It was wonderful to get together as a community last Saturday 17 June at Howard Vineyard to celebrate the School’s 45th birthday and acknowledge the establishment of the School Foundation. As has previously been reported, The Hills Montessori School Foundation will assist the school in achieving our purpose to create security for the learners of tomorrow and a lifelong connection for our Montessori community.
We are inviting our community to be a part of this new and exciting venture and to become a member of our new HMS Foundation. The HMS Foundation will provide resources, funding and support through the provision of new and improved educational and learning facilities. It will also provide a way for current and past students, staff and parents to stay connected with our school through events and get togethers. The idea behind the HMS Foundation is for long term financial sustainability through the generosity of our past, current and future community as opposed to our short term annual fundraising endeavours or the annual building fund donations.
We encourage you to get involved by:
Online donations or Foundation Custodian memberships should be submitted by no later than the end of Monday, 26th June to ensure processing by the 30th June; or please contact the School after the 26th for the processing of credit card and direct debit transactions on or before the 30th June for tax offsets in the 2022-23 financial year.
Every gift, large or small, will help us achieve our vision to achieve financial sustainability and opportunities for our young people into the future. Your involvement and generosity will help us create an exceptional future for Montessori education and will make a difference for Montessori students of tomorrow.
Cathy France
Principal
“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago”.
We came together as a school community on Saturday June 17th, to commemorate The Hills Montessori School's 45th anniversary. Past and current staff, parents, old scholars, and Life Members joined us for this special occasion. It was wonderful to come together with a diverse group of individuals representing different eras in our school's history, all celebrating our collective accomplishments over the past 45 years.
Special thanks to Merilyn Kuchel, a former parent and current grandparent, Charlie Evans, a former student and current staff member, and Suzie Saffin, a current teacher and parent; who all shared their connection to The Hills Montessori School and what it has meant to them over the years. Thank you to our past and present school community who attended this fantastic day.
What a fun time it has been exploring all things green!!
Some highlights have been our green songs and stories, "Five green and Speckled Frogs", "Five Green Bottles Hanging on the Wall", "Where is the Green Sheep" and decorating our green gum tree with Australian Fauna.
Parents and children all enjoyed a special visit from Cycle 4 students who were engaging in their occupations' learning and they contributed very thoughtful activities they had designed for the children.
The children have continued to learn about the continents of the world through the continents map. The last few weeks have seen us listen to a variety of music, explore the many different animals, and look at the array of food people around the world eat. Children have explored the Continents by looking at artefacts and images, making flags, pinning and sewing the land masses and practising their fine motor skills through craft activities such as constructing a penguin and polar bear from Antarctica, painting a macaw from South America, and creating a dreamcatcher from North America.
An additional aspect of learning about the geography of the many countries has been the lessons on the landforms. This includes showing the children the differences between an island and a lake, a strait and an isthmus and an archipelago and system of lakes.
Cycle 1 students went on an exciting adventure to Adelaide Botanic Gardens to celebrate World Environment Day.
They had a fantastic time participating in two workshops that deepened their understanding of the natural world around them. In the first workshop, guided by Professor Flint, the students travelled back in time to learn about Australia's prehistoric wildlife. They discovered fascinating facts about ancient creatures that used to roam our land. From understanding their amazing adaptations to imitating their movements as they searched for food in the bushes, the students were captivated by the wonders of prehistoric life. In the second workshop, curious children explored the beautiful First Creek wetlands. Led by experienced guides, they discovered the important role these wetlands play in supporting diverse plant and animal life. They learned how these habitats help maintain biodiversity and why they are so special. Cycle 1 teachers and students would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the parents who volunteered their time to help out in this excursion to a busy event attended by hundreds of students from all over South Australia.
Providing children with a diverse repertoire of activities for developing knowledge and skills in both spoken and written language supports children to experience success and enjoyment with language in all its forms and uses.
One of the aims of the Montessori language curriculum for children in Cycle 2 is to use language to express identity, thoughts and ideas. We create opportunities for children to listen and respond to stories and ideas read aloud by teachers, peers and performers, develop active listening skills, read aloud to an audience, sing lyrics, perform, respond to questions, ask questions to gain understanding and clarification, express opinions and question points of view.
Some of the opportunities our class has had this term to express identity, thoughts and ideas have included: sharing written stories with each other down bush, creating claymation stories to share and view, sharing personal items and stories from home each week during show and tell, sharing work, music and messages at assembly, sharing ideas and facts at morning meetings, singing at assembly, performing at the music concert and leadership roles such as classroom jobs manager, show and tell manager and phone monitor.
It has been so rewarding to watch children in our class grow in confidence when sharing language with others and start to take up opportunities to share with the wider group and community.
Quotes from students:
‘I brought in my bone collection including a centipede exoskeleton and coral and a book on skulls to share’ Kai
‘It was really fun and felt quite good to perform at the music concert. It made me feel like I am supposed to be here’ Aurora
‘I like show and tell because you get to bring in really cool stuff to share. I like it when Lisa brings in her show and tell too’ Mae
‘On concert night I felt nervous, but I felt good afterwards’ Dolina
‘ I really like show and tell’ Soraya
‘When I was doing my performance at the music concert, I felt emotional when I made people feel happy. Some people had a happy cry’ Layla
‘I felt proud of playing my recorder at the music concert’ Holly
‘ I really like birthday celebrations in our classroom’ Emilio
‘ I was really excited to play my own song at the concert and I felt really good after’ Noah
‘I like sharing my special things from home like this ring I found at the playground once. I added streamers to it to make it special’ Josie
It involves both Cycle 3 classes working together to construct action teams based on their own interests. Small groups of students are then tasked with implementing an idea and sourcing the materials, work spaces and an adult mentor in the school to support their group. Many groups involve students from younger cycles by choosing to teach them a skill during lunchtime programs.
Some of the ideas from this year are: cooking lessons, arts and craft sessions, fitness sessions, implementing a worm farm, raising money through a bake sale and teaching whittling. This program is a highlight of Cycle 3 and is designed to lead into our community service program, where students will then venture into the wider community and provide service to a variety of organisations.
Wairoa is going Cabaret crazy as our Performing Arts Festival is just around the corner! Three fantastic plays are being tirelessly rehearsed, and costumes, sets, and technical elements such as sound and lighting are all being prepared by the students. In addition, each student is involved in a 'behind-the-scenes' team to ensure that the night runs smoothly, looks good, and sounds great - and also very importantly, all of the guests receive delicious nibbles on each of the three nights.
For those unaware, the 2023 edition of the Coffeehouse Cabaret is being held in the Yultiwirra Hall, on Tuesday 27th - Thursday the 29th of June; arrive at 6.00 for a 6.30pm start.Ticket sales for the wider school community are now open - refer to the Save the Date section below for ticket purchases.
Teaching staff at our middle school campus at Wairoa, together with some of the students, are taking up the Push-Up Challenge which runs throughout June. The Push-Up Challenge is a unique and fun way for people to encourage better mental health and wellbeing through connection, physical activity and education.
Their team name is Straight Outta Wairoa, and they are raising money for organisations such as Lifeline, which support those living with mental health challenges – an exceptional cause. Any donations can be made here: Straight Outta Wairoa Push-Up Challenge
This term we have focused on Indonesian Food, and Cycles 1 and 2 students have enjoyed cooking and tasting ‘Nasi Goreng’ (Indonesian-style fried rice) which allowed them to name the ingredients and utensils used and describe the cooking method and tastes in Indonesian.
They then reflected on the how food plays a role in people’s cultural identities and values.
In extending their literacy skills, Cycle 1 students performed a class play, adapting the popular story of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ into Indonesian. Cycle 2 students used online games such as ‘Blooket’ to build vocabulary around food and cooking, and created comic strips with simple conversations using ‘Pixton’.
Below are some students' comments about the cooking and tasting ‘Nasi Goreng’:
"I didn’t know that dropping one grain of rice is bad luck." Dallas
"I didn't know that in Nasi Goreng we could put sausages!" Johnathon
"You use spring onions in Nasi Goreng." Harriet
"The food reminds me of Mum and Barossa Valley." Florence
"Nasi Goreng’ reminds me of enchiladas." Scarlett
"Sushi and basmati remind me of Nasi Goreng." Aurora
"I would recommend the food to others because it’s really nice, even some street food is nice." Harry
"I would recommend Nasi Goreng to others because it is good to try different food" Zohair
"Nasi Goreng is favourful!" Mila W
Cycles 3 and 4 have complemented their language learning studies by looking at maps and data that compare Indonesia and Australia. There have been lots of interesting "Aha!" moments, and some Cycle 4 groups have even undertaken these discussions using Indonesian. We have looked at population distribution comparisons, for production, food consumption, geographical features and distances.
Here are some reflections from Cyle 3 students:
"Compared to Indonesia, Australia is bigger and has less islands. I didn't know that." Lucia
"I didn't know that Indonesia is close to Malaysia." Audrey
"I didn't know that Indonesia was so long." Mollie
"Compared to Australia, Indonesia is made up of way more islands. Wow, I didn't know that there was more sea than land." Jules
"Looking at the map, I learned about the Java Sea." Freya
"We learned that there is an island called 'Roti' which means 'bread.' " Mason and Joe
"Looking at the map, I learned that Jaya Peak is 5040 m tall." Chloe
During the first week of the school holidays, Australia will observe National NAIDOC Week (3 - 10 July) to recognise the history, culture, and accomplishments of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We encourage you to join in and engage with your local Aboriginal community through these exciting events:
Family Fun Day & March to Parliament House, Tarntanyangga Join the march from Tarntanyangga to Parliament House, followed by a family fun day full of food, market stalls, and music.
Date: 7th July Time: 10:30am – 3.30pm Location: Tarntanyangga (Victoria Square)
Nunga Screen 2023 Experience the films of emerging and established First Nations filmmakers at this free community event. Nunga Screen shares stories of love, friendship, healing country practices, of belonging, community, and culture. The film program has been carefully curated and is suitable for all ages.
Venue: The Summit Community Centre (Norton Summit) Date and Time:05 July 2023, 10:30am – 11:30am (family-friendly) 06 July 2023, 6:30pm – 8:30pm (mature content screening) Reserve your seat by clicking here.
A note has been sent home in preparation for our Term 3 Sausage Sizzle in the 1st week of next term (Friday 28th July). Orders must be in by the last day of THIS term. Class Parent Reps are organising and hosting this special lunch for the students to celebrate the beginning of Term 3!
The Adolescent Program presents the 2023 Coffeehouse Cabaret!
Tuesday 27th, Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th June at Yultiwirra Hall (Primary School).
6pm for 6.30pm (finish time around 10pm)
Come along for a night of great theatre, great food and great company!
Coffee, tea and delicious nibbles provided.
BYO other beverages (and glasses) and warm clothing - maybe even a blanket!
Tickets are available via the following link: Tickets HERE
Please note that this event ALWAYS sells out, book your tickets today to avoid missing out.
'Chookers' to everyone starring in the Hills Youth Theatre Players production of Little Women at the Stirling Community Theatre.
The play premieres on Friday 23 June and runs until Sunday 2 July. It stars five of our own students:
⭐️ Elizabeth Brennan
⭐️ Phoebe Ross
⭐️ Abigail Rayner
⭐️ Oliver Brosch
⭐️ Jak Daou.
If you're interested in seeing the production, tickets can be booked online: Purchase here
Looking for something to do in the school holidays?
The Adelaide 36ers July School Holiday Clinics are back. Facilitated by Community Coaches, 36ers legends and Current Players, their 2-day School Holiday Training Camps provide the perfect environment for tomorrow's basketball stars to hone their skills and learn from stars of the game. Available 36ers players will be in attendance.
For all details visit the website: Holiday Clinics with the Adelaide 36ers