Welcome to Term 4! It is always so wonderful to see all our families return after a three-week break. It is a long time in a young person’s life and, as a staff, we see so many changes in this period. Just like with spring’s arrival, the children’s arrival back into the centre was full of excitement and energy, reconnecting with friends and educators, magical spring walks, and experiencing some surprises, like flooding in the centre after heavy rains!
Term 4 brings with it lots to look forward to, with many new events and experiences for the children as they prepare for transitions to school or to their new kindergarten rooms for 2023. We are also excited to be having our nativity plays back again live at the end of the year. While we have lots to look forward to and plan with the children, it is also important and a great opportunity to be able to reflect. Over the holiday break I was very conscious of being fully in the moment of whatever it was I was doing, being present and being able to enjoy the experience. For me, that involved lots of beach walks, catch up with friends and time to slow down a little.
Children are much better at being in the moment and being present than adults, their sense of time is not yet well developed, and we can learn much from them. This term for all of us should be about being in the moment, savouring these times. Often our life is so fast paced that we are already thinking hours or days or even months ahead of the actual time we are really in, and children really feel this. Certainly, holidays and different routines give us the opportunity to reflect and do this better and more consciously.
All the children have grown and developed in so many ways, from the baby who is now crawling, the toddler toilet training, to the kindergarten children whose language and social skills have blossomed, as well as their capacity to see another’s perspective – not to mention how much they have all grown physically. We should really take the opportunity to reflect with them on their journey, which is clearly different for every child. We often see a much greater use of the learning journals by the children in this term as they use them to reflect and chat with their friends about the journey.
Please take the time to enjoy this term with all the different events. For many of you, it will be a lot of lasts as your child finishes their early childhood journey – the marking of the end of a chapter in your and your family’s life. Enjoy it.
Wendy Seidler
Director of ELC Kew
