ACTING DIRECTOR OF JUNIOR SCHOOL, MS GABRIELLE BRANSBY
From Acting Director of Junior School, Ms Gabrielle Bransby
As we enter the last week of Term 3 and reflect on all the amazing achievements and activities our Junior School students have been involved in, we know what a positive and productive term it has been. Term 3 has been wonderful for our boys compared to what 2020 brought them in Semester 1. They were able to get back into sport, deeply engage in their learning and spend time building lifelong friendships with their fellow classmates.
We’ve continued our House sports competition, which the boys are loving. The first round of the Dodgeball tournament has now ended, with Brennan coming in with the win for Year 6. We’ve now started our second round of sport, which is an exciting version of Basketball. After some very tight competition, a sudden-death playoff and seven games, Lacey were the Year 5 winners.
The fourth core value that we are introducing is ‘COMMITMENT’. Ms Jenny Hoare and 6 Gold have created some fantastic work around the concept of commitment.
Year 6 Graduation
I’m pleased to inform you that there will be a Year 6 graduation next term. We’re currently putting ideas together. However, we will wait for further information from NSW Health as part of their Term 4 Guidelines for Schools, which are being released at a later date,
I wish everyone a very safe and happy two-week break and looking forward to seeing the boys in Term 4.
6 Gold Religious Education Lesson – From Teacher, Ms Jenny Hoare
During our 6 Gold Religion lesson, the boys were asked to reflect on one of the core values by focusing on what it means to them and how they live it.
Lachlan Gibbins and Ky Dunbavin chose to reflect on this week’s core value of commitment. When discussing ‘Who are we committed to in our lives?’, the boys responded with the following:
- Faith in God
- Parents and family
- Friends
- School
- Schoolwork and sporting teams
- Rules
6 Gold Religious Education
The most important discussion that followed was their thoughts on how we show commitment. The boys had to define the value, find a Bible reference or a quote to represent it and explain how they live that value at home, in class and in the playground. This gave the boys a chance to think deeply about how they really live the value on a daily basis.
‘Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.’ – Proverbs 16:3
News from the Learning Hub – From Literacy & Innovation Teacher, Ms Natasha Zivanovic
As I reflect on the term, I am grateful that the boys were able to enjoy the Learning Hub during Term 3.
This versatile learning environment is the perfect balance of social and academic use. Watching the boys interact, collaborate, build and 3D print is rewarding. I often hear the boys talk about this space in a positive light and, let me assure you, the sense of enjoyment and energy here is real.
News from the Learning Hub – 3D printing
News from the Learning Hub
Dates for Term 4
Week 2 – LEGO Competition (Inspiring Students with Books & Building)
Competitions are a highly motivating and engaging way for students to think critically and creatively. Next term, I’m launching a competition that will bring your son’s favourite book to life through LEGO.
This will be an exciting learning experience that inspires our engineers and builders of the future. The boys will hear more about this competition in Week 1.
Week 3 – Cyber Safety
On Monday 26 October, Ysafe presents ‘How to make SMART choices when navigating the Cyber World.’
The Ysafe presentation will emphasise the constructive relationship students can have with technology and upskill them by increasing their understanding of safe online practices and showing our boys how they can implement them.
A parent webinar will be offered on Wednesday 28 October. This is a great session to be part of and a crucial way of staying up to date with key cyber safety topics.
We should all be working together to ensure that we invest time and resources into raising a generation of smart, safe and responsible children who are capable and compassionate – both online and offline.
Week 5 – Reading Hour (‘A Good Time To Get Reading’)
In November, Waverley College Junior School students will stop what they’re doing for an hour, pick up a book and read it in support of the Australian Reading Hour.
The Australian Reading Hour intends to encourage our boys to relax, learn and experience the wonderful world of books. Allowing our boys to read for pleasure at school sends an important message about the significance of reading.
Australia Reads
Remembering the Sydney Olympics – From Acting Assistant Director of Curriculum, Ms Charlotte Stephens
2020 is the 20-year anniversary of the Sydney Olympics. To mark this special occasion, 5 Red and 5 White were lucky enough to have a zoom Q&A session with Michael Renford about his experiences of carrying the Olympic torch. Michael ended up carrying the torch in the place of his father, Des Renford. Des was an Australian long-distance swimmer who swam the English Channel an amazing 19 times!
Remembering the Sydney Olympics
The boys were lucky enough to look at the torch, Michael’s uniform and photos from the event in person while Michael answered their questions over Zoom. Thank you so much to Michael for generously donating his time to inspire a future generation of Olympians and English Channel swimmers!
6 Indigo STEM – From Teacher, Mr Jac Lavorato
In 6 Indigo, we love our hands-on activities – from Art outside to marshmallow and spaghetti towers! This week for STEM, we decided to build our own bridges with straws, tape, elastic bands and string. Each group received a specific amount of each item to construct a bridge.
6 Indigo STEM
They came with up with some creative ideas as well as traditional ones. We tested each bridge to see how much weight it could hold. Our boys were super excited watching their bridge test the limits and seeing how strong they’d made them.
6 Indigo love their STEM work and are always looking forward to the next exciting challenge.
