From the Junior School
From the Head of Junior School
This week I am in Dubbo and Brewarrina with a group of 18 Year 6 girls. This is part of our focus on deepening our understanding of the rich history of our First Nations People. We set off on Sunday morning and we are due back this evening. I look forward to sharing the stories and learning we have gathered from this trip. I am extremely proud and humbled that we have been invited to Brewarrina Central School to learn alongside the children there, and I look forward to welcoming some of their Year 5 and 6 girls back to Vision Valley later this year.
We are so proud of Faith Hedley, Year 6, who performed last weekend in the opening show of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Faith is playing the role of Judah and the show is running until the end of March at the Capitol Theatre.
In my absence from campus, Mrs Lara Bird, Deputy Head of Junior School Academics is writing this newsletter.
A message from Lara Bird, Deputy Head of Junior School – Academics
Welcome to Week 3! It has started with a bang for our Year 1 students who have commenced the week exploring and investigating sound during their Science incursion: The Science of Sound. Kindergarten used concrete materials to help build a strong foundational understanding of number concepts in Mathematics. They also used Unifix blocks to create a city of towers that represented different numbers and the girls also participated in relay races correctly ordering numbers as a team. Year 2 focused on developing their understanding of place value in Mathematics, representing ‘hundreds’, ‘tens’ and ‘ones’ using MAB blocks. Discovery, exploration, and investigation play an important role across the primary curriculum and, learning by doing enables children to be active participants in the learning process.
Year 6 students are investigating forces, including friction, gravity and air resistance. The girls were posing questions and deepening their scientific understanding. Year 5 continued their investigation on how people and the environment affect the growth, survival and adaptation of living things. As the girls acquire new knowledge, they are also developing important skills such as communication, collaboration, critical and creative thinking and problem solving. Embedded in classroom activities are opportunities for the girls to develop such skills.
In Assembly last week, a sea of student hands filled the hall as our Junior School girls responded to a question I posed “Who is having a go in their learning even when it is a little tricky?” It was wonderful to see so many hands in the air showing commitment by the girls to their learning. This term we will continue to encourage the girls to have a go, be brave and take risks in their learning. “Fabulous failures” are all part of being an active learner, providing opportunities for learners to explore different pathways to find solutions, acquire new knowledge and skills, ask questions and work collaboratively with peers. When girls are explained failure constructively, understanding that it is not a personal reflection on their worth or ability, it helps them become more willing and confident to take risks and sets them up for success as learners.
Academic Series – Reading at home with your Daughter
To launch our academic series for parents, we will be hosting a webinar “Reading with your Daughter”. In this webinar, our K-2 Year Co-ordinators together with Mrs Geraldine Roberts, K-2 Learning Support Co-ordinator will present on the importance of supporting a reader and the reading environment, the 5 essential elements of reading, comprehension and vocabulary. This webinar will be presented via Microsoft Teams (online) on Thursday, 23 February at 5.30pm to 6.30pm. If you would like to register for this event, please use this link.
In Week 6B on Thursday 9 March at 6.00pm, we will continue our academic series with a focus on Mathematics: “Being a Junior Mathematician”. Parents will learn how Mathematics is taught in the Junior School and participate in hands on activities that promote Mathematical reasoning and behaviours. This event will be held in John Reid Hall. More information will be posted in the newsletter in the coming weeks.
Competitions and External Opportunities
Across the year information on various competitions will be posted in the newsletter or announced at Assembly. Some competitions are embedded within learning activities in the classroom or at school (such as Pens against Poverty Writing Competition, Write a Book in a Day, House Robotics Competition, etc) while others may be external to this (such as da Vinci Decathlon, Literacy Festival, etc). These competitions may have an academic focus, encourage passions and interests or develop leadership skills and may involve a whole year group or a small group of students.
ICAS Assessments Years 3-6
ICAS Assessments will take place outside of school hours (7.00am-8.00am) in Term 3. A notice will be posted on the portal regarding the testing window, cost and timetable for Years 3-6. Parents will be able to nominate which assessment they would like their daughter to sit.
Our Junior School Be-of-Service Superstar of the Week
4D superstar Amélie Berg really enjoys helping the Smiles2U charity as part of her service and kindness to the community. Smile2U provide essential packs for families who find themselves in hospital emergency. Kids receive a pack with toys, books and colouring to distract them while parents get a pack with toiletries. Amélie loves packing these bags hoping they will help the kids feel a little better.
Around the Grounds – Kate Giles, Lead Co-ordinator K-3
Kindergarten
Kindergarten have had another fantastic week of learning and experienced their first Assembly. They have started their investigation into living and non-living things and have loved the hands on activities like drawing in the Riverbed and making living and non-living things from playdough. They are now learning to ask questions to determine what living things need to survive, particularly looking at themselves.
Year 1 Fizzics Incursion- The Science of Sound
What is sound? How can sound change? How does sound travel? What do soundwaves look like? These are just some of the many fascinating questions that Year 1 explored during their Fizzics Education Incursion; The Science of Sound.
Our enthusiastic scientist Phoenix used balloon tubes to model how sound creates vibrations, and even used progressively shorter straws to demonstrate how size and length can affect pitch. The girls spent a noisy and exciting lesson interacting with all manner of sound-producing objects, from drums, bells and tambourines to pipe hoses, metal coat-hangers and slinky cups.
“I learnt that long objects make a lower sound and shorter objects make a higher sound.” -Charlotte C
“I liked it when we cut the straws and they made different sounds.” – Olivia
“I enjoyed watching the plate vibrate and make different shapes in the sand.” – Melaina
“I enjoyed playing with all the objects that made sound. My favourite one was the xylophone.” – Charlotte L
“I could hear my friend talk through a hose and no one else could!”- Katherine
Year 2
Year 2 have enjoyed immersing themselves in picture books about water to start their investigation into natural resources. They considered the different forms of water on the planet and its uses and asked questions to further their understanding about water. The girls have also started to explore soil and how it is also a valuable resource.
URSTRONG Sessions
Years 1 to 6 attended workshops with Dana Kerford, the founder of URSTRONG an organisation that is working with Pymble to help empower the girls with friendship skills. The girls explored the 4 friendship facts, the qualities of healthy friendships and how to use the friend-o-meter to reflect on how their friendships are going. Dana helped the girls explore and role play how to put out friendship fires and know the difference between these and mean on purpose behaviour.
“I loved using my toy to act out how to put out a friendship fire.” – Sienna
“Dana taught us to use a quick come back when any one is mean on purpose to us.” – Grace
“Today I learnt that I can be a Friendship Ninja by talking it out when I have a friendship fire with my friends.” – Mia
Year 3 Mind Body Spirit Day
Taking time to connect, breathe and create, Year 3 spent a day learning more about themselves and each other while creating watercolour paintings, natural mandalas, and reflecting on what was important. The Indigenous games played on the oval were a definite highlight and the girls took away their love heart envelopes containing the things that were important to them.
“I had so much fun today, my favourite activity was playing the games on the oval. I also liked the painting.” – Maria
“I really liked making love heart envelopes and wrote the things that were important to us on them.” – Mia
“We learned how to do Hot Chocolate Breathing. I thought it was fun and really good idea! We were all tired at the end but we all had fun on this wonderful Mind Body Spirit Day.” – Tiffany
“I had lots of fun going to the oval to play the Indigenous games. My favourite was Wanambi (the snake tip game). I also really liked the watercolour painting as it was peaceful.” – Mia
“I made a new friend in my class today and got to know some people a little better.” – Emma
Around the Grounds – Jayne Mercer, Lead Co-ordinator 4-6
Year 4
Year 4 have started their Inquiry unit looking at Community and Connections. Girls will have the opportunity to connect their understanding of their own cultural backgrounds with those of their peers as well as develop a deeper understanding of First Nations People’s connections to Country and place. The girls have looked at their own family’s celebrations, Lunar New Year and the significance of Australia Day from different perspectives.
Year 5
Year 5 Mind Body Spirit Day provided the girls an opportunity to try new things, take time to reflect on ways to connect to self and start to build new friendships. Even the rain showers couldn’t dampen their enthusiasm for painting, sketching, meditation, team building games, a dance lesson and a visit to the farm.
“The dance session was fun and made me feel happy because being with everyone made me feel warm and comfortable.” – Anna S
“I really enjoyed feeding all the animals and I also got to touch the ducks and chickens. The visit to the farm made me feel calmer.” – Katelyn G
“The meditation session was the perfect way to end the day.” – Divangi S
Year 6
Walking into Year 6 each day it is wonderful to see how engaged the girls are in their learning and the responsibility they are taking towards being the leaders of the school. Unstructured Play sessions this term will give the girls lots of opportunities to test out their learning from their Science unit looking at forces. There is lots of excitement about the upcoming trip to Canberra and camp later in the year.
“In Science when investigating forces I found out that when a surface is rougher the amount of friction increases.” – Jing L
“In Science we are learning about G force and G force is a force of gravity which happens, for example on a ride in Dreamworld, it pulls you down when you’re moving rapidly from a height.” – Isabella D
“In Science I have learnt about air resistance by increasing the size of the parachute the object moves slower. A smaller parachute would move faster.” – Jennifer X
“I am looking forward to visiting Parliament House” – Orla C
“I am looking forward to camp and getting to ride a horse for the first time” – Olivia C
“I am looking forward to learning about how Australia is governed” – Chloe L
Cross Country Carnival Years 2 to 6 – Tuesday 21 February
The Junior School Cross Country is being held next Tuesday 21 February on Main Oval and around the College Campus. Please see below some important information:
- Girls will arrive at school as normal. They are allowed to wear their House sport uniform to and from school.
- The course is on a variety of surfaces so girls are not to run in spike. Please remind girls to wear their hats, bring a full water bottle and their asthma medication if needed.
- Periods 1 and 2 are normal. The Carnival will begin at the end of recess at approximately 11.00am.
- There will be five races – 12 Years, 11 Years, 10 Years, 8/9 Years and 7 Years (Year 2).
- The carnival will finish by 12.45pm. Normal school timetables will resume at the completion of the carnival.
- Kindy and Year 1 will have a normal school day.
- Before and After School Co-Curricular programs will run as normal.
- Parents are welcome to attend the carnival but are asked to watch from the spectator’s area around the long jump pit and the pedestrian walkway around Main Oval.
From the Junior School Parent Group (JSPG)
We are looking forward to seeing you at our Years 4 to 6 Breakfast tomorrow morning Friday 17 February in the Gillian Moore Centre for Performing Arts (GMCPA) from 7.30am to 9.00am.
Also, please join us for the PPA Icebreaker next Friday 24 February from 6.45pm on Gloucester Lawn (near the Jacaranda tree and the Main Hall). Click here to purchase tickets! Please note that your ticket includes canapes and drinks.
Parent Contact Directory
The parent contact directory is available on MyPymble and has been developed for parents and carers to opt-in to share their contact details with other parents and carers in their daughter(s) year group to help build community connections.
Your contact details are in MyPymble under User Details (which can be accessed via the MyPymble app or via desktop). Could you please ensure these are updated for this year and particularly for our new families. You can also access the Parent Directory for your daughter’s roll call class and co-curricular activities.
Please note that you can opt to share certain details, including your name, email address, phone number and suburb. Please update these details so that you may be contacted by fellow parents in your daughter’s class.
Your Year Coordinators will shortly be sending out emails to your year groups with further details including your WhatsApp groups for your year and classes.
- Year 3 Dads & Daughters Bowls Afternoon
Please join us for the Year 3 Dads & Daughters Bowls on Sunday 26 February at West Pymble Bowls Club. Please RSVP to Sam Birch on 0400 026 565, Matt Ware on 0404 063 386 or Jon Ruiz del Portal on 0410 672 439.
Kate Brown
Head of Junior School