‘Authenticity requires vulnerability, transparency and integrity.’ Janet Louise Stephenson
newsletter
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Important Dates for Cycle 8, 2018
Monday 19th November First day of Cycle 8
Friday 30th November Kitchen Garden Volunteering (1.30pm)
Thursday 6th December Board meeting (6.30pm)
Friday 7th December Parent meeting (2.oopm)
Tuesday 11th December Concert of KVS Musicians (2.00pm)
Wednesday 12th December Triskel Presentation Night (3.45pm—7.00pm)
School Reports Home
Thursday 13th December Beach Day Cape Paterson (10.00am—2.00pm)
Friday 14th December Student Free Day
Graduation Evening (from 5.00pm)
Monday 17th & Tuesday 18th December Student / Parent / Mentor Interviews
Cycle 7, 2018
Birthdays
celebrated
in Oct/Nov
Ruby Alaska,
Nico, Dusk,
Flick, Jonah,
Aiden, Amy
School photo 2018
Jy
As delicious smells waft out from the oven, students roll bliss balls in coconut and chat about their week.
The Cooking PLP is now an ongoing PLP that students from Foundation to Level 6 can sign up for. It
involves creating tasty treats for our Friday morning tea that we share with the Bush Playgroup.
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This cycle, Levels 5 and 6 ventured into the world of business and economics. We began with looking at the differences between needs and wants, and how these might differ from person to person. We then looked at how needs and wants may influence where and why people work. We investigated how some economies around the world are now experimenting with implementing a four-day (or less) work week, and a Universal Basic Income (UBI). A UBI would mean that every citizen within a country would be given a government-funded income, regardless of socio-economic status. We explored how this concept differs to current government initiatives, such as Centrelink welfare. Students have been preparing to debate whether they believe Australia should implement a UBI or a four-day work week.
Levels 3 and 4 have been exploring the First Fleet and the circumstances surrounding convict transportation. We looked at life in London during the Industrial Revolution, and how a series of events led up to England sending convicts to Australia.
Level 2 students have been looking into the history of KVS. We gathered information from the Leongatha Historical Society and looked through old photos and evidence which showed us more about the history of the school and Koonwarra. We looked at the history of the school site and how Koonwarra Primary School may have differed from KVS in terms of uniform, buildings, lessons and what the students liked to do for fun.
Humanities by Scotty
Cooking PLP by Sarah
Each cycle the students will be
introduced to two new recipes
that we will then use each week
for that cycle. This allows the
students to become familiar
with a range of recipes, as well
as confident to make a range of
sweet treats. This cycle we
learnt how to make Sticky Date
Biscuits and Coconut Date Bliss
Balls. Yum!
Hannah
Koonwarra Primary School
Tahlia, Emelia, Ruby Alaska, Ruby Grace Kealy & Siera
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Sun Room by Kristen
We have had another fantastic cycle in the Sun Room. This cycle
we welcomed Bohdi back after his family holiday around Australia.
We have had a sparks focus on culture, which has also been the main
theme for our writing pieces this cycle. The children learnt about the
Aboriginal story of Tiddalick the Frog and paraphrased it, focussing on
punctuation and grammar.
In Specialist Maths, the focus was Statistics and Probability, with the
children conducting interviews with each other, collecting data and
graphing their findings.
In Art, the
children
have
created
symbols of
their own family cultures, explored colour
mixing and wood burned Australian animals.
Cassie, Aiden’s mum, held an information
session on Australian animals. The children
contributed with many facts they already
knew about a range of Australian animals and
learnt some interesting new facts.
The transition program for 2019 has been an exciting element of
Cycle 7. The new Foundation students have spent time in the Sun
Room, getting to know the space and each other and Kristen also
spent time with them at their kindergartens. 2019 Level 1 and
2019 Foundation students shared the Sun Room space later in the
cycle, where they buddied-up and had an opportunity to connect.
The 2019 Level 2s, bubbled with excitement as they had their
first transition day in the Triskel space.
Kitchen Garden Volunteering
Thank you to the kitchen garden volunteers (parents and students) that were able to make it to
the first afternoons in the garden. The garden is already showing the love! A big thank you to
Alison Taylor for coordinating. We will be continuing this each cycle, next date is 30 November!
Kimochi time
Charlotte, Connor & Quillan
Cassie’s info session on Australian animals
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Meet the Board Member Bec Cooke
Fin
What was it like for you as a child at school?
I loved school mostly, I went to two very large primary schools and a very large high
school. I did well academically but I often got told off for talking in class.
If you were a child at KVS, would you like this school. Why?
I would have loved to be a student at KVS as there would have been more opportunity
for me to learn about myself and the things that I liked doing rather than doing what
everyone was doing. The teachers at KVS encourage individuality and identifying
each student’s talents, I think that would have been really beneficial for me.
What other careers have you had?
I currently work as a nurse and have for the past 18 years in different roles, while studying I was a waitress, a check-out chick and I also worked in a butcher and fruit and veg shop.
Why did you want to join the KVS Board?
The opportunity
to become a
board member
was a way that I
could become
more involved in
the school and be
part of the
amazing journey
that KVS has
offered to our
boys.
What are a couple of your favourite things to do?
I enjoy going out
with friends,
camping with
family and
friends, and
entertaining
people at home.
Bec is a parent to Harri (KVS Student) and Mitchell (former KVS Student) and has been on the KVS Board since 2016
connections and discussing opportunities for future collaborations.
We were also joined by Cassandra Crane, who is part of a group
setting up the School of Cultural Education in Cockatoo. Cassie has
done one of her teaching placements at KVS, and is the person we
call on to help us create our colourful personalized school hats. An
invigorating and inspiring weekend was had by all!
Fiona, Lien (PIVS) Scotty, Kristen, Sarah, Craig (PIVS), Cassie, Bel, Jess (PIVS)
Scotty enjoying
QLD temperatures
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Evie Scarlett Matehya Asha
Dusk
Sol Ruby Alaska
Maeve Siera
Mergie Nico Flick Bella
5
Fin
PLPs next Cycle
Week three of this cycle saw five KVS and five PIVS students from Levels 5 and 6 heading off to Fitzroy Community School for our second visit. We arrived on Fete Day, an unplanned but happy occurrence! Before Craig (PIVS Mentor) and I knew it, two PIVS students (Tate and Xave) were running the drinks stand and Jonah was upstairs coordinating the Nerf game! Fitzroy students and staff were again extremely welcoming, including us seamlessly into their daily life. Highlights of the camp included our second time participating in the local rounders tournament, dinner on Rathdowne St, highly competitive downball competitions, exploring the terrace buildings of the school at night, reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.
Gathered in the Art Shed
Following on from the netball friendly against PIVS earlier in the year, Triskel students travelled to Wonthaggi at the beginning of the cycle to play a lively match of soccer against PIVS. KVS had enough players for two teams and students were able to rotate around the field trying out different roles. What sport will be next?!
Soccer Friendly with PIVS by Marni
Fitzroy Community School Camp by Marni
Exploring Fitzroy Tate & Xavier (PIVS)
Flick & Mila Jonah
Tahlia (KVS), Jasmine & Isabelle (PIVS) Aerin (PIVS), Tahlia & Lola (KVS)
Lola
Lizzie, Jensen, Flick, Greta, Georgia, Mila, Indigo A Asha, Emelia, Fin, Kealy, Nico, Tahlia, Tate (PIVS)
Basketball time
Miniature Log Cabin PLP by Belinda
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Cycle 7 was certainly a ‘mathemagical’ cycle with students covering money concepts in Number and measurement experiences in Spec Maths. The most memorable experiences
came from our measurement unit with students measuring their feet, estimating and taking mass measures as well as creating some measurement devices for capacity and volume. Some students also demonstrated using their measuring devices on Seesaw through a video. Older Triskels used wooden blocks to approximate the volume of two cylinders made from the same rectangular area, which yielded some surprising results. In Number, the same
Triskels have been working with percentages using the benchmarks of 50%, 25%, 10% and 1%. They’ve shown they can work out any percentage without a calculator. We’ve also been busy creating some simple financial plans using Microsoft Excel. One student created a plan for adopting some guinea pigs, and I’ve heard whispers that the plan may become a reality. It’s great when we can make Number relevant to our everyday lives!
Number/Spec Maths by Brent
In Cycle 7 students had an opportunity to explore the world of clay, with the very popular log cabins PLP. Students designed, constructed and painted a log cabin that could fit in the palm of their hand. The finished cabins looked amazing, and all had their own unique look, from a Viking style cabin, to a house disguised as a Rubik's cube.
A big thank you to Tayla and Sophie’s great grandma Coral, for helping out, and sharing lots of tips and tricks for working with clay.
Jensen Mak
Indigo
Sophie Matehya FIn
Ruby Alaska
Georgia
7
Crazy Collage by Mat Blackwell
Collage has many forms: some are highly labour-intensive multi-layers of textures and forms, while some are just cutting out a silly head and sticking it on the wrong body because it looks funny. Needless to say, I really enjoy doing the second kind – and the kids did too. It was such a popular PLP that it had to be split into two groups, and, right from the first moment, both groups were totally engaged. The concept was so simple – “make something that looks weird (and maybe funny)” – and yet open-ended, so everyone could interact with the collage on whatever level they felt capable, and in whatever direction
took their fancy. The resulting collages were all as different as the kids who made them, from tiny little “wrong head” pieces to sprawling odd-shaped pieces that boggled the mind and tantalised the imagination (and made me realise my own artistic limitations regarding shape and size). As well as classic surrealist visual juxtapositions, we also explored the same approach to words: cutting up words and turning them into strange poetry. If you’ve wandered into the Art Shed lately, you will have seen the fruits of our collective labour – so inspired were
the kids that we filled up two entire walls with our surrealist masterpieces! A fun PLP with empowering and hilarious consequences! We’ll definitely be doing this one again one day.