However, it is also a time to reflect on how our lives are blessed with loving families and friends and that we have access to all that we need. Christmas is a reminder to be grateful for all that we have in our lives. One way in which the girls in the Primary School do this is to give to others through our Term 4 Service Learning Projects.
This program is diverse and benefits the local, national and international communities. This community engagement is embedded as part of our school ethos and learning. It aims to develop a sense of social responsibility in our students. Each year level is involved in a project that is reflective of their understanding and is used as tool to enhance and enrich classroom learning.
The service learning projects include:
Prep - Year 2
These students are busy making gifts and preparing for their visit to the retirement village, Aveo. It has been exciting for the girls to make soap as part of their science program which in turn will be given as a gift.
Year 3
The Year 3 students’ project is to plan, prepare and conduct a morning tea for Year 3 parents and parent helpers. This year, the girls planned a Dr Suess Party to be held on 22 November at 10am. I am sure many helpers are looking forward to this annual event.
Year 4
The Year 4 girls have been planning and enacting their “Gift of Giving”. Each girl had to give their time in any shape or form to a person in the community. They will share the details of the impact of this activity with their class mates via an oral presentation.
Year 5
The Year 5 cohort visited Symes Grove as their Service Learning Project, where they performed a concert for the residents. Many girls had to step outside their comfort zone and perform in front of an audience, some for the first time. This has special significance for our girls as it is an opportunity to connect with our Sisters.
Year 6
As part of the Year 6 cohort’s Service Learning Program the girls committed to assisting a group of people in need. We were approached by the Anglican Mother’s Union Australia, Brisbane Diocese to support them with one of their many causes – The Mission to Seafarers. As part of this support, the girls were requested to knit a scarf for the seafarers as part of a welcome package supplied by the Mother’s Union. Many seafarers come from the northern hemisphere travelling to the southern lands and a warm scarf is a great comfort to them on a cold evening at sea. On Friday, over 60 scarves were donated to Mary Edwards, a representative from the Mother’s Union.
Other ways we have given to others
Primary Chorale
Primary Chorale were invited to perform at the Lantern Parade and Family Evening at St Mark’s Anglican Church on Saturday 4 November. This was a wonderful opportunity for our girls to perform in the local community. It was lovely to listen to the girls and hear the accolades from the St Mark’s Community.
Spell-a-thon
The school also organised a whole school fundraiser for a community in need. We conducted our Spell-a-thon which ended up being a win-win for everyone concerned. The girls improved their spelling and we raised necessary funds for One Horizon, the charity we supported last year, in Nairobi Kenya. This year, we raised $9,200. Congratulations to everyone. Please see below a short passage from a recent newsletter from One Horizon which details the significance of last year’s Spell-a-thon proceeds:
“I would like to thank the 168¿ª½±¹ÙÍø’s community once again for what the donation has been able to do here. It has enabled children to be children again. It has mitigated the incidence of debilitating child illnesses because the children’s nutrition program has promoted good health. The children are healthy again and in most cases, the effects of malnutrition have been eliminated. And of course, the physical resources that the school provided has meant warmth, cleanliness and an opportunity to tap the children’s ability in an academic and social sense.”
The Lawrence Cup, named in honour of Mrs Ros Lawrence, a long-standing member of the Primary Staff, is awarded to the class with the highest percentage in the Spell-a-thon. We have a tie this year, between Year 2 and 5B. Congratulations girls.
Prep – Year 4 Celebration Reminder
This is a time to celebrate the achievements of the Prep -Year 4 cohorts. The Prep children will perform their Nativity Play. Books will be presented to all children in Prep - Year 2 and children in Years 3 and 4 will receive Keys to Success award certificates.
Date: Friday 24 November 2017
Time: 1:00pm
Venue: Philip Harris Sports Centre
Speech Night - Years 5-6
Please refer to the Deputy Principal's section of this eNews for further information.
Sports
Congratulations to Evangeline Phillips and Anna Lincoln for making the Queensland School Sports Swimming Team for 2017. The girls will be competing in the Pacific School Games in Adelaide from 3-9 December. Good Luck!
This Sunday 12 November, 9am – Come along for the Young Families’ Service!
Our final “Fun and Funky” Family Eucharist, where “Tradition meets Contemporary” will be held THIS Sunday morning in the School Chapel at 9am. Our theme will be “Waiting … the Advent Journey” with activities for the children and morning tea to follow. Do join us on Sunday and perhaps spend some time engaging with your children in the Dadirri Prayer Spaces?
Accelerated Reader Millionaires and Deadlines
The Accelerated Reader Program has supported our students in developing effective reading habits, whilst motivating many of the girls to read more and think more deeply about what they are reading. To date, the girls using the AR program have collectively read over 4150 books, which equates to over 110 million words. What an amazing achievement!
Girls who read over a million words have their photo taken and are added to the AR Millionaires Honour Board in the Library. They are also invited to a Millionaires Morning Tea, and receive a certificate to celebrate their commitment to reading. In order to host our final Millionaires’ Morning tea for the year, and to ensure there is time to prepare certificates, the final cut off day for any AR quizzes is Friday 17 November. This is the same day that ALL library books need to be returned.
A final word count for each girl will be done at 3:00pm that day and girls who have achieved millionaire status will receive their certificate the following week. Those students who achieve one million words who did not attend the Millionaires Morning Tea in Term 3 will also be invited to the morning tea which will be hosted during Week 8. Students who have previously attended the morning tea to celebrate their first million words receive a certificate, but they do not attend another morning tea.
Students in Years 3 – 5 who achieve millionaire status after 17 November 2017 will be celebrated during Term 1 2018.
Continuous Reporting:
The following assessment results and feedback will be available after 3:30pm on Friday this week:
Year 6 – Writing Assessment
Year 5 – Writing Assessment
Year 5 – Reading Assessment
Angela Drysdale