12 Sep 2014

Faith Matters

Good father?

Max Lucado writes: “Today’s my first Fathers Day without a father. For 31 years I had one of the best, but now he’s … buried under an oak tree in a west Texas cemetery. Strange he isn’t here … because he was always available. His words were nothing novel; his achievements, though admirable, were nothing extraordinary. But his presence was. Because he was there, life went smoothly … the future was secure … and my growing up was what God intended. He taught me how to shave and how to pray. He taught me that wrong should be punished … and that rightness has its own reward. He modelled … the elusive balance between ambition and self-acceptance. I knew if I ever needed him he’d be there. Like a warm fireplace. Maybe that’s why this Fathers Day’s a bit chilly. The fire’s gone out. The winds of age swallowed his splendid flame leaving only golden embers. But there’s a strange thing about those embers, stir them … and the flame will dance … and knock just enough chill out of the air to remind me that he’s still … present.”

Whilst this will not necessarily be our own experience as a child or a father it does cause us to pause and ponder.

The Bible pictures God as the perfect, ever-present Dad. While those who are fathers among us will struggle, make mistakes and even scar our children, God is totally reliable, 100% dependable. Even though at times we might be bemused about the way He does things we can be assured He has our very best interest at heart.

The wise King Solomon said, “The righteous man walks in integrity … blessed are his children after him.” (Proverbs 20:7)

 

Rev Peter Morphew

 

Chinese Day

Colourful lanterns, Tai Chi, lion dance, chopsticks and Chinese food. This is how we immersed ourselves in the Chinese culture on Chinese Day! The school’s Inaugural Chinese Day was set on Monday 8 September, the same day as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Following a weekend of celebration across Sydney, we continued with the celebration at Newington Lindfield on the actual day. This day is the celebration of the harvest moon, based on an ancient Chinese legend of Chang e and her husband Hou Yi, an archer. Chang e became immortal upon taking the immortality medicine rewarded to her husband Hou Yi by the emperor for shooting down 9 suns and saving the kingdom from the disaster of the heat.

After an explanation of the legend of the Harvest Moon festival and a parade of students displaying traditional Chinese clothing we had a peaceful start to the morning routine with Tai Chi, led by Linda Gu from Stanmore. This was followed by a range of cultural immersion activities such as chopstick races, lantern decorating, legend storybook making and writing Chinese poetry on a Chinese fan. The lion dance performance was exciting and the Chinese lunchboxes were an outstanding way to end Chinese Day!

Emily Lo – Mandarin Teacher

 

 

Book Week 2014

Each year The Children’s Book Council of Australia focuses on the literature published in Australia in the previous year. The celebration of Book Week is dedicated to spreading the word about children’s literature and encouraging the joys of reading. This event is one practise our school community embraces to focus on our personal reading behaviours.

This year the Book Week theme, Connect to Reading, inspired our school community to reflect on the ways we connect to what we choose to read. Throughout the week the students were engaged in a variety of school-based activities that not only focused on reading but also considered the connection to writing because without one we couldn’t have the other.

With Connection as our focus for the week, the boys contributed to several activities that encouraged examining our personal connections to Australian literature and writing. Class groups studied several of the short-listed books creating a response to the literature. The students considered their personal connections to these books (text-to-self), connections to other literature that they have read or seen (text-to-text), as well as connections to things that are happening or have happened globally (text-to-world). Through posters, each class reflected on how they, as a class, connect to reading.

To emphasise the connection of writing to reading and, to accentuate our community of readers, the students participated in writing The Never Ending Story. Kindergarten designed and wrote the beginning of a story titled Explore. This was passed onto each grade consecutively to continue and Year Six wrote the conclusion to the story.

The most anticipated part of our Book Week celebrations must be the Book Week Character Parade. This year all were encouraged to represent a book character with which we had a connection. What a terrific time! What a parade of characters!

Sue Gough – Teacher Librarian

 

 

A Message from The Head of Lindfield Campus

The Success of the PYP

Over the last few weeks I have had a number of reasons to stand back and wonder at the growth of our boys as learners and to reflect on the positive impact of the PYP (Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate). The two significant moments for me were the Student-led Conferences and the first few weeks of the Year 6 PYP Exhibition unit of inquiry.

The Student-led Conferences are a really unique opportunity to see boys taking the lead in a reflective process as they share their learning with mum and dad. For me it is one of the most illuminating experiences of the year. It provides a window into what the boys are thinking about and how they feel they are developing in their learning. The opportunity to speak with mum and dad (trusted and caring figures in their life) within their natural learning environment brings a certain vulnerability tinged with great excitement. This year the Student-led Conferences were a joy to watch. As I wandered around I saw boys speaking knowledgeably about what they have been learning about, boys speaking reflectively about their strengths and areas for future growth, boys sharing enthusiastically the joy of their classroom and other learning spaces, and boys and parents enjoying the chance to communicate about learning together. These moments highlight the growth of our boys as learners and the strong impact that the PYP is having on the learning at Lindfield.

The second experience that has filled me with excitement about our boys’ learning has been the early stages of the Year 6 PYP Exhibition unit of inquiry. The Exhibition is a chance for students to showcase what they have learned and how they have learned throughout their time in Primary School and our boys are taking this opportunity with both hands. It has been encouraging to work alongside the boys as they have discussed ideas and collaborated with one another to decide on the focus of the unit and to settle on their groups. Whilst last year was a tremendous success, there is a noticeable difference in the way this years’ Year 6 class is approaching the task. There is an air of confidence about the boys as they have started planning their inquiries. They appear more confident with their social skills, their research skills and their thinking skills. The quality of the learning conversations that are taking place is very high and should lead to some tremendous work being displayed at the Exhibition on Tuesday 21 October.

Both of these experiences have confirmed for me the value of the PYP. Our boys are not only learning the basic skills that are the prerequisites for future learning, they are also developing as learners which will equip them to face future situations with a greater level of confidence and self assuredness.

 

NAPLAN

This week our Year 3 and 5 boys received their NAPLAN results. I am pleased to report that the overall results have been very encouraging with our school average being well above the national average across the board. Whilst it is difficult to compare year to year because of the difference in our cohorts (and the fact that our cohort size is quite small) areas of particular growth this year appear to be Reading and Numeracy in Years 3 and 5.

Over the coming months we will spend considerable time analyzing the results and using the data to plan specific, both individual and school-wide, interventions to ensure our boys are receiving the best possible teaching and learning in these important areas of the curriculum. A more detailed summary of the results will be presented at next term’s P&F Meeting.

 

Chinese Day

As you would be aware, this semester we shifted our focus from French to Mandarin and the results to date have been extremely encouraging. This week’s Chinese Day, which celebrated the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, capped off what has been a great introduction to learning Mandarin and about the Chinese culture. Whilst the day provided a number of highlights the two that seemed to capture the boys’ interest most were the Lion Dance and the Chinese lunch.

The Lion Dance was simply breathtaking! The combination of the drama of the lion’s movements and the sound of the drums had the boys (and teachers) absolutely captivated. Following the performance a number of the boys we lucky enough to learn some basic steps of the lion dance and have a go at performing.

The day was capped off perfectly with many of our boys taking the opportunity to order a Chinese lunch prepared by Mr Simon Chan, a former Lindfield parent (and current Stanmore parent). A number of the boys were overheard stating that ‘it was the best meal they had ever had’.

All in all Chinese Day was a tremendous success and has provided great momentum for the remainder of the year in Mandarin lessons.

 

Fathers Day Breakfast

Last week’s Fathers Day Breakfast was a fantastic event with more than 100 dads in attendance. A break in the wet weather provided a nice morning that allowed the event to be held outdoors. It was great to have so many dads at school to enjoy spending time with one another and their sons. As I mentioned at the breakfast, dads and other male role models play such an important part in the lives of young boys. The interest that dads show in their son’s learning goes a long way to influencing their perspective on school. Thankfully we have an extremely supportive parent body! Special thanks go to the Year 5 Mums who organized and catered for the event.

 

Year 6 Dance Performance with Roseville College

Over the last few weeks our Year 6 boys have been preparing to join the Year 6 girls from Roseville College for a performance of the Mexican Waltz at the Roseville College Concert. On Monday night the concert was held and the boys were absolutely brilliant as they rose to the occasion and stole the show (or at least shared the spotlight with the Roseville Year 6 girls). The whole experience has proven to be a very rewarding experience for all involved, even if they won’t admit it. I know that the Year 6 teachers and girls from Roseville College were extremely grateful to the boys for their involvement.

 

Year 3 – Marketplaces – Unit of Inquiry

In our fifth unit of inquiry, Year 3 have been learning about Marketplaces. In a class activity, the boys were asked to research designated marketplaces from all around the world and to list the items that were sold in their marketplace. This involved using some note-taking skills which had recently been discussed with Mrs Gough in The Lookout. Then the boys were paired up to complete a venn diagram where they had to compare the items which were sold. Each venn diagram was presented to the class. The boys were most enthusiastic about their research and this activity will help them to gain some understanding about the supply and demand in the marketplace.

Leonie Russell – Year 3 Teacher

 

QUAD Athletics Carnival 2014

A Fathers Day breakfast to remember was the perfect tonic for the final Athletics Carnival in the calendar for the Lindfield faithful (apart from the CIS boys!!). Cloudy skies loomed as the 49 athletes descended upon the hallowed Narrabeen track for what was to be 3 hours of pulsating, exhilarating athletic competition!

It started with the field events and was led by our very own super athlete Aiden Mostofi. Made speechless by his selection in the IPSHA team to compete at CIS, Mostofi was brilliant in the long jump, leaping 4.30m, and setting a Lindfield record for his age group in the process … and also winning the event. Not satisfied there, he then took out the high jump with a spectacular leap of 1.30m setting a PB and winning the event.

In the other events James Whiteing had a second placed double in the junior turbo javelin and the junior discus, with Soma Suzuki and Hamish Danks 3rd in their shot put and discus events respectively. Will Flannigan then finished 2nd and 3rd in the senior turbo javelin and the senior high jump, before Harry Bell rounded out the field events with a 4th placed finish in the long jump.

The first of the track events saw the youngest athletes on campus strutting their stuff for the first time for the black and whites. Ethan Lim, Baxter Plank, Aaron Blayney, Maks Saravanja, Koda Leong and Jack Chambers walked nervously out to the 50m mark in readiness for their first of two races. But nerves soon turned to all out speed, power and precision as the young Lindfieldians did us all proud with some great performances. They then backed this up in the 100m events, with Maks Saravanja even managing a 3rd placing in his event.

The 7 years was dominated by young Morgan Land who managed a 3rd placing in both his 50 and 100m events. Land even set the fastest time for all the Lindfield 7’s in the 100m with 18.00 seconds. Lachlan Tai, Sam Stewart, Chris Munckton, Aidan Chandler and Diesel James also competed with great distinction, running strongly in their respective events.

As we moved into the 8 years it was time to stretch the distances to 100 and 200m, with some great results. The team of Stylianos Vasili, Toby Ashworth, Gabe Gordon, Harry Forsyth, William Fisher and Cameron Davey-Webb found the going very tough against some high quality athletes, particularly from Mosman. Fisher managed a 3rd in the 100m before backing it up with a 2nd in the 200m event. The 9 years found it equally tough, with CIS representative Harry Stuart brushing off illness to compete strongly, finishing 2nd in his 100m event. William Lane, Owen Ng, James Blakeman and Ewen MacCulloch also ran strongly. Ryoma Suzuki managed a 3rd placing in his 100m event, clocking an excellent time of 15.65 seconds in the process.

The 10 years saw the return of Mostofi, who continued his brilliant field event form as he won the sprint double with times of 14.23 and 29.76 seconds respectively. also running strongly in this age group was Eddie Timpson, Nathan Ma, James Francis, Tom Kennedy, Lukas Tahmindjis, Oliver Short and Charlie Carr. James Whiteing then combined with Eddie Timpson in the 800m event, and despite getting themselves into 2nd and 3rd position for most of the race, they were run down by some fast finishing Pittwater House athletes to finish 4th and 5th respectively.

The senior boys were also met by some stiff resistance from Mosman and Coogee, settling for the minor placings in many of their events. Soma Suzuki and Oscar Moody broke from this mould, with Suzuki taking out his 100m event, and Moody his 200m event. Suzuki was on hand to finish 3rd in the same 200m event. Oliver Thompson and Nilanka Abbey managed a 3rd placing in both their 100m and 200m events with Matthew Gamble also finishing 2nd in his 200m event. Along with these fine athletes was the classy mob of Oscar Bradley, Jonty Carr, Reuben Chippeck, Hamish Danks, Marcus Renshaw, Harry Bell and Alex Short.

Moody then combined with Bell to compete in the grueling 1500m event, and produced his finest effort of the day. After charging out to the lead, Oscar managed to hold this lead for all but the last bend before he was eventually claimed by a very tactically sound Pittwater House boy to claim victory. A visibly upset Moody was valiant in defeat, with an impressive Bell close behind in 3rd.

The relays were next and went by with a blink of an eye. And in that blink, we had some success. The 6 years finished 4th, as did the 7 years, before a quadruple run of 3rd placings from the 8 years to the 11 years. The 12 years broke from the mould as they finished 2nd in their relay. The canon relay was next with the fastest in each age group battling it out, and again the Lindfield boys were 3rd behind the very impressive Mosman and Coogee crowd.

That left just one event, and for two boys, their first and only event of the day….the tug-o-war. The team of Tane Blessington, Finn Rose, James Davison, Hamish Danks, Alex Short, Oliver Thompson, Soma Suzuki and Will Flannigan dragged Coogee and Mosman close to Manly with two of their events, before eventually succumbing to Pittwater House to take 2nd place and end a great day of competition.

Mark Caulfield – Sports Master

 

Martial Arts Club – Evolution Jujutsu

We like to let our students know that we notice when they are doing their best to get better with their jujutsu, practice good manners, show thoughtfulness and have a great attitude to training. The five animal patches are for this purpose, and the boys this term have shown they are champions.

Leopard – Speed & Strength

Edward Xu

Maks Saravanya

Zac Kingston

Snake – Accuracy & Speed

Marcus Chan

Marcus Gripton-Corbett

Baxter Plank

Crane – Balance & Control

Caleb Chien

Marcus Gripton-Corbett

Max Tian

Lachlan James

Tiger – Body-Mind-Spirit

Kieran Davey-Webb

Lachlan James

Dragon – Body-Mind-Spirit

Tristan Henry
 (T2)

Will Fisher (T2)

Over the final few weeks, the boys were assessed for their next grade level. Some find this an intimidating process, and we talk to them about how it is ok to feel worried about something and still be able to show what they can do. Even if this time they don’t move to the next level, it is a practice for the next time, not a ‘fail’. We are very proud of all the boys.

Red Belt (L1)

Caleb Chien

Edward Xu

Maks Saravanya

Zac Kingston

Red Belt with Stripe (L2)

Miles Tian

Max Tian

Orange Belt (L3)

Baxter Plank


Lawrence Chan


Marcus Chan

Orange Belt with Stripe (L4)

Rishaad Wildie

Gold Belt with Stripe (L6)

Parsa Yazdani

The boys working toward the higher levels (L4 and above) have more content to cover, technique must be demonstrated more cleanly and with intent, as well as in combination.

The boys are encouraged to take responsibility for being aware of what they have to know to get to the next level. As well as good technique, it is equally important for a martial artist to develop good character and make good choices, so an integral part of our syllabus is Black Belt Attitude, on which we place strong focus and which is essential to move to the next level. In this, assistance from parents is helpful, plus they love it when mum or dad is involved.

Evolution Jujutsu is open to all boys in Kindy through to Year 6. If the Friday afternoon timeslot does not suit, Newington boys (and their sisters are very welcome too) may join us in either of our dojos at St Ives Community Hall, or 346 Pacific Highway, Lindfield. Please see our website for class times, including classes for 12-17 years and adults.

Best wishes from Sempai Kirsten and myself for a safe and happy holiday break.

Marice Knapman

Head Instructor (Sensei)

Evolution Jujutsu Ichigo kan

0416 13 13 25

ichi@evolutionjujutsu.com.au

 

Creating Independent Learners

It is amazing to think that we are almost three terms down and that we are close to embarking on the final term of the school year!

When I reflect about the last few years teaching in Year 5, I frequently think about how much the boys seem to mature during the 38 weeks that I have them in my classroom. I welcome them into the classroom on day 1, freshly arrived from Year 4, and this year fresh from many new schools as we now have the second Year 5 class. When they leave Year 5 in December, I am so proud to note how grown up, confident and assured they are as a group of young men, ready for the challenges they’ll face in their final year at Lindfield.

These developments, of course, are due to a number of factors, not least of which is the encouragement, guidance, love and support that the boys get from their parents in terms of becoming more independent, resilient and responsible young men. As a parent, I completely understand the desire to make sure our children are happy, safe and supported – the urge to hold the hand of your son is irresistible at times – but as a teacher I also value a little risk in life, encouraging each boy to attempt something new and unknown, trying to complete a task independently, or even something as simple as asking ‘I wonder why?’. This builds their resilience, independence and allows the boys to learn about and for themselves.

So, I would urge you all to sit down with your boys between now and the start of Term 4 and set some ‘independence’ targets or goals with them – it could be something small like learning how to tie (and untie!) their shoe laces, take responsibility for making sure that all he needs for the following day is safely stored in his school bag before he goes to bed at night, it may even be something as small as walking down to class by himself, or it could be something more specific and personal, but I encourage you to celebrate every small success on the path to achieving the goal. The end of a term is often a time to look at what has been accomplished so far in the year and think about what you would like to achieve over the next term. Whatever your son decides as his ‘goal’, I would encourage you to help him achieve this. Also, if you let your son’s teacher know what goal he has set, then this can be recognised and celebrated at school as well.

I wish everyone all the best for a safe and happy two week break and I look forward to seeing how our boys progress as independent learners into the last term of 2014!

 

Joel Weekes – Teaching & Learning Team Leader

 

 

Night of Classic Cool and New York Soul

Only five weeks until our Night of Classic Cool and New York Soul at Bar Seventy (aka the Basketball Court) on Saturday 25 October.

Whether you like to chill or party, a fabulous time awaits! The Aston Martinis will get the party started with their soulful singing & swingin’ rhythms.

There will be some wonderful items for auction (both live & silent) including some impressive artworks from our boys, an opportunity to bid on lunch with our Ashes-winning Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke and an array of other fabulous items.

Our online auctions will launch from noon on Friday 10 October.

The evening’s dress suggestion is ‘Stylishly Chic’ (think upmarket city bar). Despite their obvious superior fashion status, stilettos and the basketball surface don’t mix.

Remember … RSVPs by Friday 17 October.

 

Celebrating our School Community!

 

 

Year 6 PYP Exhibition

The excitement is building in the Year 6 classroom and across the school as our Year 6 boys are getting right into their Exhibition unit of inquiry.

Over the last couple of weeks they have developed their Central Idea, worked out their Groups and Lines of Inquiry and designed their Essential Questions. Now they’ve been assigned Mentors (other teachers within the school) and Supervisors (Mr Wyatt, Mr Weekes or Mr Czerwenka) and are right into the Finding Out phase of their inquiries.

During this phase it’s important that the boys make weekly contact with their Mentors and regular contact with their Supervisors as they guide the boys and help them to stay on task and on the right track. The Mentors are there to listen to the boys talking about their plans and explaining their understanding.

This week already, there have been many groups who have written emails and/or made phone calls to primary and secondary sources of information. Some groups have met up outside school hours and others are in the process of planning visits to external sites and/or organisations that relate to their inquiries.

It has been very exciting and we’re all learning a lot with each experience! So far, the boys have really learnt that a significant component of any workplace and larger inquiry is the importance of being prepared (questions and information) and the huge value that can be gained from talking to an ‘expert’ in their area!

Attached to this article are the logos that the boys have prepared for their groups and within the Year 6 Classroom and on the Year 6 Class Blog you will find much more detail on the group inquiries that are being carried out.

The boys are looking forward to welcoming as many members of our school community and visitors as possible to our Exhibition night, which will be on Tuesday 21 October from 6pm to 7:30pm.

 

Pascal Czerwenka

Year 6 Teacher