Kornmehl
Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl
What a whirlwind of a term it has been for us all. Having said that, I am not sure where the last 10 weeks have just gone… We started out with only 20 children in week one. It was a very nervous and tentative start for us all. Educators were very anxious about being back after five weeks of being in lockdown and hardly venturing out at all. The new regime of drop-off and arrival time was something to get used to. No parents were allowed inside the Pre-school, and families were faced with the task of trying to look happy and confident as they handed their young children over at the door. Taking each child’s temperature was confronting for some children and there were many tears as children asserted their reluctance to comply.
A testing time… a time of unknown and uncharted territory – never before been tried in our Pre-school. After all, our relationships with families is what we hold onto so fiercely and the daily contact with parents is part of each child’s educational journey of working collaboratively to support them in the way we know best – deep and meaningful relationships are at the heart and core of the children’s wellbeing and our philosophy.
We soldiered on and the attendance numbers increased each week, as we slowly allowed more children back – 25, 30, 40, 50 and finally in Week 6 we were back to full time attendance of 60 children.
The tears at the door by Week 2 were almost non-existent, the children so happy to be back, walking confidently through the doors and into the classrooms, carrying their backpacks filled to the brim with their lunch, snack boxes and drink bottles. The weight almost pulled the children over as they walked bravely into their familiar spaces. The best part was the way educators empowered the children to unpack their bags each morning, placing their lunch, snack and fruit containers in the right baskets ready for the day, and placing their bags independently in their lockers. Some, of course, needed support in the first few weeks, but by week three had it down pat!
How could this be, we wondered – normally the parents come in carrying their children’s bags, doing all the unpacking for them, sharing an activity or two and then saying goodbye.
COVID-19 has shown us how resilient, how capable and competent these children are – from the little 3-year olds right up to the 5-year olds. They rose to the challenge and felt empowered.
We think it was also because they were just so happy to be back at Pre-school with their teachers and friends – their Kornmehl family!
They were happy to be back in the routines of each day – to be able to explore, wonder, imagine and play together, to discover and learn, to share their thoughts and ideas, and to feel a sense of belonging again.
On the other side, I have had many parents say “please don’t ever change the drop off and pick up at the door. We love it! We don’t have any more separation anxiety, my child knows just what to expect and of course we can get a car spot in the Kornmehl carpark now, no matter what time of the day we come.”
It seems families are loving the ‘new normal.’
I have not yet spoken about the Kornmehl online program. You might be wondering how you can do an online program for 3 – 5 year olds. Yes, we were wondering how to do this too in those last two weeks of Term 1. It was a huge shock, a time of denial for the teachers, of disbelief…this can’t be happening. This goes against everything we believe in, of how young children learn best…
The Kornmehl teachers came to life and to the online party. They opened up their hearts and homes to the Kornmehl children and families. They were creative, shared their talents, their Shabbat dinners, their music, their pets, their love of arts and nature… the rest is history!
I enjoyed, together with Alex and Renee, opening up our homes each Friday morning for a special Kornmehl Kabbalat Shabbat with our families. We sang together, did all the Brachot and even got up for a dance. Kornmehl Shabbat Zoom sessions lasted until Week 6 of this term. For the last five weeks of the term, we have been lucky enough to welcome Rabbi Ninio, every fortnight, back to our Shabbat on a Friday on Zoom. The children still hear her beautiful stories, sing her songs and share this special time with her each week. It’s as if she is right in the room with us. Thank you to Rabbi Ninio for continuing to join us in this way through these very difficult times.
In Term 2, our online program continued with Laura, Claudia and Amanda taking control at home, while the other teachers were at Pre-school, doing face to face teaching. The threesome were incredible, creative and resourceful. They released a weekly online program that was detailed, age-appropriate and engaging – a program that enabled families to engage in their own time and at their own pace. A daily Zoom session meant those families that wanted to connect had the opportunity to do so. It was not easy sharing with only 3-5 children on a Zoom session each day. It was disheartening when we knew there were at least 30 – 40 children still at home during the first few weeks back. This was a challenging task – from the point of view of not knowing how much families at home were engaging with the weekly online program. But we continued, with commitment and enthusiasm and knowing that even if only a few children came onto the Zoom session and accessed the stories, music, Hebrew lessons etc, it was a chance to connect and maintain the special bonds we share with those children and families.
When I look back on the term and all we have achieved and the obstacles we have moved through both personally and professionally, I can only be proud, very grateful and so happy, to be able to work with the wonderful teachers, children and families at Kornmehl.
I feel like we have all grown and learnt so much from this COVID-19 time – a time in history that many of us will never forget. I wonder in years to come, how the children will remember this time and how it will have influenced and shaped them – positively or negatively… One thing is for sure – this generation of children will all know how to wash their hands very well!
I think we have all learnt so much…. about ourselves as individuals, but also as a group and as a community of Australians. I for one, feel very blessed to be living in Australia right now through this difficult time in the world.
I wish you all a very happy, healthy and restful holiday. We will see you all back at Pre-school on Tuesday 21 July 2020.
Happy Birthday
This week we celebrated birthdays with the following children and educators: Abby Arnott (4), Evan Cohen (4), Penny Gomer (4) and our special educator Heather Marshall. We hope you all had a wonderful day.
