CELEBRATING COMMUNITY ACROSS EVERY CENTRE
Gosford:
Waratah: Relational
Port Stephens: Yarn Time & Teddy Bear Picnic
Wyong Young Parents: Veggie Month
Waratah Young Parents: Playing ‘Camp’ with Dolls
Cessnock: Prep Visits to Junior School
You made it to the end of Term One, congratulations. And if you are still finding glitter in places glitter should never be, I’m sure you’ve had a laugh along the way.
I hope Easter was meaningful for each of you. I know it can be a chance to rest and spend time with family, but it also holds something much deeper.
Education division, overseeing Narnia Early Learning, Saints Academy, and Educator Training.
Lea founded Narnia. Her vision is woven into the DNA of what we do here. Having her step back in to lead us this year is such a blessing. If you see her around, please make her feel at home.
“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
DR SEUSS, HORTON HEARS A WHO
At the heart of Easter is the story of Jesus, of sacrifice, forgiveness, and grace freely given. It is a reminder of the value and worth of every human life, and of how deeply we are loved by our gracious Lord and Saviour. That truth sits at the centre of who we are at Narnia. It shapes how we see children, how we respond to them, and why we take the time to truly listen and understand.
I also want to take a moment to welcome back someone whose fingerprints are imprinted in our foundations, Lea Rule. As you will have seen in Graeme’s recent communication, St Philip’s has introduced a new operating model and a refreshed Senior Executive Team. As part of this, Lea has been appointed part-time Interim Executive Principal for the Early and Extended
At a recent conference, I had the privilege of hearing Belinda Mawhinney speak on purposeful leadership. She challenged us to know our ‘why’ and to be so grounded in our core values that they show up visibly in every decision and every interaction. Her research landed simply: people no longer just want a job. They want work that is meaningful. Work that makes a genuine difference. And when we are clear on our purpose, we stop filling our days with ‘busy work’ and start focusing on what matters.
Sitting in that room, my reflection was simple. We already have this. Our mission, vision and values are not words on a wall. They are lived out each day through a shared worldview and a genuine sense of biblical purpose.
NICOLE DENZIN Narnia Executive Director
This year, I began with a focus on relational pedagogy and all that it asks of us, valuing connection, listening deeply, and embedding these as core foundational practices in our work.
Every child who walks through our doors is made in the image of God. It is the reason we slow down. It is the reason we listen deeply. When we choose to truly see each child, fully, intentionally, and with dignity, we are getting it right.
Thank you for the way you hold that responsibility every day.
Enjoy Term 2.
Blessings, Nicole
You may have noticed a few changes across the organisation over recent months, and I’m excited to share one of my own. I have stepped into the role of Head of Operations. After 14 years as Business Manager, my new role now includes overseeing property and maintenance, WHS, risk, and compliance. Yes, I’m now the one worrying about leaky taps, safety audits, and compliance registers… truly living the dream (and finally making full use of highlighter pens).
KERRIE SMITH
Narnia Head of Operations
For anyone I haven’t seen in a while, or who may be thinking “that name sounds familiar” - I joined Narnia back in 2011, when we were just one service in Waratah, offering 20 places a day and operating for six hours. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of watching Narnia grow into the incredible organisation it is today - now six services, 348 places per day, and operating for up to 10 hours daily. It’s been an amazing journey; made even better by the wonderful people I’ve had the chance to work alongside.
One of the absolute highlights of my year (and something I will never get tired of) is our graduation celebrations. Seeing the children up on stage, especially our prep children, receiving their certificates, never fails to make me smile, and occasionally reach for a tissue. It’s a beautiful reminder of the difference you all make every single day.
One of the best parts of my new role is that I’ll be back out visiting you again. I have missed seeing everyone and look forward to reconnecting and witnessing the incredible work happening across our services. I can’t wait to catch up, have a chat, and see the magic firsthand.
When I’m not at work, you will usually find me spending time with my family, enjoying a good coffee (or two), catching up with friends, or having the regular internal debate about whether to cook dinner… or let Uber deliver something far more exciting.
I’m incredibly grateful to be part of Narnia - it’s a place I genuinely love working, and I feel very fortunate to continue this journey alongside such a passionate and dedicated team. I’m excited for what’s ahead and look forward to seeing you all very soon.
FEATURED ARTICLE
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
ROMANS 8:28
In 2026, our theme is Providence - a steady reminder that God is at work in all things, weaving purpose through every day. As we anchor ourselves in the promise of Romans 8:28“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” - we look to the year ahead with trust. Providence invites us to notice the quiet ways God guides our centres, shapes our community, and forms each child with wonder and faithfulness.
We encourage all staff to think of themselves as individual threads, carefully placed, forming something far greater than a single stitch could achieve alone. Each act of preparation, encouragement, correction, and perseverance matters. Together - staff, families, and communitieswe are part of a larger design, patiently and faithfully worked by God’s hand. In 2026, may we work with intention, serve with humility, and trust that even the smallest threads are contributing to a beautiful and purposeful whole.
I could write a devotion about what Easter is and what it means, but, there is nothing I could say that is as challenging, uplifting and glorifying as the original source. So, over this Easter period I urge you to read the Gospels, to pray, to slow down and spend time with Jesus.
For God so love the world He sent his only Son (John 3:16). Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice and then rose from the dead. He did this for you and me to cleanse us of our sins and grant us eternal life. Nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans: 8:39).
Jesus, thank you for your power over death, for providing us with hope, vision, comfort and for your ultimate love. Amen.
LOCATION UPDATES
This term has begun with wonderful energy as the children have immersed themselves in imaginative learning experiences centred around dinosaurs and treasure maps. They have created detailed maps, explored the playground going on dinosaur hunts, and following clues on a map to uncover buried treasure hidden throughout the grounds.
Our weekly bush kindy sessions continue to be a highlight, offering opportunities for creativity and connection with nature. Children have been designing life cycles, forming their names, and crafting unique artworks using natural materials around the yarning circle. An exciting experience that the children engaged in this term was creating their own dinosaur our of recycled materials they had brought from home. This experience showcased their inventiveness and growing confidence in expressing ideas through creative construction.
Director - Narnia Early Learning Gosford
We have also been tending to our garden spaces, adding new flowers and planting fresh strawberry plants. The children are taking great pride in observing the growth of these plants and watering them each day. This ongoing involvement supports their understanding of sustainability and nurtures a sense of responsibility and care for their shared environment.
Throughout the week we talked about Harmony, and how we are all different and amazing. We focused on 2 books throughout the week Whoever You Are by Mem Fox and All Around The World by Nick James. The children wore orange one day as well!
Waratah Narnia have been focusing on relational pedagogy alongside building relationships within our team. This year has started with several team building opportunities both within the workplace and outside.
On our first time back at the centre this year we all worked together to bring our playground back to life and set it up in readiness for our children the next day. Previously we worked on parts, or allocated certain team members to do the outside while others worked on setting up inside.
We all cleaned, raked, swept, weeded and enjoyed each other company as we laughed and shared some stories about our holidays. Something that seems insignificant actually set us up for a great deal of success in 2026.
We have also been able to have a team dinner and an afternoon for after work drinks.
We are loving building our team in 2026.
At the end of 2025 we looked into our compost bins and found some compost that was ready for the gardens (we honestly are not great gardeners). This soil was placed into our two small garden beds and we had planted some snowpeas and some other flowering seeds.
When we returned after the Christmas closure we were astounded as we found that our garden was flourishing with a variety of cherry tomatoes. We were shocked as we had not planted these.
KAREN GARRED
Director - Narnia Early Learning Waratah
We also identified another plant that we first thought was an apple cucumber plant. As the first few weeks passed, the ‘cucumbers’ were a lot bigger and we were starting to wonder what type of melon we were growing.
During mid February we harvested our first melon and together we cut it at yarn time to discover we are growing rockmelons. All of the children enjoyed a piece of rockmelon which for some was their first taste.
We have since harvested almost 5 rockmelons. What might we grow next?
This year Port Stephens have incorporated Yarn time into our morning outside routine, where all rooms gather together.
To connect with our Narnia community, we gathered for our morning Yarn Time where we came together as one group to pray, sing “Jesus Loves Me”, and reflect. During this time, the children action our acknowledgement of country, the children learned about the Torres Strait Islander flag and discussed what each colour and symbol represents. The group then sang Taba Naba, a traditional Torres Strait Islander song.
The children also used tapping sticks while singing Inanay Capuana and Nagya Naba, exploring rhythm and musical expression. To finish our gathering, the children participated in a movement activity, dancing to Fruits of the Spirit, a chapel song that the
Interim Director - Narnia Early Learning Port Stephens
The Prep children got an invitation from the school to go over and participate in the Teddy Bear Picnic.
The children chose their special teddy from home where they got to bring in for the day and take with them over to the school.
The children got to enjoy the collage band playing music with singing and dancing to many favourite songs, including Old MacDonald and Rock a bye bear. A fabulous morning tea was provided with cupcakes and Tiny Teddy biscuits, followed by story.
LOCATION UPDATES
Our healthy little friends at Narnia Wyong have had a fantastic time celebrating Veggie Month! Throughout the month, the children have taken part in a range of fun and engaging activities focused on vegetables and fruits, helping them learn about the importance of healthy eating and how these foods help our bodies grow big and strong.
One of the highlights was the visit from Central Coast Health with their smoothie bike. The children absolutely loved hopping on and pedaling to blend their very own fruit smoothies - it was a fun and interactive way to explore healthy choices and promote active participation in their wellbeing.
We also enjoyed a variety of hands-on cooking experiences, including making broccoli and cheese slice, as well as broccoli and cheese pizza muffins. These experiences provided opportunities for children to develop independence, follow simple instructions, and build confidence. It has been wonderful to see the children trying new foods with enthusiasm and discovering just how delicious healthy eating can be.
In addition, the children engaged in meaningful discussions and shared stories about being healthy and the importance of eating nutritious foods. Through these conversations and story times, the children were able to share their ideas, ask questions, and build their understanding of how healthy foods support their growth, energy, and overall wellbeing.
These experiences were guided by the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), supporting children to develop positive attitudes towards healthy lifestyles through play-based learning, exploration, and social interactions.
Director - Narnia Young Parents Wyong
Overall, Veggie Month has been a joyful and enriching experience, encouraging the children to explore, enjoy, and develop lifelong healthy eating habits.
We are focusing more on hearing our children’s voices and allowing them to organise and create their own play. This has led to some incredible creative play, cooperation, problem solving and inclusiveness.
Where our most recent creative design began:
We had set up dolls, bedding and materials in a quiet space in our yard, the children then began moving it to another area. The question was asked “why are you moving the dolls up here?” The response “we are camping” More discussion and finding the best camping spot led to our Yarn Circle.
Children quickly organised themselves to gather leaves and sticks for the fire, gathered materials for food and entrenched themselves in camp. The next day we added a tarp for a covering.
Where to next? More discussion with the children around what else a camp might look like, (they already want marshmallows) cooking damper and dramatising wombat stew.
Amazing things happen when we step back and listen.
LOCATION UPDATES
At Narnia Cessnock, we love our transitions into the bigger SPCC campus. This term we started accessing the new junior school play equipment which has taken our climbing skills to new heights. Once a week we go out and about around the greater campus and see what we can discover.
Library times consist of reading a book with our educators, borrowing a book from the Junior School Library- and then our favourite part, going from the top to bottom floor on the slide!
We also have a new music teacher this year, Mrs Wallace, from the junior school. We visit her in the dance studio, music room and drama pit for different music and movement lessons. She even did a puppet show for us!
A highlight for many of our Prep friends were their interviews with Mr Cooper, Head of Junior school this term, for them to attend Kindy next year. With all our connections and visits, they felt excited and ready for the adventure.
We all love visiting the big school and seeing our older siblings and previous Narnia friends.
25TH APRIL
27T APRIL
10TH MAY
20TH MAY
27TH MAY – 3RD JUNE
5TH JUNE
8TH JUNE
29TH JUNE
5TH – 12TH JULY
ANZAC day
Public Holiday
Mother’s Day
National Simultaneous Storytime
Reconciliation Week
World Environment Day
King’s Birthday Public Holiday
Last day of School Term
NAIDOC Week
We have a number of positions available across our centres. Maybe you know someone who is looking to work in a supportive, Christian environment.
Casual Cert III & Diploma Early Childhood Educators
ALL LOCATIONS
Casual Early Childhood Teachers
ALL LOCATIONS
Part-time Diploma Early Childhood Educator
NARNIA YOUNG PARENTS WARATAH
Social Worker/Wellbeing (Part-time)
NARNIA YOUNG PARENTS WARATAH
Trainee Early Childhood Educator
NARNIA GOSFORD
All information is available on our website: www.spcc.nsw.edu.au/schools/early-learning/narnia/ our-story/employment
Our vision is to create a place where the fun is endless, the laughter is infectious, the interactions are rich, the love is genuine, the world is big, creativity flourishes and Jesus is real.