Can you believe that we have just begun Term 4? How can the year go so quickly? Because of the holiday break, I would like to write about some of the Primary events from the last couple of weeks of Term 3.
We have had a visit from a group of people from a church in New Guinea who have a connection with one of our GCCC families. The Gabagaba Group gave performances of singing and dancing to the primary and some secondary classes and we were blessed to hear about their traditional life in New Guinea and enjoy their performances. We are once again grateful to Miss Devitt and her Hospitality team for providing afternoon tea for our guests.
Year 3 students had a fabulous time at Tunnel Ridge Ranch where they spent a couple of days at school camp. When I visited them one afternoon, they were so excited about the activities they had done – and loved the food! Camp food is not always to students’ tastes – but Tunnel Ridge Ranch is known far and wide for its tasty meals and snacks. I imagine there will be a more extensive report from the teachers and students of Year 3. We are so grateful to all the wonderful parents who helped supervise the day activities and the night time. Without your assistance, these younger students would not be able to have this wonderful experience.
The Primary Student Council raised over $600 on their BLUE DAY FOR ASTHMA in the last week of Term 3. This was a sterling effort as so many families are impacted by asthma and these funds will be used for research.
Mrs Mitchell and I attended a Friday/Saturday conference just before the holidays on using IT devices in 21st Century classrooms. We were delighted to be a part of this conference and have a clear vision of where we would like to be in the next few years with iPads or Macbooks being used as a learning tool for whatever task is presented. Sometimes pen and paper will be the best tool. At other times it will be an IT device. The key issue for us as teachers will be “What is the best tool to enhance learning?”
Finally, Year 1 enjoyed a wonderful day at the Caboolture Historical Society recently as a culminating activity for their Year 1 unit they have been studying. They came back so excited by the experiences they had enjoyed at their excursion.
May Term 4 bring a wonderful closure to 2013 as we fly through the 9 weeks leading up to the Carols Night (P-2), the Concert (Years 3-6) and all the other events which “punctuate” the final term of each year.
Cheryl Bryers, Head of Primary