Preschool News (The Cupcakes) Term 4 Week 5

Posted on November 14, 2019 by katrinaa

Hello everyone,

The big day is here! Perhaps you’re reading this just before our performance or perhaps just after, whatever the case I’m sure you’ll be as proud of your little person as we are.

This week in preschool the children have met some of the new children that will be joining us next year. They’ve been so welcoming, taking the new children by hand, showing them around preschool and the school. They’ve also been completing water colour paintings to send to the new children as welcome gifts into preschool. We’ve been having discussions about the changes ahead, who’ll be back in preschool as Elders, who’ll be in Jess’s class and who’ll be going to other schools. Everyone seems to be taking it all in their strides and we’ll continue these discussions for the rest of the term.

During group times the children have had the opportunity to participate in a range of experiences including gross motor and fine motor experiences and games that enable children to get to know children they may not usually play with. As a community it’s wonderful that everyone really has a sense of belonging at Currambena and is so familiar with each other, us and the wider school community.

The rope swing is back up after a big hiatus, the children seem thrilled with it’s return! It’s fantastic to see the children self managing it’s use, lining up and waiting patiently for their turn as well as reminding each other of the rope swing agreement of three turns before it’s someone else’s turn.

 

A big thank you to Cooper (Sarah’s class) and Emme (Jess’s class) for their donations of toys for our sandpit. Thank you also to Ethaniel for the donation of sock, undies and puppets and to Kit for donating spare clothes. Thank you also to everyone that continues to take home preschool washing!

 

That’s it for this week!

Love

Katrina, Michael and Hannah

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Jess’ Class (The Cute Little Leemas) Term 4 Week 5

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Jess

Dear Parents,

It’s concert day and the excitement level has reached fever pitch. Its so lovely to see that all the children are committed to getting up on stage tonight and I hope that this enthusiasm will stick. Please don’t worry though, if your child decides that they can’t manage it tonight, it really is a huge thing to stand up there in front of hundreds of people. Either way they’ve all been involved in the writing, rehearsing, designing and making of costumes and should be incredibly proud.

Please deliver your child to me at 5.45pm (as the latest) inside the theatre. They need to arrive in their clothes that will go underneath their costumes. Please remember that you are responsible for your child at the theatre tonight other than the time they are with me before their piece and while they are on stage.

Don’t forget that this weekend is our second weekend of ‘Nitz Blitz’. Please treat your child’s hair regardless of if you think they are infected. We’re hoping that with a collective effort we can eliminate the school of these nasty little critters.

Next Friday the whole school is going to be visiting Chinaman’s Beach. It will be a lovely way to celebrate the approaching end of year together. Last year the weather was just gorgeous, and we all enjoyed swimming, rock walking and picnicking on the blankets. I need a couple of volunteers to join us for the day and help supervise. So if you are interested, please send me an email. We’ll be travelling by bus so there’s no need to be able to drive.

Chookas for tonight everyone!
Jess x

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Vinnie’s Class Week 5 Term 4

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Newsletter Editor

Dear all,

We have had an exciting week in anticipation of our concert piece. All the costumes are done. All the lines are memorised. And all the sounds have been chosen.

We have continued with our mathematics topic of measurement with activities around mass. We have tested objects in the classroom on balance scale against a kilo weight. We also finessed our estimation skills in organising objects as greater, less than or equal to one kilogram.

We have spent some time this week in our reading stations looking at the ou, ow letters making the /ou/ sound. The children have enjoyed the progression of our whole group story book Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. As well as smaller grouped reading sessions, I have given a reminder to students to take books home to read.

We have our Beach Day next Friday which is also Kai’s birthday. Susan is going to hand out some zuper dupers, so if you would like an alternative treat for you child would you be able to either let me or Susan know.

The following week with have Summerhill Day on a Wednesday, which should be really enjoyable as it was last term.

Another reminder for the follow up nit treatment this weekend.

Our classmate, Henry, is travelling through Sydney for the next two weeks and he will be joining us in class for this time.

I hope you are all doing well and feel free to contact me if you need anything.

All the best,

Vinnie

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Sarah’s Class Week 5 Term 4

Posted on November 14, 2019 by sarahm

Hello!

How lovely was the cool change on Wednesday after the smoke, fires and haze we have been experiencing. It was so nice to see the sky clear and blue. I hope that all was well for the families who stayed home, concerned for their house and property and to those that suffered from such bad air quality – very wise to stay indoors during such times. Well we managed to get to swimming and back before the real heat of the day set in – thankfully! And we had a visitor with us on Tuesday too!! A child – Phoebe – who will possibly start with my group next year. Just before Phoebe walked in the door (at 9 am) there was a small gaggle gathered around the plasticine table (where else would they be?) anxiously waiting to take her on a tour around the school and then ‘hang out’ with her for the day. The children talked to her about the days timetable and different classroom and school rules and agreements. They showed her where everything was and engaged her in their play. Phoebe approached me just before we left for swimming and said, “I’m loving this day already.” The children made her feel so incredibly welcome and supported. Hopefully, she and her family will join us next year and become part of the wonderful Currambena community spirit.

Concert, concert, concert………. Argh!!! Still, as I write this we have a few costumes to adjust and add bits and pieces. Our full dress rehearsal showed up a few flaws and some awkwardness at managing props. Thankfully, we had an extra craft session with Crafty to help sort this. Details for the concert are as follows:

Payment at the door is with cash or card. Tickets are $10 per adult and $5 for children over 5 years NOT attending Currambena. Doors open at 5:00 pm. There will be no tables, seating only. Please have your child at North Sydney Leagues no later than 5:30 pm when they will need to come directly to their class spot! We will have a designated area in the auditorium where the children will need to gather and get ready prior to their performance. This area will be signed “Sarah’s class” and will be positioned on the far right side of the stage area. I have a fair amount of face painting and hair spray to apply, so it would really assist me if your child is on time. Once everyone is in costume and the concert has begun children can watch each performance from the floor below the stage. The concert begins at 6 pm and will run for approx 1 hour. After each class performance they will then be free to sit with you and become your responsibility. Everybody will need to vacate the auditorium by 7:30 pm. Currambena calendars, caps, tea towels, bags and silk scarves will all be on sale at the door before the concert starts.

While preparing for the concert over these last weeks, there have been times where the children have been given ‘self managed learning time’ – where they have had the opportunity to make choices around their learning. Using Google Docs to write stories is a ‘hot’ choice and working on their personal projects. Others choose to read silently, draw and/or complete their spelling unit for the week. This week, we also did a meditation and activity which focused on staying strong, grounded and focused.

Next week we have a music incursion on Monday. And on Friday, the whole of primary are going to Chinaman’s Beach for the day. We have buses taking us there and back. If you are free and would like to join us for the day you are welcome but will need to make your own way. The children will need: morning tea, lunch, HAT, sunscreen, swimmers, rashie, drink bottle and a beach umbrella – if they have one.

Next week will also be Carolina’s (Spanish teacher) last day for the year! Thankyou Carolina for your effort, enthusiasm and ability to make Spanish inclusive, engaging and fun!! Happy holidays!!!!!!

NITS: Final treatment this weekend please!!!!!

And that’s us for the week. Have a lovely weekend.

Love, Sarah

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Leesa’s Class Term 4 Week 5

Posted on November 14, 2019 by leesaj

Hi Everyone,

It’s concert time!! We have been busy making final adjustments to props, costumes and our movements on stage. A reminder about the concert: Concert begins at 6pm. Payment at the door with cash or card. There will be no tables, seating only. Please have your child at North Sydney Leagues no later than 5:30pm when they will need to come directly to their class meeting point. We will have a designated area in the auditorium where the children will need to gather and get ready prior to their performance. Once everyone is in costume and the concert has begun the children can watch each performance from the floor below the stage. After their performance they will be free to sit with you and become your responsibility. Currambena calendars, caps, tea towels, bags and silk scarves will all be on sale at the door before the concert begins.

Throughout the week we have continued our topic on position using directional language to describe paths on grids and maps. Next week we will be looking at mass and how to convert between grams, kilograms and tonnes. The children have continued to read, write stories, practiced using cursive writing and completed the two sounds for the week ‘th’ as in thong and feather. Personal Interest Projects will be presented in week 9 and the children are working hard to get these completed before camp.

We had our first meeting about camp this week. The children are very excited to be attending Mowbray Park Farm on Wednesday 4th December until Friday 6th December. If you are able to volunteer to drive children to camp or drive them back to school on the Friday, can you please write your name on the list on the classroom door. All volunteers need to have a Working With Children Check number and this must be emailed to Julianna, along with your date of birth.

Friday 22nd November we are off to Chinaman’s Beach for the day. The children will need swimmers, hat, drink bottle, morning tea, lunch, towel, sunscreen and a beach umbrella (if you have one). It will be a fantastic day and a well deserved break after completing our play.

Just a reminder about checking for nits and treating if required this weekend.

Important Dates:

  • Friday 22nd November Primary Day Out at Chinaman’s Beach
  • Wednesday 27th November Summerhill Day for Term 4
  • Monday 2nd December Orientation Morning, when everyone visits their class for next year
  • Wednesday 4th to Friday 6th December Camp at Mowbray Park

See you all tonight at the concert!

Leesa

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Wendy’s Group Week 5 Term 4

Posted on November 14, 2019 by wendyp

Hi everyone.

This week is being dominated by the weather and the play! We had a fabulous rehearsal on Tuesday, keeping cool staying inside and preforming for Greg to check our sound and lighting needs. We are so grateful to Greg for doing this for us and to Jennifer for offering to be at the venue for us today and guide the rehearsal comings and goings throughout the day. In our goup, everyone is responsible for their own costumes and props and they need to be at the venue by 4:30 for an extra rehearsal with the lights and sound set up. I know some children have commitments on Thursday afternoon but please get them there as close to 4:30 as possible. Our play is quite complicated with its many scenes and a final rehearsal will make a big difference.

The concert will start promptly at 6pm and we need to be out of the auditorium by 7:30. Food is available in the bistro both before and after the performance. Please carefully read the email Julianna has sent out about the details of tickets and timing.

So far I have one offer of help with driving to Macquarie Ice Rink and to Sky Zone. Any other possible helpers please let me know. The dates are two Tuesdays, 26th November and 3rd December.

I hope you all read the information about camp in last week’s newsletter. On Friday, I will send home the permission forms and the list of what to bring. We will begin discussions about tents and meals next week.

With the concert this week, we will not be doing Unit 27 in our text books but will make sure corrections are done in Unit 26 where needed and we’ll make sure filing and desk tidying is done!

Next week, we have a busy week and some fun things! On Monday, Peter Morgan, musician and teacher, is coming to do music sessions with each class. On Tuesday, we have our incursion “Campaign” with the Field of Mars Environmental Educational Centre. We’ll spend much of the day in the bush creating an environmental campaign using iPad technology. Then, on Friday, we have a whole school day out at the beach! We’re going by bus to Chinaman’s Beach leaving school at 10am and returning by 4pm.

DRIVERS NEEDED: We are hoping to go ice skating on Tuesday 26th November in the morning. Thank you to Jenny for offering to drive us. Can anyone else help?
We’d also like to go to Sky Zone in Alexandria on Tuesday 3rd December. Please let me know if you can help with this!

REMEMBER: Second nit treatments this weekend for everyone!

REQUES: We have three bags of returnable bottles/cans etc in our room near the door. Could someone please take them to a recycling place for us?

REPEAT REQUEST: If anyone has welding skills, could they please come and look at the broken table in my room. I am pretty sure it could be fixed but need someone with expertise to have a look. Thanks!!

See you all tomorrow night! Break a leg! Love, Wendy

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School Meeting 8th Nov 2019

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Newsletter Editor

Chaired by Evie and Mia (Vinnie’s Class)

  • Brooms by Sean: Sean was reminding everyone to line up and only take one broom when sustaining.
  • Flowers by Noah: Noah informed everyone of the Pomegranate plants flowers have started blooming. He was reminding everyone not to pick the flowers.
  • Chickens by Ira: Ira brought to the school the different was she had seen people interacting with the chickens. She had seen people placing them on the slide (wooden and metal) as well as lifting chickens with shovels whilst they were laying eggs. The discussion that followed acted to remind people of the chicken agreements and that Sarah’s class was monitoring one chicken in particular as it was confused and was not eating.
  • Magnets by Ira: Ira found Zio’s pin magnet broken in the play ground. A discussion reminded everyone to respect our craft resources and to only use them in the craft area.
  • Pinata by Hazel: Hazel brought up a topic for vote; whether pre-school could have a pinata filled with lollies to celebrate the end of their Spanish program or not. The vote was in favour of the pinata.
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Photo of the Week

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Newsletter Editor

IMG_4435

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My Time At Currambena by Alexa

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Newsletter Editor

Hi! I’m Alexa!

I have been at Currambena for 9 years now.

NO! I CAN’T LEAVE! I CAN’T! I CAN’T! I CAN’T!

I look back now and think of all the fun times I’ve had. Like the green slide where my friends and I would play make-believe games. Or the red boat where we’d “save each other” from the tanbark ocean. That’s what I find so fascinating about Currambena, since it’s a small school the teachers encourage kids to, well, BE KIDS and use their imagination.

I even remember in Year 2/Sarah’s class when we did reading. I was a slower reader than my friends. Sarah said I should just go at my own pace but I wanted to be as fast as my friends, so I’d run my finger along the lines (instead of actually reading) to feel like I was keeping up. But when my friends started reading chapter books, I knew it was time for me to start reading for real. Sarah told me to keep reading what I was comfortable with, and every now and then to try something harder. And now I read chapter books like my friends. That’s a great thing about this place, instead of just writing a bunch of rules that all of the kids have to follow, the teachers give kids responsibilities and motivate you to learn yourself.

I DON”T WANT TO LEAVE THOUGH!

I’ve heard a lot about kids at other schools who have skipped days off school, or pretended they were sick. Honestly, I can’t relate! The older I get the more I want to go to school. Because every day there’s something different, and if I just skip it, I miss out on a lot. That’s why my parents really trust me when I say I’m sick. Because they know that I don’t want to be sick.

I still remember when my friends and I used to collect worms from around the school. We used to find one and make a little home for it, using a berry container with holes for air, and put leaves and dirt in it and keep it as a pet.

IT’S NOT FAIR TO LEAVE! I WANT TO STAY!

Anyway, I’m sad I have to leave, but at least I know that my time at Currambena couldn’t have been better.

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Julianna Term 4 Week 5

Posted on November 14, 2019 by juliannam

Hello everyone,

All week we have been hearing the kids practice on the handball court outside our office with lots of movement, instructions and a little theatre with the stress levels rising in the build-up for tonight! Meanwhile, the craft room over the last couple of weeks has been a huge hive of activity as costumes of all shapes, sizes, designs were being constructed, glued, painted, patterns cut out and sewed. Many thanks to Chris, Sarah and all our other helpers especially those who supplied machines and did the sewing.

CONCERT TONIGHT  Start – 6pm – 7pm 14th November. Venue – North’s Leagues Club with seating only. Food -  In the Bistro before and after the concert. Bar & Water Station – in the auditorium, please re-cycle your plastic cup. Departure – out of the auditorium by 7.30pm.

Payment at the door from 5pm. Cash payment or Tap n Go.

  • Cost: $10 per adult.
  • $5 per child over five years and not currently enrolled at Currambena.

50th Birthday merchandise -Xmas Gifts - 2020 Calendar – $10.00, Cotton & trucker Caps, Linen tea towels each – $15.00, Jute bags with the Currambena Jacaranda flower – $7.00, Pens – $2.00, Original artwork 100% silk scarves – $65.00. Please get in quick as these beautiful scarves are a limited artwork edition. Payment -Tap & Go.

“MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE CLASSES” – there is a lot of chatter around the playground about this. Please read the article following my page that gives  an in depth explanation about how Currambena manages this process and the thinking behind it.

NIT BLITZ Don’t forget …SECOND nit attack is this weekend!

MAINTENANCE HOURS – please see the  updated List of jobs. If you want to take on any of these, please let me know and I will put your name to it. Maintenance hours must be recorded in the book by 10th DECEMBER

  UP COMING EVENTS!

Whole school Concert – Thursday 14th November at Sydney Norths Leagues Club

End of year social – Wednesday 18th December if a group of parents would like to organise

Cheers Julianna

 

 

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