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Ferndale Kindergarten2023-11-30T02:01:58+00:00

Kia ora and welcome to Ferndale Kindergarten

“Kohikohia ngā kākano, whakaritea te pārekereke, kia puāwai ngā hua”

Gather the seeds, prepare the seedbed carefully, and you will be gifted with abundance of food.

This whakataukī highlights the importance of creating a carefully prepared, well looked after environment that empowers us all to grow and flourish.

Ferndale Kindergarten is situated in the park-like grounds of Ferndale House in Mount Albert. We’re proud to be part of the Enviroschools programme with a focus on sustainability and empowering children with knowledge and skills to make a difference in our world.

Working together – Shared leadership characterises our community as we work together to create a healthy, peaceful, sustainable environment through learning and taking action together. The kindergarten is very much about community partnership and working in collaboration with our whānau and the wider community.

Learning programme – We have a team of fully qualified and registered kaiako/teachers, passionate about implementing a high quality programme guided by the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum, Te Whāriki. Our kaiako continually research best practice and reflect this growing knowledge within their practice. Kaiako also contribute to articles, books and present at conferences for the wider early childhood community.

Learning outcomes – We design learning opportunities to nurture our mokopuna/children’s curiosity which foster creative, innovative thinking, kindness and sociability, where the curriculum is wrapped around individual ākonga/learners. We ensure we have long periods of uninterrupted play where ākonga/learners can explore their working theories in our richly resourced environment.

Parent/whānau group – We enjoy a strong relationship with our Parent/whānau support group. This team of dedicated parents and friends of the kindergarten, organise fundraising events, social events and support our kindergarten community in many ways. We recently enjoyed a very successful Bikeathon.

Celebrating together – We celebrate a number of events such as, Matariki, Chinese New Year, Diwali and more. These are great opportunities for our families to come together, have fun and learn about each other’s cultures.

Learning together –  To enhance our learning programme we have people from the community visit us such as  the fire, ambulance, police services, Project Jonah plus many more. We are part of the ‘We Can Keep Safe’ programme as well the Mt Albert Kāhui Ako learning community. The children from our learning community mostly attend schools in the local area, including Gladstone Primary and Marist Primary.

We welcome you to visit our kindergarten. We’d love to show you all we can offer your child.

  • WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING

    I wanted to let you know what a fabulous job the teaching team did over the 16 months my son was at Ferndale. They create such a fun, warm, caring environment for learning for the kids.

    Ferndale Kindergarten parent

  • WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING

    Jake was particularly interested in all things science and there were a number of times that I know the team were a bit stumped as to what to do to keep up with his appetite for learning and inventing new things! But they encouraged him and each day he would come home with a different story of what they had done that day. Jake has now settled easily into school and is thriving.

    Jake's mum

  • WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING

    Our boys have both loved attending Ferndale Kindergarten and are warmly welcomed by the staff, students and other parents. They have learnt to be a kaitiaki and protect their environment through the education provided by their teachers as well as the carefully selected educators who visit and really engage the children in regards to sustainability issues. We enjoy being part of this community.

    Parent

  • WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING

    Ferndale is such a magic place! The Kaiako are all so patient, caring and passionate about the work they do.  They are committed to creating a safe, loving environment where diversity and self expression is celebrated. When I asked my daughter who her favourite teacher was, she happily replied, "All of them!" Her love of nature and the outdoors is nurtured through their amazing enviroschools programme and beautiful outdoor area that is surrounded by huge trees that are full of birdsong every morning.

    Parent

  • WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING

    The layout of the kindy is perfect; there is a huge outdoor area that is an adventure loving children's wonderland. The indoor area is just as wonderful and always kept organised, clean and safe.  As a parent who worries about safety, I love that all areas are very open and easy for the teachers to keep watch of the kids while letting them feel free to roam.

    Parent

  • WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING

    I love how Ferndale kindergarten is set up to inspire, encourage, challenge and nurture each child that comes in the door. The amazing supportive, caring teaching and support team have set up the environment both inside and outside so that the Tamariki can take the lead in their learning.

    Parent

  • WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING

    There are so many little areas inside set up for creative art play, playing house, sculpting the playdough, settling in for Storytime, building blocks to playhouses and science corner. It’s so wonderful to see my child learning Te Reo Māori. The outside is filled with established trees that the children can explore and play in. Investigate all the living creatures within their garden. Learning how to protect this environment and to take care of it. The covered sandpit is a big hit with all mokopouna, but I love how it’s filled with hidden treasures built into the sandpit last week they were excavating dinosaur bones. Thank you for setting up such a wonderful environment and friendly Ferndale community for both my child and family.

    Parent

  • FROM OUR ERO REPORT

    Teachers provide meaningful opportunities for children to learn about literacy, make sense of their world, and be creative and imaginative.

    Ferndale Kindergarten 2017 ERO Report

  • FROM OUR ERO REPORT

    Teachers provide a well-organised environment to encourage children to lead their learning.

    Ferndale Kindergarten 2017 ERO Report

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