ELC Hat Ceremony
The Hat Ceremony is a cherished and meaningful tradition at St Peter’s Girls’ School. It is an important milestone for our Pathway to School children as they prepare to transition into Reception. Embedded in intentional practices designed to ensure a smooth transition into the Junior School, this event reflects the unwavering dedication of our ELC staff and leadership, the Reception teaching team, and the collaborative leadership between the ELC and Junior School.
Throughout the year, our Pathway to School children have engaged in thoughtful preparations, including transition visits to the Junior School. These experiences have allowed them to build familiarity with their new environment and form connections with key staff. The Hat Ceremony is the culmination of these efforts, symbolising the end of their journey in the ELC and the beginning of their formal schooling.
Receiving their School hat and bag from Ms Marika Taylor, Head of the Junior School, was a proud and emotional moment for all, honouring the growth and achievements of each child during their time in the ELC. Led across the stage by our Prefects, the children eagerly embraced this special connection with the older girls, who served as inspiring role models during this significant milestone.
While we are naturally sad to bid farewell to the children and families leaving the ELC, we are filled with excitement and confidence for their next chapter in Reception. We know that the strong foundation built during their time in the ELC will support their continued success as learners and members of the St Peter’s Girls’ community.
We wish the children all the best as they take this significant step, and we look forward to seeing the wonderful contributions they will make in the years to come.
Liz Schembri
Director of Early Learners’ Centre
ELC End of Year Celebration
Last Friday, our Early Learning Centre community came together to celebrate the end of a wonderful and enriching year. This much-anticipated event brought families, children, and staff together in the spirit of joy, connection, and reflection on the year that has passed.
The celebration began with a truly magical performance in the Jeffreys Linn Arts Centre, where our youngest learners from Learning Communities 1 and 2 courageously took to the stage. Guided by our music teacher Nicola Black, the children sang and danced their hearts out to a selection of festive Christmas carols, filling the room with holiday cheer and a palpable sense of pride. Their weeks of dedicated practice during Term 4, learning not just melodies but also coordinating dance moves, culminated in a performance that left the audience beaming with admiration and joy.
Following the performance, families spilled onto the lawns for a relaxed and fun-filled picnic. The atmosphere was alive with laughter, conversation, and a shared sense of belonging as everyone enjoyed the warm weather, delicious food, and the company of our incredible ELC community.
Events like these don’t come together without immense effort, and we’d like to take a moment to celebrate the tireless dedication of our teaching staff and co-educators. From planning and preparing with the children to creating an environment that allowed their confidence to shine on stage, their commitment has been nothing short of extraordinary.
The End of Year Celebration truly reflected the heart of our ELC: a place where belonging and well-being thrive, shaped by the contributions of all. Thank you to every family who joined us to make this event so special.
From all of us at the ELC, we wish you a joyful and safe holiday season, and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year! Merry Christmas!
News from Learning Community 1
“Nothing without joy” – Loris Malaguzzi
As we come to the end of Term 4, we have taken some time out of a busy last week to ensure we reflect on the wonderful year that was. We pride ourselves by being anchored by our ELC values of optimism and open-mindedness, learning side-by-side with our families and children. Through our units of inquiry across the year, the children have grown, learnt, and developed both as individuals and as a community of learners, developing fundamental skills and knowledge, and forming connections with educators and peers.
This term we have explored our central idea, Celebrations strengthen our connections with each other and the world around us. Providing opportunities for children to explore different cultural celebrations and to ignite creativity and imagination as we reused materials to sustain play, tell stories and create visual artworks. By enacting these sustainable practices, the children have begun to recognise that taking an active role in sorting, reusing, and repurposing can reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.
Thank you to each one of our families who have been part of our Learning Community this year. We place such emphasis on the development of relationships and have been honoured to work in partnership with you all as your children grow and learn with us. For those children and families transitioning out of Learning Community 1 next year, we wish you all the best for the next stage of your educational journey. For those remaining with us, we look forward to continuing our journey together in the new year. Best wishes to you all for a safe and happy festive season.
Nell Tierney
Learning Community 1 Teacher
News from Learning Community 2
As the year comes to an end, we have been reflecting on the rich and meaningful learning that has occurred across the year. This term’s inquiry into celebrations has especially allowed the children to reflect meaningfully on their learning, with opportunities to look back on their learning in their portfolios. It has been wonderful to listen to the children reflect fondly on their most cherished memories and moments from across the year.
At St Peter’s Girls’ ELC, our practice is deeply underpinned by the Reggio Emilia approach, which nurtures children’s creativity. Children are equipped with extraordinary potential for learning which we support by providing opportunities for children to test, experiment, play, manipulate, build and create. We encourage them in constructing their knowledge and creative processes which support their lifelong journey of learning.
As teachers it has been truly warming to witness the children encounter their learning spaces and environment with purpose and determination. What could have caused disruption and uncertainty during the first term with the ELC undergoing renovations turned into deep moments of learning with the children displaying great adaptability and flexibility as learners.
Along the way we have shared many special moments including visits to Ferguson Park, inviting our Mums, Dads and treasured friends into ELC, a firetruck visit from Ned Duffy’s dad and the official opening of our new Learning Community 2 space.
To wrap up our year, the children explored the significance of a celebration, sharing their perspectives and experiences and engaging with one another, strengthening their connections both with their peers and the world around them. Our Hat Ceremony and Pathway to School Crown Ceremony were beautiful moments for children to come together and celebrate the end of their ELC journey before they transition to school.
Thank you to our ELC families for being a part of your child’s learning journey at ELC. From birth, children are connected to family, communities, culture and place. Their earliest learning, development and wellbeing takes place through these relationships, particularly within families who are children’s first and most influential educators. It has been a pleasure being part of your child’s learning journey and we wish those moving on every success. For the Erindale and Pathway Ferguson children returning next year, we wish you a safe and happy holiday.
Tori McDonnell
Pathway Hallett Teacher
Important Upcoming Dates
December 9 to 20: ELC Vacation Care commences
ELC will be closed from Monday 23 December 2024 until Friday 3 January 2025. The Centre will reopen on Monday 6 January 2025.