Year 5 have been composing their own music in small ensembles. They have been creating sections of music and then structuring these to create a piece of music made up of at least 6 sections. Some of these sections repeat. This is showing the boys how music can be structured. Some of the sections use repeated patterns (ostinato).
Vanessa South
This year we had two school teams entered in the Upper North Shore Interschool Chess Competition. This competition is between a number of schools both public and private, girls and boys. The boys had home games and away games every Friday after school for all of term 2 as well as a few weeks of term 3.
Our Rookie Team of William Johnston, Caleb Strawbridge, Lachlan Green, Jock McCloskey and Will Lane came second in their draw.
Our Intermediate team of Kalen James, Gabriel Dickinson, Eddie Timpson and Laksh Pande won their draw.
All the boys have been very supportive of each other.
We would like to thank the parents who were able to donate their time and cars to get the boys to their “away” games.
Congratulations to all of these boys.
Vanessa South
Our Year Six students are currently in the midst of The Primary Years Programme (PYP) exhibition which represents a significant event in their educational journey. Exhibition provides an opportunity to synthesize the essential elements of the PYP that have been continuously developed throughout their engagement with the programme and, therefore, should reflect:
What’s happening at the moment? The exhibition takes the place of one of the six units of inquiry that all classes undertake throughout the year. The transdisciplinary theme is decided upon collaboratively as a student group and this year our students have selected.
Where We Are In Place And Time – an inquiry into orientation in place and time, personal histories, homes and journeys, the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind, the relationships between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives.
The inquiry into the transdisciplinary theme may incorporate one or more of the theme’s elaborations, however, all students collaboratively engage in the inquiry process which involves the students identifying, investigating and offering solutions to real-life issues or problems. Groups have been formed based on areas of interest in-keeping with the theme description.
The Central Idea, an essential understanding, which has been collaboratively designed by the students with teacher guidance is:
Progress influences our decisions about how we behave, interact and envision the world around us, provides sufficient scope and significance to allow a detailed investigation.
The boys are underway gathering their information from primary and secondary resources, busily searching reputable websites and interviewing experts in the field.
The exhibition truly is a community undertaking. Teachers from across the school have been engaged as mentors to assist the students to meet their goals by asking questions, suggesting resources, helping to interpret difficult information and facilitating interviews or telephone calls. The mentors act as a guide and a resource. Each group will meet with their mentor on a weekly basis as well as meeting with an appointed supervisor who ensures everything is on-track.
Parents, too have an important role in supporting and encouraging their sons throughout the process of inquiry. At times this may necessitate assisting students to access resources (people, places, media and information), providing expert knowledge, acting as mentors, and encouraging independent inquiry by respecting the student ownership of the inquiry.
Most of all, we ask the community to celebrate with the students by attending the staging of the exhibition.
Save the date: Tuesday 27 October 2015 at 6pm.
Upside Down
Have you ever been in a two dollar shop and found a real treasure? Not merely something that is useful but something of great worth? Probably not!
The philosopher Kierkegaard tells of a vandal who breaks into a department store at night. In the darkness he moves through each department, each floor, deliberately, carefully. Just before dawn breaks and the light will reveal him, he exits the way he came. The amazing thing is he does not steal anything but rather rearranges all the price tags. The next day shopkeepers, not to mention the delighted customers, encounter such oddities as diamond necklaces on sale for a few dollars and cheap costume-jewellery earrings costing thousands.
God’s Good News is like that, says Kierkegaard: it changes around all our normal assumptions about worth and value. Hence Jesus can say of a poor widow who puts a few cents in the temple treasury bucket, “I tell you she has put more in than all the rest!” Her gift from poverty is a real treasure compared to the tokenism of apparently rich benefactors. Jesus values the motives of the woman highly. She holds the little she has in an open hand whilst the others cling tightly to what they have. It’s as if God counts what we keep, what we cling to, rather than what we are prepared to give. I guess we can’t truly mirror God’s generosity if we are tight-fisted with anything … compassion, love, time etc.
God’s kingdom is a strange upside down economy where a willingness to embrace poverty is blessed! Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Peter Morphew – Chaplain
The more kids read, the better they get at it. Those who struggle read less and then fall further and further behind. However, all students, regardless of their current ability, benefit from reading at home and sharing texts with their parents and family members.
There are two major parts to reading development and within each there are complex processes at play.
The mechanics of reading, or decoding, is what children begin learning in their younger years. The books they read at first are repetitive and predictable with pictures and photos to support them in their attempts. With English being such an inconsistent language, older kids can also become confused when faced by new words because it’s not always easy to know how to pronounce them. Students need lots of practice in order to make decoding fluent. You can help your child at home by allowing him to re-read favourite books, by having access to texts at his level. That is, texts that can be read with high accuracy. Listening to your child read, or reading a familiar book together (in unison) are great ways to practice fluency in reading.
Giving your child the opportunity to use their own strategies in working out unknown words is another. Rather than telling your child the correct word when they are stumped, encourage him to use strategies to work it out himself. For example, What word would make sense here?, Look at the picture for clues, Stretch out the sounds, Break the word into smaller parts.
The letters in one’s own name are a great way to bring attention to environmental print for very young children. Recognising letters, and later words in the environment motivates young children to pay attention to text and to make meaning from it.
The second major part of reading is comprehension. There are people who can decode text very well, but who may not comprehend what they read very well at all. For example, think about yourself reading a text that contains a lot of technical vocabulary about a field with which you aren’t familiar, or reading from a book in a foreign, although phonetic, language. In these two cases you could probably actually read the texts quite fluently, but you wouldn’t really be connecting with what the text is about or be able to discuss its meaning with somebody else.
Supporting your child with comprehension is fun!
Access to higher-level language
Reading to your child can be great at any age. Even very young children can often comprehend texts that are above their own reading level. If children read only what they are able to read fluently, they will not get exposure to higher level language and more abstract ideas. That’s why reading aloud to our boys is so important. As parents you know what interests your child. Choose texts from a variety of genres that you think your son/s may enjoy. Reading to them provides a fluent model and is satisfying to both parent and child. Use plenty of expression, let it spark conversations and have fun!
Purpose of reading
Talking to your child about what you read and why you read can make for a great conversation. It also demonstrates to your child the importance of reading in everyday life. You may read recipes or instruction manuals to know how to make/do something. At other times you may trawl the Internet for information about a particular topic. When you read for pleasure talk to your child about what you are reading and why you enjoy it. We all read for different purposes and these purposes affect what and how we read. Sometimes we skim and scan to find what we need. Sometimes we read intently and savour ever word and sentence. Let your child know what you do in your everyday reading life.
What’s the big idea?
Have you ever wondered why some children’s picture books are so fantastic that the whole family can enjoy them over and over regardless of age? The secret is in the message, or the ‘big idea’ of the story. Storylines that offer us food for thought never get boring. Whether it’s a chapter book or a picture book, look for the universal theme that everyone can relate to. Some themes or big ideas appear over and over in different stories. Discuss these as a family. Some common messages found in children’s literature might be about friendship, acceptance, perseverance, compassion, honesty, kindness…. and the list goes on.
More complex stories can have several themes interwoven throughout.
Encourage your child to make comparisons between the ways they have behaved in different situations with a character in a book. Talk about the feelings of different characters that appear in a story or how the character is changed by a particular circumstance. Go outside of the author’s ideas and discuss how the story might have ended differently if there was a change in a particular circumstance. The great thing about discussing the big ideas in literature is that they connect wonderfully with the learner profiles and attitudes we aspire to embody here at Newington, Lindfield.
Questioning
Ask questions about what is read and encourage your child to ask them, too. Make them thought provoking and never ask a question you already know the answer to. If you already know what your child is going to say then the question is not thought provoking enough! Well, questioning is a huge topic and could indeed be the topic of a whole future Prep Talk.
In the meantime, pick up a book and read!
‘The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.’ Dr. Seuss
Benjamin Barrington-Higgs – Head of Lindfield Prep
Book Week Celebrations
Book Week is always a fantastic time where Australian literature is celebrated in many ways. This year Newington College Lindfield welcomed popular children’s author and illustrator Aaron Blabey. All students, Kindergarten to Year Six, were given the opportunity to interact with Aaron and be thoroughly entertained by his work.
As the featured author of this year’s National Simultaneous Storytime our students were familiar with Aaron’s work. This visit allowed them to acquire a deeper understanding of both the writing and illustration process. Every author has their own way of being inspired and gathering ideas for writing. Aaron shared two main elements of his writing process – walking and music. He was able to explain to our students that for him ordinary everyday situations can be the catalyst for a story – and family and friends often feature in his story (in disguise, of course).
The boys thoroughly appreciated the very expressive story telling Aaron presented of his work and the deconstruction and simplification of drawing Pig the Pug.
Book Week Character Parade
The Mad Hatter introduced
characters from books.
He served us cups of tea.
The children paraded
all dressed up
of stories that
lit up our world.
The children laughed.
The parents grinned.
The teachers mucked about.
A stupendous event
this Book Week Parade
I wonder what 2016
will bring?
Sue Gough – Teacher/Librarian/PYP Co-ordinator
A delayed start …by one week saw beautiful weather, super keen young athletes and a wall of eager paparazzi looking for that perfect shot. Throw in some very capable staff and we had a recipe for one superb Athletics Carnival.
As the masses descended upon the hallowed Buchanan fields at Stanmore, some in blue, some red, some white, one could only wonder what exhilaration lay ahead. 3 stations, 6 events, 2 ½ hours, what could be a better way to start a Wednesday morning! With shot put, discus, long jump, javelin, sprints and relays on the menu, the Wyvern and Lindfield crowd looked to set to feast on the abundance of athletic opportunities that presented themselves.
And the result was a well organised, well-oiled and highly energetic and enthralling experience where the talents of the K-2 students from both campuses shone brightly. Whether it was a javelin throw that would have had the Australian Cricket team coach turning his head, or the super fast sprint race that had Usain Bolt moving to fifth gear, the boys from Newington were outstanding. One can only wonder what brilliance we can expect from these young chargers as they enter the Primary years shortly….
Mark Caulfield – Sports Master
On Saturday 15 August 7 teams of Lindfield boys attended the final judging event for the Young ICT Explorers Competition. This was our third year of entering this competition and without doubt the quality of the projects that our boys presented and those of their competitors was high. The Lindfield teams consisted of a total of 16 boys from Years 3-6 who had collaborated on their projects at school and home during terms 2 and 3 and gave up the day to compete and share their passion with their peers and a multitude of interested adults and experts.
The event was held at the Australian Technology Park and involved 200 students from New South Wales, in Years 3 – 12, presenting 95 projects. It was an exciting day full of enthusiasm as the students presented their projects to each other and the judges in an exhibition style format. Throughout the day our boys did a fantastic job at presenting and representing our school!
Overall, Newington did very well receiving a multitude of awards and praise for our two divisions (Years 3-4 and Years 5-6) and the boys can be very proud of their efforts and achievements throughout this competition.
It was a great day for our boys and they clearly enjoyed the experience! We’re excited about what we’ll have to offer next year!
Mr Pascal Czerwenka and Mrs Sue Gough
Kindergarten has started their fifth unit of inquiry and they will inquire into the transdisciplinary theme, How the World Works. They will investigate the central idea, ‘Understanding materials and their properties determines how people use them’. In this unit students will explore the concepts of form, function and change. To explore the concept of form, the Kindergarten boys will inquire into different types of materials and their properties. They will explore how materials are used for specific purposes (function) and will look at the changing properties of materials. Hands-on experiences, such as conducting a variety of science experiments will help formulate understanding of the properties of different materials and how they change. The boys will develop their thinking skills by observing and recording and they will communicate knowledge and understandings orally and through writing and drawing. One of the attitudes that will be developed in this unit is ‘curiosity’.
My Dad has brown hair and blue eyes. My Dad likes to play hide and seek. My Dad and I help each other. I love my Dad because we are best buddies.
Elliot
My Dad has black and brown eyes. My Dad likes to go on holidays. My Dad and I like to play soccer. I love my Dad because when I score a goal my dad cheers for me.
Athan
My Dad has black hair and brown eyes. My Dad likes to lift me up. My Dad likes to eat food. My Dad likes to play Lego. I love my Dad because he plays transformers with me.
Hugh
My Dad has a tiny bit of hair. My Dad likes to play with me. My Dad runs with me. I love my Dad because he is funny.
Aryan
My Dad has glasses and he knows karate. My Dad likes to watch Star Wars with me on TV. I think he likes the song of Darth Vader coming. My Dad and I play together. I love my Dad because he is nice and he is good.
Tom
Belinda Smallhorn – Kindergarten Teacher
In Years 1 and 2, the boys have started their 5th Unit of Inquiry and they are learning about the transdisciplinary theme ‘How the world works’. The central idea is about how Earth is a dynamic environment which changes in response to patterns in nature. The first line of inquiry which we have been examining is all about natural disasters. We have explored different types of natural disasters and the changes that occur in the Earth’s surface. We have discovered how continents sit on tectonic plates and the impact of their movement.
The second line of inquiry is about the key concept causation (why is it like it is?) where we will be inquiring into the effects of the weather and natural phenomena on the Earth. We will be looking for patterns in the weather and reading the data on meteorology sites.
Finally we will be looking at the concept, connection, and how humans impact the Earth’s surface. The boys will be exploring global warming – what humans are doing to the Earth’s surface and how can we protect it from happening.
The related concepts which underpin this unit of inquiry are cycles, patterns, cause and effect. The boys have been enjoying some hands-on science experiments like seeing how a volcano works and the impact of the movement in an earthquake.
Sam Watson and Leonie Russell – Stage 1 Teachers
May the force be with you!
Stage 2 have been learning within the transdisciplinary theme ‘How the World Works’. The boys have been using the concepts of Function, Causation and Reflection to explore the central idea: Understanding scientific principles enables humans to adapt through innovation and invention. This term the boys have been investigating scientific principles of force, gravity, friction and magnetic attraction and repulsion. The boys have worked through a number of experiments by following scientific methodology. They:
The hypotheses the boys investigated this term were:
The boys were all engaged and demonstrated the Learner Profile attributes of ‘thinker’ and ‘principled’ as they faced many hurdles, devised thoughtful solutions and made sure they were conducting ‘fair tests’.
The boys are now applying their understanding of these scientific principles to demonstrate how simple machines are used to meet our needs and make life easier. Stage 2 embarked on an excursion to the Australian National Maritime Museum where they were able to identify simple machines throughout the exhibits and how they were used to meet needs and solve complex problems. The boys are now working in expert groups based on a simple machine which they will use to innovate on ideas and create an invention to solve a problem within the school.
This has been a great Unit of Inquiry for the boys. The activities have been very hands on and both classrooms are full of inquisitive and engaged learners.
Angela Tonkin and Shayne Pollard – Stage 2 Teachers
Last week we had the annual Father’s day breakfast. It was a fantastic morning with delicious food and joyful over-consumption shown by all fathers and boys in attendance. The food was outstanding and the P and F once again produced another fantastic event. Next year there are plans for a tent to be erected to ensure our valuable cooks don’t get quite so wet.
I often reflect on how lucky we are as school to have such a close community and this was very evident during the Father’s Day breakfast. We thank the P and F for organising and running such a great morning.
Ben Barrington-Higgs
