Leadership Report
What a week at Newlands! I can hardly believe we're already at the end of Week 3. Today was particularly special with Day 3 of our Foundation transition for our 2025 students and Grandparents Day. It was a fantastic way to wrap up the week before our Sunday WORKING BEE! If you're not already convinced about the fun awaiting you on Sunday, we have a flyer to get you even more excited. Check it out!
We have a giant skip that needs filling, along with some painting and mulch to spread around the school. Even if you can spare just an hour, your help would be greatly appreciated as we prepare for the Fiesta! We can’t wait to see you there!
Here are some of the wonderful things I observed in the classroom this week!
Foundation
I joined Colleen and the Foundation students at the end of their writing sessions and had the pleasure of listening to Huxley and Luca read their published stories. It’s amazing to see Foundation students writing full sentences and crafting stories! A special shoutout to Huxley’s character—a dad eating in the bathroom during a flood. I’m curious about what he was eating! You can check out Luca’s incredible story below!
1/2
I spent some time with Ivy in Visual Arts, where she showed me her amazing tiger artwork. Margaret has been teaching the students about Henri Rousseau, known for his rainforest and animal paintings. Ollie, while gluing his toucan, mentioned that Henri had never actually visited a rainforest and painted from his imagination. River rushed over to show me how he curled the leaves in his painting. The students in 1/2 were having a blast! Ivy shared that Art is her favorite specialist subject because it inspires her to create and express herself through drawing and painting!
3/4
In the 3/4s, Reggie, Raphael, Emlyn, Luca, and Lucas shared their insights on arrays with me today. They rolled a 20-sided die to create different arrays and then used their skip counting strategies to find the answers. It was fantastic to see their current knowledge of timetables in action! On Monday, I worked with Clara’s class and Diego to retell the story of Dustin and the vacuum cleaner in Spanish. I was truly impressed by the confidence some of our students displayed in their writing, and it was wonderful to hear them read their versions aloud. A big shoutout to both Hazel and Ines!
5/6
In the 5/6s, Alessia excelled in her division assessment, completing 30 sums in just one minute on the Facts on Fire fluency test! She has really enjoyed the daily practice, which has been both motivating and transformative for her learning. Alessia is now tackling multi-digit addition and feels confident in her ability to complete it fluently. Great job, Alessia!
Camp – Saddle Up!
Next week is Camp, and we’re headed to the ranch! Get ready for spurs, flannel, and Akubras! Please check Sentral for the final details. We can’t wait to see all the students boot scootin’ back into the classroom afterward!
Day of the Dead Celebration!
Next Friday, join us for a special assembly starting at 3:00 PM. A huge thank you to Abner, Egmont, Edgar, and Alberto for making sure our school honors this significant day on the Latin American calendar!
Have a fantastic weekend and we will see you Sunday!
Thanks,
Luke