Last Friday, as our Year 12s made their final walk through Wilderness, our ELC girls lined the path to farewell them. Seeing our youngest and oldest girls together, I could not help thinking about the years in between and the many people and experiences that will shape each girl’s time at our School.

Term 4 always feels a little emotional. As our educators complete their projects, prepare our ELC Keepsake and write reports, we have the opportunity to reflect on each girl’s growth and the unique contribution she has made to our community.

Meanwhile, the girls remain happily absorbed in their play, friendships and discoveries. They are in no particular hurry to move on, simply enjoying being three, four or five years old.

It brings me back to Belonging, Being and Becoming, the three ideas at the heart of the Early Years Learning Framework that guides our work in the ELC. Belonging and Becoming are about relationships and growth. Being is about childhood as a time to be enjoyed in its own right, not just as preparation for what comes next.

At this time of year, we are naturally drawn towards Becoming. As parents and educators, we focus on progress, readiness and what comes next. These things matter, of course they do. But Friday’s farewell reminded me just how much lies ahead for our girls, and how important it is to appreciate this little moment in their childhood too.

As we approach our transitions and the ELC Christmas Concert and Graduation, I hope we can share the excitement of what is to come while also making time to simply enjoy who each girl is right now. There is so much to look forward to and already so much to be proud of.