PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

Milgate Primary School would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land of the Wurundjeri People and we would like to pay our respects to the elders both past and present. Staff, students and the school community understand that we thrive, learn and live on Wurundjeri Country and we stand with all cultures united as one.

CURRICULUM DAY | No school for students

Friday May 24

There will be no school next Friday for students.  Please arrange care for your children with Teamkids if required - Book at Milgate Team Kids

A TRADITION AT MILGATE | OUR CONTINUOUS STORY

A Milgate tradition every year is that students collaborate to create a continuous story, with each class adding their own imaginative twist. On Friday 10th May Kate read the continuous story over the loud speaker to the whole school. The tale grew with each contribution, weaving an unexpectedly hilarious narrative that included the Chicken Nugget Squad, a barren river, Shrek and a giant sunflower. This joint storytelling not only sparked laughter and joy but also fostered a sense of community among the children. Each class eagerly anticipated each new instalment, celebrating their collective creativity and strengthening their bonds through shared laughter and collaboration. Enjoy reading our 2024 continuous story.  

YEAR 2 | DIDGERIDOO AUSTRALIA INCURSION

Year 2 students are currently inquiring into ‘Where we are in place and time’ and are exploring how connections to places may influence how people value and care for them. To support their investigation, on Friday the Year 2 students participated in an incursion run by Didgeridoo Australia. Students learned about Indigenous connections to the land, the eight seasons in the Wurundjeri Calendar and many of the natural materials that are used for hunting, arts and entertainment. They enjoyed handling many of the natural materials, including possum skins, various types of boomerangs and clap sticks. Students also learned about indigenous practices that ensure the land is cared for so that it remains healthy and bountiful. 

YEAR 2 SWIMMING

This week the Year 2 students have participated in a week-long swimming program at Aquarena. Students have practised a variety of strokes and developed their water-awareness and safety. We had a fabulous time developing our swimming skills and playing water-based games with our instructors!

CELEBRATING NEURODIVERSITY - Auditory Processing Disorder

About 3–5% of school-aged children have a hearing issue known as auditory processing disorder (APD), which is a condition where children have difficulty understanding speech and other sounds. This is due to a lack of synergy between their ears and brain. Something impedes the brain’s ability to identify and make sense of sounds, particularly speech.

Children with APD can thrive in school and in life if they are given the tools to do so. However, diagnosis at an early stage is crucial. A child’s chances of developing listening and learning difficulties at home and school increase if the condition is not diagnosed and treated early.

Hearing individual sounds presented in complete silence is a good indicator that a child with APD has normal hearing. The problem is that individuals have trouble hearing the subtle variations between word sounds, even when those sounds are presented clearly.

These kinds of difficulties typically arise in a poor listening environment, like a noisy social gathering or a reverberant public space like an auditorium. Children with APD may have difficulty following conversations in more boisterous settings such as classrooms, playgrounds, sports events, school cafeterias, and parties.

Key Characteristics of APD:

• Difficulty understanding speech, especially in noisy environments.
• Problems following spoken directions.
• Frequently asking for information to be repeated.
• Difficulty distinguishing between similar sounds.
• Poor listening skills and attention issues.
• Struggling with reading and spelling

Amanda Gorman - Poet

Amanda Gorman has become known throughout America for her poetry. In Kindergarten, she was diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder. At 16 years old, she founded One Page One Pen, an organisation that provides free creative writing opportunities for students who are underprivileged and who have additional needs. 

At the age of 19, Gorman became the first National Youth Poet Laureate, which is a title held in the US by a young person who demonstrates skills in the arts, particularly poetry.  She served as the National Youth Poet Laureate for the city of Los Angeles.  She graduated from Harvard University in 2020 with a degree in sociology.  On January 20, 2021, Gorman recited her poem "The Hill We Climb" at the presidential inauguration of Joe Biden.  Here, she made history by becoming the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history.

Gorman has won many awards for her poems and has written for Nike's Black History Month Campaign, New York Times, and more.  She's gained recognition from several magazines including Glamour and Scholastic Inc.  Today, Gorman holds the position of the youngest board member of the largest youth writing organization in the U.S., 826 National.

Amanda has said, "The voice I'm hearing aloud can't pronounce Rs, can't pronounce 'sh.' It kind of sounds a bit garbled…But I hear this strong, self-assured voice when I am reading this simple text, and what that told me is the power of your inner voice over that which people might hear with their ears… The only thing that can impede me is myself."

MANDARIN ROOM/ART ROOM SIGN COMPETITION

We are having a competition for students to create a new sign for the Mandarin/Art room on A4 white paper.

It must include the following: 

• Mandarin/Art Room as a title 
• Include a combination of Art and Mandarin objects or pictures 
• Your name and class on the front of your entry

Some examples students have suggested are drawing a dragon doing something arty or a person painting a picture of Chinese New Year. Students who use their imagination the most and include vibrant colours will have a great chance of being the winner. 

 Please give your entry to Penny (Mrs Camiot) or Wendy (Miss Yu) by the end of Week 6 (Friday the 24th of May) The winner will be announced in the Week 8 Newsletter and their work will be displayed as the new sign.

CONTINUOUS REPORTING

Our approach to reporting provides ongoing communication between students, parents, and teachers regarding student progress and achievements. Through regular updates, we aim to provide timely feedback and support to ensure every student has documentation of their learning. Through continuous reporting, the growth and progress of each student is a reflection of their learning while setting goals for improvement, taking responsibility and ownership of their learning, and therefore developing student agency as a Learner.  

Our students enjoy sharing their learning with their families and we appreciate the time and effort parents are contributing when looking and talking about their work, goals and their reflections. We encourage all parents to spend time reflecting on their child’s learning journey through the continuous reporting platform.