Primary Life
Roll On Up! Roll On Up! The Circus is in Town!
Su-Ann Chung - Year 1
As part of our Year 1 Inquiry unit this term, students had the opportunity to showcase their skills and develop new ones. They entered the arena with a growth mindset, knowing that the circus tricks would be challenging.
However, they would persevere and have fun learning new skills in a safe space. The children balanced spinning plates on long thin wooden sticks and juggled colourful silky scarves.
They worked well as a team, spinning plates on their wooden sticks and carefully passing them to their friends without dropping them. The energy and encouragement from each child was a blessing to witness and a rich experience for all involved.
Now we can't wait to perform our own circus show!
Engineering at its Best!
Sulari Nielsen - Year 6
What do wooden sticks, bulldog clips and plastic cups have in common? Engineering!
Our Year 6 Design Technology Incursion had it all! The students learnt about engineering and the design process. They were encouraged to imagine, plan, design, create, test, and improve the various structures they were tasked to build.
From the tallest cup stacks to building bridges that could hold heavy weights, to levers with spoons catapulting foam balls, incursions like this allow our students the opportunity to strategize, invent, construct and work in teams to problem solve and find creative ways to tackle each design. Following lessons provided students the chance to put their learning into action as they worked to make simple machines using levers, pulleys and zip lines, wheels and axles, and inclined planes.
Towards the end of the term students will work to use this valuable knowledge to create an old-style arcade game for our Year 2 students to play. Engineering at its best!
School Clean Up Day 2023
Peter Jones - Farm Manager & Teacher
A School Clean Up is a great way to inspire students to learn about the impact of rubbish on their local environment while playing an active role in their community. Last Friday our Primary students donned gloves and collected grippers to brighten up our beautiful grounds and gardens in our commitment to National Schools Clean Up Day.
Each year level was allocated an area of the playground and, with their teachers, they analysed and recorded the type of rubbish found. This audit helped to inform our discussion of how we can improve our care of this part of God’s Creation.
Some ways that Donvale helps to minimise rubbish and practice sustainability are by:
- Encouraging families to use waste-free, reusable lunch boxes
- Designating eating areas to minimise rubbish. This allows for accessible use of bins to dispose of waste and fosters a value of fellowship while eating food
- Focusing on sustainability in each year level’s curriculum, including hands-on opportunities to visit the farm and interact with native species
- Celebrating students who have a passion for creation care and sustainability by providing certificates of recognition at our assemblies.
A mighty thank you to all our students for their efforts during Clean Up Day 2023!