I’m Happy You’re My Dad By Joanna Fuchs

I feel safe when you are with me;
You show me fun things to do;
You make my life much better;
The best father I know is you.
I’m happy you’re my Dad
and so I want to say
I love you, Dad

Thank you so… much for your continuous support and participation. As you know we strive to give your child the best possible experience through out the year. Let’s recall a few events that took place in the month of June at the playway.
The teddy bear tea party: was a tremendous success where children were enjoying a real tea party atmosphere. We witnessed some children sharing their goodies with their teddy showing us how they practice what they learn at the playway. The morning was filled with activities that included songs and stories about teddy bears and bears. The teddies the children brought from home were used as props and resource to teach other skills and areas apart from the emotional side.
Daddy’s day celebrations: thank you so… much for sending the children dressed as their daddies. Didn’t they feel very important and proud? Also “Thank you, DADDIES who were available to be with the children on that wonderful Friday morning”.
A special BIG thank you to Mr. Sudharsha Wijesinghe for coming well prepared for a wonderful story for our children at the playway. The children were truly delighted to have you.
Cookery: the squarely sandwiches, the children made were scrumptious!! The objective was to introduce square in a more interesting way but the most interesting that happened was that the sandwiches made children very… hungry! (They all enjoyed their own sandwiches! )We think it is a good idea to have more cookery days!!! What do you think?

Our current theme: Animals and Their Babies!
We have been working merrily on the current theme. The children have been responding very well.
The mini theme for the month of July is “What a Colourful World!” We are hoping to take the children into a wonderful world of colours. Our aim is to let the children play and experiment with colours to discover many differences in colours and combinations. We are hoping to work closely with nature, who teaches us many wonderful things about colours. If you are a resource person please let me know whether you could also be a part of our programme. Please let the children experiment and explore when ever they feel like with colours. Be it with brushes or with their hands or fingers or any other source for, discovery is a very vital part in true learning.
A special announcement: We are sad to note that Mr. Ustinov, The Director Russian Center Colombo is retiring. Mr. and Mrs. Ustinov are leaving to Russia. The children of the playway will see them to wish them good luck today! We are delighted to welcome Mr. Ayrath Akhmetov and his wife who are currently in Sri Lanka to be with us.


Happy, Happy Birthday Hope Karan had a wonderful birthday with all his friends and all your friendly aunts at the Russian Centre. Thank you for the yummy food Karan! We all enjoyed!!!

Book Pool: We are extremely happy to note that our “Book a Home Programme” is doing extremely well. The response from the children and the parents is great. The aim is to arouse the curiosity and the love for books. A book read aloud by mummy or daddy can develop pre reading ability and is recommended highly. Your child/ children are in their best years where Language absorption is concerned. Please read as many books to them as possible. And also you could set an example by reading for your enjoyment at their presence.
I am positive that you are having a wealth of books at home and would love to share with the children at the playway. Please send a favorite book of your child to be shared. So far the books I send home have come back in their original state therefore I trust that the books that are going home will be safe. Please send a book once a week and take a book home daily. We shall take an account on the books and RETURN THEM SAFE AT THE END OF EACH WEEK.

Chocolate Break: It is wonderful to see children enjoying their fruits at the fruit break. The idea is to promote the fruit intake. It does not matter how much fruit is taken at the beginning as far as the attitude towards fruit is changed for good. There fore we have to have patience and give them time to appreciate fruit. Now as the researchers have found out, chocolates are good for children. Let‘s give our children a good time once in two weeks when we celebrate chocolates. Please send a small chocolate of your choice to be given to your child at snack. Let’s start this new break from Wednesday the 2nd July. Please let me know if your child is allergic to any kind of chocolates in writing. (Very important)
Await Parent Teacher Conference; we at the playway strongly believe the bond between the parents and the teachers is vital. There fore we believe in Parent Teacher Conferences. For your conveneiance the time slots will be posted and you could sign in for a time that is best suited for you. We will be available for your quaries.
Parent Conference 15th Tuesday from 12.30 – 1.30pm
16th Wednesday from 12.30 - 1.30pm
Please keep a day free.
Closing date for summer is the 25th July and the reports will go home on the 25th July.
Have a joyous June

Neelika Edirisinghe
Director,
the playway nursery

the playway Monthly News

Hello Parents,

Hope you all had a Wonderful New Year Break!

A heartfelt thank you to all our wonderful parents and grandparents for supporting our Avurudhu Festival. We were thrilled to witness our little ones enjoying the simple event. The photographs are uploaded to the blog. Please surf through. They are simply great!!!

We had a lovely holiday ourselves and are now geared to work with much enthusiasm with more energy and loads of activities. Hope our little ones could not wait to come to play. Believe me! We were counting our fingers too!!!
We greatly regret that we had to postpone the date of re opening for this quarter. It was due to the ongoing-constructions at the Russian Centre. The place was not child friendly. The workers were working round the clock to finish the scheduled work. But were unable due to Avurudhu holidays they too had.
We’ve moved… on temporary basis we have moved to a large up-stair room enabling children to have school. Parents please come upstairs to Room Number 05 and have a look at our new classroom.


Happy, Happy Birthday! Little Ananya and Maria are celebrating their birthdays in May! Congratulations Ananya and Maria. Hope you will have a wonderful time with your friends on your birthday.



Our Current Theme: Animals and Their Babies! Our main objective is to introduce animals and their young through this theme. But many more skills like Language, Number, Personal and Social Education, Basic Science and Social studies, Art and Crafts can also be easily in co-operated with the same. A line of activities are ready. We have taken great care in planning them for your child to give him/her a basic and a balanced understanding about the world around him/her.
This theme is loved by young children world over for children and animals are attached to each other naturally. Please expose your child to the wonderful world of animals through every available source. They will learn to care the nature and help stop prevailing disaster.
Dear Mums and Dads, Please look for pictures of animals and their babies in magazines and news papers for we are collecting them for your child’s animal scrap book. Hurry and send them to us at least 5 pictures for a child. It is better if you could go through magazines and news papers along with your child for cut-outs.

Neelika Edirisinghe
Director
the playway nursery,
Colombo 07

Our Commitment to Excellence

We are dedicated to providing you and your child/children with high quality care and education. We are equipped with Early Childhood Education qualifications and participate in ongoing training to further develop our skills and knowledge.
We follow the latest teaching methodology (the playway-through play-activity based learning) and carefully chosen material to enhance the learning experience.
We ensure the highest security for the learners and a stress free environment.

Developmental Learning Program
The playway offers a wide range of developmentally appropriate programs for children. We aim to provide a total learning environment where children are free to observe, question, experiment and explore. It is important for children to experience being wet, dirty, noisy and messy. Children should learn independence by knowing where to find things and being able to get things for themselves. They should learn to respect themselves, and respect the needs and feelings of others. They should feel that they are an important part of the group.
By experimenting children can come to their own conclusions. Even if the conclusion is not correct, the process by which they have come to the answer has inestimable value to their future education. A child who has learnt to solve his own problems with peers or others, whether social, emotional, physical or cognitive is on the way to becoming a functioning human being. This is the goal of good education.
Our programs are evaluated on a short and long term basis. Our philosophy and policies have a strong influence on our programs and have been developed in conjunction with parents/educationists and with my own experience being with children and the international exposure I have gained.
An understanding of global cultures is an important part of the daily program. Pictures, puzzles, manipulative equipment, books, dolls, dress up clothes, decorations, music and friends are incorporated to develop an awareness of the variety of cultures which exist in our society.

Our Philosophy

•We shall provide the children with a warm, friendly and inviting atmosphere where they will feel secure and be happy in their new environment.

•We shall provide caring teachers who show genuine love and concern for the children in their care.

•The environment will cater for the needs of all children and encourage the healthy development of physical, emotional, intellectual and social skills.

•We shall provide safe and well-supervised learning areas.

•We shall respect the rights and opinions of parents and the community and encourage parent participation and a broad interest in the community.

•Throughout the day children will be exposed to small group, whole group and individual learning experiences, which will be developed from the needs and interests of each child.

•We shall provide opportunities for the children to explore language, music and movement, science and the arts, to help them make sense of their world.

•All children will be given adequate time for meals, rest and relaxation because above all the young children need to grow both physically and mentally.

•We shall encourage children to value and respect each other’s differences while promoting the development of a positive self-esteem.

•We shall create a learning environment, which will encourage children to interact, take on roles and develop relationships with others through play.

•We shall encourage children to be respectful, sensitive and thoughtful towards their natural environment.

A Truly Child Centered Nursery School

As a truly child centered nursery school, our play areas are designed to focus on each child’s individual needs, and are well equipped and age appropriate.
Our main aim is to give your child a stress-free, safe, comfortable and a stimulating atmosphere where learning takes place naturally.
We follow a structured schedule, but activities are time negotiable to best entertain a child’s needs. You will be informed of the activities lined up for the month through a news letter. Also the yearly plan is designed and posted for the interested parents to go through.
We plan the day with different play stations for the children to choose from, encouraging the children to explore the available play opportunities and be independent learners.
The children who come under our care will be developed as persons who are critical thinkers and caring world citizens with a high degree of self esteem and creativity.
Medium of communication is mainly English but would encourage to converse with each other in their mother tongue whenever the child has the need.
We have a thematic approach thus the activities lined up are in cooperated with the ongoing theme. The current theme is “Who am I?” The children are encouraged to inquire about themselves. (Why they are alike and different!!)
Our vision is to promote children’s natural curiosity and understanding about their surroundings.
We ensure well equipped learning stations with highly motivated and qualified teachers promoting child centered education at the playway nursery.

It is necessary to create an understanding between parents and children, parents and teachers and teachers and children, as the ultimate foundation for learning is the partnerships and connections children make in early childhood. The home and nursery need to have a strong connection. Your co-operation in this regard is integral.
Our program consists of various learning experiences, which will help to develop children psychologically, emotionally, physically and cognitively.
We divide our mornings for discussions, (circle time), Free painting and various types of art and craft sessions (for creativity), Introduction to manipulative toys, Threading, (for eye-hand coordination), Action songs, Rhymes and Music, Constructive Play, Imaginary Play, Sand and Water Play (pre mathematical skills, language and social skills are developed in these areas), Outdoor Play for gross motor skills, social and emotional development.
At the quiet area: Story time plays a vital part at our nursery, where children spend time looking at age appropriate books and listening to stories read aloud.
Listening to stories at the earliest age give the children the opportunity for imagination and character build up. Lots of discussions, estimations, predictions take place before and after each successful story cultivating confidence in little children and a love for literature at a very early stage.
At the home corner: Role Play is strongly recommended for Early Childhood Learners for social, emotional and language development.
At the messy meda-midula: As an integral part of our program we let our children have a messy play experience with a lot of encouragement to be messy and have fun at the same time. Here we introduce them to play dough, clay, dry & wet sand, corn flour mixtures and different types of grains.
We believe: As we believe the environment makes a great deal of teaching material for the early learner we choose to work closely with the environment in teaching be it number, language, art and craft or motor skills at our nursery school. (We make use of re-usable and recyclable material as we care for the environment.)
We encourage children to bring in healthy snacks for their snack time. We introduce the fruit break twice a week making sure everyone brings a fruit for their snack.
After snack it will be outdoor play, where children will be supervised by the teachers closely and carefully.

Neelika Edirisinghe,
Director, the playway

Important News for Under-Fives!!!

The Russian Centre in Colombo has focused on Early Childhood education as their latest addition to the range of educational activities offered at the centre.
The playway nursery, truly a child centered, activity based, English medium preschool with the latest methodology on Early Childhood Education is now open for ADMISSIONS daily from 8.30 am - 12 noon at the Russian centre in Colombo.
The nursery is directed by a professional with a high degree of commitment and international exposure and is ready to cater to the high demand of quality Early Childhood Education in Sri Lanka.
The play areas are equipped with the highest quality materials and are air conditioned. The spacious, safe, caring and love filled environment is just what young children need to acquire their learning skills during their best years, the early childhood.

A nursery school, in Colombo 7

To celebrate the launch of an activity based curriculum for under-fives, you are invited to play and have fun at our
open day

When?
Thursday, December 20, 2007
What time?
9 am to 11 am
Where?
10, Independence Avenue,
Colombo 7.
What to bring?
Your friends, cousins, playmates… and lots of energy!
RSVP:
Neelika on 077 3424555 or Chandi on 2685429



a first class experience for under-fives...