Kornmehl
Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl
We are delighted to be back at Pre-school. The children have all come back settled, happy and ready to play and learn together. We are looking forward to a busy, productive and exciting term ahead. This week is Early Learning Matters Week – a time to celebrate early childhood and the importance that these early years make in each child’s learning, development, and wellbeing. I firmly believe, we are creating the foundations for successful, life-long learning in the children’s lives. We are grateful to be acknowledged and to remind the community of the importance that early learning makes.
Early Learning Matters
This year’s theme is ‘Learning through Connection’. Children have been learning through their connection to community and place on this land for over 60,000 years. During Early Learning Matters Week, we are celebrating this connection and the ongoing connection that is fostered in early learning settings across the country.
Organised by Early Childhood Australia, Early Learning Matters Week brings together early childhood educators, parents, carers and community leaders around Australia to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of early learning and the difference the profession makes.
It is a great opportunity to tell our communities how high-quality early education and care supports children to be confident, enthusiastic learners, building a foundation for wellbeing and achievement throughout their lives, and all of this through play-based learning. High-quality, play-based education and care supports young children to learn and thrive, with support from parents, carers, and the wider community.
This year’s theme, Learning through Connection, invites services to consider and share the ways that ‘connection’ supports children’s learning. The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) includes the outcome that ‘children are connected with and contribute to their world’.
The EYLF explores the concept of connection in relation to family, communities, culture, and place – and reinforces the importance of connection for participation:
Children’s connection and contribution to their world is built on the idea they can exert agency in ways that make a difference and build a foundation for civic and democratic participation. Connection matters because it helps children develop a sense of place and community, and fosters understandings of the interconnectedness of all people and the environment.
The new EYLFv2, includes a new principle that prioritises strengthening engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges and perspectives in early learning settings. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have been learning through their connection to Country and community for tens and thousands of years.
The EYLF also specifically recognises the importance of the connection to Country and community for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the continued significance of such connections in children’s learning. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are connected to the longest surviving cultures in the world and represent the custodians of Lands across the Australian continent.
By learning about the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and experiences, including the value of caring for Country and community, children gain a deeper appreciation for the importance of social justice, active citizenship and sustainability. This can foster a sense of belonging and social engagement and promotes active and respectful participation in shared efforts to build a sustainable and inclusive future.
Happy Birthday
This week we wish a very happy birthday to Milan Vidor (5), Rose Rodny (5) and our two special educators Heather Ryan and Samantha Schwartz. We hope you all had a beautiful day.
