Northern Newsletter | 9th September

From the Principal

‘Cubbies’

Students trading gum nuts, students working together to create masterpieces, enjoying being in the bush with their peers, and our student leaders encouraging students to make positive choices, is a snapshot of what I saw and experienced at ‘cubbies’ last week. We even saw a nice pair of Frogmouth birds perched upon a tree last week. Our Cubby Program started last week and will run for the remainder of the term. We are extremely blessed to be on 20 acres and have easy access to our bushland. Our students look forward to our Cubby Program each year, and are always eager to start their cubbies at break times. We are so pleased that we can run a Cubby Program that invites our students to explore nature and engage in cubbies in an outdoor setting. As you are aware, more researchers and education experts are strongly encouraging to promote nature play at schools, and have highlighted the physical, mental and social benefits that contact with nature provides to children. Our Cubby Program reinforces students contact with nature and I would like to share some of the benefits of nature play that the Children and Nature Network have highlighted after compiling extensive research about the benefits of nature play:

Children who play regularly in natural settings are sick less frequently. Mud, sand, water, leaves, sticks and gum nuts can help to stimulate children's immune system as well as their imagination.
Children who spend more time outside tend to be more physically active.
Children who play in natural settings are more resistant to stress, have a lower incidence of behavioural disorders, anxiety and depression, and have a higher measure of self-worth.
Children who play in natural settings play in more diverse, imaginative and creative ways and show improved language and collaboration skills. Single-use, repetitive play equipment becomes boring quickly.
Natural, irregular and challenging spaces help kids learn to recognise, assess and negotiate risk, and build confidence and competence.
Children who play in nature have more positive feelings about each other.
Bullying behaviour is also significantly reduced where children have access to diverse nature-based play environments. (Children & Nature Network, 2010).

There are so many benefits of cubbies at Northern. As I have reflected about our current Cubby Program, the following come to my mind:

an opportunity for students to practice conflict resolution;
student leaders to develop their leadership skills;
increase use of gross motor skills; and
building friendships with other students.

It is also an excellent opportunity for our students to actively respond to God's call to carefully look after our bushland, where they can even contemplate both God and his handiwork, and praise Him by making inspiring cubbies.

Miss Bethany Armstrong - Principal

School Calendar

A list of Term Dates for 2021 can be found on our Parents Page and also on the School Calendar.

VIEW FULL SCHOOL CALENDAR

COVID Regulations

Parents and carers are not permitted to enter classrooms during school hours (between 9:00am and 3:00pm) unless signed in as a Visitor at the School Office. If you are dropping off or collecting your child during these hours please attend the Office first.

All other parents and carers are reminded to wait until 3:00pm before entering the school grounds to collect students.

Thank you to everyone who has been following these guidelines.
Your cooperation has been appreciated!

Changes to how
we keep you informed

We are changing the way we deliver news and reminders to parents.

Recently we have been considering how we can offer the very best contemporary service to our students and parents by re-imagining how we communicate via our E-Newsletter, Facebook posts, Consent2Go, emails and school website.

As a result, from Term 4, our weekly e-newsletter will be delivered fortnightly on a Wednesday, and every Friday you will receive a new email called ‘Friday Night Reminders’.

The Friday Night Reminders is an important email that you will receive from the school each week as a reminder of all the information you need to be aware of relating to the school activities for the upcoming week. Then, every two weeks you will receive our digital e-newsletter, highlighting all the great things that are happening at and around Northern.

This is a fairly big change, but with the large amount of information coming home from the school, we thought it would help you to have a single email to look at every week to make sure you are up to date with what is happening.

Keep an eye out for your Friday Night Reminder each Friday in Term 4, and stay connected to what is happening at our wonderful school via our Facebook page and the fortnightly e-newsletter. As always, we appreciate your feedback so please let me know if you think the new system is working well or have any other ideas. It’s all part of being in partnership.

Northern Lego Challenge 2020

This month we are running a Lego competition at school. Students are invited to create an original Lego masterpiece to enter. All participants will receive a certificate from Brixhibition 2020 and there will be a prize for the winning entrant.

Students participating are required to enter a photo(s) of their masterpiece by Thursday 17th September.

Each Lego display to be no larger than 52cm x 52cm x 52cm, or no larger than four 32x32 lug Lego baseplates.
Each Lego display must be an original or freelance design and not made from a Lego kit.
The Lego Challenge is designed for individuals not teams.
Some adult help is allowed, but the Lego design should mainly be the child’s own design.

Students can speak with Mr Luke Lamont if they have any further questions.

Year 3 Update

Year 3 have had an exciting Term 3 so far, exploring lots of different topics and concepts. In Mathematics, the students have been introduced to multiplication and have been practising their times tables. We have been playing lots of games involving multiplication, and have explored the concept of area and how it is measured.

In HASS, we have been learning about the different climate zones around the world. Students were given the task of creating an island, deciding the climate zones on it and considering how this impacts the houses of the residents. They have used new IT skills to photoshop themselves into an image of their chosen climate zones. As part of this unit, the class have also focused on the neighbouring islands of Australia. We have learnt some new vocabulary, such as currency and population, and considered the similarities and differences between these countries.

In English, we have been having fun writing reviews of movies and activities. Next week, we will start looking at our Science focus; the different ways heat is created and how it moves.

Miss Claire Gardner - Year 3 Teacher

Drama Club

Friday Lunchtime Drama Club is available for any students in Years 4 to 6 to attend, giving them the opportunity to mix with other students and explore their creativity together.

The focus this term has been on producing two student-driven biblical sketches. The first idea that we have been bringing to life came from a comic improvisation that Bayley created, based on the story of Christ’s arrest, drawn from Luke 22:47-53 and John 18:1-14.

Several new students have joined the Club this term while we have been working on this skit, and our rehearsals have been lively and productive times. Students have been developing their dramatic skills with the view to a video of their performance being shown next term.

One student has shared how their confidence has grown through being a part of the Club, and many have shared how much they enjoy it. A number of students have demonstrated enthusiastic and commendable leadership in different areas. It has been wonderful to have the help of Josiah and Ruth, who brought in props from home, and Amelia’s assistance with making costumes and decorating props for our upcoming production.

One student, in particular, has shown great patience and perseverance while we have been working on Bayley’s skit this term. Jazmin has been developing her own comic idea, based on the parable of the lost sheep (Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:3-7), which we look forward to bringing to life as a drama sketch in Term 4.

Mrs Jenny Berry - Drama Club Supervisor

Little Learners THIS FRIDAY!

Little Learners is our FREE play-based early learning program for children from birth to five years old. Join us at one of our two sessions.

Please visit our School Calendar to see what’s on and learn more.

From the Office

All School Absentees

For absentees please fill-out our Absentee Form OR email us before 9:30am.

An SMS will be sent to parents for unexplained absences.
Please ensure late students who arrive after 9:00am are signed in at the office.
If students are leaving early they are required to be signed out at the office.
A doctor’s certificate is required for more than three days’ absence.
Please notify the office before 2:30pm for any messages your children need before leaving school.

Newsletters

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