Preschool News Week 6 Term 1

Posted on March 16, 2025 by katrinaa

Hello everyone,

It’s been another busy and exciting week in preschool!

We started the week with group discussions on conflict resolution and problem-solving during play. As many of our preschoolers are still settling into Currambena, we’re keeping these concepts simple, focusing on the importance of using words like “Stop!” when needed and seeking help from a teacher if a problem arises. We’ve also been reinforcing the idea that we always ask before touching another person, something we consistently model as educators. Of course, we’re always on hand to support children as they navigate play and social interactions. We’ll continue to provide explicit teaching on conflict resolution skills over the coming weeks.

This week, we also introduced pillow fighting on Thursday and Friday—a fantastic way to engage in risky play in a safe and controlled environment. The children have embraced it with enthusiasm, and it has been a wonderful opportunity to practice physical boundaries and turn-taking.

Looking ahead, we are seeking a handy person to help sand and re-lacquer the long wooden lunch table in preschool over the upcoming school holidays. If you’re able to assist, please send me an email or come and have a chat.

That’s a wrap for Week 6!

With love,
Katrina, Lisa, and Abi

Posted in Preschool news | Comments Off

The Ladybirds Week 6 Term 1

Posted on March 16, 2025 by megs

This week in the Ladybirds, we continued our exciting exploration of numbers and shapes in maths. We focused on the key elements of circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles. After playing some fun shape-related games, we put our creativity to work by creating chalk shape drawings on the basketball court.

In PDHPE, we explored feelings through a lively game that combined musical statues and charades. Inspired by the book A Little Spot of Feeling: Emotion Detectives, we then created our own “feeling spots” to help us understand and express emotions.
For sport on Tuesday afternoon, the rainy weather didn’t stop us from having fun. We set up a makeshift bowling alley and enjoyed a game of Magnatiles bowling!

On Thursday, we again ventured to the park and practised some mindfulness through meditation.

Our phonics focus this week was on the sounds /m/ (“Mummy on the Moon”) and /a/ (“Ants on Apples”), helping us build our early reading skills.

This week, the Ladybirds took on the important role of chairing for the first time. Benji and Oli led the meeting beautifully—well done to them!

With love,
Meg (and Sarah D)

Posted in Meg's Class, Primary news | Comments Off

Amelia’s Class Week 6 Term 1

Posted on March 16, 2025 by Amelia

Hi everyone,

Thank you for all of your kind messages in my absence on Monday and Tuesday. I am feeling much better! Archana and Sarah D supported the group on these days and ran through our usual routine, looking at the sound of the week, literacy stations, music with Gemma, and a trip to the Lane Cove Library with Sarah M’s class. All reports from the teachers and children were very positive despite the missed swimming session!

The children seemed very pleased to make up their lost swimming time on Thursday afternoon, and it was a lovely hot day to spend in the water. Thank you to Nate and John for joining us and having a swim with the kids!

This week, we finally got to look at our Rad Reptile eggs that we set up last Thursday. We discussed how the eggs have changed to have a more bouncy and slimy shell that no longer cracks but rips. We compared the new texture to soft plastic which is still easily broken but does not need the force of a beak to break through, like a bird’s egg would need! The children have seemed to be really engaged with the Rad Reptile unit of work which is lovely to see, next week we are exploring the ectothermic feature of reptiles.

Amelia x

Posted in Amelia's Class, Primary news | Comments Off

Sarah’s Class Week 6 Term 1

Posted on March 16, 2025 by sarahm

Hi everyone,

Firstly, massive thanks to Steve, Anj, Jo, Bianca, Anne & Abby for coming with us to Kimbriki on Tuesday. Although the weather was drizzly and grey we had a great day looking at and learning more about recycling and worm farms. It’s a wonderful site and the educators who talked to us were friendly and extremely interesting and engaging. The children answered a lot of questions from their previous knowledge and learnt a lot of new things too. We wrapped up this day back in the classroom revising what had been presented and sharing what we learnt and liked about the visit.

With our worm farms, at school, well and truly ALIVE we discovered a bit more about these creatures and found out that the largest worm grows to about 3 metres long! The childrens recycling projects are coming along and I have been impressed with how well the small groups have been working together. On this topic, and using plastic bottles, we started making little hanging planters for the fence outside our classroom windows. The bottles were decorated and most of the children managed to fill them with soil and their little plants. It will be nice to watch the planters grow!

Swimming on Wednesday we concentrated on breastroke arms and fast kicking while practicing our freestyle and backstroke. The children’s endurance to swim up and back in the 25 metre pool is definately growing. We focused on Fact Families for our Maths this week and recognised the relationship between addition and subtraction using 3 numbers.

And that’s another week!

Love, Sarah

Posted in Primary news, Sarah's Class | Comments Off

Jess and Susan Group Week 6 Term 1

Posted on March 16, 2025 by marleshab

From Jess:

Dear parents,

Camp was a fantastic experience for the children. For three days, they were engaged in a range of activities including crate stacking, archery, canoeing, zip lining and abseiling. I was so impressed by their eagerness and willingness to have a go. There were some challenges of course, including some very hot days, unfamiliar food and of course a little bit of home sickness but overall these challenges are part of the experience and the children did a marvellous job at managing themselves.

Lots of sleep and laundry for everyone this weekend! (Photos are still to come off my camera roll)

See you Monday

Jess x

From Susan:

Whilst many of the Elders have been at camp, we have continued with the usual routine and enjoyed stepping up to sell ice blocks on Friday.

On Tuesday, we were lucky to get a break in the rain so we could go swimming. The children are really enjoying safety jumps, and many are getting better at keeping their head above water.

In maths, we consolidated place value and are getting to the end of our length topic. Some children chose to really challenge themselves with conversions between mm, cm, m and even km!

The younger children are beginning their cursive handwriting journey with the introduction of exit flicks, and many have started their Poisonous Plants PIPs on Chromebooks. The Manchineel tree, also known as The Little Apple of Death, is a popular research topic. Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean used its leaves to poison the water of their enemies, and sap to poison the tips of their arrows. Even the smoke from burning the wood is toxic!

Stay cool this weekend!

Posted in Jess's Class, Primary news | Comments Off

Wendy’s Group Week 6 Term 1

Posted on March 16, 2025 by wendyp

Camp at Castle Mountain was a great success for my group and for the children from Jess’s who also came along. It was wonderful to have Jess there with us, helping so much and enjoying the activities. The children were brilliant, with so many of them trying everything and engaging so well with the whole experience. From canoeing to abseiling, crate climbing to mud run, singing around the campfire to ziplining over the dam, walking at dusk up Castle Mountain to helping serve meals, it was a delight to be with the group who helped and encouraged each other and coped so well with some of the challenges that a camp like this will always provide.

Many thanks to the parent drivers who helped us to get there and back! I hope everyone catches up on some sleep and rest over the weekend!

Thanks also to Keeghan for being part of our preparations and also driving us there on Wednesday. Keeghan has two more weeks with us now and will be teaching more and more in the coming days.

While at camp, one of our discussions touched on the concept of external versus internal resources. Other people can help with providing food, clean water, a roof over our heads and band aids for grazed knees. Our internal resources include our courage even when feeling a bit scared, our determination to handle something difficult, to learn better ways or a new skill and think positively when confronting challenges. These are essential elements of a camp experience. It’s not a holiday where we just do fun things. It’s a massive learning opportunity. So it was wonderful on the final day, to hear some of the children saying how proud they felt of themselves for attempting every one of the activities! Rightly so!

Next week, we’ll be writing our thank you letters after camp and we’ll be delving into the design task in our shared water unit with Jess’s group. We’ll be writing stories and using nouns groups in English, moving into addition and subtraction in Maths, trying to get PIPs completed before their due date and we’ll be enjoying a Summerhill Day on Wednesday. I’m hoping that some of the children will be running activities that day.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and manages to keep cool in spite of the forecast heat.

With love,
Wendy

Posted in Primary news, Wendy's Class | Comments Off

Meeting Minutes Week 6 14.3.25

Posted on March 16, 2025 by megs

Chaired by Oli and Benji (Meg’s Class – The Ladybirds)

  • Acknowledgement of Country
  • Announcement by Sarah M: No more taking people’s hats.
  • Top playground request by Faith: The Acro Bar in the top playground needs fixing. Crafty said he’d take a look and try to repair it. Sarah M suggested that if Crafty can’t fix it, they should reach out to Gina. Faith reminded everyone to be careful on the bar until it’s repaired.
  • Sarah M: No library during sustaining
  • Susan: Ice Blocks will be happening this week (supported by Jess’ Class and Carrie)

End of School Meeting

Posted in School Meeting | Comments Off

Meeting Minutes Week 5 7.3.25

Posted on March 16, 2025 by wendyp

CHAIRED BY Lilith and Emme

1. Acknowledgement of Country
Lilith and Emme acknowledged the elders past, present and emerging of the Cameraygal people who are the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and play.

2. Tea towels by Wendy
The meeting voted that we would like to do a project like the tea towels from last year where we all collaborate to create something. We then voted about whether to do tea towels again or something else and the vote was a tie. Wendy will get more information about alternatives.

3. Tennis balls by Wendy
Please be careful with tennis balls because they can block downpipes if they end up in guttering.

4. Gardening and drains by Wendy
Could the gardening people meet at the veggie beds to discuss jobs today? There is soil to distribute and seedlings to plant. And could the drains people please deal with the pile of leaves beside the drain at the back of Wendy’s room near the sliding doors?

5. Beyblades by Oli
Oli has lost a blue bayblade with his name on it. Please return it to him if you find it.

6. Wallet by Stella
Stella found a wallet and it has money in it. Please ask Jess about it if you have lost one.

7. Beyblade agreements by Sarah
Sarah had a meeting with the people who are playing with bayblades and they have come up with some agreements.
* you can play with other people’s BB if you ask first and then give them back.
* If you choose to trade with someone else there needs to be another person to say that it’s a fair trade. You can have a test spin first.
* tradebacks are allowed and need to happen if someone wants it
* no trading in TBU
There was some discussion about these agreements and the meeting agreed that there should be a trial of the new agreements.

8. Worm farms by Sarah
We now have new worms and so people from Sarah’s group will be collecting green bin things from classrooms to feed them.

Meeting adjourned. Wendy’s group stay to tidy up.

Posted in School Meeting | Comments Off

Preschool News Week 5 Term 1

Posted on March 7, 2025 by katrinaa

Hello everyone,

It seems there’s no looking back for many of our new preschoolers this year! As a community of learners, everyone is eagerly embracing all things Currambena.

Monday was filled with music and movement, as the children enthusiastically participated in their music session with Gemma. There was also plenty of excitement around canteen, with many preschoolers confidently purchasing their own morning tea and lunch. The hamburgers were a particular highlight! A big thank you to Renee (Kiaan’s mum) for helping run the canteen—we truly appreciate your support.

Buddies on Tuesday was vibrant and full of energy, with many preschoolers now having chosen an Elder buddy. For those who aren’t quite ready, we will continue to provide gentle encouragement and support, ensuring that each child finds a comfortable and meaningful connection with an older buddy in their own time.

Wednesday was all about Carnaval! Abi and Lisa worked tirelessly with the children throughout the afternoon, helping them create masks and dress-ups so they could fully immerse themselves in the dance party with the primary school. It was a joyful and colorful celebration, with everyone encouraged to participate in whatever way felt right for them.

Thursday was a quieter day, with a few children away. The focus was on beading in craft and plenty of dramatic play featuring animals and insects.

Friday was all about ice blocks and building connections with the primary students—two very important priorities! Throughout the week, we also explored the wider school community, spending time in the Top Playground and visiting Meg’s class for some singing.

A friendly reminder to email or call the office if your child will be absent due to illness or other reasons. Each child’s safety and well-being is at the heart of everything we do in preschool. If we don’t hear from you and your child is enrolled on a particular day, we will begin calling at 9:45 am to check in and make sure everything is okay. A quick email in the morning lets us focus on the children in attendance, knowing those absent are safe and accounted for.

We look forward to another wonderful week of learning, play, and connection!

Love

Katrina, Lisa and Abi

 

Posted in Preschool news | Comments Off

The Ladybirds Week 5 Term 1

Posted on March 7, 2025 by megs

We kicked off Week 5 by starting our months of the year song, adding a fun little dance to go along with it. The kids seem to love it so much that it’s now a class favourite, and you can often be heard being sung on the playground! On Tuesday, we were excited to have the preschoolers come down for a sing-along, where we had a blast singing and dancing together.

In STEM, we finally made our long-awaited ice blocks! We began by discussing molecules and atoms, followed by a fun game where the students pretended to be molecules in different states of matter – liquids (juice) and solids (ice). After that, we juiced our fruit and created delicious ice blocks, which we enjoyed on Tuesday afternoon.

In sport, we continued practising our fundamental movements, focusing on passing through relays and games. In maths, we continued our investigation into different representations of numbers as well as started learning about 2D shapes, discussing the differences between circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles.

Wednesday was full of creativity, in craft, we made vibrant glittery masks in preparation for the Carnaval Parade. We also performed a dance we had been practising in Spanish, adding to the fun and excitement.

A big thank you goes out to the parents who helped move furniture on Friday afternoon in preparation for the floor repairs. Your support is always appreciated!

Finally, we’re gearing up for our first swimming lesson this Tuesday afternoon! A reminder that the kids aren’t able to get changed at the pool and will need to travel to and from the pool in their swimmers.

With Love,

Meg (and Sarah D)

Posted in Meg's Class, Primary news | Comments Off