- Quarantine Dreaming
- News from the First Aid Room
- Reflections from Term One in the Cocoon Group
- A Busy Term in Foundation! Term 1 2022
- Year 1 and 2 News – Term 1 2022
- An Energetic and Busy Start in The Year 3/4 Learning Community!
- Counting our Classroom Blessings – Year 5 Term 1 2022
- Year 6 2022 – An Amazing, Kind, Inquisitive Bunch!
- Term 1 Fun in the Minimbah Library
- Art Room Fun in Term 1
- Minimbah Music – Term 1 2022
- The Value of a Strength-Based Approach
- Year 12 Drama Ensemble Performance – Christmas Down Under
- Mother's Day Out 2022
- Recovering Long Overdue Library Items
Quarantine Dreaming
I write this week's Messenger Article four days into seven days of quarantine after contracting COVID sometime early last week. While I've been lucky and had only mild cold symptoms, being locked in the bottom end of our house and having food left at the door three times a day has not been a fulfilling experience. This lacklustre time has been further amplified by the lack of televisions in this part of our house and, to top it off, poor quality wifi. I need to own the internet issue... my daughters have complained about the internet down here for years, and I've done precious little to fix the problem.
Tom Ryan's Y8 Humanities Class Exploring the history of the Battle of Hastings
During my time incarcerated with the Labradors, I've been disappointed to miss out on key events during the last two weeks of term. However, it has given me the chance to reflect on our term here at Woodleigh.
I was beginning to celebrate my first lockdown-free term at Woodleigh, thinking that the great state of Victoria would not consider such measures again. However, I sadly overlooked my own circumstances, and as such, my dream of an uninterrupted term continues to elude me. Nonetheless, I hope to return to School this week, healthy and COVID-free, to defend the honour of the Senior Campus staff in the Fight MND staff-student netball game happening Thursday at lunchtime. I can already feel my calves and hamstrings twinging.
Staff vs Students Netball Match. Raising funds for Motor Neurone Disease Research
A Very Successful Term 1
Outside of my short spasms of self-pity, I managed to reflect on what has been an incredibly positive term for our School. Despite a rapid surge in COVID numbers, our weekly case numbers have remained relatively controlled. My colleagues at other schools have endured far greater positive cases in staff and students. We have also managed to run an almost normal calendar of events. While some slight variations were made to minimise risk, we managed to conduct Camps, Activities, Inter-School Sports, Excursions, Incursions, School Meetings, Assemblies and large community gatherings – all of which were incredibly successful and healing for our community.
I have particularly enjoyed spending time with our students as they move away from their virtual worlds and re-engage with each other and the School in the physical world. Our children seem more appreciative of these opportunities than ever before – each experience bringing a joy and excitement that many of us have not seen or felt for some time.
4Y0 Early Childhood Students working with Lionel Lauch from Living Culture
Relationships and Experiences Set Us Apart
I have often said that relationships and experiences give meaning and purpose to our School. The full range of experiences offered during Term 1 have enhanced and developed our students' relationships with their peers and teachers alike.
As parents, teachers and school leaders, we all have a moral purpose to do the best for the students in our care. To encourage them, support them and guide them to be the best person they can be. Every day across our campuses, I see wonderful young people who love learning, love interacting, and want to be the best version of themselves. I also see teachers and staff members working alongside our students, encouraging them and supporting their growth and development. As a Principal and a teacher, nothing is more inspiring, which is why I come to work at Woodleigh every day
Charlie Stevering Y10 completed the World's Greatest Shave, raising nearly $1400 to go toward beating blood cancer.
Happy to be at School
Our students and community have a new sense of appreciation for school, the experiences we all take part in, and our relationships with each other.
I want to thank and congratulate our students for being themselves and engaging with our school in such a positive and purposeful manner. I also want to thank our families for continuing to support our school and entrust us with your children's education. The old adage, 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree,' is very true at Woodleigh. Great kids come from great families.
Thank you to our staff, who have worked tirelessly to ensure our students have had as normal a term as possible. They have covered for each other when we have often experienced staff shortages. They have planned for and implemented great learning experiences to ensure our students are engaged and motivated. Most importantly, they continue to be committed professionals who love their students and love working at Woodleigh.
I would like to wish every member of our community a very restful holiday period with friends and family, and I hope to see all of our students again in Term 2, safe and well.
Take care over the break,
DAVID BAKER Principal
News from the First Aid Room
As we move into 2022, there are several key changes that will be occurring across the First Aid rooms. These changes are to ensure we maintain a best practice approach and to ensure we meet evolving risk management and compliance requirements.
1: Medication Administration
The school is moving towards paracetamol being the only over the counter medication that will be supplied to students (and only when parent permission has been provided via Operoo). All other medication will need to be supplied from home, in the original packaging, with the student's full name, the medication dosage, administration advice, and parent name and signature supplied. The medication will then be stored in the First Aid room and will be provided to your child when the need arises. (my comment – perhaps this is via Operoo form).
We understand that this is a change from existing practice; however, external consultants have advised that this is the best course of action for all parties. If your child requires any over the counter medication, we ask that you complete the Operoo Medication Authority form available here as soon as possible and deliver the medication to the relevant First Aid Officer.
2: Questions to be removed from Operoo Medical form
We are also writing to advise that we will no longer request Medicare numbers, ambulance cover status or private health cover information. This information is not critical to an emergency response and does not impact our emergency treatment protocols, and, in keeping with our Privacy Policy, we believe we should not hold this data as a matter of course. If particular camps, excursions, or activities require this information, we will request it on the Operoo form specific to the event and only hold the data for as long as it is required.
3: Staying Current
When providing first aid to your child, the information you provide via Operoo is critical. We ask that all parents review and update their child's Operoo Profile regularly, particularly when there is a change in health circumstances. If your child requires a Health Management Plan (i.e., asthma, allergy, anaphylaxis, diabetes, epilepsy), we ask you to check their expiry dates and upload updated plans onto the Operoo platform.
4: Anaphylaxis: EpiPen versus Anapen
Woodleigh staff have just completed their six monthly Anaphylaxis briefing. The training we undertake is related to the use of EpiPens rather than Anapens, so we ask that parents of anaphylactic children provide the school with an EpiPen rather than an Anapen.
As always, if your child has health issues that you wish to discuss, please get in touch with the School Nurse, Di Mold, on 5971 6100.
Reflections from Term One in the Cocoon Group
How wonderful to have had continuous time over the term to be together, build close relationships with the children and our families and offer so many rich learning contexts to the children. Time with the children allows us to notice their interests and support each child to participate, make choices, and build agency in their learning.
As educators, we value the process of reflecting on the children’s learning and following their interests which enables us to plan engaging and meaningful experiences.
“Reflective practice is a form of ongoing learning that involves engaging with questions of philosophy, ethics, and practice. It intends to gather information and gain insights that support, inform and enrich decision-making about children’s learning. As professionals, early childhood educators examine what happens in their settings and reflect on what they might change.” Early Years Learning and Developmental Framework.
We use many ways to gather information about each child as an individual and as part of a group. Seesaw posts, portfolio work, observations, morning meeting notes, videos, learning stories, family discussions, inquiry, or project work. Through the context of play, we learn so much about the children.
- Play allows for the expression of personality and uniqueness
- Play enhances dispositions such as curiosity and creativity
- Play enables children to make connections between prior experiences and new learning
- Play assists children to develop relationships and concepts
- Play stimulates a sense of wellbeing.
- Through play, children actively construct their understandings and contribute to others’ learning. They recognise their agency, capacity to initiate and lead learning, and their rights to participate in decisions that affect them, including their learning.
This term, we followed an inquiry into “What is nature?” which began with Henni finding a beautiful leaf on the ground at the creek and explaining, “Everybody gets the nature things, nothing else, just nature.”
We asked the children to think about what nature is and had rich oral discussions that led us to creating a nature map to follow through nature world. The map was to help us not get lost and find our way home. The process of inquiry often leads us to places we could never have imagined, and we learn so much about each other through the sharing of knowledge, ideas and theories.
The children were invited to represent themselves through a self-portrait using different expressive languages. This led to family portraits and discussions about our families. Many of the children shared their panel stories about themselves with the group, and we learned together about each child’s interests, special memories, culture and special people or animals in their lives.
Cooking with Rachelle on a Wednesday is such a highlight of our week. It is so wonderful to be able to cook again as cooking offers so many rich learning opportunities. We harvest as much as we can from our ECC garden and the school kitchen garden and grow what we think we can use; chopping; mixing; noticing changes; measuring; setting the table; and the best part is eating what we cook.
We were very grateful to have Uncle Lionel Lauch, Gunditjmara/ Kirrae-Wurrung/ Bundjalung artist from Living Culture, come down to the creek and spend time with us to share his understandings and knowledge of place, culture, and country.
Next term, our new unit of inquiry will be ‘Sharing the Planet’-Exploring the natural environment leads to new discoveries. Our early investigations have focused on exploring the natural world and ways we can take action to care for our environment. Next term, we will continue this unit, and we plan to provide a wide range of opportunities for the children to investigate ways we can be caring, show respect for the world around us and discover an appreciation for beauty in nature. Learning experiences about the impact we can have on the environment will also offer the children a chance to learn about their responsibility for the natural environment, ways they can take action, and discover how they can make a difference in the world.
Thank you for a great term and all your kindness and support; we look forward to welcoming you back to the creek and time in the ECC program in Term 2.
We hope you have a wonderful holiday break and a joyful Easter however you choose to celebrate.
Warmest Regards,
KELLIE, RACHELLE, MILLY, BELINDA, KAS, EMMA, HEATHER, LISA & CATHY
Minimbah ECC Staff
A Busy Term in Foundation! Term 1 2022
What a busy first term we have had in Foundation! The past ten weeks have flown by, and the children have grown and learned so much. They are becoming very independent and confident at school now. They were fantastic on stage at their first Assembly last week. I am sure you were all as proud as Georgy and I were!
Maths
Our focus has been on developing number concepts and number sense this Term. We have worked on the number sequence, one-to-one correspondence, cardinality, and subitising. We will begin to explore the relationships that connect numbers using language such as more than, less than, and the same or equal next Term. We will also explore shapes and learn to describe different shapes based on their properties. If you are looking for some fun outdoor maths activities to do over the holidays as a family, you might like to watch this short video for some ideas!
Literacy
The children are doing so well with the sounds during 'Read Write Inc' sessions. They are becoming competent at recognising each sound that we are learning, forming it correctly, and blending the sounds to read words, or as we call it, 'Fred Talk.' We have played a game called 'Write My Word' in class where I 'sound out' a three-letter word with the letters we know so far, i.e., b-e-d, and the children write a sound at a time to make the word. Your child might like to play this at home with you over the break.
Unit of Inquiry
In this final week of our unit of inquiry, we have focused on building relationships with others and how our actions can affect others. We read a beautiful story about being open-minded and respecting others called "The Smeds and the Smoos" by Julia Donaldson. We have also used our 'Mini Me' pegs to model what respectful and inclusive play looks like at school. Next Term, we will begin a new unit of inquiry all about living things.
Creek Day
Thank you to the parents that have already volunteered to help us at the creek next Term. There is a sign-up sheet on our classroom door if you are interested in helping. You will need to sign in with Kerrie and show her your current Working With Children Check and vaccination status.
Thank you so much for your support and partnership this Term. Wishing you all a wonderful, relaxing break.
Kind regards,
JACQUI WISHART
Foundation Teacher
Year 1 and 2 News – Term 1 2022
Literacy
This term, we have been exploring recount writing. The children have been encouraged to include the who, what, where, when and why in their recounts. They have been thinking about their audience and using enough detail to provide the reader with adequate information. They have also focussed on capital letters at the start of sentences and full stops at the end.
Read Write Inc. sessions have occurred throughout the term. Within their groups, the children have been focusing on comprehension and fluency in their reading, spelling, sentence structure, recall of known sounds, and various writing genres, including letter-writing, stories, lists, and recounts.
Handwriting has also been practised throughout the term. The children are learning correct formation, sizing, and placement on lines. We will continue with this focus throughout Term 2.
Speaking and listening are continually developed. The children are being encouraged to use whole body listening, express themselves clearly, use a voice appropriate to the situation and share questions, ideas, and wonderings.
Numeracy
Throughout the term, the children have been developing their number skills through real-life experiences, mathematical games, intentional explicit teaching, and problem-solving. The focus has been on place value, counting patterns, numeral writing and making connections.
The children have also explored data collection and have represented this information in the form of a graph. The children have graphed data about themselves (e.g. favourite TV programs), their lunches, birthdays, and the colour of cars the staff drive. Graphs used have included picture graphs and column graphs. Data was collected through interviews and recorded on tallies.
The children have also inquired into the properties and characteristics of 2D and 3D shapes. They have created shape pictures, puzzled over differences, been on a shape walk around the school, and shared their understandings.
Inquiry
For the first seven weeks of the term, the children explored 'Who We Are'. The central idea for this unit was - People have roles and responsibilities when contributing to a learning community. The lines of inquiry were –
- Diversity within our learning community
- Consequences of actions on the learning community
- Our roles and responsibilities in contributing to our learning community
The children explored what makes them individuals and how they are all diverse and unique. Throughout the unit, the children inquired into their roles and responsibilities as a part of the learning community where they work and play. The children discussed the consequences of behaviours (positive and negative), created a classroom agreement, and recognised that they are a part of a diverse learning community in which they all have similar and different learning styles and needs. The children enjoyed highlighting these as they reflected and created their individual learning goals and displayed them in a diverse display of dreamcatchers.
We have just begun our 'How we express ourselves' unit. This inquiry will continue throughout the first four weeks of Term 2. This unit explores the central idea – Materials can be used and combined in different ways for creative expression. It is an inquiry into –
- How the observable properties of materials influence the way they are used
- The connection between technology and materials
- Ways we can use and combine materials to express ourselves creatively.
Discovery Day
The children have had a great start to the Discovery Day program for the year as they explored the different areas of Overport Park this term. It was such a new experience for many going off-site, exploring the diverse spaces, and making connections with group members before tackling the walk back to school. We have been so fortunate with the weather on these days, enjoying the glorious sunshine, which has also given the children the opportunity to practise their organisation skills as they get themselves ready for the day and monitor their personal needs during the morning.
In line with the Unit of Inquiry, the Year 1s and 2s have been looking at the roles and responsibilities they have on Discovery Day. They have had many rich discussions about how they keep safe while out on-site and what behaviours they expect from themselves and others to ensure we work well together and leave the spaces we visited in a respectful way for others to enjoy as well.
The children explored several different spaces and used their observation, mindfulness and writing skills to compare and contrast what they heard and saw. They climbed, whittled and built in the 'Pine Forest' and practised taking responsible risks. However, a favourite spot was the 'Cubby Spot', where they built shelters and teepees for animals or imaginary creatures and characters. Many problem-solving and collaborative skills were on display as they worked together to navigate the space and find solutions to ensure their shelters were strong and would last the week until their next visit.
Next term, students will be placed in their three smaller groups as they explore the new sites of the Granites, Grange and the Beach. We will send out more information regarding these groups at the start of Term 2, including an online roster to sign up as a parent helper.
Parent Helping
As we move forward with parent helpers this year, it is now a requirement of the Victorian Government that all 'volunteers that attend an education facility and that work in close proximity to children, students or staff (including parent helpers)' have received their third dose vaccination. There will be many opportunities for parents to help out throughout the year, especially on our Discovery Day program, so we ask that you ensure you have sent through to Kerrie a current copy of your Working with Children Check and a copy of your vaccination certificate.
Wishing you all an enjoyable holiday break and a happy Easter!
LIANE & LEXI Year 1 and 2 Teachers
An Energetic and Busy Start in The Year 3/4 Learning Community!
The Year 3/4 Learning Community has been an energetic and busy learning space in the first term. We've enjoyed seeing the students learn and grow together.
Units of Inquiry
Our first unit of inquiry of the year centred on the concept of responsibility, as we inquired into the central idea: Decision-making processes exist within organisations. The students reflected on the different roles they can take on in our learning community, and we established processes and developed classroom agreements to ensure our learning community is a place where all feel welcome, safe and able to learn.
This unit really took off when Mr Kenner and Mr Clapham offered the students the opportunity to share in the decision making around the expenditure of classroom budgets. Each class had their own vigorous debates about the best way to spend $200, with students passionately advocating for an incredibly broad range of purchases.
These authentic opportunities for decision-making enabled the students to explore how different processes for decision making may work; with each class eventually coming to a consensus about how best to spend the money. The Year 3s even decided to donate some of their money to help support the Year 4 initiative to start a charitable business. We were mighty impressed with our learning community's principled approach to this process.
To launch our second unit of inquiry, Where We Are In Place and Time, we visited the amazing Cranbourne Botanical Gardens. Our guides took us on an inspiring adventure as we learned about biomimicry, using nature as inspiration for design. This was a perfect provocation to begin thinking about our unit, which centres on the idea that technology has changed the way people live their lives.
Numeracy
Problem-solving, mental computation and the authentic use of mathematical concepts such as timelines have been interwoven throughout our program in Term 1. The number relationship between Place Value columns has been a key early focus and is a great lead-in to Addition and Subtraction. Our measurement unit around time has been a wonderful learning journey for students and has provided some great opportunities for Teacher Jokes. We have made some great discoveries about how to read analogue clocks, calculate the time until events and developed a better understating of the way minutes, hours and days work. We also noticed that 6:30 is the best time, hands down.
Language
A significant part of our English language learning occurs through our program of inquiry, as students learn through language, using language as a tool to think, listen, discuss and reflect on information, issues and ideas. For example, the students collaborated across year levels on a team research project as part of their current unit of inquiry. The students were challenged to examine a technological innovation and research how it has changed over time. Key to their investigations was looking behind changes and discovering the reasons for the innovations. This project gave students the opportunity to deepen their conceptual understanding and also develop research skills (finding multiple reliable sources), multimedia skills (by utilising technology to both record and present information) and social skills (finding ways to support others to succeed). Our unit will continue with an individual investigation during the first three weeks of Term 2.
We hope you enjoy a relaxing and safe school holiday.
JAMES CLAPHAM, CRAIG KENNER & BRONWYN BURROWS
Year 3/4 Learning Community
Counting our Classroom Blessings – Year 5 Term 1 2022
As the weather begins to change and we find ourselves enveloped in Autumn, we are counting our blessings after successfully returning to the classroom for the longest continuous period since 2019. We have settled into new, regular routines and have been exploring how to manage our learning and collaborate with others in the classroom and across the globe. Below is a taste of life in Year 5 during Term 1, 2022.
Homework (self)
A feature of this term has been the resumption of a regular homework routine. We thank you for supporting the students in managing their time when they are at home. With each new task, students have reflected on their work, taken on feedback and striven to improve the quality of their work for the next task. These are all important skills as they work towards independent study and learning. We have attached a few highlights from the submissions this term.
Homestead Community (others/collaboration)
Throughout this term we have relished the opportunity to establish and build community connections within the Homestead. Students have been working together, sharing their learning and reflecting on what values are important as a 5/6 community.
Reading Groups
We have worked in small groups across Years 5 and 6 to determine the author's purpose, main idea and language features of a variety of texts and genres. In these groups, students have also engaged in rich discussions about how we make inferences using prior knowledge and text clues. They have linked these skills back to their units of inquiry on ecosystems and their literacy studies of persuasive writing.
Problem Solving
We introduced the Year 5 students to the Australian Primary School Math's Olympiad (APSMO). Some students have decided to compete in a 5/6 Minimbah APSMO team to challenge themselves against other schools to solve problems and earn points for their team. Other students have elected to participate in a Maths Game Problem Solving challenge, which is run in the Homestead, while some chose more targeted problem-solving skill development.
5/6 Sport
It has been wonderful to see the students participating in house teams in weekly sports activities on a Friday morning. The pool has been a regular feature, with students enjoying the water activities in the warmer weather. They have been challenged to take risks in their sport choices and when working with less familiar teammates, which has strengthened friendships and their ability to work collaboratively.
Athletics
A small group of Year 3-6 students travelled to Ballam Park on Friday 1 April to compete in the District Track Athletics Carnival. A big congratulations must go to the students for their comradery, self-management, and support of each other and the other schools who participated on the day. It was a wonderful day with many personal best performances and an overall second place for Minimbah.
Homestead Sessions
Over the term, we have conducted weekly Homestead sessions, which have provided fantastic opportunities for the students to celebrate and reflect on their learning. Each Homestead session has had a learner profile attribute focus where the students identified common and shared values to challenge and extend their learning, their respect for self, others, and the environment.
Activities
Activities have been a prominent feature of this term, with students engaging in areas of personal interest and challenging themselves to take risks with their learning. During this last week of term, we will be reflecting on the skills that have been developed and the personal growth made throughout the sessions. Please enjoy a few photos of students in their element from the activity groups.
STP (Wider Community / Environment / World Around Us)
After so much time over the past two years working individually, we are acutely aware of the need to develop and strengthen collaboration and teamwork skills. We had the opportunity to do just that during our virtual exchange with students from the Royal British International School in Bangkok. Despite some occasional technical difficulties, our students used Microsoft Teams as a digital collaboration tool to develop small-group presentations that were then shared with their partners in Thailand. Using 'split-screen' thinking, we were able to identify what we were doing (working in PowerPoint and Teams) and break down HOW we were working (collaboration, research, demonstrating respect for others, comparing and contrasting global perspectives). Attached are some photos showing our groups engaged in their Zoom calls to Thailand.
Looking Ahead
As we head into Term 2, we are very excited to be jumping into a new Unit of Inquiry to explore the development of a business, as well as the associated advertising and marketing requirements. Who knows what student-led initiatives will arise as a result of this investigation?
ANDY & ZARA
Year 5 Teachers
Year 6 2022 – An Amazing, Kind, Inquisitive Bunch!
Whilst the end of the term has not played out quite as we imagined, the first nine weeks of 2022 have been a huge and happy success! What an amazing, kind, inquisitive bunch of Year 6 students we have the pleasure of learning with every day! We manage to fit a lot into a week! The students are exposed to many challenging experiences and have the opportunity to learn in so many different ways that days pass so quickly, and before you know it, it is the end of term! Term 1 is all about getting to know one another and how we learn best. We recognise that certain attributes and concepts can guide our learning, both of the curriculum and ourselves.
Principled Learners and Leaders
Every Year 6 student is a leader at Minimbah. We foster leadership through self-understanding and service. At the beginning of the term, everyone undertook the VIA survey of character strengths, ranking 24 traits from the most prominent to the least. Some students were surprised by their results which led to some pretty funny discussions about the merits of 'gratitude', 'humour' and 'love'. We posed the question; how can I use my personal strengths to be a better leader? Through writing a narrative, the students were able to create a character that explored one or more of their own personal strengths, and the theme of recognising individual traits has continued across the term.
As well as learning about themselves, Year Sixes have demonstrated leadership through many activities and actions...
- Developing the Homestead agreement
- Helping and having an enormous amount of fun during Buddy Swimming sessions
- Running the radio station during Team Swimming Sports
- Presenting at their Leadership Assembly and assisting the Foundation students at their assembly
- Contributing during the Project Rockit presentations
- Supervising lunchtime games
- Representing Minimbah so well at the District Athletics competition
Our new Unit of Inquiry focuses on the connections between governance, leadership and citizens. Never was leadership more contentious or visible than during the recent Classroom Coup. The Year 6 students were handed the reins for the day. They had specific responsibilities to fulfil, but the organisation of the day was up to them! What a fascinating response that raised many questions such as:
Can we do whatever we want? Who has finished their work? When are the teachers coming back?
This promises to be a rich inquiry and includes our trip to Canberra, so we are very excited for next term.
Risk Takers
Every Year Six student has been a risk-taker this term. Whether it be through learning a new skill in Maths, sharing some work aloud in front of others, or trying a new flavour in the Kitchen Kudos activity, everyone has experienced that butterflies-in-the-tummy feeling of nervousness and excitement of taking a risk.
Bravery has been on display throughout the term via:
- getting to know a new person in the Homestead and then having to paint their portrait through the Anh Do' Brush with Fame' experience
- participating in the APSMO and Maths Games problem-solving competitions, sitting in that uncomfortable spot of having to think outside the square!
- trying new arty things as encouraged by David Booth, our artist in residence. David urged us to embrace imperfections in our work and explained that his best art piece is always his next one.
- auditioning for roles in The Little Mermaid. The enthusiasm around performing was infectious. Students were willing to try out for multiple roles and to really put themselves out there for Mrs Wong and Mrs Fletcher. Now that our show has been cast, bring on the rehearsals in Term 2!
Caring
One of the most outstanding attributes of this Year 6 cohort is their caring nature. Not only do they look after each other and us, but their caring attitude extends across the school. We have noticed their considerate ways often through:
- the beautiful, authentic relationships built between Year 6 students and their Foundation buddies. There have been many times to connect through play, helping with reading and writing, swimming, sports and practising for assembly performances.
- cementing friendships across the Homestead. Each week we spend time together with the Year 5s and this has created a learning community where everyone is included.
- understanding and building empathy by exploring the resources from The Resilience Project. The videos and activities have helped us better understand compassion and empathy and look at the impact of peer pressure on ourselves and our relationships.
- those incidental acts of kindness that fill up our buckets, such as looking after someone if they are upset or hurt.
Please enjoy the photos, snapshots of our term.
Year 6 students are leaders. They are caring, and they take responsible risks. But they are also great communicators and inquirers. They ask great questions and seek out answers. They know how to learn. A massive thank you to Jo Jillett and Gypsy, and to Gabby Williams for their tireless work in supporting the students. Thank you for your support of the students and us throughout the term. We are looking forward to next term, which not only incorporates the Canberra Study Tour but many other experiences too.
Bring it on.
JACQUI & JONNO
Y6 Teachers
Term 1 Fun in the Minimbah Library
Minimbah students have been busy in the library this term, soaking up the return to school and reigniting the love of sharing stories.
Our Foundation friends have been library superstars and an absolute joy to welcome to this special space in Term one. They have loved spending Tuesday afternoons browsing and borrowing as well as listening to stories. Together we read ‘The Wonder of Winsome’ by Kath Murdoch, where they each responded with their own curious question. So many wonderful wonderings!
Years 1 and 2 have been linking in with their current unit of inquiry, How we express ourselves. We have spent some time looking at Jeanie Baker’s stunning illustrations, where she uses a range of materials and collages to share a message. ‘Window’ was a particular favourite! We had a go at creating our own collage with natural materials. It was messy, tricky, and good fun. Their stunning work speaks for itself. Well done, Year 1 and Year 2!
In a whole class read aloud, Years 3 and 4 followed the story of Wandi by Favel Parrett. Wandi is a young cub snatched from his family and home by a giant eagle, then dropped, injured and alone, in a suburban garden. We used inspiration from the text and some whole class research on dingoes to create our own illustrations of Wandi.
Our Homestead students spent much of the term setting up Oliver, our library circulation system, on their iPads. They have been sharpening their research skills and taking part in challenges, as they build on their knowledge of how to effectively operate the system, search for books, reserve and located books in the Minimbah library.
Year 5 students finished off the term reading ‘The All New Must Have Orange 430’, a story about Harvey and his desire to purchase an item that doesn’t do anything. As a lead in to their new unit of inquiry that investigates how businesses function in the marketplace, students have begun designing their own useless objects. Next term, they will turn this design into a prototype and create an advertising campaign to accompany their product. There are some brilliant designs so far, and I cannot wait to see what else they come up with.
Year 6 has been engrossed in a whole class read aloud. ‘Saving Celeste’, a French novel by Timothée de Fombelle. Set in a dystopian future where society is run by and for industrial giants, people live in overcrowded and polluted cities stacked vertically into the sky. We grappled with the idea of making changes to our everyday lives and the impact it can have on individual lives. An overarching concept of change ran throughout the book, which our Year 6 students reflected on as they thought about how their reading was changing as they mature. Their initial perceptions of the books, based on the cover, were not very positive, but as they finished, students were invested in the story, and it shone a light on the way they might select the books to read in the future. Students are currently having fun redesigning the cover.
BRIONY WRIGHT
Librarian
Art Room Fun in Term 1
This term in the Art Room, students from ECC to Year 6 have been getting their hands messy, creating many beautiful artworks!
ECC looked at the work of Morris Louis and used watercolour to create their own colourful response.
Foundation students read the story ‘Mouse Paint’ about three cheeky mice who discover three pots of paint in the primary colours, and colour chaos ensues.
Year 1 explored the artworks of Henri Rousseau, regarded as a self-taught genius, to create collage jungles.
Year 2 immersed themselves in colour, inspired by the cat-obsessed artist Laurel Burch. They used chalk and oil pastel to create their colourful felines.
Year 3 and 4 students also explored the cat-tastic world of Laurel Burch’s artworks to create a painted and embroidered piece.
Year 5 played with watercolour techniques, using the work of quilting artist (and marine biologist) Allie McCathren, to create their own sea glass collages.
Year 6 researched forest floors and whimsical picture storybooks to inspire their watercolour paintings.
SAMANTHA DOMINICHI
Art Teacher
Minimbah Music – Term 1 2022
Here's a quick peek at what's been going on, both in and out of the Music House here at Minimbah.
There's been a veritable feast of musical goodies served up to sate the voracious appetite of music-loving Minimbarbarians. We've sung, rapped, chanted, and even composed an army-style cadence (with assistance from 'drill sergeant' Georgy Sipcic).
With musical life having seen some changes in recent times, we've had choirs rehearsing outside on the verandah of the Music House, brass and woodwind workshop groups dodging footies and leaf-blowers whilst rehearsing on the oval, and, finally, orchestra reforming after a lengthy hiatus. With doors flung wide open, the lunchtime sounds of the rock band can be heard throughout the campus, pumping out 'The Final Countdown', turned up to 11!
Music is back on!
Classroom Music – In Foundation – Year 2, the focus has been on music and movement, beat games, simple notation and listening skills. During F-2 Choir, a favourite song has emerged - The Flying Purple People Eater. So, if your child is singing this at home, don't be disturbed; it's a real song! Y2 students composed and performed a 'tasty' Food Rhythms body percussion piece.
Students from Years 3 and 4 have focused on developing instrumental skills on the recorder, xylophone, and glockenspiel.
It has been great to see students developing their ensemble skills when performing in a group. These ensemble experiences often lead to wholesome discussions around Woodleigh's 3Rs. We even had a class concert at the end of term.
Year 5 students have been learning about instruments of the orchestra, in conjunction with trying various instruments for the Music Workshop program.
The Round Robin has been completed, and students will get their instruments at the start of Term 2. Y5s will learn these instruments for the rest of their Minimbah journey, so feel free to ask for a tune from time to time.
Year 6 students have been exploring the science of sound, searching for answers to questions like – "Can you see sound?"
Students have also been excitedly preparing for auditions for this year's school production of the Little Mermaid. The atmosphere is palpable in these sessions. The students have brought so much enthusiasm and positivity and, most importantly, have been supportive of each other's efforts. Forget Hamilton; could this be the hottest ticket in town this year?
JOHN BECKLEY Minimbah Music
The Value of a Strength-Based Approach
In the last two years, our young people have spent increased amounts of enforced time with their parents and have relied on parents for vital sources of social support during school closures. This increased time and reliance on parents means that the style of parenting received during lockdown is likely to have a significant impact on the degree to which an adolescent can grow through the stress they are experiencing.
(Evans et al., 2020).
As we end Term 1, 2022, let's be grateful for our first full term back on campus for two years and acknowledge becoming a vibrant community again. It has been a very full calendar so far, which has included camps, Homestead night, activities, in-real-life classes, excursions, swimming & athletic carnivals, the year 12 formal and more.
However, navigating this welcome change is not without its challenges. There is the ongoing impact of COVID, increased separation anxiety from home and family, and the self-regulation and cognitive focus required by each individual to re-enter shared spaces such as classrooms and Homesteads. We see students with reduced capacity to concentrate for extended periods, navigate and calibrate changes to social networks and peer groups, and be with and around people most of the day. We have also noted some students struggling to enact an increased degree of independence and organization, and so it goes.
Keep in mind that for our young people, their brain architecture and physiology are simultaneously having some significant overhauls and renovations, which can make it harder for them to think logically and rationally. We – the grown-ups in their lives – need to know that at any point, we can help them or hinder them from getting back on their feet and moving forwards – gently and steadily.
The value of Strength‐based parenting
Professor Lea Watershas researched and written extensively on the subject of Strength-based parenting, which she describes as,
"an approach where parents deliberately identify and cultivate positive states, processes and qualities in their children. It's about connecting your kids with their inborn strengths such as strengths of character (eg. humour, kindness) as well as their talents such as writing or sporting ability. These strengths are the inner resources contained within our kids that help boost their life satisfaction."
Even before COVID, it was well documented that adolescence is a time when life satisfaction drops off. This is especially significant as we know that life satisfaction acts as a buffer against the development of psychological disorders during adolescence. Research identifies that young people with higher levels of life satisfaction have stronger emotional, academic, and social skills.
Hence, it may be more important than ever for parents to find deliberate ways to boost their child's life satisfaction, and Strength-based parenting is one such approach.
Research shows that children and teenagers who have strength-based parents:
- Have higher levels of life satisfaction
- Have a better understanding of their own strengths
- Cope with conflict in more proactive ways
- Use their strengths to help them meet homework deadlines
- Have lower levels of stress.
- Have enhanced a sense of self‐efficacy, which is a factor that assists young people to cope and be adaptive
Strength-based parenting doesn't just benefit our children; it also improves our life satisfaction and confidence as parents and promotes a shared understanding and value of each family member's wellbeing.
Practical tips for parents to apply to strength-based parenting
Strengths spotting: Think about the strengths that underpin your child's actions and let them know what you see. Spot the kindness that underpins their sharing with their friends, their self-control to finish homework on time rather than watch TV and the persistence they're using in sports training.
Strengths letter: Write a letter to your child letting them know about the strengths you see in them and how these strengths will help them cope with challenging times as well as helping them to thrive during good times.
Strengths surveys: There are many online surveys that children can take to help them identify and think about their strengths. The Gallup Institute has the StrengthsExplorer for children aged 10-14 and the StrengthsQuest for children aged 15-25.
If parents and children are interested in identifying personality strengths, they can go to The Values in Action Institute and complete the free online VIA-Youth survey. This is something that most of our students have undertaken at school.
Strengths role model: It always helps to see how other parents and kids are using their strengths. Visit the The Strengths Exchange and discover how parents and children of all ages apply character strength to every day.
For now
As a community, we have much to be grateful for as there continues to be much adversity occurring in our world right now (the war in Ukraine, natural disasters, climate change). And it can be a sad and overwhelming time for our students, our children and ourselves. We may not be able to control the things that happen in the world, but the value of a Strength-based approach can influence a young person's capacity to cope and potential to grow through life's stressors. And can help us all be stronger as we navigate the next stage together.
In kindness,
DONNA NAIRN
Director of Counselling – WOODLEIGH SCHOOL
Acknowledgements & further reading:
https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/the-value-of-strength-based-parenting
https://www.leawaters.com/the-...
https://www.leawaters.com/sbp-quiz
https://woodleigh.vic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-conflict-ukraine-au
Year 12 Drama Ensemble Performance – Christmas Down Under
Live theatre is back at Woodleigh!
The Year 12 Drama Class of 2022 is presenting their VCE Ensemble Drama performance,
‘Christmas Downunder.’
‘Christmas Downunder’ is an original piece of theatre devised by the students. It is an entertaining, family-friendly show focusing on different perspectives of Christmas.
Seating is limited. Book your tickets today and don’t miss out!
Gold coin entry – all proceeds to our Community Partnerships.
Book NowMother's Day Out 2022
Attention Mothers, Grandmothers, and Special Ladies! Woodleigh School invites you to join us for a very special Mother's Day event.
Join us for a beautiful day out with fellow Woodleigh ladies from our school campuses.
Cost: $80 per person
RSVP by Thursday 28 April – places are limited – so be quick!
We'd love to hear from you if you would like to promote your business with a gift bag or door prize donation.
Please click here to help support us in making this a special event for our Woodleigh ladies.
Book Now
Recovering Long Overdue Library Items
Dear Parents,
Whilst the last two years have been less than ideal, it is now time to start sorting out some of the overdue items that have accumulated over that time.
To give you some background about the processes we undertake prior to requesting a replacement cost through family accounts:
- Students receive at least three automated reminders about books that are overdue – an email on the first day that the item is overdue, a second email 14 days later, and a third and final reminder 14 days after that.
- In addition to these automated emails, the library has sent out specific, targeted reminders during 2020 and 2021 and early in 2022.
Items that are placed on to family accounts as a replacement cost are very, very overdue. Although many students have only one or two items, the total cost of replacing these items is almost $7,500 – a significant sum, I am sure you will agree.
MIFFY FARQUHARSON
Head of Library Services
As we move into 2022, there are several key changes that will be occurring across the First Aid rooms. These changes are to ensure we maintain a best practice approach and to ensure we meet evolving risk management and compliance requirements.
1: Medication Administration
The school is moving towards paracetamol being the only over the counter medication that will be supplied to students (and only when parent permission has been provided via Operoo). All other medication will need to be supplied from home, in the original packaging, with the student's full name, the medication dosage, administration advice, and parent name and signature supplied. The medication will then be stored in the First Aid room and will be provided to your child when the need arises. (my comment – perhaps this is via Operoo form).
We understand that this is a change from existing practice; however, external consultants have advised that this is the best course of action for all parties. If your child requires any over the counter medication, we ask that you complete the Operoo Medication Authority form available here as soon as possible and deliver the medication to the relevant First Aid Officer.
2: Questions to be removed from Operoo Medical form
We are also writing to advise that we will no longer request Medicare numbers, ambulance cover status or private health cover information. This information is not critical to an emergency response and does not impact our emergency treatment protocols, and, in keeping with our Privacy Policy, we believe we should not hold this data as a matter of course. If particular camps, excursions, or activities require this information, we will request it on the Operoo form specific to the event and only hold the data for as long as it is required.
3: Staying Current
When providing first aid to your child, the information you provide via Operoo is critical. We ask that all parents review and update their child's Operoo Profile regularly, particularly when there is a change in health circumstances. If your child requires a Health Management Plan (i.e., asthma, allergy, anaphylaxis, diabetes, epilepsy), we ask you to check their expiry dates and upload updated plans onto the Operoo platform.
4: Anaphylaxis: EpiPen versus Anapen
Woodleigh staff have just completed their six monthly Anaphylaxis briefing. The training we undertake is related to the use of EpiPens rather than Anapens, so we ask that parents of anaphylactic children provide the school with an EpiPen rather than an Anapen.
As always, if your child has health issues that you wish to discuss, please get in touch with the School Nurse, Di Mold, on 5971 6100.
How wonderful to have had continuous time over the term to be together, build close relationships with the children and our families and offer so many rich learning contexts to the children. Time with the children allows us to notice their interests and support each child to participate, make choices, and build agency in their learning.
As educators, we value the process of reflecting on the children’s learning and following their interests which enables us to plan engaging and meaningful experiences.
“Reflective practice is a form of ongoing learning that involves engaging with questions of philosophy, ethics, and practice. It intends to gather information and gain insights that support, inform and enrich decision-making about children’s learning. As professionals, early childhood educators examine what happens in their settings and reflect on what they might change.” Early Years Learning and Developmental Framework.
We use many ways to gather information about each child as an individual and as part of a group. Seesaw posts, portfolio work, observations, morning meeting notes, videos, learning stories, family discussions, inquiry, or project work. Through the context of play, we learn so much about the children.
- Play allows for the expression of personality and uniqueness
- Play enhances dispositions such as curiosity and creativity
- Play enables children to make connections between prior experiences and new learning
- Play assists children to develop relationships and concepts
- Play stimulates a sense of wellbeing.
- Through play, children actively construct their understandings and contribute to others’ learning. They recognise their agency, capacity to initiate and lead learning, and their rights to participate in decisions that affect them, including their learning.
This term, we followed an inquiry into “What is nature?” which began with Henni finding a beautiful leaf on the ground at the creek and explaining, “Everybody gets the nature things, nothing else, just nature.”
We asked the children to think about what nature is and had rich oral discussions that led us to creating a nature map to follow through nature world. The map was to help us not get lost and find our way home. The process of inquiry often leads us to places we could never have imagined, and we learn so much about each other through the sharing of knowledge, ideas and theories.
The children were invited to represent themselves through a self-portrait using different expressive languages. This led to family portraits and discussions about our families. Many of the children shared their panel stories about themselves with the group, and we learned together about each child’s interests, special memories, culture and special people or animals in their lives.
Cooking with Rachelle on a Wednesday is such a highlight of our week. It is so wonderful to be able to cook again as cooking offers so many rich learning opportunities. We harvest as much as we can from our ECC garden and the school kitchen garden and grow what we think we can use; chopping; mixing; noticing changes; measuring; setting the table; and the best part is eating what we cook.
We were very grateful to have Uncle Lionel Lauch, Gunditjmara/ Kirrae-Wurrung/ Bundjalung artist from Living Culture, come down to the creek and spend time with us to share his understandings and knowledge of place, culture, and country.
Next term, our new unit of inquiry will be ‘Sharing the Planet’-Exploring the natural environment leads to new discoveries. Our early investigations have focused on exploring the natural world and ways we can take action to care for our environment. Next term, we will continue this unit, and we plan to provide a wide range of opportunities for the children to investigate ways we can be caring, show respect for the world around us and discover an appreciation for beauty in nature. Learning experiences about the impact we can have on the environment will also offer the children a chance to learn about their responsibility for the natural environment, ways they can take action, and discover how they can make a difference in the world.
Thank you for a great term and all your kindness and support; we look forward to welcoming you back to the creek and time in the ECC program in Term 2.
We hope you have a wonderful holiday break and a joyful Easter however you choose to celebrate.
Warmest Regards,
KELLIE, RACHELLE, MILLY, BELINDA, KAS, EMMA, HEATHER, LISA & CATHY
Minimbah ECC Staff
What a busy first term we have had in Foundation! The past ten weeks have flown by, and the children have grown and learned so much. They are becoming very independent and confident at school now. They were fantastic on stage at their first Assembly last week. I am sure you were all as proud as Georgy and I were!
Maths
Our focus has been on developing number concepts and number sense this Term. We have worked on the number sequence, one-to-one correspondence, cardinality, and subitising. We will begin to explore the relationships that connect numbers using language such as more than, less than, and the same or equal next Term. We will also explore shapes and learn to describe different shapes based on their properties. If you are looking for some fun outdoor maths activities to do over the holidays as a family, you might like to watch this short video for some ideas!
Literacy
The children are doing so well with the sounds during 'Read Write Inc' sessions. They are becoming competent at recognising each sound that we are learning, forming it correctly, and blending the sounds to read words, or as we call it, 'Fred Talk.' We have played a game called 'Write My Word' in class where I 'sound out' a three-letter word with the letters we know so far, i.e., b-e-d, and the children write a sound at a time to make the word. Your child might like to play this at home with you over the break.
Unit of Inquiry
In this final week of our unit of inquiry, we have focused on building relationships with others and how our actions can affect others. We read a beautiful story about being open-minded and respecting others called "The Smeds and the Smoos" by Julia Donaldson. We have also used our 'Mini Me' pegs to model what respectful and inclusive play looks like at school. Next Term, we will begin a new unit of inquiry all about living things.
Creek Day
Thank you to the parents that have already volunteered to help us at the creek next Term. There is a sign-up sheet on our classroom door if you are interested in helping. You will need to sign in with Kerrie and show her your current Working With Children Check and vaccination status.
Thank you so much for your support and partnership this Term. Wishing you all a wonderful, relaxing break.
Kind regards,
JACQUI WISHART
Foundation Teacher
Literacy
This term, we have been exploring recount writing. The children have been encouraged to include the who, what, where, when and why in their recounts. They have been thinking about their audience and using enough detail to provide the reader with adequate information. They have also focussed on capital letters at the start of sentences and full stops at the end.
Read Write Inc. sessions have occurred throughout the term. Within their groups, the children have been focusing on comprehension and fluency in their reading, spelling, sentence structure, recall of known sounds, and various writing genres, including letter-writing, stories, lists, and recounts.
Handwriting has also been practised throughout the term. The children are learning correct formation, sizing, and placement on lines. We will continue with this focus throughout Term 2.
Speaking and listening are continually developed. The children are being encouraged to use whole body listening, express themselves clearly, use a voice appropriate to the situation and share questions, ideas, and wonderings.
Numeracy
Throughout the term, the children have been developing their number skills through real-life experiences, mathematical games, intentional explicit teaching, and problem-solving. The focus has been on place value, counting patterns, numeral writing and making connections.
The children have also explored data collection and have represented this information in the form of a graph. The children have graphed data about themselves (e.g. favourite TV programs), their lunches, birthdays, and the colour of cars the staff drive. Graphs used have included picture graphs and column graphs. Data was collected through interviews and recorded on tallies.
The children have also inquired into the properties and characteristics of 2D and 3D shapes. They have created shape pictures, puzzled over differences, been on a shape walk around the school, and shared their understandings.
Inquiry
For the first seven weeks of the term, the children explored 'Who We Are'. The central idea for this unit was - People have roles and responsibilities when contributing to a learning community. The lines of inquiry were –
- Diversity within our learning community
- Consequences of actions on the learning community
- Our roles and responsibilities in contributing to our learning community
The children explored what makes them individuals and how they are all diverse and unique. Throughout the unit, the children inquired into their roles and responsibilities as a part of the learning community where they work and play. The children discussed the consequences of behaviours (positive and negative), created a classroom agreement, and recognised that they are a part of a diverse learning community in which they all have similar and different learning styles and needs. The children enjoyed highlighting these as they reflected and created their individual learning goals and displayed them in a diverse display of dreamcatchers.
We have just begun our 'How we express ourselves' unit. This inquiry will continue throughout the first four weeks of Term 2. This unit explores the central idea – Materials can be used and combined in different ways for creative expression. It is an inquiry into –
- How the observable properties of materials influence the way they are used
- The connection between technology and materials
- Ways we can use and combine materials to express ourselves creatively.
Discovery Day
The children have had a great start to the Discovery Day program for the year as they explored the different areas of Overport Park this term. It was such a new experience for many going off-site, exploring the diverse spaces, and making connections with group members before tackling the walk back to school. We have been so fortunate with the weather on these days, enjoying the glorious sunshine, which has also given the children the opportunity to practise their organisation skills as they get themselves ready for the day and monitor their personal needs during the morning.
In line with the Unit of Inquiry, the Year 1s and 2s have been looking at the roles and responsibilities they have on Discovery Day. They have had many rich discussions about how they keep safe while out on-site and what behaviours they expect from themselves and others to ensure we work well together and leave the spaces we visited in a respectful way for others to enjoy as well.
The children explored several different spaces and used their observation, mindfulness and writing skills to compare and contrast what they heard and saw. They climbed, whittled and built in the 'Pine Forest' and practised taking responsible risks. However, a favourite spot was the 'Cubby Spot', where they built shelters and teepees for animals or imaginary creatures and characters. Many problem-solving and collaborative skills were on display as they worked together to navigate the space and find solutions to ensure their shelters were strong and would last the week until their next visit.
Next term, students will be placed in their three smaller groups as they explore the new sites of the Granites, Grange and the Beach. We will send out more information regarding these groups at the start of Term 2, including an online roster to sign up as a parent helper.
Parent Helping
As we move forward with parent helpers this year, it is now a requirement of the Victorian Government that all 'volunteers that attend an education facility and that work in close proximity to children, students or staff (including parent helpers)' have received their third dose vaccination. There will be many opportunities for parents to help out throughout the year, especially on our Discovery Day program, so we ask that you ensure you have sent through to Kerrie a current copy of your Working with Children Check and a copy of your vaccination certificate.
Wishing you all an enjoyable holiday break and a happy Easter!
LIANE & LEXI Year 1 and 2 Teachers
The Year 3/4 Learning Community has been an energetic and busy learning space in the first term. We've enjoyed seeing the students learn and grow together.
Units of Inquiry
Our first unit of inquiry of the year centred on the concept of responsibility, as we inquired into the central idea: Decision-making processes exist within organisations. The students reflected on the different roles they can take on in our learning community, and we established processes and developed classroom agreements to ensure our learning community is a place where all feel welcome, safe and able to learn.
This unit really took off when Mr Kenner and Mr Clapham offered the students the opportunity to share in the decision making around the expenditure of classroom budgets. Each class had their own vigorous debates about the best way to spend $200, with students passionately advocating for an incredibly broad range of purchases.
These authentic opportunities for decision-making enabled the students to explore how different processes for decision making may work; with each class eventually coming to a consensus about how best to spend the money. The Year 3s even decided to donate some of their money to help support the Year 4 initiative to start a charitable business. We were mighty impressed with our learning community's principled approach to this process.
To launch our second unit of inquiry, Where We Are In Place and Time, we visited the amazing Cranbourne Botanical Gardens. Our guides took us on an inspiring adventure as we learned about biomimicry, using nature as inspiration for design. This was a perfect provocation to begin thinking about our unit, which centres on the idea that technology has changed the way people live their lives.
Numeracy
Problem-solving, mental computation and the authentic use of mathematical concepts such as timelines have been interwoven throughout our program in Term 1. The number relationship between Place Value columns has been a key early focus and is a great lead-in to Addition and Subtraction. Our measurement unit around time has been a wonderful learning journey for students and has provided some great opportunities for Teacher Jokes. We have made some great discoveries about how to read analogue clocks, calculate the time until events and developed a better understating of the way minutes, hours and days work. We also noticed that 6:30 is the best time, hands down.
Language
A significant part of our English language learning occurs through our program of inquiry, as students learn through language, using language as a tool to think, listen, discuss and reflect on information, issues and ideas. For example, the students collaborated across year levels on a team research project as part of their current unit of inquiry. The students were challenged to examine a technological innovation and research how it has changed over time. Key to their investigations was looking behind changes and discovering the reasons for the innovations. This project gave students the opportunity to deepen their conceptual understanding and also develop research skills (finding multiple reliable sources), multimedia skills (by utilising technology to both record and present information) and social skills (finding ways to support others to succeed). Our unit will continue with an individual investigation during the first three weeks of Term 2.
We hope you enjoy a relaxing and safe school holiday.
JAMES CLAPHAM, CRAIG KENNER & BRONWYN BURROWS
Year 3/4 Learning Community
As the weather begins to change and we find ourselves enveloped in Autumn, we are counting our blessings after successfully returning to the classroom for the longest continuous period since 2019. We have settled into new, regular routines and have been exploring how to manage our learning and collaborate with others in the classroom and across the globe. Below is a taste of life in Year 5 during Term 1, 2022.
Homework (self)
A feature of this term has been the resumption of a regular homework routine. We thank you for supporting the students in managing their time when they are at home. With each new task, students have reflected on their work, taken on feedback and striven to improve the quality of their work for the next task. These are all important skills as they work towards independent study and learning. We have attached a few highlights from the submissions this term.
Homestead Community (others/collaboration)
Throughout this term we have relished the opportunity to establish and build community connections within the Homestead. Students have been working together, sharing their learning and reflecting on what values are important as a 5/6 community.
Reading Groups
We have worked in small groups across Years 5 and 6 to determine the author's purpose, main idea and language features of a variety of texts and genres. In these groups, students have also engaged in rich discussions about how we make inferences using prior knowledge and text clues. They have linked these skills back to their units of inquiry on ecosystems and their literacy studies of persuasive writing.
Problem Solving
We introduced the Year 5 students to the Australian Primary School Math's Olympiad (APSMO). Some students have decided to compete in a 5/6 Minimbah APSMO team to challenge themselves against other schools to solve problems and earn points for their team. Other students have elected to participate in a Maths Game Problem Solving challenge, which is run in the Homestead, while some chose more targeted problem-solving skill development.
5/6 Sport
It has been wonderful to see the students participating in house teams in weekly sports activities on a Friday morning. The pool has been a regular feature, with students enjoying the water activities in the warmer weather. They have been challenged to take risks in their sport choices and when working with less familiar teammates, which has strengthened friendships and their ability to work collaboratively.
Athletics
A small group of Year 3-6 students travelled to Ballam Park on Friday 1 April to compete in the District Track Athletics Carnival. A big congratulations must go to the students for their comradery, self-management, and support of each other and the other schools who participated on the day. It was a wonderful day with many personal best performances and an overall second place for Minimbah.
Homestead Sessions
Over the term, we have conducted weekly Homestead sessions, which have provided fantastic opportunities for the students to celebrate and reflect on their learning. Each Homestead session has had a learner profile attribute focus where the students identified common and shared values to challenge and extend their learning, their respect for self, others, and the environment.
Activities
Activities have been a prominent feature of this term, with students engaging in areas of personal interest and challenging themselves to take risks with their learning. During this last week of term, we will be reflecting on the skills that have been developed and the personal growth made throughout the sessions. Please enjoy a few photos of students in their element from the activity groups.
STP (Wider Community / Environment / World Around Us)
After so much time over the past two years working individually, we are acutely aware of the need to develop and strengthen collaboration and teamwork skills. We had the opportunity to do just that during our virtual exchange with students from the Royal British International School in Bangkok. Despite some occasional technical difficulties, our students used Microsoft Teams as a digital collaboration tool to develop small-group presentations that were then shared with their partners in Thailand. Using 'split-screen' thinking, we were able to identify what we were doing (working in PowerPoint and Teams) and break down HOW we were working (collaboration, research, demonstrating respect for others, comparing and contrasting global perspectives). Attached are some photos showing our groups engaged in their Zoom calls to Thailand.
Looking Ahead
As we head into Term 2, we are very excited to be jumping into a new Unit of Inquiry to explore the development of a business, as well as the associated advertising and marketing requirements. Who knows what student-led initiatives will arise as a result of this investigation?
ANDY & ZARA
Year 5 Teachers
Whilst the end of the term has not played out quite as we imagined, the first nine weeks of 2022 have been a huge and happy success! What an amazing, kind, inquisitive bunch of Year 6 students we have the pleasure of learning with every day! We manage to fit a lot into a week! The students are exposed to many challenging experiences and have the opportunity to learn in so many different ways that days pass so quickly, and before you know it, it is the end of term! Term 1 is all about getting to know one another and how we learn best. We recognise that certain attributes and concepts can guide our learning, both of the curriculum and ourselves.
Principled Learners and Leaders
Every Year 6 student is a leader at Minimbah. We foster leadership through self-understanding and service. At the beginning of the term, everyone undertook the VIA survey of character strengths, ranking 24 traits from the most prominent to the least. Some students were surprised by their results which led to some pretty funny discussions about the merits of 'gratitude', 'humour' and 'love'. We posed the question; how can I use my personal strengths to be a better leader? Through writing a narrative, the students were able to create a character that explored one or more of their own personal strengths, and the theme of recognising individual traits has continued across the term.
As well as learning about themselves, Year Sixes have demonstrated leadership through many activities and actions...
- Developing the Homestead agreement
- Helping and having an enormous amount of fun during Buddy Swimming sessions
- Running the radio station during Team Swimming Sports
- Presenting at their Leadership Assembly and assisting the Foundation students at their assembly
- Contributing during the Project Rockit presentations
- Supervising lunchtime games
- Representing Minimbah so well at the District Athletics competition
Our new Unit of Inquiry focuses on the connections between governance, leadership and citizens. Never was leadership more contentious or visible than during the recent Classroom Coup. The Year 6 students were handed the reins for the day. They had specific responsibilities to fulfil, but the organisation of the day was up to them! What a fascinating response that raised many questions such as:
Can we do whatever we want? Who has finished their work? When are the teachers coming back?
This promises to be a rich inquiry and includes our trip to Canberra, so we are very excited for next term.
Risk Takers
Every Year Six student has been a risk-taker this term. Whether it be through learning a new skill in Maths, sharing some work aloud in front of others, or trying a new flavour in the Kitchen Kudos activity, everyone has experienced that butterflies-in-the-tummy feeling of nervousness and excitement of taking a risk.
Bravery has been on display throughout the term via:
- getting to know a new person in the Homestead and then having to paint their portrait through the Anh Do' Brush with Fame' experience
- participating in the APSMO and Maths Games problem-solving competitions, sitting in that uncomfortable spot of having to think outside the square!
- trying new arty things as encouraged by David Booth, our artist in residence. David urged us to embrace imperfections in our work and explained that his best art piece is always his next one.
- auditioning for roles in The Little Mermaid. The enthusiasm around performing was infectious. Students were willing to try out for multiple roles and to really put themselves out there for Mrs Wong and Mrs Fletcher. Now that our show has been cast, bring on the rehearsals in Term 2!
Caring
One of the most outstanding attributes of this Year 6 cohort is their caring nature. Not only do they look after each other and us, but their caring attitude extends across the school. We have noticed their considerate ways often through:
- the beautiful, authentic relationships built between Year 6 students and their Foundation buddies. There have been many times to connect through play, helping with reading and writing, swimming, sports and practising for assembly performances.
- cementing friendships across the Homestead. Each week we spend time together with the Year 5s and this has created a learning community where everyone is included.
- understanding and building empathy by exploring the resources from The Resilience Project. The videos and activities have helped us better understand compassion and empathy and look at the impact of peer pressure on ourselves and our relationships.
- those incidental acts of kindness that fill up our buckets, such as looking after someone if they are upset or hurt.
Please enjoy the photos, snapshots of our term.
Year 6 students are leaders. They are caring, and they take responsible risks. But they are also great communicators and inquirers. They ask great questions and seek out answers. They know how to learn. A massive thank you to Jo Jillett and Gypsy, and to Gabby Williams for their tireless work in supporting the students. Thank you for your support of the students and us throughout the term. We are looking forward to next term, which not only incorporates the Canberra Study Tour but many other experiences too.
Bring it on.
JACQUI & JONNO
Y6 Teachers
Minimbah students have been busy in the library this term, soaking up the return to school and reigniting the love of sharing stories.
Our Foundation friends have been library superstars and an absolute joy to welcome to this special space in Term one. They have loved spending Tuesday afternoons browsing and borrowing as well as listening to stories. Together we read ‘The Wonder of Winsome’ by Kath Murdoch, where they each responded with their own curious question. So many wonderful wonderings!
Years 1 and 2 have been linking in with their current unit of inquiry, How we express ourselves. We have spent some time looking at Jeanie Baker’s stunning illustrations, where she uses a range of materials and collages to share a message. ‘Window’ was a particular favourite! We had a go at creating our own collage with natural materials. It was messy, tricky, and good fun. Their stunning work speaks for itself. Well done, Year 1 and Year 2!
In a whole class read aloud, Years 3 and 4 followed the story of Wandi by Favel Parrett. Wandi is a young cub snatched from his family and home by a giant eagle, then dropped, injured and alone, in a suburban garden. We used inspiration from the text and some whole class research on dingoes to create our own illustrations of Wandi.
Our Homestead students spent much of the term setting up Oliver, our library circulation system, on their iPads. They have been sharpening their research skills and taking part in challenges, as they build on their knowledge of how to effectively operate the system, search for books, reserve and located books in the Minimbah library.
Year 5 students finished off the term reading ‘The All New Must Have Orange 430’, a story about Harvey and his desire to purchase an item that doesn’t do anything. As a lead in to their new unit of inquiry that investigates how businesses function in the marketplace, students have begun designing their own useless objects. Next term, they will turn this design into a prototype and create an advertising campaign to accompany their product. There are some brilliant designs so far, and I cannot wait to see what else they come up with.
Year 6 has been engrossed in a whole class read aloud. ‘Saving Celeste’, a French novel by Timothée de Fombelle. Set in a dystopian future where society is run by and for industrial giants, people live in overcrowded and polluted cities stacked vertically into the sky. We grappled with the idea of making changes to our everyday lives and the impact it can have on individual lives. An overarching concept of change ran throughout the book, which our Year 6 students reflected on as they thought about how their reading was changing as they mature. Their initial perceptions of the books, based on the cover, were not very positive, but as they finished, students were invested in the story, and it shone a light on the way they might select the books to read in the future. Students are currently having fun redesigning the cover.
BRIONY WRIGHT
Librarian
This term in the Art Room, students from ECC to Year 6 have been getting their hands messy, creating many beautiful artworks!
ECC looked at the work of Morris Louis and used watercolour to create their own colourful response.
Foundation students read the story ‘Mouse Paint’ about three cheeky mice who discover three pots of paint in the primary colours, and colour chaos ensues.
Year 1 explored the artworks of Henri Rousseau, regarded as a self-taught genius, to create collage jungles.
Year 2 immersed themselves in colour, inspired by the cat-obsessed artist Laurel Burch. They used chalk and oil pastel to create their colourful felines.
Year 3 and 4 students also explored the cat-tastic world of Laurel Burch’s artworks to create a painted and embroidered piece.
Year 5 played with watercolour techniques, using the work of quilting artist (and marine biologist) Allie McCathren, to create their own sea glass collages.
Year 6 researched forest floors and whimsical picture storybooks to inspire their watercolour paintings.
SAMANTHA DOMINICHI
Art Teacher
Here's a quick peek at what's been going on, both in and out of the Music House here at Minimbah.
There's been a veritable feast of musical goodies served up to sate the voracious appetite of music-loving Minimbarbarians. We've sung, rapped, chanted, and even composed an army-style cadence (with assistance from 'drill sergeant' Georgy Sipcic).
With musical life having seen some changes in recent times, we've had choirs rehearsing outside on the verandah of the Music House, brass and woodwind workshop groups dodging footies and leaf-blowers whilst rehearsing on the oval, and, finally, orchestra reforming after a lengthy hiatus. With doors flung wide open, the lunchtime sounds of the rock band can be heard throughout the campus, pumping out 'The Final Countdown', turned up to 11!
Music is back on!
Classroom Music – In Foundation – Year 2, the focus has been on music and movement, beat games, simple notation and listening skills. During F-2 Choir, a favourite song has emerged - The Flying Purple People Eater. So, if your child is singing this at home, don't be disturbed; it's a real song! Y2 students composed and performed a 'tasty' Food Rhythms body percussion piece.
Students from Years 3 and 4 have focused on developing instrumental skills on the recorder, xylophone, and glockenspiel.
It has been great to see students developing their ensemble skills when performing in a group. These ensemble experiences often lead to wholesome discussions around Woodleigh's 3Rs. We even had a class concert at the end of term.
Year 5 students have been learning about instruments of the orchestra, in conjunction with trying various instruments for the Music Workshop program.
The Round Robin has been completed, and students will get their instruments at the start of Term 2. Y5s will learn these instruments for the rest of their Minimbah journey, so feel free to ask for a tune from time to time.
Year 6 students have been exploring the science of sound, searching for answers to questions like – "Can you see sound?"
Students have also been excitedly preparing for auditions for this year's school production of the Little Mermaid. The atmosphere is palpable in these sessions. The students have brought so much enthusiasm and positivity and, most importantly, have been supportive of each other's efforts. Forget Hamilton; could this be the hottest ticket in town this year?
JOHN BECKLEY Minimbah Music
In the last two years, our young people have spent increased amounts of enforced time with their parents and have relied on parents for vital sources of social support during school closures. This increased time and reliance on parents means that the style of parenting received during lockdown is likely to have a significant impact on the degree to which an adolescent can grow through the stress they are experiencing.
(Evans et al., 2020).
As we end Term 1, 2022, let's be grateful for our first full term back on campus for two years and acknowledge becoming a vibrant community again. It has been a very full calendar so far, which has included camps, Homestead night, activities, in-real-life classes, excursions, swimming & athletic carnivals, the year 12 formal and more.
However, navigating this welcome change is not without its challenges. There is the ongoing impact of COVID, increased separation anxiety from home and family, and the self-regulation and cognitive focus required by each individual to re-enter shared spaces such as classrooms and Homesteads. We see students with reduced capacity to concentrate for extended periods, navigate and calibrate changes to social networks and peer groups, and be with and around people most of the day. We have also noted some students struggling to enact an increased degree of independence and organization, and so it goes.
Keep in mind that for our young people, their brain architecture and physiology are simultaneously having some significant overhauls and renovations, which can make it harder for them to think logically and rationally. We – the grown-ups in their lives – need to know that at any point, we can help them or hinder them from getting back on their feet and moving forwards – gently and steadily.
The value of Strength‐based parenting
Professor Lea Watershas researched and written extensively on the subject of Strength-based parenting, which she describes as,
"an approach where parents deliberately identify and cultivate positive states, processes and qualities in their children. It's about connecting your kids with their inborn strengths such as strengths of character (eg. humour, kindness) as well as their talents such as writing or sporting ability. These strengths are the inner resources contained within our kids that help boost their life satisfaction."
Even before COVID, it was well documented that adolescence is a time when life satisfaction drops off. This is especially significant as we know that life satisfaction acts as a buffer against the development of psychological disorders during adolescence. Research identifies that young people with higher levels of life satisfaction have stronger emotional, academic, and social skills.
Hence, it may be more important than ever for parents to find deliberate ways to boost their child's life satisfaction, and Strength-based parenting is one such approach.
Research shows that children and teenagers who have strength-based parents:
- Have higher levels of life satisfaction
- Have a better understanding of their own strengths
- Cope with conflict in more proactive ways
- Use their strengths to help them meet homework deadlines
- Have lower levels of stress.
- Have enhanced a sense of self‐efficacy, which is a factor that assists young people to cope and be adaptive
Strength-based parenting doesn't just benefit our children; it also improves our life satisfaction and confidence as parents and promotes a shared understanding and value of each family member's wellbeing.
Practical tips for parents to apply to strength-based parenting
Strengths spotting: Think about the strengths that underpin your child's actions and let them know what you see. Spot the kindness that underpins their sharing with their friends, their self-control to finish homework on time rather than watch TV and the persistence they're using in sports training.
Strengths letter: Write a letter to your child letting them know about the strengths you see in them and how these strengths will help them cope with challenging times as well as helping them to thrive during good times.
Strengths surveys: There are many online surveys that children can take to help them identify and think about their strengths. The Gallup Institute has the StrengthsExplorer for children aged 10-14 and the StrengthsQuest for children aged 15-25.
If parents and children are interested in identifying personality strengths, they can go to The Values in Action Institute and complete the free online VIA-Youth survey. This is something that most of our students have undertaken at school.
Strengths role model: It always helps to see how other parents and kids are using their strengths. Visit the The Strengths Exchange and discover how parents and children of all ages apply character strength to every day.
For now
As a community, we have much to be grateful for as there continues to be much adversity occurring in our world right now (the war in Ukraine, natural disasters, climate change). And it can be a sad and overwhelming time for our students, our children and ourselves. We may not be able to control the things that happen in the world, but the value of a Strength-based approach can influence a young person's capacity to cope and potential to grow through life's stressors. And can help us all be stronger as we navigate the next stage together.
In kindness,
DONNA NAIRN
Director of Counselling – WOODLEIGH SCHOOL
Acknowledgements & further reading:
https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/the-value-of-strength-based-parenting
https://www.leawaters.com/the-...
https://www.leawaters.com/sbp-quiz
https://woodleigh.vic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-conflict-ukraine-au
Live theatre is back at Woodleigh!
The Year 12 Drama Class of 2022 is presenting their VCE Ensemble Drama performance,
‘Christmas Downunder.’
‘Christmas Downunder’ is an original piece of theatre devised by the students. It is an entertaining, family-friendly show focusing on different perspectives of Christmas.
Seating is limited. Book your tickets today and don’t miss out!
Gold coin entry – all proceeds to our Community Partnerships.
Book NowAttention Mothers, Grandmothers, and Special Ladies! Woodleigh School invites you to join us for a very special Mother's Day event.
Join us for a beautiful day out with fellow Woodleigh ladies from our school campuses.
Cost: $80 per person
RSVP by Thursday 28 April – places are limited – so be quick!
We'd love to hear from you if you would like to promote your business with a gift bag or door prize donation.
Please click here to help support us in making this a special event for our Woodleigh ladies.
Book Now
Dear Parents,
Whilst the last two years have been less than ideal, it is now time to start sorting out some of the overdue items that have accumulated over that time.
To give you some background about the processes we undertake prior to requesting a replacement cost through family accounts:
- Students receive at least three automated reminders about books that are overdue – an email on the first day that the item is overdue, a second email 14 days later, and a third and final reminder 14 days after that.
- In addition to these automated emails, the library has sent out specific, targeted reminders during 2020 and 2021 and early in 2022.
Items that are placed on to family accounts as a replacement cost are very, very overdue. Although many students have only one or two items, the total cost of replacing these items is almost $7,500 – a significant sum, I am sure you will agree.
MIFFY FARQUHARSON
Head of Library Services