Myrniong - Early Learning and Primary

Correspondence Sent Home this Week

• Year 2 Model Railway History Excursion Consent
• Year 5 meeting notification – via email
• Basketball Season 2 expressions of interest – Year 2 to 5
• Prep to Year 2 Swimming Intensive Programme information and consent

Thank you to Young House and Reverend Cook who led an upbeat Junior Campus Service of Worship this week.  The theme of ‘humour’ was a valuable one for the children and adults alike.  The Young House students reminded us all of the importance of sharing a laugh when feeling down.  Reverend Cook also shared an important message, reinforcing that laughing at someone else’s misfortunes, differences or inadequacies is not humour - it is being hurtful.

In terms of our Positive Education philosophy, Humour is one of the 24 Character Strengths of individuals that contribute to personal wellbeing.  As a learning community, ‘Finding Humour’ is one of 16 Habits of Mind that we promote.  Being able to have a laugh at yourself can certainly help during situations that are challenging or present a struggle.  One of the absolute joys of coming to work each day is sharing moments of humour with the children and staff!

P & F Art Auction this Saturday

If you haven’t already bought your ticket, it isn’t too late. We would love to see you at this fabulous social event on Saturday evening.  Do come along and admire the artistic talents of our parents, staff and students!  Find out more on the P&F page.

Catch the Buzz!

Last year, we hosted a very successful VIBE Festival at the Senior Campus.  It was an opportunity for children from local schools to join us at the Middle Years and discover the exciting things happening at The Hamilton and Alexandra College.

This year Myrniong is hosting CATCH THE BUZZ!  Next Tuesday morning, students currently in grades Prep to Year Four will be joined by children from beyond the College to experience three action packed sessions hosted by our staff.  Sessions reflect the passions of our teachers and range from Digital Design to Mysterious Messy Science, Awaken Your Senses, Poetry with Pizzazz, Scintillating Science and Crash Test Eggs.  Prep to Year 4 students are to wear their sports uniform for the day.

The Year Fives aren’t missing out – they will attend the 2016 VIBE Festival at the Middle Years Centre on the 15th of June.

Digital Developments!

Earlier this year I featured an article in the newsletter sharing the children’s excitement in the arrival of portable tablet devices in classrooms.  The children have quickly found their way around these new, more flexible, learning tools and we have been able to increasingly phase out our use of our fixed Computer Laboratory.

Not doing things by half, we are now also the proud owners of a set of 30 iPads!  Apple TV units have been installed in most of our classrooms.  The teachers all have an iPad as well as a windows tablet device to support teaching and learning practices.  Being able to work ‘cross platform’ and moving seamlessly between Apple, android and PC devices will prepare our students well as they continue their journey into 21st Century learning and work.  Mrs Lynda Cutting, an experienced educator and consultant, will be supporting the teachers through providing Professional Learning next week in using iPads to enhance student learning.  Lynda will spend a day and a half working with individual teachers.  Staff also have a fabulous opportunity to attend local Professional Learning with Apple Education, organised through Grangeburn Office.

Ready, Set, Design!

Whilst over the past decade there have been many curriculum developments with the inception of the Australian Curriculum (we are now up to Version 8.1), it would be fair to say that the content of core subjects such as English, Mathematics and Science, would still be very familiar to anyone who has been out of the school context for some years. However, the areas of Digital and Design Technologies are very different spaces indeed!  Ten years ago it would have been hard to even imagine that schools would have 3D printers.  We are ever mindful that to be successful in whatever field of work they choose, our students will need to be excellent problem-solvers and collaborators.  They will need to possess creative and critical skills that will allow them to be innovators and entrepreneurial.

At this week’s Professional Learning session, staff explored the Ready, Set, Design concept that is promoted by the Smithsonian, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.

“Ready, Set, Design is a quick group activity.  It uses simple, inexpensive materials and is an effective tool for problem solving, creative thinking and team building.  Ready, Set, Design is not just for designers but can be used by any audience as a way to engage in design thinking.  Participants are asked to solve an open-ended problem with time and material constraints.  Working in small groups, solutions are developed quickly and yield surprising solutions that may not have been immediately obvious.”

This is a fun activity that can easily be replicated at home too.  You can find out more by watching a three and half minute YouTube clip at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIXSuZg2awA

Inter-School Cross Country Success

Well done to our Inter-school Cross Country team, which did a wonderful job last Thursday afternoon.  The bus was a flutter of 1st to 8th placings amongst our 44 competitors.  Children placing in the top 8 of their age group in the 10 to 12 year olds have now qualified for the Regional Cross Country.

Placing 1st: Sophie Merrin

Placing 2nd: Jock Barrie

Placing 3rd: Olivia Rees, Natalie Featherston, Dougal Mann

Placing 4th: Sybil Fleetwood, Zara Smith

Placing 5th: Charlie Beggs, Olivia Mann, Charlotte Millear

Placing 6th: Annabel Calvert, Ella Churchill, Ed Beggs, Charlie Cameron

Placing 7th: Tom O’Sullivan, Meg Ogle, Tyler Butcher

Placing 8th: Ted Koch

Basketball Draw

Please refer to attached Sporting Fixture for basketball times

Week Ahead

Tuesday 24th May - Catch The Buzz at Myrniong (Prep to Year 4 students to wear sports uniform today)

Wednesday 25th May - National Simultaneous Storytime at 11:00am,

Wednesday, 25th May - Ready Set Trot (Year 3 – please wear sports uniform)

Friday 27th May - Division Cross Country in Warrnambool

Miss Ieva Hampson