New Horizons Preschool Battery Point

06/09/2026

A little library has been taking shape in Syndessi…

The Syndessi children have been exploring storytelling and the ways stories are shared within a community. They’ve been making plenty of their own books along the way, so their educators started thinking about somewhere the children could actually share them.

They found an old play stand at the Tip Shop that looked like it might do the job.

Then came the funny part. We discovered that the stand had actually belonged to one of our own educators, who had dropped it at the Tip Shop some time ago. Of all the things to make their way back to New Horizons.

Since then, it’s become a bit of a whole-centre project. The Syndessi children decorated it, some of the Kinder class helped with the writing for the sign, and we recruited some grown-up assistance when it came time to get the drill out and put everything together.

It’s now sitting outside New Horizons, stocked with books and ready to be used by our community.

There’s something particularly nice about the fact that the children’s inquiry into storytelling has resulted in something so tangible, and that an old play stand that somebody no longer needed has ended up being useful all over again.

01/09/2026

The Paizo children have been making the most of the Wild Space lately, with our collection of big loose parts getting plenty of use.

Crates, planks and whatever else they can find are being moved, stacked, balanced and transformed as the children test out increasingly ambitious ideas together.

There’s lots of big body movement involved, but also plenty of teamwork and problem-solving, working out what will balance, what needs to move, how high they can build and, perhaps most importantly, how to get everyone’s ideas to work together.

25/08/2026

20/08/2026

For most of this year, the Omilea Kinder children have had their sights set on the top of Empress Towers.

Standing directly beside New Horizons and towering above the view from our Omilea classroom, the building has become a significant thread within the children’s exploration of our local community.

Last week, after months of observing, sketching, wondering, theorising and problem-solving, the children finally made it to the top.

From the rooftop, they were able to see their community from an entirely new perspective, spotting familiar landmarks, places important to their families, and even some of our younger New Horizons classes out adventuring in the community below.

Back at New Horizons, the experience has opened up new thinking around height, scale and perspective.

These three pieces of documentation capture just some of the thinking that took an idea from “What is at the top?” to a real-world experience within our own community.

One of the things we value about inquiry-based learning is that we don’t always know where an inquiry will take us. Sometimes, a building outside the classroom window can lead to months of observation, drawing, discussion, problem-solving and community connection, and eventually, all the way to the rooftop.

18/08/2026

The world around us is our classroom.

In our Omilea kinder program, learning regularly takes us beyond the walls of New Horizons and into our local community.

With sketchbooks in hand, the children can observe real places, notice architectural details, ask questions and represent what they see, learning from the places and experiences that surround them.

We believe the school should still leave plenty of room for childhood: for walking, exploring, wondering and learning through real experiences in the world.

13/08/2026

What shape is a rainbow?

Rainbows have been a topic of interest in Paizo lately. We see them through refracted light in our classroom, in the sky on the way to preschool, and represented in the world around us.

During one of our Wednesday wonderings, two children found themselves debating the shape of a rainbow.

“Rainbows are half a circle from the ground.” – R

“Well, when there isn’t any ground they’re a circle.” – B

“But from the ground they’re not a circle, they’re half.” – R

“No, no. But they ARE a circle when there isn’t any ground!” – B

As the children began representing their rainbow theories through drawing, their inquiry also created a natural opportunity to explore the lines, curves and shapes that form part of early mark-making and pre-writing development.

This is one of the ways literacy is fostered through inquiry at New Horizons. Rather than practising skills in isolation, we look for meaningful opportunities for children to develop them through ideas they are already motivated to explore.

In this case, a question about rainbows became an opportunity for debate, collaboration, representation and early literacy learning , all within the same inquiry.

09/08/2026

Kinder can (and should) still look like this.

In Omilea, learning isn’t confined to a classroom. Being part of a small, community-based kinder equivalent program means we can regularly step beyond our doors to continue an inquiry, explore our local environment, or simply spend time together in the places that make up our community.

There is plenty of time for intentional learning and preparation for school. But there is also time to wander, wonder, explore and simply be children.

We think there should be room for both.

31/07/2026

What families don’t always see.

While the children are at home, our educators continue learning too.

This week’s staff meeting was dedicated to reflecting on our practice, discussing children’s learning, reviewing our curriculum documentation and planning for the weeks ahead.

Ongoing professional learning and collaboration are an important part of maintaining a high-quality educational program.

27/07/2026

Dark M**o through the eyes of the Omilea Kinder children.

As part of our inquiry into community, the children have revisited Dark M**o over several weeks through observation, conversation, drawing and collaborative artwork.

Their reflections show not only what they noticed, but what the festival represented to them: family, friendship, food, warmth, happiness and people coming together.

24/07/2026

Every child deserves a space where they can express themselves, connect with others, and be heard.

Our Syndessi music studio has become a place of curiosity, creativity, and collaboration, where children are exploring the many ways sound helps us communicate, connect, and make sense of the world around us.

We can't wait to share more glimpses into this beautiful learning journey with you!