Facilities
Our Preschool is situated within the main campus grounds in Karori and provides easy access to all main school facilities.
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The New Zealand Early Childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki is the foundation from which we enrich our children's Preschool experience.
Inspiring a love of learning
Marsden Preschool is for girls and boys, aged 3 to 5 years.
Open from 8:15am - 3:30pm, five days a week during school terms. Most children come five days, but there are options for 3 or 4 day attendance:
- 3 year old children must attend a minimum of 3 days a week
- 4 year old children must attend a minimum of 4 days a week
Marsden Preschool’s learning programmes are child-centred and holistic, created within the national Early Childhood Curriculum, Te Whāriki.
Our programmes are fun and foster a love of learning; creating lifelong, capable, competent and confident learners, ready for their world beyond Preschool. Our future focused teaching and learning focuses on:
- Warm and positive relationships
- Belonging and keeping safe from harm
- Resilience and coping strategies
- Communication: verbal, non-verbal, print and digital
- Identifying emotions (own and others)
- Supporting strengths and interests
- Exploration of the environment
- Independence
- Wonder and curiousity
- Critical thinking
Literacy and Maths
We embed a variety of literacy and mathematical concepts for our children throughout the day.
We use the iDeal structured literacy approach to guide and support our tamariki to build their confidence with handwriting and reading through the development of phonemic awareness. Throughout the year we study a sound of the alphabet alongside specific strategies that foster phonological awareness.
Children practise counting in varied languages and experience different ways to explore mathematical concepts at both group times and one to one with a teacher.
Specialist teachers
Marsden Preschool has Specialists that teach te reo Māori and music in fun and creative ways each week. The school librarian runs a weekly programme where the children share and borrow books.
We join in Primary Assembly, Mahitahi Collaboration time with Year 1 and enjoy buddy reading with Year 5 students. We also participate in annual events such as cross country, athletic sports, church services, Grandparent’s Day and attend Primary School productions.
We provide a warm caring environment that challenges all children to reach their full potential
Helen McConnell Head of Preschool
Keeping in touch
Marsden Preschool uses Educa to keep parents up-to-date with their child's learning.
We also encourage our Marsden Preschool parents to read the Preschool Handbook for term dates and the school calendar and other useful information about the school.
