Newsletter Number 14 • Wednesday 7th December 2022

From the Principal

2022 has been yet another challenging year but it feels like we're coming out the 'other side'.  Life has changed over the past few years, and now because of COVID we do some things differently.  We are all the better for some changes and other changes have become the 'new normal'.

Let's hope that 2023 brings even more opportunities to come together as a school community, more face to face interactions and less Zoom meetings!  

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the staff; both teachers and school assistants, for another year of being flexible, adaptable and creative in their work throughout the year.  We thank the staff for their ongoing resilience and their cohesion as a team.  They help make our school the wonderful, unique and vibrant place that it is.  

Thanks also to our Child Care and OSHC workers who work tirelessly throughout the year and provide a wonderful service and particularly to OSHC coordinators Maddy Ryan (Terms 1, 2, 3) and Annie Welden (Term 4).  Sincere thanks also to the admin and leadership staff; Susan Harris Evans, Pippa Milroy, Paul Noon, Jodie Searle, Gab Tooth, Tara Mc Henry and Anthea Hagar for all that they have done to ensure things run smoothly on a day-to-day basis.  

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our parent community who have volunteered and helped in some way this year.  As a small, parent/staff managed school we rely heavily on parental assistance and support and truly value your involvement and contributions whatever they might be.  Parent involvement enhances, either directly or indirectly, the educational experiences for all of our students and contributes to maintaining a positive, supportive school community. 

Most importantly, thank you to the students who make our work meaningful, bring joy into our lives each day and life into our school.

I wish you all a safe and happy holiday and look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.                                                    

Cathy France 

Principal

2022 Theme - 'Appreciation'

 This year the theme for our school has been appreciation. Appreciation can simply be described as recognising and enjoying the good qualities of a person, a situation, or a thing.  Appreciation is a feeling or expression of admiration, approval, or gratitude.

Showing appreciation strengthens our relationships and our connection to our community, it makes us happier and more compassionate.  Appreciation is not simply an emotional response; it is also a choice that we make.  We can choose to be appreciative, or to be unappreciative. 

You can express your appreciation in words of affirmation.  You can make quality time for those who might need it and in doing so, you are showing your appreciation.  A Montessori education shows our students the value of offering acts of service to those who might need it because people become more appreciative as ‘givers’ rather than ‘receivers’.  Giving tangible gifts displays appreciation, as does giving a smile, handshake, a hug or a ‘pat on the back’.  Small acts of kindness make a difference in a big way when it comes to cultivating appreciation.  Thankful people make it a habit to acknowledge and pay forward each bit of kindness that comes their way.

As the school year draws to a close we appreciate our passionate and dedicated staff and thank them for their incredible work and efforts and for the support and care that they show to our students.  We appreciate the parents and caregivers who support our work and we thank many of the parents for their spirit of generosity as they share their skills, expertise, and most importantly their time to enrich the program that we offer and the work that we do.

Finally, we appreciate our amazing students for their enthusiasm for learning and their willingness to take on new experiences and challenges. We delight in witnessing their development and growth.

Sincere thanks and appreciation

A sincere thank you to Ivano Cavuoto who after seven years of service, steps down from his Board position at the end of this year. Over those seven years Ivano has chaired the Infrastructure and Planning committee.  We thank him for sharing his skills, expertise and most importantly giving his precious time to the school and the Board and committee work. We particularly thank Ivano for leading the recent Master Plan process over the past 12 months with an end product that perfectly articulates our school's vision for future infrastruture and development. We wish Ivano and his family all the very best in the future.

Congratulations to our Year 6 and Year 9 Graduates

This Wednesday we will hold the Year 6 (Cycle 3) Graduation Ceremony in the hall at Yultiwirra.  Graduates, their families and some staff  will listen to the graduates speak and recall the memories of their time in Cycles 1, 2 & 3, outlining their achievements and taking the opportunity to thank those people in their life who have supported them along their journey thus far.  After the formal part of the evening, the graduates and a few staff will enjoy a meal at a local restaurant to celebrate the end of their primary schooling.  We thank the Year 6 students for being responsible and caring leaders at Yultiwirra this year.

This Friday the Middle School students will hold their Exhibition of Work and Learning during the day followed by the Year 9 (Cycle 4) Graduation in the early evening.  This is always a special event where parents, staff, families and friends come to celebrate the graduation of Year 9 students completing Cycle 4.  Following the graduation speeches the Wairoa students and staff will enjoy a sit-down dinner together at Wairoa and then a ‘party’ that the students organise themselves.

These graduation celebrations have become embedded in our school traditions and are a rite of passage for these students.  Thank you to Sam Cameron, Alex Blenkinsop, Natalie Costello  Suzie Saffin (Cycle 3 teachers) and Pippa Milroy, Dave Coulter , Ben Noble, Rom Evangelista & Riley Sabey (Wairoa teaching staff) for all of the wonderful programs and support they have offered these students throughout the year and the assistance they have provided in helping the graduating students prepare for the transition and next part of their educational journey.  

We acknowledge the following graduating students.

Cycle 3 – Year 6 Graduates

Sophia Cavuoto

Matilda Clark

Marley Coulter

Hadassah Howard

Hester Huang

Zora Huang

Aurelia Jefferies

Shiba Ma

Jet Monaghan

Ayaan Mazhar

Pearl Rooney

Madeleine Ross

India Taverna

Amelia Winslow

Cycle 4 – Year 9 Graduates

Teigue Alexander

James Bedson

Jessie Elbourn

Sophie Griffiths

Thomas Rayner

Jack Shuddebeurs

Farewell

It is with sadness that we farewell the following staff at the end of this year.

Natalie Costello (Cycle 3 teacher)

Katy Walker (Student Wellbeing worker)

Liza Savchuk (Cycle 3 assistant)

Isobel Scott (Cycle 3 assistant)

Some of these staff are moving on to travel or pursue other endeavours.  All of them have contributed to our school and we thank them for their work and the care and commitment shown to our students.

We farewell Wendy Birch (Wairoa assistant) who is taking 12 months' leave at the end of 2022.

We also farewelled Riley Sabey (Cycle 4 teacher) at the end of week 6 as she headed off on maternity leave.  Riley will rejoin the staff later in 2023.

I know our school community will join me in wishing all of these staff good health and happiness for the future.  They will all be sorely missed by staff, students and parents and will forever be a part of our ‘Montessori family’.

We are currently finalising staffing appointments for the 2023 school year.  Parents will be informed of new appointments and any changes once this process has been finalised.

2023 Staffing

I am pleased to announce that we have appointed the following people in the following roles for 2023.

Rom Evangelista - Cycle 4 teacher

Doris Strangl Round - Cycle 4 teacher

Maddy Ryan - Cycle 2 teacher

We are currently in the process of interviewing and appointing for the two Cycle 3 Assistant positions and the Student Wellbeing worker position.

End of Year Christmas Concert - Monday 12 December🎄

We are pleased for the return of the end of year concert at Yultiwirra this year - albeit slightly modified. 

So as not to cram lots of people into the hall we will hold three end of year concerts, one for each cycle on Monday 12th December.

We invite parents to come along to enjoy some items and performances from the students.

9.30am - Cycle 1 Preschool and Cycle 1 Primary students

10.30am - Cycle 2 students

11.45am - Cycle 3 students

We ask that parents leave the car park promptly after each performance so that the next cycle of parents have some spaces to park.  We hope that parents can attend.

Thank you to class parent reps

Thank you to the 2022 class parent reps for undertaking their role and giving their time to the many facets of the role.  They have assisted in building community spirit and a positive, supportive school environment. 

Board Communique

The last Board meeting for the year was held this week and we reviewed the progress of the 2022 Board Action Plan acknowledging a number of big projects that have been completed this year, such as the Strategic Plan, Master Plan and progress in establishing the School Foundation.

We also reviewed the Delegation of Authority policy and framework.  Cathy provided an update on the staff Enterprise Agreement process.  We also farewelled and thanked Ivano Cavuoto after seven years of being on the Board and chairing the Infrastructure and Planning committee.

Jade Crathern

Board President

The Hills Montessori Fencing Team

The Hills Montessori School Fencing Team competed in their grand final last Saturday at St Michael’s Lutheran School in Hahndorf. Lachlan, Joe, Dusty & Hunter won their grand final beating Littlehampton B 45-44, placing them third overall in The School’s Guard fencing league for 2022.

The team has loved learning new skills from their patient & skilled coach Dov. Thank you to HMS leadership & OSHC for providing a place for the team to train & compete over the last semester. En garde!

Cycle News

Infant Program

This year we have focused on the Seasons, and we are now back to the beginning of our learning returning to Summer (finally!).

As we move closer to the holiday season, we have enjoyed different tree decorating activities requiring concentration and an emphasis on fine motor skills. Some of the activities have required great focus and the children have risen to the challenge with enthusiasm and determination. Thank you to our wonderful families who have attended Infant Program this year, it has been a delight to be a part of your child's early life and development.

Cycle 1 Preschool

Food preparation is a key curriculum area of our Preschool program. 

Recently Jenny, one of our staff, donated some home-grown broad beans to our Preschool. This provided the perfect opportunity for students to explore the life cycle of the plant (broad bean) and develop and extend their fine motor skills and concentration whilst removing the beans from the exterior pod. 

The following day we cooked the beans, removed the inner bean from the husk and then made bean dip by adding garlic and finely chopping and mashing the beans. It was delicious. 

Special thanks too, to big sister Marley- who helped with the process!

Cycle 1 Primary

This week both Cycle 1 classes hosted their annual class café. Leading up to the day, children were engaged in grace and courtesy lessons, cooking experiences and practical life skills' activities. They planned the menus, wrote invitations and rearranged the classroom to a café seating style.

They loved being a host to the other class and to staff members.

Zeke: “I liked serving some food to an adult. I never did this before” 

Albie: “This was amazing. Wish we have a café everyday” 

Scarlett: "This was super fun” 

Mila: "It was really fun looking after Riley."

Harriet: - "I liked serving people & having a try of the food myself."

Corey: - "I found it challenging to remember the drink choices but I did it."

Cycle 2

Inspired by the Archie 100 exhibition at the SA Art Gallery, Cycle 2 has been exploring proportion and identity in portraiture. 

A variety of portraits, including self portraits have been created using different techniques and mediums.    

Students have prepared and completed interview Q & A’s to accompany a portrait of a friend, had a go at part photograph part self portraits as well as free choice portraits. 

We have also been working on our collaborative mosaic piece. It is very close to being grouted and finished. We can’t wait to see it hanging proudly on the Cycle 2 outside wall. 

Cycle 3

In week 5, our Cycle 3 students ventured to Normanville for our school camp and enjoyed three days of fun in the sun! 

We started at Myponga Reservoir for team games and then travelled to Dzintari campsite and settled into our dorms. It wasn't long before we were got straight into the activities which included, kayaking, rock pooling, fishing and save the village team games. Some lucky groups even caught squid (which they were able to cook and eat that night) and some crabs which was a highlight!  

We also enjoyed free time in between activities and spent time playing card games, basketball, starting the day off with morning meditations with Liza , hanging out with friends between both classes and not getting much sleep on the first night! 

We concluded our camp with raft building and managed to avoid the bad weather with the storm setting in just as we left for school. A big thank you to our parent volunteers Leanne, Pete, Campbell and Lisa for giving up their time to come on camp with us. We had an amazing time and are already looking forward to camp in 2023! 

Avi: “I liked doing the fishing and rock pooling. I liked finding the crabs and holding them.”

Matilda C: I really enjoyed the kayaking along the reservoir and when I was in front of people, I just stopped and looked around. It was really pretty.” 

India: “I liked going Kayaking for the first time and I didn’t fall in!”

Emily: “We caught three squid! I caught one on my second time ever fishing!” 

Lukas: “It was the second time I’ve done kayaking and my favourite bit was rafting up and when we had to stand on our kayaks!”

Cycle 4

'Tis the season...for going on school camps! Our Cycle 4 students (Years 7, 8 and 9) headed off on camp to St Vincent last week. Their summary of camp is below, and definitely worth a read!

Pt Vincent, 3 days + 2 nights, 2 buses, travel games, chatter and laughter, pit stop, (coffee stop), on our way, missed the turn-off, it’s ok, arrived! 

Set up tents, run out of time, get to the beach, meet our guides, hi-lar-i-ous guide, knee boarding and kayaking, OH YEAH! “Kneeboarding was especially fun ‘cause you could go as two people so you could do high fives”, break, frozen muffins, back into the water, out of the water, shower, BBQ dinner, night walk on the beach, stars, crabs, chats, knackered, bed, wake up, breakfast, bathers on, into the bus, to the west coast, all-day-surfing, perfect swell, crystal waters, sunny day, dunked, shake it off, try again, dunked, shake it off, try again, I’m up! DOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLPHINS! We are now surfing with a pod of dolphins! “Ben, how much time is left?”, “About 1.5hrs”, “YYYYEEEESSS!” Dunked, shake it off, try again, get out, get dry, have a brownie, back on the bus, travel games and laughter, back at camp, preparing for the Great Trangia Cook-Off, dinner: salt and pepper tofu, pasta, fried rice, sushi bowl, burritos, curry, cob, pizza (cold... oh dear...) dessert: baked brownies, pancake… batter mess, chocolate strawberries, lots of smores, fondue, peach cobbler, custard, rice pudding, knackered, bed, wake up, pack up, breakfast, tired bodies, back in the water, revived bodies, sailing and stand-up paddle boarding, seals, correction: “Attack Seals”, bakery lunch, YUM! Back on the bus, very much quieter, travelling games, giggles, back to school, all pitching in for pack up, we love it! Goodbyes. Back again next year with an extra day!

Music with David

It’s been a fast, but exciting term for students and preparation for our Christmas concerts is in full swing for all Cycles, with students selecting the repertoire they would like to perform. 

Preschool students have been engaged in developing their motor skills, by using one, then two drumsticks and by devising their own rhythm order through flash-card options. 

Cycle 1 students have developed a new set of repertoire songs, incorporating movement and instrumentation on tuned and untuned percussion, across a few of these songs.

Cycle 2 has come up with a set of movements for the song ‘If I Had a Hammer’, which we will record at some point, as many schools around the world can benefit from and are hungry for class-based music movement songs, of which this is an excellent example. Lyric, rhythm and form aspects are all well considered. The Recorder group has also had some excellent success as they prepare for their concert performance.

Cycle 3 students continue to show rich musical ability. Their term 3 musical performance combined with the many students who show interest in musical instruments and singing, has elevated their knowledge, ability and confidence in music, voice and performance.

It’s been a fascinating year for me, engaging in the Montessori method via music and I thank students for their enthusiasm and energy towards the subject. I look forward to working with them throughout the coming year.  

IT with Christine

This year we implemented a Digital Technologies program for Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 which ran in small group lessons. Students have had the opportunity to sample a range of technologies and explore related topics. 

We started the year with a focus on Chrome Book basic skills, including how to log in and access Goggle drive, basic word processing skills and creating slideshows. With some more advanced tasks being presented to Cycle 3 students. 

This was followed by brushing up on online research skills, with a strong focus on key search terms, avoiding plagiarism and questioning the reliability of what is found online. Amongst these lessons, cyber safety was explored with formal lessons on keeping safe online. 

Students explored artificial intelligence by teaching a computer how to distinguish between a happy and a sad face. Lisa and Christine’s class explored this further by teaching a computer how to categorise quadrilaterals based on their features and to tell the difference between basic shapes. 

Students used programs including scratch and code.org to practice block coding. They animated their names and some went on to create their own games. They developed their coding skills by solving challenges and puzzles. 

Cycle 2 experimented with programming a Bee bot with the task of navigating its way through a maze to pop a balloon. Cycle 3 used Merge Cubes to discover the possibilities of augmented reality. Both cycles have also experienced virtual reality when they were transported to Machu Picchu in South America using VR goggles and Google Expeditions. 

We are pleased to announce that our Digital Technologies program will be continuing in 2023 and look forward to developing this program further.

Appreciation Gift Box - Order Now!

What better way to conclude our Year of Appreciation, than with an Appreciation Gift Box!

If you were after a beautifully packaged gift hamper for a gift, a thank you present, or just to show your appreciation to someone special, then our Fundraising committee has made it easy for you with a gorgeous Appreciation Gift Box!

Appreciation Gift Boxes are $60 and available for order until Friday of this week, with collection Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of next week at the office. Each hamper contains a bottle of Howard's bubbles, chocolates, biscuits, jam, bath salts and matching Montessori stemless wine glasses. If you'd like to order your Appreciation Gift Box, email reception@montessori.sa.edu.au


2022 - 2023 Vacation Care

To help with your summer holiday planning you may wish to take note of the Vacation Care dates over December 2022 and January 2023.  

Please click here to access the Vacation Care program and booking form.

Vacation Care will run from:

Thursday 15th Dec 2022 – Wednesday 21st Dec 2022

Vacation Care will close:

Thursday 22nd December 2022 – Friday 6th January 2023

Vacation Care will reopen:

Monday 9th January 2023 and run until Monday 30th January 2023

NAPLAN Results

Parents with children in Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 are asked to contact their child’s class teacher to make a time to discuss the NAPLAN results in conjunction with other school records.

Cultural Connection Zone

The Cultural Connection Zone is a regular spot in the Newsletter highlighting cultural events & information provided by the Cultural Understanding Committee (staff).

Causeway at Victor Harbor

I would like to share with you that the new causeway at Victor Harbor to Granite Island features the longest known piece of integrated Aboriginal artwork in Australia. Along the 620 metres of the causeway, my family had fun picking out indigenous images that have been sand-blasted into both the planking and the fencing. Upon return to our lodgings we could look up the meaning of what we saw, however I would recommend a family looks at the link first and then commences the walk. The artwork commences at the start of the causeway with the recently unveiled statue title    ‘Ngurunderi the Creator’, by Ngarrindjeri artist Kevin Kropinyeri, and built by Adelaide artist Karl Meyer. Ngurunderi is the great Dreamtime ancestral being of the Ngarrindjeri Nation. The sculpture features Ngurunderi holding his Kaiki (Spear) and Plonggi (Club). The Victor Harbor council website writes: The City of Victor Harbor encourages local residents to pause at the sculpture next time they visit the Causeway, and reflect on the cultural significance that Granite Island holds for our First Nations peoples.

Lyndal Chittleborough | Cultural Connection Committee

Dates, Events and Notices

Invitation from Onkaparinga Swimming Club

Would your children like to be part of a club swimming team, or require swimming lessons? Onkaparinga Swimming Club at Woodside is offering 'Come & Try Club Swimming' sessions on Friday nights, as well as swimming classes for children and adults of all ages. 

If you're interested, contact Pat Wheeler on 0423 520 633

St Vinnies Christmas Hampers - donations accepted until this Friday

Diary Dates for Term 2

Term 4 2022

Wednesday 7 December

Year 6 Graduation 

Friday 9 December

Exhibition of work & learning - Wairoa

Year 9 Graduation

Monday 12 December

End of Year concerts - Yultiwirra

Tuesday 13 December

Big Day Out - Cycle 4

Cycle 3 end of year excursion to Marion Bowland

Wednesday 14 December

Term 4 ends - 2pm finish

Thursday 15 December

Vacation Care starts

Wednesday 21 December

Vacation Care ends

Monday 9 Janaury 2023

Vacation Care begins

Thursday 26 January

Australia Day Public Holiday

Monday 30 January

Pupil Free Day

Vacation Care ends

Term 1 2023

Tuesday 31 January

Term 1 2023 begins

2023 Term Dates

Term 1: Tuesday 31 January – Thursday 6 April (10 weeks) 

Term 2: **Wednesday 26 April – Friday 30 June (10 weeks) 

Term 3: Tuesday 25 July – Friday 29 September (10 weeks) 

Term 4: Tuesday 17 October – Wednesday 13 December (9 weeks) 

2023 Pupil Free days 

Term 1: Monday 30 January 

Term 2: Monday 24 April 

Term 3: Monday 24 July 

Term 4: Monday 16 October 

2023 Public Holidays 

Thursday 26 January – Australia Day 

Monday 13 March – Adelaide Cup Day 

Friday 7 April – Good Friday 

Monday 10 April – Easter Monday 

Tuesday 25 April – ANZAC Day **results in Term 2 starting on a Wednesday

Monday 12 June – King's Birthday (TBC) 

Monday 2 October – Labour Day

“The essential thing is to arouse such an interest that it engages

the child’s whole personality."

Maria Montessori