LOCKDOWNS

Our school regularly practices lockdowns and evacuations to help our children be prepared in case of an emergency. We are very good at classroom lockdowns so early next week we are going to practice a lunch time lockdown so children know what to do if there was an emergency when outdoors. Our staff will debrief with the children afterwards. We usually talk about examples of a lockdown being facilitated by a strange dog on the premises or a person having a heart attack and needing medical attention etc so they understand it is not only linked to worst case scenarios. If your child seems particularly concerned about lockdowns or evacuations, please let the class teacher know so we can help you reassure them. If you need any further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Deputy Principal.

Senior Leader Application process

Each year we begin the senior leader application process in Term 4, to determine which of our Year 5 cohort will become a senior leader for 2020. From this pool, applicants for formal school positions such as School Captains, House Captains, Music Captains, Active School travel Captain, Resource Captain, ICT Captain, Bell Captains etc are selected. Eligibility for senior leadership position is determined by a student gaining endorsement from a variety of teachers for their application. Behaviour records for the last year are also considered.

Our students understand the level of responsibility and commitment required when holding a leadership position at Yeronga State School. Prep Buddies, Class helpers and Sports Room rosters are just three examples of activities senior leaders may be involved in. Formal positions come with additional responsibilities. Parents have to approve a child’s application to indicate you and they understand the commitment they are making.

Please see the Student Leadership booklet on the school website for role description responsibilities and process for selection. The timeline is captured on the final page of this booklet.  Forms for Senior Leadership application were distributed yesterday and are due in by 2:30pm Monday 4 November.

SCHOOL CAMPS, OUTDOOR LEARNING and NATURE PLAY

Learning opportunities in different contexts allow children to practice transferring skills to new environments. It was delightful to see our children using the Learner Assets of Self Manager, Researcher, Communicator, Collaborator and Thinkers at the Year 5 camp as they wrestled with some challenging dramatic simulations. The feedback from the camp facilitators indicated that our children were collaborating, creatively problem solving and thinking critically in more sophisticated ways than many other groups they work with. This is such a great endorsement for the inquiry approach that we adopt to allow our children to practice these `soft skills’. There is an Outdoor Learning Day on 7 November that many teachers are registering for although our teachers are continually looking for opportunities to take the learning outdoors.

Nature play is also a wonderful opportunity for our children to practice learning assets outdoors. The photos below capture some of our Year 1 children creating a museum in the Year 1  Nature Play area. I wonder what they were talking about!