Around Grade 5/6

Picture Story Books - LAST DAY

Additional copies will cost $10. If you would like to order extra copies, please transfer the money to the school by the end of TODAY (Friday 18th September). 

Description:                (YOUR NAME)/GR 6 BK

Bank Name:                Bendigo Bank Limited

Bank A/c Name:        Anderson’s Creek Primary School Official A/c

BSB No:                        633-000                       

Bank A/c No:              119754901

Please email anne.hibbert@education.vic.gov.au so we can track the payment and be sure to order the correct number of books for your family. If we receive a discount for our order, proceeds will be used to buy Literacy resources for the school.

Celebrating Wins

It is easy to get bogged down in all the negativity of 2020. That's not our style.

So today, we would like to hand out some awards ...

This term, our resilient students have managed to plan, draft, edit, illustrate and finalise a picture story book. They are now being processed by the teachers and will be created into 'professionally published' books.

So the first award goes to everyone who, despite the restrictions, has managed to become a published author!

While the country is screaming about a recession, our students have earned the award of 'Economic Guru'. They have differentiated between needs and wants, considered ways to stretch a finite amount of money and explored the wonder of compound interest. They have planned holidays, evaluated the differing costs of pet ownership and set budgets. They have calculated potential earnings, expenses, savings and interest on the way to achieving an expensive dream. Stopping short of investing in the share market, these students have skills that many adults do not have!

It is hard to believe the technological skills the students have acquired through necessity. When we first closed, we frantically scrambled to hand out Google Apps For Education (GAFE) logins and introduce the basics.

Fast forward 6 months and the students are confidently navigating the GAFE suite. They bounce between whole class and small group Meets. They have established reliable pathways to communicate with teachers, and create collaborative documents to share photos, videos and concept maps. The students are adept at creating documents, following hyper-link trails and submitting work.  They are quick on the 'chat' function and are clear on video meeting protocols. Many have also learnt how to 'screen share' when solving glitches with the teacher. In recent days, they discovered how to scan and share work.

From the rocky initial steps in Term 2, the students should be really proud to receive the award of 'Tech Wizard'.

It would be easy to switch off and disengage from learning. Our students didn't do that.

They have developed work habits which will make them highly employable in the future. The students have shown that they can establish routines, prioritise their time, work to a schedule and submit work in a timely manner. They have understood the communication chain, and checked emails, comment streams and used private messaging to work with their peers and teachers.

They have been able to problem solve most issues - and ask for help when required.

They have learned to take responsibility for their own learning and be an honest, reflective thinker. 

Special mention goes to those students who battled with inadequate technology, poor internet connections and other challenges at home. Your perseverance makes you superstars!

Special mention also goes to those students who find the internal drive to continue working to their full potential. For having the pride to complete every task, completing them to the best of their ability and incorporating feedback into their next learning. We know who you are - you know you are - you should be very proud of yourselves.

In Closing

Our students have been challenged in ways we never anticipated at the start of the year. We are immensely proud of how they have not just survived - but thrived - during the remote learning period. We know they are disappointed about camp, miss their friends and have lost many on-site opportunities. We know that they are desperate to get back to school. However, they continue to rally, learn and be grateful for the opportunities they have. As your teachers, we could not be prouder. Congratulations on your efforts and enjoy your well deserved break.