From the Deputy Principal - Head of Junior School

From Mr Coppin

Humanity, Empathy and seeking first to understand...

I have been watching the escalation of curiosity that surrounded the Princess of Wales over the past few weeks.  Society’s inability to cope with not knowing absolutely everything reached fever pitch in the last number of weeks.  We were unable to sit with not knowing and we also assumed the worst in terms of rumours which were being perpetuated and circulated.  The pressure was released on Saturday morning with the Princess of Wales’ carefully timed disclosure (three hours after her children finished the School term for Easter Break) that she was in fact battling Cancer.  Even then people cannot rest seeking to know “what specific type of abdominal cancer?”. It made me think about the premise of “seeking first to understand” and developing humanity and empathy within our school community.

 

In addition to work that we do with Professor Ron Ritchhart on building community of learners our school also leans into the work of Social Researcher Dr Brene Brown who is the author of Daring Greatly, Dare to Lead and most recently the Atlas of the Heart.

In building Kambala culture together as a learning community we explored the notion of the Braving Inventory, building trust and assuming positive intent.  In building a staff culture of humanity our hope is for this to also connect with our students from Prep to Year 12.  Linked to our students as learners they will connect with the work of Brene Brown in lessons with Deputy Head Kate Moore and also with our personal and pubertal development facilitator Judith Krause who will work with the students in Year 4 to Year 6 later in the year.  

Additionally our Year 1 to Year 6 students will navigate integrity and boundary setting on Thursday 11 April when we work with URSTRONG on the language of friendship.   URSTRONG is a proactive system that teaches our girls interpersonal skills and conflict-resolution from a young age. 

Please see the Events page in this publication for further details of this wonderful program. 

 

It is our desire that through our interconnected program of adult and student learning that we build a Kambala community that is high in humanity and social and emotional intelligence that “seeks first to understand”. 

Courage 

Courage is one of our core school values and our outdoor educational experiences are a developmentally sequenced way that we build capacity in your daughters. I cannot think of a better way to mark the conclusion of NAPLAN for our Year 3 and Year 5 students than to embark on their respective overnight camp experiences. The girls have responsibly increased their courage and appetite for perseverance, resilience, co-operative skills and organisation in their respective outward bound locations. I know the students are having the most marvellous time, evident in the photos below. 

Junior School Choral Performance - Kambala Music Festival Sydney Opera House - Sunday 17 March, 2024

Please CLICK HERE to view the marvellous performance by the Year 5 and 6 choir at the Sydney Opera House last Sunday 17 March at the 2024 Kambala Music Festival. 

Easter Public Holidays 

Friday 29 March, 2024 - Good Friday Public Holiday

Monday 1 April, 2024 - Easter Monday Public Holiday

All students return to school Tuesday 2 April, 2024

 

Please note - Term 1 concludes on Thursday 11 April, 2024 (Friday 12 April being the Boarders travel day). 

Winter Uniform - Term 2 - Outfitters

Please note that when students return in Term 2 they will be required to wear thei Winter uniform. 

Our Outfitters store operates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday until the end of Term 1 (excluding Easter Public Holidays - Good Friday and Easter Monday

 

The last working day of Term 1 is Wednesday, 10 April.  Outfitters will re-open Week 1 of Term 2 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.  We will revert to our usual opening days of Monday, Wednesday and Friday in Week 2 of Term 2.

Year 5 Camp at Gerringong

Year 3 Camp Port Hacking

Junior School Parent Teacher (Zoom) Interviews - Week 10 Term 1, 2024

Parent-Teacher interviews with Class teachers will be held over Zoom during Week 10 of Term 1 (Tuesday 2 April to Thursday 4 April). For parents with daughters in Years 3 - 6, please check your daughter’s Maths teacher before booking. 

 

This year, Specialist teachers will either be available at the end of Term 1 or Term 3. Specialist teachers available for Term 1 are:

Year 2- Music and French

Year 3- Music, French and Art

Year 4- PE, French and Art

Year 5- Science, PE and Drama

Year 6- Science, Mandarin and Drama

 

Interview times with your daughter’s teachers will be offered both before and after school hours. Most parents find 10 minutes sufficient time for interviews with their daughter’s Class teacher, plus 5 minutes with Specialist teachers and Maths teachers (Year 3 to Year 6). However, if you feel that more time is necessary, please contact your daughter’s teacher to arrange a convenient time and date for a longer meeting. 

 

How will these interviews work? 

We will continue to utilise Zoom for our interviews as feedback indicates this works best for our busy parents and carers. Parent-Teacher interview bookings can be made using our online booking system at https://kambala.meettheteacher.com/  Once you click on the link you will be directed to the online booking system to schedule your appointment/s. The booking portal will be open from Thursday 21 March at 3 pm and will close on today Thursday 28 March at 4 pm. A Parent-Teacher Booking Appointment Guide has been created to assist parents with their bookings. Please click here to access this Guide. Once you have made an appointment time, confirmation of your appointment time will appear on your screen. A confirmation will also be sent to your parent email address. If you need to amend your booking time, please do so via your confirmation email. 

 

On the day of your Appointment

At the designated time of your appointment, you can access the relevant Zoom link on your daughter’s Sundial class page, where you will find individual teacher and specialist links. Teachers will be alerted that you are in the virtual waiting room and will admit parents to begin the appointment at the scheduled time. We ask that parents ensure they are prompt and online on time to facilitate these interviews running smoothly. Please note if you are running significantly late you will need to reschedule your appointment as teachers must follow their pre booked interview times with other families. 

 

IT support 

Should you experience technical difficulties during the event, please access ICT support by clicking on the ICT Support tile on the Sundial homepage. While we are doing all we can to prepare for a smooth experience, we appreciate your flexibility should there be any disruptions. Every effort to keep to the schedule will be made and we encourage parents to access the Sundial class pages ahead of the scheduled meeting times to support timeliness.