From the Head of the Preparatory School
Open Classrooms
There has been a significant buzz at the Prep School this week as parents have embraced the opportunity to be part of our Open Classrooms. I am aware that many students are ‘reluctant sharers’ when asked what they did at school each day. Unfortunately, this is the nature of young boys who like to live in the moment and don’t always prioritise ‘unnecessary’ communication. I hope that this week’s Open Classrooms have provided parents with a little more of a window into their son’s day to day experience. I know the teachers have welcomed the opportunity to provide a little more transparency about classroom practice but have also appreciated the opportunity to celebrate the boys’ learning together.
Jump Rope for Heart and fundraising at the Prep School
After the success of our ‘Jump Rope’ challenge during last year’s period of remote learning, we have decided to engage more thoroughly with the Jump Rope for Heart school experience this year. Skipping is such a fantastic form of exercise and the students have embraced the challenge to develop their skipping skills and general fitness. Unlike last year, this year we are also encouraging the students to engage in fundraising for the Heart Foundation and research into heart-related illnesses and conditions. This is a great cause and one that affects many people across our society. Archer House have adopted this initiative as part of our annual fundraising efforts, as we seek to remind the students about the importance of generosity and making a difference in the world around us. I want to assure parents that there is no pressure with the fundraising, however, we have set ourselves the goal of raising $5000. As you would now be aware, there is also the opportunity to win prizes for raising more money. I encourage families to give only as they are able and feel free to discourage a focus on the prizes.
Jump Rope for Heart will run until the middle of next term with students having the opportunity to develop their skipping skills in PE lessons as well as having access to skipping ropes at break times in the playground. With the financial support of the Auxiliary, we are planning to send a skipping rope home with each student over the holidays for them to practice with, before bringing it back to school for the beginning of Term 3. On Friday 19th August we will be running a Jump Rope celebration day with skipping performances from each class.
As mentioned above, the Prep School has a long tradition of supporting important causes in our community and the wider world. We believe this is a key lesson for our boys to learn as the vast majority of our students come from very privileged backgrounds. We want the students to be aware of the needs of others, to be empathetic and to be motivated to make a difference. We know that money is often the lowest form of support so we also try to promote a variety of other ways that students can make a difference. It should be noted that this learning process is only possible due to the historical, and ongoing support of parents…thank you for your generosity!
Across the year, each of the Houses organises a fundraiser to support a cause of significance and to raise awareness of the needs of others within our community. We also maintain some partnerships with Christian organisations as these align closely with our School ethos. Each year we review these partnerships to ensure they have relevance to the students. We also maintain some long-term partnerships to highlight to the students the importance of commitment. As a general rule, we attempt to spread the fundraising initiatives across the year to avoid inundating parents with requests for money.
This year our fundraising focuses are as follows:
Term 1 – Harmony Day – World Vision sponsor children (School House)
Term 2 – The Exodus Foundation – Loaves and Fishes (Hilliard House)
Term 2 and 3 – Jump Rope for Heart (Archer House)
Term 4 – Bandanna Day – CanTeen (Henderson House)
Term 4 – Operation Christmas Child – Samaritan’s Purse
Term 4 – Toys ‘n’ Tucker – Anglicare
Studio Concerts
This week the Studio Concerts have continued, providing an opportunity for students to showcase their musical skills. It has been wonderful to see and hear about boys from Pre-K up to Year 6, from beginners to more accomplished, all playing with such confidence. According to Mrs Campbell there were approximately 250 individual performances across all of the Studio Concerts. This is an incredible number for a school of our size. Congratulations to all of our performers and the Music Department!
Sport
Last week was the final week of the Year 3 Sport programme for Term 2. This term’s programme has focused on Basketball. The boys have trained on Thursday during the school day and again on Friday afternoon before finishing the sessions by playing modified games. The Year 3 Sport programme provides boys with the opportunity to develop a wide range of sports skills and the chance to apply them to game situations. This is extremely important to assist boys in making an informed decision about Saturday sport selection in Year 4. I have been encouraged by the reports I have heard back about the boys’ growth on the court.
This weekend there is no Sport due to the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. Whilst I am sure this is disappointing for the students, I hope the parents enjoy a sleep in tomorrow. Saturday sport will resume next Saturday for the final fixtures of this term.
Coming up in Week 8
| APPROVED Incursions | Excursions | Events | ||||
| Date | Time | Description | Venue | Teacher |
| 13 June | All Day | Public Holiday | Queen’s Birthday | – |
| 14 June | 9.55 – 10.55am
11.40am – 12.40pm |
Author Talk – Kate and Jol Temple K-2
Author Talk – Kate and Jol Temple 3-6 |
Prep Gym | Abi Nel |
| 16 June | 8.00-11.30am | Gala Concert Rehearsal | City Recital Hall | Geraldine Campbell |
| 20 June | 2.00 – 3.00pm | Year 6 Virtual Incursion – Migration Stories | Year 6 Learning Space | Abi Nel |
| 22 June | First Break | Year 6 Fundraiser – Cookie Stall | – | Year 6 Parents and Boys |
Chris Wyatt | Head of the Preparatory School
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.” Psalm 19:1-2
