Leadership Report
First off, I owe an apology, as Naoki mentioned, for not bringing cookies to last Friday’s Literacy and Maths Club. I truly regret that oversight and promise to do better in the future. On a brighter note, this weekend is the School Fete! There has been so much chatter at Newlands about the rides, food, and face painting, we're all looking forward to a great time. The festivities kick off at 11:00 am, and we can't wait to see you there to celebrate our final big Newlands Community event of the year!
Foundation
Today, I joined Nina’s Foundation session, where all the students were sitting on the floor, describing different animals. Sunny and Remington worked with Nina to describe a hummingbird using descriptive words. Much to Katherine's amusement (and slight dismay!), I asked the students to describe Katherine instead. They had nothing but positive things to say, calling her kind, funny, tall, and strong. It was wonderful to see the Foundation students collaborating so well, and it was especially impressive to observe how much their handwriting has improved.
1/2
Milana was eager to show me her summary of a story the class had been reading. She quickly identified the who, what, when, and why of the story and retold it in a clear and concise way. As for Zimdalamashkermishkada—what a mouthful! I can totally understand why he might want to shorten it, though it definitely made for an impressive Scrabble score!
3/4
I sat with Mathilde today as she demonstrated her understanding of the area of shapes. All the students were using Seesaw to work through a variety of activities covering the four key proficiencies of Mathematics: fluency, understanding, problem-solving, and reasoning. Mathilde was confident in her ability to answer the questions and explained her reasoning clearly. When we talked about her preference for learning, Mathilde shared that she enjoys using computers because there are so many tools to help with learning, and it's much more fun. However, when it came to a tough choice between computers and Courtney, Mathilde made it clear: she’d choose Courtney every time!
5/6
The Grade 6s have officially started preparing for their Graduation, and they’ve been busy planning what promises to be an amazing way to wrap up their time at Newlands. I can’t give away too many details, but the word on the street is that Adam is about to leave a lasting impression on Newlands that won’t be forgotten anytime soon. I have to admit, I feel a little sorry for the families who won’t get the chance to witness what’s in store! It’s definitely going to be one for the books.
The Library
There’s a lot of excitement about the library moving next to the gymnasium! A huge thank you to Jess for all the time and effort she’s put into getting everything set up. We’re just putting the final touches on a few things before we can open it up again at lunchtimes. We’re hoping to have a date for you by the end of next week, so stay tuned!
The Official Wildlife Garden Opening
Today, the fences came down, and we had a special ceremony to celebrate the opening of our Wildlife Garden. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn about native plants and animals, as well as the importance of having such a beautiful natural space at our school. It’s exciting that the garden is now open just in time for the Fete! Be sure to stop by and check it out on Saturday. A big thank you once again to Agus and the Wild Team for creating such an incredible space for our school community.
Open to Learning Day
Today marks our last Open Learning Day for the year, and what a fantastic day it has been! It’s always a highlight to have our parent community come in and see the amazing learning happening across the school. Be sure to keep an eye out for next week’s newsletter, where we’ll be sharing plenty of photos from the day!
The School Dental Van
The School Dental Van arrives on Monday, and we can't wait to show them the amazing oral hygiene and flossing habits our students have developed! We’re also curious to find out if the famous teeth stickers are still being handed out after each visit. Stay tuned!
Rockin’ Resilience Next Thursday
A big thank you to Sonya for organising the Parent Information Session and Parent Forum, which kicks off at 2:30pm next Thursday. Following that, we’re excited to host a Family Fun Afternoon at the school starting at 3:45pm. It’s going to be a great chance to come together, learn, and enjoy some fun activities as a community!
We cannot wait to see you at the Fete on Saturday!
Luke