A Message from the Head of Lindfield

Beliefs, Identity and Achievement 

At Newington, we believe it is important for our boys to know who they are, what they believe and what they want to achieve. 

I recently came across an interesting article that discussed the ways in which parents and teachers can help boys understand themselves and by default their own perceptions, beliefs and aspirations.  The author, Amy Hamayoun stated that “many of today’s students have difficulty identifying what they truly enjoy or giving themselves the freedom to explore new interests, because they are fixated on an external definition of success and achievement.” 

It is true that at times our boys (and us adults) are too worried about fitting into the paradigms set by peers, family and the media to actually think and act out of their own value systems and engage in what interests them. In the article, the author offers several strategies for parents and teachers to help students come to realisations and take action by helping them to understand; what they enjoy, what they believe and what they need to do to be able to achieve their goals. The four strategies are shared below. 

• Create opportunities for self-awareness and self-acceptance

The author suggests asking students questions like:

• What is something new you want to try this term?
• What skill would you like to improve?
• What is one area where you are really proud of your development over the past year?
• Which personal skills have you developed well?
• What do you really like about yourself?
• If there is one new interest you could pursue, what would it be and why?

Through this process, boys get a sense of what they want to achieve, what motivates and makes them enthusiastic about life. 

• Clarify values and close the believing-doing gap

Often, our boys are very clear about their beliefs but sometimes find it hard to put these beliefs into action.  They ‘talk the talk’ but find it harder to ‘walk the walk.’ Homayoun’s process involves boys identifying their top 3-5 values from this list below: 

abundance; commitment; compassion; connecting to others; creativity; determination; emotional health; emotional wellness; empathy; care of the environment; family; flexibility; freedom; friendship; fun; humour; integrity; joy; kindness; leadership; loyalty; personal growth; physical health; privacy; recognition; respect; service; spirituality; trust; vitality. 

Boys identify their top values and reflect on whether their daily habits are moving them closer or further away from their ideals. The author believes students like this exercise because they often feel adults are pushing particular values on them rather than asking them to identify their own. If you realise you are living a life that is out of alignment with your values, it is very motivating to work to realign your behaviours. 

• Focus on daily habits and incremental progress

Many of our older boys at Lindfield and our boys who move on to Stanmore become victims of technology overload, weak organisation skills and sleep deprivation. They need to be guided toward a personalized strategy for dealing with social media, the internet, and organizing schoolwork and other responsibilities – with specifics on focusing on one thing at a time, organizing work, and getting enough sleep. 

I have one boy in Year 7 and this is the biggest priority for him at this stage. It is very easy for boys when they move to high school to become overwhelmed with the competing demands on their time and fall behind in their learning. A key message for a successful high school transition from Colleen Scalone, the Head of Year 7 at Stanmore, is to help boys develop organization and prioritization skills. 

• Redefine failure

By Years 5 and 6 and in high school, many boys become more wary of taking healthy risks and trying new things because they’re afraid of failing. “The only real failure,” says Homayoun, “comes when we don’t allow ourselves to explore opportunities that are in line with our values, interests, and personal goals.” 

Sometimes it is better for our boys to prioritise one activity over something else if it is where their interest and passion lies. This can be difficult for parents, as we want our boys to experience a range of opportunities. As the boys get older, it is really important that they understand their values, interests and have clear goals so the noise of peer pressure and the expectations of others do not derail them or move them in directions away from passions and interests. 

• Bolster resiliency and buoyancy through time-travel reflection

It’s often helpful for a student to look back and look at their progress, new opportunities, and things that could have gone differently, considering questions like:

• What has happened that you are proud of?
• What was something positive that you learned through your experience?
• If something didn’t go as planned, what was something you learned that was beneficial for you?

By glorifying struggle, progress and improvement, we are giving boys the tools to be resilient about the challenges of life using a growth mindset. If parents help boys reflect in the ways shown above, they are reframing events to be instructive and positive learning experiences irrespective of the outcome. 

Too often, when boys are not selected for a team, or miss out on an opportunity, the focus is on the negative as opposed to the learning and growth possible from not getting the intended result.  This growth can come from future goal-setting that can arise from the experience of missing out on something in the past. These are much more powerful life lessons than the fantasy that we should always win, or get what we want.  Long term, failure makes us stronger and more determined as long as it is viewed with a growth mindset.  Parents can be important role models for this quality.  When we model resiliency in the face of difficulty for our sons, they are encouraged to develop these skills too.  We cannot underestimate the power of our own behaviour in teaching our children.  

At Newington, we aim to develop boys who are able to discover what is possible, but to do this they need to be clear about who they are, what they believe and what they want to achieve. In order to get to this position they will need to develop strategies to be able to make decisions that are authentic to them. As a parent, discuss the strategies mentioned, hold back from pushing your own values and aspirations but give your son the space to show you the type of person he values, and wants to become. 

If you do this then you are saying to your son, that we have confidence in you to follow your own passions and live a life that is truly challenging, authentic and meaningful. 

Ben Barrington-Higgs

“One Size Does Not Fit All” by Ana Homayoun in Independent School, Spring 2018 (Vol. 77, #3, p. 80-84)

 “Four Counseling Strategies for Young Adolescents” by Kim Marshall in Marshall Memo, March 2018 (Vol 727 #3, p.5-6)

Pastoral Care

Celebrating Effort and Success

Our students regularly set goals, both short term and long term, using a variety of strategies and then reflect upon these goals to determine how much effort they put into achieving them and how successful they were along the way. Our students need to understand that working towards a goal is just as important as reaching the goal and that it requires a sustained effort and focus.

Often students experience setbacks on the way to achieving their short or long term goals, they may need to try several different strategies or they may need to fail in order to move forward (often referred to as ‘failing forward’). The conversations that teachers have with their students and parents with their sons around goal setting and effort is important and these conversations should centre around the effort that has been made along the way and not just the achievement at the end.

Parents need to look for opportunities to compliment the way their son is approaching a task rather than placing all your emphasis on the end result, which may not turn out how he had hoped. Effort-based praise lets you tell your son you value not only him, but also his willingness to take risks and his determination to work toward his goals.

For example, let’s say your son’s goal is to get to school on time. There are smaller steps along the way: waking up, brushing his teeth, getting dressed and having his backpack ready. By recognizing the steps your son does well, you can help him see that he is capable of reaching the overall goal. You can also show him he can achieve it through effort and planning.

Key Components of Effort-Based Praise – (understood.org)

Effort-based praise can be a great way to motivate your child. To maximise its effectiveness, be sure to include these components:

Sincerity: “Thank you for all of the time you put into making this cake” is better than “This is the most delicious cake I’ve ever tasted!” Insincere praise can make your child wonder if you think he’s not capable of doing any better. Overpraising can also make him wonder if you don’t know what really good cake tastes like.

Specificity: “I like how you double-checked all your math problems” is better than “Good job on your homework.” Good, descriptive praise takes the guesswork out of what you’re praising. This can help reinforce the positive behavior you want your child to repeat.

Realistic standards: “Your watercolour technique is really coming along nicely—did you use any new techniques in this painting?” is better than “This is such a fantastic painting. Some day you’ll have your own art gallery!” Try to praise your child’s efforts in a way that emphasises growth and learning from mistakes. This can help avoid putting too much pressure on him to succeed the next time.

By recognising the efforts of our students and your son we can create resilient students who understand that mistakes are opportunities to learn and whose self-esteem is strong and healthy, allowing them to successfully interact with their peers and the adults in their lives.

References

https://www.understood.org/en/friends-feelings/empowering-your-child/celebrating-successes/ways-praise-can-empower-kids-learning-issues 

Pascal Czerwenka – Year 5 Teacher/Deputy Head of Lindfield

Faith Matters

I’m a mad cricket fan, I was brought up on the game and some of my earliest memories are watching the summer of cricket on TV at home. I vividly remember the first game I saw live. It was the 2003 Ashes and it was Steve Waugh’s Perfect Day where he achieved the milestone of 10,000 Test runs and scored a century on the last ball of the day. Since then, I have enjoyed many great games at the SCG and one very special day at the 2015 Ashes at Lords in England.

So naturally, the events of the last few weeks in cricket has shaken me. The ball tampering scandal in South Africa where Australian players deliberately roughed up the ball, contrary to the rules of the game, has been an unavoidable topic in Australian media. Whether you follow cricket or not it was impossible to miss the coverage of these events. But what surprised me was how deeply hurt I felt personally. I think this was a reaction many had and shows how deep sport runs in the Australian psyche.

I’ve been reflecting on these events in Chapel over the last two weeks both at Lindfield and at the Stanmore because I think this incident has a lot to teach us. This incident goes to the heart of what does good sportsmanship look like. This incident went completely against any moral code or expectations of sports players. And as we reflect on this we should remember what good sportsmanship looks like. I think Paul in his letter to the Philippians gives us an insight. 

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

These are important values and should always underpin our attitudes when we go out on the sporting field. But more than that these are good values for whatever we do in life.

This ball tampering incident teaches us all another lesson; how do we deal with our mistakes. All of us have, or will, make mistakes in our life but the question is how do we deal with it when we do. These three players realised the repercussions of their actions and they owned up to it. They didn’t try to make excuses or hide behind somebody else. They took responsibility and accepted the consequences. This is something that we should all remember when we make mistakes.

Although I am disappointed and hurt by what has gone on, my support for Australian cricket hasn’t waned. I hope the players and administrators can learn from this event and improve the sport to be something that we can all be proud of. But more than that this incident gives us a chance to step back and reflect on the lessons it shows us for our own lives.

Richard La’Brooy – Chaplain

Service

“On Sunday 8 April Oscar Roche, Hugo Grehan, Tristan Henry and I participated in a 10km Fun Run.  It was a beautiful day to run and there were lots of participants.  It felt like we all did 14 kms instead of 10 because of all the hills although we still enjoyed it.  None of us dropped out and we were pretty happy when one by one we made it over the finish line.”  

Freddie Bourne

“On 8 April Oscar R, Tristan H, Freddie B and me (Hugo) did the Lindfield Rotary 10 kilometre Fun Run.  The hardest part of the course was the hills, 90% of the run was hills and that was the hardest bit.  After we finished we all enjoyed having lunch.”  

Hugo Grehan

“On the eighth of April Freddie, Oscar R, Hugo and I (Tristan) did the ten kilometre Rotary Lindfield Fun Run.  We were lucky enough to finish the race alive although we felt dead.  We all ran hard and didn’t stop.  We agreed that ninety percent of the course was up and down hills.  The hardest bit was coming up Trafalgar Street.  I would say that was the reason we were so tired and sore on Monday.”

Tristan Henry

” On the eighth of April, Freddie, Hugo, Tristan and me (Oscar) competed in the Lindfield 10k Fun Run.  It was enjoyable for the most part, the other part is the brutal hills which make you feel sick.  At least every time you completed one kilometre you were like 4k down 6 to go.  This was my 5th fun run.  I was extremely proud when I finished without walking or dying.  Although I felt dead after the run.  90% of the run was hills.  “Not Fun” quote from Hugo.  All and all it was a really fund day.” 

Oscar Roche

The Lindfield Rotary Club hosted this event.  100% of proceeds raised are put towards local and international beneficiaries – Lindfield Rotary Club is run by volunteers. 

PYP – The Learner Profile and Attitudes

In the previous Prep Talk I outlined the mission of the IBO and how it corresponds to our mission at Newington College Lindfield. The thinking behind this is that we want our boys to be themselves at their best. It is our responsibility as adults, teachers and parents, to assist our boys to achieve this.

The IBO has developed a set of guidelines for all students participating in the PYP (Primary Years Programme) to help them achieve this – the Learner Profile and Attitudes. Class teachers refer to the Learner Profiles throughout the units of inquiry but how do they help our students be themselves at their best – to believe in themselves, have their own identity and to be authentic in all they say and do?

The Learner Profile underpins everything that is taught and demonstrated at NCL. It is the foundation upon which our students learn, and we all support, model and promote its core values. We all strive to be: Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open Minded, Caring, Risk Takers, Balanced and Reflective.

The Learner Profile outlines the qualities and attributes we endeavour to instil in each student. It highlights the life skills needed to equip our boys with the knowledge and dispositions to promote intercultural understanding, and a will to make the world a better place.

We teach and encourage cultural diversity, sustaining the planet and problem solving for peaceful solutions. We empower students to be inquirers, thinkers, communicators to use their skills to find out about the world in which we live. Our students are knowledgeable, principled, open-minded, caring, balanced and risk-takers, and they are also encouraged to have a voice in the world. Our students become internationally minded and are equipped to make decisions which will contribute effectively to life in the 21st century.

The behaviours encouraged and qualities demonstrated will look different at each stage of schooling, and even between each child. Individual diversity is fostered and valued, and so there are many ‘right’ ways for our students to embrace the Learner Profile philosophy.

It is vital that there is also a focus on development of personal Attitudes towards people, towards the environment and towards learning, attitudes that contribute to the wellbeing of the individual and of the group. PYP students demonstrate: Appreciation, Commitment, Confidence, Cooperation, Creativity, Curiosity, Empathy, Enthusiasm, Independence, Integrity, Respect and Tolerance. These attitudes are related to the Learner Profile with each being identified within each description.

If we teach, talk about and model each of the learner profiles and their attributes we will undoubtedly have boys that are themselves at their best who believe in themselves, have their own identity and are authentic in all they say and do.

Sue Gough – Teacher/Librarian/PYP Co-ordinator

Sport

Term 1 Review

The Lindfield boys have had a brilliant 11 Weeks in the swimming pool, on the court and on the field. So far this year we have had boys represent the College in Swimming, Basketball, Cricket, Touch Football, Tennis, AFL, Rugby 7s, Football (Soccer) and Cross Country.

Swimming

The Primary Carnival was a great day at Stanmore with boys in Years 3-6 representing their Houses in at least 3 events to gain valuable points towards the house trophy. The cheering and sportsmanship between the Houses was amazing and created an enjoyable environment from our least confident to very experienced swimmers to race in.

Congratulations to all of the boys who raced on the day and special mention to our Age Champions for 2018 – Dylan Henry, Michael Sheehy, Harry Keeping & Matteo Kadlec, Will Killen and Jack Hugo.

Following the House Carnival 15 boys went on to compete at the IPSHA Carnival at Sydney Olympic Park. This was a day of tough competition with the fastest racers from 42 schools participating.  A number of boys placed in their heats and were able to achieve personal best times on the day. The Quad Carnival was only a week later which saw boys from Year 1 to Year 6 compete at Pittwater House in the invitational carnival. Again there was some tough competition but the Lindfield boys were competitive in their events with many of the boys coming home with ribbons recognising their efforts.

Saturday Sport

Term 1 was our first term with the new coaching program managed by the Directors of Sport at Stanmore. It was great for the Primary Boys to learn some of the systems, language and plays that the older boys use and to apply these to their game play on Saturday mornings.

Our cricketers benefited not only from the experience of the coaching staff but also from a range of new equipment to help the boys to work on particular elements of their game.

The Basketballers faced a few difficulties around the building work but thanks to the flexibility of boys, parents and coaches they had a really successful season with a number of set plays and positional plays being introduced to strengthen our teams.

This term saw the introduction of Touch Football as a third choice for summer sport and we entered 2 teams into this inaugural competition. Under the guidance of Mr Christian Mayo from Play Rugby Australia, the boys learnt some great skills and improved significantly over the course of the season with a brilliant performance to beat Waverley in the final round.

The Saturday Sport program is completely reliant on the support of the parent community so I would like to thank all of the parents who travelled all over Sydney (and beyond!) to allow the boys to experience their chosen sports.

Tennis, AFL, Rugby 7s Gala Days

Outside of school and IPSHA Sport over the course of the term boys have represented Lindfield at the NSTA Tennis Competition, the AFL Paul Kelly Cup and the Primary North Sydney Region Rugby 7s Competition. The NSTA Tennis Competition happens each term on a Saturday evening. The boys play a series of games on the evening and can earn competition points across the Year.

This term we had 6 pairs of boys across Years 3 – 6 who competed in the Tennis Competition – Sasha Herbst, Misha Herbst, Athan Chronis & Dylan Henry in the Year 3 Competition, Huon Morton, Tobias Lang, Kolya Herbst and Aiden Webb in the Year 5 Competition and Toby Ashworth, Flynn Clatworthy, Max Tian and Ronan Brown in the Year 6 Competition. Boys who did not play in Term 1 are still welcome to join these boys in the NSTA Tournament later in the year.  

The Paul Kelly Cup was a great day of AFL Competition for the 2 mixed Year 5 and 6 boys teams who played. It was brilliant to see the boys, many of whom met for the first time preparing for the AFL include, support and encourage each other in great displays of teamwork. The B Team was made up largely of boys who had not played a lot of AFL before and had 2 close losses before a win in their final match against Seaforth. The A Team were very strong and finished first overall at the end of the day with a for and against of 151 – 2. The A team will now compete in the Regional Finals in June.

The Rugby 7s Gala Day saw 12 Year 5 and 6 players come up against Willoughby Public, Shore and Castle Cove in the pool rounds. The boys won all three of their games convincingly to make the cup finals. We played Knox 1st in a nail-biting fixture going down 3-2 right on the buzzer. The boys finished 4th overall after a tough fixture against a strong Redfield side.

IPSHA Football

Congratulations to Lewis Morsella who was selected for the IPSHA Football Team.  This team played at the CIS Championships and placed 4th overall in a field of 12 teams.  Following this tournament Lewis was named as a reserve in the CIS team to play at the PSSA (State) Championship to be held later this year.

Cross Country

The cross country took place in cool conditions at Stanmore. The clouds were threatening all morning but our runners were not put off with 180 boys in the Junior Race and 300 boys in the Senior Race pushing hard to the finish line. Eight Lindfield boys finished at the front of the pack to go through to represent Newington at the IPSHA Carnival at Kings. The IPSHA Carnival was a direct contrast to the day of the Newington Carnival with temperatures in the low 30’s on a bright sunny day. The boys again pushed through the conditions, with 1600 children racing on the day! Congratulations to the following boys who represented Lindfield on the Day – Finn Wicks, Tee Barrington-Higgs, Ryan Ng, Connor Mosely, Diesel James, Sam Stewart, Harry Keeping and Matteo Kadlec. A special mention to Connor Mosely who finished 3rd in a race of 165 boys and will now progress to the NSW CIS Carnival at Eastern Creek in June.

To follow on from the presentation made at the last Parents and Friends meeting please I provide the following information:

Eliza Monaghan – Sports Co-ordinator

Stage 1 – Year 1 – Measurement 

Recently Year 1 has been a hub of mathematical investigation as the boys have launched into an inquiry unit into measurement; what it is, why accuracy is important and how measurement allows us to make and understand comparisons. In doing so they have delved into the mathematical strands of length, area, mass and volume and have gotten their hands dirty. No high minded theorising in textbooks, no these boys are at the very coalface of mathematical discovery.

In Year 1 outcomes the focus in measurement moves from directly comparing two items to see which is longer, bigger or heavier to indirect comparison through the use of uniform informal units. Uniform informal units can really be anything the boys choose so long as are all the same size. It is totally up to the boys to decide how useful or appropriate that unit is for the measurement they are engaging in.

Our unit has focused on a question, prediction, measure and conclude approach. The boys are given a question or challenge and they need to make predictions before using measurement to confirm their predictions. Some popular investigations have been ‘Who has the biggest head?’, ‘Who can make the biggest shape using 12 paddle pop sticks?’, “What mystery item is the same length as this bit of string?’.

Recently we tried to find out who had the biggest shoe. All the boys traced the outline of their right shoe into their books. I then asked them how could we find out who had the biggest shoe without putting them next to each other. Instantly there was a hum of discussion as boys shared their ideas with partners. What followed was an excellent discussion on the merits of different units for measuring area.

Oliver got the ball rolling by commenting ‘We need to all measure with the same unit, otherwise we won’t know how big our shoes are.’

Christian H suggested ‘We could measure them with dominoes, like we did for length!’ So we asked Christian to show us.

Then Sam noticed ‘The dominoes are too straight, we need a curved object like coins.’ So Sam got the coins and started measuring for the class.

He had barely measured half the shoe when Corbin declared ‘There are too many gaps in between the coins. There is too much space!’ He suggested unifix cubes and rushed to grab them.

He had just started to measure when Jamie pointed out that ‘The unifix cubes are still too big, they will hang over the edge. Centicubes would be better!’

So Jamie grabbed the centicubes and started lining them up inside the shoe. The boys certainly thought that they looked like the best option and so the measuring began. 15 minutes later and the boys declared in frustration that the centicubes were too small, took forever to measure and we didn’t have enough. To Corbin’s great delight we all decided that he was right all along and we should measure with unifix cubes.

This single 5 minute conversation highlights the understanding we want to impart on the boys. Firstly the need for accuracy when measuring is crucial, but secondly to understand the need for formal units of measurement that can be used based on the length, size, mass or volume of what you are measuring. By discussing the merits or limitations of different informal units the boys will appreciate the accuracy and ease of using formal units when they get to using them next year.

Angus Lawson – Classroom Teacher

Stage 3 – Kids Giving Back

In the Headmaster’s article about beliefs, identity and achievement, he talks about the need for the boys to understand their value systems and develop the strategies to be able to make decisions that are authentic to them. In the classroom, this can be difficult to achieve, as by its very nature the class does not mimic real life, however, our Service Learning Programme in Stage 3 goes some way to helping provide the boys with an understanding of how others live.

Following on from the wonderful collaboration between the children at Cromehurst School and the Lindfield boys, Year 6 visited Thread Together and Kids Giving Back earlier in the term. These two charities work together to help disadvantaged people get back on their feet. During this experience, the boys would never meet the people they were helping, and they would never get a thank you or indeed any form of acknowledgement either. Instead, they would need to understand that their work was completely altruistic and that it impacted the lives of many.

Thread Together receives, sorts and distributes end of line clothes from large fashion houses. These clothes, which were destined for the landfill in years gone by, are now distributed to people who need them. Victims of domestic violence and their children, the homeless, unemployed people seeking to get back into the work-force and the mentally ill amongst others. Anyone who needs help is able, through their case-worker, to access to new clothes. Pop-in shops are now open in Sydney and Canberra that give dignity to these people allowing them to choose their clothes rather than receive hand-outs. The boys were asked to count, sort and fold a mountain of shirts, trousers and tops ready for delivery to Canberra. By the end of the morning, they had packed over four thousand items and had, in doing so, impacted the lives of hundreds of people.

The boys also prepared food for delivery to the Addison Project. This old hotel, in Kensington, is home to 16-25 year-olds who, without the support of the project, would be homeless. The 32 pasta salads and fruit salads all help to alleviate the pressures these people suffer day in and day out.

For us, the reflection of our day at Thread Together and Kids Giving Back was confronting. The boys talked about why people were in these positions and how could society sit back and allow it to happen. Many discussed the fairness of society and why do people ignore the plight of others. If these experiences, however small, start to influence their value systems and help them to think about decisions that are authentic to them then it has been time well spent for everyone.

Phil Trethewey – Year 6 Teacher

Mandarin

In Unit 2 Mandarin classes…

Kindergarten

During this unit, the Kindy boys have learnt about symbols and numbers.

We’ve learnt about the evolution of Chinese language. After we looked at the ancient way of recording information, including tying knots on strings and oracle-bone script, we are grateful and appreciate the current writing system.  

With knot tying, we recoded various messages at the beginning of the class and hoped we would be able to recall the messages just before the end of the class. As we found out – it was all too confusing! No one remembered exactly the messages we tried to record 20 minutes ago! When we looked at oracle-bone script, we had some success in decoding messages. The boys learned to write numbers in Chinese characters and they created numbered dot-to-dot worksheet in Chinese.

Stage 1

Like many young little boys in ancient times, our boys have been learning “Three Character Classic” (三字經/三字经) in unit 2. This particular text is believed to have been written in the 13th century during the Song dynasty as an introductory book for children about Confucian values. A unique attribute of this book is that each sentence only has three Chinese characters. In the class, we’ve studied the texts and discussed the values and beliefs they tried to teach us. Some of the questions we talked about were: Do you believe a person was born with a pure and kind heart? If so, what changed them to be a less kind person? Do you think education is the solution to ensuring people remain good and kind?

Stage 3

Year 5 boys have been learning about introducing themselves and family members. As a teacher, I am proud to see most of the boys applying their knowledge to greet me in Mandarin and hold a brief conversation as well. Some of boys, who only started learning Mandarin this year, are able to assist their fellow students. The one thing these boys have in common is that they are open-minded and are willing to step outside their comfort zone. This is also the key to becoming a successful learner in life.

Year 6 boys have been learning about party food and how to ask and reply to questions such as – What is your favourite food? Don’t be too surprised that sometime in Term 2, we might have a class party with all the food that we’ve learnt…

Ms Eva Angel – LOTE Teacher

Cooking Club

Cooking Club – links between Curriculum and practical applications – some interesting facts and personal reflections.

As we come to the end of another term of Cooking Club I have been reflecting on the fun we have had, the creations we have made and what we have discovered.

My own reflections on cooking bring back memories of long (long) ago when my parents ‘enjoyed’ the delightful mud and sand pies my best friend and I presented to them after an afternoon of cooking in the sand pit….and of course then our treat as we savoured the delights from Mum’s kitchen – the yummiest homemade pikelets and jam that even today, makes my mouth water just thinking about them and the animal characters created from fruit to tempt even the fussiest brother .

So where does cooking fit into the school curriculum I ask myself. Surely these life skills are those that we learn from watching our parents and grandparents from a young age.

The answer is of course a resounding ‘yes’ but these early life skills are the basis of so much more.

Even from a young age, helping in the kitchen exposes us to the most engaging sensory and learning experiences. Take dough for an example – the feeling of different textures mixing together, understanding the need to add liquid to dry ingredients to make a new product, watching the changes as we roll it, press it, stretch it, taste it, cook it and eat it, freezing or heating ingredients to change the properties – all fantastic sensory and learning experiences wrapped up in a taste sensation.

But how would we be able to make this dough without an understanding of the word – ‘measurement’ (English, Maths) reading and following a recipe (English) setting the oven to specific degrees to enable successful baking (Maths and safety measures) and the properties of solids and liquids and their differences (Science) ??

Welcome to the world of Literacy, Science and Maths wrapped up in Cooking!

For example, in cooking we refer to simple fractions such as half a cup or a quarter of a cup, measurements such as double quantities or halve them, we divide mixtures, we separate eggs, we combine dry and wet ingredients, we share mixture into equal parts, we accurately measure, change properties from liquid to solids and test different combinations – important facts covered in the Maths, Science and English curriculums.

In addition, necessary components of the cooking experience involve shopping, writing a list following a procedure and the handling of money so another tick in the curriculum box for Maths and English.

The fine motor skills needed in the manipulation of knives, measuring cups / spoons and electrical equipment, the importance of accurately reading the recipe and the measuring of ingredients, understanding how to read the numbers on a jug when measuring liquids and reading scales as we measure dry ingredients, are all ‘lessons’ in measurement and this is even before we fully understand the meaning of a recipe.  Another tick for Maths and English experiences within the curriculum.

So far on our cooking journey we have covered areas of Science, English, Maths and fine motor skills through cooking and our learning journey continues…..

Have you ever experienced the fun of decorating simple biscuits, decorating a pizza, presenting a range of salad items on a platter or presenting a colourful array of fruit – here we discover our artistic flair, new taste sensations and have further opportunities to explore nutrition – (Creative Arts/PDHPE)

Cooking activities also give us the opportunity to understand how our bodies use the fuel we place in them, the part nutrition plays in a healthy lifestyle and the foods needed to sustain the busy lives we lead.(PDHPE)

Finally, in our ‘cooking journey’ we have the opportunity to build an appreciation and understanding of how different cultures prepare and eat foods, how different diets are adapted for cultural and physical needs and how food is part of the celebration of life. (ESL curriculum.)

During Cooking Club we have explored the fun of cooking together, experienced new taste sensations and shared our food experiences with family and friends. I hope the boys who have shared their time in Cooking Club take with them some memorable experiences, a love of creating new food sensations and the interest to keep on cooking….experimenting with food combinations and ‘learning’.

Learning through practical application – with the benefit of eating and enjoying the results of your learning!! What a great combination – a truly ‘hands on’ unique learning experience…

Thank you to all the boys who have participated in Cooking Club for their enthusiasm and commitment.

A special ‘Thank you’ to Ted, Charles and Callan – three members of our Cooking Club who have shared their thoughts on their cooking journeys.

Cooking Club has been one of my favourite clubs. I like it because we make a wide variety of savoury and sweet dishes. My favourite one so far has been the raspberry jam and coconut slice. Sometimes we make two dishes per week but usually only one. Some of the other dishes we’ve made are: cheese soufflé, stuffed potatoes, cinnamon scrolls, apple pie with lattice top, spaghetti loaf and Dad’s all time favourite… Pizza!! Dad, Mum and my brother all adored the things I’ve made and now I enjoy helping Mum in the kitchen.  Charlie Cooper

Cooking club is great fun. Each week is a new recipe and every boy gets to prepare and cook their own food. I liked learning alternatives for ingredients such as self raising flour. The chocolate brownie was my favourite and I would like to make them again with my family.  Callan Glover

In Term 1, 2018 I had the opportunity to participate in Cooking Club again.  During the term every Wednesday afternoon we would work together to make savoury and sweet dishes. We were able to learn skills like grating, chopping, stirring, and many more. We learnt measuring systems using formal measures like grams, liters and cups. In Cooking Club we learn the skills that we will benefit from in the future.  I have shared some of my home cooking with Mrs James and my family. Mrs James thought her favourite was the lemon tarts and my family loved the apple pies I made.  Lastly but definitely not least, we made dishes like chocolate brownies, cinnamon scrolls, cakes, muffins, rissoles and many other tasty dishes.  Ted Walker

Mrs Gough and I have great fun collaborating and sharing the Cooking Club Learning Journey.

Happy Cooking….

Katrina James – LE team member