LEARNING INTENTIONS IN MATHS-POSTED BY AMBER

This term we have been using learning intentions. Learning intentions are statements that help guide us throughout the lesson. If we were focusing on multiplying double digits, the learning intention might be, "We are learning to multiply double digits and apply them in a mental and visual way." We use the learning intentions in many things, especially maths. The learning intentions help all of us to know what we are focusing on and keep us on track. At the end of the lesson we go back to the learning intention to see if we have achieved what we were hoping to. I personally think that learning intentions help me to stay an track and to raise the bar.

Learning Intentions from Marg Yore on Vimeo.

CONFIRMATION REFLECTION DAY

STUDENT REFLECTIONS


Confirmation from Marg Yore on Vimeo.

The silence....the interest...the stories...the wonders..feelings..knowledge...places...the learning...experiences...

I felt there was  avery different approach to today's learning. I loved listening to the stories of all the trips to Uganda.

I had so many questions and they were answered. We have chosen to bring the Good News!

This day was amazing because it really connected to me, my family and the class. The most amazing part was hearing the story about how the gorilla touched Paul's heart...when he touched his hand. This was an amazing day that really gave us the idea of what we need to know and also how we should be thankful.

The reflection day was such an amazing experience...I could feel what he (Paul) was feeling and all his amazing experiences really touched me. He taught us so much...the great things he had experienced and how to help others.

Today WAS and "awesome" day. It was very different to past experiences. At the Holy Cross Monastery, our presenter, Paul, talked to us about his experiences, working with children in Uganda. He had some symbols from Africa such as a vest made from bark, a giraffe, a nativity scene made form leftovers and a special garment. Also Monsignor Curtin talked to us about the ceremony and the gifts of the Spirit. We discussed social justice because of its strong connection to Confirmation.

I think Paul was very passionate about his work. he was touched by a gorilla coming over to him and holding his hand..then he (the gorilla) shoved him over and sat in his spot eating the vegetation!

Guest Speakers-Bahay Tuluyan

A few days ago, we had some visitors from the Philippines. There were two past students, Gary and Aisa. There was also Catherine who runs the organisation.

We learnt:

• if you are reading this, then you are in the top 8% richest people in the world.
• if you have a bed, a closet, a fridge and a roof over you head, then you are in the top 20% of the world's richest people.
• that we have everything we need, but others don't (we have more than enough)
• that we can change the world within our generation, and even in our life time!

Everyone was amazed with everything we learnt, and now we are hoping to help change the world to become a better place. We now know that if we donate a few un-needed things, we can change someone's life for good. The school is now trying to raise money for many other organisations.

The most enjoyable, but emotional part of the day, was when Gary and Aisa put on a play. It was about both of their lives in the Philippines and how it changed their lives when they were given shelter and an education. We were shocked on how they lived their lives and how grateful they are for "Bahay Tuluyan" - which means house of welcome.

Here is a rough picture of what it may look like in the Philippines. Many people are begging for the chocolate, as we pretended it was real food. We learnt how hard it was for them to get food, and how sad it was too. This activity made us feel really lucky and selfish too...since what we have is unimaginably much more of what they have.

By Simon and Mairead

WISE OWLS ....POST by Nic and Joe

Last week for art our class created owls. The reason we were on this topic was because of the recent individual goals we set for this term and year. The seniors have spent three weeks designing and making these masterpieces. They represent wisdom and deep thinking. By Joe and Nic.
Wise Owls from Marg Yore on Vimeo.

RED CROSS FUNDRAISER

RED CROSS ACTION

Today some of our senior girls put into place an action that was inspired by our religious education research into aid organisations. We raised money for Red Cross Australia. To raise the money we drew a chalk cross on the pavement and asked the students to put their coins in the cross. Today we raised a good amount of money and we are still going to continue through out the week. We will let you know how we go!
P.S.  We raised $99.80 and our teacher rounded the amount to $100....thanks and well done everyone.

Student Blogging Challenge - Guest post by Mrs Coffa

At the moment we have our third group of Senior students working their way through the Student Blogging Challenge.  Last year in March and September and again in April this year, almost 50 of our students have created their first blog, personalised their pages, written posts, added widgets, and responded to others by way of comments.  They have learnt so much!  They have connected to so many other bloggers and created wonderful blogs.  I have had the privilege of mentoring students from other schools (and countries) who are also participating in the challenge.  

As part of Challenge 8, I have been asked to mention a few posts from this round.  It was really hard to pick just a few as so many students are working so hard, so I just randomly went through the participants list and chose a few. 

Tarah's Blog post on Challenge 3 about the Three R's based on the Earth Hour theme.  Tarah write clearly, explaining herself very well and used an attributed image . 

Hailey's Post on Basketball for Challenge 2 in the Free Choice section.

Amrita's response to the Secret in the forest Challenge No 5.

Amber's creative use of a spare sock and use of ToonDoo for Challenge 2.

I was also really impressed by Simon's post last year as he shared his first draft of his writing - asking for ideas, before it was finished.  I really like the idea of blogs being used to ask for help and not just showcasing our finished work.  Simon was lucky enough to get some great ideas from an author who read his draft ! 

Conor wrote a very emotive piece in last years challenge on a 'My Place' theme and I loved the comments he received. 

This process made me think about "What makes a good blog post?" My list would start with the following :

1. Characterful - letting the author's personality shine through
2. Easy to read - not too much or too little writing and of course correct spelling and punctuation
3. Sharing - whether it be an idea, a piece of writing, artwork or a question - blogging is about connecting with your reader, so a good post shares something
4. A simple graphic or image to make it appeal to the eye (of course the owner will be attributed!) 

What would you add to my list ? 

ANGEL OF KOKODA by MARK WILSON

Today's responses are to the poignant story, Angel of Kokoda, told through the eyes of a child along the Kokoda Track during WWII. Our focus was on how the author used a variety of devices to bring alive something of the past. The following are excerpts of Senior MY's writing.

Madi wrote: Mark Wilson has yet again written an emotive, soulful book that really makes you think. The themes of war and friendship were intertwined really well as each theme made the other shine. Talking about "shine', the illustrations were amazing. I loved the impressionistic feel to them and the vibrance of the colours added light to such a dark topic that is war......
Amber wrote:Kokoda, a very famous trail in Papua New Guinea, has had many different stories written about it, but one very well written story is "Angel of Kokoda" by Mark Wilson....in the story, the use of colour made a big difference and helped me understand the story better...especially the way black and white were used for emotion.
Rylee reflected: Kari and the soldier struggled through the jungle, over rocks and through the mud until they finally stopped, tired and sweating. A butterfly landed on the soldier's wounds as his breathing became lighter and lighter...a beautiful story about friendship and bravery woven together!

Carley thought: Combining the black and white images with the colourful ones was very clever as it told us which action reminded Kari of his mother....some images stood out to me such as butterflies and angels. These symbols represent a new life and freedom.
From Caitie: The author, Mark Wilson, made great use of effective action language such as "trickled","emerged" and "fluttered."
And Mairead:As sad as the story seems, the saddest, most symbolic and moving part for me was when the butterfly was like the dead soldier's spirit flying into heaven.

EASTER REFLECTION

Happy Easter to all. With Verdi's music to support the images, the whole school collaborated on this Easter Reflection.

Stations of the Cross from Marg Yore on Vimeo.

NEVER FAR AWAY IN 2013!

Our Aussie-Irish family have no sooner left Australia than they are up (with jet-lag) at 4.30 am (and -1 degrees),skyping their classmates in Australia. Aren't we lucky living in this global village where we can stay in touch with the click of a mouse! Enjoy the trip!

CHILDREN'S RIGHTS

TODAY'S POST BY SIMON AND TRISTIAN  ...NOTE:MOVIES WILL FLIP WHEN YOU
                                                                                      SELECT PLAY

Today we have watched a BTN video about Childrens Rights. We have discussed  the rights that we wished that would come true, and then the important rights.

In our writing books, we wrote out wishes and facts about the topic, and have filmed a few students' ideas.




Rights of the Child from Marg Yore on Vimeo.

Rights of the Child from Marg Yore on Vimeo.

Rights of the Child from Marg Yore on Vimeo.

Rights of the Child from Marg Yore on Vimeo.

Rights of the Child from Marg Yore on Vimeo.

Rights of the Child from Marg Yore on Vimeo.

Rights of the Child from Marg Yore on Vimeo.

Rights of the Child from Marg Yore on Vimeo.

Rights of the Child from Marg Yore on Vimeo.

Rights of the Child from Marg Yore on Vimeo.

YOUNG INVENTORS

        

                                                www.techi.com 

After completing research projects on a space
topic of choice, and viewing many 
documentaries about life in space, the Seniors
are now looking to create a prototype for a
 new invention. This could
be for use in space or for any other use.


What new inventions
could assist with space 
travel,space 
exploration or life 
in space?

What new inventions
could make life 
better for us today?

NATIONAL YOUNG LEADERS DAY 2013

Six lucky students were lucky enough to attend the National Young Leaders Day courtesy of the Halogen Foundation. Enjoy their amazing reflections.

Young Leaders Day

By Madi

It was a privilege and an amazing experience to be able to listen to five wonderful leaders on their knowledge of leadership.  I learnt some values that make a good leader such as integrity, responsibility, resilience, respect, self belief, kindness and working hard.  I now know that a good leader doesn’t have to be bossy but they need to remember their values, add new skills to their leadership toolbox and follow their dreams.  Our society is getting smarter, nicer, more peaceful and thus better at leading.  Humankind have a tendency to follow, so a leader needs to be a reliable role model so that their good influence spreads.  All the little things we do will eventually add up to make one big action that will make a difference and help all those around us.  Never give up because even if you don’t reach your goals you will still will have achieved something.  The national young leaders’ day was an inspiring opportunity that I’m glad I was a part of.  I will never forget the things I’ve learnt and I definitely have enriched my knowledge on the never ending topic of LEADERSHIP.

National Young Leaders Day

 by Lizzy

Wow, national young leader’s day was a life changing experience. We heard and saw so many amazing ideas and speeches which were extremely interesting.

As we walked in, I think we all felt a breeze of excitement knowing that this was the beginning of the speeches. I know I was grateful and honoured to 

represent my school.

First I learned about influence and how when you’re a leader you have to influence others to do the right thing. I learned that when you’re a leader you are a role model and need to be polite, kind and helpful to others around you. I learned that even the 

little things you do can make a really big difference if you try.

All these points are from actual leaders speeches which I really enjoyed. The thing about each leader was that they all had something different to say about leadership and what it meant to them.

I personally enjoyed listening to Ruben Meerman and Dan Jackson. I thought that they really got the meaning and understanding of leadership. Although I liked their speeches best, I thought that Sussan Thomas, Mike Martin and Creel Price were fantastic to listen to also.

Overall this amazing opportunity to go to national young leaders day was just breathtaking and as the 5 other students and I walked out of the room at the end of the day I think we all felt like better leaders and better role models.

Leadership by Carley

I learnt so much about Leadership on the 1^st of March.

I learnt that…

Not wearing a badge doesn’t mean you are not a leader.

·      Leaders always believe themselves.

·      Never give up. Keep trying.

·      Nothing is impossible. Starting 8 businesses in primary and high school is not impossible, for one man has done it.

·      You can’t relay on other people to make you a better leader. Follow your heart and make your dream come true.

·      Everyone is treated equally, no matter how you look or how old you are

·      Leaders always include everyone, whether they are in their community or not.

·      You don’t have to have muscles to be a leader. Being strong inside is having a good self-esteem.

·      Act like a leader anytime because everyone looks up to you like a role model.

·      Showing your strengths means that you believe in yourself.

·      Experience difference opportunities in your life.

·      Working as a team means that you are communicating with people.

·      Leaders think about the small and big things for the small things will become big if you do nothing.

·      Being a leader is a long journey, the hard times are the bumps and the good times are the smooth roads.

·      You can not let other people change your future for your future only changes because of YOU!

·      If you want help, you have to look and ask for help.

·      Each little thing will give you an opportunity to show your strengths.

·      Leaders learn from others, so don’t pretend you know everything.

·      Do your passions and stand up for yourself and others.

Leaders are important in life. Remember, if you see someone needing help, do help and ask them what’s wrong. If you see someone in trouble and ignore them, you could bring down your self-esteem. So please, believe in yourself that you are a leader and show the world what your strengths are.

               

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