I would like to welcome students, parents and staff to the 2023 school year. I particularly welcome the new students and families and look forward to their involvement and input into our school.

In 2023 we begin to emerge out of the COVID pandemic and begin to learn to live in a world where COVID is part of our way of life.  COVID is an infectious disease that we need to be mindful of and just like any other infectious disease, we need to put in place mitigating measures to reduce risk of infections within our school and community.

We are excited about opening our school back up and returning to some sort of ‘normality’ with the return of some much-loved events and functions that in the past three years we have had to forego.

Please save the date for the following events:

• the twilight Festival of Arts which will be held at Yultiwirra on Wednesday 29th March
• The Wairoa Twilight Market on Friday 31st March
• Sharing assemblies held in the Yultiwirra hall 

Friday 10th March at 10.00am – Cycle 1 Preschool , Cycle 1 Primary and Cycle 3 students will share their work and learning.

Monday 27th March at 2.30pm – Cycle 2 and Cycle 4 students will share their work and learning.

• Community Breakfast at Yultiwirra - Thursday 6th April

We were pleased to hold a professional development (PD) session on Restorative Justice for teaching and assistant staff on the Monday pupil free day at the beginning of this term.  Last year we had to cancel this session due to Covid.

The principles of Restorative Justice are very in line with the Montessori Philosophy and values and it is the approach that we use when dealing with student disagreements, struggles and conflict.  Participating in the PD session reaffirmed our practices and helped us as a staff reflect and refine our ways. It was also a positive and beneficial learning experience for our new staff.

Restorative Practices focus on relationships and give people a voice providing an opportunity for young people to develop empathy and work collaboratively. Using this approach develops a more positive school culture and significantly reduces behavioural problems. Restorative Practices proactively develop a sense of community and seek to increase the social capital between people across the school.  Restorative Practices are based on treating all people with respect and dignity.  Through this approach, we seek to create safe, supportive spaces in our school where we can bravely engage in and learn from, crucial, honest and sometimes difficult conversations.

I wish for a positive, fulfilling, safe and healthy year for everyone, and particularly for our students, a year full of rich and diverse learning experiences and opportunities.

Cathy France

Principal

Each year, as a school, we have a key focus for our school and community. This year we have decided the theme will be 'Unity'. 

Unity  is the state of being united or joined as a whole.

Unity creates the experience of cooperation, increases enthusiasm for the task and makes the atmosphere empowering. Unity creates a sense of belonging and increases well-being for all.

‘Unity is strength’  is a famous saying that has been around for centuries. The idea behind the phrase is that when people work together, they are more effective than when they work alone.

Unity is strength means staying united in all situations. It has great value in all walks of life. When we are united then we can surmount any challenges and accomplish any goal. The development of our society depends on this spirit.

Unity and harmony is vital for a team or group’s overall success. To grow unity and harmony, the heart and spirit in individuals needs to be aligned with trusting relationships, and individuals must be empowered positively to believe in themselves and each other.

As we emerge out of the pandemic, it is imperative that we come together again, work as one and unite, enjoying the support and strength that being unified provides. Unity has always been the strength of our community and in particular the success of our staff team. 

Cathy France

Principal

"Unity is strength…when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved."        Mattie Stepanek

Welcome to 2023 Infant Program families! It’s been a wonderful start to the year with our children and families bringing great positivity and enthusiasm to our mornings! This year we will be exploring shades, colours and developing and engaging our senses. We have started with a study of ‘Black and White’ and in preparation for the Festival of Arts we have been looking to Bruno Munari’s Montessori mobile (for 0-8 week old babies) for inspiration for our class canvas. Exciting creative times ahead! 

It has been a lovely start to the beginning of the year in the preschool. We have had many warm moments of students reconnecting with friends, making new friends, and engaging with a range of shelf activities. Students have particularly enjoyed learning about the human body, colour and their sense of sight and touch. Students have begun drawing and painting self-portraits which will be displayed at the ‘Festival of Arts’ in Week 9. Through this work children have practised their fine motor skills, art techniques and the skill of observation, using mirrors and portrait photos of themselves. It has also provided a wonderful spring-board to discuss external facial features, such as the parts of the eye, including the iris, pupil, eyeball, eyelashes and eyelid. 

Self-Portrait quotes 

“Can I do another one?!” – Aiden 

“I have ‘juicy white’ here. It’s like pinky. I’m making it nice. Do you see? I mixed blue to make blue.” – Harper 

“I like doing this. I like the painting part.” - Elsie

In Cycle 1, we have kicked off our term with a Geography exploration. Students discovered that in a series of images of our earth, there were often three main parts - water, land and air. We talked about land forms which come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and account for  different parts of the world being so unique and interesting to observe. We looked at how the shape of our land has VERY slowly changed over millions of years into the shapes we see today which are the seven continents. The children came up with the idea to put their ears to the ground and quietly listen to the earth. They wanted to see if they could hear it moving. 

Alice: “If we are super quiet maybe we can hear the earth rumble.”

Corey: “The earth is mostly made of water.”

Piper: “The Arctic is in the frigid zone, the water is frozen”

It has been a wonderful start to Term 2. We have welcomed a number of students to the Cycle and it has been lovely to see the older Cycle 2 students mentoring the younger students within minutes of them entering the room. Both Cycle 2 classes have begun connecting in different ways, which you will hear about in future newsletter articles. We have enjoyed helping students navigate new friendships as well as familiarising them in working as a small community. For example allocating new classroom jobs to each child, every week. New students have been introduced to activities and some different materials that differ slightly from Cycle 1. Students have embraced the learning and we are truly looking forward to an exciting and fun-filled 2023.

2023 has begun with the wheels spinning as Cycle 3 commenced the Bike Education program this week, Way2Go, run by the South Australian Government. Students take part in prior lessons lead by classroom teachers. This involves a safety check of the bikes and helmets, as well as a theory based lesson in road safety. The Way2Go guides then take students through a range of skills from basic how-to-ride techniques, through to more experienced road riding skills. Students of all ability levels are included in a two day course, which culminates in road riding for those who are ready and comfortable to ride on the side-streets around the school. Way2Go promotes safer, greener and more active travel for primary school students and their communities by encouraging children to safely walk, ride bikes or scooters, and use public transport for personal travel. Students have had a wonderful time supporting each other, demonstrating their skills, and preparing to safely ride on the road.

Cycle 4 students have started the year participating in a myriad of activities to get themselves accustomed to the local community, and the school site and enjoyed, and endured four seasons of weather along the way. 

The yearly Big Day Out Goosechase challenge was held on Thursday of week 1. We spent the day divided into advisory groups in and around Stirling and Aldgate completing varying challenges, with the main goals of getting to know each other, get creative, learn about our surrounding community; and hopefully accruing the most points to win the day! The weather was pretty dodgy and very rainy, but this didn't dampen our spirits, as each group saw the day out with a fantastic sense of fun, camaraderie, and adventure. On Thursday of week 2, we had a day at the Mountain Pool in Mt Barker. The weather was perfect for this trip and there was a fantastic sense of happiness, and gratitude that we were fortunate enough to spend a day in such lovely surroundings. Thank you to Attila for his organisation of the activities.

Students in Cycles 1, 2 & 3 have been developing teamwork skills. We have learnt about the importance of trust, cooperation, encouragement, and communication. Each week the students are given several challenges to explore the dynamics of working in teams. Later this term we’ll have a coach from Softball SA running a few sessions.

On Tuesday 28th February (Week 5) students will participate in an AusKick clinic. Students will be shown footy skills and encouraged to participate in local AusKick programs around the Hills.

Cycle 4 students have participated in volleyball and tennis. Students have developed specific skills for each sport and participated in group games. We have had a coach from Volleyball SA teaching students the basic skills of dig, set, spike, as well as playing volleyball games. 

Are you an ideas person who doesn't mind rolling up their sleeves? Are you busting to join the 'funnest' committtee going around? You might be perfect for the Fundraising Committee! If you'd like to find out more, enquire at the office. 

Each year as part of our fundraising drive, our school takes part in the People’s Choice Community Lottery which assists us in reaching our fundraising goal. Tickets are $2 each, and our school keeps 100% of the money raised. This year we’re hoping to raise $1500 from the lottery, with funds going towards outdoor spaces at both the Yultiwirra campus and the Wairoa campus. 

Buying tickets is easy, plus you go into the draw to win one of 40 prizes worth over $300,000!

For more information, or to purchase tickets: Community Lottery ticktets

The Wairoa Café run by our middle school students in our Adolescent Program, will be serving all things caffeine and homemade baked goods on Friday 17 March. The café runs from 9am-11am at our middle school campus, 142 Mt Barker Rd, Stirling. More information to follow via Skoolbag. 

Our Festival of Arts evening is Wednesday 29 March.  This is a fantastic school  event that brings together students, staff and parents from across our  community. Artwork will be on display, arts and crafts actitvities will be on offer, performances and entertainment from busking students, as well as pre-ordered meals, desserts and bar facilities. There will be more information to follow shortly via Skoolbag.