Minimbah Update
- Time of the Season
- A Time to Reflect
- Busy Bees
- Foundation: Taking the Lead
- Year 1 and 2 News
- How Year 3 Measure Up!
- The Young Archie Prize
- Growth, learning, and exploration in Year 4
- Our Proud Year 4 Eco-Committee
- From the Homestead
- 2023 Woodleigh Arts Festival Opening & Showcase Concert – Transcendence
- 2023 Woodleigh School Film Festival – Friday the 13th!
Time of the Season
Celebrating a Brilliant Season of ‘Matilda Jr.’ and More!
Dear Parents,
As we bid farewell to another term, it's time to reflect on the incredible achievements and memorable moments that have made Term 3 truly exceptional. Today, I want to spotlight our remarkable Year 6 students, whose outstanding season of ‘Matilda Jr.’ left us all in awe.
‘Matilda Jr.’ - A spectacular Triumph!
Our Year 6 students showcased their talent, dedication, and passion in not one, not two, but three outstanding performances of ‘Matilda Jr.’ The energy, enthusiasm, and sheer talent that filled the Woodleigh Hall were nothing short of breathtaking. We congratulate our Director, Serena Wong, and Musical Director, Malcolm Huddle, for their exceptional leadership and guidance. Their dedication and hard work in nurturing these young stars truly shone through every moment on stage.
But the magic of ‘Matilda Jr.’ wouldn't have been possible without the dedicated staff working behind the scenes—our costume designers, set builders, sound and lighting crews, and countless others who brought Tim Minchin’s creative stage version of Roald Dahl's beloved story to life in such a spectacular fashion. Your commitment to excellence is truly commendable.
Year 5 Adventure and Study Tour – Ballarat
Our Year 5 students embarked on a memorable adventure to Ballarat that they will cherish for years to come. This immersive experience included visiting the Costume School in Sovereign Hill, where they stepped back in time to explore the rich history of the Gold Rush era.
Mini-Olympics Sports Day – Fun for all ages!
Our school community also came together for a fantastic Mini-Olympics Sports Day, coordinated by the ever-energetic Mark Roden. What made this day extra special was the participation of students from Foundation, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, and Year 6. This event not only encouraged friendly competition but also fostered a sense of unity among our students.
PJ Day: Spreading Warmth and Kindness
We had a heart-warming PJ Day, coordinated by our Foundation students. This special day wasn't just about donning cosy pyjamas but spreading warmth and kindness. Our school community came together to collect pyjamas, socks, and underwear for the wonderful organization ‘Mums Supporting Families in Need,’ Our donations ensured that those in our community who need support, feel cared for and loved.
Year 3 and 4 Adventure Camp at Golden Valleys Camp
Let's not forget our incredible Year 3 and 4 students, who embarked on an unforgettable adventure at Golden Valleys Camp. Amidst the stunning natural surroundings, our young explorers experienced the thrill of the high swing and the exhilarating ride on the flying fox. It was a time of camaraderie and shared experiences, where they supported each other in taking on new challenges and pushing their boundaries. More importantly, this camp showcased the values we hold dear at our school—respecting oneself, respecting others, and respecting the environment. The camp not only fostered personal growth but also instilled a sense of responsibility and care for our planet. Students learned the importance of preserving the natural beauty that surrounded them. We commend our Year 3 and 4 students for their resilience, teamwork, and commitment to personal growth during this adventure-filled camp.
Year 6 Adventure in Bali: A Truly Unforgettable Experience
Our Year 6 students also had an adventure beyond any other as they embarked on a remarkable journey to Bali and the Green Camp. This experience immersed our students in Balinese culture and the extraordinary natural environment of the Green School. During their time away, students gained valuable skills by pushing their comfort zones, deeply exploring sustainability, and embracing regenerative practices. They also had the incredible opportunity to delve into Balinese customs, including their wonderful cooking and food.
As we reflect on these incredible achievements, heart-warming acts of kindness, and the extraordinary Bali adventure, we are reminded of the strength and unity that defines our school community. Together, we have created a year filled with unforgettable moments, growth, and accomplishments.
We wish every one of you a happy and rejuvenating holiday season. We can't wait to see everyone back for Term 4 on Tuesday, October 3rd, ready to continue our journey of learning, laughter, and positively impacting our community.
Kind regards,
Rod Davies
HEAD OF MINIMBAH CAMPUS
A Time to Reflect
As Term Three comes to a close, it is timely for us to reflect on what we have achieved this year and continue our plans for the future.
At all three campuses, we have been busy creating life-changing experiences for our students. At our Junior Campuses, we have had students attending camps in Victoria, the Northern Territory, and internationally. As I write this article, I am preparing to attend the Year 6 Wugubank experience evening at Penbank, and our Year 6 students from Minimbah have just touched down in Bali as part of their sustainability experience at the Green School. Both have been and will be life-changing for the students involved as they are immersed in cultures and languages different from their own and experience perspectives from Aboriginal people in Beswick and Indonesian people in Bali.
These experiences and Camps Week for our Senior students all help to shape a Woodleigh education. This is an education that prepares students for life both at school and beyond. They are real-world, challenging, and provide provocations for some of the most important issues facing our country and the world. While life-changing, they can be daunting if we don’t offer optimism and the opportunity to develop the complex capabilities required to engage with such complicated and overwhelming issues. The capabilities to unpack and understand complexity, solve problems, and organise others as they project manage possible solutions. These are the skills required for life and the skills our student generation will need to impact the world in which they live, positively. If we add to our list of provocations increasing inequality in our world, rising well-being issues, the growth of artificial intelligence and the fourth industrial revolution, global boiling, shifting geopolitical tensions and world conflict, and closer to home an upcoming referendum and the cost of living crisis.
To fully understand and be prepared to find solutions for societal issues, our students still need the basics, and it is important for us to ensure they have a strong understanding of the fundamentals of education; however, we aim to go much further than mere competence and explicit teaching and wish for our students to master complex concepts and be able to apply these to real-life contexts in which they will have depth and mastery.
We continue to look for and find opportunities for student agency and the ability to teach students about the capabilities they will need for life. This occurs through our approach to the International Baccalaureate, the PYP, and the MYP and also through our introduction of the Futures Program to Year 10 in 2024. I look forward to further engaging with our community about this program in Term Four and inviting our advisor, Joost Bakker to the school in October. Together with our architects, they will talk about how we can create generative ecosystems in place of buildings to encourage the depth of thinking our students require for their future.
I am often asked, what about NAPLAN and VCE results, how do they fit with our philosophy as a school and our plans for the future? The NAPLAN tests and ATAR are not going anywhere, and I strongly believe that the work we do will complement both of these measures; however, we also aim to provide our students with more than just a number. We hope to provide a personal transcript of the complex capabilities they have developed during their time at Woodleigh. We continue to work with the University of Melbourne to develop tools for the measurement of character growth that are genuine, authentic, and warrantable. The Year 10 Futures Program will provide us with an opportunity to road-test these tools and provide feedback and data to over 35 schools involved in this project.
It has been a very busy term, and yet we still have much work to do. I hope that all of our families will have an opportunity to enjoy some family time over the holidays and I wish them well for this time and look forward to continuing this conversation in Term Four.
Best wishes
DAVID BAKER
PRINCIPAL - WOODLEIGH SCHOOL
Busy Bees
Hive Messenger September
In the Hive we have been interested in using and exploring how 'real tools' work. Each week, we have introduced tools including padlocks and keys, pipes, screwdrivers, hammers, and spirit levels. As a group, we discussed what we thought each tool might be, who uses them, how to use them, and how to keep ourselves safe whilst using the tools. In our unit of Inquiry 'How the world works' we used play to explore, investigate, and construct theories about how 'things' in the world work.
Marble runs have been an area of interest. The children eagerly began constructing a variety of ‘runs’ that they continued to revisit each week in various spaces in our environment.
A water run was created with pipes and a rope to make a bucket on a pulley system. During the construction of the water run, many questions arose as the children collaboratively worked together, demonstrating confidence and resourcefulness in solving problems.
“How will we keep the pipes there?”
“How will we get the water?”
Another group of children enjoyed building a bamboo ball run. They shared their ideas and worked collaboratively to create an interactive run with many moving parts! They tested out possible theories and decided that it was a successful run if the ball landed in the wooden basket at the end.
Each week the development of ‘runs’ became more complex, and a wide range of materials were experimented with to test their effectiveness. One week a group of children initiated an investigation into whether gum nuts or rocks would work on a marble run. Together they discussed the differences between the rocks and gum nuts and developed theories about why one worked more effectively than the other. They enjoyed testing their theories and exploring different materials like pipes, cardboard, and building blocks.
They observed the differences in speed and distance travelled down the run and developed theories about the force and development of the structure and how that affected its 'runs' down the slide.
As they encountered challenges the children communicated their ideas and thoughts about the 'problems' they were experiencing. They took turns to adapt the structure and trail it, including the use of different materials and forms, such as tunnels and building blocks.
The children were invited to draw their ideas in the form of a design, which allowed them to communicate their thoughts in another way and make connections.
" Like a maze, it goes round and round."
Throughout the unit of inquiry, the children continued to revisit their interest with ‘real l tools’ often using a tape measure, to explore the lengths of a marble run or the distance a marble travelled. The spirit level was used to explore the angles and levels made and how they impacted the run.
Emma Streader
ECC TEACHER – MINIMBAH CAMPUS, WOODLEIGH SCHOOL
Foundation: Taking the Lead
Dear Families,
This term, the children have enjoyed exploring our central idea 'Products and services are created to meet the needs of a community.' It has been wonderful to see the children starting to think about roles and responsibilities, occupations, and different products and services. They have been encouraged to explore these ideas, engage in the design process, and be creative and critical in their thinking.
We love opportunities to take our learning beyond our classroom so the children can apply their understanding in meaningful, real-life contexts and demonstrate action. The Foundation students took the lead in performing a service and collecting goods for the local community by organising Pyjama Day on 25th August. The Foundation students created posters, delivered collection baskets, and confidently explained the day to all the other classes in our school community. We managed to collect an astounding 994 items, which the volunteers at MSFIN greatly appreciated.
Having our parent community in to talk to us about your jobs has been fantastic. We have had a diverse range of presentations, and it has been excellent for the children to learn about all your different roles and responsibilities. One day, we had a Dad who makes music videos, a Mum who is an ecologist, and a Dad who is a urologist! What interesting careers you all have.
It has been great to make literacy connections with our current unit of inquiry so that the children can listen and respond to fiction and non-fiction texts that help them explore roles and responsibilities. The children have really enjoyed Andrea Beaty's picture story books, such as 'Rosie Revere, Engineer,' Ada Twist, Scientist, and 'Iggy Peck, Architect.' These books not only focus on roles and responsibilities but also encourage many of the attributes of the IB learner profile, such as being a risk-taker, an inquirer, and a thinker.
In Maths this term, we have continued to consolidate our place value understanding and moved to numbers beyond 20 and skip counting. Our 100th day of school was an excellent opportunity to practice counting by 10s and visualising what ten groups of ten look like. We have also begun to explore patterns and will introduce money and time in our final week of term.
I hope that you all have a safe, relaxing break.
Thank you for your continued support,
Jacqui, Jasmine & Rachel
Year 1 and 2 News
What an incredibly busy term it has been!! We have crammed in so much learning, collaboration, and a lot of fun from beginning to end. We are super proud of the children’s growth academically and socially. Both classes have experienced many highs from classroom experiences, Discovery Day outings, assemblies, and an amazing ‘Family History’ expo.
Here is an overview of what we have done this term!
Literacy
Writing – We have explored persuasive and information texts and continued to develop our recount writing. The children loved writing persuasive pieces in which they tried to convince their audience to side with them. From convincing Liane to go up in a hot air balloon, challenging Lexi on whether the Dees were the best footy team, persuading people to save water, and even writing letters to Rod to convince him to grant their wishes. The children certainly used the vocab of persuasion to their advantage. During our inquiry into informative texts, the children explored the elements of the genre identifying common characteristics such as index, contents, glossary, and the use of labelled diagrams. We continue to improve and develop our recount writing through interesting vocabulary and appropriate grammar.
Reading – Within our RWInc and Literacy Group sessions the children are consolidating and improving their reading through explicit teaching targeted to individual needs. Fluency and expression are developed through daily sessions working within a small group.
Speaking and Listening – The children have had many opportunities to develop their speaking and listening this term. How amazing were they in sharing their family’s history at the museum? They were also incredible speakers during the Year 1 & 2 assembly in week 8. Other opportunities to improve our speaking and listening have included the creation of our ‘Dear Earth’ book where we read our research, collaborative learning where listening and holding space for other points of view is important, and when out on Discovery Day we collaborate, negotiate, and compromise all of which take a lot of speaking and listening.
Numeracy
Number – This term our major number focus has been on developing our multiplication skills. The children have worked on the connections between repetitive addition and multiplication, skip counting, arrays, and beginning to formally record multiplication. Throughout the term we have also continued to consolidate her understanding of addition and subtraction and place value.
Measurement & Geometry – this term we have explored ‘time’. We have looked at calendars, telling time using clocks and timelines.
Inquiry
We began the term working on our ‘Sharing the Planet’ unit where we inquired into the impact people have on Earth’s renewable and non-renewable resources and how we can help to conserve them. We finished the term exploring ‘Where we are in Place and Time’ and sharing our amazing family histories through curating artifacts and presenting our ‘Family History Expo’ with the school community. Intertwined through these inquiries we continued to explore natural cycles (How the World Works), systems (How we Organise Ourselves) whilst making connections to our values and beliefs (Who we Are). It has been incredible to hear the children connect their learning!
Discovery Day
Wednesday is our favourite day of the week. We love being out in nature, where we can explore, discover, and connect with our classroom learning. Our outdoor classrooms allow for hands-on experiential learning. The children can explore and observe our learning in real life making it meaningful and recognisable. A few weeks ago, the children worked in small groups to document where they have seen and made connections to our Unit of Inquiries whilst out on Discovery. Below is a condensed version of their brainstorming as well as their original shared thinking.
Gorgeous Georgy
Our ‘Gorgeous Georgy’ is taking a well-deserved break during Term 4. We wish her safe travels and look forward to hearing about her adventures when she returns. Whilst she is away, we will be supported by her replacements – Heather, Donna and Bron. Echo the Story Dog This year, Year Two students at Minimbah have been enjoying a unique and furry approach to boost their reading skills. The "Story Dog Program" has taken the classroom by storm, with our eager young readers finding encouragement in the company of a four-legged reading companion, Echo. Every week, Echo and his dedicated handler, Kathryn, visit our Year 2 class. During these sessions, students take turns reading aloud to Echo on a one-on-one basis each week for approximately 20 minutes per child. This interaction provides a unique, non-judgmental and supportive environment for students to practice their reading skills, boost their confidence and improve their reading skills.
We wish you a great holiday, and we will see you next term!
Liane and Lexi
How Year 3 Measure Up!
This term has been an exciting time for our Year 3 Minimbah students as they went on a journey of discovery and learning.
During our Writing Workshops, we spent most of the term learning about persuasive writing techniques. Through connections to our unit of inquiry and work at the creek to support and celebrate Tree Day, students wrote arguments that expressed their opinions effectively aiming to convince others. The jury is still out on the goats at the creek, what do you say Rod?
Our maths sessions have had a strong focus on multiplication and division as we encourage students to move beyond rote learning and explore the concept of multiplication in different contexts. We have been looking at how multiplication relates to real-life scenarios and how it can be applied to solve everyday problems using a range of strategies and number facts that students independently know.
Our current unit of inquiry started with a timeline journey that represented the history of Australia. We read about evidence of First Nations people living on the land 60,000 years ago. As a class we did some calculations & conversion and thought about how we could begin to map the timeline of the history of Australia. Students worked out that if 1cm was equivalent to 10 years, 60 meters was equivalent to 60,000 years! So, we headed to the oval - We couldn’t believe the how long the timeline was. When we returned to the classroom we webbed it across the room, zig zagging back and forth.
As part of this unit, we are thinking about what makes an event significant. Through conversation, children have shown an interest in the upcoming vote for a voice to parliament and some students have identified that this is a significant event in Australian history. We will begin to unpack both sides of the story and look at different perspectives in a child friendly and appropriate way.
It has been my greatest pleasure to spend time with the Year 3 children this term whilst Craig has been on long service leave. They have all continued to grow, challenge themselves and thrive in more ways than one, you should be so proud of them.
I look forward to continuing to see them back in the library next term.
Thank you!
BRIONY
Year 3 Teacher
The Young Archie Prize
Two Special Entries
The Archibald Prize is awarded to the best portrait painting each year and is one of our country’s favourite art awards.
This year, it tours to Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, with a display of 57 portraits, featuring figures and faces from all walks of life.
But GUESS WHAT! This year there are two extremely special portraits worth making a trip for. Jack and Sterling are both finalists in the Young Archies! That's right, their beautiful work will be displayed alongside the other touring portraits between Friday 15 September and Sunday 5 November. Click here so you won't miss out on their outstanding gallery pieces. Congratulations Jack and Sterling, bucket list, tick!
Growth, learning, and exploration in Year 4
Term 3 has been filled with growth, learning, and exploration, and I am excited to share some of the key learning from the semester.
Units of Inquiry
To begin our term, our students inquired into the central idea that organisations and systems are developed to respond to change, as part of our unit of inquiry, How We Organise Ourselves. Throughout this unit, our students grew their understanding of the earth’s processes, like earthquakes, floods and erosion, and the systems we develop to respond to the changes caused. It was a joy to look at local and global examples as part of this inquiry and to see students taking collective action to help reduce erosion at the creek by planting hundreds of native plants.
In the second half of this term, we have embarked upon our new unit of inquiry, Where We Are In Place and Time. Our central idea, that significant people and events impact the lives of individuals and communities, has provided a thought-provoking framework for our students to explore the key concepts of causation, perspective, and responsibility. Using the journeys of European explorers and early contact with First Nations people in Australia as a captivating entry point, our students have delved into global themes that transcend time and place. Through research, discussions, and hands-on activities, they have begun to question how perspective shapes our understanding of significance, and our responsibility as global citizens to grow our knowledge and compassionate stance towards the experiences of others.
Mathematics
One of the primary focuses this term has been on strengthening our multiplication and division skills. I am thrilled to share that our Year 4 students have made substantial progress in mastering these essential mathematical operations. Through hands-on activities, group discussions, and interactive games, our young mathematicians have honed their abilities to tackle increasingly complex mathematical problems.
Our classroom has witnessed students confidently using multiplication and division strategies to solve real-world scenarios, which is a testament to their hard work and determination. From understanding the relationship between multiplication and division to employing various strategies like arrays, skip counting, efficient mental strategies and written methods, our students have developed a solid foundation in these crucial mathematical concepts.
Language
Another highlight of this term has been our exploration of persuasive writing. Our Year 4 students have delved into the world of persuasion, learning how to craft compelling arguments and present them persuasively in writing. It has been wonderful to see the creativity and thoughtfulness displayed in their persuasive writing, as they have passionately advocated for various causes, including whether we should adopt a pet dragon for our class…
Our Class Novel
This term, a highlight of our literary journey was our deep dive into the enchanting world of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis. This classic tale of adventure, courage, and imagination has captivated our students' hearts and minds. Through read-alouds and group discussions, we have explored the magical land of Narnia alongside Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter.
Using comprehension strategies, our Year 4 students have engaged in rich discussions about the characters, themes, and moral lessons embedded in the story. These discussions have deepened their understanding of the novel and encouraged empathy, critical thinking, and a love for literature.
Special news
With great excitement, I share that Sterling’s portrait of archaeologist Howard Carter is a finalist in the Mornington Peninsula Young Archies portrait competition and will be displayed alongside the Archibald Prize exhibition at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery. Congratulations, Sterling! The exhibition will run from Friday 15 September to Sunday 5 November
I wish everyone a safe and restful holiday and can’t wait to see the students for our final term together.
James Clapham
CLASSROOM TEACHER - YEAR 4
Our Proud Year 4 Eco-Committee
A note from By Arthur S. Fregon, member of the Eco-Committee
As of 2023, a group of committed students from across Minimbah has decided to join the Eco-Schools Foundation. The Eco-Schools Foundation is a program that takes in schools to help with their environmental issues. Each school will create an Eco-Committee who help out to solve some of our environmental problems.
As of now, we have multiple tens of members, each doing different roles. I, myself, am one of those people, and I am proud to say. We have decided to focus on our waste & waterway issues, eg. How waste effects waterways, and how we can help reduce the waste.
Each different role has a different part to play. The communication team, AKA the comms team, help get our accomplishments out into the world, let others know about what we do, and why. The treasurer manages our funding, money, and what we will spend it on. The chairperson & deputy chairperson manage the meetings and the minute takers keep track of what we discuss.
We have already had an impact, with our latest accomplishment being replanting many plants at Sweetwater Creek. We hope in the future we will be able to proudly say that we have given the school a green thumb.
A note from an eco-teacher
It has been wonderful to have such a committed group of students join for our first few eco-committee meetings. At this point, the students are beginning to take charge and lead the inquiry and action. They are giving up their lunchtimes to discuss and investigate environmental issues, a perfect demonstration of their principled and caring approach to learning and life and our school values. And how wonderful to see students leading a committee with teachers and leaders there to support their journey. If you are interested in getting involved as a supportive friend of the committee and have any particular expertise or passion for these issues, please get in touch.
James Clapham
CLASSROOM TEACHER - YEAR 4
From the Homestead
A Huge Few Weeks
As Term 3 wraps up, the 5/6 Homestead is still reeling from a number of huge events over the last few weeks, events that we have been working towards all term.
As we write this, Year 6 are enjoying their cultural immersion in Bali, and Year 5 are pulling together their experiences from their recent Ballarat study tour to create a carefully curated museum in the Minimbah Hall.
The recent Year 6 production of Matilda the Musical was a testament to the persistence andof both staff and students. It was simply breathtaking to witness the students being so supportive of each other and working so hard to create a wonderful show.
The very next week the Year 5s were demonstrating the same level of commitment to each other and themselves as they soaked up life on the Goldfields in the 1850s. They enthusiastically engaged in the Sovereign Hill costume school, taking their roles seriously as part of the living museum.
Please enjoy this short podcast created by the Year 5s as they reflect on the term.
We hope you enjoy the Spring holidays and look forward to seeing you fresh for Term 4!
Jacqui, Jonno, Andy, Zara, Gabby, Jo & Georgy
2023 Woodleigh Arts Festival Opening & Showcase Concert – Transcendence
All Woodleigh families and friends, past and present, are invited to join us in the Visual Arts Courtyard from 6.30pm to enjoy refreshments and to take in and celebrate the work of this year’s VCE Studio Art, Visual Communication and Product Design Technology students.
The Showcase Concert, commencing in the Hall at 7.30pm, will feature Year 12 Drama, Media and Music performances and screenings.
Please join us as we celebrate the creativity and craft of Woodleigh's Art Students!
BOOK NOW!2023 Woodleigh School Film Festival – Friday the 13th!
It's Freaky Friday Film Night, and the Senior Campus Hall will never be the same again.
Join us on Friday 13 October from 6.30pm to enjoy the short films produced by the 2023 Year 12 Media Class.
Drinks, popcorn and choc tops will be available to purchase on the night! Entry to see the films is free.
There will be prizes for best dressed, so test-drive your Halloween getup and help us celebrate the hard-work and talents of the 2023 Media Class.
BOOK NOW!As Term Three comes to a close, it is timely for us to reflect on what we have achieved this year and continue our plans for the future.
At all three campuses, we have been busy creating life-changing experiences for our students. At our Junior Campuses, we have had students attending camps in Victoria, the Northern Territory, and internationally. As I write this article, I am preparing to attend the Year 6 Wugubank experience evening at Penbank, and our Year 6 students from Minimbah have just touched down in Bali as part of their sustainability experience at the Green School. Both have been and will be life-changing for the students involved as they are immersed in cultures and languages different from their own and experience perspectives from Aboriginal people in Beswick and Indonesian people in Bali.
These experiences and Camps Week for our Senior students all help to shape a Woodleigh education. This is an education that prepares students for life both at school and beyond. They are real-world, challenging, and provide provocations for some of the most important issues facing our country and the world. While life-changing, they can be daunting if we don’t offer optimism and the opportunity to develop the complex capabilities required to engage with such complicated and overwhelming issues. The capabilities to unpack and understand complexity, solve problems, and organise others as they project manage possible solutions. These are the skills required for life and the skills our student generation will need to impact the world in which they live, positively. If we add to our list of provocations increasing inequality in our world, rising well-being issues, the growth of artificial intelligence and the fourth industrial revolution, global boiling, shifting geopolitical tensions and world conflict, and closer to home an upcoming referendum and the cost of living crisis.
To fully understand and be prepared to find solutions for societal issues, our students still need the basics, and it is important for us to ensure they have a strong understanding of the fundamentals of education; however, we aim to go much further than mere competence and explicit teaching and wish for our students to master complex concepts and be able to apply these to real-life contexts in which they will have depth and mastery.
We continue to look for and find opportunities for student agency and the ability to teach students about the capabilities they will need for life. This occurs through our approach to the International Baccalaureate, the PYP, and the MYP and also through our introduction of the Futures Program to Year 10 in 2024. I look forward to further engaging with our community about this program in Term Four and inviting our advisor, Joost Bakker to the school in October. Together with our architects, they will talk about how we can create generative ecosystems in place of buildings to encourage the depth of thinking our students require for their future.
I am often asked, what about NAPLAN and VCE results, how do they fit with our philosophy as a school and our plans for the future? The NAPLAN tests and ATAR are not going anywhere, and I strongly believe that the work we do will complement both of these measures; however, we also aim to provide our students with more than just a number. We hope to provide a personal transcript of the complex capabilities they have developed during their time at Woodleigh. We continue to work with the University of Melbourne to develop tools for the measurement of character growth that are genuine, authentic, and warrantable. The Year 10 Futures Program will provide us with an opportunity to road-test these tools and provide feedback and data to over 35 schools involved in this project.
It has been a very busy term, and yet we still have much work to do. I hope that all of our families will have an opportunity to enjoy some family time over the holidays and I wish them well for this time and look forward to continuing this conversation in Term Four.
Best wishes
DAVID BAKER
PRINCIPAL - WOODLEIGH SCHOOL
Hive Messenger September
In the Hive we have been interested in using and exploring how 'real tools' work. Each week, we have introduced tools including padlocks and keys, pipes, screwdrivers, hammers, and spirit levels. As a group, we discussed what we thought each tool might be, who uses them, how to use them, and how to keep ourselves safe whilst using the tools. In our unit of Inquiry 'How the world works' we used play to explore, investigate, and construct theories about how 'things' in the world work.
Marble runs have been an area of interest. The children eagerly began constructing a variety of ‘runs’ that they continued to revisit each week in various spaces in our environment.
A water run was created with pipes and a rope to make a bucket on a pulley system. During the construction of the water run, many questions arose as the children collaboratively worked together, demonstrating confidence and resourcefulness in solving problems.
“How will we keep the pipes there?”
“How will we get the water?”
Another group of children enjoyed building a bamboo ball run. They shared their ideas and worked collaboratively to create an interactive run with many moving parts! They tested out possible theories and decided that it was a successful run if the ball landed in the wooden basket at the end.
Each week the development of ‘runs’ became more complex, and a wide range of materials were experimented with to test their effectiveness. One week a group of children initiated an investigation into whether gum nuts or rocks would work on a marble run. Together they discussed the differences between the rocks and gum nuts and developed theories about why one worked more effectively than the other. They enjoyed testing their theories and exploring different materials like pipes, cardboard, and building blocks.
They observed the differences in speed and distance travelled down the run and developed theories about the force and development of the structure and how that affected its 'runs' down the slide.
As they encountered challenges the children communicated their ideas and thoughts about the 'problems' they were experiencing. They took turns to adapt the structure and trail it, including the use of different materials and forms, such as tunnels and building blocks.
The children were invited to draw their ideas in the form of a design, which allowed them to communicate their thoughts in another way and make connections.
" Like a maze, it goes round and round."
Throughout the unit of inquiry, the children continued to revisit their interest with ‘real l tools’ often using a tape measure, to explore the lengths of a marble run or the distance a marble travelled. The spirit level was used to explore the angles and levels made and how they impacted the run.
Emma Streader
ECC TEACHER – MINIMBAH CAMPUS, WOODLEIGH SCHOOL
Dear Families,
This term, the children have enjoyed exploring our central idea 'Products and services are created to meet the needs of a community.' It has been wonderful to see the children starting to think about roles and responsibilities, occupations, and different products and services. They have been encouraged to explore these ideas, engage in the design process, and be creative and critical in their thinking.
We love opportunities to take our learning beyond our classroom so the children can apply their understanding in meaningful, real-life contexts and demonstrate action. The Foundation students took the lead in performing a service and collecting goods for the local community by organising Pyjama Day on 25th August. The Foundation students created posters, delivered collection baskets, and confidently explained the day to all the other classes in our school community. We managed to collect an astounding 994 items, which the volunteers at MSFIN greatly appreciated.
Having our parent community in to talk to us about your jobs has been fantastic. We have had a diverse range of presentations, and it has been excellent for the children to learn about all your different roles and responsibilities. One day, we had a Dad who makes music videos, a Mum who is an ecologist, and a Dad who is a urologist! What interesting careers you all have.
It has been great to make literacy connections with our current unit of inquiry so that the children can listen and respond to fiction and non-fiction texts that help them explore roles and responsibilities. The children have really enjoyed Andrea Beaty's picture story books, such as 'Rosie Revere, Engineer,' Ada Twist, Scientist, and 'Iggy Peck, Architect.' These books not only focus on roles and responsibilities but also encourage many of the attributes of the IB learner profile, such as being a risk-taker, an inquirer, and a thinker.
In Maths this term, we have continued to consolidate our place value understanding and moved to numbers beyond 20 and skip counting. Our 100th day of school was an excellent opportunity to practice counting by 10s and visualising what ten groups of ten look like. We have also begun to explore patterns and will introduce money and time in our final week of term.
I hope that you all have a safe, relaxing break.
Thank you for your continued support,
Jacqui, Jasmine & Rachel
What an incredibly busy term it has been!! We have crammed in so much learning, collaboration, and a lot of fun from beginning to end. We are super proud of the children’s growth academically and socially. Both classes have experienced many highs from classroom experiences, Discovery Day outings, assemblies, and an amazing ‘Family History’ expo.
Here is an overview of what we have done this term!
Literacy
Writing – We have explored persuasive and information texts and continued to develop our recount writing. The children loved writing persuasive pieces in which they tried to convince their audience to side with them. From convincing Liane to go up in a hot air balloon, challenging Lexi on whether the Dees were the best footy team, persuading people to save water, and even writing letters to Rod to convince him to grant their wishes. The children certainly used the vocab of persuasion to their advantage. During our inquiry into informative texts, the children explored the elements of the genre identifying common characteristics such as index, contents, glossary, and the use of labelled diagrams. We continue to improve and develop our recount writing through interesting vocabulary and appropriate grammar.
Reading – Within our RWInc and Literacy Group sessions the children are consolidating and improving their reading through explicit teaching targeted to individual needs. Fluency and expression are developed through daily sessions working within a small group.
Speaking and Listening – The children have had many opportunities to develop their speaking and listening this term. How amazing were they in sharing their family’s history at the museum? They were also incredible speakers during the Year 1 & 2 assembly in week 8. Other opportunities to improve our speaking and listening have included the creation of our ‘Dear Earth’ book where we read our research, collaborative learning where listening and holding space for other points of view is important, and when out on Discovery Day we collaborate, negotiate, and compromise all of which take a lot of speaking and listening.
Numeracy
Number – This term our major number focus has been on developing our multiplication skills. The children have worked on the connections between repetitive addition and multiplication, skip counting, arrays, and beginning to formally record multiplication. Throughout the term we have also continued to consolidate her understanding of addition and subtraction and place value.
Measurement & Geometry – this term we have explored ‘time’. We have looked at calendars, telling time using clocks and timelines.
Inquiry
We began the term working on our ‘Sharing the Planet’ unit where we inquired into the impact people have on Earth’s renewable and non-renewable resources and how we can help to conserve them. We finished the term exploring ‘Where we are in Place and Time’ and sharing our amazing family histories through curating artifacts and presenting our ‘Family History Expo’ with the school community. Intertwined through these inquiries we continued to explore natural cycles (How the World Works), systems (How we Organise Ourselves) whilst making connections to our values and beliefs (Who we Are). It has been incredible to hear the children connect their learning!
Discovery Day
Wednesday is our favourite day of the week. We love being out in nature, where we can explore, discover, and connect with our classroom learning. Our outdoor classrooms allow for hands-on experiential learning. The children can explore and observe our learning in real life making it meaningful and recognisable. A few weeks ago, the children worked in small groups to document where they have seen and made connections to our Unit of Inquiries whilst out on Discovery. Below is a condensed version of their brainstorming as well as their original shared thinking.
Gorgeous Georgy
Our ‘Gorgeous Georgy’ is taking a well-deserved break during Term 4. We wish her safe travels and look forward to hearing about her adventures when she returns. Whilst she is away, we will be supported by her replacements – Heather, Donna and Bron. Echo the Story Dog This year, Year Two students at Minimbah have been enjoying a unique and furry approach to boost their reading skills. The "Story Dog Program" has taken the classroom by storm, with our eager young readers finding encouragement in the company of a four-legged reading companion, Echo. Every week, Echo and his dedicated handler, Kathryn, visit our Year 2 class. During these sessions, students take turns reading aloud to Echo on a one-on-one basis each week for approximately 20 minutes per child. This interaction provides a unique, non-judgmental and supportive environment for students to practice their reading skills, boost their confidence and improve their reading skills.
We wish you a great holiday, and we will see you next term!
Liane and Lexi
This term has been an exciting time for our Year 3 Minimbah students as they went on a journey of discovery and learning.
During our Writing Workshops, we spent most of the term learning about persuasive writing techniques. Through connections to our unit of inquiry and work at the creek to support and celebrate Tree Day, students wrote arguments that expressed their opinions effectively aiming to convince others. The jury is still out on the goats at the creek, what do you say Rod?
Our maths sessions have had a strong focus on multiplication and division as we encourage students to move beyond rote learning and explore the concept of multiplication in different contexts. We have been looking at how multiplication relates to real-life scenarios and how it can be applied to solve everyday problems using a range of strategies and number facts that students independently know.
Our current unit of inquiry started with a timeline journey that represented the history of Australia. We read about evidence of First Nations people living on the land 60,000 years ago. As a class we did some calculations & conversion and thought about how we could begin to map the timeline of the history of Australia. Students worked out that if 1cm was equivalent to 10 years, 60 meters was equivalent to 60,000 years! So, we headed to the oval - We couldn’t believe the how long the timeline was. When we returned to the classroom we webbed it across the room, zig zagging back and forth.
As part of this unit, we are thinking about what makes an event significant. Through conversation, children have shown an interest in the upcoming vote for a voice to parliament and some students have identified that this is a significant event in Australian history. We will begin to unpack both sides of the story and look at different perspectives in a child friendly and appropriate way.
It has been my greatest pleasure to spend time with the Year 3 children this term whilst Craig has been on long service leave. They have all continued to grow, challenge themselves and thrive in more ways than one, you should be so proud of them.
I look forward to continuing to see them back in the library next term.
Thank you!
BRIONY
Year 3 Teacher
Two Special Entries
The Archibald Prize is awarded to the best portrait painting each year and is one of our country’s favourite art awards.
This year, it tours to Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, with a display of 57 portraits, featuring figures and faces from all walks of life.
But GUESS WHAT! This year there are two extremely special portraits worth making a trip for. Jack and Sterling are both finalists in the Young Archies! That's right, their beautiful work will be displayed alongside the other touring portraits between Friday 15 September and Sunday 5 November. Click here so you won't miss out on their outstanding gallery pieces. Congratulations Jack and Sterling, bucket list, tick!
Term 3 has been filled with growth, learning, and exploration, and I am excited to share some of the key learning from the semester.
Units of Inquiry
To begin our term, our students inquired into the central idea that organisations and systems are developed to respond to change, as part of our unit of inquiry, How We Organise Ourselves. Throughout this unit, our students grew their understanding of the earth’s processes, like earthquakes, floods and erosion, and the systems we develop to respond to the changes caused. It was a joy to look at local and global examples as part of this inquiry and to see students taking collective action to help reduce erosion at the creek by planting hundreds of native plants.
In the second half of this term, we have embarked upon our new unit of inquiry, Where We Are In Place and Time. Our central idea, that significant people and events impact the lives of individuals and communities, has provided a thought-provoking framework for our students to explore the key concepts of causation, perspective, and responsibility. Using the journeys of European explorers and early contact with First Nations people in Australia as a captivating entry point, our students have delved into global themes that transcend time and place. Through research, discussions, and hands-on activities, they have begun to question how perspective shapes our understanding of significance, and our responsibility as global citizens to grow our knowledge and compassionate stance towards the experiences of others.
Mathematics
One of the primary focuses this term has been on strengthening our multiplication and division skills. I am thrilled to share that our Year 4 students have made substantial progress in mastering these essential mathematical operations. Through hands-on activities, group discussions, and interactive games, our young mathematicians have honed their abilities to tackle increasingly complex mathematical problems.
Our classroom has witnessed students confidently using multiplication and division strategies to solve real-world scenarios, which is a testament to their hard work and determination. From understanding the relationship between multiplication and division to employing various strategies like arrays, skip counting, efficient mental strategies and written methods, our students have developed a solid foundation in these crucial mathematical concepts.
Language
Another highlight of this term has been our exploration of persuasive writing. Our Year 4 students have delved into the world of persuasion, learning how to craft compelling arguments and present them persuasively in writing. It has been wonderful to see the creativity and thoughtfulness displayed in their persuasive writing, as they have passionately advocated for various causes, including whether we should adopt a pet dragon for our class…
Our Class Novel
This term, a highlight of our literary journey was our deep dive into the enchanting world of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis. This classic tale of adventure, courage, and imagination has captivated our students' hearts and minds. Through read-alouds and group discussions, we have explored the magical land of Narnia alongside Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter.
Using comprehension strategies, our Year 4 students have engaged in rich discussions about the characters, themes, and moral lessons embedded in the story. These discussions have deepened their understanding of the novel and encouraged empathy, critical thinking, and a love for literature.
Special news
With great excitement, I share that Sterling’s portrait of archaeologist Howard Carter is a finalist in the Mornington Peninsula Young Archies portrait competition and will be displayed alongside the Archibald Prize exhibition at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery. Congratulations, Sterling! The exhibition will run from Friday 15 September to Sunday 5 November
I wish everyone a safe and restful holiday and can’t wait to see the students for our final term together.
James Clapham
CLASSROOM TEACHER - YEAR 4
A note from By Arthur S. Fregon, member of the Eco-Committee
As of 2023, a group of committed students from across Minimbah has decided to join the Eco-Schools Foundation. The Eco-Schools Foundation is a program that takes in schools to help with their environmental issues. Each school will create an Eco-Committee who help out to solve some of our environmental problems.
As of now, we have multiple tens of members, each doing different roles. I, myself, am one of those people, and I am proud to say. We have decided to focus on our waste & waterway issues, eg. How waste effects waterways, and how we can help reduce the waste.
Each different role has a different part to play. The communication team, AKA the comms team, help get our accomplishments out into the world, let others know about what we do, and why. The treasurer manages our funding, money, and what we will spend it on. The chairperson & deputy chairperson manage the meetings and the minute takers keep track of what we discuss.
We have already had an impact, with our latest accomplishment being replanting many plants at Sweetwater Creek. We hope in the future we will be able to proudly say that we have given the school a green thumb.
A note from an eco-teacher
It has been wonderful to have such a committed group of students join for our first few eco-committee meetings. At this point, the students are beginning to take charge and lead the inquiry and action. They are giving up their lunchtimes to discuss and investigate environmental issues, a perfect demonstration of their principled and caring approach to learning and life and our school values. And how wonderful to see students leading a committee with teachers and leaders there to support their journey. If you are interested in getting involved as a supportive friend of the committee and have any particular expertise or passion for these issues, please get in touch.
James Clapham
CLASSROOM TEACHER - YEAR 4
A Huge Few Weeks
As Term 3 wraps up, the 5/6 Homestead is still reeling from a number of huge events over the last few weeks, events that we have been working towards all term.
As we write this, Year 6 are enjoying their cultural immersion in Bali, and Year 5 are pulling together their experiences from their recent Ballarat study tour to create a carefully curated museum in the Minimbah Hall.
The recent Year 6 production of Matilda the Musical was a testament to the persistence andof both staff and students. It was simply breathtaking to witness the students being so supportive of each other and working so hard to create a wonderful show.
The very next week the Year 5s were demonstrating the same level of commitment to each other and themselves as they soaked up life on the Goldfields in the 1850s. They enthusiastically engaged in the Sovereign Hill costume school, taking their roles seriously as part of the living museum.
Please enjoy this short podcast created by the Year 5s as they reflect on the term.
We hope you enjoy the Spring holidays and look forward to seeing you fresh for Term 4!
Jacqui, Jonno, Andy, Zara, Gabby, Jo & Georgy
All Woodleigh families and friends, past and present, are invited to join us in the Visual Arts Courtyard from 6.30pm to enjoy refreshments and to take in and celebrate the work of this year’s VCE Studio Art, Visual Communication and Product Design Technology students.
The Showcase Concert, commencing in the Hall at 7.30pm, will feature Year 12 Drama, Media and Music performances and screenings.
Please join us as we celebrate the creativity and craft of Woodleigh's Art Students!
BOOK NOW!It's Freaky Friday Film Night, and the Senior Campus Hall will never be the same again.
Join us on Friday 13 October from 6.30pm to enjoy the short films produced by the 2023 Year 12 Media Class.
Drinks, popcorn and choc tops will be available to purchase on the night! Entry to see the films is free.
There will be prizes for best dressed, so test-drive your Halloween getup and help us celebrate the hard-work and talents of the 2023 Media Class.
BOOK NOW!