REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL
LINDFIELD NEWSLETTER 25th
Principal’s Message
November 2022
By Christine Irwin
Dear Parents, As we hastily approach the end of the year you may observe the children at Reddam Lindfield undertaking experiences to celebrate Christmas and designing gifts for their families. We as a teamreflect on the community of children and their families and ensure that we involve all children in the discussions of Christmas on what that means for different individuals, families and cultural groups. It is important as a team that we provide ongoing experiences that encourage children’s development whilst spiriting their interests in ongoing projects within their classrooms. We are very blessed as our team at Lindfield is a melting pot of so many cultures and the sharing of information about the cultures of our educators adds to our program and the experiences of the children. Some of our classes are also incorporating different abilities into their songs and groups times with the children practicing singing songs in Auslan (sign language for the hearing impaired) “The incorporation of celebrations into children’s services programs can be an enriching experience for children, educators and families. If incorporated in a sensitive and respectful manner, celebrations can provide an opportunity for children to develop respect for diverse values and beliefs as they learn about practices which are different to their own.” - Inclusion and professional support program Christmas has different meanings to many, and the team provide opportunities for individual children to design their own learning without the pressure of having to complete Christmas craft or Christmas experiences. The team, more importantly, is mindful of incorporating the meaning of Christmas and the values of our school are incorporated into the program objective during the coming weeks such as - caring for others. - showing empathy - the importance of giving - sharing with others - understanding of other cultures and values - Including everyone - Love for our family and friends “The Early Years Learning Framework encourages educators to think about how they authentically embed culture into environments, practices and programs, describing cultural competence as being “much more than awareness of differences. It is the ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures. When educators look at how they work with children and families, as guided by the Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics, they are guided to learn about, respect and respond to the uniqueness of each family, their circumstances, culture, family structure, customs, language, beliefs and kinship systems.” -,Kidsoft .com.au 2020 The Christmas Conundrum)