learning
“Childhood is a time to Be, to seek and make meaning of the world”-EYLF
Our program
Our program is closely guided by the National Quality Frameworks (NQF) and the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) and is based on our core values of having high expectations of children. We believe they can succeed to become respectful citizens, develop enquiring minds and have a healthy self-identity
Using the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF), our educators embed a sense of Being, Belonging & Becoming into the learning program, helping children feel connected and a part of their world around them.
With Judaism at the core of everything we do, we take pride in providing an integrated general and Jewish studies program reflecting the heritage and culture of our centre community.
jewish learning
Our Jewish learning program centres primarily around the Jewish Calendar and supports the religious and cultural diversity within our parent body.
jewish values
We teach and promote a love of Judaism and Jewish values through interactive songs, stories, arts and role-plays our emphasis on the Jewish values of honouring parents, charity (tzedakah) being kind to friends and living creatures bring a real passion for Judaism back into their own homes.
Shabbos party
Our Shabbos parties are a much-loved feature of the Gillys experience. We bake challah to Erev Shabbos cooking and the highlight during the year our parents are invited to a very special Shabbos celebration.
Festivals
At Gilly’s we incorporate the Jewish festivals into our general programming through songs, arts, special events, cooking, role plays and interactive hands-on activities.
Hebrew
Our Hebrew speaking teachers are encouraged to use the Hebrew language as part of their everyday interactions with children so they can become familiar with it
our pets
Our pets are an integral feature of our centre and provide wonderful informal learning moments. Caring for our animals, observing their behaviours or just making friends are are part of our everyday experience at
incursions
Our incursions range from The Sukkah boys to the World of musical instruments, the bee man, a fire truck, vets, bus, florist, and residential aged care visitors.
garden to kitchen
Our Garden to Kitchen program encourages children to take care of natural
We include
sportsbuzz
The Sportzbuzz weekly classes aim to hook kids into being active at an early age. Their instructors make use of innovative equipment and activities that encourage good listening, following directions, eye-hand coordination and gross motor skills in fun imaginative ways.
music
Mini Rockers brings a high energy musical program to Gillys focussing on movement, creativity and fun. Classes incorporate predictable structure with Jewish and secular music but each and every week is a new class with different props, songs and sensory activities
Yoga
Our in-house Yoga and mindfulness programs help develop a
multicultural awareness
We acknowledge and appreciate that we live in a multicultural society. We foster positive attitudes towards people from all backgrounds by including events in the Gillys calendar such as Chinese New Year and other significant cultural events such as Naidoc to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
resources
With years of love dedicated to our centre, we have built up a very enviable collection of quality unique resources, many of which have been
We also focus on using nature-inspired, open-ended resources which encourage problem-solving, creativity and physical and fine motor skill development.