Prep School
Prep School value of the week: gratitude
Gratitude is being grateful for what we have. It is an attitude of thankfulness for learning, loving and being. Appreciate the little things that happen around you and within you every day. Think positively. Gratitude brings contentment.
Attribute of the week: open-minded
When you are open-minded, you understand and appreciate your own culture and personal histories and are open to other individuals’ and communities’ perspectives, values and traditions. You seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and you are willing to grow from the experience.
Head of Prep Reading Challenge
This week marks the beginning of another reading initiative for 2024: the Head of Prep Reading Challenge. All students from Reception to Year 6 are encouraged to participate in reading challenges set by Mr Wyer. All participants will receive a certificate, and prizes will be awarded in each year level for first, second and third based on the student submissions. The Reading Challenge will run from weeks three to six (inclusive) for Reception to Year 2 and from weeks three to seven (inclusive) for Years 3 to Year 6. All boys will receive a challenge card this week, and Mr Wyer would love to see every boy in the Preparatory School become involved in reading for pleasure and enjoyment!
Congratulations to the Class Captains for Semester 1
- 4A – Benjamin Roper and Harvey Nguyen
- 4B – Fred Stapleton and Sean Pan
- 4C – James Vickery and Marcus Lee
- 5A – Sam Stobie and Adrian Lam
- 5B – Hugh McKenzie and Dorce Walters
- 5C – Cole Watson and Liam De Almeida
- 5D – Dhairya Bansal and Benjamin Potter
- 5E – Huxley Callianiotis and Joshua Vlamos
- 6A – Zachary Tran and Joseph Harrison
- 6B – James Davis and Archie Maloney
- 6C – Will Bryant and Theo Nearhos
- 6D – Archer Rhydderch and Harry Burke
- 6E – Mitchell Kelly-Sammut and Henry Furness
Year 5
Year 5 has been developing a range of reading strategies. This term we are working on developing questions before, during and after reading so that we can find information within texts. Questioning helps us make sense of our reading. By using skimming and scanning with our eyes we can quickly find the responses to our questions within an informative text.
Reception
In Reception, we have been learning about living things and how we can observe their features. Reception boys were visited by Wildlife on Wheels from Currumbin, who brought an assortment of different animals for us to explore. We observed a magnificent tree frog, Macleay’s spectre (spiny leaf stick insects), spotted python, central bearded dragon and a 40-year-old galah named Wally. The Reception boys also enjoyed touching some of the animals as well as various animal skins, feathers and quills.
Year 2
Classes 2A and 2B had Mad About Science presenter Sarah come to Churchie on Monday with an array of science experiments to test out forces in action. Firstly, we tested which ramp material had the most friction by racing cars. Next, we looked at inertia with the spinning tops. We couldn’t even see them spinning on our hands they were moving so quickly. Then we tested which objects sank and which floated in salt and fresh water. Finally, we looked at magnetic fields and experimented with how they joined and repelled. These activities will assist the boys in our unit of inquiry this term as they investigate how force and materials affect how an object moves.
Prep School policy on mobile phones and smartwatches
Mobile phones
These may be brought to school; however, they must be turned off upon arrival and left in bags until students depart school at the end of the day. Students may hand them to their teachers or into the office for safe storage. If students need to contact their parents during the school day, they should come to the office and Mrs Jackman, Mrs Carr or Mrs Garnier will happily assist students to use the school phone to call home.
Smartwatches
These devices include any devices worn on the wrist that have the ability to message and receive or make calls. It is not a suitable option to simply put the watches on silent. The Prep School’s preference is that these devices are not brought to school, but if they must be brought to school, then, like mobile phones, they must be removed and stored throughout the school day once they have arrived at school and placed back on the wrist once they have been dismissed from class at 3 or 3:05 pm.
Please be aware that if students are found to be using these devices during the school day between 8:25 am and 3/3:05 pm, teachers will confiscate them, and students can collect them from the Prep Office at the conclusion of the day (or week).
Prep Support Group meeting
The next Prep Support Group Meeting will be held on Thursday 2 May commencing at 8:30 am in the Brenan Pavilion (behind the pool), and all parents are welcome.
Parking in surrounding streets
During pick up and drop off, please be mindful when parking in surrounding streets. We have been contacted by our neighbours alerting us to the problem they have been facing with access to their driveways. Please ensure that you are not parking across driveways and blocking access for our neighbours.
Follow us online at our Churchie Prep Instagram account @churchieprep to keep up to date with all that is happening in the Prep School.
Mark Wyer
Head of Preparatory School