Junior School
From the Head of Junior School
In our second week of exploring ‘Perspective’ across the school, we have enjoyed discussing the value of using perspective in our daily lives and had fun with a playful activity to emphasise the point of using a visual perspective.
In the perspective activity, students were asked to take a photograph that visually plays with different perspectives to the viewer so that objects appear out of proportion or not as they might usually be seen. This was a more challenging activity than it might sound at first, but a great deal of fun as students worked together to create scenes that change the perspective of a viewer. Some examples were playing with the size of an object in the photograph so something might appear very large or very small. Another perspective example was creating a scene where the dimension was distorted like a person walking up a wall or hanging on to something from a great height when they were actually millimetres from the ground. These examples helped students consider how something might appear very differently from another perspective, it all depended on the point of view.
We took this concept further with students when debriefing the activity and considered how perspective goes beyond the visual effects and into more intangible qualities that could help us to connect with other people or solve complications we experience in our daily lives. The examples students were able to share included:
- Perspective could help understand another person’s point of view, which might change our own point of view or at least help us appreciate how they are thinking and feeling.
- Perspective could help solve a problem or come up with another option we hadn’t previously considered. By looking at the issue or topic in a different way, we might consider another approach.
- Perspective helps us to connect with other people and form friendships or work together productively. Being able to understand how someone else might view something helps us to empathise with them, which can lead to great friendships or working relationships.
- Perspective helps us consider multiple options before we make a decision around what our next steps might be. Knowing how to look for more options to consider can be very helpful.
It was wonderful to see how quickly our Junior School students could connect with the concept of perspective, and apply it in a literal sense to have fun with visual effects but also to see an application more broadly into how they might use it to help with their interactions and problem solving. These are life long skills that I’m sure our students will re-visit throughout their schooling and incrementally apply age-appropriately to the context they are experiencing. In fact, I’ve enjoyed revisiting these concepts too, the mindful pause these type of activities offer is always valuable.
Upcoming Events
Friday afternoon invitation
This Friday 17 June, at 3.00pm until approximately 4.00pm the Junior School is hosting an informal BBQ catch-up for families in the ECC playground.
There will be a basic sausage sizzle on offer, and the opportunity for parents to chat and mingle while your children play together in the ECC playground (Djinda to Year One). There will be activities for older age groups (Year Two to Year Six) on the hockey turf or outdoor basketball courts which are clearly visible from the ECC playground and have some Senior School leaders playing with them.
We plan to hold more of these occasions during second semester.
Foundation Day
On Monday 20 June, our school will recognise its Foundation Day with a special Assembly together in the Quadrangle at 2.00pm followed by the ‘Running of the Flags’ event where student representatives from across the school run a relay race around the Quadrangle in House groups.
With sincerest warm regards, and appreciation,
Mr Ken Raven | Head of Junior School