A Message from the Head of Lindfield

This week the Year 6 boys have been starting the Exhibition process. This is a process where collaborative groups of boys inquire into an issue that they are curious and passionate about. They will then go through an inquiry model that involves finding information through multiple sources and then they will formulate questions that will drive further exploration.  The aim is for the boys to draw conclusions that lead to action which will make a difference in this area of interest. The skills developed through this inquiry cycle are important for a transition into a future workplace that needs people with skills to create and innovate and solve problems through teams as automation takes the place of many of our existing jobs.

I have extracted an article in full from the Marshall memo which presents more reasoning as to why we need to push an educational agenda that moves further than standardised test preparation.

David Brooks on ‘The Human Skills Most Needed in the Computer Age’

In this important New York Times column, David Brooks lists several mental skills that will be less valued as computers become increasingly powerful and prevalent in the workplace:

–   Having a great memory;

–   Being an A student by gathering lots of information and regurgitating it back on tests;

–   Doing any mental activity that involves following a set of rules.

But which human skills will be more important? Here are some specific abilities he believes will be of great value in the age of brilliant machines:

• Having what Brooks calls “a voracious explanatory drive, an almost obsessive need to follow their curiosity… diving into and trying to make sense of these bottomless information oceans”.

• Being quick to recognize an interesting event and get the word out to others, perhaps on Twitter;

• Being able to grasp the essence of one thing, then the essence of something quite different, and put them together to create something entirely new.

• Being able to visualise data and present it in vivid graphic form;

• Having an extended time horizon and strategic discipline – an overall sense of direction and a conceptual frame. “In a world of online distractions, the person who can maintain a long obedience toward a single goal, and who can filter out what is irrelevant to that goal, will obviously have enormous worth,” he says.

• Possessing a Goldilocks level of team leadership – not too controlling and not too loose. “One of the oddities of collaboration is that tightly knit teams are not the most creative,” says Brooks. “Loosely bonded teams are, teams without a few domineering presences, teams that allow people to think alone before they share results with the group. So a manager who can organise a decentralised network around a clear question, without letting it dissipate or clump, will have enormous value.”

“The role of the human is not to be dispassionate, depersonalised, or neutral,” concludes Brooks. “It is precisely the emotive traits that are rewarded: the voracious lust for understanding, the enthusiasm for work, the ability to grasp the gist, the empathetic sensitivity to what will attract attention and linger in the mind. Unable to compete when it comes to calculation, the best workers will come with heart in hand.”

At Lindfield, we want caring, passionate young men who are engaged members of the world around them. Boys who will be able to do this are boys who embody many of the attributes of the IB learner profile. These are boys who are open-minded, who can take risks in their thinking, who have the ability to synthesize information from different sources in order to create and innovate. Boys who have emotional intelligence to be able to work with all people, not just people who think and act like they do.  The future is exciting for our boys, especially as we are equipping them for a creative and innovative way of working and existing.

Extracted from Marshal Memo 523 ‘David Brooks on the Human Skills Most Needed in the Computer Age’ The New York Times, Feb. 4, 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/04/opinion/brooks-what-machines-cant-do.html?_r=0

Faith Matters

Rivers not Reservoirs!

One reason the Dead Sea is a big tourist attraction is because it’s got such high mineral concentrations that even non-swimmers can stay afloat in its waters. The only problem is that, because it has no outlets, any fresh water that comes in quickly becomes contaminated. Solomon said, “Be stingy and lose everything. The generous … prosper.” God never intended us to be reservoirs that just take in; He called us to be rivers that flow out to bless others. Something interesting happens when you stop focusing on yourself and get concerned with other people’s needs.

So if you need a job today, volunteer at a soup kitchen while you’re looking for work. If you’re praying for an increase in your business, pour yourself into somebody else’s business and ask God to prosper them. The Bible says when you “Give generously … your gifts will return to you later”. Even if you don’t have a specific need right now, sow a seed of kindness anyway. Only God knows what the future holds, and one day when you need it the most, it’ll come back to bless you with a harvest.

Rev Peter Morphew

PYP

Formulating Questions

As our Year 6 students prepare to begin their Unit Of Inquiry for The Exhibition, an important starting point is the development of questions around the issues the boys have expressed their interest in. When we are curious about something it is our natural instinct to ask questions. As learners we are natural questioners.

If there is the need to increase our knowledge, skills or understanding around something we usually do this through asking questions. They may be simple in nature and provides us with a quick solution to problems, or complex, leading to more questions which continue to develop our thinking and understanding. It is critical to acknowledge the importance of both types of questions for learning. As long as the question is relevant it will be significant in the quest to increase our understanding around a problem.

Several years ago, the teachers at NCL coined the term “un-Google-able” to help students understand the kind of questions that are complex and open, not simple to answer, whose answers cannot be found in a single page of a book or on a website. The answer to this type of question is one which we create after collecting data (answers from many questions), and synthesize our new knowledge to create a plausible answer. As a PYP school our vision and goals for curriculum goes beyond the delivery of content. It is our aim to equip our students with skills for learning and asking relevant questions is a major skill for becoming an independent learner. The formulation of questions for inquiry is a skill that is innate in all humans.

We recall very young children who continuously, and sometimes annoyingly, ask questions in an attempt to understand their world. It is important to remember that questioning is an essential tool and skill for our students to be lifelong learners.

What will your next question be?

Sue Gough – Teacher Librarian/PYP Co-ordinator

eSafety at home

My name is Tony Cross and this year I have taken on the exciting role of supporting the effective integration of ICT into teaching and learning at Wyvern and Lindfield Preparatory schools. After 6 years of classroom teaching and team leadership at Wyvern, this year I am working with both teachers and students across the two preparatory schools to integrate technology into teaching and learning programs in a meaningful and effective manner. I am thoroughly enjoying meeting and connecting with the Lindfield school community. 

Our boys are engaged with technology both in and out of school. As educators we need to ensure that technology is being used to enhance the learning experience. Through researched based pedagogy, this year, students will engage in accessing, manipulating, creating and using teachnology to display knowledge and understanding of concepts taught in lessons. I am extremely excited to be able to collaborate with the teachers and students from Kindergarten to Year 6.

Boys are heading online into a world that is full of wonder and the unknown. How do we ensure that they are equipped with the right tools to dive confidently into using and interacting with the internet?

There have been lots of articles and many online publications produced, however, an excellent place to start is through www.esafety.gov.au. Here you can access an excellent collection of articles, interactive games and publications that will assist you in establishing and maintaining valuable conversations with your children.  

Something I like to refer to when initiating the conversation about eSafety is the use of the helpful tips outlined at https://www.esafety.gov.au/education-resources/iparent/staying-safe/online-basics

Here you will find really basic and effective tips to help build confidence for both you and your child. The three basic tips outlined in the article are: 

1. Communicate openly with your kids
2. Use technology tools to keep them safe
3. Encourage safe and responsible behaviour

source: www.esafety.gov.au

Engaging in these three basic strategies early on will help your child guide their way through the complexities of the online world. It is such a powerful tool that when used inappropriately can do so much damage. We are all responsible in educating our children on how to use the Internet properly. Let’s do the right thing and help them along the way.

Tony Cross – eLearning – Wyvern House and Lindfield Preparatory School

Pastoral Care

Helping your kids learn to be responsible is one of the greatest life tools you can provide them with!

Responsibility for personal belongings, interactions with others and learning are important components of what we teach and model to our students and ones that teachers at Lindfield value highly. This is closely linked to the high expectations that we hold for each other and our students.

Teaching your kids to be responsible, and giving them more important responsibilities as they get older, isn’t always easy, but it’s always worth it! By teaching children to do things for themselves you’re teaching them to be people who have confidence that they are capable and competent.

Our Pastoral Care Policy revolves around the concept of Respect for All and as a part of that we are teaching our students to understand that they have rights and responsibilities within our school context and the pro-social behaviours that demonstrate an understanding of these rights and responsibilities.

Further information on teaching children to take responsibility can be found below:

http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/teaching-kids-responsibility/

http://www.essentialkids.com.au/development-advice/behaviour-discipline/teaching-kids-responsibility-20121029-28eo0

http://www.positiveparentingconnection.net/the-tools-we-forget-to-use-when-teaching-children-responsibility/

SchoolTV Digital Resources

To assist Parents with additional resources Newington has purchased a subscription for all staff, parents and students across our three campuses to access SchoolTV.

SchoolTV is available to members of our Newington community. This is an online resource offering information and guidance on important subjects young people are facing today.

Covering topics such as:

Social Media and Digital Reputation

Sexting

Cyberbullying

Drug & Alcohol Use

Suicide & Self-harm

Depression

Anxiety

You can access SchoolTV via Spaces under “My Places To Go”.

Pascal Czerwenka – Year 5 Teacher/Deputy Head of Lindfield

Mini Olympics 2017

What an Event!!

Fundraising was finished, boys were ready, parent helpers were ready, teachers were ready and our honoured guests from Special Olympics Australia were ready … Let the games begin!

Over $12,000 was collected by our 202 students with special mention to the highest fundraisers in Junior Primary (Kevin Liu) and Primary (Jack Mannix).

The boys had such a wonderful time competing in all manner of events from noughts and crosses to sack races to gymnastics to tug of war and more.  Being able to meet Olympic athletes is always exceptional but to be able to have them here with the boys for the entire morning was, as always, a real treat.  It was lovely to see some of the athletes we met last year returning again to spend time with our boys.

The day ran smoothly due to the extensive planning and involvement of our P&F committee and parent helpers.  Special thanks to Julianne Ashworth, Deb Burt, Sylvia Chen, Anita Chronis, Kate Hooke, Gloria Knight, Toni Lising, Andrea Malmquist, Suzie Preston, Carmen Roche, Judy Ryan and Vicky Sharp.  Thanks too go to our Year 6 boys who displayed great leadership in running these events.  

Many photos were taken by Anita Chronis and Eva Angel below are just a few.

Professor Maths

Last week we had an exciting incursion during school. Professor Maths came to visit. In each workshop with Professor Maths the boys worked in small groups to work through a number of problem solving tasks and challenges. Each challenge required the boys to share their ideas and communicate their thinking within their group.

As the boys worked through each problem solving game some of the tasks were ‘Super Challenges’. This meant when they completed a Super Challenge together they were able to put on the high-visibility mathematics vest, a wig and a pair of glasses.

The boys all appeared to enjoy their sessions with Professor Maths with many boys saying they liked working in teams because it was helpful when the tasks became challenging.

Here are some of Junior Primary’s thoughts about their experiences:

Sasha Herbst (Year 2)

• I liked the marble challenge. Professor Maths had a pet unicorn. He taught us shapes like a hexapod.

Jaiden Sookia (Year 2)

• I liked doing the challenge with the blocks where you had to build a cube with the top being red then blue. I liked the big bubble when he put someone inside it.

Zavier Wang (Year 1)

• It was fun because we got to do all these activities. My group almost completed three Super Challenges.

Oliver Cooper (Year 1)

• He was very funny. My favourite activity was the Frog game because it was hard and we had to figure it out together.

Alex Klingberg (Kindergarten)

• It was good. I liked the games we did. We did lots of Professor Maths Challenges. We played lots of games and he put a kid into a bubble.

Sam Allan (Kindergarten)

• He was very crazy. I liked the games because they were really challenging. My favourite was the Frog game because I couldn’t do it and then Professor Maths helped us.

Isobelle Best – Year 2 Teacher (acting)

Lindfield Music Concert

The concert is over for another year.

While there was no real theme, the overall feeling conveyed was that music is fun. The two whole school items had a theme of circle – things returning and the general circle of life.

Some items fitted into a few mini themes that wound their way through the concert.

There were a couple of songs about how important it is for us all to understand each other and to get to know each other and value everyone of us – ‘Imagine’ and ‘Turn the World Around’.

There was also a theme relating to the African continent with ‘Circle of Life’ from the Lion King, Toto’s song ‘Africa’ and the final song ‘Turn the World Around’ which has its inspiration from the African country Guinea.

Traditional Songs also came into the concert with the children’s songs played by the Year 2 and 3 String groups along with the song sung by the Stage 2 Choir ‘Tum Balalaika’ – a traditional Yiddish song, and the JP Choir singing an arrangement of the Australian classic ‘Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree’. Teaching these songs continues a tradition, many of which are disappearing in this technological age.

The School Ensembles have all really enjoyed learning the pieces they performed. ‘The 4 Chords’ song that the School Choir sang had 28 excerpts of songs showing how the sequence of 4 chords is found in many different songs. This was a challenge to learn and the boys did a great job.

The String Ensemble have had a lot fun learning their two pieces. ‘Uptown Funk’ is an arrangement by Trevor Mee. It has got some challenging rhythms but the boys worked them out quickly as they know the song. ‘Wipeout’ is a good surfing song!

‘Party Rock’ had the School Band dancing, in particular the lower brass section where they choreographed their own moves. Lots of fun!

Vanessa South – Music Mistress

Kindergarten

Our busy urban lives can make it easy for us to take certain things for granted. These days, the local supermarket offers a various array of products essential to our day to day living, such as dairy products and eggs. With these conveniences, the understanding and appreciation for the environments that produce these basic necessities can be lost. Our current Unit Of Inquiry has a central focus on exploring the impact of human choices on these environments. 

On Thursday 8 June our very excited Kindergarten boys went on their first excursion to Calmsley Hill City Farm. The School Bus collected our Kindies from outside their classroom and took them on their way to the Farm where they were introduced to animals such as baby goats, sheep, chickens, cows and dogs, among others. The boys learnt about the origins of some of our purchased products and the importance of awareness when it comes to these animals and their habitats. 

During the fun filled day, the boys participated in various activities such as milking a cow, patting baby goats and chickens, riding on a tractor and watching a working dog show. We learnt where wool comes from and to end the day, we were lucky enough to watch a farmer sheer a sheep. 

The rain that had held off all day finally started to fall just as we got on the bus to return to school. It’s timing was perfect, soothing our tired boys into a nap on the way home after such a busy day.

Thank you to Miss Smallhorn and the parent helpers for making the excursion possible.

“I was a bit scared of milking the cow but I loved it” – Christian H

“I loved going on the tractor ride, it was the best excursion ever” – Jackson

“It was really fun because we got to milk the cow and watched the shows” – Sam

“I liked watching the whip show and milking the cow” – Ethan

Petra Raic – Learning Enhancement

The Show Must Go On

Since humankind began, the Arts has been a vessel for storytelling and the expression of emotion and connection within our communities.  We have been inquiring into the Arts this term, discovering how ideas, cultures and narratives are expressed through dance, drama, music, visual arts and media arts. Throughout this unit we have been entertained, our thoughts have been challenged, and the workings of artist’s magic unveiled.  They boys have developed their arts knowledge and understanding through a growing comprehension of the distinct and related languages of the art forms symbols, techniques, processed and skills.

Year 3 applied their growing understanding of the Arts by developing a whole class play on the theme of compassion.  In creating the play, the boys were required to express ideas and emotions through narrative, music, costuming, animation, lighting, set and acting.  This was the boys’ play, I stayed out of it as much as possible, and they grabbed the freedom and opportunity enthusiastically.

The Design Thinking methodology guided our creative process:

SPARK An idea you want to express

• The play must express the theme of compassion

DISCOVER Finding out, asking questions, looking at examples for inspiration

• Read the book ‘The Iron Man’ by Ted Hughes
• Watched the film ‘Lilo and Stitch’
• Developed storyboards
• Examined snippets of Monsters Inc
• Participated in the The Art of Storytelling workshop through the Kahn Academy’s Pixar in a Box
• Created small group plays around the idea of compassion using picture prompts from the book ‘The Lost Thing’ by Shaun Tan

IMAGINE Generating ideas

• A six-piece storyboard was created to guide the storyline of the play.  An aspect of each small group’s play was incorporated in the storyline.

EXPLORE Experimenting and learning from mistakes in order to create original solutions.

The boys choose the role and responsibility they felt comfortable and interested in exploring:

• Creating music
• Set design and making
• Costume design and making
• Acting and script writing
• Animation
• Directing and filming
• Video editing

SOLVE A final solution for others to experience.

Video link to our final performance. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1YlX70FY1CMNFNkWV9Ra202RlE

The boys did a wonderful job in creating a play that was thoroughly enjoyed by their loving audience.  We were extremely fortunate to the have the guiding hand of Ximeng Chan (Granmother to Marcus and Aiden Chan, and Felix Lee), throughout the process. Mrs Chan was our source of inspiration, our spark, who suggested the idea that the boys could create a play.  Thank you Mrs Chan for exciting the boys’ imagination and encouraging them to explore their creative and expressive potential.

Carol Peterson – Year 3 Teacher

Sport Stars

CIS Cross Country

The Combined Independent School (CIS) Cross Country was held at Eastern Creek on Thursday 15 July.  Newington Lindfield had four representatives at that event; Charlie Burt, Finn Dundon, Harry Dundon and William Lane. 

Running at this level is a challenge.  Athletes must be successful at their own school carnival, and the next level (IPSHA) in order to qualify to run at CIS. Our boys represented IPSHA, their school and themselves with distinction both on the track and off.

Results were:

Charlie Burt (1^st), Finn Dundon (5^th), Harry Dundon (11^th) and Will Lane (63^rd from 85 runners).   We congratulate Charlie and Finn as they have now qualified for the State level which is the NSW Primary Schools Sports Association  (PSSA) event to be held on 21 July.  Harry Dundon ran well to finish very close to selection as well.  Special mention to Will Lane who ran consistently as part of the Newington Lindfield team.  Qualifying to run in this company is a major achievement and Will did so with great resilience and grit.

A pleasing aspect of our boys’ involvement was the great sportsmanship on display as they congratulated other runners in the field at the conclusion of the event.

We wish Charlie and Finn all the best in training over the next few weeks as they prepare for their next cross country challenge.

David Musgrove – Sports Master (T2)

Martial Arts Club Term 2

Leader Program

Our Leader Program has been running for several years now (although offered only comparatively recently at Newington Lindfield), with amazing results.

The Program develops exceptional young people to be capable of managing student groups of all different ages — including their peers — with grace, confidence and great poise.

In Term 2, we have two new little champs in the Program, Marcus C and Jaiden S, who are already gaining confidence in their roles as leaders.  It is quite a shift in attitude for the young ones — not all get such an unique opportunity — but they are rising strongly to meet this new and very different challenge.  This is a huge step out of their comfort zone, and it is completely voluntary!

The Leader Program has three levels, each lasting a minimum of 10 classes.  Beginning with assisting in group activities, participants move to leading whole sections of a class, then to assisting with more complex drills and techniques at the advanced levels.  Participants learn public speaking, how to manage groups and group instruction.  Through their involvement, Leaders discover the enormous benefit both to their own martial arts and leadership skills.

The confident young people you see often bear little resemblance to the person at the start of the Program and are deserving of very high regard.

If you know anyone who might be timid and nervous around other people and who might like to be more assured and independent, and who is aged 8 years and over with grade level Orange Belt or above, contact Sensei Marice.  The Program is free of charge and requires a minimum commitment of a term of Martial Arts Club on Friday from 3:15-4:15pm.

Sensei Marice – Evolution Jujutsu @ Fushicho Martial Arts