Enjoy Our Term of Learning and Celebration

Over the past two weeks I have been very fortunate to witness a number of exciting student and team celebrations of learning. There was a fantastic turnout for both the Upper Primary and Year 7/8 events and the students rose to the occasion by enthusiastically sharing their learning with families and visitors alike. Thank-you to all the families and friends who came out to support these events.

Upper Primary Presentation Evening

The Upper Primary rooms were totally transformed last Wednesday. One room looked like an ice-cream parlour, another a cinema (with popcorn) whilst others were like science labs and chocolate shops. There was a dazzling array of posters, books and PowerPoints showcasing student learning linked to their exciting Integrated Unit on ‘Spot the Difference’. Students proudly shared their knowledge of the properties of popcorn, ice-cream, eggs, and chocolate and the various stages of change that occurred through heating, melting and freezing. Families milled around, watched and listened to student led oral demonstrations and really enjoyed tasting the student’s creative products.

In PJT, five families, including siblings, grandparents and aunts and uncles came to see the students' chocolate bar presentation. Lots of families tasted the chocolate bars that the students made at the sample table.

PDJ students dressed professionally in ice-cream caps and white aprons presented oral reports about ‘Ice-cream’. Students capably researched this topic and presented projects in the form of posters, procedural texts and Power Point Books. The students confidently answered questions about their chosen topic. They helped their families make a ‘lemonade spider’ with their class-made vanilla ice-cream and taste their delicious ‘salted honey ice-cream’.

PSP and PCS joined forces to present their information reports on chocolate and how it can be changed. The students did a fantastic job of explaining reversible change and their posters looked fantastic. Parents, carers and students were excited to sample different types of chocolate and to melt a chocolate block on a stick into a hot cup of milk to make a delicious hot chocolate.

The PJF ‘Eggsperts’ presented their findings from their egg investigation. They had researched the properties of an egg and embarked on a learning discovery to find the answer to the question “Is an egg a liquid or a solid?” They concluded that an egg can change from a liquid to solid through the process of heating, cooling or chemical change. What an ‘Eggcellent’ experiment! PJF’s presentation included student information reports, posters, a short video and various experiment displays such as frozen eggs, cooked eggs, and bouncy eggs that had been left for a week in vinegar.

PMB proudly presented posters sharing information about an icy-pole they created. They even had a go at creating and tasting special class icy-poles mixing Zooper Dooper flavours and Gummy Bears. This was another very exciting experience!

PKO students enjoyed sharing and teaching others about popcorn. Visitors also enjoyed taste testing different flavours of popcorn, just as the students did when researching for their projects. It was great to see the hard work that students put into their research, movie making, PowerPoints and posters.

Congratulations to Chris Norman and her team for staging this successful showcase!

Year 7/8 Heating and Melting Gala

An enthusiastic crowd of year 7/8 families turned up last Wednesday to enjoy the many spoils students created throughout their heating and melting unit. Most families visited each of the presentation spaces, read the colourful and informative billboards, talked to students about their well-designed products and collected samples for their show bags.

I was very impressed by how efficiently our Yr. 7/8 students interacted with the surges of visitors. They were able to articulate how they made the products and encourage people to take samples of their heating and melting experiments.

The interactive event was staged in the Year 7/8 classrooms. Congratulations to Jane Stacey and her Yr. 7/8 team for welcoming visitors and encouraging students to guide their families through the wide range of attractively presented learning displays. It was great seeing students, siblings and adults exploring the products and listening, laughing and lingering over student learning.

We hope families, carers and friends can soon join in further excitement and shared learning at the following upcoming celebratory events:

Two Graduation Presentations-Yr. 6 and Yr. 12 students
Christmas Concert
Whole School Assembly

Camp Manyung PKO and PCS

I arrived at the Upper Primary wing last Wednesday morning to see many excited campers from PKO and PCS hauling their luggage on buses to Mt. Martha. I waved them off on the first day as they headed towards the sand and surf and a surprisingly grey horizon.

I was pretty sure they were going to get wet one way or another!

Apples For The Teachers

SAP recently organised an apple selling, work-related skills, venture. First, the students researched and sourced good quality bulk store apples. Then they calculated costs and worked out a suitable bag price to cover costs and provide a marginal profit. As a team they efficiently took apple bag orders, weighed, packaged and delivered the apples to staff. It was great to see Ann Park and her students fully engaged in this ‘fruitful’ enterprise.

Graduating Student Interviews

I caught up with some students who are graduating from year Primary and Secondary school. They gave me some interesting insights concerning:

What they enjoyed learning

Their top highlights

What they would miss most?

What they are looking forward to, next year?

What advice they would give other students?

Upper Primary Interview with Larelle (PDJ)

You are graduating from Primary School this term

How long have you been at Concord School? 4 years, I started in Upper Primary

What are three highlights in your time at Concord School?

Lady Northcote camp where we made fun tree houses

Playing with all my friends, mostly in the Discovery playground

Polly Woodside -finding teddy rats and pirates on board

What have you enjoyed learning this this year?

Maths, especially lots of problem solving

What will you miss most when you leave?

Being in the class with some of my friends Tyressha and Clinton

What are you looking forward to next year?

Doing all the harder work, particularly the maths

When you see other Primary students at Concord School what advice would you give them.

I would tell them what year 7/8 is like and tell them the rules so they don’t get into trouble.

Upper Primary Interview with Sam B (PDJ)

You are graduating from Primary School this term

How long have you been at Concord School? 5 years I started in Lower primary in Bec Campbell’s class

What are three highlights in your time at Concord School?

Lady Northcote Camp, the activities archery, giant swing and the flying fox were great

‘Variety’ with Sabrina was fun the prizes were great and there was lots of yummy chips and other food

Bowling Day where we played games together and had pizza in the park

What have you enjoyed learning this this year?

I have enjoyed maths especially the times tables and addition.

I have also enjoyed ice-cream making and making spiders, my favourite is mint flavour.

What will you miss most when you leave?

The teachers, Sabrina and Debbie

What are you looking forward to next year?

I am looking forward to harder work and maybe the camps.

When you see other Primary students at Concord School what advice would you give them.

I would advise them to ‘stay out of trouble’ and ‘listen to the teachers’.

Year 11/12 Interview with Ben M (SNK)

This is your last term of school

How long have you been at Concord School? 3 Years- I started here in 2016

What are three highlights in your time at Concord School?

Being School Captain in 2018

City Camp, last year –getting about and having some city adventures

Bowling at Greensborough Lanes–It was good fun and there was great teamwork

What have you enjoyed learning this this year?

The volunteer work at the Coburg SDS, I really enjoyed working with the staff and students in my old school

What will you miss most when you leave?

I will miss the teachers and my friends

What will you do next year?

I am going to find a TAFE course that will lead me to being a teacher’s aide.

If you visit Concord School what advice would you give other students?

My advice is ‘enjoy the time you have at school, be open and friendly every day in every way’

Year 11/12 Interview with Kulkiran S (SNK)

This is your last term of school

How long have you been at Concord School?

I have been here since 2009, so ten years

What are three highlights in your time at Concord School?

Anglesea Camp-where I learnt to surf for the first time. Once I practised, I got better and better.

Learning Taekwondo, in a year 9/10 elective

The Philip Island Camp where I practised my surfing, more and taught other students to do it as well

What have you enjoyed learning this this year?

Everything especially all the Work Related Skills I know it is going to help me in life.

What will you miss most when you leave?

I will miss friends and teachers most.

What will you do next year?

Melbourne Polytechnic Certificate 1 in Work Education Skills with Ignition Theatre

If you visit Concord School what advice would you give other students?

Respect your elders, especially your teachers because they put a lot into teaching you to do your best.

Helen Edmonds

Acting Assistant Principal

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