HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL

Play and Supervision

I would like to thank our families for their patience and understanding as we provide a safe learning environment with reduced mingling between classes. It has been a challenging term navigating events, play and supervision under level 3 restrictions, however, students and teachers have done remarkably well adapting to these limiting conditions. At the moment students cannot mix with students from other classes which requires four different play areas with supervision. Support staff, junior school teachers, secondary teachers and senior executives are providing supervision for our students at playtime. Students have eating time with their class teacher, two play sessions and class physical education. Thank you to our staff who have again risen to the challenge of delivering extra supervision required to follow health regulations and keep our students safe. 

Thankfully, we have been able to host virtual events and gatherings to ensure our students are not missing out. These include weekly assembly, transition experiences and K-12 partnership programs such as IB CAS projects. 

IB CAS Project- Going to School Around the World Workshops

The IB CAS students did a wonderful job of working with our K-2 students. It was lovely seeing all of the students so engaged in the virtual activities.  The CAS student-led lessons were effective in promoting international-mindedness. Experiences like these capture the beauty of partnerships in a K-12 college. Please find below a description of the program by Jane Lister- CAS Coordinator. 

The purpose of the workshops is to further foster international mindedness among students and help them learn lessons from other cultures in developing their approaches to learning skills. Along the way, your students will learn about education in two countries. Each Year 11 workshop group has been working hard to come up with a detailed lesson plan involving a clear learning intention and inquiry question, as well as create a successful sequence of activities that involves playing introductory games, viewing an informative video, and undertaking hands-on activities that will further enable inquiry and reinforce their learning. 

The teachers and I are very grateful that Mrs Jane Lister - CAS Coordinator and Mrs Patricia  Humble- Head of  International Baccalaureate were able to coordinate these wonderful workshops to take place.

Year 6 Exhibition

The Primary Years Programme (PYP) Exhibition represents a significant event in the life of a PYP school and student, synthesizing the essential elements of the PYP and sharing them with the whole school community. As a culminating experience, it is an opportunity for students to exhibit the attributes of the International Baccalaureate (IB) learner profile that they have been developing throughout their engagement with the PYP. The Exhibition takes place each year with Year 6 students.

Students are required to engage in a collaborative, transdisciplinary inquiry process that involves them in identifying, investigating and offering solutions to real-life issues or problems.

Prior to students engaging in research, we support them in revising and refining their understanding of the five essential elements of the PYP (Concepts, Attitudes, Skills, Knowledge and Action) and of the Learner Profile. 

The PYP exhibition has a number of key purposes:

• for students to engage in an in-depth, collaborative inquiry

• to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate independence and responsibility for their own learning

• to provide students with an opportunity to explore multiple perspectives

• for students to synthesize and apply their learning from previous years and to reflect upon their journey through the PYP

• to provide an authentic process for assessing student understanding

• to demonstrate how students can take action as a result of their learning

• to unite the students, teachers, parents and other members of the school community in a collaborative experience that incorporates the essential elements of the PYP

• to celebrate the transition of learners from primary to secondary education

We are so proud of our courageous Year 6 students and Mrs Green for taking on this challenge in their first year of PYP learning.

Upcoming events

Transition to Secondary Experiences - All of Term 4

Celebration of Learning - Week 7 and Week 8

Year 6 Primary Years Program Exhibition - Week 9

Year 6 Graduation Assembly/Luncheon - 1st December

Junior School Presentation Assembly - 7th December

Kylie Chacon | Head of Junior School