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Growing a Career at Ambrose: Charlene’s Journey

Since joining Ambrose in 2021, Charlene has built a rewarding career through growth, learning, and new opportunities.

Starting as an Area Coordinator for School Age Care Services, she played a key role in supporting the opening of new services and the successful transition of services joining the organisation. Through this experience, she developed strong leadership and operational skills, which helped pave the way to her current role as Talent Acquisition Advisor at the Support Office.

For Charlene, Ambrose was a natural fit because the organisation’s values closely align with her own Catholic faith and beliefs. As a parent, she has also experienced the caring and supportive environment firsthand through her children’s attendance at an Ambrose service. This has given her a deep appreciation for the organisation’s commitment to high-quality care, strong compliance standards, and genuine support for children and families.

“Being both an employee and a parent has reinforced my appreciation for the care, values, and opportunities that Ambrose provides to children, families, and staff.”

More recently, transitioning into Talent Acquisition has allowed Charlene to broaden her knowledge of recruitment while applying her extensive industry experience to identifying and attracting high-quality candidates. Through this move, she has developed valuable skills in stakeholder engagement, candidate management, and recruitment processes, enabling her to continue contributing to the growth and success of the organisation.

One of her proudest achievements has been taking on this new role, where she helps connect passionate educators with meaningful career opportunities. What motivates her most is finding great people, sharing her industry knowledge and passion, learning from colleagues, and continually expanding her skills and understanding of the sector.

“If you’re looking for an organisation where you can learn, grow, and be supported in your professional development, Ambrose is a great place to build your career.”

Ambrose is committed to helping employees reach their potential through ongoing development, career opportunities, and a strong culture of support.

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Faith, Belonging and Community

Grounded in the Catholic faith and open to all, our learning communities welcome families from all backgrounds, cultures and faith traditions.

Guided by the values of Respect, Encouragement and Care, educators support children to:

  • Develop kindness, empathy and gratitude
  • Build respectful relationships
  • Care for others and the environment
  • Develop confidence and a sense of belonging
  • Recognise and value diversity within the community

Faith and spirituality are experienced in age-appropriate and meaningful ways through:

  • Prayer and reflection
  • Stories, celebrations and traditions
  • Shared values and respectful relationships
  • Participation in school and community events
  • Experiences of care, inclusion and belonging

Educators nurture children’s natural sense of curiosity, wonder and connection to the world around them while supporting them to grow as caring, thoughtful and respectful individuals.

As part of a Catholic community, children experience opportunities to build connections with:

  • Educators and families
  • School and parish communities
  • Cultural and community celebrations
  • Shared events and experiences
  • The wider world around them

Transitioning to Kindergarten

At Ambrose, transition to school is viewed as a gradual and supportive journey where children build confidence, familiarity and a sense of belonging before their first day of school.

Throughout the year, educators intentionally support children to develop:

  • Confidence participating in group learning experiences
  • Listening and communication skills
  • Independence and self-help skills
  • Emotional regulation and resilience
  • Attention, persistence and flexible thinking
  • Positive relationships and social confidence
  • Familiarity with routines and transitions

 

Families are supported throughout the transition process through:

  • Ongoing communication and transition discussions
  • Parent-teacher interviews and learning updates
  • Transition to School Statements
  • Opportunities to connect with educators and school communities

Social and Emotional Development

At Ambrose, children are part of a connected Catholic school community where relationships, belonging and wellbeing are intentionally nurtured every day.

Grounded in the values of respect, encouragement and care, our nurturing learning environments support children to feel:

  • Safe and supported
  • Confident to participate and try new things
  • Connected to others and their community
  • Valued as capable learners
  • A strong sense of identity and belonging

 

Social and emotional learning is embedded throughout the day through:

  • Collaborative play experiences
  • Group discussions and reflection
  • Intentional teaching moments
  • Problem solving and conflict resolution
  • Structured routines and expectations
  • Prayer, wellbeing and relationship building

 

Through intentional play-based learning, structured routines and shared experiences, children develop:

  • Confidence and independence
  • Positive relationships and friendships
  • Emotional awareness and self-regulation
  • Resilience
  • Communication and collaboration skills
  • Respect, empathy and kindness

Mathematical Thinking and Inquiry

At Ambrose, mathematical thinking is developed through intentional play-based learning, inquiry, investigation and hands-on learning experiences that encourage children to explore, question and problem solve.

The Ambrose Foundations program supports children’s learning about mathematical concepts and applying them in their play and inquiries including STEAM experiences, construction, investigation and collaborative learning.

Children become familiar with:

  • Patterns and predictions
  • Shapes and spatial thinking
  • Measurement and data
  • Quantity and counting

 

Teachers intentionally plan for children’s Mathematical Inquiry and thinking, supporting children to develop:

  • Early number awareness
  • Problem solving and critical thinking
  • Pattern recognition
  • Spatial awareness
  • Reasoning and prediction skills
  • Confidence exploring mathematical concepts
  • Curiosity and inquiry skills

Language and Literacy

Strong literacy foundations begin with language, communication and connection. Children develop literacy skills through meaningful, hands-on experiences that connect learning to their everyday lives, interests and the natural world.

As part of the Catholic school community, Ambrose supports literacy development through a seamless continuum of learning from early childhood into kindergarten and the early years of school.

Through intentional play-based learning and literacy experiences, children build the confidence, communication skills and early learning foundations that support a successful transition into school.

  • This approach fosters the development of:
  • Oral language and communication skills
  • Vocabulary and comprehension
  • Listening and attention skills
  • Confidence participating in group discussions
  • Early literacy understanding
  • Phonological awareness
  • Curiosity about books, stories and language