Glen Education Sacred Heart

Strengthening Relationships within out Local Community

Janine Bird, Early Childhood Teacher 

At Glen Education Sacred Heart Kindergarten, we are continuously evolving and reflecting on the way we can make meaningful connections. Our kindergarten works to make meaningful connections not only with our children and families, but also within Sacred Heart Primary School, which we share an outdoor play space, and in the wider Oakleigh and surrounding community.

 At Glen Education Sacred Heart Kindergarten, we strive to build each child’s confidence through fostering their communication and listening skills. We very much care about the wellbeing and development of all the children and through our play-based curriculum we take every opportunity to transfer our own knowledge and life experience to provide rich learning experiences. We believe that each child’s family is unique and should be celebrated, and for this reason we have commenced regular Family Celebration mornings. These sessions provide families with an opportunity to stay and play either at the beginning of a session or at the end. We have observed that in our community, family can have many different ways of being. We have been able to welcome parents, grandparents, neighbours or friends into our kindergarten to explore and play alongside the children. Not only does this encourage rich play opportunities, but it also allows intergenerational relationships to flourish.

We are passionate in supporting the families and children at the service and strive to make them feel welcome and comfortable each time they visit. We invite families to share their own ideas and cultural backgrounds as part of our program. We communicate with our families via email, and through visual reflections in our weekly program book, and encourage our families to discuss any issues with us or whenever they need any help.

At Glen Education Sacred Heart, we are blessed to be surrounded by the primary school, with the Prep children situated just across the hallway from our kindergarten room. This year we have been invited in on numerous occasions to watch concert practices, listen to show and tell, and to attend the Book Week Parade alongside the whole school. We even had our own chance to walk around while everyone clapped and cheered. 

This year we have also spent time in the Atrium, the room that connects our kindergarten room to the Prep classroom. In the Atrium we have watched the chickens hatch from their eggs as part of the Lifecycles unit of enquiry that the Prep’s were engaged in.  All of these rich life experiences provide opportunities for our children to make a positive and smooth transition to any school environment.