1 Term 2 Issue 1

Important Dates

19 May Management Committee 6-8

25 May Kindy Group 1 excursion

28 May Kindy Group2 excursion

27 May-3

June

National Reconciliation Week

5 June Dad’s Playgroup

14 June Public Holiday

Ninna Marni everyone,

We start this newsletter by saying thank you

to the Management Committee and all of our

families for supporting us to close the Centre

for our Staff Development Day in the April

holidays. This was the first time in nearly 18

months that the whole staff team have been

able to meet together, which is really

important for us in order to reflect on and

evaluate our work, and to plan for further

improvements. You can read about some of

the topics we covered on the day later in the

newsletter.

We would like to update you on some recent

staffing changes that have occurred. Sadly,

we said goodbye to Syeda as an educator in

the Yitpi Tarnanthi Room as she is taking

some time to focus on her studies. Syeda will

continue to be around the Centre as a

parent, and she also facilitates a Yoga group

at the Centre on Wednesday afternoons for

parents with young babies (contact the

office if you are interested).

We have welcomed some new casual staff

members to our relief list- Lorraine and

17a Wilkins Street

Enfield. S.A 5085

Phone: (08) 8342 3329

Fax : (08) 83423309

Email:dl.5363.administration@schools.sa.edu.au

Website: www.cafeenfieldcc.sa.edu.au

Leanne. Their days and hours vary as they

support permanent educators to be out of the

room for programming and meetings.

This newsletter also includes some

information about National Reconciliation

Week, which runs from 27 May to 3 June. As

a centre, we have established a working group

to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan for our

Centre. You can read more on page 2.

Finally, thank you to the families and

educators who attended the propagation

workshops facilitated by Bringing Back the

Butterflies. We have been able to propagate a

large number of plants from our butterfly

garden that we will grow into seedlings over

winter, ready for Spring planting. We have

also been successful in winning some grant

funding in order to purchase more native

plants for the Beyond Space. (There will be

more information next time!)

POLICIES CURRENTLY awaiting approval by the Management Committee:

Parent Complaint policy

Supervision of Children Policy

Supporting Interactions with children policy

Term 2 Issue 1 Newsletter May 2021

2 Term 2 Issue 1

Staff Development Day April 21

All of the discussion and learning that

happens at our Staff Development days has

direct links to the National Quality

Standards for early education and care.

Regular and ongoing critical reflection by

educators is one of the 3 key components for

Exceeding the National Standard.

Some of the topics that we discussed:

Review of our Centre Philosophy

Our Centre Philosophy aims to outline the purpose and principles under which our service operates. It sets the direction for our policies, procedures and practices. We started the review process by identifying something in the Philosophy that each of us individually connects to. We also considered what statements in the Philosophy could be strengthened or changed, and what is missing from our Philosophy. This is an ongoing process and we would welcome your input as parents too. (Click here to read our current Philosophy). Documentation and Assessment for learning We are constantly examining ways that we can deepen our understanding of children ( as an individual and as part of a group) and the ways they learn. Observing and documenting children’s play & relationships is one part of the process, but the part that makes documentation useful and informative is when we analyse the learning that is happening within the play. We refer to this as pedagogical documentation. On the day, we each wrote a rough piece of documentation and analysis about an everyday moment or interaction with a child. We then shared this with a colleague, in order to gain feedback and another perspective about our analysis. This will be ongoing work.

National Reconciliation Week

May 27- June 3 What is National Reconciliation Week?

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

The dates for NRW remain the same each year; 27 May to 3 June. These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.

Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Reconciliation Australia’s theme for

2021, More than a word. Reconciliation

takes action, urges the reconciliation

movement towards braver and more

impactful action.

Source:

https://www.reconciliation.org.au/national-

reconciliation-week/

3 Term 2 Issue 1

From the Yitpi Tarnanthi Room…..

SEARCHING FOR TREASURE: FINDING EACH OTHER

Our Treasure Baskets are something we have slowly introduced this year. The baskets are a

collection of random objects such as tubes, tins, small boxes, material, and utensils. We gave

children time, space and opportunity to explore the objects in whatever way they wanted. We

were curious to see how the children would use the items and how they would interact with

each other. In their explorations and play, we have observed the children displaying

dispositions such as curiosity, imagination, co-operation and creative thinking.

In the episode between Lila & Rosetta below, we can see how the younger children explore the items in the basket with all of their senses, how they notice each other and share moments of discovery together.

LILA AND ROSETTA:

Lila and Rosie used their hands and mouths to explore the objects, rummaging around in

the basket. The different textures and feelings seem to make them more curious and want

to investigate further. They spent time girls pulling objects out of the basket and putting

them back again. They were aware of each other, and showed interest and delight in

what the other person was doing. They leaned towards each other, their eyes focusing

intently on each other. When Rosie had a cardboard tube in her mouth, Lila noticed,

picked up another tube and put it in her mouth too, mirroring Rosie’s action. They looked

at each other over their tubes, sharing a moment of connection & mutual discovery.

4 Term 2 Issue 1

Propagation Workshop Saturday May 8

Thank you to Deirdre from “Bringing Back the Butterflies” for facilitating the workshop, and

thank you to the educators, parents and children who attended. In about 3 months’ time, we

hope to have a lot of new seedlings that will need to be planted in bigger pots before they

can go out in the Beyond Space.

Finding caterpillars in our butterfly garden

collecting cuttings for propagation to

grow a new plant.

Planting seeds to grow more plants Building a greenhouse to help our plants grow