What a wonderful end of year concert our educators put together earlier this month. For those who did not attend, I shared a little bit of my personal history with the centre. I actually attended the centre myself as a child in 1993, and my father, Trefor Roberts, was also the president of ALMA during this time. Back then, the centre was called the Chinese Australian Preschool. Here is a photo of the old sign outside the centre, and one from one of my own end of year concerts over thirty years ago in the same hall!

The committee and I look forward to an exciting and productive year. We will work closely with the centre management on matters that affect the centre, as well as wider outreach programs to promote Mandarin learning in the ACT. Please get in touch via the email address canberraalma@gmail.com if you have any suggestions for the centre or other initiatives or would like to get involved. 

Melyn Roberts

We have had a very productive year in 2025, with many learning opportunities provided as part of our program. These opportunities included our incursions that extended the children’s interest in learning, the ongoing music program and activities focused on learning about the culture of the Australian First Nations People.

Kenny Koala visited the centre to teach the children about safety and road rules. Another incursion saw the children learn how to create balloon figurines. We also had a puppet show where some of the children’s favourite stories such as the Gingerbread Man were acted out.

We also celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival which was really great and which I found very interesting. The children were very engaged in this festival, celebrating and understanding that this is part of traditional culture. After the show they all had varieties of moon cakes. The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a harvest festival celebrated in Chinese Culture.  

Our excursions for the year were also successful, and we were able to take the children out of the centre to some interesting places where they were able to extend their learning and to find out more about their community and their world. The plan is to continue these programs for children in the coming years and to look at other educational programs that will support children’s educational development.

On Friday 28 November 2025, we held our Concert in the Mawson Primary School Hall. It was fantastic, with a turnout of more than 200 family members supporting this program for the children. The educators and the management team were overwhelmed with the support from all the families. I know that each of you were proud of your children and we felt the same way too. We were so proud of each one of them with their performances. Seeing a whole “village” present to support the children and the team meant a lot and these children will grow up remembering these types of events where they got involved.

A very big thank you to all the families for your support through the year 2025. To the families who will move on with their children attending Mawson Primary School next year, we wish you and your children all the best.

Families continuing at the centre next year, we look forward to seeing you again soon, and will continue to work with you for the best for our children.

And welcome to the new families joining us next year. We are so proud of our centre, where your child will be able to learn in a bilingual setting with the help and support to thrive.

Preschool Graduation           

On Friday 5 December 2025, we held our graduation ceremony, where we celebrated the children who have finished their time at CAECC and who will be attending Mawson Primary School full time next year.

Professional Development for the team

This year, our team has completed child protection training, first aid training, and inclusion support training. The inclusion support training helps us ensure that the educators understand the importance of making sure everyone, regardless of their differences, feels valued, respected, and has an equal opportunity to participate and contribute to their learning and development.

Once again, thank you for all your support. Wishing you all a safe and happy festive season from all the team at the centre.  

Notice For the Centre.

The centre will be closed from 22 December 2025 and re-opening on 5 January 2026.

We are incredibly proud to share that CAECC has been awarded First Prize in the Age 4 category at the 2025 Panda Competition, run by the Australia-China Friendship Society in partnership with the Chinese Embassy in Australia.

This year’s theme, Chinese Architecture, attracted nearly 400 entries from across many Canberra schools. CAECC’s preschool class impressed the judges with a striking sculpture of a traditional Chinese Tulou, earning first prize in our category. See the Tulou sculpture in the front display area of the centre when you enter. 

A Special Invitation to the Chinese Embassy

On 5 November, two children from the preschool class, accompanied by Cynthia Laoshi and CAECC Centre Director Juliana Laoshi, were invited to attend the Panda Competition Awards Ceremony at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the Commonwealth of Australia. The children were thrilled to represent CAECC and proudly accepted the award on behalf of their classmates.

The ceremony was attended by Ambassador Xiao Qian, officials from the Australia-China Friendship Society, representatives from the ACT Education Directorate, and families from across the community. Ambassador Xiao highlighted the Panda Competition as an important platform for cultural exchange and praised the creativity and enthusiasm of young participants in exploring Chinese culture through art.

About the Tulou

Tulou are large, round or square communal buildings traditionally found in the Fujian region of China. Built from earth and timber, they were designed to house many families while providing protection and a strong sense of community. Today, Tulou are recognised as UNESCO World Heritage sites and are admired for their clever design, sustainability, and cultural significance.

A Meaningful Learning Experience

Under the guidance of Cynthia Laoshi, children explored Chinese architecture through hands-on learning, discussion, and creative expression. The Tulou sculpture was a collaborative effort that encouraged curiosity, teamwork, problem-solving, and appreciation for another culture’s traditions and history.

This achievement reflects the dedication of our educators and the vibrant learning environment at CAECC, where cultural understanding and creativity are nurtured from a young age.

Congratulations to our preschool class on this wonderful accomplishment!

Learn More and Stay Connected

See more about this year’s Panda Competition:

https://au.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/dshd/202511/t20251106_11748036.htm

Connect with the Australia-China Friendship Society on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/actacfs/

Connect with CAECC on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/chinesechildcarecanberra

Join the Chinese Bilingual Families in Canberra Facebook Group (open to all Chinese bilingual families in Canberra):

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CfSNWnAhj/

Mandarin radio program on Community Radio 2XX

A fun weekly bilingual radio program to help promote the use and learning of Mandarin in the Canberra area. Hear ALMA members and friends on 98.3fm every Friday evening between 7pm to 7.30pm - or listen online, live or later as a podcast, at www.2xxfm.org.au. Parents or teachers are welcome to send in recordings of songs or short pieces by children. Hearing themselves on the radio is a great way to encourage children to speak and practice the Mandarin they are learning at home, preschool or school. We also welcome community announcements related to Chinese language and culture. Email for submissions: canberraalma@gmail.com

ALMA gratefully acknowledges Community Radio 2XX and the Community Broadcasting Foundation for their support for this program.

Information hub for Mandarin learning in the ACT region

Wondering where you can learn and practice your Mandarin language skills in the Canberra area? Or which schools in the ACT region have Chinese programs? Have a look at the Learning Mandarin pages on the ALMA website at https://www.learningmandarincanberra.org.

If you notice any information that could be updated or added, please let us know at canberraalma@gmail.com 

Submission to Inquiry into Building Asia Capability in Australia through the education system and beyond

ALMA recently lodged a submission to the House of Representatives inquiry into Building Asia Capability.

We’re excited to report that ALMA was invited to speak at the hearing in person.

Our submission argued for a pathway for continuous Mandarin immersion from K-12 in Canberra. We want to ensure students don't lose the proficiency they gained at Mawson Primary once they move to Year 7.

Rachel Qiu and Mandy Scott represented ALMA at Parliament House on Monday, 8 December. They explained to the committee why we need this pathway for our families.

Matt Brazel

ALMA immediate past president 

The ALMA submission is at https://www.learningmandarincanberra.org/uploads/1/1/8/4/11842315/almas_submission_to_the_inquiry_into_building_asia_capability_in_australia.pdf 

For more about the Inquiry and copies of other submissions see: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Education/BuildingAsiacapability/Submissions 

Canberra Chinese Soccer Association Inc (CCSA）
CCSA was officially registered in July 2025, with a mission to unite the Chinese community in Canberra through the universal language of football. Inspired by the fact that our capital city did not have a Chinese football team, a group of passionate football enthusiasts came together to set up this community organisation.

CCSA currently has around 30 active members and players, focusing on the over-35s football community. Looking ahead, the association aims to expand into younger age groups and women’s football, creating an inclusive, energetic, and supportive environment for all who love the game.

For more information contact Charles.Yu@eagersact.com.au

ALMA membership now free for everyone (even if you no longer have children at CAECC).

As part of its annual fee structure review, the ALMA committee has removed the fee for members without children at the CAECC. While the CAECC is an important part of ALMA, we are committed to promoting Chinese language and culture more broadly, as seen by our submission to the parliamentary inquiry. So, if you let your membership lapse when your children left CAECC, why not rejoin?

Transition to TidyHQ for ALMA membership management

As mentioned in the September newsletter, we have replaced our old paper-based membership process with a more efficient and robust online process using TidyHQ.

To assist us with this transition, we are asking all families with a child/ren attending the Chinese Australian Early Childhood Centre in 2026, to complete the membership form using the link below. This will allow us to ensure our records are correct and current.

ALMA 2026 CAECC family membership (for families with a child/ren attending CAECC) 

If your child/ren won’t be attending the CAECC in 2026, but you would like to continue to be a member, you can choose to continue as a Friend of ALMA at no cost using the below link:

Friend of ALMA 2026 (for supporters who do not have children attending CAECC)

If you have any questions or difficulties with the system, please contact us via email at canberraalma@gmail.com

To assist ALMA to develop engaging and high-quality content for our quarterly newsletter, we are seeking expressions of interest from anyone able to:

·       translate English content into Mandarin;

·       proof-read and copy edit any content that has been provided in Mandarin; and/or

·       prepare original content for the newsletter in Mandarin (and translated into English).

If you are interested, or have any questions, please contact Brendon via canberraalma@gmail.com