FERNHILL PRESCHOOL

Teacher

Donna Kenny

I am one of the four year old teachers at Fernhill Preschool, where I teach a rotating group, four sessions per week. I started teaching at Fernhill Pre-school in June 2015 after many years teaching at Upwey Preschool and for Monash City Council. My qualifications include Bachelor of Arts (Early Childhood Education), First Aid Level 2, Asthma management, Allergy, Anaphylaxis and Epipen™ administration. I am a mother to three children. I love working at Fernhill Preschool and enjoy seeing the strong sense of community. I believe it is important to offer a rich learning environment where children have endless opportunities to learn, grow and develop based on their interests and strengths. Some of the key activities we’re proud of at Fernhill include learning through play with:

• A strong connection with the local community (CFA visit, local schools, Futsal soccer)
• Fortnightly visits from Eastern Regional Library Service
• A strong focus on sustainability (water tank, vegetable garden, fruit trees, worm farm) and physical
• Emphasis on parent involvement at a variety of levels at kinder

Educator

Belinda Giblett

I’ve been at Fernhill Preschool since 2012, however I have been actively involved in the preschool since 2010 through my own children’s kindergarten experiences. My passions lie with music, drama, literature and observing the children making spontaneous discoveries through exploring the world around them. I have worked in Children’s Services for the past 22 years, in a variety of settings. I look forward to getting to know you, your family and your child through educating and guiding their first step on their educational ladder.

Educator

Kirrily Wyatt

Educator

Mandy Harrop

Starting in childcare in 1988, I have been an educator in the local community. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do since leaving school. From childcare, I moved on to Family Day Care whilst raising my family and I have been with Yarra Ranges Kindergartens since 2004, starting at Warburton Preschool and moving on to Launching Place Preschool. The educator’s job is an important one and I consider it to be the most rewarding job I have held.

I really am one of the few people who can attest to genuinely loving my job watching the children and their families learn, develop and grow. This, to me, is satisfying, fun and fulfilling. Each of these children and their families are unique and diverse, which helps to create a vibrant learning environment for all of us, not just the children. It is also rewarding for me when I rekindle relationships with parents I previously had the pleasure of teaching when they were young as they enrol their own children at kinder.

Having lived and worked in the Upper Yarra region all my life, I love bumping into families out of work and responding to a little voice, (sometimes a much older voice!), “Hi Mandy!”; that’s so nice. Kinders have come a long way in regards to educating children, preparing them for school and giving them skills to help further develop each child. Kinder is fun, dynamic and rewarding for the children and their families; it’s all that for me too, so thank you for allowing me to play a small part in your child’s education.