THE PIPER CENTRE DIRECTOR: Mrs Taesha Duly-Smith
Children in the Piper Centre spend their initial years at TIGS building upon their learning foundation from home and discovering more about themselves and their world. They develop important social skills, beginning literacy and numeracy skills and essential thinking skills that enable them to work towards positive social interactions and independence in learning. Children are encouraged to be creative, to make social connections and to develop confidence in readiness for school.
The Piper Centre encourages children as young as three to develop a love of learning. The environment and all programs within The Piper Centre are inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy and reflect The Illawarra Grammar School’s commitment to the Primary Years Program of the International Baccalaureate. Within our learning community our program is guided by ‘Belonging, Being and Becoming –The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia’. Children explore the joys of learning by observing, listening and experimenting, and learn to make sense of the world by using imagination and reason.
The Piper Centre Curriculum includes both teacher led learning experiences and an emergent curriculum, which draws on the interests of the children, educators and families and is visible in the children’s play, projects and investigations.
The Piper Centre embraces the image of the child as being strong and capable. Children are encouraged to act as initiators, investigators, explorers, problem solvers and creators. They are given opportunities to be involved in investigations and explore the joys of learning. Central to the Reggio Emilia philosophy is the idea that children can express themselves in One Hundred Languages. They have one hundred thoughts, one hundred ways of thinking, of playing and of speaking. Investigations are documented through recordings of discussions and reflections by the children and their teachers, and through photographs and other languages. Investigations give children time to think, to dream and to wonder as they search for meaning.
The Piper Centre is divided into three rooms:
- Elanora - Elanora is the room for 4-5 year olds, 3 days and 5 days.
- Marana - Marana is the room for 3.5-5 year olds, 2 days and 3 days
- Cooinda - Cooinda is the room for 3-4 year olds, 2 days, 3 days and 5 days
