A Message from
Hannah & Keir
We would like to acknowledge and honour the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the traditional custodians of the land on which our school stands. We pay our respects to all First Nations elders, past present, and emerging.
Philosophy Camp
Last week ten of our senior school students had a very special opportunity to attend a three-day Philosophy Camp with Hannah and a number of other primary and secondary schools. We spent three days on a farm called Narmbool, which is in Ballarat. We engaged in learning experiences related to the land and First Nations peoples and had philosophical discussions about the concepts that were raised throughout our experiences.
Our students were provided this opportunity from the Victorian Association of Philosophy in Schools (VAPS), where Keir and Hannah have been training this year. You and your children will start to see and hear more about Philosophy in the classroom throughout next year, as we embed the practices of Philosophy for Children within our model of Guiding Playful Inquiry.
Philosophy for Children is an exciting and engaging way for our children to:
- explore concepts and ideas without fear of judgement
- build understanding of the world and the people around them
- think critically and creatively, making connections between existing and new ideas
- practise their communication skills
- develop their inquiry skills
We love taking our students out into the big world to see how they interact with people and spaces beyond our community, but I must say that I was particularly proud of how these students rose to the challenges of the week. They met, worked and played with people from different schools, backgrounds and ages; they threw themselves into every activity and engaged in some incredibly high-order thinking!
To finish this segment off, I thought I would share with you two BNWPS student quotes that I overheard on the camp that filled my bucket - I hope they fill yours too!
“I thought I might find the discussions a bit boring, but they’re actually fun. They might even be the best part!”
“I’ll tell you what’s not a philosophical question - which school is the best? That’s because our school is the best - no question!”
Helpers for Moving Day
On the 18th December (while most of the school is having their fun day!) we will be moving some furniture around to reconfigure classrooms from 2023 to 2024. We are asking for any members of our community who might be available to come along and help us move some furniture or boxes. If you are interested in helping out on this day, please contact Audrie (audrie.sextonmcguire@education.vic.gov.au)