Students

Parliament House

chris hope

Last week the school leaders were invited to Parliament House by our local state member Paul Miles. The students had a fabulous day, looking around the historic building and learning some new facts about our democratic history. We had a sumptuous three course lunch with a fabulous starter, a delicious main course and a sweet and tasty dessert, which left us all feeling like we were ready to burst. We met the state premier and got filmed by the television cameras. All up, it was a wonderful day to remember.

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Blogs Of The Week

chris hope

I don’t often do this, but occasionally I like to give a little “shout-out” regarding a student, or students,  who have been posting regularly on their blogs. This time I have a few worthy of a special mention. First up is Jayden, who not only posts frequently, but has such a varied range of topics his blog is super interesting. Next is Lily, who posts regularly and also managed to post her very first podcast. Finally we have Savannah, who isn’t as prolific as the others, but who managed to persuade her mum to write a “special guest” post on her blog for our Parent Task. These blogs are all well worth a visit. Well done to you all.

The Giants

chris hope

This week The Giants came to Perth as part of the incredible Perth Festival. The Giants are huge puppets that are powered by amazing, energetic people, pulling ropes, swinging from trucks and abseiling from cranes in spectacular red uniforms. The puppets come alive and walk through the street, although a huge part of the attraction is watching the operators as they perform their medieval-like manoeuvres. Have a read of the blogs of Savannah, Shantelle and Tarnika as they pass on their experiences of this fabulous weekend.

And The Tears Flowed!

chris hope

Sadly, today was the last day of the year and the last day ever for our amazing year 7s. I must say, they held it together brilliantly throughout the day, signing each other’s shirts and, as we’ve come to expect from this group, running around the school to help move desks and chairs to different classes. However, as the final siren approached the cracks appeared and the tears flowed. This was the first group of year 1s in the school and they’ll be the final group of year 7s, so they had a special kind of bond between them. This was clearly evident as they made their final farewells to each other, the teachers and their school. Whilst some may stay together, others are going it alone at a variety of high schools, so for them the farewells were final.

As a teacher, we often receive the thanks of the students and the parents at the end of each year for the time we’ve spent with them. However, the thanks must come from us to them. We become teachers because we want to help children, to make a difference and to see our students grow both educationally and emotionally. This only works when we have the cooperation and commitment from students and parents and with this group we had both, in spades. This meant we could do our jobs properly and, in my own case, go even further with some topics than I ever thought I could. Consequently, the rewards I received from them, the immense feeling of satisfaction and pride was the embodiment of why I love my job. I only had to drag my ageing, aching bones into the class and receive their smiling “Good Morning” to feel refreshed and energised for the day ahead. Our job satisfaction is measured in smiles, growth, those amazing “Aahh” moments of discovery, the creativity and imagination that blows our minds and the knowledge that we have made a difference and have had the trust and friendship of incredible people. The rewards we get are a reflection of the partnerships and relationships grown over the year and the commitment and effort from everyone working together. These rewards are massive and are the reason we are teachers. So, for the incredible rewards I’ve received this year and the reaffirmation that teaching is the best job in the world I say a big “thank you” to the wonderful (ex) students of LA19. Have a great summer break and enjoy your new adventures in 2015.

The End!

chris hope

This week is going to be a huge one for the students in LA19 (and LA’s 16, 17 and 18) as it’s not only the end of the year, but it’s also the end of their primary school life. All the students will be moving on after their final day on Thursday. Some students will be going to our local high school, so will be with some of their friends, but others are going to different high schools around Perth and in some cases are the only ones from our school going there. However, wherever they are heading off to, I’m sure that when Thursday comes around and the students leave the comfort of the school they’ve been a part of for many years the emotions will overcome many of them. This has been an awesome group of young people and the school and myself will miss them. Let’s hope they pay a visit to this blog occasionally to let us know how they’re going.

Four days to go!

Holiday Bloggers

chris hope

Sometimes it’s difficult for students to keep up with their blogging, especially during holiday time. As well as enjoying trips away with their families, students also have the important business of hanging out with their friends, going to the movies and long, lazy lie-ins to enjoy. Despite all that, two students have made an extra effort to keep everyone informed of their holiday activities and are well worth a read. Check out the blogs of Aimee and Georgia.

Boys’ Blogging

chris hope

For a great “boy” read this week take a look at Macca’s blog. His latest post where he talks about his recent visit to the Toodyay skatepark is an excellent example of the type of topics perfect for boys. Sometimes it can be tricky to get boys interested in writing, which is why I think blogs are a really useful tool for teachers. Instead of limiting students to write only on the topics they are given in class, blogs allow them to indulge in their own interests. Take a look at Macca’s blog, but be warned,  it may not make sense if you are as old as I am!

Kings Park Excursion and End of Term – Phew!

chris hope

I think, for me, term 1 was one of the quickest I’ve ever had. I’m not sure why (perhaps I’m getting old and just can’t keep up anymore), but it may have had something to do with it also being one of the busiest terms I’ve ever had. Looking back I’m quite astounded that we managed to start and finish all the activities and projects in just a short ten weeks.

We discussed, planned and organised a geography walk around the suburb to help us develop an understanding of how we measure the livability of an area (some of the resulting in-depth project work was very mature). We learnt about the study of history and then completed the first part of our history studies by researching the Romans (yes, there’s more to come). We studied so many topics in maths that it would be impossible to mention them here, suffice to say that even with a busy timetable the students still claimed that all we did was maths. Our English included persuasive writing and narratives, both in part due to our NAPLAN preparation, and also spelling (“No, not spelling!”). It was the first time some of the students had used a saw and a drill and they overcame their fears and doubts to create a fabulous “surprise” gift for Mothers’ Day. We made several amazing artworks and integrated technology with blogs, art, podcasts and QR codes. Even cricket and basketball tournaments were squeezed in along the way with a music project on top. All this whilst working around a myriad of interruptions that seemed designed to throw us off track. We were lucky enough to finish off the term with an educational excursion to Kings Park which Abbey explains beautifully on her blog in her post entitled Naturescape Excursion (also check out Kianne, Blake, Aimee and Georgia).

All I can say is, “Well done LA19!” We all deserve our well earned 2 weeks off and you can all be proud of your efforts this year so far. I’ll keep posting here and checking your blogs, so keep posting, but remember to stay safe.

Phew!

Students Become Teachers

chris hope

One of the signs of a good teacher, in fact a good school, is that they are able to say that they need help with something, or they need to improve in a particular area. Well, that’s exactly what we’re about to do. The students in LA19 have been happily blogging and podcasting for some time now and their amazing skills have been recognised as a valuable asset to the school. Next week 4 students from the class will be attending a staff meeting where they will get to help teachers who want to learn the benefits of using Garage Band on the iPads to record students’ speech. This can be used for activities such as podcasting, or simply to create a record of students’ reading abilities. Whatever the reason for using the technology, having the skill gives teachers another valuable tool which they can use to improve the learning of their students. The students of LA19 can also be proud of their achievements and that their skills are being used to benefit the learning of others. Well done!

Great Work

chris hope

The students have recently been working flat out on a number of great topics, especially the My Place work already mentioned on this blog. However, I thought I’d show some work from two other topics we’ve been busy with. One of these topics was in our Health area and focused on acne. The students are about to literally burst forth with all the joys of acne, pimples and zits as they fast approach their teenage years. This topic was very apt and timely, with some good information and advice.

Another topic was based on our mini project and required the students to investigate their family tree. I have to say that I’ve had some amazing projects handed in with heaps of great information. The students had to ask parents questions about family migrations and the reasons their family migrated to Australia. This included the problems they had in their home country and the difficulties they encountered as they tried to migrate. The whole project tied in nicely with the emerging Australian Curriculum which requires students to research reasons people migrated to Australia. Who better to research than their own family? Enjoy the photos below.

Oriyah's Family Tree

Oriyah’s Family Tree

 

Ronan's Poster

Ronan’s Poster