FROM THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

Sunflowers4Ukraine

Over the past two weeks, Year 3 Cullen has been learning a little about the conflict in Ukraine. Having heard about it on the news, we wondered what it was about and also what we could do to help, especially being so far away.

Miss Franny shared with us an initiative her friend, Pete Stanley, has started. Pete lives in Romania, where they are helping refugees who are crossing the border after fleeing the crisis. Sunflowers4Ukraine is about kids from around the world sharing sunflower art to show their support to Ukrainian children. The sunflower was chosen as a focus because it is not only Ukraine’s National Flower but because it has also been used as a symbol of peace in Ukraine over many years.

As well as completing our individual pictures, we also decided to create a collaborative installation in chalk as a sign of peace in front of our classroom with the help of Miss Nikki Webb and Miss Franny.

We are hoping to do more to support the Ukrainian community over the remainder of the year and beyond, but for now our beautiful artworks decorate the walls of a refugee childcare centre in Romania, along with the contributions of other children from around the world including China, Canada, South Korea, the USA, and Tanzania.

LIVE@Elphin and Connect@Elphin

During this time in which we are not able to have live audiences at school for LIVE and Connect@Elphin the classes rostered to lead these sessions have continued to share highlights of their recent learning and class activities, or a values-based message linked to current learning themes or campus activities via video posted on their Class Dash page. Other classes across the campus, along with parents and friends, are invited to enjoy these videos. They are available to view online from the day of the activity.

Vidoes posted this week are 1Blair, 4Green and 3Raffaele and next week will be 1Martello and 5Cincotta. Since live audiences were put on hold three weeks ago, videos have also been shared by 2Viney, 5Bristow, 4Danswan, 2Jones and 5Hodgetts.  Thank you to all students and staff in these classes for the planning and work put into these presentations.

Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge

Well done to all the students from Years 3-5 who opted to participate in this year’s Bebras Challenge.  This is an International Computer Science initiative for students, administered in Australia by the CSIRO. It focuses on students’ computational thinking, collaborative work skills and problem solving skills in an interactive environment.

Computational Thinking is a set of skills that underpin learning within the Digital Technologies field. These skills allow students to engage with processes, techniques and digital systems to create solutions to address specific problems, opportunities or needs. Computational Thinking involves integrating strategies such as organising data logically; breaking down problems into parts; interpreting patterns and models; and designing and implementing algorithms (algorithm = creating a set of instructions for solving a problem or completing a task).

All participating students will receive a certificate and special congratulations go to the following students who achieved particularly strong results:

Year 3
Distinction:
Zeke Yang-Sun, Xavier Tu
Credit:
Seren Peltzer, Ada Douglas
Hamish Woolley, Ayla Keane
Merit:
Alice Tran, Felix Adams, Zoe Diprose, Jessica Lowe, Georgina Chilcott, Nicholas Abbott, Andy Rowlings Jack Couch, Sophie Tan, Corban Wall, Maia Barritt, Manahil Warraich, Annabel Hooper, Max Parry, Lucy Kershaw, Shayur Sadhabiriss, Charlie Mills, Mohammed Aharthi, Luka U’Ren, Matilda Dick, Hannah Markham, Angelo Wickramanayaka Arachchilage, Edmund Graham, Bailey Knight, Luca Dyson-Oliver, Will Rigney, Jaide Flood, Theo Bentley, Facundo Munoz Lagos, Nate Purton, Lachlan Kleinig, Campbell Mayne

Year 4
Distinction:
Archie Calvert, Hamish Cooper, Annie Barnett, Mya Derbyshire, Will Fawdry, Zac Massie, James Grubb, Sebastian Noonan, Lydia Sanzaro, Sophie Anthony
Credit:
Xabi Maddox, Bosco Kwong, Harriet Gatenby, Ruby Lewis, Nashwa Saleh Aljassem, Shylee Kurukulasuriya, Holly Knaggs, Clementine Gee, Harriett Kearns, Nik Malahoff, Xavier Wang, Willow Bonham

Year 5
Credit:
Audrey Green, Peggy Handbury, Issy Markham, Jasmine Ho
Merit:
Hunter Fitzallen, Poppy Marshall, Clarice Kirschbaum, Daniel Brumby, Hannah Chea Sophia Vincour, Charlie d’Emden, Charlotte Walsh, Ida Eberle, Lexie Axford, Zae Ready, Issy Adams, Matilda Darcy, Evan Abbott, Hugh O’Connor, Kayne Best, Edie van der Aa, Milla U’Red, Zara Newman, Hamish Quill, Bobby Byrne, Crosby Lyne, Elsie Green, Elizabeth Bartholemew, Maddi Gofton, Millie Corp, Ingrid Mills, Maeve Dempsey, Tilly Ashby, Florence Axford, Rhys Morse, Freddie Leyland, Henry Chilcott, Aimee Pfeiffer, Meg de Deuge, Bella Flood, Sarah Horsman, Sana Saroha, Amelia Verbeeten, Riwaj Koirala, Hiraani Blundstone, Edie Kwan, Grace Harris, Bowen Yang-Sun, Danielle Hextall, Lucie Ackers, Jett Wilkin, Deacon Sims, Charlie McLeod, Sam Edwards

Winter Uniforms

All students and families are reminded that we change to winter uniforms from the beginning of Term 2. In conjunction with this, all Junior School students should have a raincoat at school daily for outdoor learning activities and movement between classes around the campus as well as for arrival and departure each day.

Daily School Arrival Time

The Elphin Campus gates and all classrooms from Early Learning to Year 5 open at 8.20am each day. Teaching staff are on duty from this time and there is a rostered staff member at each gate and two rostered staff members at the Elphin Road traffic lights crossing from 8.20-8.45am to meet students who are dropped off at the gates or who walk to school. Parents or carers accompanying students on foot are able to walk to the classroom with their child(ren).

Before School Care is available from 7.30am for any Junior School students needing to be dropped at school before 8.20am. Registration is required for this and details can be found online or by contacting Junior School Reception.

Mothers’ Day Breakfast – Friday 6 May

An opportunity for students and mothers, or a supportive person in our students lives to come together to celebrate Mothers’ Day. We’d be delighted if you could join us for a special breakfast at the Elphin Campus. Cost is $10.00 per student and per parent/guardian. Please RSVP by Tuesday 3 May 2022.

Due to COVID-19 and public health guidelines, there will be a capacity limit for this event and masks are mandatory. To avoid disappointment, BOOK NOW!

Lachie Wright
Head of Junior School