It was wonderful to see so many parents and guardians at Tuesday’s Meet the Teacher events. Despite the extreme weather conditions, we had over 75 families join us in both the afternoon and evening sessions, which was a fantastic attendance level. These important school sessions gave Ormiston families the opportunity to listen to our Principal Debbie Dunwoody, speak about the importance of play for children, spending time with family, not over-scheduling your child/ren and the importance of letting the school know if your child is seeing a tutor outside school. Mrs Dunwoody encouraged Year 4 – 6 Ormiston families to encourage their child/ren at home to play, promoting communication and collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
I would like to thank our Class Teachers for their presentations during this event. At Camberwell Girls Grammar School, we value effective communication between families and school. We believe it is very important for families to understand our daily classroom and school routines, our Ormiston Curriculum, the way we teach (particularly Literacy and Numeracy) and how families can help support their child/ren at home. I encourage parents and guardians to ask questions and develop a respectful relationship between home and school for 2024 and be an active and supportive member of our Ormiston school community throughout the year.
Congratulations to Janice in Year 5 for her outstanding achievement at the recent New York IYAC TOP International Illustration Competition. Janice received a Gold Award Certificate and a beautiful gold trophy for her outstanding work. As a school community, we look forward to following Janice in upcoming drawing competitions during the year.
Have a lovey weekend.
Paul Donohue
Head of Junior School
“Relationships are crucial to learning. When children and teacher relationships are fostered and children build connected and respectful relationships with each other, they feel safe and secure and confidently explore the world around them.” Kath Murdoch 2015
As teachers we are aware of the importance of relationships for children’s health, wellbeing, and learning. In our learning community we value relationships and provide a supportive environment in which children can develop and build positive relationships with their teachers, other members of the class and the wider Early Learning and School community.
We have been encouraging, supporting, and fostering positive relationships between the children. The environment and learning opportunities, both in the classroom and garden, have promoted and encouraged the children to interact and work alongside each other and collaboratively in small groups. During these interactions, the children are encouraged to share, take turns, be willing to compromise and respect and value the ideas of others.
We have modelled explicit communication strategies to support children to initiate interactions, listen respectfully and actively to others, and participate in play and social experiences in ways that sustain productive relationships.
We believe relationships are crucial in building an Early Learning 4 community of curious, imaginative, and powerful learners, who develop their skills and dispositions as collaborators, communicators, thinkers, researchers, contributors, and self-managers.
Angela Follacchio
Early Learning 4 Teacher
“Children learn about themselves and construct their own identity within the context of their families and communities. This includes their relationships with people, places and things and the actions and responses of others.”
– Early Years Learning Framework (2023)
During orientation week, Early Learning 4 children have been focusing on sharing, listening, and respecting the identity of individuals that form our learning community. Children have been encouraged to express the unique characteristics that make up who they are, through group discussions, drawings, and photographs. Sharing, listening, and respecting have been integral in how children shape their social and cultural identity through play and interactions.
An article by Dahlberg (2007) identified children as being co-constructors of their identity, meaning that children’s agency (their ability to make choices and decisions that influence the world around them), can have an impact on others and the place in which they participate. Children with positive identities have increased confidence in being involved and are more open to participating in opportunities for sustained periods.
The acknowledgment and appreciation of children’s unique qualities, dispositions and diverse backgrounds are rooted in the concepts of inclusion and exclusion. Both positive and negative can influence children’s feelings of belonging. In turn, children will continue to engage in experiences that encourage transferable skills, such as turn-taking, sharing, collaborating, and cooperating to promote their participation and inclusion within the classroom and community, whilst developing empathy and their ability to think about the emotions, desires, beliefs, knowledge; both of their own and those of others, that may be different.
Dahlberg, G., Moss, P., & Pence, A. (2007). Beyond quality in early childhood education and care: Postmodern perspectives. Falmer Press.
Esther Wong
Early Learning 4 Teacher & Early Learning Coordinator
In Year 3, students use the core features of common digital tools to plan, create, locate and share content, and to collaborate, following agreed behaviours. They learn to identify their personal data stored online and recognise the risks.
Tuesday 6 February was Safer Internet Day which is a global initiative to raise awareness of online safety issues.
This year the message of Safer Internet Day was three simple actions when approaching online safety: Connect. Reflect. Protect.
Connect safely by keeping apps and devices secure and reviewing your privacy settings regularly.
Reflect on how your actions online may affect others or your safety.
Protect yourself and others by visiting eSafety.gov.au to find out how to stay safe online and report online abuse.
The eSafety Commissioner educates people about online safety risks, such as online abuse, how to be safe online and where to go for help. On Safer Internet Day the Year 3 students participated in a live Virtual Classroom webinar to help them identify ways to protect themselves and learn what to do if things go wrong. They learnt about positive online interactions and seeking support for friendship challenges while online.
Here are some Year 3 student comments:
If someone is nasty during an online game, you can block them. Angela Z
If you are upset by the way a friend has treated you during an online game, you could ask your parents for help, or decide not to play with that friend online. Alina L
If you don’t like what another player is saying to you during an online game, you could leave the game or you could report them. Yolanda M
A friendship gaming agreement could include no muting others, no cheating, speaking nicely to each other and following set rules. Lena L
The students were encouraged to share what they learnt with their families and were given some further resources about online safety advice.
During the year we will continue to learn about online safety, understand how to seek help when necessary and explore how to contribute to a safer online environment.
The eSafety Commissioner also provides information, resources and webinars for parents and carers at eSafety.gov.au/parents.
Liz Warren
Year 3 Classroom Teacher
Year 1 students have made a wonderful start to the year, adjusting to new routines and settling into their upstairs classroom. They are already showing independence by unpacking their belongings on their own and preparing for learning tasks each day.
Last week, the students showcased their collaborative skills, by working in teams to try and identify and describe different objects from the past, as they begin to explore our Term 1 Inquiry unit, focusing on how events, stories and objects from the past help us to understand the present day. Students used terms such as metal, wood and plastic to describe what various objects were made from, and many students made connections to objects they had seen in their homes or elsewhere. Students then shared their knowledge of what they knew about the past by writing their ideas on coloured ‘thought circles’.
In Mathematics, students were introduced to the term data. We discussed what data is and how we can collect data to help us answer a question. In pairs, students were given a question and created a list to help them gather data from the class. They also learnt that tally marks can be used as an efficient way to record results.
We look forward to an exciting term and year ahead!
Angela Columbine
Year 1 Classroom Teacher
The Year 5 students have started the year learning about portraiture. They will practice life drawing and learn how to use the correct proportions when drawing a face. Students will use these skills to create a self-portrait or a portrait of someone significant in their life.
Students will develop a sense of agency by making individual choices in relation to their artwork. They will be required to select a model for their portrait and engage in sketching of that person at home. They can also take photos of their significant person to use during art lessons. Students will be encouraged to select from the range of mediums available in the Art room.
At the end of the unit, the students will vote on their favourite portraits from the Year 5 cohort. A selection of artworks will be entered in the Young Archie competition for 2024.
The Young Archie is a portrait competition open to all budding artists between the ages of 5 and 18. The portrait must be of a person who is special to you – someone who is known to you and who knows you and plays a significant role in your life. I encourage students in other year levels who are interested in entering this competition to create an artwork at home and enter it. https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/young-archie/enter/
Lilian Bishop
Art Teacher
What I have enjoyed about Year 6 so far is writing my leadership speech that I have worked hard on. The thing I am looking towards this year is camp because I get to be with my friends and have lots of fun. – Matilda
So far this year I have enjoyed learning about the different types of energy. I am looking forward to going on camp and getting our leadership roles. – Sara
I like how the home learning is set and let us organise ourselves, for example organising in our iPads and recording our reading. I’m looking forward to being a leader in the Ormiston community especially presenting speeches. – Sabrina
I have enjoyed learning with my peers because they help me to expand my knowledge with a growth mindset. I have also enjoyed going on the Year 6 balcony and veranda, because I feel honoured and privileged when I go on it. I am looking forward to getting my leadership role because I’m excited to become a leader at Ormiston and inspire the younger classes. I am also looking forward to camp because I can’t wait to sleep alongside my friends in cabins and tell each other stories. – Kaylee
I have enjoyed writing our leadership speeches because it has helped my writing skills, as well as it being fun. I like how we get to select four preferences. I am looking forward to the Energy Expo in Term 2 because we get to make a model of an energy source. – Maddie
I have enjoyed science with Ms Dumsday and being able to work with a new class. I enjoy science because I am always learning and experimenting. – Ivy
I have enjoyed writing my leadership speech because it was challenging and fun. I’m looking forward to camp because we can spend more time with friends and explore nature. – Anna
Year 6G and 6L students
