Faith Matters

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.

The gospel, 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.

God’s kingdom is a strange upside down economy where poverty is blessed! Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.

Rev Peter Morphew – Chaplain

P&F News

LOOKING BACK ON TERM 3…….

NEW SECRETARY

Novak Chandler has stepped down from the role of P&F Secretary. I would like to thank Novak for doing an amazing job and all her hard work, juggling a very busy home life with school commitments. 

We would like to welcome Vicky Sharp as our new Secretary of the Lindfield P&F Association. This is Vicky’s first year at Newington and her son, Nathan Sharp, is in Year 5. It is fantastic to have a new parent as part of our P&F and we look forward to working with Vicky in the future.

BACK TO NEWINGTON DAY

For the first time ever, Lindfield joined the wider school community and took a stall at Back to Newington Day in July.

It was a fantastic day with lots of Lindfield families in attendance.  With two wonderful sports hampers on offer and a ball throwing competition, our prep boys were in their element.  The boys set up a sports trading card table and many of our dads seemed to be enjoying the ball competition as much as the boys!

Thanks to our wonderful volunteers on the day, we raised over $1,200.  The P&F and Sports Committee, in conjunction with Eliza, have decided to spend the funds raised on manufacturing two ball throwing targets which will be put to good use during sport time, at future events and our Mini Olympics

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FATHERS DAY

A huge thank you to our wonderful Year 5 parents for hosting our Fathers Day breakfast.  It was great to see the boys looking after their dads and serving them on the morning. 

The wonderful set up and delicious food on offer contributed to the success of the morning, with very few leftovers post event!

Thank you also to those parents who contributed to the Prep Shop sales table.  We sold many supporter items which will hopefully be used and worn with pride at our next school sports event.

LOOKING FORWARD TO TERM 4…..

LA FIESTA AT LINDFIELD – SATURDAY OCTOBER 29 at 7:00pm

This will be a night not to be missed!!!  Book your babysitters and join us for a colourful, vibrant and fun Fiesta to celebrate our fantastic community and another wonderful year.

Be tempted by food influenced from Mexico, Spain and South America; enjoy the fiesta tunes from John Watson (piano player from Minsky’s) playing live on the night; take part in some limbo; crack open a piñata made by our Year 5 and 6 boys or bid on the auction items.

Save the Date and look out for your invitation – coming home soon in hard copy with your boys and posted on Spaces.

In order to help our Social Committee organise the night, we would greatly appreciate as many returned RSVP’s as possible prior to the school holidays.

Our La Fiesta auction is a great opportunity to promote your business and support the school. If you are interested please contact me via email on jcashworth@vbmglobal.com. 

We look forward to seeing everyone on the night.

P&F ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – MONDAY NIGHT NOVEMBER 7 AT 6:30pm

We invite all our parents to come along to our AGM in Term 4.  Dr David Mulford, Head of Newington College, will be speaking along with an overview from Ben Barrington-Higgs.  Come and enjoy a drink and nibbles to mark the end of 2016 and find out what’s in store for 2017.

Julianne Ashworth
P&F President Lindfield

TUCKSHOP

We have changed the supplier of our pies and sausage rolls. Our new supplier is an old local favourite, Grace’s Bakehouse (formerly known as Lindfield Hot Bread Shop on Lindfield Avenue). I am sure they have many old customers amongst our parents. All their beef pies and sausage rolls are custom made for Lindfield.

As Term 3 was incredibly busy, we do need a healthy flow of volunteers. We will be sending out our request for Term 4 volunteers next week – so if you are a Year 6 parent and have been meaning to come see the tuckshop – this could be your last chance!

Please send an email to lindfieldtuckshop@newington.nsw.edu.au if you are able to help, even if it’s just for an hour. 

See you in the tuckshop!

Cheryll – Tuckshop Manager

PREP SHOP

From 12 September the Prep Shop will begin selling the summer uniform ready for the start of Term 4. We will also be open on extra days at the end of Term 3 including:

Friday 16 September: 3:00pm – 3:45pm

Friday 23 September: 8:00am – 8:45am

In addition we are offering 50% off the RRP of tracksuits until the end of Term 3 (no further discount applies to this sale price).  

Prep Shop Opening Times

The Prep Shop’s opening times are Monday afternoons from 3:00 until 3:45pm and Wednesday mornings from 8:00 until 8:45am.  If you need access to the Prep Shop at other times please contact the School Office on 9416-4280 or lindfield@newington.nsw.edu.au and arrangements may be made.

The current price list can be found on SPACES under Prep Shop.  To make an order, please complete the form and forward it to the School Office. It will be given to the Prep Shop volunteers to fill your order which will then be given to your son to bring home.

On another note, the Second Hand Uniform Shop will be open for business from 2:45pm-3:15pm on the first Monday of every month.  For Term 4 we will be open on Monday 7 November.

Jennifer Kahn – Prep Shop Manager

SPORTS COMMITTEE

Watch out for the Summer Sports Update coming soon in the Sports Section of SPACES. This details information about our summer sports teams, coaches, kit, training timetable and the Saturday matches.  There is also information on co-curricular sport programs.

Year 6 – Coding in Music

Writing a code for the computer is exciting and lots of fun to do.

The Year 6 classes have been coding using a computer program called Scratch and an iPad app. called Hopscotch.

In Scratch, the boys have chosen characters called Sprites and have been coding these Sprites to move, change colour and most importantly to make a sound, preferably a musical one. Each Sprite is allocated a key-board key like “A” or “S”. When these keys are pressed, a Sprite will make a sound. Playing the keys in a sequence will create a melody.

Some sounds that can be used are not just a single note but a sequence. These can be edited – cut and cropped.

Hopscotch is another coding program that works on the iPads. Again the boys were expected to incorporate music and sound into their coding. To make these move and make a sound, there are a various instructions – tapping, sliding, shaking, even making a loud noise!. Some of the boys were very inventive, creating a sequence of events and sounds.

The Scratch computer program can be taken further by linking it with a device called a Makey-Makey. Through the Makey-Makey, the boys were able to create an instrument using unusual material – bananas, play-dough, aluminum on rulers are a few examples. They had to connect the Makey-Makey to the computer and then through wires and alligator clips connect it to the unusual material. Through this activity the Year 6 boys began to understand the concept of electrical currents, circuits and the idea behind “earthing”. They made lines of boys: the first boy was “earthed” and the last boy was playing the “instrument”. They were amazed at how this worked.

This has been a wonderful learning experience for everyone. The boys have been very engaged in learning how to code, especially using sounds.

Vanessa South – Music Teacher

Stage 1 – Light and Sound

The Stage 1 boys are very excited to be learning about Light and Sound in their fifth unit of inquiry. The Central Idea is by exploring the elements of light and sound people may interact with the world around them. The Transdisciplinary theme is “How the world works” which entails an inquiry into the natural world and its interaction with human societies.

As a provocation the boys learnt how important light was to them as they worked for a short time with no lights on in the classroom.  They also had to use their sense of hearing to listen for the sounds around them.

In the first line of inquiry the boys are learning about the concept of form and they will be exploring forms of energy.  The boys will have an understanding of what energy is like and be able to recognise features using their observational skills. So far, the boys have examined different kinds of light, eg. natural, artificial, neon and laser. The boys have also been on a sound hunt  listening for different types of sounds in the school environment. They have used their collected data to make a mind-map using Popplet on the iPads.

In the second line of inquiry the boys will be looking at the concept of change where they will test various light and sound investigations. This will help the boys to understand the process of movement from one state to another. They will also be learning how to write an explanation to complement these investigations.

The third line of inquiry is about the concept of function. The boys will be investigating how light and sound is used in their daily lives. They will be exploring how different elements of light and sound work and what its purpose is in the world.

In Music the boys will be creating instruments to investigate sound vibration, and in Mandarin and Art the boys will have the pleasure of learning about shadow puppet shows.

The specific skill focus for this unit is thinking and research skills. These skills are valuable in unit of inquiry as well as other learning areas. They are both useful for inside and outside of school. As teachers we support the boys in developing a set of Transdisciplinary skills throughout their school life. Other skill development includes social skills, communication skills and self management skills which are developed continually throughout the school year.

Leonie Russell – Year 2 Teacher

Stage 2 UOI – Transfer of Heat

Stage 2 have just commenced our fifth Unit of Inquiry under the Transdisciplinary Theme: How the World Works. Our Central Idea for the unit is: The transfer of heats helps us in our everyday lives. This will be taught through the concepts of Function, Change and Connection and will guide our Lines of Inquiry:             

• Transfer of heat energy
• States of matter
• How the transfer of heat is used in our everyday lives

Recently Years 3 and 4 participated in an incursion that served as a provocation for our new Unit of Inquiry. Two scientists from Fizzics Education met us in the hall to give us an experience we won’t forget anytime soon.

In our first workshop we learnt about the change of state between solids, liquids and gases. We discovered what happens to air pressure when the temperature is increased or decreased. The morning was very hands-on as we experimented with memory wire, hand boilers, smoking balls, thermochromic paper and much more.

The fun didn’t stop after recess as we then watched a liquid nitrogen show. We discovered what happens when -198 degree liquid nitrogen boils as it comes in contact with air temperature. We observed the effects it has on balloons, tennis balls and plants. The day finished with some very cold liquid nitrogen made ice cream.

It was a very exciting and engaging provocation and we are looking forward to working like scientists for the remainder of our Unit of Inquiry.

Carol Peterson and Shayne Pollard – Stage 2 Teachers

LOTE Day

As LOTE (Languages Other Than English) Day approached, the boys eagerly asked: “What do we do this year?” “Are we going to have some special food?” or “Are we going to wear special costumes”? I smiled and said “NO”. They looked a bit disappointed but little did they know that this year they would experience something very different.

Programs such as LOTE Day aim to further develop students’ global-mindedness, as well as building on the Australian Curriculum priority in the area of Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia. This priority will ensure that students learn about and recognise the diversity within, and between, the countries of the Asian region.
This year, we had the pleasure to invite groups of performers and craft masters from Taiwan who were here to participate in the 2016 Sydney Taiwan Festival which is part of the Spring Festival of Willoughby council in Chatswood. Our boys were so fortunate to have seen the Taiwanese Aboriginal tribal dances and songs and experience the craft workshops before the festival. In the morning, we were treated to the outstanding, as well as amazing, giant glove puppet show.

After the performance, our Year 5 and 6 boys had the opportunity to have a cultural encounter session with those younger primary school age performers. They sat down and had a group morning tea together. There were a lot of selfies taken which gave our boys a chance to practice their Mandarin. Our teachers suggested children could play a friendly basketball game together. As Mrs Zammit observed and commented “… just amazing and lovely to see the courtesy and respect of our boys with their counterparts from Taiwan”.

After recess, the boys split into 4 groups to participate in different workshops. They played glove puppets and watched how a lively glove puppet was created. Some lucky boys got to sample yummy sugary treats from the sugar painting workshop or taking home cute characters from the dough figurines workshop. At the face painting workshop, everyone wanted to be picked to have their face painted. At the spring flower workshop, the boys used silk thread to make a delicate leaf.

Overall, our boys had a lots of fun and hopefully, they realise that learning another language allows them to understand the culture and bring people closer.

Eva Angel – Mandarin Teacher

Public Speaking Competition

On Tuesday 31 August, Adi Apana and Anton Lising competed in the inaugural Junior Public Speaking Competition hosted by Ravenswood School for Girls. Five schools participated in this event, each providing a team of two students to perform a prepared speech of three minutes and an impromptu speech of two minutes.

The judges took an unexpectedly long time identifying Ravenswood as the winner and both judges noted the very high standard of student performances, especially in the extremely challenging area of impromptu speaking.

Adi and Anton represented Newington College with expertise and confidence in speeches that reflected both their knowledge as inquiry learners and their public speaking skill.  They were applauded personally after the event by Mrs Bailey, The Head of Junior School, for their thoughtful speeches as well as the courteous way they conducted themselves.  Although not winning, we were told there was only one point in it and both boys felt very proud of the way they performed.

We congratulate them both for being such great school ambassadors.

Jo Zammit

Self-Defence with the Martial Arts Club

Technical excellence is a wonderful thing, but for us, being a great martial artist is more than that, so in pursuit of that ideal, each month we focus on a particular concept, or ’theme’.  The content of these themes is relayed in terms that each group can understand, without making the lesson long-winded and sounding like ‘blah, blah, blah’ to a young mind ☺.  Supporting articles for these are posted on our blog page.

During August, the theme was Being Impeccable with your Word, and for September it is Physical Activity and Personal Development.

With the end of term upon us, I am really pleased at how well the boys have been building on their skills so far this year.  Progress is a gradual process of course, particularly for a 5 or 6 year old, and may not be apparent in a snapshot, but it is very evident when one remembers what the individual was like at the start of training, and more so when the training continues unbroken for a period of time such, as a year. 

A reminder that our Leadership Program has openings for existing students who wish to develop skills such as public speaking and coaching, to name a very few.  The program is FREE, with each level (as with the belt system there are several) requiring a minimum 10 week commitment.  Minimum qualification is Year 3 & above Orange Belt.  For further information, please visit our website, and follow the link to ‘Leadership & Instructor Courses’, or contact us directly.

Follow our Facebook page for insights and events, or feel free to talk to us about how we may best serve you.

Bufu ikkan

Sensei Marice 

Marice Knapman – Principal

Evolution Jujutsu @ Fushicho Martial Arts

Mob:   0416 13 13 25

Web:   fushicho.com.au

Learning Enhancement – The Five Pillars of Reading

Decades of scientific research have been invested in identifying the most effective method of reading instruction. In 2000, the National Reading Panel (NRP) Report summarized these findings into five critical areas which are described below.

Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic awareness is the foundation for spelling and word recognition.  Phonemes are the smallest unit of sound that can make meaning.  We blend these sounds together to make words.  So the word cat has three sounds, c/a/t.  Use of rhyme, counting the number of syllables in words and substitution of sounds are all ways to practice this critical skill.

Phonics

Phonics is the skill of mapping sounds, or phonemes in words to our alphabetic system.  Words are a code and phonics instruction is the decoding key to our 44 phonemes.  Research shows that explicit phonics instruction at an early age is critical for achieving the best learning outcomes.

Fluency

Fluency is the ability to read with appropriate speed, accuracy and expression.  Fluent readers read smoothly, observe punctuation and provide meaningful intonation. A hurdle to fluency can be the struggle to decode words or to identify their meaning.  Reading aloud to children is an effective way to model this skill.  Having your child read a passage silently before reading aloud will enhance their fluency as will repeated reading.

Vocabulary

Strong vocabulary builds a child’s comprehension skills, the ability to think deeply and express themselves effectively.  It takes significant pressure off reading when words are already known and understood.  One of the best ways to enhance your child’s vocabulary is through engaging in daily conversations using new and interesting words that you might discuss and define.

Comprehension

Comprehension is the understanding and interpretation of what is read.  It is an active process between the reader and the text and involves cognitive and metacognitive processes.  It is achieved by piecing together all the skills, however, teaching comprehension strategies can begin before a child is able to read.  Based on research, there are six interrelated comprehension strategies which include; connections, predictions, questioning, visualizing, monitoring and summarizing.

It is the systematic and explicit instruction of these ‘Five Pillars of Reading’ that will achieve the most effective reading instruction for all our young learners.

References:

The five pillars of reading instruction. Retrieved from http://elearninginfographics.com/the-5-pillars-of-successful-reading-instruction-infographic/

Launching young readers: Reading rockets. Target the problem.  Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/helping/target

A closer look at the five essential components of effective reading instruction: A review of scientifically based reading research for teachers. Retrieved from https://education.ucf.edu/mirc/Research/Closer%20Look.pdf

Jo Zammit – Learning Enhancement Team

A Message from the Head of Lindfield Campus

Highly Engaged Students

I can remember after I had been teaching for about five years, I felt that I was fairly competent at my job. I was a coordinator of a big team of teachers, I was part of school-wide curriculum development initiatives. I thought I had the whole teaching caper in my stride.  Then a conversation with a colleague made me begin to ponder, do I really talk to and know my students?  That’s when I realised I was missing one of the essential elements of effective teaching, I didn’t really know my students well enough.

I tried to remedy this immediately. I made time every day to talk to my students and it began to transform my relationship with them. We talked about family holidays, pets, how they got on with their brothers and sisters, funny things that happened, they talked to me about whatever was on their mind.  Taking a couple of minutes a day to chat helped me build a productive relationship with these children.  My classroom ran more smoothly, my students were more engaged and they felt more connected to school.  This is why I meet the boys at the gate and try to chat with them each morning.  It is important that I get to know each boy so that he feels part of the school community and is comfortable to talk with me if there is a need.

Here at Lindfield we pride ourselves on being a small school, where we know our boys and families really well. Research shows that a strong teacher/student connection is a vital element for successful student engagement. For boys, success at school is directly correlated to the relationships they form with their teachers. Positive teacher/student relationships are required for optimum learning to occur. The characteristics of positive teacher/student relationships are:

• The teacher reaching out to meet a student’s needs – The teacher makes the time and effort to talk to and get to know the boys. At Lindfield, we try to develop a strong parent-school partnership with open communication and feedback that places the boys at the center of communication.
• Knowing one’s subject – A strong understanding of the content and skills for learning are essential for teachers here at Lindfield. A positive student/teacher relationship is unlikely to occur unless the teacher has pedagogical mastery of the subject. Thus positive relationships, however valuable in themselves, don’t ensure that the student will learn. We work really hard at Newington through professional learning, to ensure our teachers are highly knowledgeable and skilled in their teaching area.
• High standards – At Lindfield we have high expectations for the students and we believe that every child can achieve. We can assist this through effective classroom management and clear standards for classroom behavior and work.
• Responding to a student’s passions or talents – Through the inquiry process and the music, sport and after school activity programs we connect boys and teachers through their interests, hobbies and talents, whether it be sport, music, art, computers etc.
• Sharing a common characteristic – We encourage all members of our school to focus on how we are united in our diversity through our mission and the PYP profiles and attitudes. We also stress our human commonality through our inclusive nature and the value we place on our diverse parent and student community.
• Not taking it personally – Here at Lindfield boys make many choices, good and not so good, on the journey to adulthood. Mistakes are (unfortunately) how boys learn, how they test boundaries and develop their world view. The teachers at Lindfield realise that growing up is a process and the choices our boys make are not personal. Each boy is valued at this school for who they are and they are treated fairly and with respect.  
• Showing vulnerability – Teachers at Lindfield are very open about their own learning as a life-long process. We believe in a growth mindset, where we celebrate mistakes as opportunities to learn. This entails being honest about the challenges we face throughout our learning journeys. It is very hard for the boys to relate to someone who considers themselves perfect all of the time. 

Here at Lindfield, we are proud of how teachers work consistently to develop the relationship with your son. Every boy in our school is a valued part of the community. Every teacher in the school takes the time to talk with the boys and to really get to know them well as young people. This fosters a connection between students and the school, their teachers and to their own learning.

Ben Barrington-Higgs

“Relationships Play Primary Role in Boys’ Learning” by Michael Reichert and Richard Hawley in Phi Delta Kappan, May 2013 (Vol. 94, #8, p. 49-53), www.kappanmagazine.org;

“Q&A with Russell Quaglia, Expert on Student Engagement” by Lawrence Hardy in American School Board Journal, September 2013 (Vol. 200, #8, p. 8-9), www.asbj.com

Year 5 – UOI – Understanding Scientific Principles

The boys in Year 5 have loved our ‘How the World Works’ unit and it is very rewarding to see them so interested and engaged.

Central Idea:

An understanding of scientific principles creates opportunities for responsible design.

Lines of Inquiry:

• Exploration of scientific principles and processes
• Opportunities for responsible design
• Application of scientific principles

Here are a few of their comments when asked to complete the sentence –

Science is……

… the reason behind how things work (Alex)

… the knowledge of the Earth’s beginning and end (Will)

… exciting and fun (Morgan)

… trying to figure out how to make a break through or cure for something, …… to build for the future (Christian)

… a discovery (Daniel)

We began the unit with a paper aeroplane competition, which opened up interesting discussions about physics and how modifications are an important part of scientific processes – PYP Concepts of CAUSATION and CHANGE.

This has been followed by lots of scientific experiments and learning how to use scientific language and conventions. There have been plenty of opportunities to develop informative reading and writing skills and the boys are showing lots of improvements in this area.

They are currently conducting their own personal inquiries into a wide range of interesting topics e.g.

How can we harness tidal energy?

How does addiction affect our physical and mental health?

How can we responsibly use radioactive substances?

The causes of different types of chemical reactions

Can we build a drone that will go beyond the Earth’s atmosphere?

Can different designs prevent plane crashes?

How can we use science and engineering to implement change concerning global warming?

A large focus of the unit has been the importance of responsible design – PYP Concept of RESPONSIBILITY.  We have been using our very own Newington design thinking cycle to support the boys’ learning and next term they will have the opportunity to design and make a solution to a real world problem that they observe in their own worlds (could be school, home or even wider afield)….. lots of fun in store!!!

This whole unit has been a very valuable learning experience for the boys and the skills they are refining will most certainly help to prepare them for next year’s PYP Exhibition.

Pascal, Christina and the Year 5 boys

Primary Cooking Club – Term 3 2016

It’s all in the tasting……………..

Primary boys have again enjoyed the challenges of preparing a variety of savoury and sweet culinary delights over the past 9 weeks.

The focus has been on developing culinary skills that included working together, chopping, mashing, grating, folding, hygiene and cleaning up after themselves!

We have had fun and the taste buds have been tantalized by all.

Our quote of the session – as one of our young chefs tasted his tomato bruschetta  –

                           “ this food is making me very emotional….”

Sue Gough, Jo Zammit and Katrina James