Junior School

Stage 3 and Stage 4 Collaboration

The many blessings of being a 5-12 College include the opportunity to learn, as teachers, from the knowledge, skills and experience of our secondary colleagues, and vice versa. In recent weeks, we have been working to ensure this opportunity is seized with both hands.

Junior School staff members have been working with Senior School colleagues to explore how students develop both literacy and numeracy from early childhood to late adolescence, from pre-Kindergarten to Year 12, but focusing particularly on that meeting point of Stages 3 and 4: Years 5-8, or middle school. In these meetings we share mostly ‘behind the scenes’ things – how we organise learning experiences in English and Mathematics, how we assess and grade student achievement, how we support all learners including those needing additional help and those needing extension, and so on. These are terrific professional learning experiences, and I’m sure each of us leaves with a better appreciation of the many wonderful gifts our colleagues bring to their work with students each day.

It is unlikely most of you will ever directly notice the benefits of this professional collaboration, since the work is not easily visible; however, you can think of it like a well-managed superannuation fund. You may not know exactly what is happening behind the scenes, but a well-managed fund will deliver you a greater nest egg for your retirement, and in the process, through ethical investment, can make the world a better place. Likewise, we believe that our work behind the scenes, striving towards a Liberating Education for your sons, will provide a rich return on investment, so to speak.

I offer my sincere thanks to the following members of staff who have contributed generously to this work:

Mrs D’Onofrio - Year 6 Teacher 

Mr Fields - Junior School Curriculum Coordinator 

Ms Knapman - English Teacher 

Mr Leslie - English Faculty Leader 

Mrs Lombardo - Director of Learning and Innovation

Mr Simone - Mathematics Teacher 

Mrs Tatola - Year 5 Teacher 

Mrs Timillero - Diverse Learning Coordinator

Mrs Sinnadurai - Diverse Learning Teacher

Dr Wattam - Principal

Mr Wheatley - Mathematics Faculty Leader

Year 6 Camp – No News!

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is hard to predict what rules and regulations will be like in New South Wales by the time Year 6 Camp rolls around in Term 4. Rest assured, we are in frequent communication with our partners in outdoor education at Camp Somerset and whatever decision is reached will be based on good advice and common sense.

At this point, I can advise you that no decision about Year 6 Camp will be communicated to students or parents and carers before Term 4 Week 1. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Ben Munday

Director of Junior School