HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL

As we end week 3 of online learning, I continue to feel proud of what everyone has achieved every day during this stay at home period. With the recent announcement of a four-week extension to the current restrictions , I remain confident that our school-wide approaches will support the continuity of students’ learning throughout.

Junior School Online learning Lesson Design

To equip students with the tools, skills and to develop life-long learning dispositions, at The Riverina Anglican College Junior School, we have two distinct yet complementary pedagogical approaches - Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) and Inquiry-Based Learning. We use the IB Primary Years Program (PYP) curriculum framework to inform and frame our inquiry-based pedagogy. All online literacy and numeracy lessons have been designed using the EDI principles. Typically, this instructional procedure follows the pattern of modelling by the educator, followed by guided practise with feedback, and finally by independent practice. This is known as: “I do, we do, you do. I aimed to inform and support our parents with home learning by posting student and parent user versions of these daily lessons.

The EDI Approach for Literacy and Numeracy

This is contrasted with our inquiry learning approach. Before students are shown the essential information, they are asked to practise a task and then discover some of the information themselves. The benefits of explicitly teaching literacy and numeracy skills to our students are that they will develop the necessary tools to help them learn how to conduct an inquiry task. You will find engaging inquiry tasks aimed to ignite your child’s curiosity posted on Google Classroom across the week. I would like to thank our teaching staff for delivering effective teaching and learning for our students online. 

Live Reads

Students across K-6 eagerly engaged in the ‘Live Reads’ conducted by Mr Humble, Mr Heffer, Mrs Petts, Mr Lough, Mr King, Miss Mac and I. We shared stories such as The Gruffalo and  Horrible Sciences through Google Classroom. It was lovely to see the students connect with the story through reflective conversation and their links to prior knowledge and experiences. ‘Live Reads’ have been a hit with our students and educators and will continue for the remainder of the year. We would like to recruit parents and grandparents to our team. If you or someone you know would like to join us, please contact the Junior School Office.

K-2 Wellbeing and Learning Kit

I am excited to announce that the College will be providing our youngest students with their own Wellbeing and Learning ToolKit. I have designed the tool kit to encourage play and support mental health in a home learning context. The toolkit contains worry dolls, a ball, skipping rope, creative arts items, stationery, books and literacy and numeracy resources. We hope that this supports our K-2 learners to thrive whilst learning at home.

Wellbeing and RUOK? Day

Last Thursday, the College held a Wellbeing day. This was to support our students, families, and staff in maintaining their health and wellbeing. Student and family wellbeing needs inform the design of our online learning platform. Daily Google Meets have created a sense of belonging and community to maintain student’s wellbeing. Students engaged in activities that encouraged them to ‘take notice’ and ‘give’ to improve wellbeing across the community. Across the week, class and specialist teachers modelled the RUOK? language within the 5 Ways to Student Wellbeing framework. The aim was to enhance our student’s ability to support themselves and others by using the RUOK? language and processes. Class ‘take notice’ and ‘give’ wellbeing activities involved sending an RUOK? message to a particular group within the community. Our target groups were frontline workers, the elderly, families, staff and Years 11 and 12. 

I have attached various resources for you to engage in that support student resilience and help maintain wellbeing. 

Click on the video attachment below

Junior School Award Recipients

It is with great pleasure that I announce the Junior School award recipients: Bradley Nelson, Harlem Rose, MacKenzie Lister, Jack Bailes, Ben Tilyard, Katelyn Miller, Harriet Brabin, Macie Butt and Mila Martin.

The Junior School Awards acknowledge students achievement and engagement in academics, self-management, service, sport and co-curricular activities.

Tournament Of Minds 

I would like to acknowledge the efforts of Mrs Green and our 2021 TOM teams for submitted their challenge solutions under trying conditions earlier this week. I am so proud of our inaugural Junior School teams for their dedication, creative thinking, perseverance and problem-solving skills shown throughout the challenge period. 

The TOM Teams are:

• Tremendous Tigers - language/literature: Mackenzie Lister, Harlem Rose, Katelyn Miller, Jack Sheargold, Emily Taylor, Chenxi Zhu, Fletcher Rudd
• Moonwalkers - social sciences/history: Georgina Brimson, Hamish Harding, Patrick Dunstan, Resandhu Hathurusinghe, Alexander Minehan, Hazel John and Lincoln Rudd
• The Eliminators - language/literature: Sofia Chacon, Olivia Peel, Eva Petts,  Alexa Alchin, William Garnock, Jack Arentz and Stuti Sapkota

Congratulations to the Tremendous Tigers for receiving Honours for their brilliant submission!

I look forward to joining you at our virtual Assembly on Friday. The K-2 assembly will be held at 10:00 am, and the Years 3-6 assembly at 1:00 pm.  You will find the link on your child’s Google Classroom. Please come along and support our wonderful school community.

If there is a particular topic that you would like me to cover in the next edition, please email your ideas to me at the College.

Happy online learning, and stay safe.

Kylie Chacon | Head of Junior School