Staff ‘heartbroken’ over departure

EDUCATORS at Moriah Early Learning Centres (ELC) have been left devastated after long-serving director Cathy Milwidsky was made redundant following a restructuring process.

In a statement sent to The AJN, Moriah ELC educators said they are “at a loss to understand this decision and are heartbroken”.

“Over the past 18 years Cathy has been an inspiration to us all. Her dedication, devotion, trust in us, professionalism, her vision, compassion, and her willingness to go above and beyond knows no bounds and has enabled us to thrive and flourish.

“Cathy has been the glue that connected our three centres, the Shya Redelman, Saunders and John I Einfeld campuses, to Moriah College. Over the years Cathy’s guidance and support has touched each, and every one of us.

“We will always remember the important lesson we learnt from her – ‘Always see the extraordinary in the ordinary’.”

It is understood there has already been one resignation in the wake of Milwidsky’s sudden departure, with educators questioning the timing of the decision and the lack of information provided to them about the restructuring process.

Staff were reportedly informed about the decision shortly before opening time at the ELCs.

Moriah College principal Rabbi Yehoshua Smukler told The AJN that it was an “internal, operational change”.

“It’s understandable that emotions may be heightened when it involves a much-loved, respected staff member who has devoted 17 years to the college,” Rabbi Smukler said.

“The process of restructuring the leadership and management of our ELCs began after a comprehensive review indicated that implementing a new, distributed leadership model with coordinators at each ELC, will better meet the needs of our families, support and empower our staff, and further elevate our premier ELC offering.

“When the leadership change was discussed with Cathy over the past few weeks, we hoped she would stay until the end of 2022, working through a transition plan with us, however we had to respect Cathy’s choice of timing for the announcement and her decision to vacate the position immediately.

“We are looking forward to working with our exceptional ELC staff, who have risen to the challenges of the past few years as the heroes of our community and exploring the opportunities our new leadership model will bring. We acknowledge and thank Cathy for her years of dedicated service and love of the children in her care and wish her only everything of the best for the future.”