Tuesdays week 11

This term we have been looking at number, so this morning before we went into numeracy play we asked the students what are numbers? What have we been  learning the term about term?

You can make 10 by 1 plus 9 make 10, Dimitra.

I have learnt to count to 100, Viraj.

5 and 5 make 10, Yasha.

0 and 10 make 10, Kiet.

100 and 1 make 10, Sahib.

1 and 9 make 10, 20 plus 20 makes 40, Cooper.

5 plus 5 makes 10, Nickolas.

6 plus 4 make 10, Zahra.

100 plus 100 equals 200, Jacob.

1 plus 1 makes 10, Leo.

2 plus 2 equals 4, Arabella.

We can count animals legs to make 10 and 20, Zahra.

The students then worked to solve some problem solving Easter egg problems and went into numeracy play.

After Recess R1 MS and R1 EQ has Spanish and R1 EN and R1 MC went to the library.

The Village participated in free play leading their own learning and investigations.

All of the students were so engaged flourishing as they explored.

After lunch we had our presentation for Palm Sunday what a great job we did with the other receptions, welcoming everyone in and singing our Palm Sunday song.

 

MONDAY week 11

We have had a very busy day in the Village today the students engaged in a variety of different provocations and play inquires.

Students agency was at its highest as the students lead their own play and learning, using many different languages and learning powers.

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all” – Aristotle

Throughout the day the children attended music, Spanish and PE, meaning that we had a lot of time out of the class. When in class, we explored a range of themes, including ecology, investigations and writer’s workshop. After sports day chants in the afternoon, the children chose to engage in mindful activities, such as mindful colouring, relaxation, reading and writing.

Ecology
Children followed up on the talk by d’Arcy Lunn from Teaspoons Of Change by thinking about how they can change:

I can change by…

picking up rubbish – Jacob
making sure I turn the tap off – Viraj
planting plants and helping them grow by caring for them – Dim
riding my bike instead of going my car – Cooper
not hurting animals homes and habitats – Ishpreet
not wasting water and paper – Chase
not leaving the tap on – Isabella
turning off the power – Nickolas
using the pure tap instead of bottled water – Awan
helping people in the world – Angie
connecting with people and picking up rubbish – Nhial
don’t put rubbish in the sea – Adum
by making more plants and love one another and care to one another and share to one another and don’t be rude to one another because then we will fight and you don’t want to fight because it’s not good to fight and you are never allowed to fight because then you will get in trouble and get hurt and you will bleed and give nature food and don’t put rubbish in the sea and give people food if they don’t have food and care for them if they don’t have food and give them food and always love your parents and listen to your parents and your teacher and you must listen at school and you should always listen to your teachers or you will get in trouble – Elnathan
do sports and picking up rubbish and we help people because they don’t have anywhere – Nahom
helping people and being nice. I can play with people and if they are hurt, you help them and take them to the teacher – Arjan
I like playing with people and making some flowers with them and being friends with them and do good choices and we get some food and some water and you go to school and wash the dishes and play with my friends – Nyok
sharing stuff to people and help people and be kind and care about them and respect the people – Alexander
you have to be kind and then you have to put rubbish in the bin and be very sharing stuff. We have to help people and you can’t say bye when you’re crying, you have to be happy and say goodbye to your friends – Oliver
I can change by growing taller and stronger – Khyle
I can change by helping other people, not letting there be rubbish in the world and picking up rubbish, picking it up off the environment by taking care of it – Kobe
…by finding some of your friends to walk together to make new life – Eva
looking after our animals, and when you see someone litter you can tell them to put it in the bin – Charlize
To help our environment you need to put the rubbish in the world, and if you don’t the world will be affected and everyone will get sick – Alexa
When we put rubbish in the bin, it helps the environment so the ducks and fish don’t die – Enrique
You have to take care of the environment otherwise it will be so dirty, and we don’t like it being a dirty world – Kobe
Helping others will help our world – Khyle

Children were given the choice to record in their learning journal or writing books:

Investigations
Children engaged in a range of investigations throughout the day. There has been a continued interest in using design skills to create Beyblades, ready for battle. The children choose each piece of their Beyblade carefully, continuing to work on them in order to make them stronger after each battle.

Children have also used their design skills when creating cubbies and forts outside. Children use teamwork to build on a shared vision. Creativity was also on show when Alexander and Elnathan created a ‘sled’ to build their muscles, and when Bibi and Dhyani used chalk to create coloured water.

The Ozobots and Sphero’s have also been in use, as children create tracks and code for their robots to follow along. The children have an increased

   

We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow at 12pm for Sports Day!

“Hh as in Holy Family” – Kobe

Hi everyone,

This morning we started our day with ‘Come Read with Me’, where students continue to show their growing confidence in exploring literature of their interests, and love the opportunity to share this with their parents, teachers and other students in our learning community!

After ‘Come Read with Me’, the students used their 100 languages to explore the letter/sound ‘Hh’. Students had a wiggle to a ‘Hh’ song and then lead their learning in challenging their critical and creative thinking around this new letter/sound.

Students were immersed in the provocations on hand, as they manipulated them to cater for their interest and learning needs. Students created hand hot air balloons, became hairdressers, built some magnificent houses that would feature in interior design magazines, practiced writing the letter Hh, created Hh words, showcased all the amazing things at Holy Family, played hospitals, became detectives in finding Hh words in their reading and many many more!

The engagement level of the students was amazing as they showcased teamwork, persistence, resilience as well as inc operating an abundance of fun to their learning, which is always the main objective!

After Recess, the Village made our way over to the hall to watch a presentation from d’Arcy Lunn from Teaspoons Of Change. During the presentation, d’Arcy spoke about the UNICEF sustainable development goals and how we can use them to start changing the world for tomorrow. There are 17 of them in total! 🙂 d’Arcy spoke about how we might be able to implement these goals with our own school setting/environment and ways we can achieve these goals as a community.

Are you a global citizen?

Students conversed in an Ethiopian handshake and greeted each to talk about the question of, are you a global citizen?

Student responses

– Commiteed to making a difference

– Being a good person

A global citizen is about what it means to me! My actions and how they have a positive impact on the world 🙂 Those small changes, and how big of an affect they can have on a changing world.

Quick tips

1. To listen and to learn

2. Good people, good ideas, doing good things

3. Be a bridge

  • One side of the bridge people doing good things, and connect that to people wanting to do good things

“Be the change you CAN’T see in the world”

After lunch students used their creativity to recreate palms leaves for our Holy Week celebrations next week where students will be reenacting Palm Sunday, and showcase this will our other R/1 classes 🙂

Quick reminder that Sports Day is this Friday, we are looking for any parent volunteer helpers who are able to assist The Village on the day 🙂 Thank you!

Sports Day

Only 4 sleeps until Sports Day!

 

R/1MC, R/1EQ, R/1EN and R/1MS are still seeking helpers to join us on sports day – This Friday!!

We will need support to walk to Creaser Park with the children, and then with scoring some events throughout the day. Some other jobs may include supporting children when they need to go to the toilet. But mostly, you will be able to join in the fun of sports day and watch your child/ren participate in their events.

If you are able to help us out, please comment on this blog, send us an email, or catch us in class.

We can’t wait for this exciting day in our school calendar.

Our Habitat Inquiry

“Inquiry evokes the idea of a dynamic process, a journey that involves the uncertainty and chance that always arises in relationships with others. Project work grows in many directions, with no predefined progression, no outcomes decided before the journey begins.

It means being sensitive to the unpredictable results of children’s investigation and research. The course of a project can thus be short, medium or long, continuous or discontinuous, and is always open to modifications and changes of direction.”

~  Carlina Rinaldi on ‘Project work’ from The Hundred Languages of Children.

This morning The Village begun our inquiry into Habitats. Over the term the children have been dedicated to housing the Murray Cod, looking after and learning about the Hopping Mice, exploring their interests in nature, collecting and searching for insects, investigating all their interests in the Fish Farm/MUDLA, bird spotting at Grevillia Reserve, researching animals of their choice and so much more!

All the children’s interests came together this morning as they were invited to explore the provocation, “what is a habitat?”

“It is an animal”- Jacob

“Its for animals to live in habitats”- Yasha

“A place like a cave, a little house”- Zahra

“Like a food”- Viraj

“A habitat keeps the animals safe like the hopping mice”- Dimi

“Habitat means that animals sleep in the winter”- Anabella

“Is drinking”- Arianna

“Habitat is for swimming”- Sahib

“Swimming” – Chase

“A habitat is for like other pets to live”- Yasha

“A cage”- Max

“A house”- Nahom

A job”- Adum

“Sharing” – Annabelle

“Changes people”- Alexa

“A home for animals”- Alexander

“A home for animals, they live and drink and eat food”- Elnathan

“Animals eat food”- Kobe

“Be nice to everyone and be kind and respect others”- Arjan

” A A A apple”- Alexia

“A drink tap” – Bohdi

“Like getting some water and some lunch and being healthy”- Nyok

What are some different kinds of habitats?

“Helping animals” Annabelle

“A horse lives in a farm” – Alexa

“A cow lives in a farm” – Nahom

“A bunny lives in the woods” – Alexia”

“A lobster and yabby lives in water and the fishes and the turtles and frogs” – Elnathan

“Water for fish”- Yasha

“Polar bear on ice”- James

We went on a learning walk to explore habitats in Holy Family Catholic School. Miss Quigley took a group to the MUDLA room where students explored and compared different habitats,  Mrs Nicosia and Miss Roberts took a group of children to investigate habitats in log park and on the oval, and Miss McCarthy, Mr Coad and Mr McCarthy opened the gate to our newly developed pond habitat where students made connections, observed and discussed living and non-living things.  During this time gathered around the pond, students had the opportunity to release tadpoles! wow!

All students had freedom and choice to float between the pond, MUDLA, and log park to engage in all aspects.

We reflected and recorded our learning in our learning journals

After recess The Village used their hundred languages to explore and create their own habitats! Students also used their creativity to design and make kites, manipulated the lego to make habitats (Ethan also used the lego to make Mr McCarthy),  and painting. This opportunity saw the children recreate their understanding of habitats through play.

What did you learn about habitats?

Enrique – I saw tadpoles, they were behind the fish farm.

Nahom – I read a book about where animals live.

Adum – we were looking at tadpoles and the teacher out there, he teached us about them. They can swim and they can turn to frogs. The tadpoles live in the water.

Zac – we put the tadpoles in to have a new home. when they come, we will hear a crunching sound. They’re going to live in a new home with the fish. The fish and the frogs will have a side of their own. The tadpoles will have this side and the fish will have one side. But not for long, because the frogs will go ‘hop, hop’ in with the fish. They have to start off as an egg, so when they lay new ones, they will grow up into a frog too.

Nyok – I saw some lizards and they live in the trees.

Elnathan – in investigations I was making a log with a rabbit inside it and I coloured it in and I made leaves and outside I took photos of every animal and I saw goldfish. I took a photo of a bird and a colourful feather and also a tree and a pigeon feather and also Alexander helped me find the tree and then he told me to take a photo of it. Hayley and Harper and Irin and Emily and Nihal and Jed were with me finding stuff. I took a photo of the big tree near the sand. I took a photo of the yabbies where the goldfish lives and I took a photo in the MUDLA with the hopping mice and lots of other things. I took photos of the tadpoles and the barramundi.

Alexa – when a frog is big, it lays an egg, then a tadpole comes. Then you give it more time and grows into a frog.

 

After lunch, the children went to chant practice for their Sports Day teams. After chant practice The Village engaged in writer’s workshop. R/1MC went to sport with Mr Pearce and R/1EN, R/1MS and R/1EQ visited log park.

What a fantastic day of learning!

Our Precious Environment- Ecology

As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to make the earth  beautiful garden for the human familyPope Francis

The students in the Village have been enjoying feeling connected to Gods creation. Over the term our students have done a remarkable job at housing and caring for the Murray Cod and Hopping Mice. Sustainability is one of the cross curriculum priorities and R/1MC and R/1EN have been out and about helping Mr McCarthy in preparing the new pond and planting herbs and vegetables in the garden beds.

It has been great to see that the children have been taking ownership of the environment, ensuring the school is tidy and contributing to their environment. Jed and Leo were stoked to receive a sticker from Mr Slater this afternoon for collecting rubbish after lunch. Similarly, Zahra, Dimi, Viraj and Sahib visited our Village courtyard and were eager to ensure it received a tidy up.

Great work team!

As R/1 MS and R/1EQ went to buddies, R/1MC and R/1EN participated in some mindfulness. We were exhausted after our busy day of planting and playing so we listened to the story “Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda“. The story connected with our students as it introduced the powerful practice of mindfulness. Monkey is not so mindful – his Monkey Mind constantly jumping from one thing to another – but he encounters a friend in Happy Panda. Panda helps Monkey recognize the joy of doing what you’re doing while you’re doing it.

Reflections

“I’m mindful when I’m eating, like I sit” – Zahra

“I’m mindful when I’m walking” – Leo

“I’m mindful when I play”- Viraj

“I’m mindful when I am kind” – Dimi

“I’m mindful when I play” – Jed

We ended our day with some mindfulness- yoga!

 

On Friday’s we Flourish

As with each Friday, we spent today investigating through play-based learning. This means that we are exploring the things that are of interest to us as individuals. Children engaged with a range of provocations, consolidating their learning from the week, adding their own interests through exploration inside and outside. Today, the children used the laptops to research, follow drawing tutorials and play games. The children continue to explore their social skills through the formation of new and old friendships, and sharing their interests with others. We love seeing the children in flow as they engage in self-directed investigations, limiting mat-time and direct-instruction from teachers.

You would be forgiven for thinking that a tornado had rolled through the class by the time we were done, such were the levels of engagement in our play.

       

 

After lunch, R/1EQ & R/1MS met their buddies from 3MA & 4BH to create streamers and signs for sports day next week. The children led the whole afternoon, which also resulted in some spontaneous dancing and conga lines.

Declan: I liked doing a zombie.
Nahom: We were making words for sports day next Friday.
Alexia: I hold up my picture and it said ‘Team Titans Go”.
Kobe: I liked making a card for sports day. We drew on it and made a picture together with my buddies and then we took a picture of it.
Nyok: I like drawing Enderman with my buddy and taking a picture of it.

Please don’t forget to check the newsletter, which is now up on the school website. We hope you have a happy and safe weekend, and look forward to another great week of learning next week.

Sports Day Helpers

R/1EQ & R/1MS and R/1EN & R/1MC are seeking parent/family helpers to join us on sports day – Friday 5th April (week 10).

We will need support to walk to Creaser Park with the children, and then with scoring some events throughout the day. Some other jobs may include supporting children when they need to go to the toilet. But mostly, you will be able to join in the fun of sports day and watch your child/ren participate in their events.

If you are able to help us out, please comment on this blog, send us an email, or catch us in class.

We can’t wait for this exciting day in our school calendar.