Parklands School

Parklands Toddler Group has been designed to enable children from infants to three years, together with their parents or careers, to enjoy a nurturing environment as their first experience of structured contact with other children. It will assist with a smooth transition into three-year-old kindergarten at Parklands.

Places are available for anyone in the community, with preference is given to those families enrolling in the school or with siblings already enrolled. The program embraces the Montessori philosophy, which encourages toddlers to play, learn, explore, and discover using Montessori materials. One of the features of Montessori early learning is "help me do it myself." The morning will include an opportunity for indoor and outdoor play, a shared snack time, and stories and songs at the end of the session.

Kindergarten at Parklands encourages children to be responsible for their learning and seek help from one another and adults. Montessori practical life activities channel each child's natural enthusiasm and curiosity into real-life skills to encourage independence and responsibility.

Through a balance of freedom and discipline, children develop respect for themselves, others, and the community. Over time a cheerful, cohesive social community emerges in the classroom. Each child follows his interest and works at his own pace, free from competition, compulsion, and grading. Self-discipline, respect, patience, persistence, and concentration - vital lifelong learning dispositions - develop as a result and prepare children well for the new school environments they encounter when they move into pre-primary.

We believe that contact with nature is crucial for students' development, and we strive to create outdoor spaces that challenge and support their learning, both academic and social/relational. Recent additions include landscaping of the pre-primary and kindergarten areas and a tree-house in the main playground.

We have also recently built a brand new purpose-built pre-primary classroom with much natural light and large double doors to facilitate children moving inside and outside throughout their day. All the primary classes have easy access to the outdoors and kitchen facilities and a range of other facilities indoors.

One of the things you will notice when you first enter the playground is the quality of all the students' play. There is a vitality, joy, and freedom for students as they enjoy playing with friends across the age ranges. Our school culture is based on cultivating the development of respectful relationships. We encourage students to learn to identify and express their needs and take responsibility to get them met. The one guiding principle is for students to learn to make choices that meet their needs without getting in the way of anyone else. Staff support this process by listening to students and encouraging them to listen to one another.

At Parklands, we value academic excellence and dedicate the whole morning of every school day to literacy and numeracy.

In 2017 we were offering two academic scholarships to students to encourage and foster scholastic excellence. These are available both to students currently enrolled and to new enrolments and will be based on the criteria of previous academic results and aptitude for studies. Please contact the school for applications and further information.

Students are encouraged to work to fulfill their potential and are assisted in expert and gentle teaching, quality resources, and individual programs and attention where appropriate.

Students have weekly sessions of specialist learning, including Italian, Art, Music, and Sport. The senior class has weekly off-campus sports sessions, including surfing, hockey, and tennis.