Celebrating Learning in Collaboration
At St Peter’s Girls’ School Early Learners’ Centre, we understand that learning flourishes through connection, when ideas are shared, questions are explored together, and understanding grows as a community. Our collaborative and inquiry-based approach honours the belief that children construct knowledge through relationships and shared experiences. Through MyLink, our online parent portal, families can access a dedicated Canvas ELC Home Page that brings this learning to life, offering insight into the ways children think, explore, and make meaning alongside others.
The documentation shared through Canvas and our eNews reveals the vibrancy of group inquiry and the conversations, relationships, and moments of discovery that shape our learning community. Alongside this, each child’s portfolio provides a more personal perspective: a space where their individual voice, curiosities, and achievements are celebrated. Together, these forms of documentation create a rich portrait of learning that honours both the collective and individual journeys of every child.
Portfolios: A Window into Each Child’s Learning Journey
Each child at the ELC has a personalised learning portfolio, a cherished reflection of their growth, inquiry, and creativity across the year. These portfolios tell the story of each child’s learning journey, capturing visible traces of their thinking, problem-solving, and exploration. Through transcripts of conversations, photographs, reflections, and teacher observations, they offer a window into how learning takes shape in meaningful and authentic contexts.
Portfolios are far more than a record of achievement; they are a celebration of belonging, identity, and agency, illustrating each child’s growing sense of self and connection within our learning community. Each portfolio connects to key curriculum frameworks, including the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the South Australian Government Literacy and Numeracy Indicators, while also reflecting our ELC Learning Pillars.
The portfolios support each child’s holistic development across all areas of learning. They reveal how each child’s inquiries are meaningfully connected to our IB PYP units of inquiry, demonstrating the depth and continuity of their thinking. Creativity is evident throughout, a vital way of engaging with the world through curiosity, imagination, and wonder.
Teachers draw upon the portfolios to interpret, assess, and reflect upon learning both individually and as a team, using this insight to shape future possibilities and extend inquiry. For families, the portfolio becomes a meaningful bridge, inviting them to engage with their child’s experiences, share observations from home, and contribute to the evolving story of learning.
Celebration of Learning Week
This week, our ELC has been alive with excitement as families joined us for our Celebrating our Learning Week. This event provides a beautiful opportunity for children to proudly share their portfolios, revisit earlier experiences, and articulate their discoveries. It is a moment of reflection, joy, and connection where learning becomes visible and celebrated.
Through these shared moments, we see the many ways children express their ideas, creativity, and understanding of the world. Together, as children, teachers, and families, we continue to shape a community where learning is visible, relationships are honoured, and curiosity is celebrated as the foundation for lifelong inquiry.
Liz Schembri
Director of Early Learners’ Centre
