A Look at Learning

Book Week, Book Fair & Book Parade 

Book Week will take place from the 20th - 26th August. We will celebrate with Book Fair and a Book Parade.  This year, Collins Booksellers in Armidale will be hosting our Book Fair. It is wonderful to have a local business to support. The much anticipated Book Parade will take place on Wednesday morning at 9am. Parents and carers are invited to come and enjoy the brilliant costumes. We are looking forward to seeing your favourite book characters!

Professional Learning

Last week we welcomed Trish Mitchell from the CSO who is the Numeracy Subject Matter Expert. The staff participated in a jam packed Twilight Staff Meeting, with the aim to reinject some enthusiasm back into the learning and teaching of Mathematics. The teachers and education assistants worked on number fluency, developed a repertoire of hands-on, fun learning and teaching activities and explored new resources. Ask your child about our new Mathology Little Books!

Premier's Reading Challenge

Throughout the year, many students have been participating in the Premier's Reading Challenge. The Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely. 

The Challenge closes on the 19th August. Please ensure you have entered your books into the PRC Portal by this date or alternatively, drop your Reading Log in to the front office and our wonderful Librarian, Karen can enter your details online.

Year 1 Phonics Screening Check 

During the three week period from 8th August - 26th August students in Year 1 will participate in the state-wide Year 1 Phonics Screening Check. Please see additional information for parents and carers here.

Thalgarrah Excursion

Last week Year 3/4 took part in their very first overnight camp at The Thalgarrah Environmental Education Centre in Armidale. The students were kept super busy learning new team building games, experimenting with amazing science concepts about the earth’s surface and meeting some interesting and possibly scary animals. Sophie the snake made an appearance, along with a trio of leaf insects and a cheeky bearded dragon. Matt and Barb were the most enthusiastic hosts who went above and beyond to excite the students with learning and promoting inclusion and acceptance for all involved. When the students were not busy learning or playing games, they were being spoiled by Maree in the kitchen. She created pot plant muffins, sweet treat kebabs and scrumptious lasagna and burgers. Mrs Cox and Anna demonstrated how to build a beautiful bonfire while Miss Campbell threaded what seemed like 1000 marshmallows onto perfect toasting forks. Every student was on their best behaviour but this may have been due to them being exhausted with activities and too full to move! The teachers did take some time to recover from the camp but would most definitely take all of the students again in the future.

The main idea of doing an overnight excursion was to give these students the opportunity to experience an overnight camp before embarking on the longer excursion to Canberra next year. We are so proud of the maturity and independence they showed!

Mrs Cox & Miss Campbell

A very big thank you to Mrs Cox, Miss Campbell and Anna for organising such a fantastic excursion and for accompanying our Year 3/4 students. We are so lucky to have you!