The Whale Songs Near the QVB

I have had the privilege of attending professional development this week in Sydney. Before the session began, I sat down in The Galleries, a building just opposite the Queen Victoria Building, and had a coffee while I worked through some emails. While I sat, I listened to some amazing music playing over the speakers, which seemed quite emotional and moody. There were some unusual melodies and patterns, and every minute or so, it seemed to intensify with what sounded like a recording of a whale song. I was transfixed!

When I stood up to get the day started, I discovered that the music I thought I was listening to was actually the repetitive clunking and squeaking of the escalators that were clearly malfunctioning. I chuckled at my lack of musical literacy!

Sometimes our kids can be a bit like that squeaky escalator. They come home and tell us something about the day, or some detail that sounds about right. We know the other people involved and what they say sort of makes sense. We catastrophize and overact, thinking that we need to parachute in to rescue and deliver. Of course there are times when this is actually the case, and therefore entirely appropriate. 

But, most of the time, that noise we thought was music might actually just be a misunderstood moment. Sometimes, we need to take a breath and work out what is really going on; perhaps our son says that Mrs So-and-so is picking on him; but the reality is that she just asked him to tuck his shirt in. Or maybe our daughter says that that girl is always bullying her, but in fact, it was just an unkind word or foolish comment at the wrong moment. Maybe you’ve received the email about homework again, and your child insists that they’ve never been set homework. 

These situations can be really tricky to navigate, but at Carinya, we love working in partnership with parents to find solutions, support kids, grow students in their learning, and navigate the difficulties and delights of kids growing up. 

Likewise, it takes a village to raise a child. Working together matters. One of the things you’ll often hear us saying to kids is “Talk to your mum and dad - they are the ones who love you the most”. God’s good design is that parents are, for lack of a better word, in charge of their kids. You can be confident that we back you when we deal with your kids; it's a core part of our approach - working with Home and School Together. 

A previous colleague of mine once said to a room full of parents “If you believe half of what your kid says to you about me, then I’ll believe half of what they say to me about you”. The gist was that it takes wisdom and discernment to understand what is actually going on when our kids talk to us. It means that it’s normal for kids to blow off steam, or hyperbolise, or keep things secret when they actually really need to tell someone something. Talking to our kids is so important; we need to talk lots, and to be good at listening and hearing. Discerning the whale song from the escalator squeaks takes a bit of careful listening. 

Michael Parker writes “Some of these conversations might feel more like tip-toeing through a minefield. In the security of your own home you can let your children say some unvarnished, half-thought-through things… they should learn, grow and mature as the years go on, particularly with your guidance. And, in the meantime, you can trust that they are likely to speak their minds to you”. What a privilege. 

Finally, let me remind you of how precious parenting (and grandparenting, fostering, caring etc.) really is;  Scripture says Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12)

Mark Hampstead | Principal 

Kindergarten has been busy! In English, we have been learning the sounds for m,t,s and a. We have been learning about information reports, and that facts are in an information report, which means everything it says is true. 

In Maths, our focus is on sequencing events. We have been putting our numbers in order, certain activities we get up to in the daytime or night time and putting procedures in the right order. This week we have started learning about patterns. Kindergarteners are experts! They know what makes a pattern a pattern, what is the core of the pattern and how many times it needs to repeat to be a pattern. 

In Science we have continued to look at digital technologies and what is needed for a digital technology to work. Instructions! We have explored this by using BeeBots, which are adorable bee shaped robots. The students had to program them to follow the steps of We’re Going On A Bear Hunt. 

In Geography we have continued to learn about what makes a place special to us, our family and other groups of people. Soon we will learn about how these places are looked after and why. 

In Visual Art we have been continuing to create art that is inspired by Eric Carle. We have created caterpillars, butterflies, flowers and spiders already!

Gymnastics has been the highlight of our week! The kids are in love with the program and are so excited to get on the bus and go over to the gymnastics centre. 

We have been having an absolute ball so far this year. Looking forward to the rest of the term!

Jenny Wharton | Kindergarten

Year 2 has had a very busy time over the last few weeks. During Bible Time, we have been learning about God’s people throughout the Bible. 

During English, we have created our own narratives, begun learning poems for the Eisteddfod and now looking at recounts. We will have a model text called My Trip to Bunyip Bush, and look at adding adjectives to give more description to their nouns. 

In Science and Technology, we have explored God’s design of forces in our world through many hands-on experiences, from investigating the properties of plasticine to make it float, and floating and sinking various objects. 

Through different activities in the Hive Program in PDHPE, we have seen how God created our bodies to move for locomotive, springing, bouncing, static and balancing movements. We have also loved developing gymnastic skills at the Gymnastics Centre. 

In Visual Arts, we have created artworks using some elements of art including line, shape and colour. 

Kellie Bradbery | Year Two 

It is hard to believe that we are over half way through Term 1. It has been lovely to see relationships and friendships growing between the students as we have been learning more about God's world each day. The class is extremely curious and enjoys asking questions about the Bible as we learn about it each day.

We have been continuing our adventure in movement in ‘The Hive’, improving our coordination, flexibility and fitness as we practise our skills each week, becoming more confident using our balance, throwing, stretching and our safe landings.

Year 3 has also been reading the story of Fantastic Mr. Fox, to practise our reading comprehension skills, answering questions and completing activities. We are enjoying the adventure as Mr. Fox must outwit the hunters to survive! We have been working faithfully with the rest of Stage 2 three days a week in our SpellEx activities and continue to improve our knowledge of how to correctly sound out new and unfamiliar words and decode them as phonemes.

Thank you for encouraging your child to complete their homework each week. It has been lovely to see so many students returning their work each week with such enthusiasm.
Matt Keeys | Year Three

Pristine Catering provides lunch orders every Friday! 

Ordering is through the Qkr! App. 

If you have any issues with your order please contact Krystal at:  pristineschoolcatering@gmail.com

These resources are available through the NSW Health Good For Kids program, for more information you can access their website (here).