Issue 17 / 30 October 2015
Junior School Bulletin
Junior School News World Staff Day Today we celebrated World Staff Day and we took the opportunity to thank all staff for their care, dedication and commitment towards ensuring the best possible learning environment for our students to enjoy. Students wrote lovely affirmations and thank you notes to their teachers and other members of College staff and these were received with great appreciation. From the teachers working with students in classrooms to our non-teaching staff, each member of our St Andrews team continues to work diligently towards making this a great community and for that we are so grateful!
We also shared information about the Year 6 Canberra Trip that will be held in Term 1. The Canberra Trip is a unique educational experience offered by St Andrews for all Year 6 students. The experiences in which the students engage on the trip strongly support the educational program and have links to the Australian Curriculum. As lifelong learners, the trip also promotes the development of important social and personal goals specific to students at this age. For many students, it is an experience they will always remember. Cultural Awards The Cultural Awards evening was held recently and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the award winners. I really enjoyed watching all of the performances and viewing all of the art works. I am constantly impressed by the high caliber of performances. While undoubtably the students are naturally talented it is very evident that there is a great deal of practice that has gone on behind the scenes. Hard work and effort are synomous with achievement. Triple P Parenting Program The College hosted an information session last week which gave parents simple and practical strategies to help them work with their child as they develop. The Triple P Program also helps parents to develop and build strong, healthy and happy relationships with their children. There are two more sessions, please contact Jo Levey if you would like to attend the final two sessions.
Prep Orientation We welcomed the 2028 graduating class at an orientation evening recently. This was followed by the annual Teddy Bear’s Picnic. It was great seeing next year’s Prep students getting to know their fellow class mates and meeting their teacher. We are very excited about the new students joining our College community and we look forward to seeing them grow and flourish in our supportive environment. Year 6 2016 Information Night Earlier in the week we met with Year 6 2016 parents to discuss iPads and the Canberra Trip. In terms of the College’s approach to technology for students in Years P-5 the College provides the technology, Years 6-8 the College “prescribes” the technology and in Years 9-12 students use a device that suits their needs. The College prescribes that students in Year 6 must bring in an iPad to help support their learning.
Prep Students Little Green Thumbs Incursion The old Chinese proverb of ‘Tell me, I’ll forget. Show me, I may remember. But involve me, and I’ll understand’ was true for the students in Prep this week when they had the Little Green Thumbs incursion last week. The students had a very hands on learning experience learning how a plant grows and what they need to survive. This incursion is part of their Unit of Inquiry that looks into the characteristics of living things, what they need in order to survive and our responsibility in caring for things in our environment.