A “little school in Logan” is helping the youngest of learners transition from kindergarten to school with a program designed to get kids talking.
Whether it be in the forest, building a teepee, or talking about the world around them, prep rooms are discarding rows of chairs to become play-based learning environments “full of rich language”, principal Steve Kanowski said.
And last night (September 14), the school was awarded the state’s highest accolade at the state schools annual Queensland awards.
Berrinba East has partnered with Kingston Tiny Tots, Ariel Day Care and Kingston C&K to develop the program.
“We are learning from the experts within the kindergartens, rather than making assumptions ourselves,” Mr Kanowski said.
“Our aim is to get kids talking, and to do that we give them things to talk about. We shifted our thinking, to gain a deep understanding of student needs.
“We were hopeful, but last night’s award wasn’t something we expected.”
Education Minister Grace Grace said that as well as rewarding outstanding state school teachers and principals, the awards recognise schools for delivering innovative programs that lift the standards of education and educational outcomes.
“Queensland state schools have continued to do inspirational work whilst maintaining the key priority of improving student outcomes,” she said.
“Today’s award recipients are clear examples of this dedication and adaptability.”
Ms Grace said this year’s award recipients, along with the state and regional finalists, had shared in up to $335,000 of development grant funding.
“In 2020, 93 award submissions were received from Queensland state schools, involving more than 63,000 students.”
Berrinba’s submission was titled “Building children’s oral language through connections – Kindergarten to Prep Transition”.
In other good news for the region, Beenleigh State High School principal Matt O’Hanlon was awarded for “Excellence in School Leadership”, an award known to teachers as “Principal of the Year”.
Picture: Steve Kanowski at Kingston Tiny Tots (Kindergarten) with Deputy Principal of Berrinba East State School Kathryn Marshall, engaging in the school’s oral language work with the kindergarten students.
