Directors Diary

 

 

 

Welcome to Term 3

A very warm welcome back to Term 3! Many families have been off on holidays to warmer environments, we hope you all enjoyed some special time together and have settled back into the routines of a new term.

Winter has certainly kept many of us on our toes, with coughs, colds and other illnesses making their way through our community. We’ve seen quite a number of children and educators unwell, and for many, recovery has taken a little longer than expected. We would like to sincerely thank our families for keeping children at home when they are unwell and allowing them the time they need to fully recover before returning to the centre. We know this isn’t always easy, but your support plays such an important role in helping to reduce the spread of illness and keeping our children, families and educators as healthy as possible.

Despite the winter bugs, there is so much to look forward to this term. Our educators have been busy planning exciting learning experiences, projects and events, and we can’t wait to share them with you over the coming weeks.

Thank you to all the families who have taken the time to participate in our Parent-Teacher Interviews. These conversations are such an important part of building strong partnerships between home and the centre. Hearing about your child’s interests, experiences and achievements at home helps us better understand what makes them unique and allows us to create learning experiences that truly reflect their strengths, interests and individual needs.

We are also thrilled to have expanded our Beach Discovery program this term to include our Bandicoot and Platypus groups. The children have embraced this new adventure with enthusiasm, curiosity and confidence, and it has been wonderful to see the rich learning that is already taking place. From exploring the natural environment and developing confidence in new settings to asking thoughtful questions and working together with their peers, the children are already creating some wonderful memories. We look forward to sharing more of their Beach Discovery adventures with you throughout the term.

Our Birthday

On 10 August, we celebrate another birthday for Ada Mary A’Beckett Children’s Centre —a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the remarkable history of our centre and the community it has served for generations.

Timeline of Ada Mary A’Beckett Children’s Centre

• 1942 – Ada Mary à Beckett helped launch a major fundraising campaign to establish a kindergarten for families in the Fisherman’s Bend community.
• 1944 – The kindergarten was established to support women employed in the Fisherman’s Bend munitions factories during World War II.
• 1949 – The kindergarten moved to its current Cumberland Road/Batman Road site.
• 1975 – The original building was destroyed by fire.
• 1975–1977 – The kindergarten temporarily operated from the Seamen’s Mission Chapel on Beach Road.
• 1977 – The current building was constructed as a double-unit kindergarten.
• 1996–1998 – The centre was transformed to provide long day care. Following a two-year closure, Ada Mary reopened on 10 August 1998 as a 56-place community-managed long day care service.
• Early 2000s – The first major redevelopment increased capacity to 72 places.
• 2005–2007 – Significant investment in outdoor learning environments and a $1.6 million redevelopment doubled the size of the building, creating the six-room service. This expansion increased capacity to 142 places, which remains the approved capacity today.
• 2009–2012 – Further redevelopment of the kindergarten and preschool yards created the expansive natural outdoor environments that remain a hallmark of the centre.
• Today – Ada Mary continues to operate as an independent, community-managed not-for-profit children’s centre with 142 approved places and an Exceeding National Quality Standard rating.

Who was Ada Mary à Beckett?

Ada Mary à Beckett (1872–1948) was one of Australia’s pioneers of early childhood education. She was:

• a scientist and the first woman appointed as a lecturer at the University of Melbourne;
• a founder and long-serving president of the Free Kindergarten Union of Victoria;
• instrumental in establishing the Kindergarten Training College in Kew;
• founder of the Australian Association for Pre-School Child Development; and
• awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1935 for her services to education

It is also special to acknowledge the people who have been part of this journey from the beginning, with both myself and Lynette having proudly served Ada Mary since its reopening in 1998.  And  a host of other educators and Kirsty notching up 15 to 20 years service.

We are incredibly proud of our history and grateful to the generations of children, families, educators and volunteers who have helped shape Ada Mary into the thriving community it is today.

Staffing Update

Sadly we farewell two long-standing and highly valued members of the Ada Mary team.

After almost 10 years with Ada Mary, Chloe finished with us on 1 July to commence the final full-time placement of her Social Work degree. Over the past six years, Chloe has worked incredibly hard balancing employment with her studies, and we are immensely proud of everything she has achieved. We sincerely thank Chloe for the warmth, care and dedication she has shown to the children, families and her colleagues over the past decade and wish her every success as she begins the next stage of her career.

We have also sadly received the resignation of Ashley Maginness, who has been a valued member of our team for just over 12 years, spending much of that time caring for our youngest children in the Under 2 rooms.

Ash has accepted a position closer to home, allowing her to significantly reduce her commute and spend more time supporting her young nephews following the loss of her sister a few years ago. While we will certainly miss the warmth, experience and commitment Ash has brought to Ada Mary over many years, we completely understand and support her decision. Ashley’s final day with us will be 14 August.

On behalf of the Committee, staff, children and families, we thank both Chloe and Ash for their outstanding contribution to Ada Mary and wish them every happiness and success in the future.

We have welcomed new educators to the team recently:  Carissa, Krysty, Alexandra and Jade.  They are all featured in the newsletter, so you can get to know a bit more about them.  They are all very excited to commence their new roles and get to know you and your children better over the coming term.

 

New summative Assessments

We have successfully introduced our new summative assessments bringing important changes to the way families receive updates about their child’s learning and development. As with any major change, there have been opportunities to refine our processes along the way, but overall the transition has been very positive. We appreciate the patience and feedback from families as everyone becomes familiar with the new way of reporting.

Kinder 3 Bathroom Renovation

A special acknowledgement goes to our Kinder 3 educators for their patience and flexibility throughout the ongoing bathroom renovation.

Unfortunately, the project has experienced a number of delays and is now many weeks behind schedule, with further work still to be completed. While the disruption has been challenging, I have been working closely with Council to ensure the renovation is completed to the standard our children, educators and families deserve. Although resolving the remaining issues has taken additional time, I am confident the finished project will provide a much-improved space for our children for many years to come.

Ada Mary Selected to Showcase at the 2026 ECA National Conference

We are delighted to share that Ada Mary A’Beckett Children’s Centre has been officially selected as part of the 2026 Early Childhood Australia (ECA) National Conference, to be held in Melbourne from 30 September to 3 October.

Our service has been chosen as the first destination on Service Tour 3 – “Creating Environments for Curious Learners.” Conference delegates from across Australia will visit Ada Mary to experience our learning environment firsthand. During their visit, participants will join our Preschool and Kinder 3 children and educators at the beach to experience our long-standing Beach Discovery Program, before returning to the centre for a guided tour of our learning environments and outdoor spaces.

The conference describes Ada Mary as:

“A community connected early learning service that values children as capable, curious and active participants in their world. Learning is shaped through relationships, place and meaningful experiences, with a curriculum grounded in respectful, strengths-based practice and a commitment to wellbeing, inclusion and citizenship. Through play, inquiry and intentional teaching, children develop a strong sense of identity, belonging and agency. Place-based learning, including the long-standing Beach Discovery Program, supports children to build deep connections with their local environment and community.”

Being invited to showcase our service alongside other outstanding early learning settings is a significant professional recognition. It reflects the dedication, expertise and passion of our entire team and highlights the high-quality learning experiences we provide for children every day. We are incredibly proud to represent our community and look forward to welcoming delegates to Ada Mary.

As always, thank you for being such an important part of our Ada Mary community. We are excited for the term ahead and look forward to another wonderful season of learning, discovery and growth together.