Glen Education Edithvale
A Community That Grows Together
By Rachel Fallon, Early Childhood Educator
At Glen Edithvale Kindergarten, we affectionately say we’re a small country town in the suburbs - a beautiful, deeply connected community where families have watched each other grow and where neighbours chat over the fence. Our kindergarten sits at the centre of this closeness. Each day we’re visited by past students as they drop off younger siblings, cousins, or neighbours. They walk through our doors thrilled to be back at “kinder” eager to tell educators all their news and explore what’s new in the room before being hustled out by parents. This ongoing connection across years and generations (we even have a grandparent who went to Edithvale Kindergarten!) reflects the strong sense of belonging that makes Edithvale and Glen Edithvale Kindergarten such a special community.
We continue to strengthen our connection with Edithvale Primary School, building familiarity and confidence for children as they approach their foundation year. Throughout the year, we participate in several walking excursions to the school, where we are warmly welcomed by the foundation team. They generously host our groups for “play and stay” sessions, giving our kindergarten children the chance to engage in shared activities with current foundation students. These experiences help build early friendships and spark excitement about their future school community.
As the children explore the playground, finding new spaces to climb, run, and imagine they begin to recognise the faces and places that will soon feel like their own.
Building on our community walks, we also visited the Edithvale General Store to celebrate the end of Term Three with babycinos. The “Edi General Store” is another much-loved community hub, and many of the children refer to it as “my general store.” It’s a familiar place filled with familiar faces, giving children yet another opportunity to feel connected to their local community. The staff know some of the children by name, and during our visit we even spotted a few parents featured on the regulars’ photo wall! Experiences like these continue to strengthen our ties with our wonderful “small town in the ’burbs” community.
Our community connections continue to grow in meaningful and everyday ways. On our local walks, the children love stopping to chat with the postman, asking questions and learning about how letters travel through our neighbourhood. This interest has blossomed into a wonderful pen-pal relationship with Glen Chelsea Kindergarten. The children are eager to write letters, draw pictures, and ask their new friends thoughtful questions about how their kinder is the same as ours—or different. Through this exchange, they develop early literacy skills in a purposeful and engaging way, proudly sharing their writing and excitedly waiting for replies. These experiences help the children see themselves as active participants in their community, building communication, curiosity, and connection beyond the walls of our kindergarten.
Our community connection continues to grow and expand, and we can’t wait to continue to find more ways to engage with our community in the coming years. We are so proud to be part of such a wonderful community - our small country town in the suburbs.
