Morning flow is the wonderful way we start each day to bring our oldest group together. Each student leads an activity of their choice – it may be an inside/outside game or sharing or something else they want to bring to the group. The pre-highs have started the year off by leading one each day so far.

What happens in Group 3?

Writing activities

Journal time happens after morning flow and is intended to give each child their own time to think, move or express themselves as they see fit for the day ahead. It is a very quiet and thoughtful time for everyone.

We are using the current extreme weather as a basis for looking at the writing genre of explanations. Students will look at a variety of examples of explanations and will then learn about the specific features of what is included in a ‘good’ explanation. They will look at the words used, the structure, tense and style in detail and be encouraged to include these when they write their own explanation.

We then start a process of writing our own class explanation (about how a flood occurs) before heading off to explore their own extreme world phenomenon and write their own explanation of how it occurs.

Reading activities

We are going to be introducing several different types of reading genre formats to the class, including newspaper articles and reports.

The students will work together in small groups, read together and discuss any issues that arise from their reading.

Skills of note-taking and summarising, highlighting key issues and generating further questions will be covered.

Maths

Maths is taking on a slightly different format this term. Each student is given a ‘Challenger’ sheet which contains several activities ranging from open ended measurement / number questions to playing new maths game with a friend (and making new ones up) , from exploring the maths equipment to designing and constructing. An important feature of the program is that each student has at least 3 sessions in small groups with either Juli or Suzanne.

For the first 3 weeks our main area of focus is on numeration – looking at the number systems; how we can visually make numbers, quick mental recall using addition and subtraction and trying to assign patterns to what we are discovering. After the first 3 weeks we will look at various other areas of maths sometimes linking it to the theme and at other times it will be a stand-alone subject looking at areas that need particular attention.

So what’s the difference between a hundred thousand and a million? Just how much bigger is a trillion than a billion? Does the number trillion formally exist or did a kid make it up because it rhymes with billionand million? Some of the pre-highs looked at how close this trillion is to googleplex, which, the students asked of in context of infinity. What remains is to physically see a million – so if you have any ideas of what we could collect or view, come share your thoughts.

Theme-based learning

Our theme this term is ‘Our Extreme World’ – taken directly from the natural extreme weather that Australia has been suffering this summer.

We will also be watching a current affairs news program for 40 minutes each week - Behind the News (BTN) - and using this as a basis for discussions and reading.

Kids teach kids

Our very energetic class bubbles as they prepare to teach each other and Michelle and Juli G . Each student will teach the class for a lesson. Thus far we have teachers signed up for music, physical adventures and sports skills training, cooking, critical thinking, creation and drawing and crafts, science and railway design!

Michelle and I have books and ears poised! The lessons are underway and we are enjoying watching the children experience the huge energy of the class as they aim to share their passions and interests.

Our teachers this week have been;

• Mango - obstacle course
• Olie - creative art work
• Will - guitar
• Kristin - writing and drawing whacky creatures with amazing qualities and powers
• Alana - yoko – handball
• Reece and Bryn - penny boards
• Chris - train systems

Those working in small groups have worked quite successfully - as the children seem to get greater focus on their new skills.

Senior camp

Camp for group 3 was a little different this year. We did not set out to be entertained or physically ‘stretched’ as we did last year at an outdoors centre, nor did we visit a city - as we did when visiting Canberra in 2009.

In 2011, group 3 set out to find out a little about how some other people live, to make friends with a new community and to explore a stunning region of NSW, beautifully cared for by the indigenous community of Wreck Bay in Jervis Bay.

Celebrating our Pre-Highs

This is the term we farewell Alana, Olie, Josh, Jasper, Hemi, Lana and Bryn; the largest Pre-High group to leave Kinma in some 20 years.

Fourth term in group 3 is greatly effected by this energy and if nothing more, you will sense its culmination on December 16th, when we gather on the last school day of the year to farewell them. The Pre- Highs final presentations and formalities given at their farewell are a chance for our students to consciously transition out of their Primary learning zone into that place from which they can be ready to enter their next phase - high school.

On Monday night we had our farewell dinner at Konnichiwa. All the children dressed up for the occasion and looked beautiful (see photos). We enjoyed sushi, teriyaki and black sesame ice-cream. This was followed by a sleep-over in the school hall. We watched “Whale Rider” and fell asleep to be awoken by Essie, Zoe and Lovisa dancing to very loud music!

Past students visited us on Monday. There is a photo of our 8 visitors attached. It was incredible to have these 12-15 year olds with us for the day and we have captured the moment with a canvas of contributions from all Kinmaite leavers from 2008 onwards. You will see the canvas in the hall next year. The standard of much of the artwork is very high.

How does Kinma prepare Year 6 children for the move to high school?

Transitions have always been important at Kinma. Acknowledging an era’s completion – perhaps a class or group where you have ‘lived’ for some time as the elder and moving on as a young one into the next stage. This flow of learner to elder through playgroup, preschool and then through groups one to three in the Primary, allows our students to be regularly reminded of the learning cycle of life, while intermittently recognising and honoring important turning points.

Please see our transition to high school page