on this website, please contact the Applications Office (contact details on WPSA website).
Whitehorse Pre-School Association (WPSA)
Applications Office:
Office Hours
Monday – Friday 10.00am – 3.00pm
Kim Illarietti – Association Manager
Andrea Liddle – Assistant Association Manager
Address:
The Applications Office
Whitehorse Pre-School Association
P.O. Box 1194,
Blackburn North, 3130
Email: w.p.s.a@bigpond.com or info@wpsa.com.au