Prep News

Book Week

Despite Remote Learning continuing, the Preps and BNPS students are still being given the opportunity to enjoy some of the special events we would normally enjoy on-site. Book Week was celebrated on Friday 27 August and it was so much fun seeing all of the fabulous dress-ups, and the Preppies’ smiling faces! We had characters from classic stories such as The Wizard of Oz and The Enchanted Wood to more recent stories like The Mandalorian and Minecraft. Of course, Book Week wouldn’t be the same without many Harry Potters and Hermione Grangers, as Harry Potter seems to be a perpetual favourite.

Tallest Tower

As part of our Unit of Inquiry, we challenged the Preps to build the tallest tower they could at home. The Preppies had so much fun with the Tallest Tower Challenge. They used all sorts of building materials like Duplo, blocks and boxes. Some were almost as high as the ceiling! We were very impressed with the Preps’ designs, making sure the foundations of their towers were nice and strong to ensure the towers were stable. Great job little engineers!

Design a Bridge

The Preps have continued with their Unit of Inquiry, “Climate and the types of materials available determine the structures that can be built.” We have been so impressed with the amazing hands-on learning happening at home. This week’s Inquiry Task required students to design and build a bridge at home which was strong enough to hold up some of their toys. Students eagerly sourced toys, recycled materials and other household staples to construct their bridges. We saw Duplo, toilet paper rolls, cardboard, whiteboards, cups and blocks being configured in all sorts of ways to come up with the best solution to the task. Students used problem-solving skills to adapt their design if their bridge couldn’t hold enough weight.

Pilates

On Wednesday the 25 August and 1September, the Preppies and Prep families were so very lucky to have Sophie run Pilates lessons. We all thoroughly enjoyed stretching our bodies and strengthening our muscles, particularly after all the time spent at a computer screen lately. We really appreciated Sophie sharing her skills and expertise with us. Thank you so much Soph!

Small Group Work

The small group sessions continue to be enjoyed by teachers and students alike. It’s so wonderful for the students to be able to have a little chat and share their thoughts and ideas with their friends in a smaller group setting. For the teachers, hearing the students’ stories, listening to them read and being able to provide more individualised feedback is extremely valuable.

Wellbeing with Mrs Patane

Yesterday, the Preps were lucky to have a Wellbeing lesson with Mrs Patane. Mrs Patane shared one of her favourite stories called “All My Treasures, A Book of Joy”. She asked the Preppies to have a think about things that make them happy and things they are grateful for. Gratitude is an important part of our wellbeing and we really loved hearing all of the wonderful things the Preps were grateful for. They mentioned things close to home like family, books, toys and pets to larger concepts like the planets, ocean and sunshine! Well done Preppies and thank you Mrs Patane for a lovely session!