Matthew De Bortoli (Class of 2019) returns to the Radford Early Learning Centre

On the 20th February,  a ceremony was held in our Early Learning Centre (ELC) to recognise the work of former colleague, Tanya Stevenson. Tanya had an enormous impact on the Radford College ELC and Junior School over the six-and-a-half-years she was here from mid-2005 until the end of 2011. Tanya was first appointed as Founding Director of the ELC as preparations unfolded for its opening in 2006.

In 2006, as the doors of the ELC were fully opened, Tanya was very busy. She stablished the ELC curriculum framework based on the Reggio Emilia philosophy; she established links to the Middle (as it was then known) and Secondary School; she co-ordinated Professional Learning for staff to establish the vision statement, teaching and learning practices; and she established an ELC Parent Committee for fundraising and social events to build and strengthen the community.

In the centre’s second year in 2007 – and in what was the preparation year for the opening of the Mulford Junior School the following year – Tanya was appointed Founding Assistant Head and Primary Years Programme (PYP) Co-ordinator. This meant work was required to blend the Reggio Emilia philosophy of the ELC into the new Junior School International Baccalaureate (IB) PYP framework.

Over this period of time, Tanya led the application for the Junior School to become an accredited IB PYP school – something we are very proud of to this day. At the same time, the soon-to-be-opened Junior School was highly commended by the ACT Government registration panel.

Tanya also established Friends of Radford ELC (FORELC), which purchased much-needed pieces of play equipment and resources for the ELC and co-ordinated professional learning for newly-appointed Junior School staff, concentrated on inquiry-based learning and the PYP as a framework.

Previous Principal, Dr David Mulford, wrote this about Tanya: “Radford could not have secured a better inaugural Director. The Centre was an instant hit with parents and huge waiting lists quickly developed as word-of-mouth recommendations flowed. Tanya was a passionate educator. Good, productive, and enjoyable student-learning outcomes were always at the core of her way of operating. She proved to be such a highly respected educator. She read widely and researched in detail. She sought advice from others. She loved bouncing ideas around with students. She loved curriculum development and working with teachers; curriculums that had to deliver not only on content but also with the required learning outcomes, methodology to be used, and the need to meet the crucial underlying educational philosophies.”

The College’s Head of Teaching and Learning from 2003 until 2008, Ms Lynne Gutheridge, also said this of Tanya: “My memories of working with Tanya are very vivid. Over the span of my own teaching career, I had the honour of working with many fine educators and within this group, Tanya shone the brightest. Tanya was without doubt exceptional as a teacher, an educational leader and as a person. Her understanding of young people as learners and her love for them as individuals was obvious in everything she did. She was warm, intelligent, empathetic, loving, funny and extremely dedicated. I remember with pleasure Tanya’s absolute commitment to ensuring each child experienced beauty in each day by her choice of talented staff and well-conceived learning experiences, as well as her selection of wonderful furnishings, exquisite decorative items and stimulating teaching resources.”

Matthew shared “It was a nostalgic experience to return to the Radford Early Learning Centre for the Dedication Ceremony acknowledging the contribution to Radford College ELC & Junior School of founding Director, Tanya Stevenson. It was great to catch up with a number of founding students, teachers, staff and parents”.