Sunnynook Preschool

A Family Affair

Marilyn Dickson felt there was something missing in her three older boys’ preschool education. With her fourth son she set about changing this and built Sunnynook Preschool nearly 43 years ago.

Our head teacher Sharon is Mrs Dickson’s niece and has been teaching for 24 years, all of them here at Sunnynook Preschool, two of her children attended the Preschool during this time and her Granddaughter as well as Nephews and nieces also attended, making it a very family affair! Speaking of keeping it in the family, Louise, one of our teachers, is Sharon’s cousin and has been teaching here for 12 years, all three of her boys having attended Sunnynook as well.

Michelle started here as a student of Sharon’s and has been teaching for 11 years, 4 of them here at Sunnynook. Her youngest daughter also attended Preschool. Felicia  has  also been here for 4 years, fresh out of AUT. Last year, still keeping it in the family, we welcomed Renée, an ex-student and Sharon’s daughter on board as our teacher aide.

We have had two owners since Mrs Dickson but we pride ourselves on carrying on the legacy of Mrs Dickson by providing a high quality program helping to prepare our children for school while instilling a love of learning, and a sense of belonging and independence.

A Day With Us

We offer morning sessions for 3 and 4 year olds during which the journey of developing a love for learning begins. Sessions start with mat time where children bring things from home to share with us; a letter of the week is introduced and explored as we provide learning experiences via play, music, art and storytelling. Outside play is after morning tea and the outside experiences change weekly to provide a variety of learning experiences.

The morning sessions begin at 8.45 until 11.45 with our younger children often going home for lunch and a sleep! An all-day session continues on until 4pm, starting at 8.30. The Transition to school program for four year olds begins at lunchtime: the children bring their own lunch boxes as they would at school where we promote social interaction and self-management skills during lunch.

After lunch pre-writing skills are introduced then table top learning experiences, puzzles, group work and art carry on until 2pm when afternoon tea and outside play happens with the children also enjoying a sports program run by qualified coaches once a week.

The session finishes with mat time at 3pm; some children leave us at 3.15. Mat time is seen as yet another important learning opportunity where the children are developing listening skills, speaking skills, memory retention as we re-visit our day and social skills, learning to listen to others, take turns and share experiences both verbally and musically.

Colourful and Bright Atmosphere!

We are extremely lucky to have a big, bright, inviting and sunny outside play area. It is colourful with many play experiences to capture a child’s attention.

Our beloved boat is a particular favourite and as been here as long as we can remember! Inside our room is bright, clean and busy! Children’s art work is displayed with pride, our planning walls explain the learning that is happening all around us, a huge range of resources are available for the children to choose and use and the children are always busy, working, playing, socializing and having fun!

Come and Join Us!

Our centre is, clean, welcoming and cheerful with the voices of the children clearly expressed in their artwork on the walls. We have an open door policy and welcome parental involvement at any level. Teachers are always available to discuss your child’s day with you and we have parent-teacher meetings with Sharon once a term during which you can make an appointment to discuss your child’s progress in a more in-depth discussion where we link their learning to the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum, Te Wháriki.

Parents/families/whanau and the centre’s wider community are vital to high quality teaching and learning and therefore we value open and honest communication with all involved. We value a real partnership with families and whanau and encourage your involvement in decision-making concerning your child.