Unveiling Learning with Open Classrooms
As I have been in Primary classrooms this week, I have been interested to see how different students approach their learning activities. Some are hesitant to try. Some start well, but give up when things are challenging. Others persevere to the end, asking for help along the way as they need it. In every classroom, each student is progressing along their own learning journey. As teachers, we strive to provide the right mix of challenge and support to grow them as learners.
When we are in the early stages of learning, we are simply learning more. As we can draw on our existing skills and abilities, we only need to focus on what we are learning. We are in our comfort zone. We could describe this learning as ‘easy things we haven’t done yet’.
Learning becomes more difficult when our existing skills are no longer sufficient. We feel unsure, stretched and out of our depth. We are out of our comfort zone. What we are learning is no longer simply more and no longer easy. It is difficult. This is our learning zone. This is where we are stretched to grow in our learning. Over time, as we repeat this process of stretching and growing, we continue to increase our skills and become better learners.
In our classrooms we are aiming to help all children grow as learners, as well as grow in skill. This means that there will be times when we challenge them to stretch out of their comfort zone, encouraging and supporting them as they do this.
The challenge with working in our learning zone is that this is where we make mistakes. Mistakes are a natural and critical part of the learning process. The type of mistakes we want our learners to understand and become comfortable with are stretch mistakes. These result from deliberately going beyond our current limits and venturing into our learning zone. Stretch mistakes are made when there is a gap between our current skills and the skills needed to successfully complete the new task. We need to teach students that a “mistake” is simply a learning opportunity, a gap between where they are now and where they want to be. When you see your children making these kinds of mistakes, please help them to fill in the gap in their knowledge, and gently encourage them to persevere in their learning. This is what we are doing in the classroom as well. Together, we can do a great deal to help each child grow and develop as learners.
Thank you to all the Parents and Carers who attended our Open Classrooms this week. It was lovely to have you and give you a clear insight into what learning looks like for your child in the classroom.
God bless,
Mrs Jenny Squire
Deputy Principal – Head of Junior School
Sport
IPSSO
The Winter IPSSO season continued during Weeks 5 and 6. In Week 5, we played against Macarthur Anglican School, which is always a formidable opponent. Our teams played with good sportsmanship and fought bravely. Congratulations to the senior boy’s soccer team, who won 2-0, and the senior netball team, who won 35-25! In Week 6, we played against Wollondilly Anglican College in several tough fixtures. Congratulations to the junior boys soccer team, who won 2-1; the junior netball team, who won 18-11; the senior netball team, who won 25-9; the junior AFL team, who won 14-8; the junior volleyball team who won 3-0 and the senior volleyball team who won 2-1.
Gymnastics
This week, we concluded our K-6 gymnastics program. These sessions, led by the fantastic team at Zing Active, are not just about learning fundamental movement skills. They’re about having fun, staying engaged, and, most importantly, staying safe. The students had a great time and learned many skills that can be transferred to different sports and games!
3-6 College Sport
This term, our Year 3-6 students began learning frisbee skills from an expert coach and Oz Tag skills from our teachers. These skills will benefit them as they develop their sporting skills and prepare to participate in the House Cup at the end of the term.
CSSA State Athletics Carnival
On Friday, Week 5, we took around 20 students to represent the College at the CSSA State Athletics Carnival. Every student represented the College brilliantly, showing excellent sportsmanship, courage, and collaboration, particularly within our excellent relay teams! I particularly want to thank Mr Sawyer for looking after the students so well! Several of our students achieved top 10 finishes, and Corey in Year 6 has qualified for the CIS Athletics Carnival in a few weeks time. Congratulations to all our students!
CSSA and CIS Nominations
From time to time, the College can nominate some of our exceptional athletes to trial for CSSA or CIS representative teams. These teams are selected for high level representative competitions, drawing from almost 100 schools across NSW. If you would like the College to nominate your child for one of these events, please follow the procedure below:
- Go to the CSSA website to see the list and dates of these trials (cssa.net.au)
- Email me (jbarber@opac.nsw.edu.au), expressing your child’s interest, background, and skills in the sport
- If they fit the requirements of the trials, I will nominate them to attend
- Attend the trials with your child
Upcoming Events
Week 7
Monday (2/9)
- Todd Woodbridge Cup tennis competition- selected students
Wednesday (4/9)
- IPSSO training at 7.45 am for all students selected in an IPSSO team.
- IPSSO games against Mount Annan Christian College. AFL, soccer, and volleyball at Jack Nash Reserve, and netball at Narellan Sports Hub. Junior games begin at 11.30 am, and senior games start at 1 pm.
Week 8
Wednesday (11/9):
- IPSSO finals for teams that qualify- more information will come soon.
God bless,
Mr Joshua Barber
Junior School Sports Coordinator
