Term 3 Week 3 2024

Giinagay families,

It is hard to believe we are already in Term 3! What a beautiful start we have had to the school term. It was so lovely to see so many happy, refreshed faces back at school, and to see some new faces in our school farm! Miss Nadine left us with quite a surprise as we welcomed 5 new pygmy goats into our farm. They are certainly keeping us busy!

At the end of last term, our students participated in many NAIDOC week celebrations. This week was filled with engaging activities such as traditional art, bush tucker, Indigames, and cooking. It is such a lovely time when we also connect with the Bowraville community with community lunches, visits to the preschool and an upcoming visit to Bowraville Central School. By participating in these meaningful experiences, our students build a deeper understanding and appreciation, creating a school environment where diversity is celebrated and cherished. NAIDOC Week is not only a time for learning but also a moment for students to connect, reflect, and grow together in a spirit of unity and respect. 

Our celebrations and acknowledgement continued last Friday when our  K/1 students participated in ATSI (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Day. The day was filled with mini Olympic activities with other surrounding schools and preschools. A big thank you to Uncle Richie for his organisation and assistance on this day. 

There are so many exciting things happening this term. Our Book Week parade (which will be held on Friday the 23rd of August) is always a celebration of creativity and imagination, where students and staff come together to bring their favourite book characters to life. We are also eagerly awaiting the return of Miss Nadine next week! We have missed her and can’t wait to hear about all of her adventures up north.

Looking forward to a wonderful term ahead.

Amy

Congratulations to our Week 3 Award Winners

K/1:  Roman, Carmella & Romi

2/3:  Lexi, Bradley & Peyton

L/C:  Mason

4:  Tallulah, Aaliyah, Regent, Tayven, Natasha & Sofia

5/6:  Alexis, Martin & Sonny  

On Monday 5th August our Kindergarten students celebrated the milestone of 100 days of school. They had fun activities to do as well as eating popcorn while watching a movie.

Students and teachers could reflect on the work undertaken by students and celebrate achievements and milestones throughout their 100 Days of School.

The 2/3 class in Science and Technology learned that water is essential to life. As humans, we not only drink water, we use it for cooking, hygiene, recreation and agriculture. Australia is a dry continent with an expanding population, and how we use water has become increasingly important. Through investigations the students worked on a DIY water purifying experiment.

In Year 4 we are writing narratives to publish using our laptops. While we are writing we are remembering to structure a story, experiment with our vocabulary, and proofread our work to check for errors. Once we have finished we will email these to Miss Rachel and she will have meetings with us to discuss our writing goals, and explore any improvements that we may be able to make. Here's some stories we have written:

A Rabbit Called Bugs Bunny

'Once upon a time there was a rabbit called Bugs Bunny. He got a carrot and then an animal catcher came to get him. Then Bugs Bunny lost him and the catcher went back to his job.'       

Written by Tayven  Yr 4 6 August 2024

  The Day We Got Lost

   Chapter 1 Written by Lilly Year 4 

'We decided to go for a walk in the jungle. We saw this beautiful waterfall with blue water, so pretty. We went into the jungle and we saw so many pretty things. We went  so far into the jungle it was so pretty. We've seen so much stuff but we found out that we couldn't see our way back. It all looked the same, it was starting to get dark. We were getting scared. It was terrifying! We heard westling  in the bushes and scoring in the trees .And howling. We were really scared. We did not  know what  to do. Then Aaliyah ran off and me and Sofia did not know what to do. We were calling out her name,  we were starting to panic  but then we heard a scream. It sounded like Aaliyah. She came running to us  and it was really nice to see her.  The next day we  met this elf and her name was Emily she gave us heaps  of fruit and Water. We were so happy.

In the night we had a fire. All of a sudden heaps of bears surrounded it so we all ran into  the cabin and locked the door.

After two weeks  of  being stranded in the middle of the jungle we built a cabin. In the cabin there was a fireplace and wooden beds with moss on them. 

BUZZ Turns out everything was just a dream and after that day I was really happy to be back with all my friends .'

Year 4 students 'dancing like a sponge' in the afternoon to celebrate a great day of learning. Great dance moves Year 4!

Year 4 has also been learning about how to use the weight in their body in dance movement and have been learning the importance of balance.

On Wednesday 31st July & Thursday 1st August our 5/6 student's attended the Bowraville Theatre to participate in the 'Youth Leading the World' youth leadership forum.

Students were given the opportunity to analyse the river water test results they collected previously along with brainstorming what concerns they have with river health and act them out. The pictures below show an enactment of trees trying to survive and lifeless fish laying on the ground. 

Through these sessions students put together their findings and strategies of improvement and presented their concerns and solutions to the community.

Ozgreen will be helping to get a project running to support our river health in the future and will include the students in this project.

Students created artworks for our school farm with artist Miss Donna from Mary Help of Christians.

As part of dance students have been learning movement and rhythm.

Uncle Mark is one of our Aboriginal Education Worker (AEW) and teaches Gumbaynggirr Language to our student's.

As part of our Deadly Cultural Learning Plans that are compiled by our parents, teachers and students there are goals set for our students. Uncle Mark has been an integral part of these goals being met.

On Friday the 28th June our students participated in our School Athletics Carnival at Buz Brazel Oval in Scotts Head.

Results:

On Wednesday 24th July 7 of our students attended the Zone Athletics Carnival held at St Joseph's Port Macquarie.

Conratulations to our students who participated and to Djanaambi, Shyliqua, Sonny and Archie who made it through to the next level, Diocese.

The Kinder/Year 1 children had a great time with other preschool and school children from across the region for ATSI Children’s Day - Mini Olympics at Scott's Head last Friday. They kept active running relays, racing through an obstacle course, and other novelty games such as throwing balls into buckets. They had fun on the playground, and there were also sensory play activities to participate in. They enjoyed plenty of fruit throughout the day, and received a gift bag to take home. It was a great day!

Our student's were happy to come back from holidays to find the farm had some new animals, GOATS!! They are very lively and keep our student's on their toes. 

Thankyou to Erin for organising this addition to our school farm and for giving your time to make them a shelter.

From the 5th July - 19th July our student's had artworks in the NAIDOC art exhibition at Phoenix Gallery alongside student's from Tallowood, BCS & Bowraville Preschool.

Students were asked to draw a portrait of a cultural leader and they all chose to draw Aunty Clarice or Uncle Mark.

The artworks that were entered into this exhibition will be included in a NAIDOC week book on the Nambucca Valley.

On Thursday 8th August our 5/6 students conducted a Liturgy for Mary Mackillop Feast Day. Our 5/6 students painted portraits of Mary and read their Liturgy beautifully.