School News
Room 11 - Year 2 Assembly
Harmony Day
Over the last week Room 11 have been learning and exploring the meaning of Harmony Day. Students understand that Harmony Day is important – a great way to show that we care about everyone in our community “Everyone is welcome. Everyone belongs.” In Room 11 we have many different nationalities from around the world. It was a great opportunity to come together to celebrate and embrace our diversity.
Evie is German and she shared her traditional food Brezons. Basil is French and his wonderful Mum made the class, their traditional food crepes. Cata is part Argentinian. Her Mum and Grandma came and made Alfajorcitos with the students. Sullivan’s Dad came and spoke to the class about the importance of maple syrup to the Canadian culture. Lulu brought in her choong sahm dress and red lantern when we were learning about Chinese New Year. Sietta’s Grandma made the class a loaf of baguette, a French bread.
Room 11 performed on Thursday, their Harmony Day assembly. They shared the meaning of different cultures that contributes to Australia’s identity. They were amazing and Ms Foster, Ms Clark and Mrs C were so very very proud of them. They also performed a song “We are all amazing”. They sang the song along with Mr Kaloczy playing the ukulele. It was a superb performance!
They knew every word and every action, they performed with great enthusiasm.
Visual Arts News
This term has been action packed with the installation of our School Mural and the opening of the 2023 Sculpture by the Sea.
It was great to see first-hand Cottesloe Beach transform into an international sculpture park with 71 sculptures representing 12 countries. How many places can you meet an artist, do a workshop, enjoy circumnavigating sculptures and have a swim!
Recently at school, artist Jenny Dawson along with Peter and Ivan Zuvella, have expertly mounted our Pre-Primary – Year 6 ceramic tiles. The measuring, bracing, adhering, grouting and scaffolding processes have been occurring before our very eyes. In fact it wasn’t until the bright blue masking tape was stripped off that we could see the beautiful and inspiring student tiles. Jenny’s original marine grade aluminium wildflowers designs framing the mural and photographer Peter’s enhanced copies made from the 1920’s photos of former students and early school buildings (which he transferred onto individual tiles as part of the mural) truly enhance and complete our mural.
In the Visual Arts area student engagement and productivity is high. In Art Responding, all classes have been viewing via video clips, online gallery images and many visiting on site, the Sculpture by the Sea.
Upper primary students from Year 4-6 have also been carrying out a variety of tasks but all have a common thread of creating cartoons. They have been investigating Hobart artist, Christopher Downes in his job role of cartoonist for the Mercury Newspaper and his residency at Tasmania’s MONA Museum (visited by myself and several of our students with their families in 2023). His zany imagery to create, an illustrated book on the workspace which centres around exhibits like the ‘unique’ red Porche and a liquid oil filled room with suspended platform and Escher-like optical illusion. Oh yes… and not to forget the glass lift.
Other artists of note and activities are:
- Year 6: Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth (drawing/painting white on black fields).
- Year 5: Andy Warhol – Pop Art (mixed media using garish/vibrant colour on mass produced portraits).
- Year 4: Dante Gabriel Rosetti – Pre Raphaelites (heroic/heraldic.)
- Year 3: Various – including royalty, landscapes gardeners, farmers and graphic artists. Exploration of environmental living landscapes through art, symbols, plant cropping including maze, maze and more amazing mazes.
- Year 2: Brigid Riley – exploring line rhythms and creating Op Art landscapes (ink paints, collage and Friedensreich Hundertwasser’s linear rhythms and colour.
- Year 1: Artists using colour – identifying and matching colour, collage print making, making 2D and 3D colour creatures, marbling paint and mixing colours across a wading pool expanse, singing, chanting, viewing online e.g. ‘Colour Bubblies’.
Please take the time to view some creative moments at the art room, Jenny and Peter’s studio, mural progress, school grounds and images of Christopher Downe’s cartoon residency at Museum of Old and New Art by looking at these slides. Websites for our major sculpture event 2023 is as follows, https://sculpturebythesea.com.au
I hope that you enjoy.
Catherine Henderson (BA Fine Art)
Senior Teacher
*Come and visit our Mural here at school. It is amazing!
Pre Primary - Room 5
The Pre-Primaries in Room 5 have started Harmony Week off with a bang, immersing themselves into the cultures and traditions of the Noongar people in the ‘Bush Tucker’ incursion run by SERCL. This incursion proved very insightful and peaked the interests of the Pre-Primaries as we learnt about the ways the Noongar people moved along the Swan River during the six seasons and the changes to the food they ate during these times. We were particularly interested to hear that kangaroo dung and tree sap mix together to form a strong glue that was used to build tools and weapons for survival!
We also loved the opportunity to be able to touch and smell various native plants and bush tucker items during the talk. We have quite a diverse range of cultures and ethnicity in Room 5, and the Pre-Primaries have thoroughly enjoyed sharing this knowledge with one another in the true spirit of Harmony week.
Harmony Day
Harmony Week 2023
This year’s Harmony Week Celebrations culminated in an awesome Assembly run by Room 11. They talked about how it is important to celebrate the diverse community we live in as well as giving us information about the individual cultures the students identify as being part of. All the students in the school were invited to either wear orange, the colour for Harmony Week, or in national dress. Volunteering students took part in a parade.
Many thanks to our families who supported the day by sharing part of their culture with us. The bread, and other food offerings, were all delicious.
From the photos, you’ll see we had many students who participated in our celebration of diversity and exclusivity.
Thank you to everyone who got involved.
Swimming Carnival 2023
On Friday 10 March, White Gum Valley held our swimming carnival. The swimming carnival had the year 4, 5 and 6 students competing in races ranging from freestyle to butterfly. It was a very fun and exciting day with each faction trying their hardest, cheering loudly and showing great sportsmanship. After many hard fought races, Challenger came out on top.
Congratulations to all of the competitors and champion swimmers.
Thank you to Ms Foster for setting up and planning the carnival, the teachers for doing all the scores and the parents for helping out.
By Tama .
Honour Certificates
Room 1 Frankie and Nieve
Room 2 Violet and Bailey
Room 5 Margaux, Ruby and Mabel
Room 6 Jonah, Alby and Blake
Room 7 Rocky and Sukey
Room 8 Seraphina and Ned
Room 9 Ranger and Kennedy
Room 11 Sylvie and Bobbie
Room 12 Grace and Scarlett
Library News
Attendance Matters
Class Attendance competition winners for our weekly prize and looking after our Signed Indigenous Guernsey were;
Week 4 – Room 6
Week 5 – Room 8
Week 6 – Room 8
Week 7 – Room 9
Our individual fortnightly winners were;
Week 5 – Charlie in Year 5
Week 7 – Ranger in Year 3
Classroom doors open at 8.45 with school officially starting at 8.50am. Teachers take this opportunity of setting students up for the day, consolidating learning from the previous day or engaging children in a quick learning activity. Being on time really does have a positive impact on the day; learning time can be lost as a result of students arriving after 8.50. We encourage you to get in touch with your child’s teacher if your child is struggling to get to school for this time.
E-Safety
The esafety Commissioner has many resources that are aimed at providing parents with help on how to start the chat about online safety issues and strategies.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/resources#videos
There is also a series of short videos designed for children aged 5 – 8 years old to help them learn how to protect them selves.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/resources/mighty-heroes
Why not check out the resources and help keep your family safe.
WGV Good Standing Policy