NEWSLETTER9 August 2019 | Vol. 26 | No. 22

Primary Calendar - Term 3School Open Day Showcase 3-6pm .Aug 15Y7 2020 Expo Evening 5.30pm CLC ..Aug 15HRIS Athletics Carnival ................................Aug 16Kings Chess Interschool Comp ..............Aug 19Book Week ..................................................Aug 19 - 23HRIS Soccer / Netball Gala Day .........Aug 20Y5 & 6 Maths Competition ....................... Aug 21Book Character Parade 9.00am .........Aug 22Kindy Families at the Farm ........................Aug 28Father’s Day ...............................................................Sep 1

Secondary Calendar - Term 3Y12 Trial Exams ............................................Aug 5 - 16Y11 Geography Fraser Island Trip . Aug 11 - 14Y10 PDM Excursion .........................................Aug 13HRIS Junior Basketball ..................................Aug 14School Open Day Showcase 3-6pm .Aug 15Y8 Medieval Day ...............................................Aug 15Book Week ..................................................Aug 19 - 23Father’s Day ...............................................................Sep 1Y12 HSC Music Lizotte’s Performance .Sep 2Y10 Food Tech Excursion .............................. Sep 17

School Terms 2019Term 3 ......................................................Jul 22 - Sep 27Term 4 .....................................................Oct 14 - Dec 6

P (02) 4977 0200E admin@avondaleschool.nsw.edu.auW www.avondaleschool.nsw.edu.au

We believe that everyone has the capacity to be

creative, and we want to help students develop

their creative abilities while covering the mandated

curriculum in an authentic and engaging way. PBL

gives students a greater voice not only in their

learning but in the way that they learn, increasing

their intrinsic motivation. There is still a need for

explicit instruction with PBL to ensure students gain

the knowledge and skills required of them, especially

in literacy and numeracy. Teachers also get a deeper

understanding of the students’ literacy skills through

the PBL method, as student engagement increases

and they have more desire to learn.

We are currently working with the Association

of Independent Schools on Designing for

Deep Learning (DDL) which is enhancing our

implementation of PBL, especially the essential

skills of Character, Citizenship, Collaboration,

Communication, Creativity and Critical Thinking.

DDL brings validated tools to plan, teach and assess

these essential skills to take student learning even

deeper. Teachers have the opportunity to work in

Year Level groups with a trained consultant to embed

these skills into learning and teaching to transform

learning for the students. So far we have focused on

developing the skill of Character and specifically -

grit, tenacity, perseverance and resilience. It’s exciting

to walk into classrooms and see our students so

engaged in learning, encouraging one another and

having fun.

Our students are so important, and now, more than

ever, we need to be educating young people who

are ready, willing and able to tackle the challenges of

their lives and the world they find themselves in. We

are excited to be on this journey together with our

school families in 2019 and beyond.

Nathan HillActing Head of Primary

THE VIEW

opportunity to attack challenges they know are

important and will make their world better.

• Essentials - where students acquire the skill-

sets and mind-sets needed in an increasingly

innovative world.

• Agency - where students own their learning,

become self-directed and intrinsically motivated.

• Knowledge - what students learn is deep and

retained, enabling them to create, make and to

teach others.

At Avondale School we are developing and

implementing an innovative and engaging student-

centred approach to learning and teaching. It

encompasses these four aspects and students are

showing excitement for learning. All teachers in the

school have now been trained in Project Based

Learning (PBL) - a teaching method that makes

learning come alive for students. Over an extended

period of time students work on a project in a

curriculum topic that engages them in a real-world

context. Students demonstrate their knowledge and

skills by developing a public product or presentation

for a real audience. Along the way they develop

deep content knowledge, critical thinking and

communication skills. Projects are done individually,

in teams, by the whole class or in collaboration with

other classes.

Student Centred LearningTed Dintersmith, in his

book What School Could

Be shares that students

thrive in environments

where they develop four

key things:

• Purpose - where

students have the

SPORT

Avondale School Newsletter

GENERAL

CLASSTerm 3 Sport UniformKindy – wear their Sport Uniform on Mondays and Tuesdays.Years 1 & 2 – wear their Sport Uniform on Tuesdays.Years 3-6 – wear their Sport Uniform on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Athletics PresentationYears 3-6 Athletics Age Champions and Runners UpCongratulations to the following students who were named Age Champions and Runners Up at assembly on Monday:8 YearsChampions Millie G and Ruslan BRunners Up Silla H and Logan S9 Years Champions Darcie MG and Tommy BRunners Up Hannah T and Cooper S10 Years Champions Caitlin C and Xander HRunners Up Carissa L and Rylan B11 Years Champions Mahlia P and Lachlan CRunners Up Ava M and Jayden T12 Years Champions Emma P and Harry KRunners Up Skye W and Hayden ICongratulations also to Ben E for his 1st Place in the 2019 Avondale School Gift Race.

HRIS Athletics CarnivalFriday August 16The HRIS Athletics Carnival will be held next Friday August 16 at the Hunter Sport Centre at Glendale. Please return permission notes to Mrs Bentley in the Sport Shed by Monday August 12.

Year 7 2020 Expo EveningYear 6 Parents and Students you are invited to the Year 7 Expo Evening in conjunction with our Showcase Open Day on Thursday August 15 at 5.30pm in the Collaborative Learning Centre (CLC).The Expo will see a variety of experiences that your child will be involved in at the Secondary School. The Open Day Showcase will take place between 3.00 - 5.30pm where you will get to do a tour with one of our Prefects, sample food, be involved in mini interactive classes, see our Project Based Learning initiatives and a variety of innovative technology used to engage our students. There will also be musical items, drama performances, sections of a Medieval Day shown plus many other exciting things to look forward to. You will then transition into the information session specifically for our 2020 Year 7 Cohort at 5.30pm. We look forward to engaging with both parents and students to share some brief information about the Secondary School processes. The Year 5 and 6 teachers will be there as a familiar face and to help with a smooth transition. There will also be time to talk one on one with some of our leading Secondary teachers. Some light refreshments will be provided. Looking forward to meeting you in two weeks’ time as your child (and you) begin the Secondary School journey at Avondale School.

School PhotosPlease note that School Photos were sent home with your child today. If you’d like to order any group photos, you can do so online at www.advancedlife.com.au using the school code 7LJ 86X 7GD.

Learning About EngineeringYear 6 visited the Avondale Retirement Village this week to learn about engineering with some Newcastle Uni engineering students.

Avondale School Newsletter

3.30 - 4.30PM THURSDAYS in the iCentreA chance to:» do independent study» complete your homework» get some help with writing (just sorting that essay out!)» get some help with maths (even that tricky homework question!)» get some guidance on that assessment task you need to start!

ST E P UP

CLASS

Please note that it will not be running August 15 and September 26.

Year 7C Growing ‘Green’This week Year 7C Food and Agriculture class visited the Avondale Retirement Village Community Garden, affectionately named ‘The Veggie Patch’, to investigate what it takes to grow a successful vegetable garden. The experienced gardeners shared with students what they do in their garden, what to grow at this time of year and they passed on many ‘secret’ tricks about how to get the best out of the garden. Students really enjoyed getting out into the sunshine and for some, getting their hands dirty. We thank the residents who volunteered their time and expertise.

HRIS Cultural FestivalCongratulations to our students who participated on the HRIS Cultural Festival this week. Students in Years 9-12 worked together in a long day of rehearsals to deliver polished ensemble performances in the evening. Mrs White conducted the combined Concert Band, who performed brilliantly. We are proud of all the students involved in this excellent event.

LIBRARY Private Music TutorsAre you interested in having music lessons? We have many great tutors and instruments available to learn on. Please contact tutors directly to arrange lesson times.

PianoKylie Stacey (Simply Music, AMEB, traditional) / 0409 939 302Sandi Lowe / 0447 006 209Cybèle Coutet (AMEB) / 0423 455 977Jan Hughes / 4977 2037Henry Higgins / 0490 0404 308Sophie-Lee Johnson / 0490 451 781

VoiceCybèle Coutet (AMEB) / 0423 455 977

StringsHenry Higgins (cello) / 0490 040 308Esther Albert (cello / violin / double bass) / 0439 420 661

WoodwindsMeldi Arkinstall (flute) / 0413 548 985Fred Cracknell (saxophone / clarinet) / 0404 082 151

BrassFred Cracknell / 0404 082 151

GuitarJake Bisognin / 0400 389 612Toby Zeuschner / 0405 405 131Henry Higgins / 0490 0404 308Garry Lawler (group lessons / ukulele) / 0438 608 180

DrumsJames Dennett / 0401 549 084

Avondale School Newsletter

We value ...

compassion

A new $100 Creative Kids Rebate can be put towards the cost of registration, participation or tuition fees for creative and cultural activities such as music lessons with registered teachers. You can apply for an active kids voucher at Service NSW online or in person.

LEGO Masters Y2 ResultsThe Year 2 Lego Masters Competition has now finished. The students built many amazing designs making it very difficult for the judges! Congratulations to Jed M, Koby M, Koby P and Michael S with their winning LEGO creation - Animal Kingdom.

please email Mrs Lindsay on hlindsay@avondaleschool.nsw.edu.au

• The closing date for Term 3 Book Club orders is TODAY, Friday August 9.

K-9 PRCPlease remember that all completed PRC reading record sheets need to be returned to the library by Friday August 30, three weeks from today! Enjoy your last minute reading.

Book Week is Coming Soon!Our whole school Book Week celebration is from August 19-23 this year. There will be book-themed quizzes, competitions, storytellers, our parade, and Quizzical (Years 7-12). How is your costume planning coming along for our biennial K-6 Book Character Parade? Please remember to choose costumes that reflect the values of the school and especially avoid supernatural and violent book characters, and for obvious reasons, don’t bring along LIVE animals as part of your costume! A good rule of thumb to work by is if the library has the book then you certainly can dress as a character from that book. Please let the library know ASAP if you would like the library staff to find a particular book to go with your costume. We can’t help you find a book on the morning of the parade! This year our judges will be choosing five students with creative costumes from each Year Level, without ranking them, to receive awards and book gift vouchers. It will be great fun so parents and grandparents, you won’t want to miss it! Looking forward to seeing YOU in the MPC at 9.00am on Thursday August 22.

Scholastic Book ClubLast week K-6 students received Scholastic Book Club catalogues to bring home. Book Club is an opportunity for students to order books at great prices.• The catalogue showcases a wide variety of

books, with prices starting at a low $2.00. This is a great chance to plan ahead for birthdays and Christmas.

• Orders and payments can be made online or order forms and cheques can be sent to the iCentre.

• Please note that no cash payments can be accepted.

• If you would prefer to pick up your ordered books from the library yourself instead of them being sent home with your child,