Message from the Principal

Samuele cooks his way to the top

In October 2013, Samuele Smith from the Class of 2012 was awarded the 2013 Australian Culinary Foods Victorian 1st year Apprentice of the Year, and Samuele was also awarded the 2013 Australian Culinary Foods National 1st year Apprentice of the Year in Canberra.

Samuele also won the Bronze medal (regional), Silver medal (state finals) and Gold medal (national finals) as well as the best overall main course at that national finals in Canberra.

Earlier this year we were delighted to welcome Samuele back to the kitchen where his promising career began, as a guest judge for ScholarChef. 

Congratulations Samuele on your outstanding achievements.

Pre Prep news

The children in Pre Prep recently enjoyed a visit from two beautiful dogs and their owners as part of the Responsible Pet Ownership program.  This program teaches children about dogs, their behaviour and how to be safe around them.

The children learnt that the only time to say hello to a dog is if they are with their owner and on a leash.  The children had an opportunity to practice being safe around dogs by standing a few steps away from the dog, asking the owner for permission to touch the dog, letting the dog sniff the top of their hand and then gently patting the dog behind his head and collar. The two dogs Onslow and Bonnie were perfectly behaved and loved all the attention.
The children also learnt how to identify a dog that may be unsafe or a dog that shouldn’t be touched.

‘No touching dogs when they are sad’ – Aidan
Don’t touch a dog if it is sleeping or eating or drinking’ - Harry

Junior School News

Happy World Teachers' Day to all our dedicated Kingswood College teachers. I also want to say a very big thank you to the PFA for the wonderful morning tea they put on in our Cato Centre for staff earlier today. Thank you to all who contributed to this. I know the Junior School teachers really do appreciate your support.

David Morris – Winter Olympian
On Tuesday 8 October we were very fortunate to welcome David Morris, uncle of Rosie Townsend in Prep who came to speak to the students about his experiences as a Winter Olympian in the sport of aerial / freestyle skiing. David spoke to the students about the journey he took in taking up the sport, the challenges he faced, injuries sustained along the way (including graphic photographs!) and how commitment, confidence and enthusiasm (all IBPYP attitudes) have helped him to get where he is today.

Whitehorse Regional Athletics
Congratulations to Ellora Kelly who came 3rd in the 12/13 year old girls 1500m (including a personal best) and 5th in the 800m events at the recent Regional Athletics Championships. This is a wonderful achievement against very strong competition.

Celebration
It was wonderful to see such great support from our Junior School families at Celebration 2013. The students were very excited about their performance. Thank you to all who shared their feedback on the night.

Grandparents and Special Friends' Afternoon
It was a full house for our Grandparents and Special Friends' Afternoon at Kingswood College Junior School on Thursday 17 October. Our special guests received a performance from the Junior School Choir before moving off to the classrooms. Thank you to all who supported.

Art Show
Congratulations to Kate Howard our Junior School Art teacher on the 2013 Art Show. It was wonderful to see that every Junior School student had a piece of art on display in Brimacombe Hall throughout the exhibition. 

Scholastic Book Fair
Thank you to all students and their parents who supported the Junior School Book Fair over the past week. This event was very well supported and will result in Kingswood College receiving 25 new books for our Library.

Further Thinking
The way technology is used as a pedagogical tool these days is an area of much debate amongst parents and educators alike. Many parents come to see me to discuss their thoughts on this topic. It is important to remember that technology is a tool that can be used for learning purposes. Such purposes may include to communicate (Skype, email, film), to create (film, art, storytelling), to connect (connect ideas, connect with people, reflect). With the use of such technology comes great responsibility. Like other areas of learning, parents and schools must work together to educate our young people on the responsible and appropriate use of these tools. 

Aaron Loats
Head of Junior School

Primary Years Programme

The students have been busy ‘Tuning in’ to their Unit of Inquiry and focusing on understanding the central idea in their respective classrooms. They are exploring their lines of inquiry and developing a richer understanding of the concepts involved. The concepts include Form, Function, Causation, Change, Connection, Perspective, Responsibility and Reflection. Ask your child which concepts they are concentrating on in class. Discuss their central idea and lines of inquiry with them as the term progresses.

Donna Rady
Assistant Head of Junior School and PYP Coordinator

SEEK in Junior School

Itzy Kelly of Year 1 working on her Passion Project.

The Passion project group are working on individual interest areas.

SEEK in Junior School

Riley Berzins of PREP - Creative Thinking during the SEEK class.

The Prep students have been developing their creative thinking skills as they try to come up with innovative ways to use everyday items.



 

SEEK in Junior School

Aurelienne Pywell - Philosophy - 'Wisdom' - great work in the Year 3 SEEK class.

The philosophy group explored the idea of Wisdom. What is it? Who has it? How do we get it? What do we do with it?

Donna Rady
Assistant Head of Junior School and PYP Coordinator

Rev Beck

Rev Greg Beck is recovering in hospital from his surgery on Wednesday.

He is grateful for the support, prayers and well wishes from the Kingswood College community.

We will keep you informed of his progress.

Do it in a Dress

So, today in the Early Learning Centre, teachers were Doing it in a Dress!  That's right! Students and teachers reversed dress codes. Children were encouraged to dress in casual clothes and make a gold coin donation to the Do it in a dress cause and teachers donned school dresses.  Do it in a dress raises funds to educate girls in Sierra Leone.

Nina Azzopardi, ambassador for Do it in a Dress, Wyvernian and mother of Otto Azzopardi in the ELC wishes to thank the Kingswood College community  who have really got behind the cause and generously donated.  To date she has raised just over $10,200 which is enough to educate 34 girls in Sierra Leone for one year.

Nina has also been invited to visit Sierra Leone in 2014 as a representative of One Girl to see the results of her fund raising efforts on the ground in Africa.

Nina Azzopardi

Parents and Friends Association

The last two weeks have been very busy at Kingswood College and PFA events.  The PFA Golf Day was held last Sunday 20 October with a fun morning had by all who attended.  Teachers celebrated World Teachers’ Day today with a morning tea hosted by the PFA and provided by parents and students. With Celebration night in between, it has been a busy time. 

Did you know it is less than nine weeks until Christmas?  Don’t worry we can help you a little as Christmas Puddings will be available through the PFA again this year. Click here for more details on these events and fundraisers.

PFA Golf Day:  Sunday 20 October
Thirteen players turned up for our Golf Day on Sunday.  The tournament was 9 holes played Ambrose style at Wattle Park Golf Club.  It was a perfect day for golf with the sun shining and a light breeze.  The prizes were hotly contested but the following people walked away as winners in the end:

Closest to the pin: Michael Podolak
Longest Drive: Gerard Whitely
Winning Team with a score of 37: Andrew Kent, Steven & Robert Cassidy-Welch
NAGA Award with a score of 46 (but closely contested):    Michael & Damon Podolak

Mindfulness Connections Presentation
Last night mindfulness sessions were held for Junior and Middle school students with their parents.  The workshops were run by Janet Etty-Leal, a mindfulness meditation consultant, and the objective was to provide an opportunity for parents to share heart/mind/hands-on experiences with their children. Creative and enjoyable mindful practices were shared. More information will be available in the next newsletter.

World Teachers’ Day Morning Tea:  Friday 25 October
This morning the PFA hosted a morning tea to recognise World Teachers’ Day which is celebrated in Australia today. The morning tea was our opportunity to say thank you to our teachers.  The number of offers of help we had is, in itself, a testament to the great work our teachers do. 

I know I speak for Kingswood College parents when I say that we are truly thankful for the hard work, patience and dedication shown by the teachers towards our children. We understand that many of them go above and beyond the call of duty and we are very grateful that they put in that extra time and energy to help our children. 

We hope our morning tea has conveyed our thanks appropriately and we also say thanks to all the parents who contributed the goodies and/or their time to make this a success.

Christmas Puddings
The PFA will again be offering delicious puddings from Grandmas Puddings who offer a range of Christmas Puddings made on the Mornington Peninsula from local and Australian ingredients, and include a gluten free option if desired. The puddings come in four sizes that would accommodate the smallest gift up to the grand finale of your Christmas Day feast. All are hermetically sealed, free of any artificial nasties and come superbly presented in cloth and ribbon.

Orders must be at the College by Monday 18 November (and will be distributed to your child in the week beginning 2 December). Order forms are on the PFA page on Kingsnet. 

October Meeting
Our PFA meeting will be held next week on Tuesday October 29.  Aaron Loats is our speaker.  He will introduce himself and fill us in on his background. The format for the meeting will follow that of our last meeting.  Aaron will begin his presentation at 7.30pm and the meeting will follow, starting at approximately 8.15pm.  All are welcome to come along to the Cato centre for the presentation by Aaron and /or the meeting afterwards.

Alana Hollenberg PFA President
Tracey Seignior PFA Communications Officer

Thank You

A huge thanks to the Parents and Friends Association for providing a marvellous morning tea to celebrate World Teachers Day.
 

The treats provided were delicious and appreciated by all the staff.