STUDENT-DIRECTED STUDY: YEARS 5 AND 6 HAVE A SAY IN THEIR LEARNING
Ms Gabrielle Smith joined us as Director of Junior School in 2018, bringing with her a National Excellence in School Leadership Institute (NESLI) scholarship and considerable expertise in the delivery of innovative and challenging pedagogy. We caught up with Gabby to reflect on her first two years in post and find out what鈥檚 next for the Junior School.
STUDENT-DIRECTED STUDY: YEARS 5 AND 6 HAVE A SAY IN THEIR LEARNING
My career journey has been diverse. I鈥檝e taught every year group from K to 6, I鈥檝e been the Religious Education Coordinator, the Head of Curriculum and the Assistant and Acting Head of Junior School. Teaching has also taken me from Australia to the UK and back again. I worked at Stonar School, which is near Bath in England. Before I joined 成人综合网, I was at Loreto Kirribilli.聽
Outside of school, I鈥檓 married with two daughters. We鈥檙e a busy household with a labrador, a rabbit and a fish! My husband and I are both from the country, so as a family, we enjoy escaping to the country whenever we can. We value our country upbringings, so we want our children to have a balance between city and country life.
Girls seem to be able to sit still for longer when they鈥檙e in the classroom. Boys need to move. This is an asset that we鈥檙e cultivating. We鈥檙e creating environments to support this by investing in ottomans and chairs that allow movement. They鈥檙e specifically designed to allow for rocking. It鈥檚 all in the science; the male brain secretes a lot less serotonin than the female brain, which makes boys more impulsive and fidgety.
We also design programs that allow the boys to choose topics and projects that appeal to them. This kind of strategy benefits every student because it gives them a sense of autonomy over their education and that leads to deeper learning.
OUR COLLEGE COMMUNITY: BIG BROTHER LITTLE BROTHER
For me, it鈥檚 our values and our community – diversity. 成人综合网 families come from diverse backgrounds with different beliefs. Every child comes to the College with different perspectives and experiences. 成人综合网 truly embraces, accepts and respects the uniqueness of every family – and our community is very supportive of one another. That鈥檚 our magic.
Where do I start?! Launching our new Learning Hub was a real highlight, but we鈥檝e also developed a Lunchtime Talks initiative, where we invite an inspirational adult in to share their career journey with our younger students. There鈥檚 been STEM Club, Innovation Club, Sustainability Club鈥β犅�
At one point we had ducklings in the Junior School. That was an experience! We鈥檝e been able to offer Hip Hop and specialist art classes, and we鈥檝e seen some real talent in debating as well. One team was undefeated, which was impressive. A lot of exciting things have been going on down here. There鈥檚 never a dull moment.
SMOOTH TRANSITION TO YEAR 7: A GUARANTEED PLACE AT THE SENIOR SCHOOL
I鈥檇 say it鈥檚 the opportunity to make friends, to become familiar with the school and to develop confidence in the basic operations of a high school at the same time as being in a nurturing primary school environment.聽
It鈥檚 the best of both worlds at the Junior School because you still have your base teacher to care for you, but your transition to Year 7 will definitely be less daunting. It鈥檚 a seamless transition really, that鈥檚 how I鈥檇 describe it. Your place at the Senior School is guaranteed and you鈥檙e also in a learning environment that鈥檚 specially designed for boys in Years 5 and 6, so you鈥檙e more likely to stay engaged and be challenged.
Very. We have a very strong 鈥榦ne school鈥� ethos running through our two campuses. The Junior School follows a timetable that mirrors the Senior School timetable, and we also share facilities like the pool. Art, Science and TAS teachers from the Senior School take junior classes too, so our younger students also have access to the same specialist teachers as our high school students, which is a real advantage.
Our wellbeing program is another example of our 鈥榦ne school鈥� approach in action. We encourage students to develop supportive relationships across the whole student body through initiatives like the Big Brother Little Brother Program, where a junior student is paired with a senior student mentor. We want our Year 5s and 6s to be engaging with all senior year groups, from Year 7 right up to Year 12.
SHARED FACILITIES: THE JUNIOR SWIMMING CARNIVAL AT THE SENIOR CAMPUS
Wingara! 5000m2 of bushland that we鈥檙e beginning to work with to create an area for the boys to explore freely. We鈥檙e going to utilise the space so they can engage in critical and creative thinking opportunities, and learn to take responsible risks with adventure equipment and through simply being outdoors. It鈥檚 a project we鈥檙e all excited about, so watch this space鈥�
Thanks for your time, Gabby!
We would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora nation who are the traditional Custodians of the land on which 成人综合网 is located. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We are committed to honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples鈥� unique cultural and spiritual connections to the land, waters, seas and sky and their rich contribution to society.
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