From the 

Head of Junior School

Welcome Back

It has been wonderful to see the happy smiles and laughter that greeted the start of the year continuing into Week 2. The children have had a very settled start and are finding their feet. It has been lovely to hear how excited they are about their learning for this year. Many students have been sharing with me, not only who their class is named after, but why that person is a great role model. 

As with each year there are some year groups who for the start of the year it is a particular milestone. This is the case for Pre-Kinder, Kindergarten and Year 6 who are in their final year of the Junior School. 

We have photos from the Kindergarten’s First Day to share with families. 

Kindy’s First Day - https://geosnapshot.com/e/2023-first-day-back (Password 23KINDY) 

The excitement of a new year has not been confined to the children, our Junior School staff are just as excited to start a new year, one that has seen us all come together as a school community. This is something we have not had the opportunity to do since I commenced in 2021.

Our staff has continued to grow and change as happens in school communities. We have been blessed in the new staff who have joined us this year. Mrs Chapman, Ms Sleeman, Ms Dawson and Mrs Brooke Church. Mrs Church is a welcome lead for our Learning Enhancement Team. At this moment Mrs Church is getting to know students and establishing initial connections with families. In the coming weeks she will be reaching out to further her understanding on how we are supporting your child.

Grow Your Mind

Our staff commenced the year with learning of their own. In 2022 we implemented the URStrong program and in 2023 we are looking to expand our work in the wellbeing and social emotional space with a program called Grow Your Mind. The program utilises 4 pillars from positive psychology, neuroscience, public health, and social emotional learning. It was a timely workshop for staff as we start the year on how we need to look after ourselves to ensure we can support our students. Much in the same way when on a plane you put on your oxygen mask before helping another person with theirs.

The program reflected on the work of Russ Harris with a timely reminder that as human beings we are not actually programmed to be happy all the time. And that is ok. What we should be aware of is our power in how we react to things that we think or feel. I shared at Information Night the video of an Indian Folk Tale about two wolves. The one you feed is the one that grows. Often what comes home at the end of the day is a two minute interaction that did not go well, rather than all the great things that did happen. We need to listen to these recounts but resist the temptation to try and solve things. Often it is just about being heard and then guided back to things that did go well.

The workshop emphasised the importance of acknowledging emotions. As not doing so leads to an environment of toxic positivity, where uncomfortable emotions are denied leading to less resilience. The ”you’ll be right approach” at times may have a place. However, taking the time to validate a person that they are heard, will have a longer lasting impact.

Wellbeing is an ongoing process and something we need to actively work at, providing constant attention, tools, and strategies. As the year progresses, we will be filling our own toolkits so we can fill the toolkits of our students. On Thursday 23 March Junior School staff will be presenting on wellbeing. We invite you to come and hear how we are developing your child’s toolkit.

For the Love of Writing

In 2022 we commenced a partnership with author Tim Harris. Over the course of the year Tim worked with Junior School staff and students on:

• Assessment data collection
• Workshops (grade levels 2-6)
• Stage 2 (paragraphs, characters, dialogue)
• Stage 3 (paragraphs, description, characters, verbs, dialogue)
• Year 5 poetry
• Years 2-3 ‘extension’ workshop
• Years 4-6 ‘extension’ workshop
• Visit to Windermere (Year 3 poetry)
• Year 6 masterpiece stories
• Planning with staff for 2023 

As a staff we took a deep dive into the writing our students produce to analyse things they are doing well and where we need to focus our approaches. Our students generally do well in following writing prompts. However, we need to spend time on resolving their narratives. When writing most students do so using past tense, with our current Year 6 students starting to demonstrate a good mix of past and present tense. When writing most of our students do so using third, rather than first person. Three key takeaways from 2022 as a staff and 'where to next' with student writing relate to:

• Paragraphs – encouraging students to organise their ideas
• Language choices – push on adjectives and interesting nouns
• Sentence structure

In 2023 we will be working with students on many aspects of writing. However, our five focus points are:

• Knowing and controlling metalanguage 
• Sentence structure
• Paragraphs
• Direct and indirect speech
• Bringing it all together in writing samples

On Thursday 2 March Tim will be sharing with parents his passion for writing. I highly recommend parents attend this event. Tim’s understanding of the written language is hypnotic. To hear an author, share their craft, how they put words together will have you pause in how you look at the written word.

Round Square

In 2022 the Junior School introduced the language of Round Square through our class characters. Each class was named in relation to the concept of exploration and the people who classes were named after demonstrated not only the school values, but the ideals of Round Square.

In 2023 we are taking our next steps in becoming part of the Round Square community. Year 6 have been working hard with Mrs Fatai (Junior School Leader of Technology and Innovation and Round Square Project Officer) and Ms Anderson (Round Square Representative) on plans for the student body. Over the course of the year our students will share with you what they have learnt and how they are using this to enrich their own lives and the lives of others.

Kinross Wolaroi students making their mark 

At Kinross Wolaroi we value and strive for academic rigour. Students have a myriad of opportunities to engage in enriching learning experiences which in some instances the school provides or facilitates student access to them. Please share with us your child’s interest, passions, and achievements by emailing junioroffice@kws.nsw.edu.au.