Friday, 17 November 2023 / Published in NEWSLETTER

Newsletter Issue 3 Term 4

Dear Parents/Care Givers,

The P&C Colour Explosion was a huge success last Friday. As a school we would like to thank the P&C for the significant amount of planning and organisation that took place before, during and after the event. The event certainly brought our community together! Thank you to the staff and former students who also gave their time to make sure all the students who participated had a memorable experience. I hope you can make out some of the Year 6 students pictured in the cloud of colour to end the day.

I want to once again thank and farewell Mrs Driscoll, our MCS, with Friday 17 November being her last day at Caladenia. We wish her every success at her new school.

Thanks to Mrs Asplin and the ECE team for preparing highly successful Kindy Readiness sessions for students and parents who are about to begin their Caladenia journey. The day provides parents with important information and gives students their first taste of what school life will be like. Just as these students are about to begin their Caladenia journey, many of our Year 6’s are contemplating what their high school life will look like. I hope that the Year 6 Camp (starting this Sunday) is full of wonderful memories and each student gets the chance to spend valuable time with the group. I want to thank the staff involved in camp, for giving up their family time to support students. I hope that these students have some wonderful stories to share on their return.

Rob Smyth

Principal

School News

Kindy Readiness Sessions

This year we had our Kindy Readiness Sessions spread over two weeks to welcome our 2024 Kindy kids. In trying to make things easier for parents and to take away any concerns that children may have about coming to Kindy, we organised for children to come along to Kindy for a session so they know what it will be like. During the session, the children all sang songs on the mat, joined in the telling of a story, participated in the Five Little Ducks before they moved off to do some activities at the tables. At the tables the children made sunflowers so that they can be in their classrooms when they start next year. They also drew a picture of themselves and had the chance to play outside.

The children all had a very enjoyable time as did the parents. A big thank you is extended to Mrs Mikayla Harper, Mrs Yu-Seong Kong and Ms Siobhan Ellis. for their organisation and help on the different days. Special thanks also go to all our Office staff involved in the organisation for the days, and also our ECE team in preparing the ‘behind the scenes’ items that we needed.

We had some fantastic feedback from parents, and we will be looking forward to doing it again next year.

Student Achievement

At Caladenia, we love showcasing our students’ sporting achievements and events, as well as any other interests that they would like to share with our Caladenia Community. If you have something your child would like to share, please email along with photos to the email address below:

Justine.arnold@education.wa.edu.au

Class News

Year 1 Room 30 – Miss Williams

On Monday the 13th of November, Room 30 celebrated World Kindness Day to promote kindness in our classroom and school. Our goal is to make kindness a part of our daily school routine! Our class created a Kindness Menu by brainstorming ideas that could make another friends day brighter. Students were given a secret friend to make a special card to show appreciation for each other’s acts of kindness in the class. Students enjoyed sharing their cards and bringing a smile to their secret friend’s face!

Year 4 Room 20 – Mrs Devenish -Krauth

It has been a busy term for the Year Four stars in Room 20! Recently we have been combining our persuasive and creative design skills to inform others about Zoos for Conservation. Did you know that zoos were first introduced so that scientists could study exotic animals from afar? Nowadays, the modern zoo has very specific conservation goals that work towards the protection of our most critically endangered animals and their habitats. In Geography this term, Room 20 have been learning about the important work that zoos do for the world’s critically endangered species. Students learnt that the modern zoo is a sanctuary for endangered animals and zookeepers conduct in situ research on how to design their enclosures to mimic the animals’ natural habitats. We discovered that zoos educate people about animals from around the world. We also learnt that zoos conduct research into endangered species and how to help them survive habitat changes like deforestation and climate change.

Check out these images of our students applying their understanding of Zoos for Conservation in their artwork.

MAC Forrestdale Lake Excursion

On Monday 6th November, MAC travelled to Forrestdale Lake to gain a better understanding of its ecosystem and some of the environmental concerns that are affecting the lake. Even though the water is currently very shallow, MAC recorded many different types of tolerant macroinvertebrates living in the water; suggesting the water is relatively healthy. The class also spotted birds and plants and distinguished between natives and introduced species. One of the most interesting sightings was a scorpion in the undergrowth.

MAC also visited Forrestdale Primary School and participated in an information sharing session with some of their senior students. They learnt about how the school deals with threats from snakes and bushfires and experienced an army of frogs crossing the schoolyard.

Thank you to David James; president of Friends of Forrestdale who joined MAC on the excursion and shared his extensive knowledge of the lake’s ecosystem. Thank you to Renee Cornell; deputy at Forrestdale Primary School, who facilitated the sharing session and allowed MAC to use the facilities at the school.