Michelle
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About Me
My name is Michelle, and I have been a homebased educator for many years. I live with my husband Garry in Dannemora. I completed my Level 4 ECE certificate and love to be involved in any professional learning opportunities that come my way. I have 3 of my own grown-up children and am privileged to be a Nana to Paige and Olivia. I really enjoy socialising with my family, and watching the grandchildren play weekend sports.
I believe children are all unique individuals who deserve to be treated with respect for their own identities, cultures, interests, and beliefs. I believe in fostering this through developing positive, respectful and responsive relationships with children. I also believe in working in a partnership with their families through ensuring open lines of communication and involving them in their child’s learning as they know their child the best. I strive to provide children with equal opportunities for learning within a home away from home environment in order to support their sense of belonging and to bring comfort to children. I believe that children should be raised in the home so I nurture smaller group settings as the first 3 years are critical to a child’s development. I do however believe the community to be a rich learning source therefore I attends larger social and educational playgroups to support children to socialise and interact with groups of children. I believe children are capable and I aim to foster their growing independence whilst also being a positive role model for the children and showing kindness towards people, places and things. I am a strong believer that children learn through play, but I also believe that older children require structured activities to prepare them for the reality of school. Consequently, I provide children with a range of experiences across the curriculum, placing a strong emphasis on music, literacy and numeracy. I believe in promoting the bicultural heritage of New Zealand through my activities and interactions as I uphold my commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Our Time Together
I have a wonderful sunny home with lots of different resources available to the children. We have a nice outside area where the children can ride their bikes and enjoy the garden. During the week I like to attend Mainly Music, visit the library, and attend the Stems FROM HOME weekly programme. We enjoy spending time at local parks and playgrounds too. I am also friends with other Stems Educators and like to spend time with them and their wee groups of children.
Stems FROM HOME Programme
Stems FROM HOME offers a varied and engaging weekly programme for all of our Educators and tamariki to enjoy together, and whānau/families are always welcome to join in as well. Our activities include Stems Music sessions in Howick and Pōkeno, Rest Home visits in Pakuranga and Pukekohe, Playgym experiences during the winter terms in Pukekohe and Howick, as well as larger group experiences, celebrations, and special planned events. These opportunities help strengthen our community connections, support children’s learning through shared experiences, and nurture a sense of belonging across our Stems whānau.
All upcoming events and details are shared in our term flyer.
House Keeping
* First Aid/Civil Defence Kit * Cot/bed * Highchair * Car seats
* Personal linen and hand towels
* A quiet home environment, in which children are able to have really good naps (if needed). If your child has a dummy or security object for sleep time, please send these inside their bag.
* Programme planning and monthly learning stories about your child’s individual learning and development, by using Educa (online portfolios).
* A change of clothes as we like to fully experience everything we do!
* A hat and sunblock in summertime. Please apply sun block to your child in the morning and I will reapply during the day.
* Gumboots and a raincoat for the rainy months
* Sufficient nappies, wipes/cream, bibs, and feeding bottles
* A healthy packed lunchbox and a water bottle
Please remember to bring along your child’s Stems Journal. These
are a useful communication tool for sharing daily entries about your
child’s day, care routines, happenings and up-coming events).
