Primary Newsletter
IN THIS ISSUE: •
News from the Classroom
•
Birthdays
•
Student Achievements
Dear Parents and Caregivers, While the cultural and sporting events on the calendar continued with enthusiasm this past week, for the Year 3 to 6 students their primary focus was definitely on the academic. It was good to sense the mood shifting throughout the week, as the school seemed to quieten down in preparation for the mid-year exams.
Several weeks of preparation culminated in the first day of exams today, and the students are to be commended on the manner in which they spent many hours revising, asking questions in class, and ensuring that they were as prepared as possible for the first exams. It was apparent from their well-organised tables that they had also taken on board all that they had learned about study skills and having a clean workspace in which to work. We trust that all the preparation and hard work will pay off and that the coming week will once again see calm faces settling down each day to show off what they have learned thus far this year. I am grateful for all the efforts made by the teachers to ensure that the students were supported in the build-up to the exams, and that each day will run smoothly, with the minimum of stress. I know too that parents and family members have made similar efforts at home, all for the benefit of the students. It is worth repeating that although these exams are an important aspect of the assessment programme in the Primary School, they are only part of a larger whole. Sometimes added stress arises if exams are taken out of proportion and we hope that this will not be the case for the students but rather that they will see them as part of the process of checking what has been learned and what still needs reinforcing. Throughout our lives, we set goals for ourselves. These give us targets towards which to aim and they give meaning and purpose to all we tackle. However, in virtually every situation, a goal is only a step towards a destination, not a destination in itself. As we probably all know, some of those goals are achieved, while others are adapted along the way, as we learn from the experience.
It might be a cliché, but life really is a journey, and we hope that the students will find these few steps of that journey relatively stress-free and rewarding. The teachers will be there to walk alongside them and to provide encouragement and assistance where needed, particularly for those for whom exam-writing is still a new challenge. I wish all our students, their parents, and the teachers, everything of the best for the coming week.
The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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The Vocal Competition Finals were definitely a highlight of the week, with some beautiful renditions of songs captivating the audience on Wednesday evening. The variety of musical pieces were impressive, as was the versatility of range of those singing. Congratulations to all who participated in the competition, namely, Romany Hoskins, Cheyenne Gunn, Camille Yuan, Anne-Marie Saul, Angelique Hertz-Dyon, Kade Wiles Mackay, Harriet Kerr, Billie Snow and Emma Feng. Further congratulations goes to the recipients of the place medals, Harriet Kerr, Romany Hoskins and Billie Snow. My thanks to the wonderful piano accompanists, Natalia Aynsley and Siang Ching Ngu. We are so grateful to have specialist piano accompanists of your exceptional talent on our staff at Reddam House Primary School.
My further thanks to Mr Marcus Bortolotti who arranged this outstanding event with the assistance of Courtenay Wood, Elli Bortolotti, Gary Goldstein, Brendan O’Mahony, Joel Woolf , Jude Mei Edwards and the specialist Voice teachers. What a wonderful evening thank you! Last Friday, the Reddam House String Orchestra travelled to the Sydney Eisteddfod for the first time ever, where they performed 'Perseus'. The group was rewarded with a Highly Commended certificate from the adjudicator. Congratulations to the students for their hard work. The Piccolo String Quartet played in the Eisteddfod today – we will report on their performance in next week’s newsletter.
Congratulations once again to all of the finalists who participated in last week's Instrumental Competition Finals. You may enjoy the film of the evening at the following link: https:// youtu.be/44DWttneNoQ
The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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The NSWCIS Cross Country Championships took place on Thursday and once again our athletes gave their all. Even though the competition was fierce, our runners can look back on their efforts with great satisfaction – we are certainly proud of the way they represented the school with such determination.
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Top performers were Michael Rodov, who came 3rd in the 10s boys 2km race, and Theodore Zagora, who came 6th in the 8/9s 2km race. Michael and Theodore will now progress and take part in the NSW All Schools Cross Country Championships in July. Congratulations to these two runners, along with the rest of our team. These were: Luca Aharonson, Mark Bradburn, Jayden Cao, Peter Chou, Abigail Haggiag, Joshua Hillier, Shanti Inder, Krishna Inder, Eve Kalan, Rachel Kaplan, Estelle Lake, Asher Levin, Lauren Lim, Zachary Macintyre, Anika Martin, Summer Palermo, Marcus Palermo, James Plaskett, Petra Saboisky, Sarella Symonds, Joshua Tancred, Jonathon Tancred, Max Walker, Andrea Yeo Spanbrook, Charlotte Yeo Spanbrook, and Lucia Zagora. My sincere thanks to Mr Tom Cooper Deputy/Head of Sport who arranged this very successful day! It was also an exciting week for Griffin Hincksman, who won the “Best Three-Dimensional Artwork” category in the Waverley Youth Art Prize. He made a sculpture from Fimo, featuring a range of little aliens, all looking at two astronauts. This is a fantastic achievement, especially considering how many people entered this competition – well done, Griffin! Enjoy your weekend! Dee Pitcairn Principal
The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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SPORT RESULTS
I
Sporting results 4th June 2022
Un18s – Reddam Grizzlies v Newtown Kings 39 - 11
Netball
Un18s – Reddam 1st V v Inner City Rockets 25 - 31
Reddam 2 v Randwick Rugby 19 - 30 Reddam 3 v Rose Bay 26 - 36 Reddam 4 v Rose Bay 16 - 16
Soccer
Reddam 5 v MRSL, 13 - 20
Girls Sunday
Reddam 6 v Kincopal, 13 - 5
Reddam Under 13 V Maroubra United G13 Thundercats, 0 - 8
Reddam 7 v Mascotl, 11 - 29
Reddam Seniors V Bye
Reddam 8 v Kincopal, 4 - 6
Reddam 9 v Kincopal, 3 - 24
Primary Saturday
Reddam 10 v St Bridgidine, 16 - 13
Under 9s Reddam United 2 Easts Torino 5
Reddam 12 v Coogee, 4 - 24
Under 9s Reddam City 1 Easts Yellow 1
Reddam 13 v St Catherines, 4 - 6
Under 10s Reddam United 1 Easts Orange Newcastle 3
Reddam 14 v MRSL, 0 - 12
Under 10s Reddam City 9 Waverley Old Boys Orange 0
Basketball Girls
Under 11s Reddam Gunners 3 Easts FC 4
Un16s – Reddam Knicks v SGHS Knives 36 - 7
Under 12s Reddam United 1 Mascot Kings 1
Un18s – Reddam Suns v SGHS Move like Who’a 14 - 21
Under 12s Reddam City 9 Queens Park Everton 1
Un18s – Reddam 1st V v Hoops I did it again 51 - 8 Un14s – Reddam Timberwolves v KHY Astronauts 6 - 48 Un14s – Reddam Sparks v Inner City Magic 78 - 7
High School Boys Saturday
Un 14s – Reddam Mystics v Newtown Lynx 10 - 18
Year 12 v Knox, 0 - 2 Year 11v Knox, 1 - 0
Boys
Year 10 v Knox, 1 - 1
Un12s – Reddam Raptors v Sydney Hoopstars 15 - 21
Year 9 v Sydney Grammar, 2 - 2
Un14s – Reddam Bulls v Newtown Lions 25 - 26
Year 8R v Sydney Boys High School, 8 - 0
Un14s – Reddam Cavaliers v Reddam Hawks 22 - 16 Un14s – Reddam Mavericks v Sydney Hoopstars 10 14
Year 8E v Sydney Boys High School, 2 - 0 Year 7 v Sydney Boys High School 8 - 0
Un14s – Reddam Nuggets v MPB 14 - 30 Un14s – Reddam Hawks v Reddam Cavaliers 16 - 22 Un16s – Reddam Rockets v Inner City Titans 12 - 80 Un16s – Reddam Jazz v Newtown Force 57 - 10 Un18s – Reddam Heat v Pagewood Meerkats 27 - 31 Un16s – Reddam Warriors v MVP Cheetahs 22 - 28
Un16s – Reddam Nets v Accelerate Warriors 34 - 53 The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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Reddam House Would like to wish a very happy birthday to
Aily Chen, Jack Kogan, Charlize Allen, Matilda Muhlmann, Anson Ruan, Finnlay Caplice, Aarin Koopman Woods, Rainer Koopman Woods, Thomas Mawer, Avaleen Paffas, Harriet Hanson, Hannah Haigh, Marlow Keatinge and Callum Walker
Who celebrated their special day this week and over the weekend
The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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Principal & Principal Honour Awards Reddam House Would like to congratulate the following students on their Principal and Principal Honour Awards.
Principal Awards recipients:
Ella Jacobs
Principal & Principal Honour Awards The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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KINDERGARTEN We are more than halfway through the term, and we continue to aim high and work hard in all areas of our learning. We turned into storytellers this week as we began our new ‘Show and Tell’ topic on performing a Dreaming story. We have been captivated by the wonderful posters and props as the students use amazing language skills to explain and retell. During our Maths lessons this week we learned all about subtraction and the many tools we can use to solve problems. We used counters, fingers and number lines and confidently recorded number sentences to demonstrate our understanding. We also had lots of fun listening to subtraction word problems as it turns out our teachers must eat lots of cupcakes! Once we had worked hard to learn all the letters and sounds, we started exploring ‘tricky’ words this week and became investigators as we found out that some letters can make an irregular sound. The students enjoyed spotting the sounds in each word as they practised recording them. We compared shelter, food and transport from the past to the present and acknowledged how the First Australians traditionally explored these concepts in our History and Geography lessons. We then took a closer look at the different facets that describe where we live. This included our country, our city and our suburb.
The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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YEAR 1 This week in Year 1 our Maths work investigated maps. We looked at the directions on a compass and made up silly rhymes that help us remember their order. For example, 'Never Eat Slimy Worms' is a great way to remember North, East, South and West. The children made up many witty quips and it certainly helped the directions stick! We then became orienteerers on a camping holiday as we figured out what direction we needed to go to in order to find our cabins and so on. Maths complemented our Geography as we used a world map to locate all of our personal class connections. Whether it be through holidays, family, heritage or friends it seems we have links all around the world. Thank goodness we are such excellent global citizens! Within our Author Study work, we looked at the story of 'John Patrick Norman McHennessy - the boy who was always late’. The children were invited to infer the emotions that the characters felt within the text. Let me tell you, the teacher was not delighted to be carried off by a gorilla! Our Science focussed on extreme weather conditions as we learned about drought. The children enjoyed the text 'Bringing the Rain to Kapiti' where we saw the effect of a waterless situation. The children were thoughtful in their reflection on extreme weather troubles in our nation, as they commented on bushfires and floods.
The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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YEAR 1
The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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YEAR 2 This week, the students in Year 2 enjoyed revising and consolidating topics and themes covered in all Key Learning Areas. In Science, we focused on the water cycle and its stages. The students can identify the four stages of the water cycle including evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. They can view a diagram and label these stages. The students understand that water can be collected in rivers, lakes, oceans and stored underground as well. In Geography the students identified the northern and southern hemispheres and the Equator. They are becoming more familiar with locating and naming the states and territories of Australia and each capital city of those. Mathematics focus this week included revising the concepts covered so far this term, including work on mass, time, numeration, and statistics. They enjoyed using games and concrete materials to consolidate concepts covered. Our English week involved revising spelling blends including ‘st’ and ‘ty’ words and topic words such as half, halves, whole, continents and oceans. The students learned all about stories from around the world during our speaking and listening program. It is very enriching to hear how other cultures’ stories help teach us about life. We practised our handwriting and enjoyed silent reading too!
The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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YEAR 2
The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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YEAR 3 The countdown has officially begun for the start of exams. The Year 3s have been working diligently to get their Revision Booklets completed and corrected, and to apply the study skills that they have learnt in class. These skills have included mind mapping, drawing, quizzes, flashcards and a whole range of other study techniques. The students have also learnt about ways in which they can dramatise their work in order to help their brains to retain individual concepts and ideas. Furthermore, they have worked individually and in groups of two or three. Along the way, the students have realised that although they need to put in the effort, they can also have a little bit of fun with their revision. This is what some of our Year 3s thought about Revision Week: Amy Yule: ‘I loved revision, particularly the work on erosion and about new ways of studying, such as writing it down or saying it a couple of times. I enjoyed working with a friend. It was also a great help to learn how to calm myself down with some breathing and focus. I’m hoping it will all go well.’ Lilah Ryvchin: ‘In revision week, I learnt to use flashcards and learn about new things. It was a lot of fun. I also learnt how to stay organised with my books and notes.’ Addison Keen: ‘In the revision week, I learnt about learning and that it can be fun. I enjoyed working with a friend the most. I feel more confident to tackle the exams now.” Amy Bond: ‘I love revision… I liked the focus music in the background. I liked learning about flashcards. I liked using the flash cards to help me study.’ Jayden Thomson: ‘I liked the music in the background. It helped me focus. It was fun to be able to move seats and work with a friend to revise. It was wonderful to be able to study at school with help and then also at home.’
Congratulations to our Year 3 students on all of their hard work this week. We wish them luck for the week ahead.
The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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YEAR 4 The jacaranda trees were in full bloom, as if to extend the nocturnal Vivid Light Festival into the daylight hours. While they were as beautiful as they are difficult to clean up, these delicate, violet flowers are well and truly entrenched in folklore as the harbingers of the approach of the mid-year examination period. Our Year 4 students have been busy revising all of the learning content from this past semester; tightening their tension scenes in Narrative Writing, revisiting life in Australia and Britain pre-colonisation, applying their mathematical knowledge to real-life situations, and asking questions to differentiate and classify both organisms and materials. The Year 4 teachers wish our students the best of luck during this period and hope that the following study tips come in handy. 1. Use the Revision Booklets and Google Classroom Revision Booklets: the name is self-explanatory, and they remain the best way to prepare for the exams. Try pairing these with the lesson content on your Google Classrooms to extend your learning and refine your answers, particularly when it comes to using specific vocabulary. 2. Pomodoro Technique This study method encourages students to plan their time for focus and leisure. Choose your subject for revision, set a 20 to 25-minute timer for uninterrupted study, and when the time’s up, take a 5-minute break. Repeat the process 2-3 more times and reward yourself with a 20- to 30-minute break. Setting time goals can help to keep you mentally fresh and avoid dreaded burnout. 3. Create a Quiz We all know how fun the quiz websites Kahoot and Quizlet can be. Why not bring them into your study? Revising booklets and notes can be tedious at times. Identifying difficult concepts, forming questions around them and quizzing yourself using these fun media is a great way to promote active recall of learning content for the exams. The key takeaways: plan and compartmentalise your study load, and don’t forget that we learn best when we are having fun. Study wisely. Quality over quantity.
The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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YEAR 5 & 6 MATHEMATICS In Year 5, mathematicians further applied their knowledge of divisibility rules. Students used Eratosthenes Sieve to determine whether a number was prime or composite. They identified and described factors and multiples of whole numbers and used them to solve problems. Furthermore, they found the lowest common multiples and highest common factor of two whole numbers. Year 5s were experts at finding how many ways a given amount of people at a party could be set up at tables – giving them a real life meaning to factors! This application incorporated and linked the many mathematical concepts learned and facilitated the revision process this week. Year 6 students expanded their knowledge and experimented further with the tests for divisibility. They replaced missing digits in numbers so that in each case the divisibility statement was true. They explored and experimented with Goldbach's first conjectures that every even number greater than 4 is the sum of two prime numbers and his second conjecture that every odd number greater than 7 is the sum of three prime numbers. Problem solving and working mathematically, which are at the heart of mathematics, was an important focus this week. Students were given the opportunity to solve challenging word problems dealing with application of their skills and increasing their understanding of highest common factors (HCF) and lowest common multiples (LCM) of large numbers. It was emphasised to students that while it is important for them to gain procedural fluency in finding the HCF and LCM, it is as important for them to recognise that these are not stand-alone concepts, but a foundation skill required for more advanced applications in the future. Once again working mathematically aided the revision practice this week.
MUSIC YEAR 2 Year 2 began a new topic this week in their Music lessons, exploring the theme of ‘ostinati’ in music. An ostinato is a repeating musical phrase. Students began their lesson by comparing and contrasting two musical excerpts which featured ostinati. They identified tone colours (instruments), texture (the number of layers) and tried to spot any similarities between the two pieces. They were quick to work out that there was a repeated idea in each piece. They then began to work on their own ostinato compositions on the xylophone. Using the 4 notes C E G and A on the xylophones, students worked in groups to compose a layered ostinato piece – with each student creating their unique ostinato melody, and then layering their ideas on top of one another. All groups will have the opportunity to perform their work next week in class – and the students have already created some beautiful pieces of work!
The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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YEAR 5 & 6 ENGLISH Year 5 As teachers, we are extremely aware of the anxieties of examinations; therefore, Revision Week is important. This week we revised the skills needed for reading comprehension, language conventions and narrative writing. Remember to use Literacy Planet activities to help you with the language conventions. For reading comprehension, if a passage is long and seems overwhelming, you can break it up into chunks according to paragraphs and summarise the information (this may be easier to understand). In doing an excellent piece of narrative writing, remember not to delve too much into the background information; focus on ideas which will drive your plot forward; and remember that you need a complication and resolution. Must the characters be humans? No. One of the best narrative pieces written used personification – be creative. One of our favourite sayings in class is, "Start the story one breath before the climax!" Revising is important, as it will help you clarify any questions and concerns you have. It will also help you understand your areas to improve, and most importantly it will boost your confidence. We hope that this week serves you well. All the best to you next week. Year 6 Revision Week has just taken place! I am sure that on countless occasions students have asked, "Why should I revise?" This week, the Year Six classes were immersed in their revision. They consolidated their knowledge of language conventions, understanding of where and how improvements can be made in persuasive writing and how to write succinct answers for reading comprehension. What was impressive were the spirited debates about nuances in meanings when focussing on synonyms and antonyms, as well as the discussions and analyses of the technicality in language conventions. Additionally, students engaged in teacher-student dialogues about how to best improve their persuasive writing. To be persuasive, remember to use the PEEL format. Don’t skim the surface; you must develop and explain every aspect of your evidence. Hopefully, you have cemented your knowledge of the English curriculum for this semester. So, the next time you ask yourself that question, think about Revision Week, how much you have improved, and how this will benefit your examination results. All the best to you next week.
The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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YEAR 5 & 6 SCIENCE In Science this week, Year 5 and 6 students explored their revision booklets in more detail. Students' first lesson of the week consisted of chemistry revision, whilst their second lesson of the week focused on biology revision. These lessons gave students the opportunity to ask questions about any topics they were unsure about in order to address any misconceptions. After this week, students should now be fully prepared for their exams. Good luck to all students taking their Science exam next week, and remember to take your time and read the question. In Science Club, students investigated different acids and bases. Students were able to use red cabbage as an indicator to explore which ingredients were considered acids and which were bases. Once students identified their acids and bases, they were able to taste each ingredient to discover its unique tastes and textures. Proceeding from this, students mixed their ingredients together to make sherbet. This was when students discovered what happens when acids and bases are mixed together!
The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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MUSIC PERFORMANCE It has been a thoroughly busy few weeks in the Music Department. The Sydney Eisteddfod coincided with both of our major annual competitions, and as a result many of our students have had the opportunity to perform live and publicly for their families and other supporters. Congratulations to the String Orchestra for their work at last week's Eisteddfod, and also to all of the students who sang so beautifully on Wednesday evening at the Vocal Competition Finals. We are also immensely proud of the Piccolo String Quartet students, who represented our school. We will have more information to share in next week's newsletter. Year 5-6 String Ensemble The Year 5-6 Ensemble has been working hard on their ensemble pieces. The students are enjoying playing ‘Spartacus’ which has a nice slow introduction, where students can work on producing big warm sounds with our bows. The 2nd section is a lot faster and more exciting, where we work on fitting together nicely as an ensemble. The piece has a few tricky rhythms, and each section of the ensemble is featured with soli sections in each part, which gives us the opportunity to show what we are capable of. We look forward to showcasing our hard work at assembly. Year 5-6 Singers Thus far in 2022, students in Year 5-6 Singers have been working hard towards competing at the Sydney Eisteddfod, which took place in Week 4. Receiving a well-deserved 2nd place against some very tough competition, the Reddam House community is very proud of their beautiful performances of Birrama Mana and Hush the Waves, which they performed again in assembly last week. The Year 5-6 Singers group was then lucky enough to be selected for the Under 19 Choral Championships! Next, we'll be continuing our work on a balanced sound that emanates one voice; striving for consistent vowel shapes, accurate tuning and rhythm, as well as good diction, and careful listening. We look forward to sharing our next piece A Sea Change by Ian Jefferson, from the song cycle The Crow's Nest, as well as more upcoming performances.
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Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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MUSIC PERFORMANCE
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Volume 22 Issue 6 Friday 10 June 2022
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The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
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The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
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The Reddam House Primary School Newsletter
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