“When children play, the world wins” – Right to Play

This morning R/1EQ started their day with a Gratitude Liturgy. Thank you to our 4HA buddies, Mr Urdanoff and the families who attended. It was a lovely way to begin our day, sharing our gratitude for family, friends and the world.

 

After recess, The Village engaged in investigations. A lot of our investigations have centred around belonging this week, in celebration of Harmony Day (we will celebrate as a school on Friday 22nd March). This year marks 20 years of Harmony Day, so we have used shared reading (I’m Australian Too and Whoever You Are) in the past weeks to share a message of belonging. We have been celebrating our differences and similarities in class, through play-based learning and prayer. Today, the children created paper chains, to join with those of other classes in the school. On each piece of the chain, there is a pledge to live in harmony.

I can live in harmony by…

Being kind – Arjan
Helping people, making people strong, making food for people, garden vegetables for them – Nhial
Making everyone happy – Nahom
Helping people and making new friends and making stuff for people – Adum
Being friends – Bibi
Helping them when they’re sad and be kind to people – Charlee
Helping people to clean up – Dhyani
Being nice – Declan
Helping people and doing good stuff. Lord Jesus, thank you everyone – Zac
Being kind to people and showing respect. Helping people when they fall over, and sharing –Alexander
Making good choices, caring about people and being kind and sharing – Nyok
Playing friends and playing with buddies and having fun – Oliver
Helping my dog. Thank you for letting God be in the sky – Felipe
Being kind and doing nice stuff and doing anything that I can do to help people – Bodhi
Playing with my friends and my baby – Harper
Playing with my family – Mikayla
Helping other people to give them food and money – Irin
Playing with my friends – Charlize
Playing with my toys at home – Nelson
Spending time with my family – Daemon
Spending time with my family – Khyle
Helping my friends, sharing, making new friends and being kind to one another –Kobe
Loving everyone – Darina
Being kind, being nice and being friends by helping – Max
Being with my family – Eva
Connecting with others and making others happy – Alexa
Playing with friends and family and love – Hayley
Playing with my friends and making new friends – Emily
Saying please to caring for others – Annabelle
Living in peace – Alexia

These will be on display tomorrow at Harmony Day Assembly – 9am in the hall.

 

Children also engaged in a range of play-based activities, extending on the new knowledge they have gained this week. We were very lucky to be joined by R/1GC between recess and lunch.

     

Shared Lunch Tomorrow

Don’t forget that tomorrow we will be having a shared lunch for Harmony Day. Children are invited to bring a plate of savoury or sweet food from their culture.

We will be having our shared lunch in the courtyard outside our classroom from 12:15pm. Families are invited to join us in our celebration.

Harmony Day

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Harmony Day is a day to celebrate Australia’s diversity. It is a day of cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home. At Holy Family, we will be celebrating Harmony Day on Friday 22 March at 9am. Parents are warmly invited to attend the Harmony Day Assembly which will focus on celebrating our diversity and which will also feature different cultural dances.

For this occasion, students are encouraged to wear traditional cultural clothing, orange or school uniform.  Students are invited to bring a plate of food that represents their culture for a shared lunch in their classes. Parents and caregivers are also welcome to join their children’s classes in the shared lunch.

We will be eating lunch from 12:15pm and would love for you to join us.

Thursday Investigations

What a busy day we have had today in The Village! The children were very engaged in their play-based learning between recess and lunch time. Children continued to explore the ‘n’ sound with writing and making tasks, as well as exploring with small world play and box construction. Outside, children used the blocks to make a boat, which they went diving from and walked the plank. Beyblades and painting continued to be popular activities inside.

We were again joined by our friends in R/1GC during our investigations time.

  

Children also enjoyed spending time at PE and music and Spanish today.

Collective House Day

Today The Village joined students from St Vincent de Paul and Saint Mary MacKillop Houses to celebrate Collective House Day. The day began with an amazing assembly by 5/6HS & 5/6BM. We were treated to Fringe performances from The Garden of Holy Delights, including dance, magicians, nature presentations and comedians.

After assembly and again after lunch, children worked together to tidy the school yard as part of Clean Up Australia Day.

Throughout the day, children focussed on different areas of learning, working in vertical groups with friends from R-6. The activities children could chose from included: Sport, Play-Based Learning, Ecology, Microgreens/Technology, Zumba/Yoga, Faith in Action (visiting the supermarket to buy supplies for people in need), Art and Board Games.

Check out some photos from the day:


     
 
 

The afternoon was spent reflecting on our day. Children were able to share information about their activities with others, using their oral language:

I went to the shops to buy some things to share with everyone. We buy juice and chips – Nahom (Faith in Action)
I played footy at the oval with a partner and then we went back to the hall and they put the air conditioner on and then we had a lay down and then we played basketball – Elnathan (Sport)
I was playing footy with the teachers and had a partner and I was playing sports and I was playing passing and rolling and trying to get the ball in the hoop – Nhial (Sport)
When I was playing, I saw my buddy. My buddy was Ruby and she was beautiful and I was happy – Alexia (Sport)
We played ‘get the ball inside of the hoop’. We tried and tried and we can do it harder and I jumped and threw it because I’m really food at basketball – Alexa (Sport)
We were singing “Who let the dogs out, who, who, who, who” – Bibi (Zuba/Yoga)
I was dancing – Dhyani (Zumba/Yoga)

I was with my friends and helping them and I was gardening and I was making – Nyok (Ecology)
We did some paintings, we even made a banner. We made three and we even went outside to play out on the oval and we even looked at the fish. We saw big lobsters and we even looked at some stuff – they help the fish grow and the lobsters grow, so they can be very big and snappy and fast fish – Zac (Ecology)
I used paper to weave through and make a pattern – Emily (Art)
I also did paper weaving – Adum (Art)
I had fun in the art – Irin (Art)
I was playing Lego with Lucas and then he was taking photos to make a movie. We were doing great work – Oliver (Technology)
Annabelle and I were both making a movie and we used play dough to make the people. We both used Lego to make the house. I built the sea and Annabelle built the swimming pool. I used some gems to do a little path – Eva (Technology)
I was making a swimming pool and I was going to get some Lego people and chose the people to put in the house – Annabelle (Technology)
Me and Mikayla made a birthday cake and we made some cupcakes and we made some cakes – Charlee (Play-Based Learning)

Check some of the photos Eva and Annabelle took (iStopMotion wasn’t working on their laptop, but they adapted really well). They also made a video, which unfortunately didn’t upload.

Keeping Cool in The Village

Today’s extremely hot weather meant the children were inside at both recess and lunch times. We started the day as normal with assembly by 5/6HM & 5/6AE, learning about the use of different technologies in our school. After assembly we stayed in the hall for GoNoodle to use up some of our energy.

We spent much of our day doing investigations, consolidating our learning from the week. Check out what the children were doing:

“I was making heart with the beads” – Nhial / “I was making a ninja star” – Max / “I used Mr Koala when I made a love heart” – Dimi / “We were making beads with Max and Dimi and Nhial and Sara” – Irin / “I was making a rainbow and I did this point and this point and I gave it to Mr Stramare and he give it to me and he did it. Me and Sonny and filled it” – Sara

“I was making some shapes and I was making a book and I was making a present” – Mikayla

“I was drawing a pig because a pig is funny” – Emily / “I made bracelets and I drew a piggy too” – Charlize / “I made two bracelets and I made an iPad” – Hayley / “I was drawing a picture of trolls” – Scarlett

“We made a Beyblade to play together. We made a blade to verse each other and fight to play. You might burst them, or you might stop them spinning, and you might be still spinning. That’s how you win” – Kobe

“I was making a box racing car with Chase. I’m going to take it to my home. I played with my friend” – Viraj / “I was making a train thing to move with” – Chase

“I was building a castle” – Emily Mc / “I was making a castle with my friend” – Yasha

“I was playing with sand” – Sahib

“I was making a pizza. I put on mine, cheese and pepperoni” – Angie / “I was making a pizza. I put some sauce and cheese” – Ariana / “I was making a pizza. I put olives on my pizza” – Isabella

“I was playing Beyblades with the Lego with Jordan and Jacob. I burst Jordan and then he burst me as well and it was a tie all the time” – James / “When Jordan and me were battling sometimes, Jordan sometimes burst the whole blade of mine” – Jacob / “We were playing Beyblades with Jacob and James” – Jordan

“I was playing Beyblades. I made that with the Lego. That’s Kiet and that’s me. I made a stadium with my feet” – Ethan / “We were playing Beyblades. We made them with the Lego. We made with all different Lego” – Kiet

“We were making Beyblades” – Cooper / “I’m making Beyblades, too” – Vidal

“I was copying the cups. I was putting those all in there” – Sahib

“I was building with Lego” – Awan

“I was painting a butterfly” – Awan / “I was painting legs, animal legs. It is a panda leg” – Adum

“I was building a Lego Beyblade. I won every round because it was so strong, because I kept beating everyone. I put stripes on it and I even put my name on it. Then I transformed it, then I had the challenge, but then everybody bet me because I missed the other Beyblades” – Zac / “That was my first Beyblade I did” – Alexander

“I was the kiddy and I was pretending to go to sleep” – Charlee / “I was playing Teen Titans Go with Declan and me and Charlee and Ravleen” – Alexa / “I was playing kiddies and Charlee was our kiddy and I was the mean guy of the kiddy and I was trying to kill her with the connector blocks, I pretended it to be the knife” – Ravleen

“I was doing a picnic” – Annabelle / “I was having a picnic with Annabelle and her friend” – Eva / “We were having a tea party” – Scarlett

“We were playing Teen Titans Go, we needed to fight bad guys and it was really fun” – Declan

“I was turning to Spiderman” – Bodhi

“I was just having a look at the animals” – Bodhi / “I was looking at the hopping mouse. They were sleeping” – Hendrix

“I was making a car and a boat” – Nyok

“I was playing Beyblades” – Nahom / I was playing Beyblades” – Kalil

“I was playing Beyblades. I was making a big Beyblade. I was spinning it and battling it and making it stronger and making it different shapes” – Alexander

“We made a house” – Khyle / “I was on the laptop, playing games” – Charlize / “I was Charlize’s guard” – Mikayla

“I was playing Beyblades with my friends” – Elnathan

“I was catching fish” – Nelson / “I was fishing” – Annabelle

“I was playing the laptop. When I got the laptop, I need to brush everything” – Sara / “I was stapling the numbers” – Kuch 

We kept cool this afternoon with a range of mindful activities – yoga, colouring and relaxation.

We hope you all have a lovely, restful weekend and enjoy the cooler weather when it comes on Sunday!

Toys at School

We have recently noticed a lot of toys from home entering the classrooms, Beyblades in particular. As a whole, Holy Family has a ‘no toys at school’ policy. This is to ensure that toys are not lost or broken, and also means that the children engage much better with classroom investigations.

We ask that you support us in this, by discouraging your children from bringing toys to school. We have spoken to all children about this during school today.

Toys that are found in the classroom will be put on the teacher’s desk until the end of the day for safe keeping.

The children in R/1EQ & R/1MS thought about why we don’t bring toys to school:

We don’t have toys at school because you might lose them in places and then we can’t find them and your parents might get angry – Kobe B
You might lose them and then you can never find them and then your parents will get angry and you will never get to go to school – Elnathan
Because you are not allowed to bring toys because you might lose them and it costs lots of money and then your dad and your mum will be so angry – Oliver
You’re not allowed to bring toys at school or you will lose them and your parents will get mad because it is a lot of money – Charlize
We don’t bring toys because we might lose them and will might need to babysit again or else we will never find it – Declan
If you bring your toys, you might lose them – Bodhi
When you bring toys to school, it’s not good. That’s because sometimes you might lose it, someone might take it, or it might fall in the bushes, or if it falls out of your pocket. If the teacher finds it, they will put it in the office, but if the kid finds it, they will take it home – Zac
They might lose and it and then people can take it and they might take it home and they might lose it and you can’t take it back because the other people broke it – Nhial
Your parents get mad because if you bring your toys to school, you will lose them – Nyok