Keep up-to-date with your child’s learning with these short weekly updates from their teachers. Click on the buttons below to go straight to your child’s class, or find out what others are up to!
Kindergarten
This week in Kindergarten we heard the story of The Little Straw Broom. The children enjoyed relating to the three little men – red hat (who rushed), blue hat (who couldn’t be bothered) and gold hat (who knew how to use the little straw broom properly).
We also started a new Morning Circle – Flippy Floppy Pancake. He grew so big that he jumped out of the pan and ran away! Ask your child what happens at the end.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being back in Kindy this week in Francine’s absence, holding the rhythm closely. We’re all sending her our love.
Warmly,
Soumya, Isabella & Kathryn
Class 1/2
Welcome to Autumn! On Monday, we explored our bush playground and the new season before making a class book with each page revealing lovingly crafted Autumnal words and images. Then towards the end of the week came a hot blast with the bonus of waterplay opportunities that could not be missed!
Annie was away this week, but we watered the thirsty vegetable garden with many trips to the tap and back on a warm day and then basked on the veranda like lizards whilst nibbling frozen watermelon.
Our first Buddy Reading session occurred this week! Class 5 will be visiting each Tuesday afternoon for buddy reading with Class 1/2. It’s lovely to watch this bond grow as the school leaders mentor the little ones in their love of reading.
The literacy-based Fairy Tales and Animal Fables Main Lesson is continuing with the mood of wonder and joy. This week we enjoyed Simeli Mountain with its cave filled with gold and jewels, the Golden Goose and the Lion and the Mouse. We walked, traced and skipped our way through the alphabet and enjoyed many a spelling game on the chalkboard while children took turns being the teacher and leading the game! It’s a pleasure to watch the children playing with sounds and letters, their skills are improving daily.
Enjoy a lovely weekend!
Warmly,
Kath
Class 3/4
This week Class 3/4 noticed lots of walan (rain) mixed with yuruka (hot) Darraburras (days), even with some manga manga (storms). We missed our gardening and bush walk because of the wet.
In Main Lesson, we learnt about kind Rebekah giving camels water by the well. And Esau who was hungry enough to swap his birthright for a bowl of stew. Also, Jacob who dreamed of angels climbing up and down a ladder to the heavens as he slumbered in the wilderness on a stone pillow. The more we delve into these stories, the more the years and cultural divisions fall away.
In Dharug we looked at the names of animals – wumbat, buru, jirrabity, garad, bundaluk, dingu.
In mathematics we continued multiplication work for a second week.
In writing, we are using descriptive language to describe the ordinary and often overlooked things in our home. We heard about snails that inhabit letterboxes, “horse trees”, comfy couches, bunk bed sanctuaries, spider webs with water droplets and creaking gates.
We learned longer poems in Morning Circle. “Sick”, where a child lists many reasons for being too unwell for school until they learn it is Saturday and run off to play. The “Ant explorer”, an adorable classic and “Babes in the Wood”, a beautifully melancholy poem. The children found the open truths expressed in these poems a little astonishing.
The next two Tuesdays I have course days for my master’s in creative art’s therapy and Sayoko is on the class. Jess is also away for a few weeks, so Italian is being replaced by Japanese on Wednesdays. We were told this newsletter is rarely read. Is there anyone out there? If you read it and enjoy it (or not), I would love to be told 😉
Travel gently,
Jeneva
Class 5/6
We began rehearsing for our Autumn Festival – St Michael. The children are singing, learning lines and playing the music. If there are any parents who would like to join our parent band, ‘The Rocky Knolls’ (who will also play in the festival) please contact me.
In our Main Lesson, the class worked with multiplying and simplifying fractions, and discovered there are many different approaches to the same question. We did veil painting, which means painting a little bit each day to build up the layers of watercolour on the paper. They have also been learning, gathering and writing pieces that include common ‘turns of phrase’, such as ‘That’s a storm in a teacup’.
Storms in teacups can be many, and we weather the storms and try not to make mountains out of molehills, bury hatchets when necessary, and remember that a stitch in time, saves nine. Morality is a huge part of everyone’s learning in a social/ communal setting, as the mirror is sometimes turned back on ourselves.
I find a big part of a school day holds the lesson outcomes as the melody but the daily antics, social and individual awareness provides the harmonies, and together they intertwine and make beauty and, on some days, and a slight cacophony on others. We gird our loins and weather those storms and sometimes see that we’re barking up the wrong tree and try not to get our knickers in a knot! Learning is on many layers.
Have a lovely restful weekend.
Warmly,
Julie
