Little Sister Magazine: Issue 1

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Meet our editorial team Editor: Louise May Designers: Janice O'Kane, Trudy Hunt Year 8 Big Sister Writing Team Rosa Cox – Leader Sapphire Tutini – Deputy Leader Zara Bennet Maia Smith Ishita Barot Ashwini Mahadeva Coco Shale Year 13 Big Sister Writing Team and Year 13 Communications Committee Olivia Hardie Neil Crystal Sang Jessica Zhang Joy Tong Angela Xu Amelia Cai Cybella Maffitt

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BUDDY SYSTEM 07 INTERVIEW WITH HAYLEY 09 LEARNING in the classroom 11 TECHNOLOGY IN JUNIOR SCHOOL 21 BEHIND THE SCENES 27 NEW PLAY AREA 31 SPORT and pe 33 music 35 st cuthbert COLOURING fun 37

What’s inside

NEW HEAD OF SCHOOL 03

Meet Bailey Bailey the Dog was created by Doris Wu in the before school, Year 6 art group.

He’s a cheeky chappy who loves to play Hide and Seek. He’s hiding on every double page, can you spot him?

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Welcome om r f Kerry Oldman

I’m very excited to be joining our wonderful Junior School, just in time to launch our first ever Junior School magazine, ‘Little Sister’.

The Junior School teachers found they had so many extraordinary stories to share from across Years 0–6 that they were bursting out of the weekly Evergreen newsletters.

This Little Sister magazine is twice-yearly and will showcase the learning and fun from your daughters’ classroom, as well as the many varied experiences they benefit from across our school.

The happiness and emotional wellbeing of your daughters is my key driver. I also believe

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that community is vital when raising children and it’s heart-warming for me to see how much the wider St Cuthbert’s family also values this.

I’ve been very touched by the warm reception I’ve received so far and look forward to getting to know all of our Junior School families better in the next few months.

Ngā manaakitanga

Kerry Oldman

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Values and Religion JAM and FOOTPRINTS At St Cuthbert’s Junior School our religious education lessons help to instil the belief that to live in a ‘By Love Serve’ way honours what Jesus teaches in the Bible.

These lessons are adapted for each age group.

JAM (Jesus and Me) is the lesson title for our Years 0 to 4 students and FOOTPRINTS is the lesson title for Years 5 and 6. All lessons are strongly linked to our Junior School Values programme, with our school motto, ‘By Love Serve’, forming the cornerstone of how we teach the students.

JAM and FOOTPRINTS lessons reflect what is going on in the girls’ daily lives as well as the world around them, so they are relevant and pertinent to our students. They are carried out in an environment where thoughts are encouraged and shared without the girls feeling they are being judged in any way.

‘Empathy’ has been our main Junior School Values theme throughout Term 1 and our students explored the meaning of ‘Empathy’ in

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our school, in their lives and within the wider community. We read ‘The Giving Tree’, and reflected on lessons of empathy we can learn from The Bible.

Our Year 5 Values Representatives spoke about this book at their York assembly, sharing what we have discussed in class. The Junior School then sang a song called ‘Tree Song’ as a way of honouring this special book and the message of love and empathy it holds for us.

Chapel attendance is key in our religious teaching. Every year level within St Cuthbert’s attends a Chapel Service throughout the term, across Years 0 to 13. The students of each year work with the Chaplain to shape their special service by writing prayers and selecting hymns to sing. We hear from our students that from being so involved in designing their very own Chapel Service that they look forward to taking their families to attend and that it is a special time of sharing.

Easter is a very important time in the St Cuthbert’s calendar and we teach the

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lessons of Easter to all year levels.

Years 0–3 hold a special Easter Service in the Old Girls’ Chapel while Years 4, 5 and 6 are invited to join the whole school service held in the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell.

Once a year, each year level has a Family Chapel Service held on a Sunday morning. These are wonderful occasions in which the girls have the opportunity to share with their families the work they have created in class and for their Values projects. Our Chaplain reflects on each year’s work and shares a special message with the congregation. On 10 March, Year 6 attended their Family Chapel service for which the girls had worked with our Chaplain to write their own prayers.

Our wonderful Voichestra choir sang with heartfelt voices at this special service. The girls displayed artwork and writing they had produced in Term 1 so they could share their experiences gained in their FOOTPRINT lessons with the congregation.

In March, close to St Cuthbert’s annual Saint Day, we held a St Cuthbert’s Service attended by Junior and Middle School children together. This service celebrated and commemorated St Cuthbert’s life and was an important occasion on which to reflect on our school motto, ‘By Love Serve’. As well as writing prayers which were read at the Service the girls also read the special St Cuthbert prayer. They were joined by an Old Girl whose words help them to remember our school’s namesake and give thanks for his life and the lessons he taught us.

Empathy – Our Junior School Values Topic for Term One With each year group we held ageappropriate discussions to explore ‘Empathy’ together.

We discussed how we connect with others in an empathetic way – at home, at school and in the community, and why this is important.

We learned how Jesus taught us to love and respect everyone, drawing from lessons such as The Good Samaritan and the Friendship of Jesus and Peter. With our older girls, we discussed how these lessons may help us to be better citizens in our world today and asked ourselves ‘How may we be the heart, the hands and the feet of Jesus for others?’ We asked ourselves how we can learn from this and see how it may help us to be better citizens in our world today.

As we approached our school’s annual day – St Cuthbert’s Day – we read more about our school’s name sake, a respected and respectful man of God, and explored how he was empathetic so that our students had more information they could relate to when they attended their Chapel and Cathedral services.

Attending Chapel services – be it as a class, House or with their families, is a celebration of faith and upholds our school’s Christian foundation. It is a time of sharing joy, peace and love together as a school family.

Sue Porter 6

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Looking up to older Role Models Our goal is that every girl feels happy and settled in our Junior School, so it feels like their ‘home away from home’. Your daughters all have unique strengths and we encourage every girl to achieve her own personal best in the most supportive of environments, every day.

This encouragement doesn’t just come from our amazing teachers, it’s also embedded throughout our school in our school motto ‘By Love Serve’. We ‘walk the talk’ every day to ensure our younger St Cuthbert’s girls can look up to their ‘bigger sisters’, having fun with them, and learning from them.

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A special group of Year 13 girls are selected each year to come and hang out with our Junior School girls – as you can imagine this is a much coveted position!

The Year 13 big sisters come and help teachers, read to our Junior School girls, organise Jump Jam sessions and movie nights, host Easter fun activities and generally just have fun at lunchtimes in the playgrounds. We can see that both the younger and older St Cuthbert’s girls are bonding and enjoying each other’s company all year round.

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QA &

Interview with Hayley

The Middle School Big Sisters Interview Hayley Buckley, St Cuthbert’s Trust Board Chair In February our budding Year 8 Big Sisters were asked where they would like to interview Hayley; they were quick to suggest the school’s Boardroom as it was “an adult’s place”. Excited and nervous the up-and-coming young journos sat around the large Boardroom table ready to serve their tough questions to Hayley. All nerves melted away at the sight of Hayley’s dog, George, who proudly sported his very own St Cuthbert’s Black Watch tartan hair ribbon to the interview. Now at ease, the girls found out more about St Cuthbert’s Trust Board Chair, partner of law firm Wynn Williams, and mother of two, Hayley Buckley.

Coco: “Which of your relatives supported you the most when you were growing up”?

Hayley: When I was around your age (12) my mother said “Find something you love to do and be able to stand on your own two feet at all times”. I came to appreciate what she meant later as I realised that I had to keep my own identity, my own sense of self in all situations. Looking back I realise that it was my mother who shaped my decision to be a lawyer as she recognised that it would allow me to combine my love of English with my analytical skills.

Sapphire: “Do you ever use personal opinions to help you make decisions whilst being on the Board”?

Hayley: Personal opinions come from our values, from what we feel is right or wrong, or what we believe is a better way when right or wrong isn’t instantly clear. I believe that when making any decision it’s impossible to separate out personal views entirely.

Ashwini: “What advice would you give your adolescent self”?

Hayley: It may sound clichéd but I would

say to my younger self “Don’t take things too seriously. Have fun and enjoy the moment you are in”. You are all busy and talented girls

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which has the potential to create pressure so do make sure you have fun along the way as life will only get busier and busier for you.

Ishita: “If you could go anywhere in the world right now where would go and why”?

Hayley: Without a doubt it would be New Caledonia with my family. It’s quite close to here; we feel like we’re in the middle of France when we are there; and it has all my favourite family holiday activities like swimming, warm sun, golf, a huge breakfast buffet with piles of pancakes and – very importantly – I can turn my phone off and just “be” with my family!

Zara: “After you completed your Bachelor of Arts, what made you decide to study Law”?

Hayley: I actually studied both a Bachelor

of Arts and a Bachelor of Science in my first year at University as, at that time, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to enter Law or Medicine.

After my first year it became very clear where my strengths are and I persued Law. You girls will have the opportunity for interesting careers, should you wish to have one and stay in it. It is a big responsibility to make a decision as to which career you should choose but remember, it is possible to change direction.

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Rose: “We know that St Cuthbert’s is creating a new Technology Centre but what other ideas does the school have for more new facilities in the next few years”?

Hayley: The School Board has lots of ideas but like anything we have to think about priorities, and what to focus on first. It’s our job as the Board to set the strategy but we rely on our incredible teaching staff, and Principal to help bring the strategy to life and implement the ideas. The Centre for Innovation will house Technology, Commerce, Innovation, Science, Global Citizenship and Careers.

We will build the abilitiy for our students to be taught by virtual teachers from around the world. Can you imagine being taught by a hologram of a teacher from Harvard University? We are using the best technology to ensure St Cuthbert’s girls get the best of the world’s education and to support our incredible Teachers. We are also looking at Clouston Hall. We all love Clouston Hall but it is old and when it was built our school had different needs. To fund projects like this does take time and money as we want the new buildings to be the best in the world. We’d love to get more students involved in the thinking behind these projects and incorporate your vision too, as ultimately, it’s for you!

Coco: “Who was your childhood idol”?

Hayley: MacGyver! MacGyver was an

American Action-Adventure TV series in the ‘80s. He was an operative of a secret U.S. Government organization and he could make anything from anything. Each week he’d save people using whatever was in the room and always save the day.

A catch-phrase developed from the TV show and, when stuck on a problem, we’d ask each other ‘What would MacGyver do?’. His problem-solving was always highly inventive which made us believe that for some people anything is possible CBS describe him as having “skills that are only limited by his creativity, Mac saves the day using paper clips instead of pistols, birthday candles instead of bombs, and gum instead of guns.

for why we now have him; we had never intended to have a dog. My daughter, Chloe, was in Mrs Leigh Knight’s year 5 class last year and learned about ‘Persuasive Writing’. Chloe researched her chosen subject “why we should have a puppy?” and composed a persuasive powerpoint presentation. My husband and I returned from work and Chloe asked us to listen to her presentation. She had a detailed response for each of the points I’d previously given her as to why we shouldn’t have a dog. Not only did she provide a source for each reason but she backed it up with a secondary source. My job as a lawyer is to debate but I honestly couldn’t argue with a single thing she presented…. and so George is now a well-loved family member!

The Year 8 journalists showed great restraint waiting until the end of the session to ask the question that had been on their lips the whole time: “How old is your gorgeous puppy, George?”

Hayley: George is 5 months and St Cuthbert’s is partly responsible 10

Learning in the classroom Year 1 The Importance of Learning through Play

Learning through play helps a child makes sense of the world around them.

Through play, children can develop their social and cognitive skills, mature emotionally and gain the self-confidence required to engage in new experiences and new environments.

In Term 1 we were delighted to introduce a range of new developmental learning toys. The sandpit toys, diggers, water play, food play and imagination-building toys have been very popular items with the girls.

By giving the girls the freedom to play and imagine with these toys they are also developing their gross and fine motor skills. This further aids their writing when these motor improvements are taken back into their formal learning within the classroom.

It is a delight to see the girls lost in the world of new play opportunities!

We can’t wait to meet our eleven new Year 0 students who are joining us in Term 2! The Cottage building and gardens are looking fresh and vibrant and Ms Boyens is excited to be starting her lovely new class.

Our older Junior School girls are ready to help them settle in and are looking forward to welcoming them in the playground, assemblies and beyond.

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Year 2

Life Education Van Life Education is a charity with the mission to educate and empower children to make healthy choices so they can live full and healthy lives. Ask a child what Life Education is and they’ll tell you “It’s Harold the Giraffe and his Van”!

In Term 1 the Life Education Mobile Classroom visited our Junior School and they explored the subject of friendship with our Year 2 girls.

Students learned about the qualities of friendship; what being a friend means both for themselves and others.

They learned what they could do should they have friendship problems, including how to respond and where to go for help.

2FSH– In Term 1 we went to the Life

Education Caravan to learn about our body and how to keep healthy. We also learned how to be a good friend to each other. We loved meeting Harold the Giraffe except he was being very naughty and a bit cheeky because he had been going to bed late, hadn’t been eating his fruit and vegetables, hadn’t been drinking enough water and kept forgetting to brush his teeth. We had to remind him how to be healthy and then the next time we visited him he was much more polite and friendly. Harold taught us about our ‘cheeky monkey’ and ‘wise owl’.

We need to make sure that our cheeky monkey and wise owl stay together to help us to make good decisions. My favourite part of being in the Life Education Caravan was making the twinkling stars come out and dancing to some fun music about being healthy.

Alira Patel In the Life Education Caravan we learned about being a good friend. A good friend is someone who is friendly and kind. They are ‘By Love Serve’. A good friend always shares and says kind words. It is important to be a good friend because it makes others feel happy and special. We need to make sure we include everyone in our games and invite them to play if they look lonely or sad. When we are a good friend it makes us feel good. We can brighten up someone’s day by giving them a smile.

A good friend spreads happiness and kindness everywhere!

Audrey Yang

2JAE – We went to the Life Education

Van 3 times. We went up the creaky stairs and learned a lot of stuff. Lyn was our teacher and she told us we were all different. We visited Lyn 3 times. I learned that we always have to be kind and caring to others. We learned about helping others and caring and sharing and looking after each other as well. I saw Harold the Giraffe, he dropped popcorn on the floor and crunched the popcorn. He was angry because Lyn didn’t let him eat sweets as sweets are not good for Harold’s body.

If we eat bad food we will get sick. If you want to be healthy then you have to drink water and not eat sweets. I loved learning in the class and the van was a very good place to go.

Vanessa Chen Our teacher for Life Education was Lyn. We learned to be kind and we saw Harold the Giraffe and learned about our brain and our whole body. There was a ‘wise owl’ and a ‘cheeky monkey’. The cheeky monkey is very funny and the wise owl helps the cheeky monkey to breathe in, hold his breath and blow out.

If you ever need help we learned to go to your Mum, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma or your Auntie or Uncle. If you are not kind no-one will want to play with you. We danced and sang all around the room. And I felt excited in the van. It was a very good place to visit.

Yi Ke Liu

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Year 3 Adventures

What a lucky bunch Year 3 were, their adventures were stimulating, fun and varied and really brought them closely together as one big cohort.

Their adventures started on the Thursday when they bused to Brick Bay in Matakana and enjoyed a sculpture walk and lunch. But the fun didn’t end there because when they returned to school they were met by their families and everyone enjoyed a mass picnic together on the Junior School playground following the highly anticipated sleepover in their classrooms.

all in their PJs! Later in the morning the girls bused to The Winter Gardens and Auckland Museum where they took part in a tour of the museum, war memorial and were able to watch a spine-tingling Maori cultural performance.

On Friday they woke up surprisingly fresh, it was a good job the teachers had managed to get them to sleep the night before, eventually. The girls started their day with the thrill of waking up in their classroom, followed by breakfast and a movie at school,

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Camp

On a sunny, bright and exciting Thursday, the Year 3 girls were having our first one night camp! First we went on the purple bus that took us to Matakana. My highlight of Matakana and the sculpture walk was when I found a shiny, delicate cicada shall.

Heaps of them were hanging from the trees and leaves.

We were tired and sleepy, but Miss Stevens said that we had to wait for the starry night to go to sleep and not the afternoon!

For me, this exciting activity was a new experience. After, when we had a good, long rest we were fresh and new, as we were excited for the sleepover. Finally, it was time to go to the classroom to sleep, but first we had some silly, quiet and challenging activities to figure out, one was working out our birthday order using sign language! Then, finally… we all crawled into our cozy, warm and fluffy beds and went to sleep.

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Tucked up in my Sleeping Bag…

I heard feet stomping to the bathroom, I also heard snoring…in my classroom! As I was sleeping, the flash of the moonlight was glittering on my face.

Nicolee

Tucked up in my Sleeping Bag…

I heard chatter coming from the bathroom.

I felt warm and cuddly.

I tasted the cold, night air.

I saw the worlds of dreamland greeting me.

Hannah W

Tucked up in my sleeping bag…

I had dreams about going to Brick Bay and how it might feel at the museum. I heard some girls stomping their feet in the hallway. I heard girls chatting and laughing.

I loved my dreams, they helped me sleep comfortably in my bed and it felt good.

Bella W

Tucked up in my sleeping bag…

Dreaming about all the places we had been. I heard giggling in the middle of the night, but it was easy for me to drift off to sleep. I saw darkness falling down into the sky. I felt the cold air going into my mouth.

I love camp because I get to learn more interesting, different things and I can learn to be happy, every day.

Hannah Y

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Year 4

Adventures at Sonshine Ranch Sonshine Ranch is nestled in a gorgeous nook of Clevedon that made our girls feel like they were far from the city. They arrived full of anticipation and the camp activities certainly delivered lots of variety to use up their energy! Their first outdoor adventure was to go horse riding. Before they began to ride the girls received a demonstration on correct riding positions and what to do to make the horse walk, turn and stop.

Something our Year 4 teachers observed often throughout the duration of camp was that, during free time, the girls happily played together as one large cohort. A few girls would come up with a game and then everybody would join in. It was so lovely to see the girls as a big Year 4 family unit.

Next the Year group split into 2 and each tried archery and kayaking on the lake.

Later in the day the Year 4 girls went on a Glowworm walk which was followed by the experience of cooking dinner around a bonfire. The sausages and boiled potatoes were delicious but the highlight was without a doubt roasting marshmallows and making s’mores.

After a fun night of staying in cabins together, the girls still had enough adventure and energy left in them to brave the Flying Fox, Giant Rope swing and Climbing Tower.

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Here is how we felt before camp…

“I am really looking forward to zip-lining, because I get to relax on the harness.

Something that might challenge me is roasting marshmallows because you have to get it exactly right!”

Amy Tang “I am excited about archery, because I love practising my aim.”

Lilah McDonald Here is how we felt after camp…

“I found the rope swing challenging, but I just did it!”

Ava Burt “I enjoyed going on the flying fox because the wind blew in my hair until it was flying.

I liked horse riding because my horse, Indy, was really nice and her coat was so soft.”

Joyce Liu “When I got up [to the flying fox]…I felt even WORSE! But once I was in the air, I LOVED IT.” Maya Sheikh

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Year 5

The Importance of Being a Good Friend Our Year 5 classes enjoyed exploring Friendship in Term 1.

Teachers ensured each girl was at home in her new classroom, and felt happy, settled and ready to learn.

Class 5KNI explored how girls first need to be a friend to themselves before they can be a good friend to others.

They went on to understand how girls can then be a friend to our Earth. They each developed jigsaws representing themselves which were then pieced together to create a Class Friendship Promise.

Class 5ARM had fun investigating what friendship means by “advertising” for their ideal friend. This exercise made girls examine the type of friend they were to others before they could consider advertising for a friend, bringing selfawareness into their daily classroom life. Their ads were placed around the classroom for all to see and the girls had great fun composing them.

Class 5HAR delved into the subject of friendship by creating stunning word compilations. They expressed how friendship feels to them as individuals as well as in friendship groups. This expanded into what they would like to see within their class and they created gorgeous word description pieces of art that they are rightly proud of!

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Year 6

Leadership is…

Being kind and caring, being friendly to everyone and including people.

Leadership is being honest to yourself and others and also being a role model.

Leadership is having empathy for others, helping them when they are sad and being responsible and positive. Being a leader, does not mean being the loudest, the bossiest or the strongest.

It means to be the best you, you can be.

Leadership day was a great example of girls showing these qualities and working with different people. I think I improved by listening to others ideas and working with everyone.

My favourite activity was making the flag because my house York listened to each other and had lots of fun.

Emily Cheng

As our girls enter their final year of Junior School so our teaching reflects the skills that will benefit their next big step into Year 7. From the start of the year our dedicated teaching team work on building girls’ confidence, resilience and self-awareness.

Many leadership opportunities become available to Year 6 students but, rather than focussing solely on the girls who obtained a leadership position, St Cuthbert’s Junior School ensures we enlighten all girls on ‘what makes a good leader’. As our Year 6 girls found out, leadership doesn’t just come in one standard package.

The first exercise of the year allowed the Year 6 community to learn about leadership and teamwork in a hands-on practical and fun way through ‘Leadership Day’, held in Cornwall Park. This was a wonderful opportunity for the girls to display their ability to work together, listen, suggest, refine and achieve an outcome in a group setting. Leadership and collaboration were on show as the activities enabled the girls to regroup, rethink and persevere to reach a common goal.

The second part of our leadership programme allowed our students to hear from inspirational leaders within our school community. Our Year 6 teachers organised a speakers programme and throughout Term 1 our girls gained many valuable lessons from Judi Paape, Johanna Setefano (2019 Head Girl), Fiona Mackenzie (A school mother who is Head of Direct Investment at trading platform FNZC), Sophie Pascoe, ParaOlympic Athlete and Anna Stanley (previous Silver Fern Captain and Head of St Cuthbert’s Athlete Pathway Programme).

More talks from relatable and inspirational female leaders are planned for the rest of the year. We’ll be covering the speakers programme in more detail in our next Evergreen Ties magazine.

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Inspiring our girls to pursue

STEAM

through our STRETCH programme To equip our girls for the future, St Cuthbert’s has a leading STEAM curriculum – Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Maths. We have an innovative approach to how these subjects are introduced and taught to students in the Junior School, and a group of passionate and committed teachers. However, the driving force is our girls; their enthusiasm for the subjects, and their excitement to explore new concepts and collaborate to solve problems with creativity.

The Junior School STRETCH programme places an emphasis on STEAM topics for our girls.

Originally known as STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, the area of study has evolved to include Arts – Visual Arts, Dance, Music, Drama and Languages.

About Our STRETCH Programme STRETCH launched in the Junior School in 2015, for Year 4, 5 and 6 students. The following year, it was offered to all Junior School girls and has become a regular Wednesday afternoon feature in timetables across all year levels of the Junior School.

STRETCH provides an opportunity for our girls to work in mixed level groups, with students from Years 1–3 and Years 4–6 working and learning together.

The girls work together on a common project, and are encouraged to solve problems and to think differently, challenging themselves and each other, while having fun!

This experiential learning and teamwork fosters curiosity, perseverance, and resilience as well as leadership. Girls have the opportunity to explore a range of STEAM concepts and learn through their successes, and when things don’t quite go to plan.

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Giving every girl the opportunity to explore ideas and ignite a passion STRETCH helps students to explore a less traditional approach to learning and build confidence. It helps them to find where they fit as STRETCH becomes ‘their space’.

It’s also ideal for students who have talents that sit outside regular academic pathways.

STRETCH provides another learning style enabling all our girls to thrive, and find their unique strengths and talents.

Empowering our girls to question, learn, and grow together In Years 1–3 STRETCH, each girl will complete one STEM and one Arts module each semester, with teachers making the selection from a range of options.

STEM

ARTS

Robotics

Puppetry and Storytelling

Coding Electronics Textiles 3D Design Food Technology

Visual Art, Dance and movement Stop Animation / Claymation storytelling Māori Language and culture

The classes are hands on, creative and full of chatter and laughter. The shorter modules are of high value to the Year 1–3 girls. We look to use these modules to introduce them to a diversity of subject areas, sustain their interest and demonstrate growth.

characters or meaning, is the next step.

The girls draw their own image which can then be traced in the 3D design app on the iPad, and their personal reflection inspired through Māori culture.

The younger girls enjoy being together and working on a common project. There is a real sense of exploring and creating something new. The girls are supported to see that when things don’t quite turn out as they had expected, or don’t work, it is a key part of learning. The willingness to give things a go and figure out how to make it work more effectively, fosters enquiry and reflection. The girls ask themselves ‘why didn’t that work, what did I learn, and what can I do differently?’

When walking the hallway in the Years 1–3 area you will see the Robotics group very active in their learning! The process of planning, coding and testing is very hands on and requires the girls to take part in group work. Problem solving and design is essential for success at this level as is a sense of fun, joy and resilience.

In our Years 1–3 module linking language learning and technology in the Te Reo Māori group we have the opportunity to extend our girls’ learning and express it in a 3D form. Learning about Māori culture through stories and song is so valuable, and allowing the girls to share their learning through design and 3D rendering of a symbol that represents the story,

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—Stretch Continued

Building the foundations for life-long learning Our Junior School girls are being exposed to STEAM concepts in Years 1–3 as part of an integrated learning programme, which means by the time they reach Year 4, they already have a sense of their interests.

As our girls reach Year 4, they move to the next stage of STRETCH, working with mixed groups of students from Years 4, 5 and 6, classrooms teachers and specialist teachers.

This is where we start to see stronger leadership behaviours demonstrated and a greater degree of collaborative learning. The problems and challenges the girls face are more complex, and are linked strongly to real world applications, requiring greater strategic thought.

In Years 4–6 STRETCH, our girls have the opportunity to choose their own topics and are encouraged to select one STEM or one Arts option each per semester.

STEM

ARTS

Kidpreneur challenge Electronics and eTextiles Coding Textiles Food Tech 3D Design SCI Science Breakout EDU Robotics

Drama Skills & Theatre Sports Music, Dance & Movement Digital Storytelling Mosaic Workshop Te Reo Māori Visual Art Music Production (digital composition)

Many girls demonstrate natural talents for particular subject areas and gravitate to these modules. Although we aim to ensure each girl has strong grounding in a broad cross section of topic areas, we nurture their talents and interests so they can be further explored in Middle and Senior School.

Through STRETCH the girls are also introduced to numeracy and literacy at an early stage, with concepts they wouldn’t normally be exposed to at this age. But the learning context stimulates their enquiry and provides them with strong foundations.

One great example of this is the coding and robotics module, using Spheros under the control of iPads. The girls programme the Spheros to follow directional movement instructions as they guide them through a maze. This introduces the girls to

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mathematical concepts such as angles and degrees – instructing the Sphero to move forward and then turn right 90 degrees.

Once the coding is complete and the Sphero is instructed to move, the girls also learn the need to set the orientation of the Sphero so it understands which way is forward!

Another popular module is Breakout EDU. The best way to describe this is an escape room puzzle for the classroom. Through group problem solving (8–10 students per group), teamwork, and strategy, the girls are faced with a new problem each week and need to solve a series of puzzles to unlock padlocks. These puzzles could be mathematical or word-based and each puzzle relates to a unique padlock. If all the puzzles are solved, a prize is accessed.

In one Year 4–6 electronics module, the girls create their own felt animals with LED lights as eyes. They are introduced to simple circuitry, and use conductive thread to sew their owl together, connecting the positive controller to the LED lights or ‘eyes’ of their owl. The girls start to understand the concept of electrical currents and power as well as learning to sew.

In a Year 4–6 print module, the girls are also given specific problems and encouraged to come up with a solution. One good example is how the girls identify their own bag amongst a sea of similar looking bags. They explore different ways of identifying their bag and are given the opportunity to design, create and personalise name tags for their bags.

Junior School Entrepreneurs!

The Kidpreneurs Challenge, part of the Year 4–6 STRETCH Programme in 2018, provided the opportunity for our girls to explore business studies concepts as they develop two different products to be sold within the school. They brainstorm product ideas, conduct market research into sales opportunities and customer preference, and then move into production phase – testing, trialing and adapting their production methodologies.

Last year, the group developed beeswax food wraps and lip gloss; two items that proved to be popular amongst other year groups, yet presented production challenges. Getting the recipes absolutely right required repeated attempts and plenty of perseverance. In the end, the products were a success and the girls learnt a lot about the science behind these products as well as the business and marketing requirements.

Specialist teachers We have a team of passionate and dedicated teachers delivering STRETCH at St Cuthbert’s led by the Head of Technology. Many of the specialist Technology teachers work across all year levels, providing a crossover between Junior, Middle and Senior Schools. Our Junior School teachers are supported by

these specialists, and they are encouraged to challenge themselves to step out of their regular subject area and teach and learn together.

Our teachers work together, they help others to develop their skills and regularly participate in professional development programmes to ensure they are across new and emerging technologies, and able to bring this knowledge and real world application into the classroom. Our teachers are passionate about STEAM and willingly share this enthusiasm with the girls to inspire and encourage them.

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behind e th

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Our Year 13 writing team reflect on behind the scenes of making the Amazing Opportunities and Amazing Role Model advertisements.

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Even a scene of something as pedestrian as a globe can be transformed with the delight that young children bring. This was the first lesson we learnt when we were graciously invited to experience the photoshoot of Rita for the upcoming ads to promote St. Cuthbert’s. However, ‘photoshoot’ is hardly the correct word. ‘Playdate’ is a much better fit, after witnessing the wonder she found in a globe. The photographers perfectly captured her endearing innocence in the photograph, and we learnt our second lesson of the day find joy in things we take for granted, even in something as simple as a globe.

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Picture the cutest kid you can imagine.

You’re probably thinking of Rita. As we walked into the Junior School Reception, we found Rita sat drawing her sky blue bunnies and hot pink flowers, feet hovering off the floor, patiently waiting for us. Taking her by the hand, we led her out of the Junior School and towards her adventure for the day, armed with bunnies and a handful of coloured pencils.

As all parents know, keeping five year olds sitting still is quite a challenge.

Add cameras, lights, and fifteen people three times their size? Almost impossible. Luckily for us, Rita was a professional, enthusiastically following the photographer’s directions as he posed her around the globe. In between takes, everyone in the room took their chance to talk to her, whether it be about her drawings or to show her where Iceland is – anything to keep her in the zone. When the talent is five years old, calm and comfort are key.

There are many things one might think of when you’re told you’re going behind the scenes for a photoshoot. Perhaps it’s organised down to the utmost detail? A space filled with an excited buzz and fancy tech galore? Or is it more of a chilled-out impromptu job? We didn’t quite know what to expect.

Only the director and photographer are talking now, as everyone else takes a cue to step back. There’s a sense of well worn procedure to this, a preparedness. The room is hushed as the concept comes to life and we watch in wonder as the photos blink onto the laptop screen.

The photographer cocks his head. Rita is adorable in her summer uniform, but a more trained eye sees the colour imbalances relative to the other elements.

So, we’re sent on a hunt to the (closed!) uniform shop to pick up a set of the winter uniform, even taking a route to the “Hogwarts Stairs” through the heart of the Robertson building, fortunately bumping — PTO

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— Behind the Scenes continued into the uniform staff. Five minutes later, Rita and her winter uniform are looking even more adorable – just this time, more aesthetically balanced.

“The magic is in the details” the photographer had said before shooting began, and watching the next hour unfold, we could not agree more. Everything was taken into exact consideration, from like the lighting and the backdrop, to the minute adjustments we could see being made on the camera itself.

Most surprising though, however, was how much is actually micro-managed before any photos (besides test shots) are taken. Watching an expert work at their craft is always fascinating and this was no exception. Every colour and shape that was to be put on the wall had to be carefully examined by the photographer’s keen eye; Watching him work was reminiscent of a scientist carrying out a careful experiment.

Then, when everything was in place, the room took on a new air. Silence fell, and photo after photo was produced – each with its own maturity and weight. It’s like the old saying, that without foundations you cannot have a solid building. With the foundations well laid, a masterpiece was crafted over top with seeming ease.

Looking at our billboards now, we understand that behind each one lies a whole story of craft, creativity and control, and in fact in their process themselves represent a little slice of what St. Cuthbert’s is all about.

Overall, we had an enchanting experience at the photo shoot, learning all the considerations taken place behind the scenes. From the weather, costume, backdrop, to the actual talent of the shoot, every detail was achieved to perfection.

And yet, we still have an element of the unexpected – spur-of-the-moment details that make the shoot just a little more perfect.

— The Year 13 Communications Committee

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Our lovely

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&PLAYSPACE Over the summer holidays we were very lucky that two of our families helped to revamp and improve the play area behind our Year 0 Cottage.

year-round fun times and soon you’ll see natural-looking turf.

We are incredibly grateful to Year 1 parents Josie Li and Vincent Qiu, and Nina Feng and Frank Qu, for their generous donation and workforce, and for making this area so much more usable for our girls.

The new deck area was needed to join two learning areas together and to create an outdoor learning space for all our girls to enjoy. This is an ongoing project that each year group is contributing to in some way.

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Sport and PE in the Junior School It’s important to all of us at St Cuthbert’s that we give all of our girls every opportunity to be physically active. Through our PE and Sports programmes we introduce girls to an incredibly wide range of activities each term.

Our focus is on encouraging them to ‘give it a go’ and embracing new challenges and experiences.

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Term 1

Music Term 1 has been full of sweet-sounding fun and it’s great to see the musical talents bubbling to the surface across the Junior School. Junior School girls have had great fun learning chords and melodies on their Ukuleles. Girls from Years 5 and 6 have enjoyed learning the clarinet and saxophone, building on from their earlier years of

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learning the recorder. By learning these instruments girls will have the opportunity to participate in the school’s co-curricular bands as they progress to Year 7 and beyond.

Girls have been participating in lunchtime musical opportunities in great numbers at Voichestra and Junior Black Watch Orchestra.

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Colour in this page and return it to our Junior School reception by the end of Term 2 and we’ll display them for everyone to enjoy!

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Class: �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

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St Cuthbert Colouring Fun St Cuthbert was born in the North of England around 633. He became a monk and missionary who lived on Lindisfarne, a Holy Island. He was known for travelling far and wide to preach the gospel and to care for people.

We’d like you to take St Cuthbert on your own adventures. First colour the picture, then cut around the dotted lines and attach to a stick or ruler. Then take a photo of your St Cuthbert against a background of your choice – near or far.

Ask your parents to submit your photo (with your name and class number) to communications@stcuthberts.school.nz.

Your parents may also like to follow St Cuthbert’s new adventures on Facebook (facebook.com/StCuthbertsCollege) or Instagram (instagram.com/stcuthbertscollege) where we’ll publish an album at the end of Term 2.

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Until, next time...