Reddam House Primary School 27 October 2023

Reddam House Woollahra Week 3 27 October 2023

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Regardless of whether we are teachers or parents, we always hope that our children will maintain a degree of humility in the way they interact with others, or deal with success. Yet as we can probably

all agree, humility is a slippery attribute which is difficult to attain – just when we think that we are humble about something, we become proud of our humility!

In a world in which success is sought after – whether on the sports fields, or in cultural activities, or in business – helping our children to see humility as a desirable attribute is a real challenge. It really is a delicate balancing act in a competitive environment. And no less so in school, where they are constantly learning new skills and information. For this reason, the term “intellectual humility” attracted my attention in a recent article.

As the article suggests, intellectual humility is all about recognising our own limits. It is the understanding that we don't know everything there is to know about the world. We accept that we are not perfect and that others possess knowledge we might not have. This is different from general humility, which is about not expecting special treatment, and which can relate to our abilities and limitations in various areas of life, such as sports or singing. Intellectual humility, however, focuses on our knowledge and ideas. Intellectual humility is vital because it allows us to be open to learning.

It is entirely reasonable for people to hesitate to admit what they don't know. They might fear that others will think they're not very competent. But these fears are often exaggerated. Research shows that when people admit they are wrong, even when it is clear that they are, others tend to like them more. They see them as more competent than those who try to hide their mistakes.

Praising our children when they have the courage to admit they have made a mistake can also be powerful. It is not easy to acknowledge errors, so, as the article suggests, saying something like, “I'm impressed that you admitted your mistake. It takes courage, and now that you've admitted it, we can grow from here. I'm really proud of you for doing that,” can go a long way to reinforce intellectual humility.

Intellectual humility is thus a quality that empowers our children to embrace their limitations, learn from their mistakes, and continue to grow. By fostering this essential virtue, we equip them with a valuable tool for their personal and academic development. Together, as parents and educators, we can help our children on their journey to becoming confident, humble, and lifelong learners.

Congratulations to the 2023 Maths Olympiad and Maths Games teams, who once again achieved exceptional results. The Year 5 and 6 Maths Olympiad teams dis exceptionally well to be placed in the top 10% overall in the 2023 Maths Olympiad Junior. With more than 100 000 students from around Australia and New Zealand registered in the program this year, to rank in the top 10% of teams is a significant achievement of which we are very proud.

In an individual capacity, our Reddam students also performed outstandingly.

Special recognition is given to Lawrence Chan, Peter Chou, Alexander Hockley, Jayden Kong, and Jayden Cao, the fabulous Year 4 students who participated in Maths Games, a precursor to the Maths Olympiad, and who achieving excellent results.

In Year 6, the following students were recognised as individually coming in the top 10% of all participants: Isla Choi, Mark Bradburn, Thomas Mawer, Luca Ip, Marcus Hronis, Cael Barton, May Yue, Krew Munro, Asher Levin, Eva Herson, Kai Flekser, Asher Edelstein, Tang Guoer, Willem Stewart, Noah Butler, Zara Pulley, Anika Martin, Brandon Bova, Evan Butler, Emma Bishay and Dylan Cugati.

The Year 5 Olympiad participants who also fall into this category are Vincent Yu, Evan Ooi, Brenton Ma, Felix Bootlis, Sebastian Wolfers, Eli Levin, Vikram Katdare, Aamir Bhagat, Sasha Garben-Thew, Matilda Muhlmann, Kate Fu, Scarlett Shapiro, Eve Hutton, Diyan Menon, Damon Chen, Haobo Gao, Wesley Zhao and Jake Jadouin.

Perfect Score medals were awarded to mathematicians who received full marks for all four papers, which is no mean feat, as the questions are highly challenging and involve an exceptional ability to work mathematically. Our students had record-breaking results this year as there were five students whose achievements reflect their dedication and a deep understanding and enjoyment of mathematical thinking and reasoning. In Year 5, perfect score medals were awarded to Michael Rodov, Elvin Ni, Hansom Gong and Joshua Marishel, and in Year 6, Eve Kalan. Well done to all participants for their interest and enthusiasm. We look forward to our involvement again in 2024.

Congratulations to Alma Napthali, in Year 4, whose artwork, titled ‘Autumn Leaves’, has been selected as a winner in the 2023 Young Australian Art Awards. Alma's description of her work states: I made this out of clay and photographed it to remind me to focus on the small things that make you happy. Playing in autumn leaves must be considered the ultimate expression of fun and freedom. To think a once living thing can still give such joy.

Alma has been invited, along with her family, to attend this year’s awards dinner to accept her award in Melbourne. Entries came from students nationally, and they get to enjoy the benefits of the Young Australian Art awards programme. Selected entries are published in the quarterly magazine, Oz Kids in Print. The winners are also published in the 2023 Young Australian Art & Writers Awards Booklet.

Well done, Alma!

As reported in last week’s newsletter, Harrison Wafer (Year 3) and Hanson Gong (Year 5) were selected as winners of the Truck Art Competition, run by the Woollahra Council. As such, it was an exciting moment this past week when Harrison’s artwork was spotted on one of the garbage trucks, as it made its way around the city.

Well done too to Ben and Zac Boyd, who did incredibly well to complete the 28km 7 Bridges Walk, to raise money for the Cancer Council. This really was putting the school motto of ‘We Shall Give Back’ into practice and we are very proud of them.

The whole school enjoyed our outreach day on Tuesday, as we supported the Make a Wish Foundation. We trust that the money raised will contribute towards making a wish come true for a child who is struggling somewhere in our country. A special word of thanks to the Year 6s, who contributed magnificently to how much all the students enjoyed the day. Next week on Tuesday there will be another opportunity for our students to dress up – this time in all things ghoulish and scary – as they have some fun celebrating Halloween.

The Year 1s had a thoroughly good time at Vaucluse House on Wednesday, as they stepped back in time to a bygone era. This hands-on experience made them realise how fortunate they are to have all the modern-day gadgets and luxuries which they do, and opened their eyes to the lives of those who lived on the property more than a century ago.

Today, the normally calm campus was interrupted by the sounds of drumming and loud electrical instruments. All of this was, of course, for this year’s Battle of the Bands. And what a battle it was, as our talented musicians showed off their skills in front of a rapturous audience. Music will continue to be at the forefront of many of our students’ minds as they take part in the Spring Recital on Monday at 7pm. We know that they will give their all and we look forward to enjoying their performances.

The Kindergarten Orientation Day takes place on Sunday from 10am to 12.30pm and we look forward to welcoming what will probably be an excited group of new students, who will be eager to get their first taste of ‘big school’.

Rehearsals for this year’s K-2 musical production of ‘Winnie the Pooh’ are reaching a crescendo, and next Sunday there will undoubtedly be much excitement as the technical team has its bump in to Everest Theatre, in anticipation of opening night the following week. We wish the cast and crew everything of the best for the fine-tuning process and the last minute polishing of lines, lyrics and actions.

While the K-2 students will be working hard on their production, the Year 3-6 students will be honing their academic skills as they prepare for the end of year exams. They have been given their Revision Booklets and the teachers are already starting to prepare them for the exams, even as they complete the work to be covered for the term.

Enjoy your weekend!

Dee Pitcairn Principal

1 - Ben and Zac Boyd completing the 28km 7 Bridges walk raising money for the Cancer Council

NSW PSSA Athletics Championships On Wednesday and Thursday this week, Lucia Zagora represented CIS at the NSW PSSA Athletics Championships, Sydney Olympic Park. This event provides opportunities for all primary age athletes in NSW to represent at state level and above.

Lucia competed in the 12 Years Girls Discus and Shot Put over two days and was exceptional in every sense of the word. Lucia won two silver medals in her events, narrowly missing out by 2cm in the Shot Put. Lucia will now represent NSW at the School Sports Australia Track and Field Championships in Launceston, Tasmania.

Congratulations Lucia - we are so proud of your efforts!

Happy Birthday Reddam House would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to Henry Hanson, Damian Qiao, Lincoln Zhou, Gabriel Levine, Xavier Saboisky, Archie Maccormick, Amy Speiser, Asher Flekser, Ayla Pilosof

Principal Awards Sienna Lim, Evie Blight, Willow Tudor, Andrea Yeo Spanbrook, Taylor Villis, Maya DeGeest, Matilda Lehrer, Asher Edelstein, Eyal Ben-Menachem, Summer Palermo

Principal Honour Awards Lucia Perczuk, Ethan Murphy, Miley Yuan, Diyan Menon, Eli Levin, Max Jacobs, Jaden Jebamoney, Abbie Thatcher, Alastair Tait

Sports Fixtures Sports Fixtures 28th October 2023

Basketball

Friday 27th October - Comets | Alexandria - 53 Maddox St Year 8 MYSTICS vs SGHS Gorillas 4:20pm Ct 2 Year 9 LIGHTNING vs All Blacks 5:05pm Ct 1 Year 8 SPARKS vs BYE (no game) Year 10 SUNS vs SGHS Bawlin' 5:05pm Ct 2 Year 11 DIAMONDS vs RBSC Rebels 4:20pm Ct 1

Saturday 28th October - Comets | Alexandria - 53 Maddox St Boys Year 5 CAVALIERS vs Sydney HoopStars Virpers 3:30pm Ct 1

Saturday 28th September - Perry Park | Alexandria - 53 Maddox St Girls Year 3 BOOMERS vs All Blacks 8:50am Ct 4 Year 3 TIGERS vs Inner City Cupcakes 8am Ct 4 Year 4/5 STORM vs Newtown Gems 11:20am Ct 1 Year 6/7 TIMBERWOLVES vs Newtown Scorpions 2:40pm Ct 4 Year 7 FLAMES vs BYE (no game)

Boys Year 3 LAKERS vs Maccabi knicks 8am Ct 2 Year 3 SPURS vs Inner City Demons 8:50am Ct 2 Year 3 WIZARDS vs Proball Knicks 9:40am Ct 1 Year 4 BUCKS vs Proball Wizards 11:20am Ct 3 Year 5 RAPTORS vs Sacramento Kings 12:10pm Ct 1 Year 5 HORNETS vs Newtown Power 12:10pm Ct 3 Year 6 BULLS vs Sydney Hoopstars Wolves 1pm Ct 2 Year 7 STAGS vs Newtown Lions 4:20pm Ct 3 Year 7 MAVERICKS vs Newtown Flames 5:10pm Ct 2 Year 7 PACERS vs Sydney Hoopstars Anacondas 4:20pm Ct 2

Year 7 NUGGETS vs Maccabi Grizzlies 12:10pm Ct 2 Year 9 NETS vs Newtown Force 6:50pm Ct 2 Year 10 HEAT vs Maccabi Rockets 6:50pm Ct 3

PCYC (Marrickville) 531 Illawarra Rd, Marrickville Year 8 ROCKETS vs Inner City Cyclones 1:30pm Ct 1 Year 9 THUNDER vs Reddam Blazers 3:45pm Ct 1 Year 8 BLAZERS vs Reddam Thunder 3:45pm Ct 1 Year 8 JAZZ vs Newtown Blazers 3pm Ct 1 Year 8 WARRIORS vs Reggae Rockers 6:45pm Ct 1 Year 11 GRIZZLIES vs Newtown Giants 6pm Ct 1 Year 10/11 MAGIC vs Newtown Krakens 3pm Ct 2

Water Polo BOYS Opens v SBHS, Auburn Pool 12:50pm Middle v SBHS, Auburn Pool 1:30pm Primary v Knox, Knox Pool 9:15am

GIRLS Reddam 1 v Barker, UNSW Pool 8:30am Reddam 2 v SACS, UNSW Pool 10:45am Reddam 3 v Barker, UNSW Pool 10:00am Reddam 4 v Reddam 5, UNSW Pool 11:45am Reddam 5 v Reddam 4, UNSW Pool 11:45am

Touch Football Girls: Reddam 1 v Ascham 4, Queens Park No. 1 (Baronga Avenue), 8:50 am Reddam 2 v Loreto 7, Queens Park No. 3 (Baronga Avenue), 8:00 am

Reddam 3 v Loreto 10, Queens Park No. 12 (Darley Road near playground), 11:00 am Reddam 4 v Loreto 12, Reservoir Field No. 4 (Oxford St), 10:30 am Reddam 5 v St Caths 7, Reservoir Field No. 4 (Oxford St), 8:50 am Reddam 6 v bye

Boys: Reddam 1 (Opens) v St Augustines, Queens Park No. 8 (next to the Queens Park Kitchen, Darley Rd), 8:50 am Reddam 2 (Under 16) v Riverview 1, Queens Park No. 8 (next to the Queens Park Kitchen, Darley Rd), 10:30 am Reddam 3 (Under 15) v Riverview 1, Trinity 2, 9:40 am. The bus will leave at 8:30 am Reddam 4 (Under 14) v St Augustines, Riverview 1B, 12:40 pm. The bus will leave at 11:30 am

Tennis Reddam 1 v St Pius, Lane Cove Tennis Club 10.00am Reddam 2 v St Pius, Talus Street Courts 10.00am Reddam 3 v St Pius, Neutral Bay Lawn Tennis Club 10.00am Reddam 4 v St Pius, Talus Street Courts 10.00am Reddam 5 v Redlands, Lane Cove Tennis Club 8.00am Reddam 6 v St Pius, Neutral Bay Lawn Tennis Club 8.00am Reddam 7 v St Pius, Talus Street Courts 8.00am Reddam 8 v St Pius, Neutral Bay Lawn Tennis Club 8.00am

Cricket Reddam Ravens V Easts Lions 8.00am Lower Cooper 2 Reddam Rabbits V Coastal Seals 8.00am Lower Cooper 1 Reddam Roos V Easts Electric Wickets 3.00pm Lough Field North

Sports Results 21st October 2023 Basketball Girls

Year 3 BOOMERS vs Sydney Hoopstars Tigers 7 - 29 Year 3 TIGERS vs BYE (no game) Year 4/5 STORM vs Sydney Hoopstars Bobcats 23 - 6 Year 6/7 TIMBERWOLVES vs Inner City Scorpions 22 - 44 Year 7 FLAMES vs Newtown Angels 4 - 20 Year 8 MYSTICS vs KHY Astronauts 34 - 3 Year 9 LIGHTNING vs Inner City Allstars 23 - 61 Year 8 SPARKS vs St Caths Red 58 - 9 Year 10 SUNS vs Coogee Crystals 34 - 2 Year 11 DIAMONDS vs All Blacks 15 - 22

Boys Year 3 LAKERS vs Sydney Hoopstars Golden Pythons 20 - 22 Year 3 SPURS vs Sydney Hoopstars Boas 10 - 34 Year 3 WIZARDS vs ProBall Lynx 47 - 4 Year 4 BUCKS vs Reddam Hornets 29 - 12 Year 5 CAVALIERS vs Inner City Ohana 15 - 51 Year 5 RAPTORS vs Sydney Hoopstars Tarheels 8 - 78 Year 5 HORNETS vs Reddam Bucks 12 - 29 Year 6 BULLS vs KHY Astronauts 15 - 30 Year 7 STAGS vs Lilyfield Lightning 27 - 23 Year 7 MAVERICKS vs Road Runners Blue 50 - 30 Year 7 PACERS vs Inner City Thunder 64 - 34 Year 7 NUGGETS vs Sydney Hoopstars Wolves 19 - 16 Year 10 HEAT vs BYE (no game) Year 8 ROCKETS vs Reddam Jazz 18 - 30 Year 8 WARRIORS vs Newtown Hawks 31- 13 Year 8 BLAZERS vs Newtown Tigers 20 - 0 Year 8 JAZZ vs Reddam Rockets 30 - 18 Year 9 THUNDER vs BYE (no game) Year 9 NETS vs BYE (no game)

Year 11 GRIZZLIES vs Botany Forsaken 16 - 21 Year 10/11 MAGIC vs Showtime MVP Ballers 38 - 52

Water Polo BOYS Opens v Trinity, 3-8 Middle v Knox, 16-1 Primary v St Augustines, 8-1

GIRLS Reddam 1 v SGHS, 15-0 Reddam 2 v Reddam 3, 11-4 Reddam 3 v Reddam 2, 4-11 Reddam 4 v SGHS, 11-1 Reddam 5 v Dolphins, 3-5

Touch Football Girls: Reddam 1 v Sceggs 2, 1 - 3 Reddam 2 v Kambala 5, 1 - 3 Reddam 3 v Ascham 15, 4 - 1 Reddam 4 v Ascham 16, 14 - 1 Reddam 5 v Kambala 12, 8 - 0 Reddam 6 v Kambala 13, 2 - 1

Boys: Reddam 1 (Opens) v Cranbrook, 3 - 7 Reddam 2 (Under 16) v Waverley 1, 5 - 11 Reddam 3 (Under 15) v Waverley 1, 6 - 9 Reddam 4 (Under 14) v Waverley 2, 13 - 6

Tennis Reddam 1 v St Pius, 0 - 3 Reddam 2 v Redlands, 1- 2 Reddam 3 v St Pius, 3 - 0 Reddam 4 v Redlands, 3 - 0 Reddam 5 v St. Pius, 2 - 1 Reddam 6 v Reddam 7, 2 - 1 Reddam 7 v Reddam 6, 1 - 2 Reddam 8 v St Pius, 2- 1

Cricket Reddam Ravens 11/77 Easts Hawks 2/183 Reddam Rabbits 5/135 SSMCJCC Copperheads 9/88 Reddam Roos 8/144 RJCC Renegades 9/147

Reddam House Water Polo

Kindergarten It was another busy week in Kindergarten. We are now in full swing rehearsals for our upcoming production of ‘Winnie the Pooh’. We can’t wait for you all to see what we have been working on! We

also enjoyed our Make a Wish fundraiser this week. We all really enjoyed the carnival and games set up by Year 6 and we were so happy to donate to such a special cause!

This week in our English lessons, we learned all about the ‘th’ diagraph. We added it to our list of diagraph knowledge such as 'sh' and 'ch'. We talked about words that start or end with 'th' and then had fun writing sentences using as many 'th' words as we could. As well as that, we continued to write about our science topic, 'Living Things.' We finished the week by reading a book called 'Kyle Goes Alone' and found out all about sloths and what they need to survive. Then, we wrote down some interesting facts about sloths in our writing books.

In Mathematics this week, we continued to practise and revise addition, subtraction, place value and number bonds. We enjoyed refreshing our memories through games, worksheets, and concrete resources.

In Topic this week, we continued to look at Living Things. We discussed what makes something a living thing and non-living thing. We discussed how living things such as plants and animals can help us today in different communities such as the Aboriginal community and on farms.

In PDH lessons this week we continued our sun and water safety inquiry by looking at ways to keep safe at the beach. We talked about all the things we like to do at the beach, then we made a list of dangerous things that we need to look out for when we are having fun. We explored ways to keep safe like swimming between the flags, looking out for surfboards, rips, waves, and rocks and how to signal to a lifeguard for help. We then recorded our learning by drawing a picture of ourselves swimming safely at the beach.

Year 1

What a fabulous week Year One had, the highlight being our excursion to Vaucluse House. The children were transported back to the 19th century where they experienced what life was like in comparison to their lives today. This complemented what we have been learning at school. In History and Geography this week we focused on all that happens on a farm, from growing crops to milking cows and collecting eggs.

In Science, we followed the journey of bread, starting on the farm, growing wheat, to the shop where it is sold and all the way to our table. We looked closely at the ingredients needed to make a loaf of bread and investigated the role yeast plays in this process. And, of course, we then needed to follow up with something to put on our bread! After learning about dairy farming last week, we were ready to learn how butter is made.

In Maths, we spent the week concentrating on the four operations – addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. We worked on understanding the meaning of these operations and investigated different strategies to help us solve number problems. We were also introduced to the concept of having a remainder sometimes when sharing takes place.

We continued working on our Poetry unit this week in English and had loads of fun creating ‘shape poems’ based on our senses. We used Halloween as a theme, so look out for some pumpkins and ghosts filled with creative writing around our classrooms.

In Personal Development and Health Education, we discussed resilience, as part of our unit of work this term. It was so interesting to hear the children’s suggestions of positive self-talk when they might encounter a tough situation. They all remembered to think like ‘Rosie Resilience’. They are well on their way to being ready for Year 2!

Year 2 The Year 2 students have discovered how hungry silkworms are. These little creatures have been going through bags and bags of food per week. The children have learned that they are picky eaters, though. Silkworms like to only eat the leaves from mulberry trees, so we’ve all taken to looking for mulberries on our walks around our local area. The worms have fattened up tremendously and are now starting to make their silk cocoons, ahead of their metamorphosis.

We began studying ‘Living Things’ in Science and, in particular, the changes that they go through.

We’re all looking forward to sharing our lifespan pictures with the class in the coming weeks, which will be fun.

In English, we tied together all our knowledge to analyse and recreate descriptive narratives. The language features we focussed on this week were onomatopoeia and adjectives, which make narratives more exciting and descriptive for the reader. We also revised punctuation. We all know that sentences start with a capital letter and end with either a full stop, exclamation mark or question mark… but we need all the reminders we can get!

In Mathematics, we practised our multiplication. The more we practise these, the faster we can recall them. We also read word problems that use multiplication, as we wrote the associated number sentence and found the answer. Our mathematicians also related half, quarter and full turns of shapes to the turning hands on a clock.

Of course, a great chunk of the week was set aside for rehearsal time. ‘Winnie the Pooh’ is coming together. We only have one more week of rehearsals at school before we ‘bump in’ to the Seymour Centre in Week 5! I’m sure you’ve all been hearing the catchy songs at home!

Please also check out the fun we had at the Make-A-Wish Foundation fundraiser on Tuesday. The students participated in carnival-like games for prizes and for fun. It was a great session. We are very proud of the Year 6 students who organised this event so well and are hoping that the funds raised will make some children’s wishes come true.

Year 3 This week, our budding authors dived into the exciting world of diary entries! To kick off this thrilling unit, we introduced the ‘Mouse for Sale’ video, a heart-warming tale of compassion, friendship and

determination. This delightful animated short stirred our students' imaginations and set the stage for an incredible writing adventure.

One of the key highlights of our writing unit was the cultivation of empathy. As our young writers explored the video's characters, they were encouraged to step into their shoes and write diary entries from various perspectives. This exercise allowed our students to see the story from multiple angles, fostering a deeper understanding of the characters' emotions and motivations.

The diary entries we've seen from Year 3 have been nothing short of remarkable. Students have embraced their creativity and crafted writing which is rich in descriptive language and literary devices. It's been astonishing to witness the imaginative and diverse range of diary entries our students have produced!

As we explored the art of diary writing, we also integrated real-life skills into our lessons. Our students learned about the importance of organisation, detail, and reflection in their diary entries.

This not only enhanced their writing skills but also taught them valuable skills that they can carry with them throughout their lives.

Here is what some of our young authors have said about the unit so far:

“I have enjoyed pretending to be someone else and telling the same story from different points of view.” – Valentina Brown “I liked using the different paragraphs to build the story up and I enjoyed showing the character’s emotions in the diary.” – Freya Mackay “I like diary entries because it is honest and you can talk about how the character is feeling and what they are thinking.” – Fred Liu “I’ve enjoyed using lots of descriptive language to make the diary entries more exciting for the reader.” – Mila McDonald “It has been fun to become different characters and see what it is like in their shoes, it makes me see the story in a different way each time.” – Holly Holmes

We can’t wait to share our finished diary entries with you!

Year 4 “Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument.” – Desmond Tutu

That is precisely what Year 4 students worked towards doing this week, for our English unit. Students developed their persuasive writing skills, by using the PEEL technique (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link) and wrote about a range of different topics. With helpful feedback and sharing of ideas, Year 4 students are well on their way to successfully writing full persuasive texts, with powerful, emotive language and well thought-out, developed arguments. We are very proud of the effort that students are putting into their writing this term and are very excited to see finished products.

Students are also enjoying being back in the library once a week this term. Each class has a session to go and borrow and return books, or to just sit and enjoy reading alongside their peers in a calm space. It is wonderful to see students bonding over their love of specific authors or genres.

In Science lessons, students continued their learning about forces, with a focus on friction this week.

Students identified different examples of friction in everyday life and experienced their hands heating up as a result of the friction caused by rubbing their hands together.

Tuesday brought a welcome sense of fun, with the students wearing mufti and participating in the Carnival Games in aid of the Make a Wish Foundation. Students showed off their skills in the various activities and had fun choosing prizes from the lucky dip prize box. A great time was had by all!

Year 5 & 6 English Year 5 With reading and writing class assessments now firmly behind them, Year 5 students finished up reading the delightful novel, “The One and Only Ivan”. Analytical writing is a new skill for many Year 5 students, and the English department is proud of their progress. Students also revised their language conventions, in preparation for end of year examinations, and we are seeing some solid progress on completing their revision booklets. Well done on your hard work, Year 5.

Year 6 After a very busy fortnight in English, watching and writing analytical paragraphs about the Australian cinematic drama, “Red Dog”, Year 6 students had a quieter week revising language conventions for their exams. In between writing different kinds of “exciting” sentences and remembering the difference between parts of speech and figures of speech, Year 6 also practised their analytical writing skills using the colour coded PETAETAL scaffold. Well done, Year 6!

Public speaking 5 This term, Year 5 Public Speaking students are playing a speech-making guessing game, called “15 Minutes of Fame”. They have been busy writing a range of different short speeches relevant to 21st century life and workplaces. Each student has selected a different kind of speech, and they are now taking it in turns to get up and present to the class. Great work, speakers!

Year 5 & 6 Science

This week in Science, Year 5 students studied the lifecycle of stars and the planets in our solar system. During the students’ first lesson of the week, they explored how stars are formed, the criteria required for a variety of stars, how stars evolve and how black holes, neutron stars, supernovas and dwarf planets are formed. Students developed a fundamental understanding of how different stars are created and what is required for them to transform into another star. During the students’ second lesson of the week, they learned about the planets in our solar system. Students carried out an information hunt to discover details about each planet such as their tilt, number of moons, average temperature and much more information.

This week in Science, Year 6 students studied tsunamis and ENSO. Students developed an understanding of what tsunamis are and how they are created. Students carried out a case study on the tsunami that happened in Indonesia in 2004 and discovered the magnitude and location of the earthquake that created the tsunami, how the tsunami formed and the impact it had. Students in Year 6 also learned about ENSO this week. ENSO is the weather pattern Australia experiences. There are three phases, the neutral phase, La Nina and El Nino. Students are able to explain how and why these weather patterns occur and what their impact is on Australia.

In Science Club, students carried out one of three activities. Group one's design skills were tested as they designed and built model cars; these cars were then propelled by a balloon. Students needed to consider aerodynamics and the mass of their car in order to be the fastest. Group 2 learned about the laws of physics as they were challenged to create a circuit that would keep a marble in motion for the longest time possible. Students needed to consider speed, angles and the complexity of their designs. Group three made elephant's toothpaste. Elephant's toothpaste is when an array of

chemicals and ingredients are combined to form a toothpaste-like substance, however, the scale of the toothpaste is enormous! Enough to clean the tusks of an elephant!

Year 5 & 6 Maths

In Year 5, our students continued their study of volume, capacity, and displacement. They learned how to calculate the volume of irregular solids, such as sharpeners and staplers, which lack simple geometric shapes. To tackle this challenge, they discovered that the amount of water these objects displace is equivalent to their volume, measured in cubic centimetres (cm³) or millilitres (ml) of water. This practical approach allowed them to measure and calculate these irregular objects' volume accurately.

Additionally, we provided students with a hands-on experience by constructing a cubic meter (1m³), providing a tangible sense of volume. They grasped the concept that 1 000 000 cubic cm (1 000 000 cm³) is equivalent to 1 cubic meter (1m³), which also equals 1000 litres (1 000 L) or 1 kilolitre (1 KL).

This exploration helped them understand the relationships between various volume units, connecting cubic centimetres to cubic meters and litres to kilolitres.

Hanson Gong, Sky Zang, and Elvin Ni took part in an engaging project where they constructed a truncated icosahedron a 32-faced Archimedean solid with 60 vertices corresponding to the facial arrangement consisting of 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons. They compared this with a regular icosahedron siting, the latter comprised of 20 regular pentagons. This hands-on experience not only reinforced their understanding of 3D solids but also introduced them to the properties and characteristics of this unique geometric figure.

In Year 6, students took their knowledge to a deeper level by exploring the side lengths of cubes based on their volume. They employed their understanding of cube roots to determine the length of one side of a cube. This added complexity to their comprehension of 3D shapes.

Additionally, students honed their skills in unit conversion by practising how to convert between different units of length when determining side lengths and surface areas. This further solidified their understanding of mathematical conventions and the importance of connecting various mathematical concepts.

Music Performance

This week was filled with exciting collaborations and spirited performances. One of the standout moments was undoubtedly this past Friday's assembly, where the 'Battle of the Bands' brought an electric atmosphere. Our rock and pop bands gave exhilarating performances, infusing great energy into the assembly and leaving a lasting impression on everyone present.

Looking forward, there's much to anticipate. Next Monday, Adelaide Hall will be echoing with harmonies during our Spring Recital. This isn't just any recital; it's a showcase of teamwork and collaboration. Many of our talented ensembles will be performing, and what makes this event special is its emphasis on collaborative pieces with no solos. Our students have been diligently preparing for this grand finale to the year, and it promises to be an evening to remember. All are welcome, next Monday October 30 at 7pm in Adelaide Hall.

Outside of our music rooms, the passion for song and music has spilled over into other classes. A blend of tradition and melody is evident in the Jewish, Bible, and Moral Studies classes where students are engrossed in preparations for the major Holiday Celebration. This event, scheduled for Week 7 at Sydney Town Hall, is shaping up to be an enchanting blend of education and entertainment.

Lastly, it's essential to highlight the consistent and dedicated efforts that happen behind the scenes.

Every week, both in ensembles and individual music lessons, students diligently practise, improving

their skills and expressing their love for music. Their unwavering commitment and passion are the very heartbeat of our department.

Join us for these performances and experience the emotions, dedication, and stories our talented students share through their music.

Year 5-6 Synth Ensemble

As we move towards the business end of the final term of 2023 term, it's time to share the exciting happenings of the Year 5-6 Synthesiser Ensemble. At the end of last term our talented musicians transported us back to the '80s with an assembly performance of The Final Countdown that was nothing short of spectacular. From the first chord, the ensemble captured the spirit and energy of the classic synth anthem. The melody section played with precision and flair, while the rhythmic section provided a pulsating backdrop that got more than a few feet tapping.

This term our pianists are working on the song ‘Hey Ya!’ by Outkast. Whilst this song uses a standard four-chord chord progression that is seen in many pop, rock, and folk songs, the composers of this piece have made it interesting by giving it a rhythmic twist. This piece is predominately in 4/4 time but has a cheeky bar on 2/4 squeezed into the middle of each phrase. This rhythmic pattern is repeated throughout the song, which allows the students to lock into a groove that is instantly recognisable as “that song” (Hey Ya!). It’s been a lot of fun and we're looking forward to hearing the finished product.

Brass Ensemble

This year has been another exciting year for the Brass Ensemble. After our fantastic performance for the Anzac Day Assembly in April we worked extremely hard and the second half of the year has given us many opportunities to perform.

The most enjoyable performance in my mind was definitely the Brass Ensemble’s contribution to my Studio Recital in September this year. Brass Ensemble was the big opening for the Recital with the exciting ‘Star Wars Theme’ by John Williams. This was followed by my arrangement of the equally recognisable ‘Super Mario Bros - Overworld Theme’ by Koji Kondo from the 1985 Nintendo video game. Our next item was ‘Georgia On My Mind’ by Hoagy Carmichael, made especially famous by soul singer, Ray Charles. In 1979 the State of Georgia designated Ray Charles’s version the official State Song.

As a special project some of the more senior students and I put together a smaller Brass Quintet and performed the very well-known song ‘Pink Panther’ by Henry Mancini which was so well received that we were invited to perform it again this term for the Spring Festival.

The Brass Ensemble played the final two items for the big finish to the show. Firstly with the more traditional ‘Echo Fantasia’ by Banchieri and then finally with all the students' favourite “A Little More Blues” by Brian West. I was extremely proud of their playing and the performance was enjoyed by all parents, family and friends at the Recital.

At the start of Term 4 the Brass Ensemble was invited to perform for the Year 11 Prize Giving Ceremony where we pulled together two brand new pieces in just two weeks, namely ‘Theme from Symphony No.1’ by Brahms and the Traditional English Melody, ‘The Vicar of Bray’. The Brass Ensemble has been invited to perform at a number of the other Prizegiving ceremonies at the end of the year.

We look forward to performing for everyone at these special occasions and have been working hard to perfect our selections of music for the performances.

We are very proud of all the hard work that Brass Ensemble has done this year and look forward to another amazing year together in 2024.

Disney’s Winnie the Pooh Kids 2023: Rehearsal Schedule Week 4 (October 30 - November 5)

NB. When rehearsal is in Adelaide Hall, student collection is from Adelaide Hall. When rehearsal is anywhere else, student collection is from the front Astro.

Music

The Kindergarten music students continued to work very hard on the songs ‘Bounce high’ and ‘Mill song’. This week the students sang, moved and played and the songs are sounding excellent, both when singing and on the xylophones. The students are developing their understanding of pitching by practising singing in solfa and using Curwen hand signs and are also building their foundational xylophone mallet technique.

Year 2 Visual Arts Year 2 have been busy in Visual Arts designing and creating 'Futuristic Cars'. The students imagined what a car might look like in 100 years time, and after drawing a detailed plan of their vehicle, sculpted it from clay and painted their creation in acrylic paint. The resulting sculptures were imaginative and colourful and would all be great fun to drive in the future!

Art Competition

Important Dates