ENewsletter

From the Principal

Did you know that when a child misses just one day of school per fortnight they miss 4 weeks of school per year which equates to one year of school over a child's school life?

Did you know that when a child is late and misses just 30 minutes of school per day that equates to 18 days of school per year?

There are many factors that influence student achievement, including teacher quality and student engagement. Attendance is also an important contributor to a student’s academic achievement – all school days matter.

Regular attendance ensures students do not miss crucial lessons and learning and consistent attendance helps develop social skills and connections with peers. Punctuality is an important quality to foster in children and young people and instils responsibility in our students, preparing them for future commitments and endeavours.

Arriving on time to school each day is a positive habit to develop from a young age. If a student is late by only 10 minutes a few times a week, the hours soon add up. Important learning and information is given to students first thing in the morning. Often social arrangements are made between peers first thing before school. Arriving at school on time helps settle and calm children and prepare them for the day ahead. It is vital that parents support and place importance on punctuality to help set their child up for success each day, and their future.

School Absenteeism Procedures - sickness

We ask that all families take note of the school’s absenteeism procedures and follow them to assist the school with the day-to-day running and administration of the school.

If a child will be absent for the day and parents/caregivers have not informed the school previously, parents are required to phone, email or send a message through Audiri to the school to let the school know the reason for the absence and length of the absence.

If a message has not been received by 9.30am on the day, the school will SMS or call to confirm the student's whereabouts. These calls are made for safety and legal reasons; however, the school really needs parents/caregivers to take on this responsibility and make contact on the first day of absence.

Any Yultiwirra students arriving late need to report to the office to advise of their arrival and to collect a late pass or they will remain marked as absent.

We ask parents/caregivers NOT to send their child to school if they are sick or have symptons of illness.

School Absenteeism Procedures – holidays or other

The law requires that all children who are 6 years old and over attend school. If families are wanting to take their child out of school during term time for family holidays or any other reason, this needs to be put in writing to the Principal seeking an exemption from school with the dates and the reason for your child’s absence. The Principal then has the discretion to grant an exemption from school for the specified period.

Please note the following protocol:

For a period of absence (for reasons other than sickness), if less than one week, an email to the Principal is required.

For a period of absence greater than one week, parents need to complete official paperwork in the office and this needs to be approved by the Principal.

Patterns of lateness and absenteeism can have a serious impact on a child's education and so we seek parent/caregiver support with this matter.

Cathy France

Principal

2024 Theme - 'The Year of Generosity'

As the school year begins, we extend a big thank you to all the volunteers who have generously committed their time and efforts to various committees. Your dedication is invaluable and greatly appreciated. Special mention goes to Anne Winter, who not only used to be a teacher in our school but also a parent. Anne has dedicated part of her retirement to volunteering throughout our school, her dedication and spirit of community is truly appreciated. Whether you're lending a hand in the library, assisting in classrooms, supporting reading initiatives, assisting at events or nurturing our garden, your contributions make a significant difference in the lives of our students and the smooth functioning of our school.

Swimming News

Courier Cup winners!

Congratulations to our 'Montessori Sharks' who competed in the Courier Cup last week. The team secured the 'Courier Cup adjusted total' for the second consecutive year, achieving the highest number of points with the fewest number of swimmers. Special commendation goes to Clancy, who also clinched the Thompson Cup.

The team comprised Cycle 3 students Elise, Bella, Avi, Oscar, Arthur, Clancy, and Ollie. A big thank you to the parents who attended and provided enthusiastic support with plenty of cheering!

Secondary Schools Swimming Championship 2024

Congratualtions to our Cycle 4 Middle School students Sid, Matilda and Harvey who all qualified for the Secondary Schools Swimming Championship on Monday 26 February at Marion Aquatic Centre. All three students competed across five separate events on the day, and all came away with Personal Best times across 4 events.

Cycle 3 and Cycle 4 swimming gallery

Middle School students Sid, Matilda and Harvey

Life Membership

It is at this time of the year that we ask our school community if there are any nominations for Life Membership of our 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”.

If you would like to nominate anyone who you believe is worthy of this recognition, please submit a written nomination to the Board. The nomination needs to be supported and signed by four school members setting out the details of the nominee’s service and reasons for the nomination. Nominations need to be displayed for 14 days calling for any further written submissions supporting these nominations prior to the Board voting on the appointment. We currently have twenty three Life Members of our school who have been bestowed this honour over the years. Life Members are usually presented with this tribute at our Annual General Meeting.

Written submissions need to be forwarded to the Board by Friday 15th March.

Naplan Testing

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Students enrolled in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will be participating in Online Naplan Testing in Term 1 from 13th March – 25th March.

NAPLAN is made up of tests in the four domains of Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and Numeracy.

All students are encouraged to participate in the tests. Involvement in testing against the National Benchmarks is linked with receipt of Government funding and we are therefore, as a school, obliged to participate. We view student participation as developing a “life skill” and teachers assist students in their preparation leading up to the testing week.

In previous years we have found that the results confirm what our own testing regime and professional judgment have identified, and thus we use the reports from this National Testing as part of our overall assessment practices. Results will be posted to the school and we will notify parents when we receive the reports so the results can be interpreted together with your child’s class teacher.

If your child is in Years 3, 5, 7 or 9 please notify the school if your child will be absent during the NAPLAN testing period.

All children in these year levels will sit the tests unless an exemption or withdrawal has been arranged prior.

If you do not wish for your child to sit the NAPLAN tests for philosophical or personal reasons, please come to the office to complete and sign a withdrawal form.

More information is available at www.naplan.edu.au

Cycle News

Infant Program

We have embraced the warm start to the year. Some highlights enjoyed in our Summer program include various water play activities, washing clothes and pegging them up to dry, playing with our special desert sand and our featured summer story, 'Looking for Crabs' with accompanied tweezing activity to transfer the crabs! We look forward to a cooler focus of Autumn for the coming weeks!

Infant Program gallery

Cycle 1 Preschool

This term the Preschool students have been learning about our continent, Australia. Our school, as part of our Reconciliation Action Plan, have committed to embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives throughout our curriculum. A significant part of our work has included learnings about the traditional peoples of Australia and some of their cultural practices, art and artefacts. We have particularly focussed on the peoples of local areas such as the Peramangk people of the Adelaide Hills, and the Kaurna peoples of the Adelaide Plains. We have been privileged to be able to learn about and see first hand some of the items used by our First Nations Peoples, which have been sourced from our school and staff collection. Students have observed these examples made by skilled hands and have then themselves explored concepts of weaving and expressing themselves through art, inspired by the original works of art displayed in the classroom.

Preschool Gallery

Cycle 1 Primary

Cycle 1 have been exploring the properties of water in its three states of matter. With hands on experiments, children were able to observe the physical changes in water in a variety of ways.

Children investigated the Water Cycle by creating a mini water cycle in a bag and were amazed to see condensation and precipitation in action.

They were also mesmerised by the effects of capillary action with silverbeet in coloured water.

Through these engaging experiments, children have not only refined their scientific inquiry skills but also developed a deeper understanding of essential concepts such as evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. By witnessing firsthand the transformative processes of water, students have gained valuable insights into the natural world around them.

"Silverbeet sucked up the red water.” Axel

"The water cycle in a bag is like a tiny rain. It was so cool!" Walter

"I learned that water can be solid, liquid or gas. Ice is solid water." Ned

"Bubbles are gas!" Jadriel

Cycle 1 Gallery

Cycle 2

" ‘Great lessons’, in the elementary [primary] class, are to set the scene for the mind to begin to act. They give an overall picture, they open up a view, they should ’fire the imagination’, ‘open a door’ ."

Dr Maria Montessori

This term we will be sharing all of the Great Lessons. After the second Great Lesson -'The Coming of Life' this week, imaginations were fired up inspiring lots of research ideas and question asking. Our class has spent time researching with reference books, chrome books and library resources, finding out facts and answers to our questions about all types of living creatures. Research has been recorded in many ways including posters, in books, dioramas and typed into google docs. We look forward to sharing our research with each other next week.

Quotes/Questions from students

How big is the biggest trilobite? 70cms and they have shells like armour to protect their bodies. Albie & Zeke

Do spiders live everywhere? There’s only one continent where spiders don’t live - Antarctica. Hayley-Jade

How big is a Spinosaurus head? Well, it’s 1.75metres long and its body is 14 metres long. Noah & Emilio

You can hear a lion’s roar from 8kms away, they are so loud. Sunny

There’s 120,000 different species of fly. Ellis

Caecilians looked interesting to research, they have so many different colours. Jack

Not so many people know about Dilophosaurus. They have neck frills to scare away predators. Henry

Pufferfish are omnivores, they eat plants and meat. Alice

Owls catch food with their sharp claws. Chloe

Whale sharks have tiny teeth. Eleanor

Cycle 2 Gallery

Cycle 3

Research is a key component of Cycle 3, and students in the 9-12 age find great meaning and engagement as they undertake this big work. Week 5 saw the students in Sam and Christine’s class begin to present their first research projects of 2024 to their peers.

The first project of each year is a free choice project and is presented in their project book. Students utilised library books and internet research to find information about their topic, source pictures and other visual aids such as life cycles or timelines. Following three weeks of project work, students are required to present their learning to the rest of the class. At the conclusion of each presentation two of their peers will give feedback to the presenter - “2 stars and a wish”. This feedback states two positives from their research and/or presentation as well as constructive feedback to consider for their next project.

This year we have seen a variety of topics including: Italy, kittens, Home Alone, Sabrina Carpenter, bees and trilobites.

As the year progresses, students have the opportunity to undertake research individually and in groups into areas of interest as well as delve deeper into curriculum areas that are being studied. Project work is a huge source of pride and learning for Cycle 3 students, as is learning how to present to an audience in an engaging manner with growing confidence.

Each student has done a fantastic job with their projects and we look forward to seeing the remainder of the presentations over the coming two weeks!

Last Friday Cycle 3 also ventured out to the city to take in a Fringe performance! We met up with Cycle 4 in Victoria Square for lunch and then walked over to Her Majesty’s Theatre to see the show “Guuranda”. The show was told through dance and music and tells the creation stories of the Narungga people.

The way they used the projector to make a silhouette was cool. - Chloe

I liked the dancing in the show. - Freya

The dingoes were my favourite part of the performance. - Bethany

Cycle 3 Gallery

Cycle 4

Occupations = Projects of Work and Learning

“Work on the land is an introduction both to nature and to civilisation and gives a limitless field for scientific and historic studies. If the produce can be used commercially this brings in the fundamental mechanism of society, that of production and exchange, on which economic life is based.” Dr Maria Montessori

As part of the Productive Garden Occupation, students have been busily tending their plots, learning plant biology and taking the opportunity for two excursions. Jurlique Farm opened their doors to share the techniques they use to cultivate their signature rose petal scent. Set in a beautiful hills location, this contrasted starkly with their visit to the Joinery. Here students were able to see just what can be done to produce quality and nutritious food in an urban setting.

“We give the child nourishing food so that [their] body may grow, and in just the same way we must provide him with suitable nourishment for his mental and moral growth.” Dr Maria Montessori

On Occupations Day indigenous greens farmer, Aaron from Crikey Tucker, shared with Feeding the Community students some of the native edible plants that have grown in Australia for centuries. Students learned where these plants grow, and their nutritional benefits, and were able to taste these uniquely Australian plants.

Last week these students visited the Central Markets to further explore fresh ingredients and to investigate each of their particular Tastes of the World cuisines: Afghani, Japanese, Indian, and Latin American. We’re looking forward to tasting their culinary creations at the Twilight Market.

“Productive work and a wage that gives economic independence, or rather constitutes a first real attempt to achieve economic independence, could be made with advantage a general principle of social education for adolescents and young people.” Dr Maria Montessori

Developing their financial literacy and exploring the questions, How do I make money? And once I have, what can I do with it? students in the Production and Exchange Occupation have embarked on a journey to establish their first small business to be launched at the Twilight Market. Working their way through idea generation, market research, branding and marketing, and point of sale considerations; hearing from guest speaker Chris from Bray Chan Chartered Accountants; and studying the ways that businesses manipulate our psychology to sell us their products that will soon be obsolete, these students are gaining a broad sense of their economic world.

Create 4 Adelaide @ the Adelaide Festival

The successful Create4Adelaide team of Cycle 4 students installed their multi-media artwork Aftermath in the Bicentennial Conservatory at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, and attended the opening event last Thursday afternoon. You can now view it on display at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. For more information visit: Create4Adelaide

Cycle 4 Gallery

Indonesian with Ellis - Cycles 1 & 2

Preschoolers are developing early literacy skills by practising greetings, farewells and responding to classroom instructions in Indonesian as part of their class routines. They participated in guided activities such as games and learned numbers up to ten, parts of the body and some colours. They imitated the pronunciation as modelled by the teacher and by listening to songs e.g ‘Panjang Umurnya’ (the birthday song).

Cycle 1 community class ‘sailed through’ the archipelago of Indonesia through pictorial board games visiting different islands, some popular places in the region and tourism attractions such as ‘wayang’, ‘orang utan’, ‘komodo dragon’, ‘kain ikat’ etc. From watching the folktale ‘The Origin of Surabaya city’ and the short clip of ‘Fenty’s Day’ about the life of an Indonesian girl from North Maluku they noticed that there are cultural practices in Indonesia that may be the same, or different from their own, such as daily, family and school routines.

Cycle 2 students described animals and clothing using the adjectives for colours and recognised that Indonesian and English have different word-order sentence constructions, for example ‘kucing hitam’ (means cat,black) and ‘topi merah dan kuning’ (hat, red and yellow).

Cycles 1 & 2 Indonesian photos

Indonesian with Lyndal - Cycles 3 & 4

Both cycles are taking advantage of our beautiful surrounds by incorporating the outdoors into our studies. Cycle 3 students gifted Cycle 4 students with a film that describes animals that they have made out of nature. In response, Cycle 4 students are making a similar film but with points of extension.

Additionally, in acknowledgement of our Year of Generosity, Cycle 4 students are using Wednesdays to rehearse a set of plays that they will ultimately present to our Cycle 3 students and maybe to other hills students of Bahasa Indonesia.

As part of cultural reflection, Cycle 3 students listen to a reading of the junior novel Berani in the Bush, where their hands quietly make mandalas and their minds make connections about the challenges and joys of being a wealthy Indonesian girl, a poor Indonesian boy or a captive Indonesian orangutan! This is a very organic and rewarding part of our learning.

Indonesian Gallery

Cultural Understanding Committee News

We are thrilled to announce the newest members of our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Committee. Welcome aboard to parent volunteer, Jo Bradbrook, and Cycle 3 and Cycle 4 students, Bella Pitt, Olivia Green, Hazel Whitson, and Pearl Rooney. We also extend our appreciation to our continuing members, whose dedication and hard work have been the backbone of our committee's progress. Together, we are committed to advancing reconciliation through education, understanding, and shared experiences. With a host of exciting activities and initiatives in the pipeline, we look forward to not only learning from each other but also making a meaningful impact. Stay tuned for updates.

Term 1 Chats

Yultiwirra parents have been emailed a link this week that will take them to the “Interview Schedule Portal” for booking a Term 1 Chat and details of how to make this on-line booking.

Wairoa Term 1 Chats – parent/teacher/student interviews are being held this week (Monday 4th March - Wednesday 6th February).

Yultiwirra Term 1 Chats – parent/teacher interviews will be held in Week 8 (Monday 18th March – Friday 22nd March).

Parents who do not have access to a computer can phone or come into the office to make a booking.

Free creche will be offered to Yultiwirra families for students 3 years and older. Bookings are essential and can be made via the eForm on Audiri.

Slow Down!

Recently it has been observed that some adults are driving way above the speed limit in our car park, both in the morning and at pick up time.

Please be mindful that the speed limit is 10kmph as it is a shared zone and we all need to be mindful that children are present and some are still learning to 'look before they cross'.

Running Club!

Every Friday morning 8am - 8:30am starting at the Wairoa Campus: 142 Mount Barker Road, Aldgate.

Everyone is welcome to join the running club, from Cycle 1 to Cycle 4, including parents! The running club meets at the Wairoa campus, on the basketball courts and runs a 500m circuit track. Run or walk, all fitness levels welcome. It is very much about having some fun while getting fit at the same time. At 8:30am parents will need to transport their children over to Yultiwirra (Primary campus).

Hope to see you there! - Attila Nandori - PE teacher

SAPSASA - Hills Carnival Nominations 2024 - NOMINATE NOW!

Nominations are open to students in Years 5 and 6 who wish to be considered for selection in SAPSASA District Teams. The trials which are coming up are for:

Boys and girls hockey teams
Boys netball teams
Girls cricket teams

Contact Attila for more details, or alternatively refer to the link here to nominate and find out more information SAPSASA nomination form.

Snippets with Susan - Monday 25 March 9.15am

Join our Assistant Principal Susan Harris Evans for sessions that explore a range of topics relating to learning in our school and ways to support your child at home. The sessions are 20-minute ‘bite sized snippets’ of information and informal discussion for parents.

Coming up on Monday 25 March at 9.15am (right after school drop off) in the Yultiwirra Common Room, the first session is titled: Understanding the Montessori Advantage: Exploring Preschool, Cycle 1, and Beyond

Join Susan on Monday March 25 to explore the distinctions between Montessori Preschool and Cycle 1, in comparison with traditional childcare and Junior Primary education. Discover the fundamental differences in environment, staffing and educational approach that set our Montessori programs apart from conventional childcare settings. Delve into how Cycle 1 (Reception and Year 1) diverges from standard Junior Primary classrooms, gaining insight into the unique benefits and learning experiences offered at The Hills Montessori School.

Please register your intention to attend at the school office or complete the online RSVP through Audiri.

Parent Education Opportunity - Tuesday March 19

In Montessori primary education, all curriculum areas are covered. However, Montessori delivers this content differently by providing a “Big Picture” to demonstrate how the sciences, art, history, language, mathematics, and geography are interrelated. This is called Cosmic Education, simply meaning “relating to the universe”.

Cosmic Education is the unifying element of the Montessori curriculum for children aged 6-12 years, highlighting the interconnectedness of all subject areas. It is a fundamental aspect of holistic education as it helps the students to understand their place in the world and how they can contribute to a more sustainable future.

We encourage parents to attend the upcoming online workshop on "Cosmic Education - Explained to Parents". The workshop will be held on Tuesday 19th March from 7.30pm - 9.00pm ACDT. This workshop focuses on Montessori education in the primary years and is being presented by Montessori Schools and Centres Australia (MSCA). The Hills Montessori School is a MSCA member. Click on the link to access member discounted prices.

MSCA Member Tickets $25.00pp | Non-Members $35.00pp

Save The Date(s)

Open Day - Tuesday March 12

Please feel free to share our Open Day details for the Yultiwirra campus (Infant, Preschool, Primary) which takes place on Tuesday March 12. Alternatively, if you would like to further explore Cycles at our school from Infant Program, Preschool, Primary or Middle School years, you are more than welcome to book into any of our Open Days at the link here: Open Day bookings

Sharing Assemblies

We wish to invite all parents/caregivers to our “sharing assemblies” this term held at Yultiwirra campus, where students will have the opportunity to share their work with the rest of the school. Please make a note of the dates and place them in your diary.

Friday 8th March at 10.00am – Cycles 1 & 3 sharing

Thursday 4th April 2.30pm – Cycles 2 & 4 sharing

Community Breakfast - Thursday 28 March

On Thursday 28th March 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. We hope to see you there!

Follow us on Facebook!

Have you visited our Facebook page? Facebook is another way we communicate with parents. Follow us on Facebook to keep up to date with school community news, events and activities. You might also like to let grandparents and friends know so they can also enjoy the news, photos and updates!

Search: https://www.facebook.com/thehillsmontessorischoolaldgate

Diary Dates

Term 1 2024

Thursday 7 March

Year 6 Leadership day

Foundation Board meeting 6.00pm

Friday 8 March

Sharing Assembly - Cycle 1 & Cycle 3 - 10.00am

Monday 11 March

Adelaide Cup Public Holiday

Tuesday 12 March

Yultiwirra Open Day 10am - 12 noon

Finance committee meeting 6.00pm

Wednesday 13 March

NAPLAN testing period begins - Years 3, 5, 7 & 9

Cultural Understanding committee meeting 4.00pm

Wellbeing committee meeting 4.00pm

Wed 13 March - Fri 15 March

Cycle 4 Orientation Camp

Mon 18 March - Fri 22 March

Yultiwirra Term 1 Chats

Tuesday 19 March

I & PC meeting 8.00am @ Wairoa

Board meeting 7.00pm

Monday 25 March

NAPLAN testing period ends

Snippets with Susan - 9.15am

Wednesday 27th March

Parent Rep Meeting 2.30pm

Thursday 28 March

Community Breakfast @ Yultiwirra 8.15am

Friday 29 March

Good Friday

Monday 1 April

Easter Monday

Tuesday 2 April

Fundraising meeting 2.00pm

Marketing committee meeting 4.00pm

Wednesday 3 April

WHS committee meeting 4.00pm

Thursday 4 April

Sharing Assembly 2.30pm - Cycles 2 & 4 sharing