From the School Leadership Team
Celebrating Learning
Congratulations to Year 5 who presented a wonderful Celebration of Learning on Tuesday evening. It was a pleasure to attend and discuss with the students both the depth of their learning as well as the process that they undertook. The children certainly did an amazing job of exploring a great range of topics with impressive thought and depth. It is always wonderful to see the higher-order thinknig and the quality of questioning that our children engage in.
We have Year 6 Exhibition coming up on Tuesday 31 October. This represents the culmination of student learning across the years of the IB PYP and our Year 6 students have certainly put in hours of learning, interviewing primary sources and engaging with the range of topics that they are exploring with great depth! We can't wait to see all of the student presentations and sharing on the evening!
Fete
A reminder that our school and church community fete is coming up this Sunday 29 October - it would be brilliant to see you all there! We have a whole range of stall holders, performances and rides available for the family to enjoy. Thank you to our P & F who have provided some activities again, as well as to our school families who have supported the event either through raffle ticket sales or sponsorship, your generosity is much appreciated! Thanks to Joel Schiller and the team who have put in a lot of work to make the day a success!
Japan Trip 2024
Traditionally, we have offered the option for Year 5/6 students and their parent(s) to travel to Japan for a study tour every two years. It has been some time since our last trip to Japan with the impact of COVID, however we have planned a draft itinerary and received some indicative pricing for a possible Japan Trip next year. The preliminary costings from our travel agent are for $5534 per student and $5953 per parent at 2023 prices, and there may be a small increase when these are requoted early in 2024.
To gauge initial interest to see if we are able to obtain minimum numbers for the trip, please complete the obligation-free expression of interest at the below link by Friday 3 November.
A copy of the draft itinerary is available for you to download.
Class of 2013 Reunion
Our graduating Year 7 class of 2013 will enjoy their 10 year reunion on Friday 3 November at Mawson Lakes Hotel from 6.00pm. Please spread the word if you know any old scholars from this year group. Alumni who are keen to attend can RSVP by emailing us at office@goldengrove.sa.edu.au
Will Wallace
Principal
SCIENCE at GGLPS
Within the PYP, each class undertakes 6 units of inquiry. Science is mapped within these units as the Australian Curriculum is learnt within units where there are authentic links. Across a student’s schooling, they develop their knowledge, understanding and skills with 3 stands of the Australian Curriculum and beyond.
Across the school this term, our clusters a inquiring into the following areas:
| Foundation |
| Our scientists in Foundation are using their observation skills to determine the features of plants and animals. Using this understanding, they sort living things into groups with common features and classify them using a variety of words that explain features. They will be observing different habitats including visiting the nearby pond. |
| Year 1/2 |
| As the students have considered how the properties of materials determine their use, they have built a word bank that supports their scientific investigations. They have made decisions around making toys, using their understanding of push and pull, and made musical instruments using their understanding of sound. |
| Year 3/4 |
| The construction of solar ovens has been a part of their inquiry across the scientific understanding of heat energy: sources, properties and changes. Their experimentation and discoveries have followed the scientific process, including hypothesising, conducting fair tests, considering variables and evaluating their findings. |
| Year 5/6 |
| Within Exhibition, some 5/6s have chosen areas of focus related to Sharing the Planet as related to resources, sustainability, innovation and development. Following Exhibition, they move onto looking at how scientists understand and apply their knowledge and understanding in areas such as light, electricity and chemical and physical changes. |
The current units are just some of the places where students are working across the areas of science, with their units of inquiry offering multiple opportunities to revisit the skills of scientific investigation in a hands-on exploratory manner. It’s exciting!
Jayne Zadow
Director of PYP, Teaching and Learning