Boneo Buzz: 23rd June

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we reach the end of Term 2, I thank you for all your efforts. This term has presented obvious challenges, particularly in terms of staffing pressures and families managing either COVID or the flu. The way in which all staff have stepped up to enable us to maintain on-site learning has been exemplary and appreciated by our community. We thank parents and carers for proactively managing illness and keeping us informed. A huge thank you to School Council members and parents who assisted today to deliver a yummy special lunch. The children were thrilled.

Please enjoy reading your child’s report this afternoon, after 4pm via Compass. I wish all members of our community a happy and healthy holiday and look forward to seeing you on Monday 11th July to begin Term 3.

Junior School Council – Semester 1 ‘Wrap Up’

On Monday, Junior School Council celebrated a semester of organising positive experiences for their peers. Over a chip lunch, they reflected upon the events that they had run and how it had helped to make their school more engaging.

Senior School 2 Square Competition

It was fantastic to see the Years 4 to 6 involved in a senior school two-square competition. The sign-up sheet was full which made it challenging for us to make a knockout tournament but through determination and great computer skills by Isaac, we got there! The day came and the competition was strong. We were impressed with everyone’s skills and how they encouraged each other. We’d like to congratulate Bodhi on a fantastic win.

Learner Disposition: Collaboration Skills

To help our school understand the importance of our learner dispositions, Junior School Council ran a lunch time club based around teaching the skills of how to effectively collaborate. We showed our peers a video on a pit crew working together to change four wheels. Everyone was shocked at how fast the 23 people worked together. We also showed a video of a group of birds that didn’t collaborate well together and the negative impact that it had. We planned what good collaboration looks like and the group decided that everyone should be given a role first and be committed to achieving their role. The students were then given a small group challenge that involved blowing up a balloon and passing it around in a circle. It was a fun and engaging lunchtime!

Wellbeing: Mindfulness

Junior School Council believe that mindfulness is important to help relax our minds and keep you calm, especially if there is something that is worrying you. To help our school, we organised a lunchtime club to help students feel calm and relaxed. We had mindfulness pictures to colour in and how to draw a tulip. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, especially the music and essential oils.

PJ Day – Raising Money for a Gratitude Garden

Junior School Council decided to run a PJ day to raise money towards creating a gratitude garden. This is a place that will bring everyone together and be thankful for the good things in our lives. We are looking forward to designing and planting the garden next term.

Snapshot of Learning

Enrichment Clay Sculpting – 3A

On Tuesday, students in 3A had the pleasure of exploring clay sculpting out in the fresh, morning sunshine. Previously in Art with Mr Dalton, students were taught techniques for joining clay securely, for sculpting and shaping the clay and adding texture and detail using a variety of tools.

The learning intention was to sculpt a clay creature of the students’ own imagination, using the skills learned in previous art lessons. Children experimented with creating strange and wonderful beasts, enjoying their outdoor art workshop.

“I had fun making a Pokemon.” William.

“I found it fun to have time to play and create…I made a mushroom creature called ‘Dots’. He’s collecting worms to fertilize his garden.” Annabelle

“It was really fun to learn creative skills…I enjoyed making things pop out.” Lola

“It was really fun, I loved being creative with the clay…I added LOTS of detail to mine.” Matilda

“It was amazing, fun and freezing!” Charlie

“We helped each other…we worked as a team.” Olivia

Technology Expo – Year 6 Inquiry

“Inquiry prioritises problems that require critical and creative thinking so students can develop their abilities to ask questions, design investigations, interpret evidence, form explanations and arguments, and communicate findings.” Kath Murdoch, 2021

This term, Year 6 students have inquired into the use of technology in our lives – how it has changed the past, and will affect the future. Our term began with ‘Tech-free Tuesday’, where we dressed up in olden day costumes and explored what school life might have been like without technology. Following that, we investigated the other end of the spectrum with extreme technology use, by participating in a Minecraft and Lego robotics course at Quantum Victoria. Other learning experiences throughout the term have included measuring our ecological footprints, reading about and discussing famous people who ‘dared to be different’, and dreaming up new solutions to global issues.

Our inquiry concluded with a ‘Technology Expo’ on Monday and Tuesday, where students presented their prototypes to parents, teachers and all Boneo students. Some of the prototype designs included a pair of Virtual Reality googles to allow a user to experience different perspectives of minority groups, a chewing gum that releases nutrients to combat world hunger and famine, drones to detect areas of the environment that require revegetation, washing and cooking pods for the homeless, and a water filtration system to eradicate micro plastics from our oceans.

Throughout the inquiry our students were encouraged to explore, ask questions, and share their ideas. They were challenged and extended through critical and creative thinking, and celebrated by their peers. It was a challenging but rewarding process, and all students can be proud of their personal growth in skills, understanding and learning dispositions.