Primary
Mrs Leanne Schulz
Prep 2022 Transition
In the next two weeks, we will get to have our new Prep students for 2022 join us for an hour each week on Thursdays as part of their transition to the College. We cannot wait to get to know all the new families and welcome them to Aitken!
Drop Offs and Pick Ups
A huge thank you to all parents for adhering to the system for picking up and dropping off Fairview students. It is unfortunate that parents are still not able to come onsite. The system seems to now be running smoothly, even when the weather is against us!
Prep News
Miss Gemma Jackson (Prep AHOS)
The Preps have enjoyed returning to school after the long weekend. We have been having a lot of fun using story boards to create stories. We have done a lot of work on characters and settings earlier in the term, and now are planning and writing our own narratives. The Preps are looking forward to sharing their narratives with you. In Mathematics, the Preps have been learning all about tens and ones. We are blowing our teachers away with our place value understanding and have become experts at using our tens frames and tens and ones boards. This week was extra exciting as our word of the week was hair and we enjoyed crazy hair day! There were some scary hair styles, but it was lovely to share this fun experience in person. With the good weather this week, we enjoyed a walk down at Brodies Creek as part of our 'Inquiry' unit on the environment. We are comparing the difference between our classroom environment and the school environment. We love being back at school!
Year 1 and 2 News
Mr Jevon Scandrett (Year 1/2 AHOS)
It has been so wonderful to be back at school with all students on site! Each day both teachers and students are cherishing their time together and enjoying the wonderful social connections which were so sorely missed during Home Learning.
In Year 1, students have been enjoying a range of hands-on learning experiences each morning when they arrive to the classroom. These activities are linked to the curriculum and enable students to engage in group discussions and collaborative work with their peers. Some of the activities have included painting and chalk drawings as well as maths problems to be solved with concrete materials.
In Year 2, students have completed a range of activities to discuss and debrief their experiences and feelings about coming back to school. This has allowed for students to feel safe and supported during these changing times. Year 2 students have continued their discovery of the differences between past and present in Integrated Studies. In Year 2M, students created some wonderful pin artworks which showcased objects used in the past.
Should you have any questions or concerns, the first point of call should always be your child’s classroom teacher followed by me, as the Assistant Head of School (Years 1 and 2).
Year 3 and 4 News
Mrs Anne Adams (Year 3/ 4 AHOS)
It has been wonderful seeing the students back at school after being so long in lockdown. Teachers were greeted by smiling faces. Social activities in all subjects were the aim this week so we could all get to know each other again. From a teaching point of view, it was great to have the energy and discussion in the classroom which you cannot replicate on Zoom. We wish Mrs Cathy Graham who managed a student teaching round over Zoom all the best with her teaching career. Here are some comments from students on their feelings about coming back to school.
Year 3 comments:
“Fun because you can see your friends and teachers.” Deren A
“The highlight of being back at school was that I was able to see Mrs Touma and all of my friends. I was also able to leave my house and my mum surprised me with an ice-cream from the canteen.” Lyla B
“Seeing my friends and seeing my teachers. Being face-to-face with our teachers.” Sarah D
“Reconnecting with my friends and learning with less blue light to hurt our eyes. It’s calming too.” Melissa E
“My highlight was playing with my friends at school.” Savidhu G
“I felt happy and excited coming back to school. The highlight was seeing and playing with my friends. It was the best day!” Madeline L
“Not having to do Zoom and seeing my friends.”Lachlan M
“Lockdown showed us a different world. We appreciated nature more, and we valued friends and relatives when we could not see them. We valued time spent with family, we learnt how much gadgets ruled us, and most importantly my parents learnt more than me! I am thankful my parents helped me understand concepts better on Zoom which I may not have understood when taught in class.” Parthiv P
“My highlight about being back at school was I was so excited to able to see my friends and play with them on the playground.” Scarlett P
“I was excited to see my friends again.” Isaiah S
Year 4 comments:
“My favourite part of coming back to school was seeing my friends and teachers.” Thisumi A
“My highlight was that I got to see my friends again and we are almost back to normal.” Francesca A
“When I got back to school I was like the happiest girl alive. I saw all my amazing friends and I missed doing work…hehe!” Layla B
“The highlight for me about going to school was seeing my friends and all the teachers.” Himaya C
“My highlight is that I was so happy to go back to school and see my friends and teachers.” Dilara E
“My highlight was seeing my friends and it made me feel happy because I got to see people face-to-face.” Sariah E
“I felt nice, it was nice to see all of my friends.” Deacon F
“I felt excited٫ happy and a bit nervous.” Senuli G
“I loved playing with my friends and having more area to move.” Zoe M
“I was so happy and excited to be back at school that I got my Dad to drop me at school extra early!” Puneet K
“It was amazing when you can see your friends and we did not have to use Zoom. I hated Zoom soooo much.” Eliana K
“My highlight was seeing my friends for the first time in what seemed like forever.” Declan K
“I just loved being back at school because we could see everyone face-to face!” Ronell M
“I was very happy to go back to school after a long time to see my friends.” Elmar M
“What I loved about being back at school was getting to see my friends and teachers and getting to work in the classroom.” Jessica M
“It felt very good coming back because we got to see everyone like Ms Monroy, Mrs Adams and Mrs Graham and all our friends. It was also very easy to do the work because we were at school and the teachers helped us. It was also the first and last time we saw Mrs Graham in person. By the way, you guys are the best teachers and good luck to you Mrs Graham with university.” Lucas M
“I felt good being back at school because I could see all of my friends and it felt good to not look at a screen 24/7.” Lexi M
“My highlight of going back to school was seeing my friends and playing soccer at lunch and recess. A really fun thing was when we had free time at the end of the day.” Mia P
“I loved seeing my teachers and friends again, it made me so happy and I really enjoyed working in the classroom again!” Reuben T
“I liked seeing my friends and seeing my teachers!” Mineru V
Year 5 and 6 News
Mr Nigel Keegan (Year 5/ 6 AHOS)
It has been so good to welcome students back onsite! Seeing students’ happy faces and how well they have adjusted back has been fantastic. Classroom routines have been re-established and students have slotted back into the classroom seamlessly! The Year 5 and Year 6 students have been busy with fun, hands-on learning activities, with the focus on wellbeing and building relationships. Check out the photos below of Year 5 and Year 6 students engaged in some of these activities.
Growing Up is not straight-forward
Article by Michael Grose
The pandemic has delivered change and upheaval to families on an enormous scale. Many parents fear for their children and worry about the impact that remote learning, reduced direct social contact and missed milestone will have on their children. Upheaval is not new for some children, particularly those who have experienced illness, a loss of a loved one or who have moved home and changed schools. Each change requires acceptance, adjustment and an attitude realignment to help them fit the new circumstances. Every change is an opportunity for a child to grow and develop, if they are supported, and they’re not overwhelmed by the experiences.
A child’s pathway to adulthood, and the accompanying journey of their parents, is generally viewed as linear. Growing up is seen as a straight-forward march from infancy, early childhood, childhood, adolescence, post-adolescence to adulthood. If COVID has taught us anything, it’s that a child’s journey is full of twists and turns.
While your child has a developmental clock that keeps ticking over, it’s their experiences that determine their maturity and their ability to reach fully-fledged adulthood with the resilience, grit and adaptability needed to thrive. What are the experiences that will help children mature and cope with adversity when it inevitably comes their way? The experiences that develop maturity and coping capacities fit into two broad areas – challenging and positive experiences.