From Olivia Week 8 Term 1

Posted on March 24, 2023 by Olivia

Spotlight on Carolina (Spanish Teacher)

Why did you become a teacher?
You might not know that I am an IT Engineer. I worked in the field for almost 20 years. I liked technology, the analytical thinking, the problem solving, but I wanted something else.
The desire to share knowledge was always latent inside me. But it became more relevant when my first daughter was born. So, when she was one year old, I started a Spanish Playgroup and that made me realise two things: my desire for her to learn her mother tongue, to connect to her roots and how much I enjoyed interacting with the children. In fact, many parents told me that they saw in me a gift for teaching kids and even suggested me to devote myself to it.
The idea grew inside me until I finally decided to immerse myself into teaching Spanish to children.

What is it about Currambena that you like so far?
I like the teachers, the community feeling, the relax atmosphere, seeing the kids coming to school so happy. It is at a beautiful environment!

What do you do in your spare time?
I enjoy spending time with my family doing activities together. I also love reading, gardening, and stand-up paddle boarding.

If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Super-Speed to be able to travel to Argentina and Poland more often to visit my relatives.

What do you want the Currambena Families to know?
That I am passionate about teaching and I put a lot of thought when planning my lessons so the children can learn and have fun. I truly feel that I am giving the kids a gift for life.

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The Hairy Toes: Term 1 Week 8

Posted on March 24, 2023 by katrinaa

Hello everyone,

After allowing everyone the opportunity to have a say in regards to choosing a name for preschool and then spending time voting on them, has led to the preschool class now being named “The Hairy Toes.” For those of you that might not know. The Hairy Toe is currently a favourite story of many of the children in preschool. It’s an American Folklore story and is a little scary though mostly silly and fun!

This week there’s been an interest in putting on performances. The children are enjoying using our pretend money to buy tickets and be the audience. The performers are very keen to choose their favourite songs, which is generally “Let it Go”, to perform.

Our changes to our afternoon preschool program are continuing to prove successful for everyone. The top playground is a definite highlight of most of the children’s day. We’ve been blown away by how many children are now about to singe the entire length of the monkey bars by themselves. It just goes to show that determination and perseverance are definite determining factors in success!

Our end of day meeting time has been a great way to teach everyone an attitude of gratitude. By helping children look at different situations from a positive point of view instead of a negative one we are focussing on healthy emotions. It’s almost impossible to feel sad when you have happy thoughts!

A huge thank you to Benji’s family for gifting a special story called “Jana’s Brightly Coloured Socks” to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day with preschool. It would be great if everyone that come next Tuesday could wear some brightly coloured socks so we could have a sock parade just like in the story as a way to celebrate how we are all different though also the same!

That’s it for this week.

Love

Michael, Lisa, Joanna and Katrina

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Vinnie’s Group Week 8 Term 1

Posted on March 24, 2023 by Vincent

Hi all,

We have had a change in name, the children voted in our class meeting to firstly change the name, then we narrowed our options down to “The Hairy Toes” or “The Rubies”. In the end, the majority chose The Rubies. We have already changed our class sign out the front near the lockers. Soon we will repaint the Diamond to change it into a Ruby.

After reading “Possum Magic” and drawing the different parts of the story we decided to make some Anzac biscuits with Meg. The children wanted a link to the recipe in the newslettter in case you wanted to make them at home: https://www.recipetineats.com/anzac-biscuits-golden-oatmeal-cookies

We have spent more time exploring whole numbers using different materials. In our morning routine we are still practising writing the number before and after and then putting the number into a tens frame. We have continued with our sentence of the week in the morning routine and writing the short and long date, as well as writing the day of the week.

We will go ahead, weather permitting, with our walk to Woolworths on Monday and then cooking in the afternoon. Thanks to those parents who are coming in to help.

All the best,

Vinnie

 

 

 

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From Jess Week 8 Term 1

Posted on March 24, 2023 by Newsletter Ed

This term is certainly flying by! A smoother Tuesday morning at swimming this week, with the children back to their more settled selves. We’re continuing with writing our journey stories this week and have also continued with games and exercises that consolidate ideas of place value.

In preparation for our excursion to Madame Tussauds next week, we’ve begun to look at historical characters with a particular focus on Captain James Cook. This will lead us into a deeper  examination of Australian history and other historical characters next term.

The children engaged in a fun activity of ‘Build a Bug” this week, which gave them a chance to demonstrate their knowledge of insects and their variety of parts. Thank you to everyone who has sent in a plastic bottle, I’m collecting them in a blue box behind my desk.

I heard Friday brought a flurry of activity for the Arachnids who were busy putting the final touches on their Personal Interest Projects in preparation of their presentations next week (I can’t wait). A huge thank you to Sarah for guiding the children through their very first PIP this term.

In addition to our excursions to Madame Tussauds and Tambourine Bay we also have Aidan’s grandfather visiting our classroom next Monday to tell us all about beekeeping!

Have a great weekend,

Jess

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Week 8 Term 1 in Caetano’s Class

Posted on March 24, 2023 by caetanol

This week started off with a very special excursion to Gore Creek which was organised in conjunction with The Field of Mars. The excursion was 10/10 and was enjoyed by all the students, one very excited teacher and the two parents that joined us. The students were taught different photography techniques prior to our departure. Then we headed into the bush and in pairs the students had the opportunity to take a range of photos. We had lunch in the most glorious peaceful location where the students had the freedom to explore and take even more photos. When we got back, we all had the opportunity to edit our photos thanks to the tips and tricks from our two guides. Then finally the students created a little booklet which showcased all the different techniques they had learnt throughout the day. I think I speak on behalf of all the students when I say a huge thank you to the Field of Mars. I also want to give thanks to Lane Cove Council for funding this excursion.

On another note, Currambena have received the  forms for Opportunity Class Placement for students going into Year 5 next year. If this is something that interests you, please feel free to speak to me and I can pass on more information.

In Maths this week, we concluded our work on addition and subtraction. We have now moved into looking into Length and will be exploring it further in Week 9. In Science we dissected a mask and looked into the different type of materials inside them. We also investigated Band Aids and looked into all the materials that go into that product. This was part of our topic, Material World. Last of all, we have continued to look into characters and finding out how to describe our characters when we do our writing. This week we looked at the fact that characters are described by their physical appearance, personalities, strengths and weaknesses. We also found out that characters usually go through a change as the story progresses.

With only two weeks to go it’s great to see that so many students are into a good routine and having fun in class.

Bring on Week 9!

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Wendy’s Group Week 8 Term 1

Posted on March 24, 2023 by wendyp

Hi everyone.

We have had a very full week, as usual, in our room. Special features have been some new packs of cards which are proving very popular for tricks as well as for card games. Some of the children sorted out all the loose cards in our games shelf and we found we do have some full sets. We also have some children becoming very skilled at card tricks, aided by some books found at Lane Cove Library on Monday!

We went Swimming on Tuesday and everyone who swam completed eight laps of freestyle and breaststroke. The increase in stamina is obvious as we come towards the end of term.

Some of the children are challenging themselves physically, using the thick gym mats safely and practising jumps and rolls in the tyre area behind our room. It is fabulous to watch their developing skills and strengths… and to see the responsibility they are taking for the mats and for each others’ safety.

Another wonderful feature this week is the number of children who are really stepping up in their organisational skills. Now that they are familiar with our classroom routines and expectations, some of the younger class members are doing a fantastic job of managing their time and completing tasks even ahead of my requests! It’s very impressive to see such independence and determination.

We have begun PIP presentations this week and these are off to a great start. Most of them will be presented next week, especially since the last week of term is a short one. I”m looking forward to some of the topics!

In Maths we learned about BODMAS this week… ask your children about it if you can’t remember. Hopefully they’ll be able to explain what it’s about!

Have a great week ahead.

Love,
Wendy

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School Meeting minutes Week 8 Term 1

Posted on March 24, 2023 by sarahm

School Meeting Minutes Week 8 Term 1

Chaired By Alana and Bodhi (Sarah’s class)

  • Chewing Rubbers by Aidan: Aidan reminded everybody not to chew classroom rubbers.
  • Pencils by Ash: Ash said someone had broken pencils and wet them in his class and it’s not okay to do this.
  • Sharpies by Amber: Amber wanted to remind people to put down a piece of paper under what you are drawing on a clipboard when using sharpies, as the sharpies go through. Or, just use textas instead.
  • Scooters by Sebie: Sebie wanted to know how you get to school on Ride to School Day if your house is too far away? Someone said it is only something suggested if you can.
  • Topic by Bodhi: Bodhi wanted to have a revote on whether we could play with Aikdo at school or not. Wendy reminded us all that we have an agreement that you can’t bring a topic back to school meeting for a revote the week after. You need to wait a week. Wendy asked if we could have a vote if this is something we do. Everyone agreed Bodhi could bring the topic up again next week for discussion and a vote.
  • Sustaining by Wendy: Wendy wanted to remind everybody to follow through with your job and if you haven’t anything to do then find another job. We discussed that some jobs like sweeping are not being done properly and need the older children to help support and motivate others.

School Meeting ends!

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From Olivia Week 7 Term 1

Posted on March 17, 2023 by Olivia

Spotlight on Michael (Preschool Teacher)

Why did you become a teacher?

I wanted to give back to a place that was able to give me so much.

What is it about Currambena that you love?

Shared experience of learning through mutual respect and the idea that we are all on a level playing field.

What do you do in your spare time?

Spending time with my young family and friends. Bushwalking and playing the guitar.

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

Time travel, so I can travel back to the fun times of being a student here.

What do you want the Currambena Families to know?

With all the hard work and passion that Currambena brings, it is all worth it in the end.

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Preschool: Week 7 Term 1

Posted on March 17, 2023 by katrinaa

Hello everyone,

It was lovely to see so many preschool families at the Currambena social on Thursday night. The children always find these nights so special, a lovely way for them to be able to share the magic of Currambena with their families.

Great news! This week we have had a new preschool assistant join us. Her name is Joanna, she is diploma trained and she will be working in preschool each day from 11:30 to 2:30pm to cover Lisa, Michael and I while we have our breaks. We warmly welcome Joanna and look forward to getting to know her.

The children have decided to give the preschool class a name. They’ve come up with a huge list and now we are voting on them. This time next week our class will have a new name so stay tuned.

We’ve had some changes to our daily program which are proving very successful. The last part of our day now involves an end of day meeting where we are coming together as a group to reflect on what we are grateful for. We’re then looking at what areas of the preschool need to be packed away before we begin our pack away time. The children are no longer putting their names on jobs, rather being responsible for working together to get the preschool clean. This is proving to be so successful we now have time to head up to the top playground so children can practice their climbing and skills on the monkey bars, the flying fox and cross bars. A great incentive to clean the preschool, ready for the following day.

Thank you to everyone that has taken home some preschool washing this week and to Alegria and Luna for the GLAD cards, a perfect addition to our current work on gratitude.

Love

Katrina, Lisa and Michael

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Vinnie’s group Week 7 Term 1

Posted on March 17, 2023 by Vincent

Hi all,

We had a mixed week with the weather. The downpour on Tuesday and then another hot day on Thursday kept us away from the pool. The children still had fun playing in the rain on Tuesday and then with the sprinkler out the back of the room on Thursday.

Sarah D covered for me on Monday as I was away. The children built lots of different creation from recycled boxes. She told me the children loved using these, thanks for bringing in all those boxes! We are always after more.

On Tuesday we looked at the story Going On A Bear Hunt  by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. As a class we acted out each scene, then we coloured and ordered the story in our writing journals. The next day we looked at Is Your Grandmother a Goanna by Pamela Allen. Instead of colouring in, the children have started drawing scenes from the story, then colouring them, then pasting them into their writing journals and finally reading their story back to the class. Later in the week we had our craft sessions. This week we painted warm coloured paintings on Wednesday and cool coloured paintings on Thursday. Chris also finished firing our clay vessels and we are ready to eat out of them. We will aim to walk to Woolworths on Monday and cook our dish in the afternoon. I have emailed a link to sign up.

We did more cooking this week with Meg’s help. We made damper with optional raisins, the children enjoyed making and eating the damper rolls.

We have also continued with our protective behaviours unit of work. As a class we have now discussed and role played: emotions and feelings, personal space, and now safe and unsafe secrets. Next in our learning sequence will be safe adults and then private and public parts the week after next. If you have any questions or would like to know more, come talk to me before or after school.
I was sorry I couldn’t make it to the social on Thursday evening but I hope you had a great time.

I look foward to another great week at school.
All the best,
Vinnie

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