We welcome to our ELC team Lia Gould, Lia is the third educator in both our parttime classes and will be with us for the remainderof the year. She is already proving to be a valuable member of our Early Learning Centre.  
I came across an article over the weekend about the importance of developing the vestibular sense, it was an interesting read and I highly recommend you take a moment to read it.

The vestibular sense goes back to the incredibly small hairs inside the inner ear.  When we move, the fluid in our ears moves and stimulates those hairs, sending the brain information about where our body is in space.  The more a child is out of an upright position, the more the fluid will move over the hairs, and the stronger the vestibular sense will become.  Children need to put their bodies in all different positions and move them in all different directions in order to get that fluid moving.

The vestibular sense is a cornerstone sense because it affects the incorporation of all of the others senses.  What does this look like?  Children with a strong vestibular sense are more coordinated and better balanced.  Kids who haven't fully developed their vestibular sense tend to be clumsy and run into things.  They may not have a good understanding of personal space.

Movement during the day and throughout childhood is crucial.  The importance here is monumental.  Childhood is when children develop the vestibular sense and it's not happening while they sit still.  Circle time, seat work, and computer lab sessions do not contribute to this type of sensory development. This is one reason why recess is so good for academics.  Recess helps with brain development.  It wakes the brain up so that the student is ready to learn more in the classroom setting.
https://1000hoursoutside.com/1/post/2019/02/the-incredible-importance-of-developing-the-vestibular-sense.html

Dance Concert – The Turtle and Lobster classes will be participating in the St Jude’s Dance Concert (matinee performance only) tomorrow Friday 28 June at 1pm in the school hall.  There are still tickets available for this performance.  If you would like to order tickets, please refer to the note on the school website.

ELC Parent teacher interviews – Reports have been sent home and parent teacher interviews are under way.  If you have not yet booked an interview time, please do so on the booking sheet on your child’s classroom window as soon as possible. 

2020 Enrolments –Letters of offer for 2020 ELC places have been mailed this week.  If you have applied for ELC enrolment for next year, please check your mailbox over the next few days.

ELC Holiday Care – The ELC will be running a holiday care program for ELC children during the next school holidays.  The program will run from from 8am to 5:30pm for the two weeks, 8 July to 19 July.  More information about the program’s activities and excursions as well as booking forms are available at the ELC.  Places are limited and bookings need to be submitted by this Friday 28 June.

Earn and Lean – The Earn and Learn promotion is now finished, thank you all who have helped to collect stickers to support St Mary’s Primary School in Batlow. Thank you to Lauren Orders who has taken on the task of counting how many stickers we have accumulated. If you have any spare stickers lying around your car or kitchen bench, please send them in by tomorrow. Any stickers received after Friday will not be counted in our final tally.