English

For the past two terms, Claire and Madeleine have team-taught Junior English. The girls in the Junior English class have been such a joy to teach and spend time with this Semester. We have laughed, talked, played games and worked very hard. Some of our highlights have been our engagement games at the beginning of most sessions and the reflection at the end, where the girls had the chance to share what they liked, would change or wanted more of in the lesson. I was extremely impressed with the way all students participated and shared their thoughts. Both Lucy and Mango (Labradors) have also loved coming each week and being patted, walked and loved by the girls. Reading the novel “Wonder” was a favourite, which the girls really enjoyed and then engaged in some great conversations about the characters and the emotions felt by them. The students explored themes, such as bullying, marginalisation, privilege and we had some great conversations. Spelling races always got everyone involved with there being cheering, passion and a lot of great spelling shared. What was always lovely to see was how supportive the girls were of each other and how they all had a go regardless of their skill level. Term 4, junior students have been studying a unit on Fake News, and learning persuasive devices. They have been developing their team work skills, having debates about issues and creating fake news stories together. Our latest topic of “Facts and Opinions” gave us as a class the opportunity to discuss many current topics and to really break down and discuss the difference between the two. The girls enjoyed the games played in these sessions where they had to decide how they felt about certain topics and move around the room to a spot depending on how they voted. As a class they have really worked hard and been brave sharing verbally their opinions about serious current affairs, and lighthearted topics. I would also like to acknowledge the great support and fun provided by Nikki and Sophia each week. Thank you, ladies, and girls, it’s been a wonderful Semester.

Claire Perrott

Featured are photos of students practising storytelling using our new iPads! The first photo story (of staff Madeleine, Laurie and Sophia) was captured by all the junior students, and the second story was captured by Alexis. How scary are these photos!?! Don’t let them give your nightmares!