JUNIOR SCHOOL LEARNING

A WARM WELCOME TO JUNIOR SCHOOL

There was great excitement at the Junior School gates as the new school year opened, with a warm welcome to new student families and a welcome back to many familiar faces.

LEADERSHIP AFTERNOON TEA

Student Leaders from both Junior and Senior Schools met for afternoon tea with the Principal Mrs Anna Dickinson, Head of Junior School Mrs Sharon Portlock, and other senior staff members. The students discussed upcoming activities on each campus, set goals for whole school projects and shared experiences of their leadership roles so far. Amelie and Olivia had lots of questions for the School Student Executive leaders about fundraising and May Day.

AQUARIUM EXCURSION

Year 2 students were excited to embark on the first Junior School excursion for 2022 with a fun ferry ride across to the Sydney Aquarium to see the jellyfish and lots of sea creatures in action.

Junior School Learning

HARMONY WEEK

With the theme of ‘Everyone Belongs’, the Junior School celebrated wearing a ‘splash of orange’ on Friday 18 March. Harmony Day reminds us to appreciate everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances. Harmony Day is all about loving and understanding different cultures and ways of life, and seeing how they can fit together. The students love to be engaged and surprised by what other cultures have to teach us! As one student so aptly put it, "We are so lucky to live in Australia as we share all the different cultures and traditions of the world right here together!"

TUTU DAY TOO TOO MUCH FUN

22 February 2022 was a very special day - Tutu Day! With mathematicallythemed activities and a Dance-Off held at 2.22pm, and special applause for the students in Year 2, it was certainly a day to remember!

CHARACTER BUILDING

Year 6 spent a whole day completing a Character Building Incursion. It helped us build our leadership skills and required us to work together. Throughout the day, we were challenged to take risks and problem solve in team situations. From scissors, paper, rock tournaments to constructing a ping pong ball run, in which the goal was for it to be as slow as possible, you could say we had fun! We also talked about stepping up, stepping back when it comes to leadership, and encouraging others to be their best.

Maya Sullivan & Olivia Massey Year 6 Students

Junior School Learning

FRIDAY MORNING ASSEMBLIES Friday Assembly certainly brings out the creativity in our students!

The intrepid jungle explorers in Year 6 Blue entertained the school with a safari of music, dance, book readings and STEM investigations... and of course, jokes!

Year 1 students led their assembly centred around nature and growing, with their motto As we learn, we grow.

In The Exploration of Year 4, Captain Bliss and the Year 4 crew gave some insights into their learning discoveries on the high seas!

INTERSCHOOL TECH DAY

A group of our Year 6 students joined their peers from St Aloysius' College and Redlands for a STEM Technology interschool challenge day. The students collaborated in mixed groups to creatively problem solve using a variety of digital technology. One of the challenges involved producing a solution using the BBC Micro:bit. The results ranged from a musical school bell, a touch device that could indicate if someone had left the classroom, and an original Magic 8 Maths ball. The other challenge was to build a vehicle motored by a small robot called a Sphero that had to be coded to travel along a path that involved ramps and turns. The day ended with presentations from each group reflecting on their results. The students thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to interact with each other and had an exciting, challenging, fun day that they would like to do again.

Maria Emmi E-Learning Teacher Educator

CYBER SAFETY WEEK

We welcomed NSW Police to our Junior School to speak about cyber safety, with our youngest students learning the basics of safety online through age-appropriate information and activities. A parent education session, Think U Know, was also held online for parents. This education program was led by the Australian Federal Police and Microsoft, to raise awareness about the potential risks online for young people and suggest strategies parents could use to support their child online.

Junior School Learning

ROBOTICS AND GEOGRAPHY

Year 2 learned about the geography of Australia. They labelled a map of Australia after exploring its location on Google Earth. They created colour codes to animate a small robot called an Ozobot to retell the journey around Australia of the two characters in the book Possum Magic. Collaboration and critical thinking were very evident in this cross-curricular activity.

CHICKEN COOPS!

Year 1 designed chicken coops for the chicks that have been visiting in the Year 1 classroom. The students worked with the criteria of food, water, air, different spaces, and shelter. Technology was added with an electrical circuit that could provide light, warmth, air or protection within the coop. Students had to think about how the circuit would be controlled - by a sensor or a switch. They tested the coops with the chicks and then made modifications to improve their designs. Using Little Bits circuits and Makedo kits helped to facilitate their ability to produce their prototypes.

HIGHER ORDER THINKING

In the introduction to Robotics, Years 5 and 6 students engineered a tower that would be able to resist an earthquake. The tower had to stay stable for 30 seconds. The students were lucky enough to have the expert help of their student coaches from UNSW, who are studying in the fields of Computer Science, Engineering and Mechatronics.

DIGITAL JELLYFISH

Year 2 created jellyfish artworks and then, using an app on their iPads, animated their artwork. The students shared facts about the jellyfish via video animations.