A Message from the Head of Lindfield

Is it Better to be Good or Smart?

I was reading a book by Michael Parker about ethics for kids on the weekend and he posed this interesting question. If you had the choice, would you want children who are good people or smart? I have asked this question to a couple of parents this week and the ‘good person’ response won hands down. How do we teach our boys to be ‘good people’?

The Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse and the current Banking Royal Commission are peppered with examples of unethical and terrible behaviour. Many people knew of the actions of the perpetrators and did nothing about it, or worse, tried to cover it up. These are disturbing examples of people, often people with high moral and leadership authority, who lost their moral and ethical compass. The lessons from the last couple of years show us that a values-based education is an important part of the holistic learning that schools provide.

Parker’s book is very interesting when we think about how to develop our children’s moral compass. I have borrowed some of his ideas and questions for this article. The big question is, how do our boys develop their moral compass? Schools, religious affiliations, media, peers and family all impact the way individuals interact with the world around them. In terms of influence, all other influences pale in comparison to the influence of a boy’s parents.

Developing a strong, moral compass in your child can be achieved through a framework of clear family values, good role modelling and sharing wisdom and experience. Your son needs to think and discuss wicked problems (problems where there is no clear or attractive answer). It is helpful to expose our boys to different perspectives and difficult situations by discussing them.

I was teaching in a Year 6 classroom on Monday and I posed the question- ‘Is it ever okay to lie?’ The response was a clear ‘no’. I asked about different situations where we don’t actually tell the truth – the mother who gushed over their child-made present, but didn’t ever want to see another macaroni necklace again or the father holding up another pair of “Best Dad Ever” socks saying “You can never have too many pairs of socks”! The boys were able to give other examples where telling the truth may not be kind or helpful.

I then asked ‘What is stealing?’. I said ‘I have borrowed a pencil from a pencil case without permission, but I had returned it, is that stealing?’ I then said ‘I have borrowed another pencil and had forgotten to return it, is that stealing?’ Then I said ‘I have taken Mr Czerwenka’s bag and hidden it in the bush as a joke, is that stealing?’ Many other examples followed. I finished my time with them asking, ‘Is it ever okay to steal?’, the boys gave me an emphatic ‘no’. I asked about the legend of Robin Hood (who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor) and asked what would they do if their family was starving and they needed to steal food to survive? A very lively discussion ensued.

There is a line of thinking that says parents should not push their own agenda about values and ethical behaviour. I disagree on this point, certain behaviours are respectful and kind and other behaviours are not. Imposing clear ethical standards may make many parents worry that this will impact their ability to be friends with their children but your role is to guide and help them frame their world (the good news is that your children really do not want you as their friend anyway).

Setting out clear expectations is vital to help your children develop their own values framework. An example may be: In this house we value respect and responsibility, so it is an expectation that we will help each other (turning on the T.V. each night is not considered a significant contribution) and it is also a fundamental right to not live in a house that resembles a tip.

If you are keen to tackle ethical conversations with your sons, remember a couple of things:

• Let your son lead the discussion and build off what he has said;
• Don’t expect them to agree with you, or insist that they do so;
• Resist the temptation to provide the final word, or come in as the expert with the answer;
• Make sure you have a clear set of values which guide how you make difficult ethical decisions e.g., our family values honesty so I would never steal, even if we were very poor.

Talking values with your son can be some of the most interesting conversations you will have. Below are some resources to get you started.

Resources

A great resource to get you started is the Short and Curly Podcast, listen to it with your kids and the ethical conversations will start flowing.

Some of the blogs topics are:

Should We Ban Lollies?

Should You Eat Your Pet?

Is Dumbledore as Great as He Seems?

Should You Move To Mars?

http://education.abc.net.au/newsandarticles/blog/-/b/2217829/kids-ask-short-and-curly-questions-that-make-your-brain-hurt

For a counterview on mainstream family values and ethics (every parent has a unique value set), Harry Wormwood teaches his children ethics in the movie Matilda.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=101&v=Pks7q2qyM-s

Parker, M. (2014). Talk with your kids: Ethics. Edgecliff: Jane Curry.

Ben Barrington-Higgs

A Message from our Student Leaders

House Points – Working towards an enhanced system…

Our House system is one of the many ways we build community amongst our students and develop collegiality and a healthy sense of competition. Students are proud of their Houses and work together to support each other and, of course, gain a lead on the other House.

This year, in consultation with our School Captains and Vice Captains, we introduced a termly goal and prize of a mufti day for the winning house which was very well received by the school community and proved a huge success.

Currently House points are earned in the following ways:

• in class to reinforce positive behaviours and our pastoral care focus of ‘respect for all’ and these points are reset on a weekly basis once a weekly winner has been determined;

• in addition to this our boys sit in Houses for Assembly and Chapel which provides them with another opportunity to earn House Points;

• House points are given for various Inter-House sporting and academic competitions.

Over the last couple of weeks, during leadership meetings with our Year 6 Captains and Vice Captains, we have discussed how our House Point system could be further enhanced to provide boys with additional ways of earning points that will support the College vision of providing an internationally respected education that empowers boys to become men of substance and resilience who make an active and positive contribution to society.

These discussions were very successful and as a result our school leaders have come up with a Merit based system that will see boys given an opportunity to earn merit cards during lessons (including specialist lessons) and throughout the school for demonstrating their personal best, both academically and socially. The boys will then be able to deposit these merit cards into the Kingswood or Rydal side of an equal arm balance with the winning house determined by the heaviest side at the end of each week with points awarded to the winning House. Our school captains will also tally the merit cards and record who received them so that we can keep track of exceptional behaviour.

We are very excited about this new addition to our House Points and look forward to seeing it in action from the beginning of next week (Week 4).

School Leaders

Freddie Bourne, Stylianos Vasili, Finn Wicks, Nirav Shah, Nicholas Vicars

Mr Pascal Czerwenka – Deputy Head 

Faith Matters

Paul, John, George and Ringo summed it up best when they said, “All you need is love, love is all you need.” Although that classic Beatles song is now 51 years old the message still holds true today. In a world rife with so much trouble and violence it does us all a world of good to remember the words of that jaunty tune.

“Love is all you need” is also a good way to encompass RE over this semester. Last term we explored stories from the Gospels of Jesus’ life and ministry and this term we’re looking at stories from the Old Testament. If I were to summarise all these stories and all these teaching into one word it’d be love. This has been this constant theme throughout the all the stories that the boys have looked at in RE – the love of Jesus through his teaching, the love of God to all people and the love that we’re called to show to one another.

See when we come down to the basic fundamentals of Christianity we see love at the centre of it all. The stories of the Old Testament show us God’s promise to always love and be with people and the life and ministry of Jesus show us a love that accepts all people. And the call of Christians is to follow the teachings of Jesus and show this same love to those around us.

As we’ve weaved through the stories of the Bible over the year so far in RE this is the core that I’ve tried to bring out to the boys. Love may seem like a strange or difficult topic for some young boys to think about. They might try to avoid it because they think of a sappy kind of movie love. But love underpins all that we do and when you think of what this idea of love looks like it’s not so hard to wrap our heads around.

When we treat others with care and respect, we’re showing love.

When we accept people that might seem different instead of excluding them, we’re showing love.

When we care for the earth and look after the natural environment, we’re showing love.

When we help those that are struggling or need additional support, we’re showing love.

When we look after our family and friends in our daily lives, we’re showing love.

See that’s a kind of love that every boy can understand and that’s the kind of love that we see in the Bible.

My Thursdays at Lindfield continue to be one of the highlights of my week and I’m enjoying becoming more a part of the Lindfield and Newington community. I look forward to meeting more people in our community as the weeks and months progress.

Pastor Richard La’Brooy

Pastoral Care

The Yard Anti-Bullying Performance

Last year, based on the recommendation of one of our new parents, we booked in a new performance group called The Yard by Shaun Parker and Company to enhance our Social Skills program and to reinforce the anti-bullying message, in particular.

This self devised work has been a collaboration between one of Australia’s leading dance theatre practitioners, Shaun Parker and teenage performers from Captivate in Western Sydney. Drawing inspiration from William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” and its analysis of human behaviour, The Yard extrapolates these themes and breathes new life into them by way of the Australian school yard. Ultimately finding unity in the diversity of culture, gender and ethnicity that pulsate in “the school yard”, The Yard is taught with the tension and humour of conflicts played out every day even as it celebrates the extraordinary in the ordinary.

This performance had our students captivated and inspired by the dramatic depiction of a school yard and provided teachers with the opportunity to link the message within the performance into Second Step lessons and conversations in class.

“I think that the anti bullying drama performance was important because it made us think differently about bullying and allowed us to understand the perspective of someone being bullied.” – Lachlan Brownrigg Year 5W

We watched a performance about anti-bullying and I found the performers were very experienced. They were amazing! This performance made me want to start dancing along with gymnastics. I am really glad that I watched it. The performance sent a great message. 10/10! – Henry Lea Year 5B

Newington College Pastoral Care Policy

Newington College’s Anti-Bullying Policy Policy Preamble  states that Newington College has among its many aims the creation of an environment in which every boy has the right to feel safe and valued, where individual differences, provided they respect others’ rights, are accepted.

Newington College will never tolerate bullying in any form.

Bullying is any type of repeated behaviour, intentional or unintentional, that causes a person to experience physical hurt or emotional pain. To threaten or frighten someone is equally unacceptable, regardless of the effect it may or may not have had on another person.

• the College recognises that bullying takes a wide variety of forms: physical, verbal, social and psychological;

• broadly speaking, every person has a right to enjoy his time at the College free from fear and persecution in any form;

• the College expects every student and staff member to show respect for others;

• every member of the College community has the responsibility of ensuring the physical and psychological safety of other members of the community; and

• Newington’s anti-bullying policy extends beyond the immediate school grounds to include travel to and from the College and other out of school contact among students and/or staff.

Further information on dealing with bullying behaviours taken from the Australian Government Bullying. No Way! (https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/) Website 

Parents and other carers have a key role in preventing and responding to bullying.

You can:

• Learn what bullying is and what it is not. This is the first step in talking about how to prevent or respond to bullying with your child. ‘Bullying’ is a word that is used for lots of things that are not actually bullying. These other behaviours may be just as serious, but may require different responses.

• Talk about bullying with your child at home to make it easier for them to tell you if something happens. Make sure they know what bullying is and how they can respond. Help prepare your children to prevent online bullying and to know what to do if it happens. 

• Start when your child is young to guide them to develop the social and emotional skills they will need to build positive relationships throughout their lives, including problem-solving skills.

• Recognise the warning signs of bullying. Although there may not be an issue, you should talk to your child if you have any concerns. Raise the topic generally if you don’t want to ask directly. Be aware that many times children and young people won’t ask for help, so it is important to know what to look for.

• Learn about how to respond appropriately if your child tells you about bullying. You can reassure your child by remaining calm and being supportive.

• Find out as much as you can about what has happened by talking calmly with your child. A good understanding about what has happened can also help you in communicating with the​ school about the situation.

• Read about strategies that can help. Practising strategies at home with your child is a good way to prepare them to use them at school.

• Contact the school if bullying has occurred and the school needs to be involved. Read about how you and the school can work together to support your child, whether your child was bullied, bullied others, or witnessed bullying.

• Get involved in what your school is doing to prevent bullying.

References

https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/

https://spaces.newington.nsw.edu.au/lindfield/pages/43-policies

http://www.shaunparkercompany.com/shows/the-yard/ 

Mr Pascal Czerwenka – Deputy Head of Lindfield K-6

Being an IB Parent

Parents are vital to the success of their child’s educational experience. As a parent at a PYP school, we consider everyone at Newington College (staff, teachers, parents, students) to be part of our community of learners, continuously growing and working together to become more internationally minded. The more familiar parents are with the purpose and structure of the PYP, the better they will be able to support learning at home. In this PrepTalk edition strategies that parents can utilize to support their child’s IB education not only here at Newington but beyond also.

1. Use the vocabulary of the Learner Profile attributes and attitudes to reinforce behaviours at home. You can also these words as you discuss characters in the books your son brings home from school or stories you read together at night.
2. Encourage your son to ask questions about life and the world around them and to actively search for answers. IB students are prepared to be life-long learners who are not afraid to ask questions. Most problems have been solved because someone who was open-minded was not afraid to ask, “why?” or “what if?”. As a parent, you can be a great role model by asking questions you have aloud.
3. Have conversations with your child. Questions such as, “what is something interesting you did today?” can open up dinner table conversations, allowing students the time to reflect on what occurred both inside and outside of the classroom. You can support your child’s reflections by helping them make connections, validating their experiences, and even adding new learning.
4. Help your child develop their ability to reflect. Reflection is a key element to the learning process and is part of action, an essential element to the PYP curriculum framework.”What makes you say that” and “what would you do differently next time” are some types of reflection questions that teachers use to help support students as they are reflecting on their work/actions.
5. Learn more about the benefits of an IB education by attending Newington Lindfield’s parent  information events, getting involved in the classroom, and checking out the parents page on the IBO website (there are some great videos about all IB programmes).

If we teach, talk about and model each of the elements of the PYP learning and teaching program we will, undoubtedly, increasingly see boys that are themselves at their best and believe in themselves, have their own identity and to be authentic in all they say and do.

Sue Gough – PYP Co-ordinator

Newington Lindfield and Wyvern Staff – Compassion in Action

A new initiative is happening across Newington College. We believe as a staff that it is important to give back to the community. The Jordon Café and Community Care Centre is an initiative of the Newtown Missions Uniting Church. It serves lunches on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays and holds a Thanksgiving dinner every Thursday evening from 6:00pm. The Centre and Café provide a safe and supportive space that aims to link people from a broad cross-section of the Newtown community.

A number of staff and students from all three campuses are volunteering every Thursday to help with the preparation of the evening meal. Volunteering is an important part of community service to help benefit the public in the community. It can have a lot of positive effects on adults as well as students, such as helping them to develop skills, making contacts, and allowing them to improve the quality of life of others.

As you would be aware, showing compassion towards others who are suffering and experiencing hardship is a basic tenet of Christian values. A desire to ease the difficulties of those less well off can be demonstrated in many ways. Showing compassion for others is something that comes from the heart and helps you relate to the problems that others are experiencing. Those that volunteer to help in the Care Centre in Newtown benefit in many ways from listening to the life stories of the less fortunate in the community.

To give you some idea of an evening volunteering at the church in Newtown, Ben and myself spent some time organising the kitchen and helping in the dining room. We also engaged in conversation with a number of people who were either volunteers themselves or those taking advantage of the services provided. Personally, I found it an extremely rewarding and humbling experience.

Throughout Term 2, other Newington College staff and senior students will be volunteering at the Church on Thursday evenings.

Leonie Russell – Year 3 Teacher

Lindfield STEAM Festival – Wednesday 23 – Friday 25 May 2018

The Lindfield STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) Festival is almost upon us! Next week is the week and the theme of our festival is ‘Igniting Interests!’

Whilst STEAM is regularly a part of each of our Units of Inquiry, this festival provides us with an opportunity to explore STEAM with a greater focus and intensity over the three days of the festival.

During these three days a range of exciting and relevant activities related to each class’ current Unit of Inquiry have been planned and there will be specialist Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths workshops run to complement the work being undertaken during class sessions. As with all our Units of Inquiry the focus is on using our Design Thinking Process to explore and investigate. You will hear a lot more about what your son did during their sessions through their SeeSaw reflections and conversations when they get home. We are sure that their enthusiasm will be evident!

During this festival our Year 6 students will be showcasing their leadership skills by leading and demonstrating a number of science experiments (that they have explored and tested) to all the boys from Kindergarten to Year 5. They will also be assigned to classes in small groups from Kindergarten to Year 5 to assist students with their Unit of Inquiry explorations at various times during the festival. We are very proud of the enthusiasm by which the Year 6 boys have embraced this added responsibility and we look forward to them ‘igniting the interests!’ of all our students.

We will be sharing more detail about the festival as it happens on SPACES and through SeeSaw reflections.

STEAM Festival Committee (Mr Pascal Czerwenka, Mr Sam Watson, Ms Patricia Kazacos, Mr Angus Lawson)

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Initiative

At Newington our vision is to provide an internationally respected education that empowers boys to become men of substance and resilience who make an active and positive contribution to society. To this end we aim to develop inquirers who strive to ‘be the change that they want to see’ and this is evident in the learning that occurs in Units of Inquiry, through our Service Learning Program, and is reflected in our White Ribbon School initiative among many other aspects of life at Newington.

Many of our students demonstrate a desire to impact on the environment through a more sustainable use of resources yet this is not always evident in their actions when it comes to the responsible use of materials. Not through a lack of desire but rather the structures in place or the context does not promote this willingness to be sustainable.

Following on from the enthusiasm and action of past students during Units of Inquiry and the Year 6 Exhibition and using funds donated to the school by past Year 6 groups for the purpose of sustainability, we have implemented a renewed focus on Reducing, Reusing and Recycling at school and home. Over the coming weeks we will gradually introduce a variety of changes as we head towards our desired state of being a school that is as waste efficient as possible with students who have a strong sustainability mindset.

To begin, we are trialling the following for a period of four weeks before reviewing the success and any issues that arise;

• students take their packaging waste home with them so that they can increase their awareness of how much waste they generate

• students take leftover food home to spark conversations with parents on the amount of food that is sometimes wasted by students

• one set of bins (mixed recycling, paper recycling, landfill) located outside the Tuckshop (primarily for students with Tuckshop orders or waste that cannot be taken home for health reasons)

• consistent paper recycling and landfill bins in classrooms, offices and shared spaces

• student-friendly waste reduction signage around the school

• explicit teaching about waste reduction in class.

Following on from this we will get to students (as a part of their Units Of Inquiry) to conduct waste audits and share these results with the wider school community. We will also begin to investigate the best way to address organic waste at our school and have students take ownership over the processes that we put into place.

We look forward to further success and growth in this area, as the year progresses, and welcome any feedback regarding this trial and initiative.

Mr Pascal Czerwenka – Deputy Head of Lindfield K-6

Kindy City: Play-Based Learning in Action

‘Please excuse the mess, we are busy learning’…

Our Kindergarten boys learn a huge number of different skills through play. It allows them to explore, discover, negotiate with peers, take risks, listen to others, take turns, create meaning and solve problems. All of these important skills have been shown to help develop literacy, numeracy and social skills.                                                    

Research shows that ‘children who engage in complex forms of socio-dramatic play have greater language skills than non-players, better social skills, more empathy, more imagination, and more of the subtle capacity to know what others mean’ (Edward Miller and Joan Almon 2009).

We know that children are inherently active learners and that they learn best when they’re having fun. We also know that they are more likely to be having fun when they are playing!  

Play was successfully incorporated into Kindergarten’s ‘Signs and Symbols’ inquiry unit, culminating in the boys designing and creating a class sized Kindy City.

The first part of this process involved the boys being city planners. They were required to think about what was needed in a city and the best placement of these features in the classroom. We created a large plan that mapped out the city and this was continually referred to during the building stage. It was wonderful to hear the conversations that ensued as the boys debated where to put buildings and natural space. The class decided that the airport should not be near the residential homes due to noise. Wet and Wild, Wizzy World and the Kindy Cinema were placed together to create an entertainment precinct and a beautiful large park was designed to be placed in the center of the city. Fast food outlets were also placed near the airport and entertainment area so that people could grab a quick bite to eat. Parks, cafes and schools were placed close to each other and were located near the residential area.

For the next step of the process, the Kindergarten boys donned hard hats and turned into very busy construction workers, creating the Kindy city and designing signs and symbols to inform the public. This was the really hands-on fun part and incorporated literacy, inquiry and mathematical thinking skills. It was a joy to watch the boys in action, working collaboratively, problem solving and using design thinking skills to bring their ideas to life.

For the last part of the process the boys became tour guides and invited their parents and Year 5 buddies into the classroom to showcase Kindy City. The Kindergarten boys were so incredibly proud of what they had accomplished. After the tours were over, it was time for Kindy to enjoy their city and play, play, PLAY! The sound of ambulances and police cars being driven around the road system on their way from the Ambulance and Police Stations still joyfully rings in my ears!

Yes, play-based learning can be messy and noisy but what a beautiful mess and noise!

Belinda Smallhorn – Kindergarten Teacher

Being a Leader in Year 5

Throughout the course of Year 5, the boys are encouraged to think of themselves as role models, future leaders of the school and young men who do themselves, their families and the school proud through their actions. Indeed, we emphasize that idea of integrity as ‘doing the right thing, even when no one is looking’, and many of the boys in Year 5 have already demonstrated this throughout their first term this year, and continuing into Term 2.

It was a great first term for the boys, with many of them demonstrating leadership qualities with their Kindergarten buddies, and with fellow students at Cromehurst Public School.

This year, Year 5 will continue to teach the Arthur Interactive Media (AIM) buddy project to their younger peers. AIM is comprised of five sessions throughout the year in which the Year 5 boys teach social skills, starting with empathy. The first session was a great success, with the boys preparing and then delivering a lesson about the importance of empathy to their buddies, checking in with key questions to check their their buddies’ understanding. The boys are looking forward to continuing the program this term.

Year 5 are also continuing last year’s partnership with Cromehurst Public School, a school that caters for students from the age of 4 to the completion of year 12 in the moderate to severe range of intellectual disability. Our boys have been tasked with preparing and delivering a lesson for their buddy group each time they visit, linked to the Cromehurst theme for the term. Last term the theme was, ‘Under the Sea,’ with the boys delivering a presentation and an accompanying activity each time they visited. This term’s theme will be, ‘Workers in the Community’.

The feedback from the Cromehurst teachers has been incredibly positive towards our boys’ commitment, engagement and interaction with their buddy groups. It has been so rewarding to watch the boys grow and develop during this time, not just when at Cromehurst, but behind the scenes when they are working collaboratively to create their lessons too.

The college’s idea of developing ‘men of substance’, may seem like a rather grand notion at primary school level, but the aim is to plant that seed at this age. With last year’s Year 5, we really tried to emphasise that idea of respect, starting with the small things like a simple greeting in the morning. Many of the current Year 6 boys still pass by the Year 5 classrooms at the beginning of the day to say hello, which may seem trivial, but it makes us feel good as teachers to have that follow through from the previous year.

We are looking to emulate last year’s successes in Year 5 this year, and it starts by developing those leadership qualities, encouraging boys to make good decisions that have a positive impact on those around them, demonstrating integrity and making sure that the boys have a strong sense of self-belief and that ability to achieve.

Sam Watson – Year 5 Teacher

Year 6 – Drama

Year 6 have been participating in drama lessons as part of their learning. The lessons are based on Theatre Sports games and activities.

The classes include a warm-up activity which involves working together – sometimes as a whole class and sometimes in smaller groups. These also generally involve a lot of noise! Circle Tag is a favourite along with a game called Sock. Both are team games requiring a lot of running around but they are also teaching the boys about quick change overs, keeping things moving.

There are a number of games and activities about accepting what people offer – we pass numbers around a circle, trying not to repeat anyone. Another activity is called Shoe Islands and the boys have to change shoe islands with someone else without talking (very hard), just a wink and a nod, and sometimes someone else might highjack that exchange.

The final activities are then based on improvisation. Boys could be given a fictional character and then in small groups, maybe made up of Robin Hood, Superman, Shrek and James Bond, they create a scene in a doctor’s waiting room. We have also created scenes where each person in a group has a specific number of words that they can say, and recently they have created a scene in a café where each line starts with the next letter of the alphabet. This has been a challenge as they are also having to make sure that the scene makes sense.

The boys are really enjoying these sessions. They are working on accepting each other and accepting what each person is able to bring to the activity. I am hoping that this transfers across into other areas of their lives and reinforces that we are all different and to accept each other’s differences.

Ms Vanessa South – Music Teacher

Learning Enhancement – Mathematics

What is spatial reasoning and how does it relate to mathematics?

Spatial reasoning seems to be the latest topic of interest in the world of mathematics education.  Spatial reasoning ability has been closely linked to improved performance in areas of Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) with research revealing that individuals who have strong visual spatial abilities generally perform better in these endeavours.  This coupled with a shift to more visual mathematics, where mathematical problems are presented increasingly though graphics such as tables, maps with coordinates, number lines and graphs, suggests that developing students’ spatial reasoning skills is more important than ever.

So what exactly is spatial reasoning and how can we foster this in our boys?  Spatial reasoning is the ability to manipulate both 2D and 3D shapes either physically or mentally in order to solve problems.  In the early years experiences in puzzles, block building and 3D shape matching activities all foster spatial reasoning. Through these tasks children are engaged in composing, decomposing and recomposing 3D objects.  They may visualise, arrange, rotate, slide, compare and imagine – all skills which involve spatial reasoning.

As children move through primary school, experiences in working with 2D and 3D shapes in the form of tangrams, pentominoes, origami, 3D nets as well as tasks involving reading and interpreting graphics such as maps and graphs, build students’ ability to reason through perspective-taking, locating, intersecting, transforming, scaling, mapping and relating.

There is strong evidence to suggest that spatial reasoning is not a pre-determined trait but something that is malleable and can be learned.  Regular engagement in spatial reasoning tasks has proven to not only improve an individual’s spatial reasoning but also, has the benefit of improving overall mathematics performance.  Playing games with your son is a perfect way to foster their spatial reasoning skills.

Some fabulous games you can play at home include Parking Panic, Blockus, Spot It, Blink and Pick-a-dog.  Traditional games such as Tetris, Pentominoes and tangrams are also fun and engaging.

Colleen Chan – Teaching and Learning Coordinator – Mathematics

Art – Drawing & Visual Literacy

Drawing increases Visual Literacy

After returning from the holiday break I was so delighted when a Kindergarten boy came running up to me in the playground and declared “Mrs Bain I went to the Art Gallery in the holidays!”. With excitement he spoke of the huge silver Captain Cook statue that overlooked the harbour and we chatted about other works he was interested in. I was thrilled that this youngster was so excited by art and wanted to share this passion.

I also have so many boys draw at home and love to share these drawings with me at school. But I must confess, I believe a child’s interest in drawing has decreased over the years. Could it be due to the increased use of technology? Many parents read with their children and are seen by their children to be reading themselves. But drawing?

People of all ages, levels and abilities should be encouraged to take part in drawing activities. Just as it is vital for a child to see their parent read, to inspire reading. Parents are also encouraged to pick up a piece of paper and draw. If you read a story with passion and joy, a child will want a read story again and again. Draw with vibrancy and colour. Let your child know what you are drawing and why you love drawing.

When we draw, we take an opportunity to slow down, and to appreciate how the visual world works. By developing this skill, we gain a deeper understanding of our surroundings and learn a truly universal language. A drawing can communicate an idea more effectively than words.  We champion drawing as a powerful tool for invention, for communicating complex concepts, and for its power to engage people with collections and exhibitions in museums, gallery and heritage sites. By fostering a greater understanding of what drawing can mean, and by increasing awareness and engagement, I believe many more people can benefit from, and contribute to society, by drawing.

Believe in learning to draw. After all a picture tells a thousand words.

Mrs Kylie Bain – Art Teacher