From the
Head of Junior School

Mrs Denise Hayward

The Performing Arts and Sport

New research from the University of Sydney* shows a positive link between participation in sport and academic performance, with the strongest association when sport is held during school hours. At Kinross Wolaroi we not only understand the benefits of sport, we know that when you combine performing arts with sport the real 'magic' happens. It is no accident these two domains form not only the core of our cocurricular programs, they are embedded in our timetable each week.

Sport and the performing arts are the two most universal languages we have. They enable us to express ourselves physically, emotionally, and even intellectually, allowing us to connect and communicate with each other around the world, crossing borders, cultures, languages, and generations.

Roald Bradstock - Olympic athlete and UK Legacy Ambassador for Youth Sport Trust

The link between performing arts and sports may not be immediately apparent, but upon closer examination, it becomes clear that these seemingly distinct areas share numerous connections and complementary attributes. Through both there is an element of teamwork involved which helps to create a healthy community of participants. There are opportunities for leadership and for children to develop confidence in their abilities.

Participating in performing arts not only enriches a child's life with creative and expressive experiences, it equips them with a diverse set of skills and attributes that can be instrumental in enhancing their performance on the sports field. The benefits include improved physical coordination, fitness, concentration, teamwork, emotional control, communication skills, and more. At Kinross Wolaroi we provide a broad and deep offering, encouraging a well-rounded education that includes both the arts and sports, which contributes to the holistic development of students, enabling them to excel in various aspects of their lives.

Throughout Term 3 students have benefitted from many opportunities to participate in a diverse range of sporting and performing arts pursuits to great success. This has been evident in the recent Orange Eisteddfods where we have placed in the top two in each category we have entered. This week we entered over 40 students in the upcoming Blayney Art show. On the sporting field we have teams preparing to play in semi-finals and grand finals in soccer, hockey and netball. Our students, who represented the school against The King’s School in soccer and in the Todd Woodbridge Cup were not only recognised for their skills on the field/court but for their sportsmanship. We have had highly successful carnivals at HICES in swimming, cross country and athletics with many students progressing to CIS and even state. Finally, as the term is drawing to a close as our Year 5 and 6 students take to the stage at the Orange Civic Theatre in Tut Tut The Musical.

Both performing arts and sports demand rigorous discipline and training. Dancers, actors, and musicians must practice their craft consistently to improve, just as athletes must train regularly to enhance their performance. This shared commitment to practice fosters a strong work ethic.

From personal experience, the best years my husband and I had on the tennis court (yes, I used to be a bit of an athlete back in the day) were the ones where we participated in ballroom dancing once a week. The improvement in our fitness, coordination and our general quickness and agility on the tennis court was measurable. I am sorry to say however, when it came to the wedding waltz, we still had two left feet!

Lifelong Learning

At Kinross Wolaroi it is not only the students who are engaged in academic pursuits, staff undertake regular experiences to ensure they are current with best practices from across the education sector. In the Junior School we have specialist teachers who focus on art, research, music, ICT and Physical Education. Our classroom teachers are specialists across several domains of English, maths, history, science, geography, personal development and health to name a few.

Each week, in addition to after school cocurricular commitments, Junior School staff undertake professional learning. Last week Dr Sarah McDonagh worked with staff conducting a series of workshops and training over three days. Her area of expertise is in instructional interventions in reading, especially for students identified at-risk for reading difficulties, and how to scale up evidence-based literacy practices in school settings. Over the three days classroom teachers and LET staff immersed themselves in analysis of DIBELS results, gathered from students three times over the course of the year. This regular assessment assists in identifying students' reading strengths and areas for development, enabling teachers to tailor their instruction more effectively in the classroom and provide better insight for the school as a whole on where we are best placed in directing resources.

Through working with Sarah staff undertook close analysis of their class data to identify points of need for all students not only in their class but across the grade. Teachers examined with Sarah best practice opportunities to increase reading opportunities for all students using a structured reading fluency process to build accuracy, comprehension, vocabulary and prosody. Our goal as a school in undertaking this training is to better support students to be effortless proficient readers across various types of texts.

Wellbeing

This Thursday is RUOK Day. While Thursday is a day to pause and reflect on the meaning behind asking RUOK, it is important to remember this is not just a day, it is part of everything that we do. In the Junior School there is a strong emphasis on social and emotional wellbeing with weekly lessons and links across all curriculum domains. We work with students on how to read and understand body language and how we can respond to what we observe. We are building the language and ideals of URSTRONG and Smiling Minds to develop positive friendships and resilience when things do not go well.

R U OK? is a public health promotion charity that encourages people to stay connected and have conversations that can help others through difficult times in their lives. This week in the Junior School students have engaged in a diverse range of experiences that are age appropriate and designed to support student in their social and emotional understanding of the world. Our youngest students have learned about Body Responses and Feelings, In Year 1 the concept of bucket filling and in Year 2-4 how to be a good friend. In Year 5 students have developed a better understanding of how do you ask RUOK and Year 6 have examined Friendship Zine.

Kinross Wolaroi Students making their Mark

At Kinross Wolaroi we value and strive for academic rigor. Students have a myriad of opportunities to engage in enriching learning experiences which in some instances the school provides or facilitates student access to them. Please share with us your child’s interest, passions, and achievements by emailing junioroffice@kws.nsw.edu.au.

Aston Lett, an example of the link between performing arts and sport. In a previous newsletter we shared his recent grand final success in AFL. He has had further success but this time at the Orange Eisteddfod where he placed first in the open grades 3 and 4 woodwind solo, third in the 12 years and under woodwind solo and third in the 14 years and under woodwind solo.

Julian Capanas entered into the 10 years and under string solo competition at the Orange Eisteddfod and was awarded first place. In the Open Grades 3 and 4 String Solo category he achieved a second place.