Cherry Cheung

4-year-old Group Kindergarten Teacher & Educational Leader

Hi everyone, my name is Cherry and I am the teacher of the 4-year-old group. I come from a music teaching background, holding a Bachelor of Music (Instrumental Teaching) degree and a Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) degree. I was born and raised in Hong Kong and I can speak Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese. I enjoy playing the piano, playing board games, baking, and learning new things (whether it is a new language, a short course on calligraphy, or a new recipe!).

I am passionate about early childhood education because I value children as capable learners, explorers and creators. As a teacher I am constantly amazed and inspired by children’s perspectives of the world, their creative imagination and unique ideas. I believe the best learning environment is facilitated upon strong and positive relationships between educators, children and families; and I thrive to work in partnership with families to deliver a program that reflects on the interests and individual needs of children. My goal of teaching is to empower children to be innovators and explorers by equipping them with inquiry skills and motivating children to acquire a love of learning. I believe that children learn best when they take ownership of their learning and make contributions and choices in their learning environment. I implement a Reggio-inspired approach in my teaching practice, and I value children’s voice, their thoughts and their progression of thinking.

Prior to joining Cara Armstrong I have worked as a music teacher in a music school, a kindergarten teacher and educational leader in both long day care and sessional kinder settings. I have also had some experience as a primary school teacher and a kindergarten teacher in early learning centres.

Nyssa Lock

3-year-old Group Kindergarten Teacher

My name is Nyssa and I am the 3-year-old teacher at Cara Armstrong. I started working at Cara Armstrong in 2016, however I am not new to the kindergarten as I came here as a child too! My mum was the President at one stage, as well as taking on many other committee roles during her time, so the kindergarten holds a dear place in my heart and it is just amazing to be here as a teacher!

Prior to working at Cara Armstrong I worked in the field locally for well over 10 years. I have worked with babies right through to 4-year-old kindergarten, so have had extensive experience with 3-year-olds throughout this time! I believe that children learn through play and life experience and I endeavour to tailor my programs to suit the individual needs and interests of the children, bringing curiosity, fun, excitement and wonder to their days, as they explore their world and form relationships with one another. I also believe in Howard Gardener’s theory of Multiple Intelligences and believe children have a number of ways of learning which I endeavour to cater for in my program.

Aside from holding a Post Graduate in Teaching (Early Childhood), I am a new mother to my daughter Kayla (born in 2018). I also hold a Bachelor in Contemporary Arts (majoring in Drama) and I am Speech and Drama trained which I have taught to primary and secondary students. I have also been known as a kids entertainer and actor and do this when the opportunity arises. I love playing my African Drum (Djembe) in class and including my Relax Kids Coach training in my programs which promotes self esteem, resilience and social and emotional wellbeing.

I am looking forward to getting to know the children, as well as their families, and collaborating with you all here at Cara Armstrong. However, I am of course looking forward to the year ahead with the new 3-year-olds and the exciting learning and creativity it will bring us, as it’s not just the children who do the learning, sometimes they can teach us a thing or two which is always fun.

XIAO-YU LONG

Co-Educator

Hi, I’m Xiao Yu. I’m a co-educator at Cara Armstrong Kindergarten. I have worked in early childhood settings since 2010 and have worked with the 3-year-old to 5-year-old age groups in a long day-care centre and then sessional kindergarten. I’m married and have a 20 year old daughter who is now a university student.

I have a Bachelor degree in early childhood education from Deakin University. My initial inspiration for getting involved in early childhood education was through volunteer work in my daughter’s kindergarten and schools, which aroused my curiosity for how children learn through their interactions with people, their daily lives, and their surrounding environment. Through my experiences of working with children, I firmly believe that each child has unique strengths, personalities and interests, and each individual child learns at different rates, in different ways and at different times. As a child educator, I believe in a guidance approach, by using positive language to reinforce children’s learning, giving positive feedback for their positive behaviours and ensuring we build a strong, respectful, caring relationship with the children and their families, in providing a positive kindergarten experience for the children.

I’m looking forward to getting to know all the families, and working and having fun with the children.

SUZY CHEN

Co-Educator

Hi everyone, I'm Suzy Chen and I am a co-educator here at Cara Armstrong. I was born and raised in Juangsu, an eastern-central province of China, and I can speak Mandarin.

I have recently completed a Masters in Early Childhood Teaching. Before I did my Masters, I worked in a publishing house in Shanghai, China for several years. However, I have been interested in early childhood education for a long time and always wanted to work and learn with children. Therefore, I chose to further my study in this field, and started fresh as an early childhood educator.

I believe all children, regardless of diverse circumstances and abilities, can learn through play. Children thrive when they are provided opportunities to interact with peers, adults and the outside world in a secure, supportive and responsive environment. And they learn best when children, families and educators can establish trusting relationships.

During my placements and work experience with children, I've already witnessed how such opportunities and relationships facilitate children's learning and development, which made me more determined to work in partnership with families and other educators to better support individual children's learning interests and needs.

I am looking forward to getting to know all of the children and families at Cara Armstrong, and trying my best to support them.