Art is all around us. As you enter our

centre you will notice a masterpiece in

the making. The art in progress is

being created by the children and

educators from Long Day-care,

Kindergarten, and Alternative Care.

The inspiration for the art work was

drawn from the National Gallery of

Victoria (NGV). In perusing through

the NGV brochure an educator

discovered photos of an exhibition

which she thought looked visually

stunning and could be replicated at the

service with the children. The photos

are part of the NGV Ternniel Exhibition

and the artwork is the work of Artist

Yayoi Kusama.

Yayoi exhibition is titled ‘ Flower

obsession’ and it reflects the origins of

Kusama’s art, which she traces back to

her childhood. Flower obsession

recreates a furnished domestic space.

Visitors are invited to apply red flower

motifs to the walls, furniture and

objects. Over the duration of the

exhibition, the proliferation of flowers

will gradually cover all surfaces,

‘obliterating’ and transforming the

space into a spectacular environment.

(NGV website)

In sharing the concept of the art

project educators brainstormed how a

similar project could be planned with

the children and educators. Educators

have been talking with children and

amongst themselves to support the

process of creating this type of 3D art.

Creating the art involves salvaging old

pieces of furniture and or equipment

which can be covered in the paper

flower petals.

This is a long term art project and like

flower obsession, it will evolve with

time. So please grab a flower from

room educators and join in.

Introductory Newsletter, Term 1, March 2018

Yayoi Kusama

Flower obsession 2017

(detail)

National Gallery of

Victoria, Melbourne

Hi there, my name is Rowena. I am the Room Leader in Alternative Care, I have been at LCCC for 3yrs this year and I absolutely love working in Alternative Care. I am a bit of a late bloomer having begun my Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care with Victoria University in January 2015, but I also have a

background in Education Support. I find it so rewarding and fulfilling working with children. I believe that children teach me as much, if not more than I teach them. I have a very tight knit family and my children, Shiana and Anissa are very important to me. I try to incorporate family into my room environment and make it warm and inviting to help the children feel welcome in Alternative Care. I love to sew and garden in my down time. I like to try to pass this knowledge onto the children, hopefully teaching them to love and respect the world around them. These beliefs are in line with the teachings of Maria Montessori. I find her philosophy and beliefs quite

inspiring. To think way back so many decades ago, that there was someone who worked with children who was so conscientious and respectful of her surrounding

environment that I am inspired to take a leaf out of her book and teach children from a young age to take care of their environment inside and out. Hopefully they take something with them and this inspires them to try to make a difference in the near future. I am looking forward to a very rewarding 2018.

Hello my name is Janelle Talia,

I live in Werribee with my partner Anthony and our cat Ace. I am new to the Early

Childhood profession as this is my first year working in Industry after completing

my Diploma last year at Victoria Polytechnic. However, I am not a stranger to

working with children as I’ve spent the last 5 years as a swimming instructor. I am

very excited to be a part of the team at Laverton Community Children’s Centre. My

role within the service is to work along-side Rowena in Alternative Care and as a

support educator in Long Day Care.

I am really passionate about making learning fun and enjoyable for all children, and believe that in doing so

children’s development will thrive as a whole. I am inspired mostly by Reggio Emilia and Maria Montessori theories

and strongly believe in supporting children to become self-sufficient and independent individuals. I am so excited

and looking forward to meeting all the families and building positive relationships with you and of course your

beautiful children in 2018!

Hi! My name is Deryn Rudd and I am the Kindergarten Teacher in Group 2.

I have been employed at Laverton Community Children’s centre for 5 years, and I have worked in the field

for 6 years. I finished my teaching degree in June 2013 after deciding on

a career change. I am qualified to teach Kinder to Grade 6 so if you have

any questions about Prep next year, please feel free to ask.

I have three children of my own – Oliver who is 14, Josh who is 11 and

Tessa who is 9. We live in Spotswood with our dog Buddy & our cat

Spot.

I believe in connecting our children with nature – there is usually lots of

messy play at kinder using water, sand, dirt and plants. This is aimed

at creating a link with nature for children so that in later years they will

care enough about their environment to look after it. This year this is

being supported by visits & programs at our local creek. We do

planting, gardening, weeding, harvesting and eating to give children a

chance to see where food comes from and the effort that goes into growing it. With our beautiful new

kitchen in kinder this year we will be making the most of being able to cook with the children.

Kinder is about exploring and discovering new information and ideas together, as part of a close and

supportive environment. I am looking forward to getting to know you all and to the year ahead!

Hello everyone, my name is Piumi Arumapperuma and I am assisting Deryn Rudd to provide the best learning experiences for our kindergarten children and families. I have been working at this centre for 3 years.

I hold the Certificate III in Early childhood Education and Care and I am currently studying the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Teaching) at Curtin University. At kinder we strongly focus on supporting children’s social and emotional development. Our

programs are developed and implemented on a monthly basis and reflect both the individual and group needs of children. Individual observations, group observations, educator discussions and parents meetings are some of the useful systems we use to gather information about our children to get to know them well. The kinder program and environment planning process always planned with care, to achieve Australian Early Years Learning Framework and national Quality Standards goals. I am looking forward to work with all you wonderful people this year with great excitement.

Welcome to Laverton Kindergarten 2018.

Hi!, I’m Chizuru. I have been working in LCCC since 2011, starting in Long Day Care

before I joined in Alternative care right next to kinder. I am in my second year in kinder

this year. I was born in Japan and attended in a nursery and schools where cultural

diversity was rare. I grew interest in different cultures around the world, so when I was

17 years old, I gained an opportunity to spend one year in Malaysia. I lived with

wonderful Muslim families throughout the year and made friends in the local schools

where Malay, Chinese and Tamil were spoken in a classroom. I was invited to their

various religious/cultural celebrations and events. It was an eye-opening experience and

helped me immensely to become open-minded and curious about multiculturalism and

also to realise how important to respect others’ values in order to be proud of my own.

I lived and started family in Ireland and then moved to Australia in 2009. Having been

raising my two children (now 15 and 10), I am fully aware of the importance of the

nurturing experience and environment during early childhood for children to gain positive social skills and self-esteem which is

vital for everything you go through in life.

It is nothing but a joy to work in LCCC where all staff and families embrace their diverse cultures, values and abilities to

contribute to our community. I am looking forward to another wonderful year ahead.

Hello, my name is Nicole and I am the kindergarten group 1 teacher.

I have been working at Laverton Community Children’s Centre for the past 6 years in various roles within the service. This year will be

my fourth year in the role of Kindergarten Teacher.

I have a wonderful husband and a 12 year old daughter who is growing into an amazing young lady way too quickly for my liking.

I have a strong focus on developing programs that follow play based learning, ensuring that I support all children in their learning

journey by developing learning spaces that follow each child’s interests.

You might think that kindergarten is all about playing, there is so much more learning and development that is happening in our

kindergarten play spaces. Valuable social and emotional development is taking place, such as learning to take turns, sharing, negotiating

roles, problem solving, respecting the rights of others, independence, separating from parents, making new friends, asking question,

following instructions, ability to share thoughts and ideas with peers and teacher and to persist with a task and see it through to

completion. We are also able to weave literacy, numeracy, creative aspects, fine and gross motor development and science concepts in to

our play based spaces. By structuring our programs in this way I am able to support each child’s learning to their individual development s

stage.

These are just some of the important development challenges your child will go through in their kindergarten year. When children’s social a

and emotional development is supported and strengthened, they are able to transition in to their formal academic schooling with the tools

they need to assist them in being curious, involved and competent learners.

Hello families my name is Jessica & I have been working here at Laverton community children’s centre for 8 years.

This year will be my forth year working with the babies and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. I look forward to

meeting all of our new children & their families as well as working closely with existing families :) Have a great

2018!

My name is Melanny and I have been working here in the centre for seven years .In these seven years I have worked

in baby’s room for around 6 years now and I absolutely love what I do. I enjoy coming to work every day to watch

the children learn & play. I look forward to a great 2018

Hello all , My name is Inson and this year I have the great

opportunity of working in the babies rooms 1 & 2

covering RDOs as well as some casual shifts from time to time. In my time working in

the babies I have built great relationships with staff families & children I look forward to

continuing the journey within the babies rooms and the centre.

It’s already the end of term one, and this is always the hardest as children and educators are building relationships

with each other and becoming familiar with the routine of the room. At the start of the term we wanted to make

each and every child feel safe, secure and supported while in the room with us. To do this we gave the newer

children a primary care-giver which is one educator mainly working on settling the child and attending to the child’s

needs. As the child starts to feel comfortable and safe within the room and with the educator they naturally want to

explore their surroundings more. This is when the other educator starts to play and meet the child’s needs. This

approach worked very well in our room and now we are happy to say that all the children are happy to explore and

learn in their surroundings.

My role at Laverton Community Children’s Centre is as the services

Educational Leader and Curriculum mentor. My focus commonly

revolves around supporting and strategizing with educators on how to get the very best outcomes

for children. I have been in invested in the Early Childhood sector for about 20 years in various

roles and I am a strong advocate of the profession and the vital role educators have developing

strong life skills in young children which will influence life.

I have two young boys aged 9 and 6 and we enjoy exploring nature and being outside in our spare

time. There is something about the great outdoors that brings a sense of calm, peace, and

enjoyment to everybody. Community spaces such as beaches and parks, two of my favourite

places, as they allow me to have times of solitude as well as close engagement with my children.

Having the space and the freedom to explore and engage all the senses in the discoveries of nature

is exciting and fun and I am thankful that Australia has many beautiful places to see.

My name is Melissa. I am the administration assistant in the office. You will find me here on Monday, Tuesday &

Thursday each week. I have worked at the centre for 3 years.

My husband and I live in Werribee and we have 3 boys; Nicholas 12 years old and my twin boys Janek & Luca, 8 years

old. They keep me very busy – boys seem to have an endless supply of energy. Every Sunday morning we go for a

nature walk through Werribee River. I am sure my boys have up-turned most of the rocks and logs along the river in

the hope of finding some slimy little creatures!

We love a holiday! Here is a picture of my boys when we visited Fiji last year. Out of the pool, straight into a bike

ride. Go, Go, Go!

My name is Xiao Yang and I live in Altona with my husband and 23 year old son. I

have been working in the Early Childhood profession for 5 years and joined

Laverton Community Children’s Centre in 2012.

My first language is Mandarin and I am available to communicate to children and

families in their first language. This year, I am working in Room 4 and look

forward to continuing the strong relationships with the children and families

I am inspired by Reggio Emilia and Steiner theories. My pedagogical practice is a

balance of child-initiated and teacher-directed experiences and with a passion for

art and creative expression. I create inviting provocations that engages children

in open-ended play experiences to ignite their imagination, agency, creativity and show respect for the environment

by using natural and recycled materials

My name is Jayshree. In India I did my bachelor degree. When I enrolled my child for

childcare, I was intrigued by the Childcare industry and decided to work in this

industry. I started certificate III in 2009, and then continued my Diploma in children

services and then got position of qualified leader. I have been working at LCCC for last

8 years.

I believe that learning and playing aren't separate. Learning doesn't always have to

be uninteresting, and children also learn from playing. If we observe children and

identify their interest for them we can implement their interest into their learning. I

look forward to building a positive and professional relationship with you, also and the best education and care for

your child.

Hello, my name is Kerry. I have been working at LCCC for about 10 years, and have been in the Early Childhood industry for over 15 years. I started working with children with additional needs – diagnosed and non-diagnosed. I find this extremely rewarding, to know that I can have a positive impact on these treasures that need a little extra help. While at LCCC, I have worked in the Kindergarten, Alternative Care and long day care rooms. After 5 years in Alternative Care, I ventured back to long day care this year, where I look forward to working and learning from these amazing educators, while also working with all these wonderful children. I look forward to meeting all the families and all the exciting

experiences we will have together.

About the room

Room- 4 Children are doing well. Some children are new but have settled in very well. This term we are doing many

projects in collaboration with room 3 & 5. With staff demonstrating team work and sharing, the children can learn

this as well. Recently we did foot painting and we have also done cooking experiences as well. We will be doing a

clay project for Easter so at this stage we very busy and engaged in learning.

Hello, my name is Tinarom Ludvigsen (Tina). I am working fulltime as a

qualified educator in room 3. I enjoy working with young children and

supporting their development, safety and wellbeing are always at the

forefront of my mind. I love gardening

and I am very happy to share this

interest with the children in our little gardens here at the

Centre. I believe gardening helps to encourage children’s

overall development. The greenery and colourful flowers

help the children to feel calm and also create environments

for other life. This encourages the children to learn about the

cycle of life and feel connected to the world they live in. I

also love bushwalk, travelling, and have been to some

countries both in Asia and Europe and there are still many

places that I would love to visit. Travelling gave me the

opportunities to explore different cultures and diversities, which I find helpful in the educator role. I

used to work as an integration aide at a special school in Wyndham and have completed the

Certificate IV in Disability Work. Previously, I graduated as a teacher in my country of Thailand.

Hello everyone, I am ETI. I started working at LCCC last year. I have been working in

childcare since July 2016. I am married and a mother of seven-year old boy. I live in

Werribee. My husband is a Microbiologist and he works at The University of Melbourne. I am

from Bangladesh, and can speak English, Bengali and Hindi. I enjoy working with children

and I love being around children. I realized that Early Childhood Education is something that

can fulfil my passion to work with children. I am amazed to see the children growing at

different stages of their life and their creativity. I like to support them with creative ideas. My

favourite pastimes are cooking, baking, gardening, and listening to music.

My name is Lakshmi. I am working in room 3 as an additional educator. I hail

from India. I am a qualified yoga teacher and hold a Bachelor in Home

Science. I pursued certificate three courses in early childhood education in

Melbourne. I worked in India as a Yoga instructor. I live in Melbourne with my

husband and son. My son is in second grade and goes to school. My hobbies

include reading books

Hello, my name is Jenny Brown. I have been at the Centre since its opening in 2007. I live locally in

Seabrook and I am married with 2 teenage daughters. My role at LCCC is as Planning Support Educator -

which means that Helen and I cover the permanent room staff between 10am - 4pm whilst they conduct

their documentation and planning session once a fortnight. Starting off in

babies’ room we move along the rooms until we reach room 5. Working

across the rooms from Tuesday until Thursday on a fortnightly schedule

allows me to get to know all the children really well and supports

friendships and develops trusting relationships. My role gives me the

opportunity to know all the children’s likes and dislikes, their routines and

habits. My Friday role is as a Floater, this time moving across all rooms

covering morning tea and lunch breaks. I enjoy my Friday role as it allows

me meet and make friends with Group 2 in kinder and renew friendships with previous long day care

children who now attend kindergarten. I also cover breaks in alternative care. I really enjoy working at

LCCC and I am very fortunate that my role allows me to interact with children of all ages and share in their

preschool journey.

Hello, my name is Helen Huang. I have been working at LCCC for 10 years now. I live in Altona Meadows

with my husband and 12 year old son. My position is Diploma Educator in Children’s Services. This year I

am working a rostered permanent part time shift and I support each room educator’s planning session: my

hours are 10 am - 4 pm fortnightly. It is an amazing and challenging role to assist and support different

rooms and their educational and care programs. Through this position I have learnt how to cooperate with

different teams, to implement and promote programs that reflect the individual child’s needs and

interests. Also by creating warm, calm and predictable environments during planning sessions whilst

creating a stress free manner. I believe in the importance of early childhood education and value this time

in a child's life. I believe it is vital to provide children with endless and exciting opportunities to learn

develop and build self-confidence. I’m happy to share and contribute my opinions and ideas with other

colleagues and families.

Please feel free to make any suggestions or share ideas and I can

incorporate them into the program for the children.

Hello my name is Narelle and I have been working in Early Childhood and the

Laverton Community for over 20 years and at LCCC for the past 9 years.

I am one of the support workers in the team at LCCC which means that I relieve

staff for their breaks and cover the early shift until the end of the day. Being a

support worker allows me to work in all programs offered by LCCC so therefore I

get to spend time with just about every child in the service. My main emphasis when working with your children is to

provide them with a strong sense confidence and wellbeing, Including happiness, satisfaction and successful positive

social interactions and most of all have FUN. Having fun makes learning easy!

I live in Hoppers Crossing with my husband and teenage daughter, I also have 2 step daughters and 2 grandsons

living close by. My love for the Western Bulldogs shows through every footy season and often you may hear a

rendition of’ Sons Of The West’ radiating through the hallway over this season and if there is a footy around I love

having a kick with anyone who wants to join in.

Hello LCCC families. I’m Kylie one of the support educators. I have been

with the centre going on 11 years and my role across the centre has

changed a few times. I started out in alternative care. Then I worked in

the kitchen as an assistant, and moved on to kinder for 5 yrs. Now I am in

the position of floater which I have enjoyed for the past 2 years. I have an

18 yr. old son who is studying Year 12. Both my son and I are North

Melbourne supporters who enjoy going to the footy, and camping is

another favourite past time. Being a floater allows me to interact with all

the children across the board and music is a passion of mine so I love to

continually introduce music and dance time to the children. I give the other educators their tea breaks and

lunch breaks. It has been an ongoing pleasure to watch all the children grow and flourish and I look

forward to many more adventures at the centre .

Welcome to Laverton Community Children’s Centre, family and friends. My

name is Heather and I have worked in the centre since it opened in 2007. I

work in long day care as a part time floater/support educator. As a support

educator I am familiar with the daily routines of each room, by moving room to

room I have built strong relationships with both the children and families.

When I am in the rooms, I follow the rooms’ curriculum that consists of 3main

areas:

1.Being : Children are supported & respected, building relationship with others & engaging with educators.

2.Becoming : Children learn to grow confidently within their community.

3.Belonging : Supporting children that they feel safe, secure, respect their identity and cultural values, and how to

belong in multicultural community.

Hello to all families at LCCC my name is Danelle Larkins. I started working in

the kitchen in 2009. My role is Food Supervisor and Fire Warden. The kitchen

caters to all children’s dietary needs, allergies and cultural beliefs. All nutrition

requirements are met in our monthly menu. I Live in Werribee and have 2

beautiful children, Ethan 13 and Jorja 10. Spending time with my children is

essential. I like to go on family outings. I enjoy baking with my young daughter over the weekends. I am of

Aboriginal / Australian background and a very keen supporter of the Collingwood Football Club. My

favourite holiday destination is Thailand.

Hello, my name is Aki Nonaka. I have been working at LCCC since 2012.I live in Williams

Landing with my husband, two daughters and a black Labrador that is called Odette. I work

as the kitchen assistant with Danelle, Monday to Thursday. LCCC has cultural diversity, and

a welcoming and fun environment. I am passionate about cooking so I really enjoy my job.

I also work as a support educator on Fridays and school holidays so you may see me in the

rooms sometimes. I enjoy working with children of all age groups. They are so adorable. I

am looking forward to a great year 2018.

Dear Parents and families welcome to room 1.we are happy to have your family join our program and we

look forward to working and exploring with you and your child. Our goal is with our families is to develop

relationships that support the growth of your child in all areas while supporting your needs as well.

We do program planning every fortnight that touches on all age appropriate areas that stimulate the

physical cognitive and emotional needs of your child. We are a team of 3 educators (Helene, Kanthi , Inson)

that work together to ensure that every child in our classroom receives warm loving care and appropriate

challenges that support the development.

Hi my name is Helene and I have been working in the baby’s room for about seven years now and I have

my diploma in early childhood education.

I live with my two boys Faris and Amir and in my spare time I

enjoy going cooking lots of Yummy traditional foods and enjoy

listening to music. I enjoy working with all of the children in the

rooms and I take pride watching them grow and move on into

new rooms. What I enjoy most about my job is watching the

children in the babies room accomplish different milestones

from crawling, walking, talking and then running.

Hi my name is Kanthi. I live with my husband and 7 year

old daughter in Tarneit. I enjoy singing traditional music

and cooking. This is my 4th year working at LCCC and I am

really enjoying working with babies. I have done

Diploma in Early childhood Education. I have done

Bachelors in Science in India. I am enjoying working with

children of all ages and love to interact and play with

them. I strongly believe that “Children learn best through play and from interactions with

other children, educators and parents.

My name is Jian Hua . I grew up in China and have worked in the Education Department for 23 years. I

joined Laverton Community Children’s Centre and have been working in the Early Childhood profession for

8 years as I am dedicated to quality education for all children.

My first language is Mandarin and I am available to communicate

to children and families in their first language. This year, I am in

Room 5 and I will introduce some basic literacy and numeracy skills

in Mandarin.

I am inspired by Marc Armitage in creating outdoor spaces that

challenge children to engage in open-ended play experiences that ignite their imagination, agency,

creativity and show respect for their environment. I look forward in continuing the strong relationships

with the children, families and educators.

My name is Maggie Moroney. I was born in Croatia, and grew up in Australian from the age of 4. My

childhood was rich with a blend of cultures which influenced the way I raised my own children. I have 3

adult boys, and 1 daughter in-law.

I loved teaching my haring this experience with others, so I entered

the Early Childhood profession by completing my Diploma in

Children’s Services in 2013.

In 2018, I continue to be in Room 5, with, Jian . I believe by

building genuine relationships and partnerships with the children

and the diverse families within our community, we can positively

impact on the wellbeing of children for the future.

My pedagogical practice I share with Jian is to think about and act so that all

children are provided with opportunities to develop a strong sense of belonging, being and becoming.

Please feel free to talk to us about any issues.

Upcoming dates Term 2:

Kinder Group 1 return on Monday 16th

April Kinder Group 2 return on Wednesday 18th

April

Anzac Day – Wednesday 25th

April Queen’s Birthday - Monday 11th

June

Have you remembered to use your child’s name as a reference when using internet

banking or direct deposit to pay your childcare account?

If we cannot identify your payment, we cannot apply it to the correct account.

Please take the time to read your statement carefully.

We remind families that it is your responsibility to check that fee payments have been applied to your account.

If you have an account related enquiry, please send an email to adminlccc@lcis.org.au

New families:

If you have been assessed by Centrelink for Child Care Benefit, please advise your CRNs so that your entitlements can be

processed to your account.

Attendance records are forwarded to Centrelink each Monday. It can often take 2 – 3 weeks for your CCR to begin appearing on

your statement.

If you have elected to have your CCR “pay OTHER”, your CCR entitlement will be paid directly to you, not to our service.

Cancel/Amend bookings

Families are reminded that we require 3 full weeks ‘notice to amend/cancel a booking, in writing to adminlccc@lcis.org.au

Words of Wisdom

Our lives are full of joyful events and occasionally, others that are not so joyful.

In these times of sadness, it may help to reflect on the small

but positive gestures that go unnoticed:

The friend that gave you their time to listen to a problem;