Message from Director

As we begin the 2026 school year, our children in the Early Learning Centre have made a wonderfully positive start. The first weeks of term have focused on building strong foundations, supporting children to settle into their new spaces, form trusting relationships with their teachers and peers, and develop a growing sense of belonging within their classrooms. Establishing familiar routines and supporting smooth transitions throughout the day are so important at this stage of learning. Predictable rhythms help our youngest learners feel secure, confident and ready to explore.

Outdoor play has been a particular highlight, with children enthusiastically engaging in imaginative play, collaborative games and hands-on discovery. Time spent outside nurtures curiosity, resilience and social development in authentic and meaningful ways. The children have also loved getting to know Hop the rabbit and our ELC fish, who have quickly become treasured members of our community. Caring for them provides daily opportunities to practise gentle hands, responsibility and empathy, beautiful expressions of our school values of humility, respect and kindness. Even at this early stage of the year, we see aspiration shining through as children challenge themselves, try new experiences and take pride in their achievements.

Across the school, students in all classes have also begun exploring our first SEED inquiry for the year: How do we belong? Through our whole service approach to The SEED Project, learning is child-led and inquiry-based, inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Children are encouraged to share their ideas, wonder aloud, ask questions and co-construct their understanding alongside their peers and teachers.

As students explore what belonging means within their classrooms, friendships, families and the wider community, they are developing a strong sense of identity and connection. It has been heartening to see children supporting one another, including others in play and learning, and demonstrating kindness in everyday interactions.

We are incredibly proud of the confident and caring way our children have begun 2026 and look forward to a year of continued growth, discovery and meaningful learning together.

Katarina Hills

Director of Early Learning Centre

Our Class Promises - Banksia

During mat time, we read Rainbow Fish and discussed the importance of sharing and kindness in our classroom. This led to a conversation about our Banksia Class Promises. As a class, we collaborated and shared ideas about what a promise means to us. It was wonderful to hear every child’s voice as we worked together to create promises that will help make our classroom a happy, safe, and caring place to learn and grow.

In the Banksia’s the children have been also exploring colour, and an exciting moment occurred when one child accidentally created green. This sparked curiosity and became the starting point for our latest provocation. Educators provided the children with opportunities to experiment with colour mixing in a hands-on and meaningful way, encouraging them to explore how different colours combine and transform. The children engaged with enthusiasm, discovering new shades, expressing their creativity, and learning through playful experimentation.

Melissa Manaras

Early Childhood Teacher

Lilly Pillys – Settling In

The Lilly Pilly children are settling in beautifully. They are building relationships and becoming familiar with their routines, educators, and peers. They have sparked an interest in rainbows, and each child had the opportunity to draw their own rainbow, exploring and learning about colours in a fun and creative way. They are also enjoying time outdoors and developing independence in their new environment. It’s wonderful to see their confidence, curiosity, and creativity growing each day!

Melissa Manaras

Early Childhood Teacher

Self Portraits and the Giant Bubble Experience

Self Portraits
Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, this experience symbolises each child’s unique identity. The branch design thoughtfully incorporates Reggio Emilia principles into the program while providing a meaningful way to display the children’s self-portraits, highlighting their individuality and sense of self.
By creating their own designs, carefully selecting and threading beads of their choice onto pipe cleaners. This process provided opportunities for creative expression, independent decision-making, and the development of fine motor skills, while also fostering a sense of ownership and pride in their work.
The children also engaged in a self-portrait experience, exploring concepts of self-expression, identity, and belonging. The use of mirrors supported careful observation and attention to detail, encouraging the children to notice both their unique features and shared characteristics. These portraits represent each child’s developing sense of self. The branch design brings the children together as a group, celebrating both their similarities and their differences, and reinforcing a sense of connection and community.

The ‘Giant Bubble’ Experience
The children participated in a “Giant Bubble” experiment. This experience was designed to intentionally teach children about spatial awareness and understanding what it means to stand too close to others. We used the phrase “You’re popping my bubble” to help reinforce the concept. This experience provided a visual and interactive way for children to understand that everyone has an invisible personal space “bubble” around them and to recognise how it feels when someone stands too close.

Milly Brodie 

Early Childhood Teacher - 3 Year Old

Welcoming Greek to Grevillea class

The Grevilleas were excited to welcome the Greek Program into their classroom and explore the Greek language. Students enjoyed learning new words, practicing their pronunciation, and growing in confidence as young language learners.

They loved saying Kaliméra (Καλημέρα) and singing the Kaliméra Song, discovering the rhythm and sounds of Greek in a fun and engaging way. Students also created their own Kompoloy (Κομπολόι), linking language learning with Greek culture through hands-on creativity.

While learning about Kathará Deftéra (Καθαρά Δευτέρα), students explored the tradition of flying kites to mark the beginning of Lent and were introduced to Kyria Sarakostí (Κυρά Σαρακοστή), who helps count the weeks to Páscha (Πάσχα – Easter).

This connected beautifully to K is for Kindness καλοσύνη (kalosýni) and the HARK values at Oakleigh Grammar. Through words such as Kaliméra, Kompoloy, Kathará Deftéra, Kyria Sarakostí, Páscha and Κalosýni, the Grevilleas are learning language, culture and the importance of kindness. 💙

Stella Minopoulos

ELC Language Teacher