First Nation Early Childhood Educator of the Year: Sharna Nayda
As a proud Eastern Arrenda educator, Sharna embodies the spirit of cultural celebration and education in our centre every day.
Sharna's commitment to teaching her culture is truly inspiring. She not only integrates Eastern Arrernda perspectives into our curriculum but also takes the time to celebrate and honour the diverse cultures of the children and families in our community.
Living on Kaurna country, Sharna has embraced the challenge of learning the Kaurna language, enriching our centre's learning environment and fostering connections with local Aboriginal culture.
As a former student in our centre she has grown into a remarkable team leader, Sharna is a beacon of inspiration for other educators.
Her passion for early childhood education shines through in the engaging and innovative experiences she creates for the children.
From hands-on cultural activities to storytelling sessions that honour both Eastern Arrenda and Kaurna traditions, Sharna truly brings learning to life.
Sharna actively shares her knowledge with the wider community and discussions that promote understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal perspectives and Zeneth Kes (formerly known as Torres Strait Islander People).
Her dedication to professional development has not only enhanced her own practice but has also inspired her colleagues to incorporate cultural awareness into their teaching. In every aspect of her role, Sharna Nayda exemplifies the qualities of an exceptional educator.
Her unwavering commitment to embedding Aboriginal perspectives in early childhood education makes her an outstanding candidate for the First Nation Early Childhood Educator of the Year award.
We are proud to support her nomination and recognize her invaluable contributions to our centre and community.
Primary School Teacher of The Year: Aaron Johnston
Aaron is an Assistant Principal (Curriculum and Instruction) and Aboriginal Education Leader at a K-6 school as well as the author/creator of the teacher Instagram and Facebook accounts named Mr J’s Learning Space. Aaron is an exceptional ally in person as well as online.
In the online space, Aaron has shown clear and consistent commitment to First Nations Education since 2019 when we first met. He participated in ‘Share the Mic’ to amplify First Nations voices in 2020, collaborated with Wingaru Education for their annual NAIDOC Challenge since 2022 and is a masterclass presenter for Koori Curriculum.
He is a co-host of the Teacher Takeaway Podcast, which regularly interviews First Nations educators and leaders. He shares authentic First Nations educational resources to support other teachers and advocates for First Nations issues/movements and initiatives. Aaron is respectful, understanding and supportive of myself and other First Nations educators online.
He forms positive and reciprocal relationships with First Nations educators and always respectfully seeks advice and guidance to inform his decision-making. At his school, Aaron leads and champions First Nations education and encourages all staff to be active and involved.
Aaron helps lead the school’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). He had a strong role in revitalising school ‘Yarn Ups’ with First Nations families by seeking their feedback and acting on their advice to move the Yarn Ups off-site to a location more culturally appropriate.
In addition to connecting regularly with First Nations families.
Ally of the Year: Narrelle Cahill
Narrelle has played a pivotal role in embedding Aboriginal perspectives across our six early years services, demonstrating a deep passion for fostering a culturally inclusive environment. Her unwavering commitment has significantly enhanced our organization’s ability to honour and integrate Indigenous knowledge, practices, and values into everyday learning experiences.
Through her dedication to continuous professional development, Narrelle has deepened our staff's understanding of Aboriginal culture. She has organized numerous training sessions, workshops, and discussions that have empowered our team to authentically incorporate Aboriginal perspectives into their teaching practices.
This has resulted in staff gaining the confidence and knowledge necessary to create meaningful and culturally relevant learning experiences for the children in our care. Narrelle's collaboration with local Aboriginal communities and Elders has been a cornerstone of her success. By building strong relationships with these community members, she has ensured that our services are guided by authentic voices and experiences.
This collaboration has led to the development of culturally relevant resources and activities, seamlessly integrated into our curriculum. Narrelle has also been instrumental in fostering a culture of respect and appreciation for Aboriginal culture across our organization.
She has led initiatives that celebrate important cultural events, such as NAIDOC Week and Reconciliation Week, providing opportunities for deep learning and reflection.
Additionally, Narrelle spearheaded projects like our Organizational Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and the Reconciliation Tile Project, involving the local community, families, and children, further embedding these values into our service's ethos.
This project sits proudly at our Port Melbourne service. In summary, Narrelle's contributions have profoundly enhanced our ability to embed Aboriginal perspectives within our early years services, creating a more inclusive and culturally aware environment for both children and educators.
Ally of the Year (People's Choice): Whaea Kimmi
Whaea Kimmi is Green Leaves Early Childhood Teacher Mentor and one of our National Indigenous Perspectives Partner (Australasian). She works with over 60 Green Leaves services to support the educators and Leadership Teams to develop their knowledge of how to incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, and connects services with community.
Kimmi is a proud Māori woman who uses her deep roots in her own culture to bridge the gap and connect spiritually and meaningfully with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and culture. Within her role, Kimmi has co-designed pilot programs through services that focus on developing their appreciation and passion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.
These are met with appreciation and joy from the teams. Kimmi’s impact on our educators is always powerful as she raises them up and inspires their ongoing Reconciliation journey. Recently, Kimmi was part of the planning process for our Centre Director’s to visit Uluru for their Centre Director conference. The focus of which was Reconciliation.
Through her work, over 60 Centre Directors, joined by our Support Team, engaged in an immersive experience on Country, run by Aboriginal community members. This lit a fire which Kimmi has continued to fan since. She visited our service here at Green Leaves Carindale to engage in a yarn about the trip, our services journey, and our vision for a reconciled future.
Kimmi connected with our team on a personal level, inspiring them to continue on their journey.
The Koori Curriculum Educator Awards
In celebration of Early Childhood Educators Day we want to celebrate those educators in our community who are trailblazing a path to support Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander perspectives in their practise.
The Koori Curriculum Educator Awards are open to nominations from Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Early Childhood Educators.
Entries will open on the 8th of August and you will have to submit your entry by no later than the 30th of August 2024.
Entries must include a photograph of the nominated Early Childhood Educator along with a 300 word blurb describing why you are nominating that Early Childhood Educator.
There are 3 award categories:
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First Nation Early Childhood Educator of the Year: for educators who have contributed significantly to embedding Aboriginal perspectives in their centre that work in the early years space.
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Primary School Educator of The Year: for educators who have contributed significantly to embedding Aboriginal perspectives in their school that work in the primary years space.
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Ally of the Year: for educators, parents, support and administration staff or partners who have significantly contributed to a school or early years service ability to embed Aboriginal perspectives.
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Ally of the Year - People's Choice: for educators, parents, support and administration staff or partners who have significantly contributed to a school or early years service ability to embed Aboriginal perspectives.
Voting will close on the 3rd of September 2024. The 10 entries with the highest number of votes will be shortlisted and reviewed by the Director of the Koori Curriculum, Jessica Staines who will select the winners.
The chosen winners will be announced on the 4th of September 2024.
All submissions will be displayed in a virtual gallery. The winners will each receive a $200 store voucher to the Koori Curriculum.
Please note: we only allow one entry per nominee, please check the gallery to see if your chosen Educator has already been nominated. Submissions must be on behalf of a nominee, self submissions will not be accepted.