From the 

Head of Junior School

A warm welcome back to all our families. I hope you all had a wonderful break and are feeling refreshed and renewed for the term ahead. Despite the wild and woolly weather the children have moved seamlessly back into their classrooms and are already embracing the exciting learning opportunities that have been planned. The days are starting to get a little shorter and a little cooler in the mornings. I love this time of year as the leaves change colours and as the day progresses you get to lose the many layers you started the day with as the sun comes out. This is a timely reminder that the children are in winter uniform and coming to School in their blazers. On sport days they are in full tracksuits (tops and bottoms). A reminder when girls are wearing earrings to School, plain gold or silver studs are the earring of choice.

Term 2 brings with it many different events for the children. For our Year 6 students they will be looking forward to their trip to Canberra in Week 2. As we move into second term, it is great to see our Year 6 leaders really growing into their roles and responsibilities. For the staff it will be a time of deep reflection as they prepare Semester 1 reports.

Home Learning

This week children in Years 3-6 will bring home a folder of materials to further support home learning. In Kindergarten to Year 2 students will continue to bring home activities linked to our Initial Lit program to further consolidate their literacy development. 

At Kinross Wolaroi, we acknowledge home learning has generated debate and controversy among educators, parents and students for much of the last century. The results of research in the area of home learning are also similarly complex. More recently, on balance, educators have argued there is little evidence to support the view home learning is academically beneficial for primary students. They have also suggested there is a point of diminishing returns after which it has little value. Parents object to home learning impacting negatively on family life and students feel home learning displaces other valued out-of-school activities (Horsley & Walker, 2013). While there are opponents of home learning among educators, parents and students, there are also strong advocates of home learning. For this reason, we are looking to find a balance in our approach to home learning at Kinross Wolaroi.

Much of the controversy surrounding home learning deals with the purposes of home learning. Ultimately, the purposes of home learning need to be legitimate and meaningful. For instance, home learning needs to be considered an essential link between home and school instead of an imposition on family life. Teachers and students need to see the value in home learning activities instead of home learning being considered ‘busy work’. 

For home learning to be valid it should relate directly to what is being taught and learned in class. At Kinross Wolaroi, we endeavour to set home learning that relates directly to the students’ learning experiences. We believe children in their early years benefit from time to learn about their world through play. Play is a vital part of childhood and growing up, in developing creativity, imagination and social skills. We do our students a disservice if we completely organise their free time or insist that they study for long hours after School. 

Valuable learning takes place when children participate in creative pursuits, discussions, play and other activities at home. Achieving a balance between School and home learning, instrumental practice, and recreational activities, between organised and free time is essential for the healthy development of children. 

Home learning provides an opportunity for students to engage in practice. This could include applying new knowledge or reviewing, revising and reinforcing newly acquired skills. Having some preparatory time gives students the opportunity to gain background information or the opportunity to obtain resources for a unit of study. Extension opportunities encourage students to pursue knowledge individually and imaginatively at home. 

The aims of the Junior School’s Home Learning Program are to:

1. Connect students’ prior learning to new learning
2. Engage students in intellectually challenging and relevant curriculum tasks that support learning at school
3. Provide a variety of meaningful home learning tasks that meet the needs of different learners
4. Promote student learning, critical thinking and self-reflection
5. Provide a foundation of basic skills

We are aiming for a structure which is clear, consistent, and flexible. Our model:

• Allows those families who see the benefit of undertaking formal learning beyond the school day at home to do so to the extent which works for them
• Makes suggestions about where the emphasis is best placed – fundamental skills, flipped tasks and optional extras
• Increases the opportunities for self-direction, ownership, and motivation – elements the students expressed they enjoyed during their time learning at home – rather than mandatory activities
• Brings parents in on supporting their child with fundamental skills and tasks which will enrich learning in the classroom, but time for which is not easily afforded in the classroom
• Takes the opportunity to utilise the platforms of Seesaw and Teams in which the students became so skilled 

There are 3 tiers of home learning:

1. Building Blocks – the fundamental skills
2. Flipped Fun – preparing for an upcoming lesson

Notice of a Flipped Fun task noted in the diary and through our online platforms, such as TEAMS. 

1. Going Further – optional extras

The school has a range of online platform subscriptions. We encourage families to refer to the Term Overview sent home in Week 2 of every term. These overviews provide connections for families seeking to enrich classroom learning. For example, you may consult the mathematics information to choose Mathletics activities to undertake, or the contextual learning information to choose a museum to visit, documentary to watch, or book to borrow from the library. 

Thank you to the families who participated in our information session on learning to read, NAPLAN, home learning and parent involvement in the School in Term 1. If you have any questions regarding approaches to home learning in 2022, please make a time to meet with your child’s teacher or the Head of Junior School.

ANZAC Day Service

On ANZAC Day it was a pleasure and an honor participating in the march and Civic Commemoration in Robertson Park alongside service veterans, current men and women serving in the armed forces and the many students from across the Orange region. I was especially proud of the number of Junior School students who proudly wore their uniforms and in some instances the medals of family members who have served. From our youngest students in Kindergarten to our school leaders in Year 6. Students heard the stories of those who have and continue to serve. A reminder of the efforts and sacrifice our service men and women have made and continue to make. Lest We Forget.

Kinross Students making their Mark 

Prior to the holidays both Andy Bell and Harry price trialed for the Orange under 12 Rep cricket team. Both the boys we successful in being selected Andy as a spin bowler and Harry as the reserve player. They will play in the age carnival later this year.

At KWS we value and strive for academic rigor. Students have a myriad of opportunities to engage in enriching learning experiences which in some instances the School provides or facilitates student access to them.  Please share with us your child’s interest, passions, and achievements by emailing junioroffice@kws.nsw.edu.au.

Mother's Day Event Invitation

We would like to extend an invitation to all of our students' mothers and their significant women to enjoy an afternoon with us for Mother's Day. Join us from 2.00pm for classroom visits, followed by afternoon tea at 2.30pm and a fun games afternoon from 3pm to 4pm, led by our Year 6 students. Please RSVP for this event at: https://events.humanitix.com/kws

We hope you can join us!

Mrs Denise Hayward  

Head of the Junior School