Junior School
SHELLEY PARKES
Head of Junior School
As I watch the latest lottery jackpot pass me by, I turn my thoughts to what truly makes me happy and how valuable happiness is.
Two key components of happiness are the balance of emotions and life satisfaction.
In our current space, it is hard for us to feel and see where our happiness may lie and fit within these components. I encourage you to make time to remind yourself that happiness isn't a state of constant euphoria. Instead, happiness is an overall sense of experiencing more positive emotions than negative ones.
We expect so much from ourselves and we need to permit ourselves to say, “I have happiness, amongst the chaos”.
Happy people still feel the whole range of human emotions—anger, frustration, boredom, loneliness, and even sadness, from time to time. But even when faced with discomfort, they have an underlying sense of optimism that things will get better, that they can deal with what is happening, and that they will be able to feel happy again. Find a moment to check-in and identify your happiness and like me, you may just be pleasantly surprised by how rich your life truly is and that what you have can and does make you happy and maybe, we don’t need to win the lottery after all! Remember; Happiness has long been recognized as a critical part of health and well-being. Stay safe, stay well and reclaim your happiness.
YEAR 5P STUDENT ISABEL TARALLO YOUNG KIDPRENEUR
Isabel Tarallo from Year 5 and her mum have been longing to make their own Bath Bombs and Science week was just the inspiration they needed to make it happen.
Please read their account of what was involved in making these Bath Bombs.
"The Bath Bombs are completely natural and smell great. The positive aspect of lockdown is that there has been more time to do relaxing AND fun things and spend more time outdoors. Our backyard lemon tree has given us lemon skin to grate and dry for our Bath Bombs, Grandma's roses to dry and use in the Bath Bombs and a walk through the reserve gave us different earthy-toned leaves from gum trees and the like, to dry and hole punch with circle and heart shapes, to make eco-friendly confetti as an alternative to paper."
Congratulations to Isabel and her mum Lilo. What a fabulous achievement and they look so beautiful!
AMBRE BORNEMAN
Enrichment Coordinator - Junior School
Due to the current climate, many of our regular activities are put on hold. But that doesn’t mean that we need to miss out! Here are some ideas to enrich, engage, and excite.
Chess
Online chess playing – Kids Unlimited, has regular online competitions for you to compete in from the comfort of your own house. To register for an event, please contact them directly at the website https://www.kidsunlimited.com.au/chess-events.html and click on ‘individual events’
Or practice and learn by playing against the computer at https://www.chesskid.com/play/computer
Write
Put your thoughts and feelings down on paper. Use the pandemic and your personal situation as the basis of a fictional character. Open now for young Australians is the Kids News Short Story Competition. This year’s competition has been expanded into four categories: Kindergarten to Year 2, Years 3-4, Years 5-6, and Years 7-9. Entrants can choose any theme or topic they wish. More information can be found at https://www.kidsnews.com.au/short-story-competition
STEAM
The Victorian Maths Challenge (found at http://vmc.global2.vic.edu.au/) is a fun way for you, your family, and friends to explore and solve problems. Take on as few, or as many challenges as you like. Work together to find your own solutions.
Kids on film - Make a movie. Children can write a script, put together costumes and design sets, and then film using a smartphone, laptop, or iPad. Send the result to grandparents to brighten their time in isolation. (Royal Auto – Lifestyle, Coronavirus Top Things to do at home with kids)
For the birds - Spotted some unusual feathered friends in your neighbourhood lately? Last summer’s bushfires sadly destroyed up to 40 percent of some native birds’ habitats, prompting silver-lining sightings including lyrebirds, gang-gang cockatoos, and the endangered glossy black cockatoo closer to urban fringes. You can use Birdlife Australia’s bird-finder tool to identify any you see in your backyard or neighbourhood. (Royal Auto – Lifestyle, Coronavirus Top Things to do at home with kids)
Have fun together and enjoy the family time. We would love to see the end result of any projects carried out!
SARAH CAFFERY
Head of Curriculum - Junior School
Keeping our students engaged and always moving forward in any space and any situation; face to face, on-site, or via remote learning is our priority. The challenges out of our control remain, however, we are continuing to maintain variety. The jackpot is when we see success in each of our students, in their own way, on their own journey. Our educators are benefiting from the small group session focus we have incorporated over the last two weeks, as much as our students have. An opportunity for the students to be seen and heard and responded to via a different approach, celebrating successes and addressing challenges is a shared windfall. The feedback from the students, parents, and teachers in reference to the learning choice grids has been so positive. We have created choice grids that are intentionally and purposefully connected to learning outcomes and prior learning. This allows our students to select independently from the choice grid or to follow a procedure similar to the lottery, a game of chance. Any task that is selected, even at random will bring them back to meaningful learning. The day looks and feels different when we run these small group sessions but the outcomes are still about steps forward in learning and overarching is the desire for our students to feel connected to their teacher and have an opportunity to engage in small group conversations. I am absolutely on the roller coaster with you! I’m working from home, I’m working on-site, I have 3 young children, I’m up and down and inside out. I appreciate the change in teaching and learning approaches on these days and I’m so pleased our students and families are responding positively.