Hello Everyone,

This week in preschool has been full of dramatic play, conversations, and confident performances as the children continued to explore self-expression, voice, and identity across a range of experiences.

A strong focus throughout the week has been our ongoing work around body autonomy and protective behaviours. During group times, we revisited important stories from the Office of the Children’s Guardian, including Andy Learns the Undies Rule and Fiona Finds Five Heroes. These stories prompted meaningful discussion among us around private body parts, personal boundaries, and the importance of speaking up. We also introduced the idea of each child identifying their own five trusted adults, people they can go to if something ever feels unsafe or uncomfortable. The children took this seriously, thoughtfully tracing their hands or drawing and naming people who make them feel safe and supported. These sessions are part of our ongoing commitment to helping children understand that they are the boss of their own bodies.

Another highlight this week has been puppetry with Abi, who has been working closely with small groups of children to develop some amazingly creative puppets. These sessions have been creative, and often very funny. Puppet play provides children with a safe and expressive avenue to explore social interaction, humour, and voice.

On Wednesday, we had our final session with Mayuko from Cool Planet, where we began exploring the concept of the circular economy. The children were introduced to the idea that instead of following a traditional “take, make, dispose” model, we can find ways to reuse, repair, and recycle materials to reduce waste and protect the environment. Through discussion and hands on activities, we started to unpack what this means in everyday life and how small actions, like composting food scraps or reusing materials, can contribute to a more sustainable future.

In the afternoons, we’ve continued inviting children to take centre stage if they wish, as part of our calm end-of-day routine. Many children have taken up this invitation to sing or perform for the group, with a growing sense of confidence and pride. These moments have been a great way for children to support one another with quiet attention and applause.

On reflection it’s been a week of children claiming space, expressing themselves, and building a stronger understanding of themselves and others, through both playful exploration and important conversations.

Warmly,

Katrina, Lisa, Abi and Michael

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Hi Everyone,

It’s been a short but fun week in the Ladybirds!

Starting off on a Tuesday was a bit unusual and probably a little confusing for all of us, but we still managed to have a blast.

In Maths, we kicked off our unit on measurement. We explored how objects come in different sizes and compared them in various ways. The kids had a great time running around the school, finding things that were “wider,” “shorter,” or “longer” than their paper ruler.

In English, we focused on improving our reading skills and enjoyed exploring our brand-new Soundwaves books.

For Craft, we’ve been diving into the world of photography, learning about photo composition and the exciting possibilities of editing and creating digital artworks.

Thursday was Summerhill Day, a fun-filled day of exploration. The kids had a blast trying out new activities and revisiting some of their favourites from the last time!
Week 8 is sure to be just as busy and exciting for the Ladybirds, so stay tuned!

With love,
Meg (and Sarah D)

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Hi everyone,

It has been a short week but a busy one! We started our second sport choice for the term, and I had a fabulous time with my dance group. They have started learning a routine with Miss Rachel which they will put together and complete by their final week.

The group finished off their night and day crafted plates from our ‘Space Explorers’ lesson last week. We created a transitioning plate display that showed a change from nighttime to daytime. The children decorated their plates with paint, flicking stairs and spotting clouds, as well as some cutting out and adding houses or other decorations.

Summerhill Day was a joy as always. We had a great array of activities including a number of activities organised and led by the children themselves. Some highlights that I heard about or joined in for were lava lamps, knitting nancy, create your own animal with Aidan, loom bands with Isabella and Eden, pancakes with Eva and Archana, and capture the flag with Kitty and some elders.

I will be away on Monday as I am moving apartments and need to organise a few last things. Sarah D will be covering for me so please check in with her at school drop-off. See you all on Tuesday!

Amelia x

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Hello everyone!

I trust you all had a good albeit shortish week.

We got straight into our Soundwaves spelling unit on Tuesday focusing on the sound ‘m mm, mb’. All the children are now so adept at working through the sound of the week, independently. To learn how the sound/spelling is used in words, we start by watching some slides which introduce us to the sound and how it is used in words. Then the children complete the unit focus throughout the week.

We listened to another episode from our podcast “Grow your Mind” while handwriting. This week’s focus was on ‘Perseverance’ and ‘Courage’. “Stuff ups Take Courage” episode talked about why failure takes courage and how sometimes your mistakes can turn out to be a good thing in disguise.

For Maths we focused on Multiplication and Division as Arrays and recognised we can write multiplication as division. The children wrote out multiplication problems from an array then turned it into a division number sentence. We also recognised which operation to apply to word problems.

As Monday was a public holiday we missed our lesson on Space this week but will follow through with ‘Gravity’ on Tuesday morning with Jess.

Summerhill Day was full of interesting learning opportunities for the children to choose from on Thursday. Cooking, pickleball, drawing, paper craft, drama, dance, bush walking, hockey, algebra, knitting, candlemaking, lantern making and capture the flag were all on offer by teachers and some of the older children. It’s really lovely that children offer to run activities providing peer teaching and cross age/stage learning.

Next week is Art Week, so there will be more opportunities for cross age/stage learning and fun to be had.

Love, Sarah

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Dear Parents,

It’s been a short week with both the public holiday and Summerhill Day, but despite this, we’ve been busy in the classroom working on various projects.

This week, the children have been finishing their narrative writing. It has been a valuable exercise in drafting, editing, and publishing their work in their best handwriting. I believe they’ve gained an increased understanding of the writing process.

We’ve also continued our focus on punctuating direct speech, particularly, the rule of starting a new line for each new speaker and placing the reporting clause either before or after the speech marks. It’s a tricky concept, but with continued practice, I’m confident the children will be able to apply these rules in their own narratives.

In addition, the children are putting the finishing touches on their solar system models.

During today’s “Free Friday” many used the time to catch up on Soundwaves textbooks and PIPs. And a fabulous imaginary game involving space, alien cats, a spaceship, disguise and deception has sprung up!

Wishing you a restful weekend!

Jess

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I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend and managed to stay warm. It really feels like midwinter this week, no surprise with the winter solstice coming up next week. We also have the Conflict Resolution course coming up on Saturday 14th! I’m looking forward to working with everyone.

In our room this week, we have continued with our analyses of language from “Runt”, this week looking at creating compound and complex sentences using connectives and descriptive words and phrases. We’ve also revised the punctuation of sentences and speech. We’ve taken the opportunity of a short week, especially with Summerhill Day on Thursday, to have a catch-up in textbooks, with everyone completing their checking up to Unit 10.

Summerhill Day was a fun day. I loved running the algebra session with a mixed age group, the “Oh, I get it!” moments when something suddenly makes sense. We then had fun making bookmarks in our room. And, of course, rice paper rolls before lunch. The children who sign up for this could really just do it themselves … they all know exactly what to do after being part of this activity several times over. Summerhill Day celebrates our connection to the school in UK on which Currambena was loosely based when it was founded in 1969. Summerhill’s trust in and celebration of children is legendary!

This term’s PIPs are supposed to be finished now… but there are many extensions until next week. I’d like to try to get them all complete before Art Week starts on Wednesday. It’s very exciting seeing the lanterns beginning to appear!

Please make sure you come to the Cyber Safety evening (see date and time in the calendar). This will be especially useful with the children also having a session with the same educator. You’ll gain an expert’s view and insight into the language and issues that abound!

That’s all for this week. Take care.

Love,
Wendy

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Huge thanks to the parents who have been in and spent some hours doing some of the library sorting jobs… Erin, Meredith and Siobhan. Needless to say, there is still much to be done, so please think about offering some time if you can. Most of the jobs can be done any time so it’s a great opportunity to make up some maintenance hours. Remember to log them!

Please remember to encourage your children to return any books they borrow in a timely fashion… and we’ll look forward to our big library opening later next term.
We’re starting to plan for Book Week which is Week 5 next term, Monday 18th to Friday 22nd August. We have Maryam Master coming to speak to the older children about her books and there will be other events too, probably a “dress up as your favourite character” parade and possibly other speakers. Lots of fun!

Wendy

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Hello everyone,

This week at preschool, we embraced the seasonal shift with a vibrant mix of creativity, connection, and thoughtful inquiry. Children settled smoothly into familiar rhythms and continued to engage with intention and joy throughout the day.

As always, our morning meetings were chaired by the children, an embedded part of our preschool culture that fosters leadership, listening, and a strong sense of community. These gatherings continue to be a valuable space for sharing ideas, making group decisions, and setting the tone for the day ahead.

One of the week’s highlights was a group session exploring skeletons and how our bones help us move. The children were captivated, listening, moving, and then constructing their own skeletons using a range of collage materials. This experience beautifully blended science, music, art, and movement.

Creative expression was also flourishing outdoors. The easels were busy with vibrant painting, collage using natural materials, and fold-printing techniques that encouraged exploration of symmetry and texture. Indoors, children collaborated to make a new batch of playdough. After a quick group vote, pink was the clear favourite, an excellent example of democratic decision-making in action.

Imaginative and collaborative play ran strong throughout the week. We observed a variety of role plays and inventive games, shared projects on the ramps, balancing challenges, muddy cooking in the kitchen, and a lively group soccer game on the basketball court. These moments highlight the children’s growing social confidence, physical coordination, and creative thinking.

Our sustainability focus continued with further composting and recycling investigations in the lead-up to our final Cool Planet workshop next Wednesday. We’re looking forward to exploring the theme of reusing and wrapping up our waste inquiry with reflection and action.

End of Day Activity continues to bring everyone together in a wonderful show of teamwork, laughter, and shared celebration of the day.

We look forward to what next week will bring!

Love,

Katrina, Lisa, Abi and Michael

 

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Hey Everyone,

This week in Maths, we explored the concept of 10 as a unit, learning that it is made up of 10 ones. To put this into practice, we made colourful paper chains with exactly 10 links, helping us visualise and reinforce the idea.

On Tuesday, we were treated to a wonderful Mini Concert in Wendy’s room. Benji performed beautifully on the piano, while Stevie, June, and Hazel wowed us with a fantastic dance routine. It was lovely to see how excited and confident they were to perform in front of the school, they were all so brave and did an amazing job!

In English, we focused on the letters C and K, exploring how they can make the same sound. To support our learning, we had fun making kooky crabs.

In our Marine Monsters unit, we turned our attention to sharks, learning about the two main types of feeders: predatory sharks and filter feeders. The students loved creating paintings of their own sharks and deciding which type of feeder their creation would be.

Looking forward to another fun-filled week with the Ladybirds!

With love,
Meg (and Sarah D)

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Hi everyone,

This week we focused in on friendships as there has been a few social conflicts or changes in the group dynamic over the last week. We spoke about what friendship actually is – that it can sometimes mean having arguments or disagreements but treating each other with respect and trust even when we disagree. We made ‘friendship soup’ by combining the key ingredients that are integral in friendship. Some of these included trust, honesty, silliness, kindness, just a pinch of arguments, and love. I have hung up all of the ingredients we combined to make our friendship soup, so please come in and take a look!

In our ‘Space Explorer’s lesson this week, we looked at night and day. I demonstrated using a lamp and globe how the sun and the rotation of the earth work together to create night and day. Some of these children made connections between places their own families live like Iran or Brazil, and when they are cast in the Earth’s shadow and experiencing a different time of day to here in Australia.

I hope you all had a lovely long weekend!

Amelia x

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