Week 5 Happenings!

Monday
Pre- Cup Day Celebration (Prep-2)
We are looking for some parents/careers in the morning to help the children to make hats and flowers during LA. If you can help out, please let one of the prep teachers know.

Tuesday
Melbourne Cup Day - no school

Wednesday
Italian (Yellow & Green)

Thursday
Prep Transition
Tabloid Sports: Children begin the day outside the library. Please DO NOT come to the Prep Neighbourhood as the new Prep children will be there with their families.
Singing with Elizabeth O

Friday
Art and Sport (Yellow & Green)
Italian and Sport (Red & Blue)

Action Required: Thursday Mornings in November

Dear Parents/Carers,

The Prep to Year 2 Transition sessions begin on Thursday 6^th November at 9:00am and will be held every Thursday throughout November. At the same time the Kindergarten children will be coming to school to work in the Prep neighbourhood on their transition program. These children and their families including prams require calm access to the Prep spaces.

 

We are asking that the current Prep children take their bags and lunch orders to the area outside the library where they will be met and assisted by their neighbourhood teachers. Please do not come into the courtyard area on these days. The children’s books may be changed from 3.20pm onwards.

 

The Prep, year 1 and year 2 children will need running shoes, sunscreen and hats for these sports.

Thank you for your assistance.

 

Rita Jokubaitis

Transition Program.

Pre Cup Day Celebration

As Melbourne Cup is next Tuesday, we will be celebrating on Monday with the year one and two neighbourhoods. We will have some fun learning agreement activities including making fancy hats and horse masks in the morning and a hat parade and galloping races after lunch. If you would like to come in and help with hat making in the morning please speak with Jessica. 

The Prep teachers will be dressing up on the day and we invite the children to dress up too if they would like. 

If your family is taking a long weekend can you please speak your child's homegroup teacher so we can have an idea how many children to expect on the day.  

NEEEEEEIGH!

Week 4 Happenings!

Monday
Art (Red & Blue)
Library (Red)

Tuesday
Assembly and Coffee Cart (Year 1 presenting)
Library (Yellow)
Games with Princes Hill Kinder (Blue)

Wednesday 
Italian (Yellow & Green)
Library (Green)

Thursday
Singing with Elizabeth O
Library (Blue)
Games with Princes Hill Kinder (Yellow)

Friday
Italian and Sport (Red & Blue)
Art and Sport (Green & Yellow)
Buddy time

Playing with Shadows in Learning Agreement

Science in Learning Agreement

There has been lots of exciting science experiments during Learning Agreement. The children are looking at science books for suitable experiments to run at school, sourcing the materials from around the Neighbourhood, reading and following instructions. They have been making predictions and recording observations.

The Volcano Experiment

Building the volcano

Using a funnel, bicarb soda is added to the bottle inside the volcano.

 

Adding red food colouring to vinegar

 

Float a boat



Underwater volcano



Blowing up a balloon without using your mouth

 

 

New garden in the west playground

A big thankyou to Kate (Robin's mum) for coming in during Learning Agreement and working with a group of children to create a beautiful new garden.

It looks fantastic and the children thoroughly enjoyed getting out there digging and planting.

Cooking in Learning Agreement

On Monday, Julie (Harvey's mum) ran a cooking workshop with a group of Preps. They made delicious ANZAC biscuits. The children enjoyed measuring ingredients, writing the recipe and of course...eating them!

Week 3 Happenings!

Monday
Art (Red & Blue)

Tuesday
Assembly and Coffee Cart (Whole School Sustainability Places: Who Cares? What Matters?)

Wednesday
Italian (Yellow & Green)

Thursday
Singing with Elizabeth O

Friday
Italian and Sport (Red & Blue)
Art and Sport (Green & Yellow)

School Disco!

Roll up, Roll up to our wonderful CARNIVAL/DISCO  Night – Friday 24th October from 6pm –8pm at the gym/back oval. We will have an evening of dancing and laughter. There will be a few surprises and some prizes for best costumes and dancers. You may impress us with a hoola hoop or create a magnificent mask – there will be something for everyone! Most importantly it is an opportunity to catch up with our wonderful community. Bring a picnic and a picnic blanket or chairs to sit on – we hope you can make it! Email Kathryn at kathryn@jonestid.com.au if you have any questions.

Dreamworks Excursion

Last week some of the preps were lucky enough to visit the Dreamworks exhibition at the ACMI.  The preps were researching how others use their imagination with the moving image.  We saw original sketches and setting designs used for the animations such as the Bee Movie and Shrek.  We took a ride on the Dragon Flight and have been excited to use ideas from the exhibition to make our own animations! A big thank-you to the wonderful parent helpers who volunteered to help out! It was a great day!

Action Required: Bazaar Hampers

The Bazaar Hamper Baskets for the Prep Neighbourhood to fill have been placed in front of the torus. Please take a look at what your child's homegroup hamper requires (each hamper has a different theme). The hampers are used as prizes at the school bazaar in November. Thank you in advance for your contribution.

Polyglot Theatre Shadow Play Incursion

On Thursday, some children from Prep elected to participate in an experience provided by Polyglot Theatre. As our inquiry involves researching how other people use their imagination to make 'changes', we thought we could learn something from artists who play with light and shadow. The children played with their shadow and used their imagination to interact with other shadows - giants, human trees, scissor dragons and more. They explored how to use different parts of your body and, using shadow, change them into other things like grass or branches.

Anouk "I learnt that you can make yourself bigger and smaller (using my shadow)"

Music Workshops

Music workshops will be running on Thursdays. Elizabeth O (Year 2 Neighbourhood) is taking them for half hour sessions during the middle session. This children learnt some new songs, played musical games and listened to stories through song.

Fizzics Incursion

The Fizzics incursion was:

                           AWESOME
 AMAZING                                           EPIC
                                 COOL
                                                         FUN
                INTERESTING

We learnt how to make giant bubbles! First, our instructor Claire showed us how to make bubble mixture using water and detergent. Then she added the secret ingredient: SALT! This helps the to strengthen the bubble so that it lasts longer. Then the fun part; making our own bubbles. We each got a special bubble wand which we made into a "fishing rod" then dipped it into the mix. We opened it up to make a triangle shape and moved it through the air to create the giant bubble!



Next we learnt how to make slime! It was actually the same as the Oobleck mixture but we got to make our own individual slime. We used a special scientific piece of equipment called a 'pippette' to put the green water into the cornflour. Then mixed it up with our hands!



Finally, we learnt how to make sherbet. Claire explained what is happening when we eat sherbert. There is a reaction between the bi-carb soda and our saliva which creates the fizziness. When there is fizzing, a gas is released! Everyone enjoyed making their sherbet but not everyone enjoyed the taste! If they put too much bi-carb soda in it - it tasted soapy! Too much citric acid was too sour! Not enough sugar it did not taste very nice at all!

If you would like to make the sherbet at home you will need:

• 1 tablespoon of icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon of citric acid
• 1 teaspoon of bi-carb soda

Claire is showing the Preps how to make sherbet

Royal Botanical Gardens Excursion: Belonging

The Belonging Excursion

Written by the Belonging excursion group.

Scribed by Jessica

We visited the Royal Botanical Gardens on Thursday morning in the first week of term 4. We caught a bus to the Royal Botanical Gardens dropping off the Dreamworks group at ACMI on the way.  The tour began with Linda showing us  the weather station and we saw bees  and birds in the near by flowers. As we wondered around the garden we saw a Birds of Paradise plant and the Coral Tree that Leo said look like a ‘Tree Rex’. We walked through a spiky tree looking for pinecones before planting Large Headed Daisies in small pots to take home. Afterwards we sat in the sun near the big pond and Linda showed us the book Belonging by Jeanie Baker. Linda took us through the bamboo forest where we saw human and animal footprints. On our way back to the start we saw an old hut, a map of the gardens and a cockatoo. We finished the excursion by building cubby houses out of bamboo, branches from pine trees and buts of ribbon.  The group had a fun and exciting day and everyone wants to go back.

Week 2 Happenings!

Sustainability Mini Inquiry Places: Who cares? What matters?

Monday
Art (Red & Blue)

Tuesday
Assembly and Coffee Cart (Year 2 presenting)

Wednesday
Italian (Green & Yellow)

Thursday
Singing with Elizabeth (Year 2 teacher)

Friday
Art and Sport (Yellow & Green)
Sport and Italian (Red & Blue)

Action Required: Royal Botanical Gardens Excursion

In the morning the children have been asked to bring their lunch boxes to Jessica in the Art Studio to assist with organisation before school as we are leaving at 9:15. Rolls will be taken in home groups at the beginning of the day.

We are able to take two parent helpers with us and currently have one, so if you would to join us please speak with Jessica first thing in the morning. 

Checklist of essentials for children to bring:

Packed lunch or snack, water bottle

Please ensure lunches/snacks are stored in secure & sealed containers, birds will take/eat food that is accessible

Appropriate clothing: sun hat & sun screen or wet weather gear

Comfortable shoes

Excursions: Parent Helpers

We are looking for 3 parents helpers to join us on the excursion to ACMI: Dreamworks and 3 parent helpers to join us on the Royal Botanical Gardens excursion. If your child is going on either of these excursions (notes went home in the last week of term 3) and you would like to assist please speak with Jessica early in the first week.

If you have not returned the excursion notes, please do so on Tuesday in the first week.