Playcentre Education Update
Well done to all of our ākonga | students participating in the Playcentre Education programme. Our end of August report indicated that participation this year is up to 30% higher than we anticipated – some of this will be a bounceback from lower numbers during last year’s lockdown, however even so it is exciting to see the enthusiasm for participating in the programme. Remember that we are unable to run face-to-face workshops in Levels 3 and 4 however you are still able to enrol in online modules. Some modules include mahi that needs to be done at your centre and we realise that you can’t currently do that mahi, however persevere as best you can and you can catch up on the practical side when centres are open again.
Education team announcement
By mid-September, the education team will have all phase 2 positions filled. We welcome Louise Albert to the Education Lead role from 13 Sep and Chrissie Sundstrum to the Education Assistant role. Louise has a long history in Playcentre and ECE, starting her Playcentre journey at Kaiaua Miranda Playcentre before moving to River Downs Playcentre in Hamilton when her now teenagers were small. Louise has since worked in leadership roles in the wider ECE sector and has completed qualifications in adult teaching, mātauranga Māori and most recently a Master in Specialist Teaching. Louise will be working from home in the Waikato. Chrissie has joined the team as the Education Assistant, organising workshops for the Lower North, Upper South and Lower South regions. Chrissie is currently a parent and Session Facilitator at Rolleston Playcentre (Christchurch). She also bring experience in mentoring and lecturing in the ECE sector. Lockdown has somewhat hampered Chrissie’s induction however we hope to have her fully on board soon.
Changes in processes
With the phase 2 appointments complete, the education team is shifting from a regional structure to a national structure. Please see the updated communication pathway for more details of whom to contact. We will contact current students directly with more information about what this means to you however please note that all assessments from face-to-face workshops are now to be emailed to [email protected] rather than regional email addresses. We know a few students have been caught up in the transition of processes and I apologise if you were impacted. If you have recently contacted a regional education address and have not had a reply, please check the updated communication pathway (link to pathway) and try again. We are still checking the old email addresses however we don’t want to miss anything you have sent. I would also like to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of Mary, Barbara, Haley, Marianne and Glenda for keeping education processes ticking along during the long and challenging transition so far. Your efforts are noticed and appreciated.
Hope everyone is staying well and enjoying the extra time with your whānau.