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/Boronia Room
Water Play in the sand pit and finding ways to escape the heat have been dominant features of this week. We made it down to the mini oval for Dharug Dhalang with Amy. Though it was warm and our water bottles were kept close, we enjoyed being able to shape our beeswax with ease, as the warm conditions made the beeswax so soft and pliable to shape and mould. The children made lots of wonderful animals and creations in response to Amy’s story about the Crimson Rosella.
The Kindergarten children have been working very intensely on their French Knitting, and it has grown so long that they have started sewing down their seat covers with their knitting already! That is amazing and the first group of children to be that focused and enthusiastic. Well done to the children and their crafting energy.
Please ensure that you have recorded the date for meeting your child’s Class 1 teacher Kath Turner, on Thursday 13th November at 7pm in Week 5. It is highly recommended that at least one parent attend this evening to ask your questions and hear about how the curriculum unfolds for your child next year.
Stay cool,
Francine
Class 1/2
What a wonderful week in Class 1/2! After a refreshing holiday it has been lovely to have all our class back together again. Swimming lessons each day were a wonderful way to build skills and awareness of water safety, the children displayed independence in dressing themselves and listened beautifully to the instructors at Springwood Aquatic Centre. I’m so proud of each child’s determination and sheer joy each time they entered the water. Well done Class 1/2!
Our Main Lesson Marcel’s Magical Craft Market has continued with children exploring formal and informal measurement. Pondering all sorts of mathematical problems and finding solutions together. Which type of measurement is appropriate to measure particular objects? Would I use a matchstick or a metre length of string to measure the ballcourt or my crayon or desk? How close was our estimate? How can our data be organised into a table?
Our restorative practice is also reflected in our Main Lesson story, Sam the monkey has continued to surprise us with her antics, breaking a ceramic mug and working together to find a solution to make things right with her friends. These stories are valuable learning opportunities as we work together to build strong relationships in our class, helping us to feel connected and strong.
With great anticipation we participated in The Great Backyard Bird Count this week, the hot Spring days in the first half of the week hindered our bird spotting as they were likely hiding in a nice cool spot. Having spotted two black cockatoos in a tree outside our classroom window in Week 1 we will wait patiently for them to return…
Enjoy a lovely, relaxing weekend!
Warmly,
Kath & Class 1/2 Assistants
Class 3/4
The children have settled very quickly after the holidays, and the mood is summer happiness. Week 2 has been a different sort of week due to swimming lessons at Springwood pool. Every day we have achieved reading, spelling, writing, maths, singing and main lesson before 12pm to keep our learning routines on track. Then we switch into swimming mode. Getting changed, having an early lunch, jumping on the bus with just swimmers and a towel and off for the lesson. The lessons at the pool are 40 minutes in the water. Then slightly wet and wrapped in towels we head back to school. We are allowed to sing The Wheels on the Bus three times and then we cycle through our seasonal festival songs. A busload of melodic harmonies with towel capes and goggles on wet heads! I am unsure if the new bus driver is enchanted, amused or a bit of both.
We return to school at 2pm to get changed and flop about on the veranda with watermelon, Uno games and the remainder of toasties and a late lunchtime play outside, before it is suddenly home time in a slightly confused and yawning reality.
I adore the water and have taken the chance to be in the pool each day, moving from group to group, encouraging kids and helping demonstrate. Bliss!
It made me think how lovely a weekly swim is for a family. Doing something like this weekly at the same time, allows you to perfect all the elements that make the occasional doing of it feel crazy, exhausting and a hard “no, not for me” activity. The swim bag stays ready, the towels and swimmers dried and returned to it. The patterns of how to get changed at pools, fold clothes neatly, right down to the snacks you have after the swim get locked into the deep “this is how we do it” calm that anchors us all, but especially children.
I have such fond memories of swimming through pregnancies and with babies in slings, toddlers on hips, older children within reach. A wise Steiner mum told me years ago that frequent swimming brings us back down to a core state of being and connection with the elements and is even more important to prioritise for those away from the sea. I have thought of it ever since.
Our Main Lesson has looked at some interesting stories surrounding gratitude for what we have, appreciating our friends and listening to our heart. There has been Hans in Luck, The Sausage, the Mouse and the Bird and the Wishing Fish. I am sure some of your children would love to tell you these stories as they have been the cause of great discussion in class.
Next week we look forward to the Gully (Gungaree) excursion on Thursday and adjusting back to days at school with hose, sprinkler and creek but no pool.
Have a lovely weekend
Jeneva
Class 5/6
We are in the midst of swimming, play practices, and a Main Lesson on the History of Federation in Australia. Minh is coming twice a week to work on refining maths skills.
Please encourage your child to be at school each day so that they don’t miss rehearsals.
Yarramundi medical forms need to be logged into the Yarramundi system (see email sent). Our walk to Evan’s Crown is next Tuesday. For the Greek Olympics, children need a white t-shirt and white shorts if possible.
The weather is warm, and sun protection is a priority every day. Some children aren’t bringing water bottles. Can you please check that they have one.
Have a lovely weekend,
Julie
