Term 3 Week 10 2020

Dear Parents, 

I’m wondering how you are all tracking through this year.  Hasn’t it been so different from the expectations that we all held dear, when we first started at the beginning of the year? 

As we come to the end of the third term, I think it is important for everyone to take a few moments to reflect on the year so far.  

2020 has presented unique and varied challenges for families and for the College community. 

It is important, particularly during challenging times, that we stay connected and support those in our lives. I know this has proven to be difficult at the College recently - but I would actively encourage all members of our community to reach out to others and check in.

Last week was R U OK day where everyone was encouraged to ask the question “Are you okay?”  Of course that question can be asked 365 days of the year, If you feel like something’s not quite the same with someone you know – there’s something going on in their life or you notice a change in what they’re saying or doing - trust that gut instinct and take the time to ask them “Are you okay?” If someone says they’re not OK, make time to listen, encourage action and check in. That conversation could change, or even save, their life.   

2020 has highlighted the importance of strong relationships - make time to regularly touch base with people in your life.

As life slowly returns to normal (or the new normal) I would encourage each member of the community to ask the following questions

• What have you enjoyed about living during covid restrictions?
• What have you missed about living during covid restrictions?

Do more of these things going forward - don’t revert to old behaviours if they are not beneficial.

I’m wondering if this little passage here might help on those days when we wish things could just go back to normal and we need something to help us stay calm. 

This is a little meditation that you could try with your children and indeed for yourself.

Breathing in, I see myself as still water - Breathing out, I reflect things as they are

We can focus on breathing in and visualizing this scene ..…Near the mountain, there is a lake with clear, still water reflecting the mountain and the sky with pristine clarity.

You can do the same. If you are calm and still enough, you can reflect the mountain, the blue sky, and the moon exactly as they are. You reflect whatever you see exactly as it is, without distorting anything.

Have you ever seen yourself in a mirror that distorts the image? Your face is long, your eyes are huge, and your legs are really short. Don’t be like that mirror.  It is better to be like the still water on the mountain lake.

We often do not reflect things clearly, and we suffer because of our wrong perceptions. Suppose you are walking in the twilight and see a snake. You scream and run into the house to get your friends, and all of you run outside with a flashlight. But when you shine your light on the snake, you discover that it isn’t a snake at all, just a piece of rope. This is a distorted perception.

When we see things or listen to other people, we often don’t see clearly or really listen. We see and hear our projections and our prejudices. We are not clear enough, and we have a wrong perception. Even if our friends are giving us a compliment, we may argue with them because we distort what they are saying.

If we are not calm, if we only listen to our hopes or our anger, we will not be able to receive the truth that is trying to reflect itself on our lake.

We need to make our water still if we want to receive reality as it is.  If you feel agitated, don’t do or say anything. Just breathe in and out until you are calm enough.

Stillness is the foundation of understanding and insight. Stillness is strength.

I would like to remind the community that if any support is needed, please do not hesitate to contact any member of staff at the College. Have an enjoyable break and prepare for the final term of 2020 - whatever that looks like.

Sending my loving thoughts to you all.

God Bless, Sister Veronica

Term 3 - Around the world!

During this Term, we boarded our own private plane and flew off around the world.  We travelled to many different countries, meeting some amazing tour guides. 

Every Monday we boarded another type of transport to take us on our next adventure. We travelled by steam train, balloon, boat, gondola and even a very naughty elephant, who did something unmentionable on the Prep B floor! We travelled to Japan, France, Namibia, China, Egypt and Italy, finally ending our trip in London, before heading home to Australia. 

As the Term progressed, we learnt about lots of different countries and taste tested lots of different food. The clear favourites being the crepe au chocolat and croissant when we visited France! As clever writers, we wrote about our adventures and what we had learnt about each country.

We also had some very special visitors during term 3. William Bear who got stuck in Queensland due to the COVID 19 travel restrictions and Paddington Bear’s teddy who sadly got left behind by his owner.  We took very good care of both of them and each bear came to visit us at home. We had fun sharing photos on the big screen of their visit to our houses.

We enjoyed a second visit from an artist. In our ‘Raw Art’ session, we constructed ‘Chinese Dragons’ which was a fantastic link to our Around the World unit.

For Father’s Day, we created wonderful keyring portraits of our Dads using ‘magic paper’ and cards expressing what we loved about our Dads.

See you next Term for even more excitiement!
Prep A - Carol Parry and Nicole Madeley & Prep B - Andrea Whitelock and Jo Beatty, 

We relished in our love of learning this Term by being full-time in the classroom (no online classroom insight) and taking full advantage of every moment. Term 3 saw our English unit focus on Indigenous stories and exploring their messages and developing retelling skills. We engaged in drama through puppets and mini theatrical shows of the stories we read. Raw Art this Term complimented our Indigenous unit and we made some gorgeous magpies and galahs using collage and printing techniques.  We used patience, persistence and a sprinkle of joy to create these wonderful pieces of art.

Dressing up for pyjama day was a fun highlight for Year 1. It left us wanting to nap in some very unusual places. We definitely couldn’t complain with being able to just wake up, have breakfast and come to school in our pyjamas.

During Term 3, we focused on different celebrations around the world. In HASS, we learned about Australia Day, Chinese New Year, Tanabata, Diwali and Bastille Day. The students had fun creating a PowerPoint presentation of their chosen celebration.

We were fortunate, that Japanese lessons with Miller Sensei commenced in Week 6 and we are now already using many Japanese words and learning about Japanese culture.

Our art work reflected the colour and richness of various cultures and celebrations. Pieces included Birthday Stars, Japanese Carp fish, Chinese dragons, Tanabata, Milky Way, Reflective Symmetry and Fireworks.

In Literacy, our focus was poetry, whereby the children were immersed in a range of poetry styles including, Free Verse, Cinquain, Haiku, Limericks, Acrostic, Bio and Colour Poems. It was amazing to see the children excel in their chosen style that most suited them.

As part of reading, we have introduced Literature Circles where the children took on different roles to respond to the novel read in their groups.

Mathematics has been very stimulating this term, in the sense that the students have explored new concepts such as the area of shapes, irregular shapes, angles and had fun measuring millimetres, centimetres and metres. We also enjoyed using simple maps with grid references and comped graphs to represent a variety of data collected. Predicting outcomes in a range of scenarios was also exciting.

It was all about energy in Science. As Scientists, we discovered the ways things became warm and where this energy came from.

But most of all, we celebrated how lucky we were to have each other.

This Term we saw budding journalists emerge from the Year Five classrooms as students learnt to analyse news reports, compose written newspaper texts, detect bias and record news updates ‘live on location’. We also studied Australian Literature including ballads like “The Man From Snowy River”.

Light, lenses and shadows intrigued us in Science, while in HASS we studied the continents and oceans of the world and the countries within North America and Europe. In Health we explored the Systems of the Human Body discovering how our hearts beat and how we digest food.  Mathematics lessons were spent calculating algorithms, analysing word problems, learning about volume of prisms and how to measure angles.  

Also during Term 3 playtime was spent skipping, doing STEAM challenges, playing mushroom ball and red rover and at ICT. We are looking forward to Term 4 with our Leadership Unit and Emu Gully Camp. 

For the Year 6 camp, this year the students set out on an Outback Safari to Longreach. Whilst it was a long way away from the snow of Mt Kosciuszko and the prestige of visiting the nation's capital, Canberra, we spent the week immersed in the rich history of the Australian outback.  We embraced the experience and were often gobsmacked by the different lifestyles led by people in the outback.

Some highlights were visiting Camden Park Station, a working cattle, sheep and goat property where we had a turn at whip cracking, feeding the animals, exploring the water sources on the property and learning about the history of shearing with our tour guide Outback Dan. A sunset cruise along the Thomson River was a favourite with most children and we got to feed the turtles, watch a beautiful sunset in the west, eat a camp oven dinner under the stars while listening to some good old-fashioned bush poetry. Visiting the Qantas museum at night and watching the Luminescent Light experience that showed a 3D animation projected across a Boeing 747, was also spectacular.

We had a fun filled, jam packed week of new ideas and venues to visit whilst camping in western Queensland with our friends. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience for all our students. 

Konnichiwa!

It was very exciting as Sensei introduced the wonderful Japanese language and culture to students at the College in Years 1 to 3. Students in Years 1 and 2 were shown how to locate Japan on a world map, familiarise themselves with fifteen popular items from Japan including Hello Kitty, Pikachuu, Origami (paper cranes), sushi, chopsticks, happi coats, kimono, Pokemon and how to wear a hachimaki (Japanese headband). 

Students also learnt about “Year of the Rat 2020” and decorated a title page with a nezumi (rat) on it. Year 3 students enjoyed learning about a lucky Japanese cat called “Maneki Neko.” Many students have seen these beckoning cats before in Sushi restaurants, Japanese restaurants, massage parlours and nail shops. They now understand the meaning of why the cat (neko) has the left or right hand raised.

This year the Alice in Wonderland Jnr musical was a little different to what we all anticipated at the beginning of year.  The Year 5 and 6 students adapted to the new format with flexibility and grace. They embraced the change and although we were not able to answer all of their questions somehow, we pulled it together.

This year the musical was recorded both by video and audio and has been put together by a team of teachers well out of their comfort zone.  The students and staff involved in the musical worked tirelessly so that we were able to present this year’s school musical “Alice in Wonderland Jr”.  

To say we went down the rabbit hole is an understatement.  The students committed their lunch time and morning tea times, lessons and some afternoon sessions to the musical, not to mention the time they spent at home during our online schooling experience.   There were many obstacles in wonderland and some of us were a little crazier than others but as the Cheshire Cat would say “we’re all a little mad here”.  We had a lot of fun, laughs and most of all we made so many memories.

The final product is one that is extremely different to an onstage production and one that we hope the students will remember for many years to come.  We are all extremely proud of each and every student and they have performed to an amazing standard under very, very strange and unknown conditions. 

On Thursday 3rd and Friday 4^th September the Upper School Athletics Carnival was held Covid style. This meant that unfortunately it was once again a spectator free event. However, it didn't stop the students from cheering loudly and the athletes from trying their hardest.

It was a great couple of days highlighting the great sportsmanship between the students. Thank you to the staff who marked out the grounds and officiated on the day. Also to Allana for running the tuckshop on that day.

Congratulations to Halley who was the winning House. 

Also congratulations to the 2020 Age Champions and Runner-up students - see results here.

On 11^th September, we entered 3 teams in the Billy Moore & Annette Brander NRL Competition held in Caboolture. The College fielded two boys teams and for the first time, a girls team. Despite having very few students who play rugby league for a club, the College teams were very competitive. The students tried hard, displayed fantastic effort and improved their teamwork throughout the day. Many great tackles were made, some excellent passes were thrown and many tries were scored - but more importantly lots of fun was had.

A special mention must go to Jensen, Sabah and Bronson who were awarded player of the day awards.  

Recently Kirra competed for St. Michael’s College at an Interschool Equestrian event held in Brisbane.

Kirra and her horses had a successful show jumping day finishing Champion in the 60cm height riding “Tommy” and Reserve Champion in the 70cm height, riding “Joe”.

Kirra is absolutely delighted to be competing again. Congratulations, Kirra!