JS News 30 Oct 2019

By Andy Gordon - Deputy Principal, Head of Junior School

Dates to Remember

Weeks 3–4	Kinder and Year 2 Swimming
Monday 4 November	Year 5 Camp leaving
Thursday 7 November	Year 5 Camp returning
Mon 11 November	Remembrance Day Service

It is an exciting time as we look ahead to your child’s next step in their learning journey. Teaching teams, in consultation with other key staff, are putting significant time and consideration into the organisation of these classes. Our priority is to group students for success, making informed decisions based on the educational needs of the students. If you have concerns about the needs of your child which could impact on class placement, please email your current classroom teacher.

I often hear parents talking about ‘teacher requests’. Our practice is that parents do not make requests. If and when a parent may make a request, our normal process of class placement still applies.

We want you to be assured that it is our heartfelt purpose to be learner-centred. We want you to feel confident and comfortable that regardless of who your child’s teacher is, your child will be well cared for, nurtured, appropriately challenged and encouraged to grow during the year. We understand that this takes clear communication between school and home. Be assured that we are determined to ensure that our teachers are highly effective and appropriately learner-centred.

We are in the process of ensuring we are using the best tools possible to support and track the learning of our students. Year Two, Year Four and Year Six parents will receive some information shortly regarding the AAS Testing that those students were involved in this year. That, like NAPLAN is a point in time, under test conditions that aren't congruent with our normal teaching and learning assessment. If you have any questions, please contact us.

We love that we get the opportunity to learn alongside you as we celebrate your child's growth as a learner.

We celebrate with our Year 6 Team, and all staff that work with Year 6, on the depth of learning, innovation and creativity that they demonstrated last week through Exhibition. We’re so incredibly proud to be a part of a learning community that believes, values and promotes learning that will build a better and more peaceful human experience.

Some examples of action that our Year Six students were engaged in included: 

•          One student joining their local Hackett community with creating a community garden, as well as writing to the local government for funds for a playground

•          One student organising a fire drill plan with his family following his research into the Canberra fires

•          A group organising 10c bottle bins to be distributed across Radford for recycling and sustainability

•          One student baking dog biscuits for the RSPCA

•          A group making lifestyle changes including always taking a reusable bag when shopping with their parents on the weekend and using reusable straws when they buy drinks from the canteen

•          One student using her research to ensure she and her peers use social media appropriately and safely

•          One group proposing a ‘Purple Day’ at Radford to the Radford Tribal Council to support gender equality

•          One group collecting canned food from peers and family friends to donate to Karinya House

•          One group attending the Secondary School food tech afternoon to cook food for OzHarvest

•          One student who researched the importance of spending quality time with family and, as a result, won’t be using screens on the weekend.

 

Some examples for student action in music during Exhibition were:

•          students teaching rhythm to others within their group

•          students showing initiative by collecting recycled materials to use as instruments

•          two of our Year 6 classes planning to assist in teaching our PK students the song ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ and designing materials for their performance.

I once heard that the difference between knowledge and wisdom is quite simple. “Wisdom is the correct application of knowledge.” Action is the fruit of wisdom. It is the right application of knowledge.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Nicholas Brogan who was the winner of the Biological Sciences category (Years 3–6) in the SEACT Science Competition. In his experiment, Nicholas focused on the issue of children accidentally swallowing lithium (button) batteries. He investigated whether commonly available food or fluids could slow the burn caused by the lithium battery and allow time to transport children to medical care/surgery. Nicholas has been invited to enter his project in the national BHP Science Awards for students.

 

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