CEO Report

CEO: Samantha Kolasa

In Term 3 at Glen Education, the teachers and educators have explored with your children what it means to be a part of a ‘community.’ After years of enduring the pandemic, as adults, we can all understand the benefits that community connectedness brings. The ability to see family members and friends; to play sport or attend the local library; go shopping or to church……these are all things we missed out on over the last few years, and many of us struggled with isolation and loneliness.

For children, belonging to their community is no different. When children engage with their community, it creates a sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves. Community connections also promotes a positive sense of identity through the interactions they have with others while developing social and other skills.

From a very young age, children seek out connections with their families, communities, culture, and place. This helps your child to build resilience, broaden their understanding of the world and allows them to be present, engaged and their authentic selves.

Belonging to a community and being exposed to other adults and families also helps children to see that not all families are the same. This gives your child a sense that there are lots of different values, celebrations, beliefs, routines, and ideas in the world. It is also important for children that they know that in times of stress, there are others they can rely on. 

At Glen Education, we encourage all of our children to become active members of their community. Being familiar with the local neighbourhood can help your child feel that it is a safe and friendly place. When you’re walking or riding bikes around your local streets, just saying hello or waving to your neighbours can create a sense of belonging and security for children.

Over the school holidays, I hope you all continued building your connections with community. A visit to a grandparent’s house, having friends over for a play date, or even an outing to the local shops all helps in developing a child’s connection to the world around them whilst building resilience and a sense of self.