Issue 13 / 01 November 2013
From the Head of Junior School Last week we had the Year 6 students demonstrate their knowledge and report on their actions at the PYP Exhibition. One of the major aims for the PYP Exhibition is for the students to have the opportunity to engage in an in-depth, collaborative inquiry that demonstrates their independence and responsibility for their own learning. They are also asked to take action as a result of this learning. I was very proud of the topics that they chose to study and the way they presented their new found knowledge. I was also very impressed with the level of understanding of their topics. It just goes to show what students, as young as 11 and 12, are capable of if you engage them in an inquiry. Congratulations to all the teachers, staff, parents and everyone who helped to support the students in their inquiry. It was truly a community event that enabled the students to demonstrate their progression throughout primary school.
Today the students had the opportunity to experience what life will be like next year when they graduate into the next year level. It was also great having our brand new Prep students visit. There are a couple of teacher changes next year. Mrs Lyn Anderson and Ms Wendy Pearson will be teaching Prep. Ms Gloria Chan will be teaching Year 1 and Ms Tamara Shead will be teaching Year 2. Another one of the changes for next year is the introduction of a compulsory BYO iPad for Year 6 students. While we look forward and ahead to next year we also realize that there is still a lot to do this year. One of the greatest privileges of being the Head of Junior School was interviewing the Year 5 students who applied for a position of Junior School Captain, House Captain and Cultural Captain. Those students also had the opportunity to present a short speech to the students in Years 4-6 outlining why they should be elected into one of these roles. They are an amazing group of students and they will do an excellent job of representing the students next year. Just a reminder that the annual presentation night will be held on the 12th of November at the Gold Coast Convention Centre. It is a compulsory event for all students in Years 4 – 12. Students need to be seated by 6:45pm for a 7:00pm start. It promises to be a wonderful night. Darrin Schumacher Deputy Principal/Head of Junior School