Connect 11

Directors' kōrero

There's nothing like a lockdown to focus our minds on how important our community is. While virtual communication is invaluable during times when we are unable to connect in person, and while staff did continue to offer services over Zoom and phone during lockdown, we were delighted to reopen our doors and join with families again.

We are keen to keep building our wonderful community. As well as being alongside current families we also love reconnecting with past families – both recent and from many years ago. Do keep in touch and let us know what you're up to.  One idea we are keen to try out, is bringing back groups for reunions, for example, 'the class of 2006' or 'the class of 2016'. Let us know whether this is something you'd be interested in.

In this newsletter there are some inspiring stories - Happy reading!​

Ngā mihi nui - Wendy and Lauren

Champion Centre Proud Finalist in Westpac Champion Business Awards 2021

The Champion Centre is elated to be selected as a finalist in this year’s Westpac Champion Business Awards.

It is an honour to be recognised among our peers in ‘The Press Champion Community Impact Award’, and to celebrate our mahi with the best of the Waitaha Canterbury business community.

We are proud to showcase and highlight the achievements of our people, as we continue championing our whānau to ‘realise every child’s potential’. We are looking forward to joining Canterbury's best at the awards ceremony on 24 November.

​Our thanks to everyone who’s helped make us a success story, and enabled Canterbury’s young champions to thrive, for more than 43 years.

Bella Returns to The Champion Centre

Bella Lammers attended The Champion Centre as a baby and pre-schooler almost two decades ago. In July she returned to the Centre as part of a one-year internship programme. Project SEARCH is designed to give high school leavers with learning disabilities the work experience and skills they need to enter the workforce. Bella joined us for a 10-week internship where she very quickly became a valuable member of the team.

A number of long-serving staff remember Bella as a little girl when she came to the Champion Centre each week. This year, Bella was back as a colleague. Her tasks included setting up and clearing away morning tea trollies, stacking and unstacking the dishwasher, cleaning equipment and toys from the playroom, as well as sorting out the linen. Bella quickly learned the tasks required and carried them out with aplomb, freeing up time for other staff members to focus more on their roles.

Bella, now 19, worked every week day from 10am-2pm, catching the bus from home in Rolleston at 6.30am. She was very dedicated to the job and told us she loves the friendly atmosphere at the Champion Centre. “Everyone talks to me, and they miss me when I’m not here.” Staff thoroughly enjoying having Bella on the team – not only for the work she did, but she was such a friendly, cheerful person to be around. Now her internship has come to an end, Bella is right, we do miss her. 

Based on an international school-to-work transition programme, Project Search Canterbury is a collaborative model supported by Canterbury DHB and a steering committee. The interns participate in an hour of classroom instruction each morning at a Burwood-based classroom, before attending their internship roles. A skills trainer assists with job-skills training at the internship site. The internships are mainly based at Burwood Hospital and students generally complete three 10-week internship rotations within the nine-month period. This provides an opportunity to learn what type of work best suits their interests and areas of aptitude.

We wish Bella well for her next internship.

Our Very Own Early Intervention Educator, Margaret - A Westfield local hero 2021

We are excited to acknowledge Senior Early Intervention Educator (EIE), Margaret Malzard's

outstanding 28-year career at the Champion Centre. We know you'll want to join us, to congratulate her as one of the three overall winners at the 2021 Westfield Local Heroes initiative. This is a great accolade and we couldn't be more proud.

We'd like to give a huge SHOUT OUT to all of you who took the time to vote and share this campaign. Although Margaret was clearly uncomfortable with the outpouring of praise and admiration, she always had her sights firmly on the $10k prize, which will support our EIE programme.

Margaret and our team of EIE's work tirelessly behind the scenes travelling to and from preschools and schools throughout Canterbury where they support children to take their place in their community early childhood centres. They facilitate learning and development, based on the Champion Centre programme, in that environment alongside the teachers. As children approach the transition to school period, EIEs skilfully support the move from preschool to school, helping lay the strongest foundations possible. They link with teachers and teacher aides so they can pick up the torch to inspire further goals and achievements.

It's a thoughtful process, always with the best possible outcomes for the child at its core and can't be achieved without embracing the new teachers as a vital part of the progression, and supporting them to read the cues and continue to realise the potential in every child. They play a pivotal role which enables a child and their family to take the next step in their education journey, with trust, hope, and confidence.

When all is said and done, Margaret and her team perform the 'finale', in our Champion children's intervention and transition to school. They are the end that leads to the brightest of beginnings. 

Congratulations and thank-you Margaret for all you do!