Reconciliation Week Gathering in Ferguson Conservation Park
A break in the clouds bathed our Reconciliation Week celebrations in sunlight, as our community came together in a powerful display of unity and reflection. Gathered on the Stonyfell Deck, overlooking the beautiful Ferguson Conservation Park, children, families and educators stood side by side to look with hope toward a more reconciled future. Guided by this year’s theme, Bridging Now to Next, we were invited to reflect on our shared history, embrace our collective responsibilities, and strengthen the enduring connection between past, present, and future. We are grateful to all the families who joined us in this meaningful moment, reinforcing our commitment to reconciliation through understanding, respect, and relationship.
We were honoured to welcome Uncle Mickey O’Brien to lead us in a Welcome to Country. Uncle Mickey’s presence brought a profound sense of cultural connection and meaning to our gathering. Through storytelling, he shared powerful messages that spoke to the spirit of reconciliation, encouraging us to truly listen to the voices of children and young people and to recognise the value of their contributions in shaping our shared journey forward.
It was a joy to have Kendall Fitzgerald return to St Peter’s Girls’ School to mark this special event with us. Her ongoing relationship with our ELC continues to enrich our community and we are grateful for her presence.
Although the weather prevented us from walking through Ferguson Conservation Park, we were able to engage in some storytelling. In Learning Community 1, children engaged with the story Tiddalick the Frog, shared by Ms Nell Tierney using puppets to bring the tale to life. This Dreaming story prompted rich discussions and supported children in exploring concepts of responsibility, fairness, and respect for Country.
Meanwhile, in Learning Community 2, children listened to Somebody’s Land by Adam Goodes and Ellie Laing, read by Ms Laura Doval Cifre. Somebody’s Land is a story that beautifully captures the spirit of reconciliation.
Reconciliation is a journey we are all part of. In the early years, this begins with nurturing a sense of belonging, respect, and connection to Country and community. Through storytelling, meaningful engagement, and shared reflection, our children are developing the foundations for empathy, inclusion, and social responsibility.
Liz Schembri
Director of Early Learners’ Centre
News from Learning Community 2
There is much excitement across the ELC as some changes will soon be made to our outdoor environment. The conscious decision has been made to bring our children and their creative ideas along on this process of design, so that the upgraded facilities are practical, inspiring and reflect children’s voices and needs.
Upon hearing about the opportunity to help design and reimagine our new outdoor spaces, the children have enjoyed sharing their many ideas through the graphic language. They have been encouraged to think about some new pieces of play equipment, structures, and areas that they would like to see reimagined. The children have used their creativity to convey their ideas about possible new spaces, collaborating and sharing ideas amongst the learning community.
The children are excited to share their ideas with our ELC Director Mrs Schembri, ensuring that their voices are represented in the final process of decision making. Opportunities to involve children in decision making is a vital part of the Reggio Emilia Approach, which views children as rationale and active citizens within our community, capable of making their own decisions.
When deciding which ideas to choose, democratic rituals have been introduced across the learning community to enable children to have authentic opportunities to express their voice. The Pathway children have practiced this by using voting as a tool to convey their preference for different things each day.
Participating in these democratic rituals have enabled children to further develop their understanding of what fairness is and become aware of other people’s preferences within their community. Often children had to navigate the feeling of disappointment when their vote didn’t ‘win’ which provided further opportunities for their social and emotional growth.
Collating and analysing the data from the votes also provided the children with opportunities to extend their numeracy awareness through counting, exploring different forms of graphs and number representation.
Below are children’s suggestions:
“A wobbly string you can balance on” – Elena C
“A play gym” – Cora
“A chicken garden” and a “cubby house” – Alyssa
“A swing” to “take turns on the swing”. “I want trees. Normal trees, the leaves would look like diamonds” and “a frog pond” – Annie
“A tap for water” and “a swing”. “Monkey bars. The people could balance on there. Everyone can climb up there, the children and teachers” – Stella
“A swing. Two swings in the playground. It needs grass” and “a flower garden” – Sam
“A different mud kitchen with napkins and spoons” – Sienna
“A table, not for eating, for jumping. A bouncy table, a trampoline. There’s a cover around it. I can do two ladders. We can take turns” – Elena Z
“We could have a big wooden snake to balance on and walk in” and “a wardli” – Charlie S
“A slide” and “shovels in the mud kitchen” – Olivia
“A garden that’s green” – Ella
Erindale Teaching and Learning Evening
Please join us on Tuesday 10 June at 6.30pm for the Erindale Teaching and Learning Evening at the ELC.
To support your child’s transition into our Erindale room in Semester 2, we will be holding an information session. This is an opportunity for you to meet Mrs Laura Doval Cifre, the Erindale teacher, as well as some of our Learning Community 2 staff.
During this session, you will visit the learning environment that your child will be transitioning into and gain insights into the daily rituals.
Laura will share how you child’s growing independence and development is nurtured and the rich opportunities for learning that are offered. We look forward to working in partnership with you to support your child to thrive and reach their full potential.
As this is a formal presentation, we recommend parents/guardians only attend this event.
Tuesday 10 June
6.30pm, St Peter’s Girls’ ELC
Meet in the Erindale room
*Please note: This information session is for families whose children will be transitioning from Learning Community 1 to Learning Community 2 (Erindale room).
Learning Community 1 Transition Celebration
Join us to Celebrate!
To ELC Families,
This invitation is for families whose children will be transitioning from Learning Community 1 to Learning Community 2 (Erindale Room) in Term 3, 2025.
You are invited to the LC1 Transition Celebration. This special event marks the beginning of an exciting journey to Learning Community 2, Erindale Room.
During this celebration, the children will receive their portfolios, their end of semester summaries, and a special gift.
Please help us celebrate on Tuesday 24 June, 2pm, in the ELC Piazza.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Learning Community 2 Transition Celebration
To ELC Families,
This invitation is for families whose children will be transitioning from Learning Community 2 to School in 2025.
You are invited to the LC2 Transition Ceremony. This special event celebrates our Pathway Hallett and Ferguson friends transitioning to school.
During this celebration, the children will receive their handmade graduation crown, their portfolios, and their end of semester summaries.
Please help us celebrate on Thursday 26 June, 2pm, in the St Peter’s Girls’ School Chapel.
We hope to see you there.