Term 1 has been a busy time for our services! Read all about the latest service news below.
Keilor Gatehouse Preschool participate in Run for the Kids
The team at Keilor Gatehouse Preschool participated in the annual Run for the Kids event on Sunday 20 March. The 5km course started on Alexandra Avenue on the Yarra River and finished in Kings Domain. Congratulations to the team on their effort in raising much needed funds for the hundreds of patients at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Bridge Road Kindergarten’s harmony tree
Bridge Road Kindergarten celebrated Harmony Day on Monday 21 March by creating a beautiful harmony tree that represents all the cultures of the families that attend the kinder.
Harmony Day celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity. The central message for Harmony Day is that ‘everyone belongs’, reinforcing the importance of inclusiveness to all Australians.
All of the children at the kinder participated in the project that featured greetings from other cultures. The tree will remain in the centre for the rest of the year as a reminder that “we are one, but we are many”.
Arnolds Creek Kindergarten’s collaborative partnerships with families project
Congratulations to the team at Arnolds Creek Kindergarten for receiving a $4000 Harness Racing Victoria and Tabcorp Park grant to help make their ‘Collaborative partnerships with families’ project come to life.
The idea for the project came about when the staff identified through their Quality Improvement Plan their desire to better support the families accessing their service in the planning and development of the kindergarten program to enhance their child/ren’s learning.
The project includes the purchase of a computer for parents to use at the service to access their child’s digital portfolio through Storypark and to collaborate with staff through information sharing that enhances their child's education and wellbeing outcomes. Parents will also have access to other valuable websites such as Kidsmatter and can stay informed about what is happening within their local community.
The grant will also enable the kinder to create a parent borrowing library, consisting of picture story books to continue to enhance early literacy as well as practical resource books that support parents with in information about raising children. A space in the foyer has already been established for families to sit with their children and read picture storybooks. This area is already proving very popular and is being used every day.
Newport Gardens Early Years Centre’s barbeque
Newport Gardens Early Years Centre’s PAG recently ran its first community event for the year, a family barbeque. Boon Wurrung Elder Aunty Fay Stewart-Muir attended the barbeque and carried out a traditional Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony.
The barbeque was a wonderful way for families and staff to connect with the community and expand their knowledge of Aboriginal culture.
Kealba Kindergarten’s hat station
A parent from Kealba Kindergarten, Christopher, is a cabinet maker and volunteered to make the centre a new sun hat station. The amazing piece of furniture has 42 pockets for the children to put their hats into and is double sided, enabling more than one group to use it.
