Michelle Hoess

Nido News

We have made a decision to begin referring to the Long Day Care as Nido. Some of you may be aware that the term Nido in a Montessori environment is usually meant for babies up to 2 years of age so you may be wondering why we have made that decision.

The Nido environment is usually the first class children in a Montessori school attend. Nido is an Italian word meaning ‘nest’.  It aims to support, nurture and protect a developing child. Our classroom is a warm, comforting and supportive environment where we take the utmost care to meet the developmental needs of all the children in our care. Both environments have activities and materials that are scaled to the children’s abilities and size.Movement is encouraged and the development of independence is emphasised.

Importance of Practical Life activities

The importance of practical life activities is to develop the child’s coordination, life skills and encourage independence. Many of the skills they practise are the same skills they will need in order to take care for themselves and look after a family of their own one day.

Like many of the activities in the Montessori environment, practical life activities have a direct and an indirect aim. The direct aim for instance can be to clean a plate, juice an orange or peel an egg. The indirect aim is far broader. It encourages deep concentration; it improves fine motor skills; it encourages the children to make intelligent choices and they have logical, sequential steps that the child needs to follow in order to complete the activity. These logical, sequential steps are developing the same part of the brain that the child will use later in life when it comes to writing and planning essays, completing a project or solving a mathematical problem.

Some of the practical life activities we have in the Nido class include:

-         Setting the table

-         Handing out glasses to their peers

-         Washing up after they have eaten

-         Cleaning the tables

-         Pouring water

-         Mopping up spills

-         Sweeping and using a dustpan

-         Juicing an orange

-         Grating cheese or a carrot

-         Slicing a cucumber

-         Using a pestle and mortar

-         Peeling an egg

-         Transferring with a hand or spoon

-         Dressing themselves

-         Washing their hands

Fiji CAS Service Learning Trip

The children at Tao school were very appreciative of their art and craft lesson that was well prepared and planned by our students, this was the first time these children had ever sewn and they all got to take home a soft stuffed toy they had designed and made. The rest of our students taught their Aussie Rules lessons to year 6 children outside. All represented our school very well sharing their hearts and expertise with theTao village children and were rewarded with Fijian smiles and new friendships.

Our first activity of the day involved Momi kayaking along the bay shoreline and up the mangrove river which was a two hour round trip. This activity involved both physical and mental perseverance and determination for many of our students. They were given the opportunity to get a lift in the accompanying boat if they got tired however they worked together as a team supporting each other with encouragement to make it to our destination. Later in the afternoon students experienced Fijian mud pools and natural hot springs.

An early morning start began with a trip to the only national park in Fiji where we began our two hour hike through the sacred Forrest full of medicinal plants and over the sand dunes. Our ranger guide informed us of the precious Eco system in that part of the island. All students demonstrated commitment and perseverance during this unique experience.

Building sustainable futures was the purpose of this beach clean up, students learnt last year about the impact plastic waste has on our local and global societies and this was their opportunity to take action and try to reduce their ecological footprints. Throughout the trip students drank from reusable drink bottles, stayed at an Eco lodge and collected two garbage bags of plastic waste from the national park beach demonstrating engagement with global issues first hand.

Students worked at the Ratu Nemani School for two days mixing cement and constructing a school dining hall which will also be hired out to local communities after completion allowing the school to purchase their own much needed basic supplies.
Students then worked hard exploring new possibilities, embracing new challenges and adapting to new roles. They learned the art of rendering the school dining hall. This hall will provide a shady area for students to eat on hot days and shelter if there is a cyclone in the area.

The children at Ratu Nemani school do not have shoes so providing a tiled toilet block protects their feet from sharp surfaces and clean from mud in the rain. Our students worked very hard to tile the whole outside area of the block demonstrating that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.

To ensure that the local village was self sufficient we constructed a chicken coop that provides nesting boxes for up to 18 hens, this was to be given to the community along with chickens and feed which will revise food and income for the Ratu Nemani village. Here our students demonstrated new carpentry skills and recognised the benefits of working collaboratively while showing awareness of the consequences of choices and actions throughout the experience.

Sara Colville
Team Leader - Fiji CAS Service Learning Trip

“For one week of our holiday, myself and other students traveled to Fiji, with the aim of providing help to the local communities. During this trip, we engaged in various cultural experiences with the people and the country itself. One of the things that surprised our group so much was how happy the Fijian people were. Even though when we went to some of their houses and schools, observing their torn shoes and clothes, yet every time we said hello or even looked at them, there would be a cheery reply of “bula” (hello), to which our entire bus of students would yell the same out the window. I think the most impactful experience for nearly all of the students was when cooked and distributed food for the local womens shelter. As soon as we arrived we were greeted with warm hellos, toured around the area and then taken to the food hall, where we received a prayer from one of the local women. In this instance, and the others during the week, we were able to make a connection with the people in the short time that we had, and to us that was one of the most rewarding parts of the trip. I feel that I really gained an appreciation for the things that we have in Australia, as compared to the lack of them in Fiji. I also widened my view on the hardships that some people face and how there are so many things that I can do to help, and something as little as a “hello” can make all the difference to someone. ”
— Jack Hopkins, Year 12 IB

Celebrating our 30th Anniversary!

Elonera Montessori School turns 30 this year! Celebrate with us at our 30th Anniversary School Fete - a glorious day full of good food, fun games and activities, jumping castles, petting zoo and shopping opportunities for just about anyone!

SATURDAY 4TH MARCH    10AM-3PM

ELONERA MONTESSORI SCHOOL

21 MOUNT OUSLEY RD   MOUNT OUSLEY

For anyone that has attended or worked at Elonera over the years, please join us for a Reunion Evening at the Fraternity Club on Friday 3rd March from 7pm to 11pm.

30 invite.jpg

 

 

Primary News

Stage 3 students have been looking forward to publishing their works this term. They have been working on sentence writing. These are some samples of their work:

“Practice, practice, practice”, yelled my coach as my team left the field unhappily.

In a split second he started to scratch himself, he grew a pair of large, green, gooey glasslike wings. There was a blood curdling screech and he transformed into a giant green, gooey mosquito.

After days of travelling exceedingly long distances through malicious weather, the cupcake was finally able to complete the ubiquitous task of annihilating all humans.

“Take me where you must”, declared the solider, “for my loyalty shall remain with the king, you may take my body but not my soul, I shall stand by my king forever”.

As he was walking up the creaking stairs he heard a blood-curdling scream, he felt his arms shiver with goose-bumps…….

I am not human; I am an android clone. I was made for a specific reason that is completely unknown.

The government had collapsed in on itself.  The world was in shambles.

When I went scuba diving, the water was clear as glass, I could see everything clearly. That meant that I could see the eight tentacle blue ringed creature coming towards me.

In Stage 2E we have been composing descriptions. These are some examples of their descriptions of storms.

·         Dark clouds covered the sky on a stormy day. Heavy rain fell on my house like all the stars dropped. Thunder was bashing and clashing on the floor. Dripping rain was pouring all over my window. Smoke fell from the sky. Fresh air went in someone’s nose. A bellowing roar thundered from above with more rain. Dampness scared the life out of me.

·         Lightening flickered on, off, on, off in the dark sky. Heavy grey clouds covered the sky. A bellowing roar thundered across the sky. Thunder echoed across the dark, night sky. Dripping rain splattered on the shed roof. Fresh air filled every corner of the city. Misty clouds covered

In Stage 2T we have been working on the following:

·         The older students have been working on Narrative Story writing and the younger students have been practicing how to write a description and procedure.  All the students have been continuing to complete project work of their interest.

·         The students loved gardening on Grandparents day and are ensuring to be mindful to water them daily during playground time. This experience ignited the student’s interest towards learning more about plants.  They have been learning about the parts of a plant and were involved in a science experiment.  Through observation, the students were then able to a write recount and draw a picture of what they had noticed with these seeds after a few days.

Art Gallery Excursion

Stage 2 classes had a unique learning experience for the children and teachers at the Art Gallery of Wollongong on the 1st of November. The Gallery provided us the opportunity to explore the different aspects of visual arts and gain insight to artists’ work. Fun hands-on activities, along with observation games, helped the children fully enjoy the current exhibitions: abstract art by contemporary artists, etchings, art in clothes and more traditional landscapes of Illawarra region. In the workshop we got inside the process of art making. The experience boosted the children’s personal creativity. Being around art and in the company of creative people makes you more creative, too. Art is just plain fun!

Fundraising

There has been a spark of interest in fundraising in Stage 2. This term, Archie Oyston showed a passion for raising money to help the people at Wollongong Homeless Hub. He held a cake stall at school and raised $235. He then went on to raise a further $1085 on his “Go Fund Me” page, raising a total of $1320. Archie wanted to thank the school community for all their support in his cause.

Jamilah, Olivia, Sofia and Alex were interested in raising money for WWF- to help raise money towards the endangered, Indian Bengal Tigers. The students worked together to research information about the tigers and decided to organise a cake stall. Together the girls organised who was making what items to sell and created posters to help advertise their event around the school. The students raised$265.  A big thank you to Amy Zappacosta and Laura from Stage 3 for helping the students set up and sell the items. Thanks to the students parents for helping the students make these yummy treats to sell and to everyone that supported this cause.

Come and help us celebrate!

You are all welcome to join us for our celebrations for

Maria Montessori's birthday on

Wednesday 31st August from 2.30pm - 3.00pm

The students are all excited to share stories about this amazing woman - the first woman to attend medical school in Italy, supporter of women's rights (over 100 years ago!) and founder of a scientifically established method of childhood development and education that nurtures both the individual spirit of the child as well as a foundation for the continuing movement towards a peaceful world.

Thank you and Happy Birthday Maria!

Upcoming IB Events

Year 11 Showcase!

Theory of Knowledge & Mathematics

 Parents are invited to the second IB Showcase of 2016, on Friday 9th September at 9am. Tea, coffee, and morning tea treats will be provided.

 

Mock Exams

Year 12 IB students will embark on their mock exams in weeks 7 & 8 of this term. These exams will take place in the hall.

 

Visual Art Exhibition

Following on from the tremendous success of last year’s exhibition, the 2016 IB Visual Art exhibition will take place at the Clifton School of Arts on 20th October at 6pm.

WANTED: Early Childhood Educator for our Montessori Toddler Environment

We are looking for a Montessori Educator for our 2 year old room for a 3 day week, 48 weeks per year. Montessori and ACECQA-recognised Early Childhood Education and Care qualifications required.

Please send applications to cpeach@eloneramontessori.com.au

APPLICATIONS CLOSE FRIDAY 1st JULY.

News from the High School

AFL workshops

Viliame in Year 11 has been conducting some fairly intensive AFL workshops which focus on skills development and strategy as part of his Creativity Activity and Service component of his IB Diploma Programme. As we enter Week 6 of his project, students are about to play their first game this Thursday. Vil is to be congratulated for the determined and thorough structure he has brought to these sessions and for the skills he has developed in the Year 7-10 students, including but not limited to flexibility, teamwork, ball skills and planning. There has always been a sense of seriousness and fun at these sessions and we look forward to the game this week.

Letters to Maria

This project is running in conjunction with our 30th anniversary year where we hope to gain the insights of our past students, parents and staff of Elonera about what a Montessori education has meant to them. We would love to be able to gather these submissions into a collection of sorts and would really appreciate your passing on the message to anyone you may know who would be interested in contributing. The flyer is attached and we would love to have your thoughts be a part of what could be a world first!

Year 6 transition

Our Year 7, 2017 will begin their visits this week and into next term by way of transitioning into the high School. If you have not yet submitted your application for next year, please notify the office staff as we have begun interviewing applicants this past week.

Term 2 Reports/Parent-teacher conferences 

Thank you to all parents for booking and attending our parent-teacher conferences held last Tuesday. If you were unable to attend and/or would like to meet with any of the teachers you did not get to see on the evening, please email Alex on alexi@eloneramontessori.com.au or contact the front office and leave a message so that we can arrange a suitable time.

Homeless sleepover 

In developing caring, reflective and principled young men and women, some 14 students across Year 7-12 took part in the Annual Vinnies Homeless sleepout last Thursday, June 23rd. Their participation showed their commitment to raise awareness of homelessness and generate some funds for much needed services. Their makeshift housing was quite ingenious as they transformed the courtyard into a fireplace and various sleeping quarters with the use of yoga mats, cardboard, doonas, blankets, sleeping bags, pillows and a fair share of treats and snacks to take the edge off the cold which reached 9°C overnight. Students are continuing to raise funds until next term so if anyone would like to donate and show their support for this important achievement please donate online at https://nswvinniesschoolsleepout.gofundraise.com.au/pages/search and go to 'find fundraiser' and type in the school name.

Thank you also to Maira Sykes, Year 11, for organizing the event and providing the soup kitchen (along with mum, Jacqui, to make sure our “homeless for the night” were fed and warmed.

 

Outside at OOSH

In light of last week’s storms, the OOSH children decided to construct a complex cubby house from fallen branches. Through teamwork and assistance from the OOSH supervisors, the children thoroughly enjoyed cooperating on the project. All children present contributed to the construction of the cubby, and many continued to reconstruct and enjoy the cubby house for the following week. The project continues to be a centre of enthusiastic teamwork, and the children have showed strong signs of cooperation and enjoyment while working on it. The experience was something new and exciting for the OOSH children, and the prospect of using the materials available to create something for everyone has proven to be an enjoyable experience for all age groups, OOSH supervisors included.

As the weather becomes colder and children are often required to stay inside due to rain, activities such as chess and reading becomes increasingly popular, primarily among the older OOSH children. Supervisors and children alike enjoy the strategy and the challenge involved with chess, and although the competitiveness remains, sportsmanship is consistently encouraged and practised.

Project Bucephalus - Roboclub at Elonera

In Robo Club classes students learn how to design, build, and program their own robots. Robo Club can be a fun way to learn about science, technology, engineering and math. The Robo Club curriculum contains lessons and games designed to develop robotics, engineering, and programming skills. Catering to both beginner and advanced students, activities are mixed between single-week challenges and multi-week projects.

The weekly class allows students at Elonera Montessori a regular opportunity to develop basic robotics and programming skills with a structured format.

Students have the opportunity to form a First Lego League team to enter competitions. Classes are run by Wollongong based “Project Bucephalus” a FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) team made up from home-schooled children aged 9-16.

Cost: Parents pay for these sessions as an after-school activity. Rates vary from $16.50 per student (where student or school provides a Lego Mindstorm kit) to $27.50 per student where all equipment (computer and MindStorm kit) is provided. Students pay by the school term (in advance, by week 4).

Further information Project Bucephalus - http://www.projectb.net.au

Andrew Clark - Project Bucephalus Coach, 0403 390 547 FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL)

Elonera has a new Facebook page!

Welcome to our new website - in tandem with this website launch, we have created a static Facebook page. Simply click on the Facebook link at the bottom of this page and like it. We recommend that you check in regularly for news and information about what is happening in the school.

Please bear in mind that this is a perpetual work in progress, and as ever, we welcome any feedback from our community.

Thank you!