A message from

Stephanie Jackiewicz Early Years

Dentist Visit On 2 November, dentist Sameera from Daycare Dental came to visit the Susan

Teather Early Learning and Development Centre. Sameera began with a

presentation about healthy food, teeth cleaning and mouth hygiene. She left

some play mouths in the room for the children to practice teeth brushing and the

children are now brushing the plush toy’s teeth too! The children that were

booked in for a dental check-up and clean saw Sameera to get their teeth

counted. Everyone did a great job!

17 November 2021

17 November 2021

Diwali Day 4 November 2021 was Diwali, the festival of lights; a symbol of hope for

humankind. The Susan Teather Early Learning and Development Centre invited

staff and families to come in their traditional suits (saree), and each room was

prepared festively with activities for the children. Shohini brought in very special

sarees for the children to experience and they had a lovely moment dancing

whilst wearing them. The children also sat in a circle and watched with interest as

Shohini made a flower with coloured sand, leaves and flowers. In Nepalese

culture it is called mandala and in Indian culture, rangoli. People put these

outside their houses during the festival to bring good luck.

Everyone had so much fun! Management also prepared a Diwali vegetarian

feast for staff. We really appreciate all the staff who celebrated this special day

working with us, including those that came in on their day off with their

homemade sweets and savoury treats for us! May Diwali bring universal

compassion, inner joy, peace, love and the awareness of unity to all of us.

17 November 2021

Mandurah Disability Expo On Friday 28 October, the Inclusion Support team alongside the In-Home Care,

Family Day Care and Foster Care teams provided a stall at the Mandurah

Disability Expo.

The expo was held at the Mandurah Forum which generated a lot of foot traffic

and interest in our services. We provided a sensory mat for children and a drum

that has calming sounds. Printed resources on supporting children’s emotions

were available to families including branded merchandise such as bubbles,

pencils and brochures.

We had many enquiries and discussions about our programs to the community.

Staff also took the opportunity to network with other services, sharing information

about our programs and talking about how we can link together to support the

community.

It was a successful day of outreach which we hope to attend again next year.

17 November 2021

Children’s Week On Tuesday 9 November, Bec from the WA Inclusion Agency and Roma from

Early Childhood Early Intervention, attended the Children’s Week community

event in Erskine, Mandurah.

For the last 12 months we have been on a working group to support outcomes

for children alongside the Australian Early Development Census data. The

working group has secured funding from the City of Mandurah for the next three

years to provide community events and education to families to promote an

understanding of children’s development.

This was our first event and it was very successful, with many families attending

and participating in the free activities provided. We promoted the Me at 1, 2

and 3 Passports by engaging in experiences with the children that meet the key

developmental milestones in each Passport. Working together with other

agencies, information was provided to families on how to seek assistance if they

have concerns about their child’s development and what they can do at home

to encourage their child to meet their milestones.

After the success of this event, the working group will be meeting again to reflect

and plan the next one for May 2022.

17 November 2021

A message from

Kati Francis Regional Services

Fantastic Feedback Received

We recently received the Wheatbelt Parenting Feedback Report from Parenting

Connection, which contained some wonderful feedback from parents in our

communities receiving support from our Parenting Connection services.

The Department of Communities fund Parenting Connections Western Australia

(PCWA) through Anglicare and Ngala to deliver parenting information and

advice to parents in WA. In the Wheatbelt and the Great Southern, Wanslea

deliver the service on behalf of Anglicare and collaborates will other PCWA

providers to ensure we are delivering the most effective and evidence-based

interventions to support parents and carers to raise strong, safe, connected and

resilient children.

The feedback received was gathered from parents and carers that attended a

one-off workshop in the 2020/2021 year and shows a high rate of satisfaction with

the services we delivered. In the Wheatbelt the team achieved a 100%

satisfaction and recommendation rate, with the Great Southern team not far

behind with 97% and 96%.

I’d like to recognise and congratulate our coordinators for delivering such a

highly valued service in partnership with the community and all facilitators of the

programs, including Margot Morgan, Jody Trappitt, Pauline Anyon, Jenni Pages,

Margy Sweeney and Janine Wallis. Well done, and keep up the great work!

17 November 2021

Welcome Sahara Scaddan By Anita Lumbas, Research Development Officer

Sahara Scaddan recently began as Wanslea’s new Student Placement Officer.

Sahara will be working with Wanslea and WELD to provide placements for

students across early childhood education and care, social work, community

services, allied health, research and other areas where there is need and

availability. Sahara will also work with Western Australian universities and TAFEs,

and further refine internal processes to ensure an inclusive experience for

students and support to staff, as Wanslea continues to build a learning

organisation.

Sahara currently works on Tuesday and Friday. If you have a student placement

opportunity you would like to explore further, please contact Sahara.

17 November 2021

A message from

Frances Eaton Acting Manager People and Culture

Encouraging kindness in the workplace

A little kindness goes a long way.

One of the key things that drew me to Wanslea is my

desire to be part of a more rewarding culture. An

environment that’s inclusive, motivating and where

kindness and compassion are part of our DNA. In my

Code of Conduct discussion with you, we often talk

about being inspired, confident and cared for, and I

can see this demonstrated in your daily actions across

our organisation.

This year (again) we have all faced significant

uncertainty where kindness and compassion have

never been more important. In my view, an act of kindness can be in the form of

empathy. Putting yourself in other people’s shoes can help you to understand

more about the people you work with and how you can make a genuine human

impact on them by providing the support they need.

The ripple effect: Paying it forward

During our “Code-Conversations” we often talk about the power of one and this

is all about role modelling – encouraging and influencing kindness and

compassion so it’s seen as the norm’ and not just a nice to have. Integrating

small acts of kindness is infectious in a work environment. It helps to create a

happy and positive mindset, and this will influence how we show up for our

clients and the quality of the work that we deliver.

Over the years, I have experienced acts of kindness at work that have had a

lasting effect on me. One that stood out for me happened very early on in my

career. I was working in an environment that had lots of big egos, dominant

personalities and loud voices in our meetings. Initially, I found it intimidating and

would often remain quiet and not offer up opinions or ask questions. However,

my manager at the time would remind us that the loudest voices are not always

right or more valued. She created space for my opinion to be heard. I have

never forgotten this act of kindness that she showed me, and how it made me

feel. Now, I am always conscious about that when facilitating, especially in my

team meetings.

17 November 2021

Understanding different personalities and our

diverse cultures, showing kindness and

consideration to everyone, and enabling all

voices to be heard is so important. One of the top

tips that I would give to everyone at Wanslea

when it comes to compassion and kindness is

reaching out to our new joiners! From my own

experience, I know how important my internal

network has been from a work and support

perspective. So, let’s all make new team members a priority and make it a point

to reach out to them to help foster a sense of belonging and introduce

colleagues to expand their networks. This is a simple gesture which goes a long

way.

Compassion and kindness involve an authentic desire to help others. When we

treat ourselves and others with consideration, we rally in a way that uplifts the

team and builds trust. So, be under no illusion – these little acts of kindness can

have a lasting and positive impact on the receiver but also on your own attitude

and emotional wellbeing!

There are a number of initiatives you can promote to increase happiness and

encourage random acts of kindness within the workplace:

• Have daily positive messages and inspirational quotes on your desktop

• Organise a coffee morning, or similar, for your team

• Find ways to balance workloads for colleagues that are snowed under

• Recognise colleagues who go the extra mile to help others

• Remind people what you appreciate about working with them

• Ensure that everyone is included in meetings and other Wanslea

gatherings

• Take the time to listen to other people’s ideas

• Share positive messages and feedback within your team

• Clean up a mess you didn’t make – this promotes the idea of everyone

pitching in for Wanslea’s purpose and values.

To discover more about the importance of kindness in the workplace, watch this

great video from the Random Act of Kindness Foundation:

https://youtu.be/O9UByLyOjBM

17 November 2021

EBA Update

Your Wanslea Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) team has been meeting

every fortnight to negotiate a new Agreement for employees. Our Executive

team will meet this week to review current issues and the response from your

representatives to date.

Some of the topics we discussed were:

• Employer paid parental leave

• Probationary period

• Termination notice

• Wellness days

• Leave without pay

• Rostered days off

• Study leave

• Uniforms

• First aid allowance

• Remote allowance

For further information, please contact your employee delegates/ EBA

representatives or Frances Eaton, Manager People and Culture

(featon@wanslea.org.au).

Our next EBA negotiation meeting is scheduled for Monday 29 November 2021.

17 November 2021

Your Story: Lisa Parks, Outside School Hours Care Assistant

1. What do you love most about your job?

I love working across all the different age

groups and what that brings - I can go from

reading fairy stories and playing princesses to

shooting hoops and playing handball.

2. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

I am definitely an extrovert!

3. Cat, dog, or …. What is your favourite pet

(or no pets)?

With four children I was a no pets person (lol) but I gave in recently and got a

budgie who’s my favourite.

4. What book, podcast, movie and/or TV show can you recommend?

I recommend any Kevin Hart podcast. He has a great balance of giggles and

motivation with life experiences to keep it real.

5. What’s an essential part of your daily routine?

Meditation - starting your day with the right mind set.

6. If you were a super-hero, what powers would you have?

X-ray vision, haha!

7. What is your favourite thing to do on the

weekend?

I love a spontaneous day trip! Jumping in the

car and finding a hidden beach or park is

always a winner.

17 November 2021

Current Positions Vacant Check out the latest vacant positions at Wanslea

CORPORATE Strategy and Business Development Quality Support Officer Cloverdale Fixed term - part time EARLY YEARS Early Childhood Early Intervention Early Childhood Practitioners Armadale / Bunbury / Busselton / Murdoch Midland / Bibra Lake Full time MOORDITJ KOORLANGKA MOORT Out of Home Care Practice Coach Cloverdale Full time REGIONAL SERVICES Thrive Progam Family Support Worker Goldfields Full time WELD Early Childhood Educator Murdoch / Joondanna Full time / Casual Outside School Hours Care Outside School Hours Care Educators Supervising Officer Fremantle / Karratha Beaconsfield / East Fremantle East Fremantle / Beaconsfield Part time East Hamilton Hill Part time

For full advertisement details, visit the Wanslea Job Board at wanslea.bigredsky.com

17 November 2021

For ‘Internal Only’ vacancies:

Before submitting an application, please email recruitment@wanslea.org.au to request the job description and employment conditions for the position that interests you.

Your internal application can then be submitted through the Wanslea Job Board wanslea.bigredsky.com via the Expression of Interest vacancy, shown below.

Please ensure your application states the position title of the role you are applying for along with

your resume and cover letter addressing the selection criteria.

This week we welcome the following staff

Laura Cavanagh – Early Childhood Educator - WELD