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Saigon Kids Philosophy
At the heart of our school is a belief in developing respectful relationships between the children, families and teachers of our early learning community.
We acknowledge that families are the first teachers and the most important influence in the life of a child, and aim to work in partnership with families to build on the rich and diverse experiences that all children bring with them to school.
We are inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach to teaching and learning which sees children as capable, competent citizens, who are active co constructors in the processes of learning.
Our curriculum emerges primarily from children’s interests and questions, and is driven by their natural curiosity to learn through play. We offer open ended and challenging provocations in flexible learning environments, weaving intentional teaching into different play encounters and experiences.
We believe that both the physical and social environments are powerful contexts for learning, and that children learn best when empowered to make choices, contribute their ideas, and learn in collaboration with others. Our holistic approach to teaching and learning supports each child’s physical, social, emotional, creative, artistic, cognitive and linguistic learning, and acknowledges the interconnections between these domains of development.
In our spacious outdoor environment, we encourage physical activity, and invite children to connect with the natural world. Being attentive to the beauty of nature, we model environmental stewardship, and encourage respect for the world we share.
Our aim is to support our children in becoming responsible, caring and productive members of a rapidly changing society, and to support their dispositions for lifelong learning. Through various systems of documentation and communication, we seek ways to share children’s learning and experiences of school with families, and to convey our belief in children as strong, capable individuals, who learn skills and construct knowledge through their interactions with people, materials, and the environment.
As children endeavour to find their place in the world, we endeavour to support them as we believe they learn best – through the joy of experience itself.
The Reggio Emilia philosophy encompasses :
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A respectful image of children as competent and capable
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The role of the teacher as a co-researcher and co-constructor in the learning process
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The child’s role in constructing knowledge through exploration and relationships
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The importance of the school environment as an educational force and a source of well-being
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The use of a wide range of media and materials to foster self-expression, learning and communication (The Hundred Languages of Children)
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The interrelationship and reciprocal influence of children, parents and teachers
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The value of collaboration among all participants in an educational system
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| • | The relationship between the school and community |
From the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance
Saigon Kids is Reggio Emilia-inspired. " What does this mean ? "
Reggio Emilia, a city in Northern Italy, is world famous for its municipal preschools. We've been influenced by the work that emerges from these schools, and their global counterparts. Please see our FAQs and the Reggio links on YouTube below for more information.
"LET THE CHILDREN PLAY"
Our curriculum is developed uniquely each year as teachers plan experiences to extend on each new group's interests. One 3 year old group might love puppetry and teachers will build on this passion. A group of 4 year olds might recreate the solar system, build a robot, or design a flag for the school. The teachers of our younger groups may observe them in play and do a project about developing friendships, or look at sensory play as a context for learning. As each new interest and project emerges, our goal is always for the children to be building skills and positive dispositions for learning as they imagine, create, ask, think and hypothesize about how the world works!
For more information on our curriculum, please click on the links to ‘Our Program’ and ‘FAQs’.