We are excited this term to welcome David Booth, an indigenous artist and performer who will spend one day a week in our school working with students throughout Term 4.

David will work with every class at Yultiwirra story telling, talking about indigenous artefacts, making damper, making jewellery, teaching dance and creating a mural with students.

We were thrilled to be successful in a grant application and to be awarded a one off $2000 grant through Reconciliation SA to help with the funding of this program.  We acknowledge and appreciate this support from Reconciliation SA.

As per our school's Reconciliation Action Plan, reconciliation means genuine, respectful and meaningful connection with Aboriginal peoples, to further develop an understanding of histories and cultures. We have committed to communicating with Aboriginal peoples in our local community, listening to stories and anecdotes and consulting and listening to advice and guidance.  We want to work together by engaging Aboriginal peoples to be involved in our school community, to expand our knowledge and understanding.

We are committed to welcoming Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into our classrooms to work alongside our students and children in learning activities. Having an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander presence in our learning environments is vital when teaching about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.

Educating students on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' histories allows students to develop their respect for diversity and understanding of cultural difference.  It provides all students with a rich and well-rounded knowledge of Australia’s history.  Furthermore, it promotes the closing of the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians on life expectancy, educational achievement and employment opportunities.

This current program will enable our school to work toward a common goal of connection and respect. At our school we value and encourage diversity. Reconciliation is a daily attitude followed by daily actions. We have so much to learn from the oldest living culture in history and our school feels privileged to play its part in moving forward with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples toward healing and unity.

Thanks to Nat Costello for applying for the grant and for liaising and co-ordinating the Term 4 program with David.

We welcome David Booth and look forward to the learning and engagement during Term 4.                                                                                                         

Cathy France 

Principal

This week we appreciate the benefits of performing arts for children. 

Opening night (and day!) is almost upon us as our Cycle 3 students prepare for their school performance, The Greatest Show. For weeks we have heard students rehearsing, watched as sets are built and props come together, observed the ticket sales team promoting the evening and witnessed the excitement that comes with opening week nerves.

There are so many fantastic benefits for children participating in the performing arts. In a school setting, for many children it is the first time they are introduced to an ensemble who are working towards a common goal. Each student is relying on another to deliver their line, or hit a lighting cue, execute a smooth prop change or make sure a sound effect is ready to go. 

It introduces children to quick thinking and problem solving, as well as the ability to expect the unexpected and then roll with it. No performance is ever perfect; however, working through scenarios in advance and coming up with solutions, gives children the confidence to try something new without the fear of failure.  

The performing arts allows children the chance to experience and cope with performance jitters in a safe environment. Children and adults alike feel nervous before a performance or public speaking, however embracing the excitement and nerves while still remaining calm and focused, comes with practice. 

Simply by having been a part of the performance process, children have been exposed to a new way of thinking and doing, that alone is a success to be proud of.  

This term we welcome Annie Welden to the role of OSHC Coordinator. 

Annie has a degree in Visual Arts specialising in photography and print making, she is also currently completing her Masters of Education.  She has keen interest in the benefits of creativity for children and is looking forward to sharing her love of arts and crafts with our OSHC community.

If you see Annie, please introduce yourself and make her feel welcome. 

Montessori Schools and Centres Australia (MSCA) hosted its inaugural Grassroots Conference in the Adelaide Hills late last term. With over 120 attendees and speakers, over two jam-packed days, we listened, learned, danced, and discussed key topics facing the Montessori community. The conference theme was ‘Montessori Education: A Changing World, Evolving Culture’ with sessions covering topics associated with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, technology and innovation, and neuroscience and wellbeing. It offered school and centre leaders and educators an opportunity to discuss, challenge and support one another in the current educational landscape. Many attendees celebrated the chance to be together as a Montessori community.

Highlights included: the keynote from international speaker Professor Pasi Sahlberg on educating children in an uncertain world; incorporating authentic First Nation voices into the classroom by Tim Moore; implementing school-wide wellbeing by Janis Coffey; and Learning to Listen presented by our own Katy Walker (Wellbeing Worker). All talks captivated the room and offered practical tips on incorporating key learnings into schools and centres. Attendees were also treated to workshops on Montessori Dance, neuroscience in the classroom and supporting big emotions from small people; It truly was a weekend with a “whole child” focus.

Some of the feedback from our staff is as follows:

"It was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with like-minded colleagues after such a long time. The time was spent re-energising our enthusiasm for being Montessori educators, why we do what we do and hearing new information to add to our professional growth and development. You always take away something which resonates from the diverse speakers and then apply it to your classroom in a meaningful way. Thank you for the experience."

"There was so much energy and positive vibes from so many like-minded Montessori educators around Australia."

"We were all there to challenge our current classroom routines and continue to push ourselves to be the best educators we can be for our children."

"Some of the presenters I could have listened to all day. They were so engaging and informative, but also enabled me to bring that same learning back to my home, not just the classroom."

We are excited to announce that Cycle 2 student, Mila, has been shortlisted in the National Australia Indonesia Language Awards (NAILA) 2022.

Mila's shortlisted entry will now be judged against the best entries in her category, Early Primary – Year 2, by a panel of  judges.

Semoga berhasil Mila! (Good luck).

To view Mila's entry, click here: National Australia Indonesia Language Awards

Thank you to the Class Parent Reps for generously giving their time last week to organise, cook and serve the Term 4 Sausage Sizzle.

There are 4 BILLION mobile phones in the world and our Cycle 3 students in Alex and Suzie’s class have been researching the impact these, admittedly handy devices, have on our lives and our planet. In particular, class visits to Monarto this term have inspired students to look at the impact mobile phones have on chimpanzee and gorilla populations in the Congo.

As with most non-renewable resources, the minerals that go into mobile phones (especially coltan) must be mined. Unfortunately, some of the richest coltan deposits in the world are in national parks in the Congo, meaning that mining leads to deforestation and contributes towards the endangered status of the gorilla. 

Secondly, the disposing of mobiles can be problematic. If thrown into landfills, they can produce toxic leachate that ends up in our groundwater. Irresponsible recycling can lead to mobiles being melted in open-air fires in other countries, leading to both pollution of air and water, and serious health problems among workers and residents.

By using the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle, you can personally have a big impact!  Cycle 3 students are running a collection drive of old mobile phones with collection boxes made available in OSHC and the school office.  All phones donated will either be refurbished and resold by PhoneCycle, or dismantled and recycled by Mobile Muster, the only not for profit Government accredited mobile phone recycling program. These organisations will then donate the money raised to Jane Goodall Institute Australia, which supports the work of Jane Goodall’s conservation programs for chimpanzees and gorillas in Africa.

For more information: Conservation at Monarto Zoo_Mobile Phone recycling

Children in the Infant Program were so enthusiastic and excited to be back in term 4! We’ve been working with riverbed rocks, children enjoyed the hard work of scrubbing the dirt from the riverbed rocks in soapy water, and then drying them. Each child then spent time decorating their rock with special coloured texta.

Many children noticed the sunflowers they planted at the end of term 3 have started to grow in the garden beds and they gently tended to them, watering with great care and focus. 

As part of our cultural curriculum this term, we are welcoming an Indigenous artist and friend of our school, David Booth, to share stories and experiences with the children. 

To begin to connect the Peramangk and Kaurna land we share, the children were introduced to the Kaurna seasons' calendar. We spoke about how the Kaurna people use the weather as well as native flowers, fruits and animals, to indicate the changes in the seasons. 

The children learnt the names of the seasons and found out that that we are currently in the season of Wirltuti (approximately October, November, December). We also identified the Kaurna words to describe thunder, lightning, yabby, kangaroo and we also learnt a number of names for fruit and vegetables. 

The word geometry originates from the Greek and Latin word geometria. Geo meaning earth or land and metria meaning measurement. 

The Montessori approach to geometry involves the use of concrete materials, which engage with the children's sense of wonder and which encourage children to measure for themselves the world they live in.

This term in Cycle 2, we have been studying line in geometry. Students have used materials to explore this concept and record examples in their geometry journals. 

 The students have been applying their knowledge of lines by creating road maps that include the new geometry concepts learnt. 

The road maps needed to include at least one horizontal line, one vertical line, one oblique line, a set of parallel lines and, for an extra challenge, an example of divergent or convergent lines.  

The class is currently studying angles. Students will learn how to find and identify the types of angles they have created within their road maps and then learn how to measure those angles.

Cycle 3 students have been hard at work preparing for our upcoming play The Greatest Show. The performance of The Greatest Show follows the Pickle family and their perambulating palace of performers, who are here to entertain and astonish while trying to avoid some fiendish saboteurs! 

Each student has a role in the play, from performance to stage design and building, props, sound and lighting as well as marketing and ticket sales. Everyone has worked incredibly hard and we cannot wait to perform it this coming Thursday, October 27th. 

Have a sneak peak of the entertainment in the pictures below! 

**Tickets can still be purchased for Thursday performances (matinee 1.30pm or evening 6.30pm). Tickets must be purchased online: The Greatest Show ticket purchase.

The Indonesian province of West Java has introduced their own Leader’s Reading Challenge based on the very successful South Australian Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC). As part of the ongoing cultural and business exchange between our two countries, Australian students were invited to participate in the Indonesian Challenge, which also counted towards their South Australian PRC target (12 books in total). 

It was pleasing to see an increasing number of Cycle 2 students taking part in this program last term. Students chose and read a bilingual Indonesian/English story and interpreted the meaning using their existing language skills and other cues and clues such as illustrations and situational context. The ability to ‘fill in gaps’ is a critical skill for language learners and this exercise was a great opportunity to practise it. The students then wrote a review of the story in English, with every entry receiving an Indonesian Leader’s Reading Challenge certificate. The 50 best reviews also received a medal. SELAMAT (Congratulations!) to all and special mention to medal recipients Aurora, Kai P and Chloe! 

“It was very fun, and I enjoyed reading Indonesian books because they are different from the books I usually read” - Freya describing her experience in taking part in the PRC Indonesian Challenge 2022.

Both cycles started the term exploring more verbs, playing memory and racing games to aid recall. In this picture you can see Cycle 3 students making posters of a park scene where verbs are used as prohibitions or invitations, eg "Jangan berenang di sini- ada buaya" (Don't swim here, there are crocodiles). This is a great opportunity to explore creativity whilst learning at one's own pace.

Cycle 4 students are using their Tuesday oral lesson to 'hear' subtitles in the Hollywood film Shrek. As well as gaining aural fluency by matching what they've heard with what they can see, students have the smarts to notice how sometimes the translation is not literal, and how sometimes jokes, especially puns, can't translate. This rich activity stemmed from a student suggestion.

If you would like to see the Cycle 3 performance of The Greatest Show this coming Thursday 27th October, there are two performances:

Matinee at 1.30pm

Evening at 6.30pm. 

Tickets are available for purchase online: The Greatest Show ticket link

After a long hiatus, the Wairoa Cafe is finally back! Join us on Thursday 17 November from 9am-10.30am at our Middle School in Stirling for the Spring time Wairoa Cafe. 

The “Wairoa Café” is a great opportunity to visit the Wairoa campus where the adolescent students provide coffee & cake as part of their micro-economy enterprises. This is an opportunity for parents to meet, mingle and chat. All parents are invited no matter which campus your child attends! Come along and have a cuppa in this beautiful setting!

This year our Fundraising committee will be hosting a Colour Explosion Run 4 Fun as a fundraiser on Friday 11th November, from 4-6pm at Bridgewater Oval, concluding with a whole school community picnic (more information on the picnic to follow).

Those students wanting to participate are able to take donations online or in cash with their sponsorship booklets which went home last week. 

To set up the online donations, please go to www.plantadifference.com.au

Donations need to be finalised by Friday 11th November. Please return cash donations and sponsorship booklet to the school office by 11 November.

Please make sure students bring a WHITE shirt to wear during the Fun Run. The non-toxic colour powder is made of high-quality corn starch and permitted food colours, so it’s safe for skin and eyes. Students with asthma are advised to be careful in their decision to participate.

For more information, please contact the office.

Happy Fundraising!