Learning Updates -
School of Wonder
Children impress as they learn from home
This week the School of Wonder Years 1 and 2 children have delighted their Learning Mentors with the amazing contributions they have made to their Seesaw profiles. The Learning Mentors have been in awe of the quality of work that has been uploaded by the children. The heartfelt messages of gratitude to the Learning Support Officers (LSOs) in recognition of Teacher Assistant Appreciation Week were delightful to read and I know brought joy to our wonderful LSOs.
The children have been working incredibly hard at home and have shown many examples of how they are using the learning assets of thinking, communicating, collaborating, self-managing and researching. We have seen amazing marble runs, unbelievable directed drawings, delicious baked goods and well-designed forts, among many other amazing projects. We are forever amazed by the children’s resourcefulness and creativity!
We have had our fathers in mind this week as we celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday. We give thanks to all the dads and we hope you enjoy your special day on Sunday. Please head to the Father's Day page of this edition of il giornale for lots more photos celebrating dads, grandads and father figures in our lives.
I want to take this opportunity to give an enormous thanks to all the amazing parents who are doing an incredible job supporting their children with their learning during this distance learning phase. We appreciate the contribution you are making as co-educators while we all make our way through this time.
- Kate McGrath, School of Wonder Learning Mentor
Positive feedback about distance learning program
Recently we have received many positive emails about the stimulating program our Learning Mentors plan during distance learning. Our Learning Mentors work tirelessly at presenting a program on a platform that is outside our normal way of teaching, and yet I am always amazed at the way in which they find ways to be true to our teaching and learning philosophy and provide choice, decision-making and flexibility in the learning.
Learning Mentors are aware of the challenges parents face during distance learning and are appreciative of the support provided to children, such as discussing the learning focus, following the various steps stipulated in a learning task, being present in order to question children’s thinking and answer their questions. We are aware parents are not trained in the teaching profession, but we recognise the daily effort made. Over the next two weeks, Learning Mentors will contact families to discuss distance learning and offer support if required.
- Laurel Baxter-Butts, School of Wonder Leader
Foundation children have been identifying, discovering and creating patterns.
Pizza and papà celebrated in Italian
Over the past couple of weeks children have been busy with distance learning activities for Italian, focusing on the topics of la pizza and la festa di papà (Father's Day).
Students practised saying which toppings they like to put on their pizza, learnt about the history of pizza and the origin story of the pizza Margherita. If you don't know this story, it's worth asking the children about it or looking it up yourself. The children then designed their own pizza with ingredients representing the colours of the Italian or Australian flag. They came up with some delicious creations! Students also created una pizza pazza - a crazy pizza - with some very unusual toppings and names for their pizzas. A few children worked up their appetite while completing the tasks and sent videos and pictures of themselves making pizza for lunch!
This past week has seen students prepare for Father's Day by completing some craft activities and a chalk tracing activity outside to describe and celebrate the dads and special father figures in their lives. They have made some amazing creations, no doubt ready to spoil their fathers and father figures in any way possible this weekend, whether it's via video links or in person!
Stay safe and thank you for supporting your child's Italian language learning.
Buona festa di papà!
- Linda Alampi, School of Wonder Languages Learning Mentor
Children create lockdown keepsakes
During Visual Arts this week, the School of Wonder children were given the option to participate in a Lockdown Family Collage activity. This activity is a future keepsake for families to remember Lockdown 7.0 in Shepparton. Children were asked to trace around one hand of every family member living within their home and glue them together to create a family collage. Some children chose to write beautiful notes to their family on the artwork.
- Chantelle Bell, Visual Arts Learning Mentor
R U OK? Day to be marked in the School of Wonder
R U OK? Day is on Thursday, September 9, but every day can be R U OK? Day. Learn how to ask at ruok.org.au
Thursday's national day of action reinforces the importance of staying connected with friends, family and colleagues through all life's ups and downs, big or small. School of Wonder children will have activities related to R U OK? Day in their learning program on Thursday.
Some of the circumstances that may lead to a child feeling low, include:
- Big life changes like moving house or school
- Experiencing grief or loss
- Being around people going through tough times
- Being bullied
- Arguing with someone
- Problems with school work
- Being bored
- Having a medical condition or chronic illness
- Not sleeping well
- Not exercising enough
- Hormonal changes
- Special needs
