Primary Newsletter
IN THIS ISSUE: •
News from the Classroom
•
Birthdays
•
Student Achievements
Dear Parents and Caregivers, There was a buoyant mood in the Primary School this past week, as anticipation for the upcoming school holidays grew. This time of the year is always special in a school, as the students and staff alike look forward to a break – all the more so after the difficulties of this past year. The Year 4-6 students eagerly received the feedback from their exams, and they took the process of going through their papers seriously. While the vast majority will be able to look back on their results with satisfaction, there is always room for improvement and an invaluable opportunity to learn from the experience. Although exams are only one part of the process of learning, they also help to prepare students for other challenges which might arise in their lives. Learning how to deal with such moments is a critical part of an individual’s development, and continues throughout our lives. In the past, it might have been accepted that adults made most of the important decisions in the world but, as we have seen in recent times, more and more the voices of young people are being heard. One of the cornerstones of Reddam’s philosophy is to encourage the uniqueness of each individual to grow, and be heard, and as such any opportunity for individual development is an important step in that direction. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), based in Paris, runs the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which looks at educational systems across the world. Its most recent findings included an assessment of global competence, which examined students’ knowledge, attitudes, values and the skills which are deemed necessary to thrive in an interconnected world. It was good to note that Australian children significantly outperformed their peers, which came from sixty-six participating countries. Their The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
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awareness of global issues, respect for other cultures, efforts to look after the environment, promotion of equality, and other issues, were all highlighted. We hope that as our students come up against challenges in their lives, whether global or local, they will have the resilience, empathy and creativity to tackle these with vigour. What the world clearly needs is a generation of optimists, who are globally connected and whose concern for each other and for the environment paints an even more hopeful future. As I watched the students cheerfully moving around the school this past week, it struck me again how fortunate we are to have exactly such people here at Reddam. The past week also saw the Year 6s celebrating a milestone in their schooling, as they attended the Graduation Dinner on Thursday. They have shown themselves to be a cheerful, forwardthinking group of individuals, and it was good to honour them for their role in the school this past year, and to wish them well for the future. We have no doubt that they will continue to make their mark in the High School, and we look forward to following their progress with interest. My thanks in particular to Mr Mark Bailey, Mr Dean Hattingh, Ms Annabelle Carter, Ms Amber Greenhalgh, Ms Ellie Redding and Mrs Elli Bortolotti for all their kind assistance in my absence.
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Next week we start another of the end of year functions which is always special – Prizegiving. The three Prizegiving ceremonies will celebrate the achievements of the students and we know that each will provide a special time of reflection and praise. The first of these takes place on Thursday, for the Year 3s and 4s. That will be followed on Friday with the Year K-2 Prizegiving. The Year 5 and 6 Prizegiving will round off the celebrations, on Monday the following week. These will take the form of a digital version and the link will be sent to parents on the day for viewing. Have a great weekend! Please follow this link to access our online Uniform Shop. Please also follow this link to view this weeks Assembly. Have a great weekend! Dee Pitcairn Principal
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SPORT FIXTURES 26th & 27th November Basketball
I
Marrickville Saturday Fixtures Boys
Comets Competition - Friday 16R Girls v Newtown Phoenix 4.45pm Comets Stadium – Bus leaving Woollahra campus at 3.45pm – returning 6.30pm 1st V Girls v Inner City Lightning 4.45pm Comets Stadium – Bus leaving Woollahra campus at 3.45pm – returning 6.30pm
16R Boys v Inner City Pirates 3.45pm MPCYC Ct 1 16E Boys v MPB 7.30pm MPCYC Ct 3 16M Boys v Newtown Tigers 3.00pm MPCYC Ct 3 Boys 1st V v Maccabi Wolfpack 3.00pm MPCYC Ct 1
18R Girls v CYS 5.35pm Comets Stadium – Bus leaving Woollahra campus at 3.45pm – returning 6.30pm
18R Boys v Newtown Slammers 5.15pm MPCYC Ct 3
Perry Park Courts & Comets Stadium Saturday Fixtures
18E Boys v BYE
(Perry Park Courts are located behind the Comets stadium)
Easts Comp - Sunday Year 11R Boys v LCS 9.40am Sydney Uni Sports and Aquatic Centre
Girls 10 Reddam Reindeers v KHY Astronauts 9.40am Perry Park Courts
Year 11R Girls v Maccabi Wildcats 10.25am Sydney Uni Sports and Aquatic Centre
12 Reddam Robins v Newtown Sparks 12.10pm Ct 2 Perry Park Courts
Water Polo UNSW Friday evening
14 Reddam R Girls v Reddam Elks 1.00pm Perry Park Courts
Years 3 –7. 6.00pm until 7.15pm Years 8 – 12. 7.00pm – 8.15pm
14 Reddam Elks Girls v Reddam R 1.00pm Perry Park Courts
Cricket
Boys
Saturday
10 Reddam Eagles v Inner city Hurricanes 10.30am Perry Park Courts
Under 10 Boys: Reddam Roos V Easts Eagles 12.30pm Lower Cooper West
10 Reddam Ravens v Inner City Storm 10.30am Perry Park Courts
Under 11 Boys: Easts Lions V Reddam Rhinos 12.30pm Rowland Park (Oval 2)
12 Reddam Deers v Sydney Hoopstars Vipers 12.10 Comets Stadium
Under 13 Girls: Summer Hill V Reddam Redbacks 2.00pm Ashfield Reserve, Pembroke St
12 Reddam Eels v Newtown Rangers 11.20am Comets Stadium
Touch Football - Reservoir Field Centennial Park Saturday
12 Reddam Rabbits v Newtown Bunylips 12.10 Comets Stadium
Primary 1.00pm – 2.30pm High School Boys 1.00pm– 2.30pm
14Boys Reddam Dolphins v Newtown Gorillas 4.20pm Comets Stadium
High School Girls 1.00pm– 2.30pm
14Boys Reddam Mambas v Newtown Lions 1.50pm Comets Stadium
Tennis White City Saturday
14Boys Reddam R v All Blacks 3.30pm Perry Park Courts 14Boys Reddam E Boys v Newtown Venom 1.00pm Comets Stadium The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Primary – 11.30am – 1.00pm High School Social Comp – 1.00pm – 3.00pm High School Badge Comp – 3.00pm – 5.00pm
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SPORT RESULTS
I
Sporting Results 19th and 20th November
18E Boys v Inner City Buzz 12 - 46
Basketball Comets Competition - Friday
Easts Comp - Sunday
16R Girls v Inner City Jazz 20 - 13
Year 11R Boys v Kangaroos 34 - 35
1st V Girls v BYE
Year 11R Girls v Bondi Lions 21 – 24
18R Girls v Hoops I did it Again 20 - 12
Cricket - Saturday
Perry Park Courts & Comets Stadium Saturday Fixtures (Perry Park Courts are located behind the Comets stadium)
Under 10 Boys: Easts Marlins 0/209 def Reddam Roos 5/59
Girls
Under 11 Boys: Reddam Rhinos 5/166 def by Easts Stingrays 3/224
10 Reddam Reindeers v Sydney HoopStars Pumas 30 1 12 Reddam Robins v KHY Astronauts 10 - 16
Under 13 Girls: Reddam Redbacks 7/114 def by RJCC Sixers 1/150 Cricket - Sunday
14 Reddam R Girls v Newtown Storm 14 - 18
Under 12 Boys: Reddam Roosters V Concord Briars Maroon ABANDONED
14 Reddam Elks Girls v KHY Astronauts 9 - 36 Boys 10 Reddam Eagles v Inner City Storm 12 - 14 10 Reddam Ravens v KHY Astronauts 11 - 7 12 Reddam Deers v BYE 12 Reddam Eels v Newtown Power 4 - 21 12 Reddam Rabbits v BYE 14Boys Reddam Dolphins v Newtown Sharks 15 - 15 14Boys Reddam Mambas v Newtown Nets 6 – 39 14Boys Reddam R v Inner City Celtics 20 - 30 14Boys Reddam E Boys v Newtown Gorillas 20 - 0 Marrickville Saturday Fixtures Boys 16R Boys v Accelerate Warriors Orange 32 - 34 16E Boys v Air Ballers 13 – 40 16M Boys v BYE Boys 1st V v Newtown Titans 29 – 28 18R Boys v BYE
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Reddam House Would like to wish a very happy birthday to Ryeid Romel, Jamie Betsis, Axel Briner, Edward Dileo, Francis Laurie, Sarella Symonds, Dylan Loughlin, Mila McDonald, Ryan Jalan, Thomas Le Renard, Sienna Lim, Noah Stephen Who celebrated their special day this week and over the weekend
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Principal Awards Reddam House Would like to congratulate the following students on their Principal and Principal Honour Awards.
Principal Awards recipients: Felix Bootlis, Anton Popoff, Zara Jackaman and Enoch Lim
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Principal Honour Awards Reddam House Would like to congratulate the following students on their Principal Honour Awards. Principal Honour Award recipients:
Principal Honour Awards recipients: Teá Alvarez Calear, Oscar Petersen, Sophia Zhang , Julian Wall and Duke Laurie
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ART GALLERY
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KINDERGARTEN In English, our focus continues with the composition of an information report. This week our Kindergarten students confidently wrote detailed reports on coral reefs. This topic linked well with our Living Things unit of work in Science. It is so exciting and confidence building for our students to recognise how far they have come with their writing. Coral reefs are an endangered species because of humans. If we help the coral reefs they will get better. Do you know they are actually an animal! Coral reefs live in the ocean. By: Asher M. Coral reefs are sensitive to predators. You can’t take coral. Sea creatures use coral reefs as their homes. Coral is made up of small organisms. By: Poppy The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world. It can been seen from space. If the water gets too warm the coral will die. The Great Barrier Reef is protected. Coral Reefs are living. By: Jesper Our Personal Health and Development lessons this week focused on emergencies. The Kindergarten students were asked to carefully look at images and decide whether they were an emergency situation or not. The teachers also discussed situations which were not serious emergencies, and who we could tell or ask for help. The teachers listened very attentively to the students’ ideas and reasonings and were pleased to hear the students’ knowledge and understanding of when to use triple zero or make an alternative help decision.
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YEAR 1 This week in Year 1 our poetry writing focus was on the use of alliteration to hook the reader's engagement and interest. After the children were introduced to the concept, they wrote wonderful captions about their friends. Awesome Aanya was delighted with elegant Ella's kind words! Building on this, we enjoyed our Visual Literacy where we took a trip to the wild side via Pierre Maxo's famous jungle paintings. The children wrote rich descriptive pieces applying alliteration throughout. We had lions licking their lips whilst panthers quietly panted, perched in tall treetops. Our Author Study this week was on Julia Donaldson's text 'Monkey Puzzle'. Post exploration of the text and in line with our jungle theme the children created their own puzzle artworks. We definitely have rich potential for future illustrators in our midst. In Mathematics, we focussed on calendar work, which is significant considering we have many birthdays, special celebrations and events such as Prize Giving fast approaching! Celebrations linked appropriately to our discussion in Geography about the different celebrations from around the world. The students researched how different cultures celebrate with food. The children enjoyed sharing stories about their own traditional family feasts and we were lucky enough to taste a few! Ari shared a unique Romanian pastry known as chimney cake while we also appreciated Georgia's authentic Egyptian recipe known as basbousa. It was clear to see why these sweet desserts are a family favourite in some households!
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YEAR 1
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YEAR 2 This week Year 2 students impressed their teachers with their positive attitude and independence. They focussed on developing their organisational skills in preparation for Year 3 which is just around the corner. In Maths the students revised the different strategies they have learned for subtraction and addition this year. They solved a range of problems using two- and three-digit numbers and they learned the importance of showing the steps involved in their working-out. The students had the opportunity to review positional language related to models they constructed. The cohort particularly enjoyed discussing ‘bird’s eye views’ when consolidating their knowledge of 3D objects and maps. In English this week the students relished the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in persuasive writing. It was a unanimous decision that Australia is undoubtedly the best holiday destination in the world. This integrated seamlessly with our History/Geography unit of study and News Presentations this week, which highlighted significant sites across our beautiful country. We enjoyed learning more about our wonderful land and indigenous cultural connections. The teachers were incredibly proud of the manner in which the students delivered their ‘News’. Science lessons provided the opportunity for the students to further consolidate their understanding of the Salmon Life Cycle. The students reflected on this cycle and independently wrote the stages ‘showing what they know’. As the teachers read the students’ work this week, we were delighted to see not only the accurate recollection of facts but immense improvements in their writing with exciting vocabulary and increasingly complex punctuation. The holiday season is near and Year 2 is most certainly making a strong finish to the year.
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YEAR 2
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YEAR 3 In PDH lessons, the Year 3s investigated how to live healthy lives. The students explored how to be healthy physically, emotionally and socially, and they discussed the steps that they can take to ensure that all areas of their health are maintained. These include eating a balanced diet, being active, and socialising with family and friends every day. The students filled in a diary to make themselves aware of their choices and reflected as to whether there was a balance in their day-to-day lives. They identified areas in which they could improve their overall health and are excited to implement new strategies into their daily routines. Alice Le Renard: ‘I keep myself healthy by exercising a lot and I eat healthy food. I could eat more fruit to improve my diet.’ Mitya Losev: ‘I play sport all of the time, such as soccer and basketball. I do eat too much candy and I don’t speak to my grandparents as much as I should as they live in Russia.’ Ines Buck: ‘I think that I have many friends so I keep healthy by socialising with them. I think that I could be healthier by eating a more varied diet.’ Aamir Bhagat: ‘I keep myself healthy by running in Heffron Park every morning and I also cycle. I think that I could improve my health by eating less fats and oils and eating more legumes and grains. We look forward to seeing how these choices improve their overall health and lifestyle. Well done, Year 3!
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YEAR 3
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YEAR 4 What do you “meme”? This was the question that was asked of Year 4 students this week during our Geography lessons. To conclude our topic on ‘The Earth’s Environment’, students had to create a meme or cartoon to showcase their understanding of sustainability and their understanding of how unsustainable living is ruining the planet. Using a cartoon or meme is a very modern way of communicating your thoughts and opinions of a subject. The hope is that people will read the memes, connect with their message, and begin to make changes to their behaviour. In addition to this fun-filled Geography task, students were also given feedback on their exams during our ‘Feedback Week’. Year 4 students were exemplary, and they really showed how to push themselves to the limit. End-of-year examinations are a wonderful platform to demonstrate what you know and hone your exam technique for the future. We are incredibly proud of you all – Congratulations.
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YEAR 5 & 6 MATHEMATICS To end the year, both Years 5 and 6 explored the connection between Fractions, Decimals and Percentages. Classes discussed the importance of understanding and applying percentages to quantities, particularly in the lead up to Christmas and the abundant use of sales techniques in stores at Westfield Bondi Junction. As with most concepts in Mathematics, converting between Fractions, Decimals and Percentages relies heavily on multiplying and dividing, so it was a good opportunity to practise timed multiplication tables in lessons to boost the students’ confidence and provide them with goals to improve their times.
To wind down the year, students also enjoyed playing mathematics games. Year 5s Audrey Cheng, Andrea Di Lorenzo, Justin Yu, Per Vertzayias, Kadyn Lowe and Albert Waugh had fun playing Mabble (number scrabble). Students in Year 6 tackled kenken puzzles, which are like sudokus and require deductive strategies to reveal the numbers in each row and column. Max Hack in Year 6 started on “easy” 5 by 5 kenkens and has quickly progressed to “hard” 6 by 6 kenkens, completing them with ease and always keen to assist his peers.
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JEWISH STUDIES On the evening of Sunday 28 November, we start celebrating the festival of Chanukah. Chanukah lasts for 8 days and every evening we light the Chanukiah. This holiday celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after it was destroyed by the Syrian Greeks. It also celebrates the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days, hence why Chanukah is eight days long. It is also customary to eat foods fried and cooked in oil like latkes (potato pancakes) or sufganiyot (jelly donuts). During our Jewish Studies lesson this week, the students made their own Chanukiot. Wishing you all a happy Chanukah.
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MUSIC As we get closer to the end of term the Music students at Reddam have been enjoying the chance to let their hair down in class. There has been lots and lots of xylophone playing as well as creating music with the classroom auxiliary percussion instruments. In particular, the Year 1 students enjoyed creating soundscapes to accompany the story ‘Going on a bear hunt’. The Year 2s have been learning ‘Button you must wonder’. They had a lot of fun playing the game in which they have to find the button before taking the song onto the xylophones. We are really looking forward to Music classes next week when the students will have the opportunity to perform a solo on their instrument for the rest of the class. Button you must wonder wonder wonder Button you must wonder everywhere Button you must wonder wonder wonder Button you must wonder everywhere Bright eyes will find you, sharp eyes will find you Button you must wonder everywhere
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MUSIC PERFORMANCE Reddam House Choirs received some exciting news to end the year in the form of results from the National Eisteddfod. As with the Sydney Eisteddfod, submissions were filmed at the beginning of the year prior to lockdown and submitted to adjudicators in Canberra who have just managed to send us a few more trophies to add to our impressive collection. We are very proud of the students' talent and hard work, and can't wait to see what 2022 will bring for these young vocalists. Reddam House Gumnuts Choir received Silver in: Primary School Age Choir (8 Years and Under). Reddam House Bunyips Choir received Silver in: Primary School Aged Choir (10 Years and Under). Impressively, Reddam House Year 5-6 Singers received Platinum in: 12 Years and Under Open Choir. Performers Corner Please enjoy wonderful performances from these talented students: Elayne Keng (clarinet), Luca Juma-Ross (baritone), Mingy McDonald (French horn), Krew Munro (piano) and Tali Gor (trumpet). Videos can be found at the following link Year 3-4 String Ensemble Students in the Year 3-4 String Ensemble were so excited to be able to finally get together and rehearse in person again this term! This week, we had just the Year 4s, and we began the session with a couple of warm-up pieces with simple crotchets and minims. These warm-up pieces reminded everyone of how to listen to each other to keep together as an ensemble, and also to remember to watch the conductor as they played. There were also dynamic changes that we practised in the warm-up pieces – starting mezzo forte (medium loud), and then including a diminuendo (gradually getting softer) at the end.
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MUSIC PERFORMANCE We then spent the rehearsal practising 'Sidewalk Strut'. This jazzy piece has lots of sneaky sharps and flats to get everyone practising their half positions on the violin and viola and the 4th finger extensions on the cello. After so long online, it was wonderful to hear that the work at home from the beginning of term had paid off, and when we were together as an ensemble, students were able to hold their own parts and finally experience how the piece should sound together! Students left the rehearsal beaming with pride, and are already looking forward to the next ensemble session! Well done, all string players! String Orchestra Reddam House String Orchestra is back after a long lockdown. One of our talented students, Rocco Buck, has written a composition that we played through and thoroughly enjoyed. We are also still working on Perseus, an incredibly challenging piece with lots of changing rhythms, fast notes and various types of bow strokes. The students are having a lot of fun being back playing together once again and look forward to showcasing our hard work to the school.
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LIBRARY Book Recommendations K-2: FLAMINGO CELESTE IS NOT LIKE THE REST by Celeste Barber Celeste the flamingo loves wearing colourful clothes. Gold trinkets one day, a green dress the next and gorgeous shoes for every occasion. The more colours and the more extravagant, the better! Except…Celeste’s friends do not feel the same. In fact, all they want is for her to blend in. But what if Celeste’s flamboyant flaming outfits are more than just being pretty to look at? What if they actually help Celeste save a friend in distress? This brilliant, funny story written by multitalented comedian Celeste Barber has themes of friendship, self-confidence, uniqueness and resilience. Recommended for ages 4+. 3-4: TIMMY THE TICKED-OFF PONY: THE FARTS AND THE FURIOUS by Magda Szubasnzki Timmy the pony finally finds where he belongs. He is trying to get into poser land. An exclusive club for the most FAMOUS ponies in the world. It’s a club so hard to get into that it’s in outer space! But in space no-one can hear you scream arrrrgggghhhh! Find out if there’s anyone more special and famous that Timmy in the funniest series by award-winning comedian and author Magda Szubanski. Recommended for ages 7+. 5-6: GOING VIRAL: A SOCIALLY DISTANT LOVE STORY by Katie Cicatelly-Kuc Claire is a junior in high school when the worldwide pandemic strikes, and she’s at the epicentre of it all in New York City. Suddenly, Claire is forced to isolate with her family indefinitely, which means she won’t be able to see her friends or even her girlfriend, Vanessa, in person for a long time. At first, it’s not so bad, but the longer the pandemic lasts, the more Claire feels her priorities are changing. That’s when she looks outside her window and notices a girl who lives in the building across the street. So Claire starts writing a story online about a girl who falls for the girl across the street. To her surprise, the story goes viral and people think is true. But how true is true? And what if Vanessa finds out?? Will Claire be able to manage her fame before everything spirals out of control? Recommended for ages 10+.
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