Recently I have viewed the series ‘Adolescence’ which is currently screening on Netflix and is completely confronting and upsetting but very topical on various platforms. This UK four part series is superbly acted with the stunning technical feat of each 60 minute episode being filmed in one continuous take.
However the subject matter is raw and terrifying for parents and adults to view but it opens up important conversations that need to be had regarding on-line behaviour of our young people, cyberbullying, the influence of social media on adolescents and the pressure it places on many of them. It shines a light on the darker corners of the internet that our young people are exposed to. A world that parents and adults are grappling to understand and where parents often fail to grasp the true dangers. It highlights topics of online misogyny, toxic masculinity and violence and the helplessness of parents as they try to navigate parenting in a digital world that is so foreign to their own experiences of adolescent years.
Without going into the ins and outs of this series there is much that can be taken away from this powerful, traumatic and impactful story.
My take is.....
Parenting in 2025 is a hard gig and parents need to support each other, make connections, share resources and stick to their values and say no when it is necessary. We need to lean on each other, learn from each other, share and learn from our mistakes, share what works, be there for each other. Remember.........….it takes a village.
Cathy France
Principal
International Women’s Day Breakfast
On Friday Week 6 we had the opportunity to go to the International Women’s Day Breakfast, and it was such an inspiring experience! We heard from some amazing speakers, like filmmaker and documentarian Rachel Perkins, who shared her story of being an Indigenous woman. It was really eye-opening to hear about how her dad couldn't have led a group of students on the 1965 Freedom Rides—which highlighted the discrimination that existed against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people—without her mum. Her mum did lots of little things in the background, like supporting him when things got tough, helping him write essays, and quietly pushing for change without seeking the spotlight. Another speaker, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, talked about the importance of standing up for women’s rights and how we all need to keep pushing for gender equity.
One of the things we learned that really stood out was that globally, 1 in 3 people experience sexual harassment. That’s such a huge issue, and it made us realise how important it is to keep talking about these problems and raising awareness.
What we’ll take away from the breakfast is the idea of doing 1%. This idea refers to the concept of making small improvements every day. Tiny changes over time lead to significant progress. Even small actions, like speaking out or helping others, can make a big difference. It really inspired us to do more to raise awareness about gender equality and make a change in our own lives. We left the event feeling motivated to get involved and do our part to make the world a fairer place for everyone. - Maddie, Kim and Pearl
At the last Board meeting, one person was nominated for Life Membership of the school. Our School Constitution and Regulations state that… “a person shall be made a Life Member of the School as a recognition of consistent, long standing and excellent service rendered to the School by that person and such person shall be of good standing in the community and held in high regard by other members of the School.” Written nominations need to be submitted to the Board by four school members setting out the details of the nominee’s service. Nominations then need to be displayed for 14 days calling for any further written submissions supporting the nomination prior to the Board voting on the appointment.
Georgia Richmond has been nominated for a Life Membership. It is customary that Life Members are inducted at a formal presentation at the AGM. If you wish to support this nomination in writing please do so and submit it to the office by Friday 4th April.
Georgia has been nominated as a Life Member of The Hills Montessori School in recognition of her generous service to the school.
Become a HMSF Member!
We invite our community to join The Hills Montessori School Foundation (HMSF) and become part of our vision to sustain and support opportunities for young people into the future. Some current and past parents, students and staff have already joined the HMSF. It would be wonderful to see more of our community become members.
The HMSF has been established and is a mechanism for raising money to create security for Montessori learners of tomorrow. The other purpose of the HMSF is to provide a way for past students, staff and parents to stay connected with our school through events and get togethers.
We encourage current and past students, parents, staff, friends and supporters to become a member of the HMSF and enjoy a lifelong connection with The Hills Montessori School. We hope the HMSF will give everyone the opportunity to actively contribute to a community that represents part of their identity.
You can become a HMSF member by visiting the HMSF webpage https://www.montessori.sa.edu.au/foundation/ and completing the membership form along with a one-off payment of $150.
Make a tax deductible donation!
Alternatively, you might like to make a tax deductible donation before the end of this financial year. Again, you can visit the HMSF webpage at the link above to make a one off or recurring donation. 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 our school.
We invite our whole community to join the HMSF or make a tax deductible donation. https://www.montessori.sa.edu.au/foundation/
HMSF Member Event
The HMSF is hosting an event in Term 2 for HMSF members on Thursday 12th June. Invites will be emailed to HMSF members.
It is with sadness we farewell Nikki Green who has worked at The Hills Montessori School as a learning support assistant for the past 7 years. We thank Nikki for her work, care for her students and the contributions she has made whilst being at the school. Nikki is heading off to start a full time position as a hearing dog trainer. We wish her all the very best for the future.
We have been very busy in the Infant Program with painting, planting, and celebrating.
We had lots of fun putting our collaborative rainbow together, and it looks great up on our wall. We also absolutely loved finishing off our canvas for the Festival of Arts. The children enjoyed the feeling of the paint under the plastic and were always so excited to peel it back and see how the colours had mixed together.
We celebrated Harmony Week with some orange painting, creating a ‘Better Together’ chain, and some of the children contributed to the ribbon-tying display on the front fence.
We also welcomed our newest and youngest Infant Program friend at just two weeks old—congratulations to big brother August!
This term, we have been focusing on our bodies and how we use our senses to understand the world around us. Many Montessori activities help children refine their senses while also providing them with the language to describe their experiences.
Students explored their sense of touch by using the sandpaper tablets, carefully ordering them from roughest to smoothest. They tested their sense of taste with a cheese-tasting activity and engaged their sense of smell with the smelling bottles. Using their ears, they matched the sound cylinders, and with their thumbs, they felt the varying levels of resistance in the pressure cylinders.
The children have thoroughly enjoyed learning about their bodies and exploring this topic in a variety of hands-on ways.
The Cycle 1 community gave a fantastic performance at the recent sharing assembly, using sign language to sing "I Can Sing a Rainbow!". They were very enthusiastic about inviting the rest of the school and families to join in as well.
This term, we have been studying the cultural area of Botany, Seasons, and Weather, covering a variety of topics. So far, we have explored the parts of the leaf and flower, discussed and drawn different types of weather before making our own calendar, learned about the water cycle and photosynthesis, then planted vegetable seeds and herbs in our garden beds. We also observed the life cycle of a broad bean by growing our own from seeds.
To explore the concept of insect and wind pollination, the children created their own pollinators using recycled and craft materials, producing a lovely array of butterflies, bees, and even a bat. For wind pollination, they made ‘helicopter’ style seeds inspired by the story 'A Dandelion Seed', watching how they travelled on the wind before settling to grow again.
Hopefully, with continued sunshine, the children will soon be able to harvest some of the herbs and vegetables they planted earlier!
Maddy and Christine’s class has embarked on an exciting journey through space, exploring the wonders of our solar system! From the Sun at its centre to distant Neptune, students have been learning about Earth’s place among the planets and the celestial phenomena that shape our sky.
Through hands-on activities, they have examined the order and distance of planets from the Sun, the speed of their orbits, and even calculated their age. They have also observed and "caught" shadows, discovering that it is Earth's movement—not the Sun’s—that creates the illusion of the Sun crossing the sky.
Additionally, students have explored constellations such as Orion and the Big Dipper and designed their own star patterns. This journey through space has sparked curiosity, wonder, and a deeper understanding of the universe!
This term in Cultural Studies, the focus has been on Ancient Civilisations. As part of their exploration of early forms of communication, following on from the Montessori Great Lessons, students discovered Cuneiform.
Cuneiform is one of the earliest writing systems, developed by the ancient Sumerians around 3,500 BCE. People in ancient Mesopotamia wrote cuneiform by pressing a reed stylus into clay tablets, creating wedge-shaped marks. This script was used to record laws, trade transactions, stories, and more.
To practise, Cycle 3 students carved symbols and characters onto soft clay tablets, which were then baked to preserve the writing. In ancient Mesopotamia, learning cuneiform required memorising hundreds of signs and understanding their meanings, making it an essential skill for scribes and scholars. Cycle 3 students enjoyed creating messages and decoding each other’s writing using cuneiform symbols.
Bunting waves gently in the breeze, festoon lighting glows in the deepening half-light, and the steady hum of easy chatter fills the air—the Wairoa Twilight Market is on once more.
One of the highlights of our community’s year, the Twilight Market is the culmination of our students’ work and learning in their Term 1 Occupations:
We warmly invite you to join us at our Wairoa campus on Friday 4 April, 4:00–7:00 pm, for this vibrant showcase of Montessori adolescent education.
"Creativity is intelligence having fun." – Albert Einstein
The academic year has begun on a highly positive note across all Indonesian classes at the Yultiwirra and Wairoa campuses. A strong sense of commitment, connection, and creativity has set a dynamic tone, inspiring both students and educators.
Preschool and Cycle 1 students have enjoyed engaging activities such as playing games, listening to songs, and reading the Indonesian folktale There Are No Tigers in Kalimantan in English. Using animal puppets, they participated in a guided class play, acting out the story.
Through this interactive experience, they began recognising and mimicking basic vowel sounds and simple Indonesian words. They also practised reading, writing, and drawing pictures to demonstrate their understanding of the story’s meaning.
With the biennial Festival of Arts approaching, Cycle 2 and 3 students have been busy developing ideas for an impressive Indonesian Art Exhibition as a centrepiece in the school’s display.
Cycle 2 students enthusiastically explored a Batik-inspired theme, using their creativity to design unique patterns, shapes, and motifs on fabric. They carefully selected colours and practised techniques such as working with PVA glue and fabric paints to enhance their designs. Through this process, students discovered that Batik is more than just decorative—it carries cultural significance, often symbolising regional heritage, spiritual beliefs, social status, and significant life events such as weddings.
They also learned that Batik is an ancient textile art form traditionally created by women through intricate, multi-layered designs involving cycles of hot wax application. Today, men also craft Batik using stamps or moulds, blending traditional and modern techniques.
Cycle 3 students took part in an exciting creative project, making traditional Indonesian Topeng (masks) inspired by the classic Cerita Panji story. They explored the story’s main characters, analysing the meanings behind different colours and facial expressions. These elements symbolise human virtues and emotions, offering deep cultural insights. Through this experience, students also recognised the connection between language, cultural practices, and identity, further enriching their appreciation of Indonesian traditions.
Everything is coming together beautifully—be sure to look out for their incredible creations at the Festival of Arts!
Cycle 4 students focused on enhancing their proficiency in Indonesian through collaborative activities with peers and their teacher. They exchanged personal information to create ‘My Profile and Profile of Others’ in Indonesian, demonstrating an understanding of the cultural significance of appropriate forms of address when referring to ‘you’ and ‘he or she.’
To expand their vocabulary, students participated in engaging exercises, including games such as ‘Guess What’ (using pictures), scrambled letter challenges, timed word-finding tasks, matching song lyrics, online quizzes on Kahoot, and even preparing simple Indonesian treats. These activities seamlessly combined learning and enjoyment, fostering both linguistic competence and cultural appreciation.
On a personal note, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to collaborate across the entire school community this year. It has been rewarding to explore new possibilities, build meaningful relationships, and strengthen the positive profile of our long-standing Indonesian language program.
Topeng Reflections – Cycle 3 Students
We're particularly fond of the directional sign pointing ‘down bush,’ a nod to our beloved natural environment and one of the areas where we spend a lot of our time. These new additions not only help guide our way but also add a personal touch to our school, celebrating both our unique spaces and community spirit.
Harmony Week at our school was a wonderful celebration of inclusivity, respect, and belonging. Throughout the week, students engaged in activities that highlighted the strength found in diversity and the importance of cultural understanding.
To begin the week, each Cycle participated in a special ribbon-tying activity at the front of the school. Orange ribbons were tied onto a wire cutout of people holding hands and hearts, creating a powerful visual representation of unity. Big Brothers and Sisters guided our youngest students in this meaningful act, reinforcing the connections that make our community so special. A sea of orange filled the school as students and staff wore the colour to show their support for Harmony Week.
To conclude the week, students explored the many cultures that make up our global community through a flag-painting activity. This year’s theme, Everybody Has a Role, encouraged students to reflect on how diversity strengthens us all. As they painted, they were reminded that together, we are greater than, and greater for, the sum of us. 🧡
Our Festival of Arts evening is Thursday 27th March. This is a fantastic school event that brings together students, staff and parents from across our community. Artwork will be on display, arts and crafts activities will be on offer, performances and entertainment from busking students, as well as pre-ordered meals, desserts and bar facilities.
On Thursday 10th April we will hold our annual Community Breakfast in the school courtyard at Yultiwirra commencing at 8.15am. Keep your eye out for the pre-order form via Audiri. It is a wonderful way to come together as a school community to end the term. We hope to see you there!
A note will be sent home in preparation for our Term 2 Sausage Sizzle to be held in the 1st week of next term (Friday 2nd May). Orders must be in by the last day of THIS term. Community Connection Reps are organising and hosting this special lunch for the students to celebrate the beginning of Term 2!
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
The school has four outdoor patio gas heaters for sale. Rarely been used, in good condition. $80 per heater (without gas bottle)
Please speak to the office staff if you are interested in purchasing a heater.
