ACTING DIRECTOR OF JUNIOR SCHOOL, MS GABRIELLE BRANSBY
From Acting Director of Junior School, Ms Gabrielle Bransby
Welcome back to Term 3. I hope you all had an enjoyable and relaxing break with your boys. I am very excited and honoured to be the Acting Director of Junior School for the reminder of the year. I wish Ms Gabby Smith the very best in her new role and look forward to the year ahead.
Last week, I spoke to the boys about the importance of reflecting on their learning journeys so far this year, and to take the time to read their reports and recognise both their achievements and their areas for improvement. For Semester 2, I have encouraged them to set academic goals based on their reports. It is evident that students achieve more when they do this because it allows them to take control of their futures by implementing meaningful and achievable goals and taking action.
I encourage you to sit down with your son and have a discussion about what they would like to achieve for Semester 2. They can set their S.M.A.R.T goal/s and record them on page 115 in the school diary. Recording goals allows them to revisit them throughout the term and build on strategies to make sure that they achieve them.
From Literacy & Innovation Teacher, Mrs Natasha Zivanovic
It’s been a busy start to Term 3 in the Learning Hub!
Debating
The Debating team kicked off Term 3 with training. Thank you to Patrick Hoggett, Luke McLellan and Conor Boyd-Boland in Year 11 for mentoring the boys. This week, the boys will debate against Kambala in a virtual setting. Their next debate will be against Coogee Boys’ Preparatory School in Week 4.
The Debating team kicked off Term 3 with training
Filming
A huge thank you to Henry Goldrich and Tom Burke in Year 5 for assisting with the filming of the Virtual Open Day documentary. As we adapt to a new way of communicating, it’s important that our future students don’t miss out on hearing about all the great opportunities that Waverley has to offer.
Year 5 students, Henry Goldrich and Tom Burke being filmed for Virtual Open Day.
Book Week
With just weeks to go until our Book Week celebrations, there will be two competitions running. If your son is interested in entering, please click on the following links to the see the criteria for the Writing Competition and Drawing Competition.
Stay tuned for more information about Book Week 2020: Curious Creatures, Wild Minds. There will be a virtual performance based on shortlisted books on Friday 21 September, a pop-up bookshop proudly brought to Waverley by The Children’s Bookshop Speakers’ Agency, and an author/illustrator virtual presentation.
As parents, this is an important time to celebrate the wonders that books create.
From Acting Assistant Director – Curriculum, Ms Charlotte Stephens
In the final week of Term 2, Year 5 presented their incredible History inquiry projects. Students researched, described and explained significant events, groups and people in the development of the Australian colonies and then Australia as a nation.
Each student chose their own area of interest in which to develop inquiry questions so that they each had an individual project. Year 5 showcased a range of research topics, including the first fleet; the gold rush; what life was like for newly-arrived convicts; the development of farming in the colony; and how life changed for First Nations Peoples.
The Year 5 teachers were so impressed with the effort that the boys put into their projects and their depth of knowledge in their chosen fields.
Ethan Khatib in 5 White shared his thoughts on the project:
“I really enjoyed researching all about convicts and I liked listening to other people’s projects because they taught me a lot too.”
Carter Kennedy in 5 White said, “There was such a variety of topics to choose from so I got to choose something I was really interested in, blacksmiths. I didn’t just learn about what I was researching, I also learnt so much from all of the boys in my class. Each presentation was unique.”
The posters and infographics created by the Year 5 boys are all on display in their classrooms for everyone to have a look at. Congratulations, Year 5, on your curiosity and hard work that led to such a successful project.
Year 5 student Daniel Morrow with his Eureka Stockade poster.
Year 5 student Stirling Quinn with his First Fleet poster.
