A-Z of Spielwelt in 2023

Herzliche Grüße liebe Spielwelter und Spielwelterinnen,

Again we find ourselves at the end of a busy year for Spielwelt! Some of us proudly have our hands in the air celebrating, while others are holding our heads and red hats, astonished that we made it through 🙂 We have again compiled the A-Z of 2023 for your enjoyment.

A is for the After GAP Program, which allows some children the opportunity to come to GAP. Thanks to Mel and Lisa3 for the fun that they facilitate at the end of a long day for teachers and children alike.

B is for the Buecher in our amazing library! We have an extensive collection of German language children’s books available for all ages and skill levels, as well as books on raising multilingual children. Make sure you borrow a few books the next time you are at the Hall!

C is for Colour Monster and Frederick, our two fabulous Theaterstücke at this year’s Story Night. The actors were amazing, the audience superb and the popcorn delicious! Thanks to Wolf(gang) and Philipp for their excellent directing and stage managing.

D wie die deutsche Sprache und die schönen Möglichkeiten unsere Kinder haben, in Canberra ihre Sprachkenntnisse zu verbreiten.

E is for Erzieher/innen und Lehrer/innen. We are so fortunate to have such amazing teachers at GAP and Schlaumäuse. Special thanks to all of our teachers this year: Gerda, Lisa (Third of Her Name), Mel, Birgit and Diana and our casual staff: Anna, Caitlin, Christine, Eli, Emily, Isabella and Sophia.

F is for Federweisserfest. Special thanks to our special events coordinators Christian, Gerald, Gerda, Meike, Steve, Uli and Uli for organising all of our events this year, and Alex from Collector Wines (and Pfadfinder Papa) for making the delicious Federweißer again.

G is for GAP (ist meine Schule), where childrens’ dreams come true.

H is for Haig Park and the beautiful surroundings for the Turner Scout Hall that we call home. Haig Park turned 100 this year! Perhaps you can help us with the celebrations that were postponed to February 2024?

I is for Ich geh mit meiner Laterne: We had one of our biggest turnouts in Haig Park for this year’s Lantern Walk. It was so wonderful to see the lights bobbing up and down in the dark, with the crowd’s beautiful voices accompanied by our very own Pfadfinder orchestra.

J is for Jane, our extraordinary GAP Director. She superbly led the teachers and program through storms and sunshine this year, and showed much love to many children (and adults!) every day but especially during their early days at GAP.

K is for Komitee und Freunde, who put in tireless efforts over the year to keep Spielwelt well-governed across insurance, staffing, marketing, finances and administration. Special thanks to Christiane, Kat, Janne, Lars, Lisa, Meike and Steve for their efforts throughout (but particularly while I took a break in September), as well as Janina, Minh-Tam and Thomas for their contributions during the year.

L is for Lisa (First of Her Name), who again helped Spielwelt navigate two tricky transition points this year, in addition to being an amazing Scout Group Leader.

M is for Margie, our Finance Admin, who does a stellar job in keeping the bills and staff paid, the hall hired, new children enrolled and the fees sent out.

N is for Nikolaus, who again delighted our children at GAP, Pfadfinder and Spiel und Spass. Luckily everyone had their names written in his golden book this year! Thanks to Balu, Chris and Carlo for assuming the Mantel this year.

O is for Oktoberfest, where we were again transported to München with the mouth-watering Spanferkel, home-brewed Bier and handmade Bretzeln, as we heard the joyful sounds of children playing.

P is for Pfadfinder, where (slightly older) childrens’ dreams come true. Thanks to our leaders Wolf(gang), Alice and Balu, and our many parent helpers: Ashley, Byrd, Esther, Hanna, Ivo, Jutta, Melanie, Philipp, Silke, Thomas and Uli. Help maintain the magic by training as a Scout Leader for 2025!

Q is for Quer durch Canberra und Umland, where we all come from! We have people in our community who hail from northside, southside, Yass, Sutton, Queanbeyan and beyond.

R is for the Regenbogenfischtanz, a fantastic new addition to our GAP End of Year Concert. Thanks to Mel and Isabella for organising this year’s concert, bringing such joy and colour to children and audience alike.

S is for Spielgruppen, where (slightly younger) childrens’ dreams come true. Come and join in the fun at Spiel und Spass (0-5 year olds, Wednesday mornings), GAP Alumni (ages 3+, first Saturday of the month) or Schlaumäuse (K-2, Wednesday afternoons)!

T is for Town Halls. We really appreciate the community’s support this year, and helping us to make some difficult decisions.

U is for Used Clothes Exchanges, which were a wonderful success again and furthered our ‘Keen to Be Green’ ethos.

V is for Volunteers, without whom Spielwelt wouldn’t exist. Thank you for all of your contributions, whether you grill Wurst like a champion, pitch in at the Working Bees, wash the beds, bake pretzels or help organise our programs and events.

W is for Waiting for Mangos, which – unlike Godot – fortunately did eventually arrive. Weren’t they delicious and totally worth the wait? Thank you for helping us fundraise over $500 this year.

X is NOT for X-beliebige, because we aren’t just any old community organisation!

Y is for You! As a parent-run association, we need you to help Spielwelt continue to be a wonderful place for children can learn and play in German. Will you step up in 2024?

Z is for Zweitausand Vierundzwanzig! We can’t wait to see you all again next year at one of our programs or events!

Macht’s gut zusammen!