Prep School
Value of the week: determination
When you use determination, you focus your energy and efforts on a task and stick with it until it is finished. Determination is using your willpower to do something when it isn’t easy. You are determined to meet your goals even when doing so is hard or you are being tested. With determination, we make our dreams come true.
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 the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. You seek and evaluate a range of points of view and you are willing to grow from the experience.
The importance of teacher professional development
In the ever-evolving landscape of education, our teachers play a pivotal role in shaping the future for our boys. They are the heart of our classrooms, facilitating learning and inspiring curiosity. As educational standards, technology and teaching pedagogies advance, it becomes essential for teachers to continually grow. This is where professional development plays an important role for our teachers—a critical tool for ensuring teachers remain effective and, by extension, improve outcomes for our boys.
Professional development is something that all Prep School teachers are constantly engaged in, allowing our staff to stay current with educational trends, enhancing their teaching skills and providing better learning experiences for our boys. We currently have Angela Ehmer, a literacy coach, working alongside our staff to ensure we provide best practice in reading instruction. Several staff members have undertaken university short courses to improve their practice in reading, and we have upskilled our teacher aides to enhance reading throughout the early years in the Prep School.
A further commitment to our ongoing professional development is the opportunity for staff to apply for a research grant through the Harrop Teaching Fellowship. I am very proud to share that Shay Thomas and Lauren Fernandes (Year 2 teachers) have been awarded the 2025 Harrop Teaching Fellowship. This embodies the deep commitment our staff have to their ongoing professional development and growth. Shay and Lauren’s focus for 2025 will be on the science of reading. I know you will join me in congratulating these two outstanding teachers.
House celebrations
As part of our end-of-year celebrations, our housemasters will be hosting a House Breakfast, where all boys from Years 3 to 6, along with their parents, are invited to join them in a morning of celebration for the inaugural year of the house system. Further details will be provided closer to the dates. Please save the following dates for our House Breakfasts:
- Thursday 14 November: Angles and Danes
- Friday 15 November: Saxons and Jutes
Year 2
By Year 2 student Calvin Chan.
Croak, croak! Renata, or should we say Tiddalick, gave us in Year 2 a great show in the Plaza on Monday afternoon this week. First, she told us about the history of Australia with her guitar and catchy songs. Renata and some lucky students got to act out the story of Tiddalick. Thomas was a water-thirsty frog, Luka was a hopping kangaroo, Carter was a tall emu and Adi was a cuddly koala who made Tiddalick laugh. We then had to act out some Australian animals. This turned into a draw between the best movements of 2A and 2B Australian animals. Lastly, we sang some upbeat songs and answered questions about stories from the past. It was such a fun afternoon learning about Indigenous culture and the history of Australia.
Year 3
This term, the Year 3 boys will be learning about how heat can transform a state of matter in our unit of inquiry ‘How the world works’. Through the key concepts of change and causation, the Year 3 boys will investigate how heat is transferred from an object, resulting in change. Our unit began with the boys stepping into the role of a scientist and taking part in an interactive incursion from Street Science. Their attention was transfixed as ‘Gelson’ demonstrated how chemicals and physical science are used to create a reaction, transforming states of matter.
Shannon Nicholson
Year 3 Team Leader
Year 5 Australia Zoo Recap
Written by Year 5 students Benjamin Potter and Kush Pabari
This term, we have been learning about adaptations of living things, the influence of places and how the Earth’s surface has changed through erosion and weathering. The atmosphere was filled with anticipation as 125 excited boys boarded the bus for the journey to Australia Zoo. Upon arrival, we split into groups to discover different animals and learn about their adaptations to their environment. We saw the reptiles, which were huge and had mesmerising scales.
The crocodiles were also beyond impressive, with their powerful jaws and long tails. We then had a talk with a keeper who told us all about freshwater and saltwater crocodiles. Did you know that a crocodile has a third eyelid and can retract its eyes into its head? We also learnt that some crocodiles have dermal pressure receptors (DPRs), which help them detect vibrations and pressure in the water and on land. This allows them to navigate their environment and communicate. We also noticed how still crocodiles can be—most of the small freshwater crocodiles were on land, while the saltwater crocodiles were mainly in the water.
After the talk, we wandered around the zoo exploring animals in our groups. We saw a lot of incredible animals, from tiny meerkats to tall giraffes. We were fortunate to watch a cheetah running to catch his lunch—it was like a blur! In conclusion, Australia Zoo was a blast, and we were incredibly sad to see it fade away as we rode the bus back to Churchie.
MusicFest
The Prep Strings and Prep Junior Strings were both awarded Gold Awards at Music Fest held on Monday 14 October at Iona College. Congratulations to our talented and dedicated boys, and thank you to our wonderful directors and accompanists—Mr Hooper, Ms Leask, Mrs Rochet and Mrs Oxenford—for their support. What a fantastic achievement for both ensembles and a testament to their hard work and outstanding musicianship!
We look forward to hearing the Prep Band compete in their section at MusicFest next Wednesday 23 October, at Ferny Grove State School.
Melissa Black
Head of Prep Music
Book Fair
Our Where the Wild Things Are Book Fair, a fundraiser for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, has been extremely popular with the boys this week. Please be mindful that the fair will be set up in the library until lunchtime on Friday, so you still have time after school on Thursday and before school on Thursday and Friday to finish your library shopping. However, online orders will remain open for an additional week. Please visit the Wild Things Schools website for more information.
Blessing of the Animals
Archbishop Jeremy Greaves will join Senior Chaplain Sharon Mitchell and Prep School Chaplain Stephanie Cotroneo to conduct a special service in the Prep School’s Early Childhood Playground to bless family animals on Saturday 15 October from 9:30 to 10:30 am.
This very special service will acknowledge the wonderful place pets play in our lives. All Churchie families are invited to our annual service, during which we gather to give thanks for our beloved pets and God’s creation. Your furry, finned and four-legged pets—friendly and with leads/carry cases—are welcome to join us. If you are unable to bring your pet, you may like to bring a photo or drawing instead.
Students attending are to wear their Blues uniform.
To help with catering, please register here by Thursday 17 October.
Anglicare collection
On behalf of Anglicare Brisbane Children and Families (foster and kinship care agency), we extend our deepest appreciation for your continued support of our foster and kinship carer families at Christmas. The children’s gifts provided by our community last year meant that Anglicare was able to put smiles on the faces of our children at a time that can be difficult, as they are away from their biological parents.
Anglicare’s team supports 85 children and young people in out-of-home care, aged between zero and 17 years, as well as the biological children in foster and kinship care families, who so generously share their homes. During Christmas, this number increases, with carer families often unexpectedly opening their homes to more children. As a result of your support, with donations of gifts and suitable gift cards, Anglicare can provide beautiful presents to some of our community’s most vulnerable people, ensuring they can have a memorable Christmas.
Anglicare supports a fairly balanced mix of boys and girls aged from zero to 17. For children aged 13 and above, gift cards are well received, as they like to shop and choose something themselves. Please ensure that gift card donations exclude liquor services.
All donations can be delivered to Chaplain Stephanie’s office in the Prep Admin building.
Camps in Term 4
- Year 4: Emu Gully, Wednesday 16 October to Friday 18 October
- Year 5: Tyalgum Ridge Retreat, Monday 4 to Wednesday 6 November
Mark Wyer
Head of Preparatory School