Early Childhood Development Initiative

Ba Futuru Preschool Quarterly Report

A YEAR OF BRIGHT BEGINNINGS: CONCERT, GRADUATION AND LEARNING ADVENTURES

End of Year Concert and Graduation Ceremony. Last year, 15 children graduated from Ba Futuru’s pre-school. It was a joyful yet bittersweet celebration, commemorating students’ achievement over the past year. In light of this special event, and as a gesture of farewell to our beloved students we conducted an end of year concert. The event was a success, and parents were eager to attend and witness their children’s achievement through various arts performances.

Teaching and Learning. In this school periodwe were pleased to have 40 students enrolled at Ba Futuru’s Pre-school, along with the support of 8 new volunteers. To kick-off the new school year, we introduced students to the themes of: Settling In Exploring in Identity, & Culture, and Family Life.Learning About our Community Helpers, our Attributes and our Rules and Routines Term Trip. Through these learning opportunities, children became more familiar with the Timorese culture, as we employed traditional costumes and arts throughout the lessons. Furthermore, in February 2025 we had our first term excursion to Arte Moris, a local Artists’ workshop and Gallery, located at Bairu-Pite, Dili. Students truly enjoyed their time learning about arts, as they explored various art works and participated in an art workshop.

In addition, in this period, Ba-Futuru’s pre-school also successfully carried out the following activities:

• Parent Conference. Teachers openly discussed with each family representative about the learning progress of their child since the last parent coreference 6 months ago. Within the conference we were able to touch on topics such as each student’s successes and their individual learning goals. All caregivers (100%) attended the conference and demonstrated eagerness and enthusiasm to learn about their child’s development.
• Pot Luck Lunch.Teachers and parents gathered for a shared potluck lunch. After sharing a delicious meal together children put on a small show. We find that this is a great opportunity for informal conversations and to build a stronger relation with the families of our students.
• New 15-minute games Introduced.These fun and engaging games allowed for group play, and significantly developed children’s listening skills, concentration and confidence.
• Facebook Marketing. Throughout this period our Pre-school team remained active on our social media platform, namely Facebook. There, we promoted and provided updates on our daily activities. We received numerous positive feedback from parents and community members online.
• Literacy Learning.  We introduced jolly phonics group one to our students through fun literacy games, rainbow writing and one and one activities. We also introduce CVC words to our children. This program has helped children develop their learning skills.
• Maths Learning. We have introduced innovative and fun math games to our students, and they learned a new number every week.  Moreover, we introduced simple addition and subtractions to the older children aged 5-6 years old.
• Science learning. We introduced students to fun science experiments such as magic milk, mixing fruit test, volcano, travelling water, food coloring mixing, and the magic of baking soda & vinegar.
• Gardening. We introduced students to different types of plants found in our garden. We also harvested corn, cooked it, and shared a meal together. We also planted Papaya.
• Movement Program.  We introduced students to fun outdoor activities. The games we conducted helped children develop their abilities to self-balance, hand and eye coordination, teamwork, and helped them set a goal-oriented mindset. Additionally, skateboarding activities has made a comeback, with Maun Ron introducing basic skateboard skills to children. Children demonstrated a lot of enthusiasm and are excited to learn how to ride the skateboard.

Our team also conducted ‘Parenting and Community Workshop’. We facilitated an info-session about Healthy Living and the Importance of Play Based–Learning. Parents were equipped with valuable information on how to ensure everyone in the family is healthy. Moreover, caregivers also gained a deeper understanding on the importance of play in child development. Parents showed immense curiosity during the workshop, resulting in an interactive exchange about the role of parents in supporting their child’s development on a household level. The workshop was attended by 65% of parents.