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Staff Profiles
Tennille Langeluddecke
Director
Tennille is a highly experienced and effective teacher having worked in various early childhood settings since 1996. Her experience extends from preschools, schools, Out of Hours Care, Vacation Care and Long Day Care, both as a Teacher and a Director. Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and a Diploma in Community Services. Tennille is highly skilled in designing interesting and engaging learning environments and providing fun, creative and innovative small and large group experiences. Tennille’s effective communication and relationship skills allow her to develop strong connections with children and families. Tennille is passionate about nature play and was a key designer of our outdoor learning area, supporting children to assess risk for themselves and to accept challenges in order to build important learning dispositions including resilience, persistence, confidence and problem solving.
Laura McKendrick
Teacher
Laura has a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education, graduating from Flinders University in 2022. She started working in child care in 2018, and started relief teaching in kindergartens in 2022.
Laura builds positive relationships with children through developing secure, trusting and reciprocal relationships. Laura believes in actively listening to and engaging with children, whilst respecting times where children choose to discover on their own.
She believes in a play environment as being the ‘third teacher’ and loves intentionally planning for learning spaces in response to the children’s ideas/interests. Laura enjoys watching children build on their independence and interdependence as children get a choice on either being alone, working with others, in groups or with educators.
Laura Reay
Early Childhood Worker
Laura comes to Madge Sexton Kindergarten with over 16 years’ experience as an early childhood educator. Initially working in the UK and since 2013 in Australia as an Early Childhood Worker and holds a Certificate 3 in Children’s Services. Laura works exceptionally in Preschool Support working with children with additional needs, finding engaging and holistic ways to develop and build on children’s existing skills and understandings. Laura also works as an atelierista in the atelier, listening to child’s “voice” and authentically embedding and incorporating children’s interests, to provide a process focused, rich programme. Laura‘s passion lies in transient art, where she encourages the use of loose parts in children’s learning experience.
Kalinda Glatter
Early Childhood Worker
Kalinda has a Certificate 3 in Office/Administration as well as a Diploma in Interior Design and a Certificate 3 in Children’s Services. Kalinda has been an early childhood educator since 2011 working initially as our Finance officer, then taking on an additional role as an atelierista (art teacher). Kalinda works closely with the teachers to ensure the atelier program runs alongside the emerging curriculum, guided by the children’s voice. Kalinda builds strong relationships with the children who use her as a facilitator for their imaginations. Often an idea is difficult to turn into something concrete. so Kalinda’s role in the atelier is to supply the tools for the idea, however the “thinking and doing” process remains the children’s. Kalinda enjoys creating a harmonious and beautiful learning environment for the children to thrive in.
Lexie Wagenknecht
Teacher
Lexie has a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, graduating from Flinders University in 2023. She has experience working in a variety of settings including Schools, Preschools, OSHC, and Vacation Care.
Lexie builds strong relationships with children, and encourages them to share their unique voices, ideas, and wonderings. Lexie believes that children are curious and able learners who are capable of building their own theories, and extending their own thinking.
She is passionate about creating a supportive environment that promotes a sense of belonging, and recognises each child. Lexie seeks to foster learning processes that are child-centred, co-constructed, and collaborative.
Lexie enjoys working closely with the children to design engaging and challenging experiences that develop positive dispositions for learning.
Emma Shaw
Early Childhood Worker
Emma has extensive skills in working with preschool children including supporting children with additional needs and working with all preschool aged children to extend and build on their interests. Emma has a Certificate 3 in Children’s Services. One of Emma’s passions is setting up amazing socio-dramatic play environments for children. Her effective communication skills and caring nature provide Emma with a solid connection with both children and families within the kindergarten.
Anna Hagelin-Raff
Teacher
Anna has a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelor of Arts with a language major and a linguistics minor. She has been working with children from Kindy to year 7 in varying capacities since 2012.
Anna’s passion is speech and language. Helping children develop successful communication skills to foster a sense of self expression and identity are fundamental to how Anna works in the early years space.
Anna believes that when children can communicate effectively their sense of agency is even more powerful and leads to meaningful learning experiences that connect to children’s unique views of the world. Anna loves teaching and learning through books and sees the use of story tables as key to oral language and early literacy enrichment and development.
You will often find Anna outdoors as she believes nature and sensory play are both crucial in supporting children to build language and self-regulation skills.
Ellen Dixon
Teacher
Ellen has a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) graduating from the University of South Australia in 2017. She has been working with children and families in a variety of early childhood education settings since 2009, during which she discovered a passion for kindergarten teaching.
Ellen believes that all children deserve a safe, supportive learning environment in which they can learn and grow to their full potential. She believes positive relationships are at the core of teaching and learning, and enjoys building respectful, reciprocal relationships with children. Ellen views all students as capable and encourages positive learning dispositions through respecting children’s autonomy and voice in their individual learning journey.
Ellen is passionate about play-based learning as a fundamental approach to early childhood education and recognises play as a powerful and natural tool for cognitive, social, emotional and physical development.
Kirra Delsar
Relief Early Childhood Worker
Kirra joins our kindergarten team with over 10 years of experience and a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care. She is passionate about supporting children’s individual needs during their preschool years, fostering both personal growth and group learning. With her caring nature and strong communication skills, Kirra builds lasting connections with families, ensuring a nurturing environment where every child thrives.
Karen Smith
Relief Early Childhood Worker
Karen joins our kindy staff team with a long history in the McLaren Vale community, having worked in the local area in a childcare setting. Karen holds a Certificate III in Children’s Services and is dedicated to offering enriching experiences for all children at Madge Sexton Kindergarten and is passionate about fostering nurturing environments which support individual growth for all children.
Karen has a caring nature and strong communication skills which allow her to build lasting connections with families and children.
