On Thursday 12 June we held the annual Hills Montessori School Foundation (HMSF) members event at Wairoa.  A small number of HMSF members attended and it was great to catch up with people and reconnect.  

The HMSF Board President, Paul Daly, opened the event by sharing some of his philosophies on life—one being, "The more you put into life, the more you're likely to get out of it." Paul went on to reflect on how this principle has applied to his long-standing association with The Hills Montessori School since 2008.

He declared, 'These philosophies apply to the wider community.  The more a community gives, the stronger the community will be. My personal view is that HMS is one of the best schools in the country. I'm convinced that one of the key reasons for this is because the community is so strong.  The staff and volunteers consistently put in far more than the call of duty, working hard together in a kind, compassionate way towards a common goal.  The parents and caregivers consistently turn out to support the events as do many of the old scholars who continue to maintain their relationship with the school.'

Following Paul we were delighted to hear from our guest speaker, Bec Francis.  Bec is a past parent and Board member, who was heavily involved in Fundraising at our school and is now a Life Member and HMSF member.

Bec talked about the impact that HMS has had on her and her family's life.  She talked about many of the fundraising events and the support she provided classes whilst her daughter Mackenzie was at the school. She talked about this as .......'the bits of me that I knew how to give that would enrich the world in which my daughter would grow and learn.' 

She shared that HMS gave her daughter (who has just finished university) lasting friendships and the freedom to be herself and do brave things.  For Bec's late husband Simon, the school fostered his passion for calligraphy and sign writing (which he used at many school events) and his legacy lives on with the Cycle 3 courtyard he designed and the choice of trees that were planted around the admin building including his favourite, the ginko tree.  For Bec it also gave her lasting friendships and the impetus to move from a career in architecture to now a career in film.  She shared, 'Our family's culture has had at its core the imporance of being part of something that is bigger than yourself'.  We are truly grateful for Bec and her family's contributions over the years and we thank her for sharing her story.

If you are interested in joining the HMS Foundation and staying connected with our school or helping to maintin the longevity of our school for generations to come or wish to make a tax deductible donation, please visit:

Cathy France

Principal

We’ve been having such a lovely time in the Infant Program, developing beautiful relationships within our community.

The cold and rainy weather hasn’t stopped us from enjoying our outdoor environment, but it has meant we’ve been spending more time indoors, keeping busy with our favourite activities.

We’ve been exploring the colour blue and bringing it into our sensory experiences—making some blue gloop was especially fun!

One of our beautiful families also brought in fresh homemade sourdough and plum jam. We all got to enjoy the delicious treat and had a turn at spreading our own butter and jam. Thank you so much, Eleanor and Heidi!

Connecting children with their community and the wider world has been a key focus this term.

We began by exploring land and water forms and identifying them on the world map. The children enjoyed pouring water into the various forms, observing how land can be surrounded by water or joined by it. With just a small amount of water, they were able to create a system of lakes, deepening their understanding of geography in a hands-on way.

We also introduced different cultures from the seven continents—making flags, exploring the variety of animals native to each region, and working with puzzle maps to learn the names and locations of different countries. A large part of experiencing another culture is through music, stories, and especially food. The children loved preparing and sharing traditional dishes from around the world. They made sushi and explored a variety of spices when learning about Asia, guacamole from South America, lamingtons from Australia, and pizza from Italy in Europe.

These rich, sensory experiences have helped nurture a growing appreciation for our diverse world.

Children in the Cycle 1 community have enjoyed experimenting with a wide range of visual arts processes, conventions, and materials to create their own still life artworks.

We began with simple graphite pencil work to practise the skill of observation—‘drawing what we can see’—with a focus on contour lines and shapes. We created silverware inspired still life work using charcoal to explore tone: using the broad side of willow charcoal for mid-tones, cotton pads for blending darker tones, and erasers for highlighting.

Students then explored colour theory, using watercolour paints to colour-match traced drawings of photographed fruit, and completed a range of sketches using coloured pencils. A highlight was the joy of colour mixing when painting bouquets of flowers. Students were given only the primary colours and white, and had to mix their own secondary colours to match real bouquets.

Currently, we are exploring mixed media collage inspired by American artist Polly Jones. This has included layering newspaper, patterned paper, and other textures beneath painted elements. We’ll finish the term by creating our own still life sculptures using plasticine, pipe cleaners, and tissue paper.

Throughout the term, students have loved working in their own sketchbooks and drawing inspiration from a variety of natural and manmade objects—fruit, vegetables, vases, and everyday items. Many have also enjoyed sharing stories about family members or friends who are ‘artists’.

“Still life art is something still that you can paint because it’s still enough for you to paint.” – Elara

“Polly Jones uses newspaper, spotty paper and other sorts of paper. She puts it down and paints over it!” – Axel

“She likes painting white and blue patterned vases.” – Abby

“She likes painting flowers.” – Frances

“She doesn’t just use pencils or paint; she uses everything in her art.” – Sage

“I learnt how to draw a vase! You can use crayons, paint, paint pens and layers of things.” – Hawk

“I love doing art.” – Rafferty

“I like drawing and the most important thing about doing everything is having fun.” – Tui

Cycle 2 students work with at least one part of the maths curriculum every day during our morning work cycle. This regular engagement helps to develop abstract thinking, introduce new mathematical concepts, and foster a love of learning.

Students begin with a hands-on, tactile approach, using materials such as the Stamp Game, Checker Board, Test Tubes, and Bead Bars. Manipulating these concrete materials helps build a strong foundation in mathematical principles. Our class also participates in set ‘Minute Maths’ sessions each week—short activities designed to support the memorisation of basic maths facts.

Students work to deepen their understanding of numbers, including large numbers. Through concrete materials, they explore the four operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. With repetition and practice, students move from using materials to memorising maths facts and applying more abstract methods with confidence.

This term we’ve also had a focus on Geometry. The word geometry comes from the Greek words for earth and measurement—literally meaning ‘measuring the earth’. Our class has enjoyed a range of presentations, including:

• Parts of an angle – learning the names and functions of the vertex, sides, and the angle itself

• Types of angles – understanding right, acute, obtuse, straight, and reflex angles

• Constructing angles – using the Stick Box to explore how angles are formed

• Measuring angles – using protractors and learning about the sum of angles in triangles and quadrilaterals

• Real-world connections – identifying and recording angles in our school environment

The students particularly enjoyed discovering how geometry connects with the world around them.

“I love Geometry, I want to learn much more about angles.” – Yushe

“I know that if you add up all the angles in a triangle they add up to 180 degrees.” – Angus

“I really loved learning about angles—it is really fun.” – Eleanor

“Acute angles are cute and little, that is how I remember them.” – Hayley-Jade

“A straight angle is just like a straight line.” – Walter

“I found 1020 right angles in the Stamp Box!” – Chloe

“There are so many right angles in our classroom.” – George

“I can’t wait to start on Test Tube division.” – Cooper

This term in Science, Cycle 3 has been learning about the elements of the periodic table and the states of matter.

Students ‘adopted’ an element to research, finding out its atomic number, atomic mass, characteristics, and interesting facts. They then had the option of presenting their work to the class and also made a model of their chosen atom.

Students have also been conducting experiments to aid their understanding of chemical reactions and the states of matter. Sam and Christine’s class showcased one of these experiments at the last sharing assembly. The experiment combined a solid (bi-carb soda), which was placed in a balloon, and a liquid (vinegar) in a bottle. When the balloon was stretched over the top of the bottle and the powder fell in, a chemical reaction occurred, creating the gas carbon dioxide. This caused the balloon to inflate, which was very exciting for the audience!

“There are 118 known elements in the periodic table. The first 94 elements are naturally occurring, while the remaining 24 are man-made.” – Zohair

“Some elements are very stable, like helium, which is a noble gas that doesn’t usually react with anything. Some are highly reactive, like sodium, which can explode if it touches water!” – A’isha

“Each element is made of one atom. Atoms are made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. Here are some 3D models of different atoms that we have made.” – Soraya

It’s coming home! At Wairoa, we’re fortunate enough to have a beautiful, multipurpose place to work and learn, and we are making the most of that this year by hosting Cabaret in its original space.

Embracing the intimate style of cabaret, we’ll be hosting our guests at smaller, fewer tables, allowing for greater audience interaction and engagement. The two plays on offer this year are:

Murder Malodorous

This hilarious comedy is a parody of the English murder mystery. Blending traditional murder mystery elements, try to uncover the truth behind these crimes through questionable experts Hemlock Bones and sidekick Doctor Whatnot.

All the Ways the World Will End (But Not You)

Let TED talk hosts Megan and Able be your guides to surviving every possible apocalypse. From blatant robot take-overs to dysfunctional zombie survivalist groups, from cute and deadly alien invasions to... bloodthirsty kittens? Okay, so the post-apocalyptic world will be a little confusing. If we make it. Which we probably won't. But this play will help! We promise.

Cabaret is a showcase event, not only of our students’ abilities on stage, but also of their abilities to be flexible, resourceful, and compassionate collaborators. Our students host; perform; run sound and lighting; create props, costumes and sets; cater; and produce publicity materials. If it gets done for Cabaret, a student is doing it.

Our Coffeehouse Cabaret is rich soil for student growth, and many of our students cite it as a formative part of their time with us. 

"Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things but learning another way to think about things." — Flora Lewis (a trailblazing American journalist renowned for her insightful reporting on international affairs during the 20th century)

At HMS, we see language learning as more than just lessons—it’s an invitation to connect, reflect, and apply knowledge in purposeful ways. This term students embraced several opportunities to extend their Indonesian language skills beyond the classroom.

Some Cycle 2 and 3 students explored Indonesian stories through the Premier’s Reading Challenge – Indonesian Competition, engaging with texts that deepened both language and cultural appreciation. In Cycle 4, several students worked collaboratively to script and produce original videos on the theme of sport for the national NAILA Indonesian Speech Competition. These projects not only demonstrated their growing fluency, but also highlighted the confidence, creativity, and teamwork that flourish when learning feels authentic.

It is always rewarding to see students use language to express ideas that matter to them—because that’s when the learning truly lasts.

“It was fun to read an Indonesian story because it is different from the stories I usually read.” – Juna

“PRC expanded my knowledge of different regions in Indonesia such as Java and Sumatra.” – Aurora

“I am really proud of my NAILA script. It’s my first time participating and I’m looking forward to the upcoming result.” – Shiba

Have you got something that you would like to donate for our silent auction for our Quiz Night in Term 3?

We appreciate all donations from our school community to help make our Quiz Night a big success.  Also, you may know of a business that would be happy to donate a prize or silent auction item?

We are also after donations of bottles of wine for our wine auction.  Please drop any donations to the office.  All funds go directly to the school.

A note and link has been sent home in preparation for our Term 3 Sausage Sizzle in the first week of next term (Friday 25 July).  Orders must be in by the first day of NEXT term (Tuesday 22 July).  The Community Connection Group is organising and hosting this special lunch for the students to celebrate the beginning of Term 3!

Following a discussion at a recent Community Connection Group meeting, the school has made a decision to partially subsidise the costs of the Humanitix booking fees associated with the termly sausage sizzle. You'll notice a slight increase in price of the sausages (to $3.50 each), however ongoing you won't be charged any Humanitix booking fees for our Yultiwirra Sausage Sizzle.

Have you visited our Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn pages? Social media is another way we communicate with parents.  Follow us to keep up to date with school community news, events and activities. We also aim to use our social media to help develop your understanding of the Montessori Philosophy. You might also like to let grandparents and friends know so they can also enjoy the news, photos and updates!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehillsmontessorischool.sa/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehillsmontessorischool.sa/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-hills-montessori-school-sa