Junior School

Primary Years Programme Exhibition

The Year 6 team and Primary Years Programme Coordinator, Lisa Bonazza, take us on a journey through the process of Exhibition 2021 that has occurred through online learning.

The exhibition journey begins with the ‘tuning in’ phase, where students are challenged and inspired by a range of guest speakers. Each of these lectures begins to build the students conceptual understanding of the PYP Transdisciplinary Theme “Where we are in place and time.” During this phase, students hear from experts across a variety of fields who speak about their life journey, reflecting on the decisions they have made, where they have drawn inspiration from and how they have overcome adversity. This year, students attended lectures from Dr Nhi Nguyen, an Intensive Care Specialist at Nepean Hospital, Rachel Lack from the Class of 2012 and 2021 Olympic Softballer, Jon Tse from the class of 2005, a business entrepreneur and founder of the Karst stone paper company and Lisa Sthalekar from the Class of 1997 and former captain of Australia's international women's cricket team. Through this process students were challenged to draw connections between their own life journey and the exhibition Central Idea: “The future can be shaped by past experiences”.

David Steel The finding out stage of exhibition is the process in which students engage in the brainstorming, planning and researching of new information centred around their passions. ‘The future can be shaped by past experiences’ is the central idea for this year’s exhibition. Students deconstructed this central idea, exploring their passions and constructing individual lines of inquiry to critically examine globally significant issues. They were able to explain and define the key conceptual understandings in order to springboard their inquiry. Students chose real-life issues based on their passions and made connections to the sustainable development goals. To assist in their investigations, students developed individual lines of inquiry, providing a scaffold for their research as they recorded their findings through notes and summaries. Throughout the finding out stage, the learning community, which is made up of students, teachers, mentors and experts, are enabled to think as researchers and gather information from a variety of sources. Students are encouraged to go beyond the known and are challenged to use their skills to acquire new knowledge.

Hannah Yeow

Through the exhibition journey, an important step is ‘going further’, where students delve deeply into their chosen inquiry topic. Two key areas that assist the students with this are their regular mentor meetings and their need to find primary sources. Mentors play the important role of guiding, listening and challenging students’ understanding of their lines of inquiry. Year 6 were lucky to have mentors right across the whole school. Students emailed their mentors, prepared agendas, met with them weekly and reflected upon their meetings. The other key area is finding primary sources. Students emailed and had meetings with experts in their field to support and answer key questions. Through this process, students broadened their knowledge, revised key understandings and developed independent research skills.

Tim Moyes During the sorting out phase of the Exhibition inquiry cycle, students learn to analyse and interpret data displays, tables and graphs. These skills add depth to each of the student inquiries and allow them to examine their research from various perspectives. The students explore the validity of the data source and compare it against other sources. Additionally, they are expected to be critical thinkers and pose questions about what the data is telling them and to make predictions for the future. Data is also supported in STEAM with students learning how to use Excel spreadsheets to collate data and graph it appropriately.

Jodey Baylis

Essential to quality learning is “…the interplay between asking, thinking and doing…” (IBO: Teaching and Learning, 2018, p40). The stage of the exhibition we have labelled ‘making conclusions’ is where the learners look at, reflect upon and summarise their main findings about what they have come to understand throughout their exhibition journey. They started this process by summarising the findings of each line of inquiry. By doing this, they are drawing meaning through reflection, building connections between what they previously knew and now what they understand. They build connections to what it means for themselves, to their community and to their world. They continue to deepen their understanding between their questions, passions and issues. To finalise this phase, the question was posed ‘now you know what you know, what is the message that others need to hear about your issue?’ Through this, students have to reflect, synthesise and draw a conclusion about what is the essence or core of their issue. It is then in the next phase of ‘action’ that they can do something about this drawn conclusion.

Beth Foord The ultimate response to teaching and learning is action. The beauty of action is that it can happen at any time; it can be short or long term, revisited or ongoing. Therefore, it is something that can occur throughout our lifetime. Action takes many forms and particularly within the PYP framework and is intrinsically connected to agency, the learner profile and internationalmindedness. Throughout, and now towards the end of the exhibition process, the students have shared the ways in which they will take action. Some of the ways in which they seek to do this is through participation, advocacy, social justice, social entrepreneurship, or lifestyle choices. We are so very proud of our Year 6 students for the ways in which they have inquired into the central idea being guided by their own passions and interests through a local, national and global lens. The future certainly is looking bright!

Lisa Bonazza

News from the Northern Territory

It’s getting hot at Dhupuma Barker! The black cockatoos are wheeling around the sky, mangoes are ripening and the water in the bay is getting flat and glassy, perfect for fishing.

The heat and humidity are rapidly rising but that hasn’t stopped us from continuing work during our busy days. Term 4 has started strong with high attendance and a lot of positive energy in the classroom. We have worked consistently to establish and maintain daily routines and are seeing the benefits of these efforts. We are delighted with the progress the students have made in English during Terms 2 and 3. We have been focusing on explicit teaching of phonics, spelling patterns, daily writing and guided reading. The Yolŋu teacher aides have been working with the students on writing sight words and simple sentences in Yolŋu Matha. In this way, the children are provided with the opportunity to develop basic Literacy in both languages. The students have worked hard to participate to the best of their abilities in all curriculum areas. Their favourite activity by far is getting out of the classroom and on to the beach. We have been fishing, collecting oysters, hunting for mud mussels in the mangroves and taking beach walks. It is fantastic to see the deep love the children have for their country and the pride they take in sharing their vast knowledge with us and others. We have had several visitors to the School and the students are always welcoming and interested in finding out about other peoples’ lives. It is great to see the children growing in confidence when interacting with unfamiliar Balanda people. We are looking forward to some special events this term. We have a new bus; have already participated in the launch of the new Arnhem Space Centre; will be participating in a five week swimming program at the town pool; welcoming the Indigenous Outreach Hip Hop Project and working on an end of year community celebration. It will be another hot Christmas in the NT before we know it!

Lori Cross Dhupuma Barker Teacher Tom Spencer Dhupuma Barker Teacher

Positive experiences during online Learning

Dance has been an integral part of connecting with culture during online learning and it has allowed us to connect with members of our local community and beyond.

Darkinjung Barker participated in multiple zoom dance sessions with our local dance company on the Central Coast, Brolga Dance Academy, learning traditional Gomeroi and Torres Strait Islander dances. We also connected with many students around the country, participating in the NAISDA (The National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth workshop. Indigenous Literacy Day presented us with an opportunity to connect live to the Sydney Opera House. The virtual event enlightened and engaged primary and early learners in song, stories, and language with celebrities such as Gregg Dreise, a proud descendant from the Gomeri and Yuwalayaay people, and Australia’s favourite Indigenous popsinger, Jessica Mauboy. During this session, students engaged with two delightful animations illustrating Kriol language: Yakai Beibigel Tudei en longtaim, and they learnt to yell out “Yakai Gregg!”, every time they saw a twirling, whirling boomerang during Gregg’s lively performance. A virtual flight to the Tiwi Islands also allowed the children to join in with the locals at the island swimming hole and hunt for mussels in the mangroves. The Years 3 - 6 Darkinjung class participated with an online ‘Drawing for storytelling’ workshop run by Barang, one of our local not-for-profit Aboriginal organisations and some interesting stories were shared. We were also able to reconnect with our robotics teachers via Teams, and the Years 3 - 6 students really enjoyed participating in the weekly coding challenges. On our class blog, we shared stories, recipes and videos from home capturing our science experiments, outdoor play and creativity, including the cubbyhouse and Lego challenge. Overall, Book Week was a favourite, although done very differently this year, it was great to see all the homemade costumes to celebrate our love for reading. The School is indescribably grateful, inspired and touched by the commitment of the students, parents, carers, staff and community throughout what was a difficult and demanding Term 3 and early Term 4.

Tahlia Scheermeijer Darkinjung Barker Teacher

Proud in Culture, Strong in Spirit

We have had a very busy period of online learning, full of celebrations and learning activities.

We have had some fun and worked very hard both at School and at home and we finished a crazy, unusual time strong! ‘Proud in culture, strong in spirit” was the theme for National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day this year. This fits our school perfectly as we consistently focus on how to keep our spirit happy and strong and the importance of connecting our happy spirits to our family and each other. We celebrated Indigenous Literacy Day a little differently again this year, through virtual storytelling. Highlights of our programs have included; listening to stories in language, embracing music, drumming, dance, painting, sport, outdoor learning, gardening, language, virtual dance, art and craft. Here at Ngarralingayil we celebrate our students and our culture every day. Child Protection Week was a great opportunity to learn about feeling safe, having rules and especially learning to be safe online. We talked about the Respect Circle and keeping our digital footprint positive. What you say online shapes what people think of you now, and in the future. Be strong and proud of your online behaviour. We are aiming to ‘Be Deadly’ in everything we do and say online. In Science, K-2 have been learning about the water cycle through a lovely book called Little Raindrop. It follows a drop of water on an extraordinary journey from the sky, through the earth, and back again. We have been describing changes that occur in the sky, from the different colours to the shadows cast by the sun. We have discussed the Wonnarua word for sun (panyal), the Wiradjuri word (yiray) and the Darkinjung word (banal). Years 3-6 have been learning about Earth and Space as well as the natural vegetation of the land. They have linked natural disasters to their writing about how bushfires affect animals. In Geography, they have been learning about patterns of the sun and the night sky. They have also taken on the role of teaching the Infants "Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" in Wonnarua language. It is tricky and a little fast, but everyone is getting the hang of it and enjoying the challenge. Spring has sprung! The days are warmer, the grass is greener, the leaves are returning to the trees and the flowers are blossoming, greens, purples, pinks and yellows to remind us of new beginnings. Country replenishes, and a new lease of life emerges. It’s a spectacular time of year and makes our spirit happy.

Mandy Shaw Lead Teacher - Ngarralingayil Barker

A Lifetime of Memories

In the blink of an eye, we have travelled around the sun six times since the opening of Darkinjung Barker.

The memories, emotions and sense of achievement sit so close to my heart as I write this piece. This has been an experience I never thought I would get, but one I am so proud to have been a part of. The establishment of Darkinjung Barker and more recently Ngarralingayil Barker, have been amazing experiences and ones that I am proud of the small part I have played. My life has been enriched by the people I have met, the families that have let me in and the children who I love dearly. Each and every one of you will always have a special place in my memories. Thank you for filling my heart each day and making my job full of life and laughter. Thank you all for making me smile and saying just the perfect thing to bring my spirits up on a tough day and thanks for keeping me up on the modern lingo, newest YouTube clips and helping me understand social media. You have kept me ‘extremely’ young. As I move into the final weeks of a six-year journey, my goals do not change. I strive for what’s best for the ongoing development of these beautiful schools and am taking that little bit of time to reflect on what life has been like over the past six years. The achievements from a personal standpoint far outweigh any expectations I had commencing this journey. I don’t know where to start and where to end, but somewhere right in the middle is where I find my balance. I can only hope that you are as proud as I am of what we have been able to build together. You have all been part of my family and for that I’m blessed. Thank you for having the faith in me to do what I do. I look forward to still being able to see the children when they visit the Hornsby Campus, as I commence my new role in the Junior School.

Jamie Shackleton Director of Aboriginal Campuses

Open-minded Risk-Takers

Digital Art Comes Alive

Term 3 commenced like none of us could ever have imagined. Online learning became a reality, lessons were flipped, collaboration was paramount, technology was essential and our littlest Barker students rose to the challenge with diligence, determination and grace. They displayed the attributes of open-minded risk-takers on a daily basis. The Microsoft Teams platform gave us the capability to conduct multiple class meetings daily, including small group reading sessions. The SeeSaw platform enabled us to be able to set activities for our students to complete, provide relevant and timely feedback and maintain communication with families. The use of this technology was paramount, ensuring we were able to deliver high quality lessons for our students and maintain student-teacher and student-student relationships as best we could in the online learning environment. Teachers worked together to ensure that students were presented with a variety of open-ended activities that catered to a range of abilities, all the while allowing for student voice and choice. It was important to us that we found a balance between on-screen and off-screen time, incorporating as much movement into our day as possible. We know this is so important for our little people. We were so impressed with the way every child strived to attempt all tasks set for them. It was a joy to see their confidence blossom in the online space – developing the skills and confidence to ask questions and share ideas during class meetings, navigating their way with the technology, independently inquiring about aspects of our world related to our UOI and sharing this information with us all and developing responsible learning habits that allowed them to succeed in learning. Kindergarten bravely undertook a variety of individualised reading assessments in the online space to determine our students' growth and progress over the term. We are thrilled with the results and very proud of our students. The data shows our children have retained all teaching and learning and have made solid gains across all areas of reading development. For that we are so grateful! Finally, we wouldn’t have been able to conduct such a rigorous and successful online teaching and learning program without the ongoing commitment and contribution from the families – Thank you! Cecilia Greer Junior School Classroom Teacher & Early Stage 1 Coordinator

Art was alive and well for the Junior School during lockdown. Paper, pencil, paint and clay were replaced with the iPad and digital apps. Inquiring into large enduring ideas and using critical thinking and problem solving to express those ideas in visual form, was a continuation of normal practice. Many Year 5 students used digital media for the first time. Their task as part of their Leadership Unit of Inquiry, was to create a poster promoting a learning attribute they demonstrate in a leadership capacity. The art making process encompassed the development of the idea, investigating the features of excellent graphic design and learning skills and techniques using digital media, which led to a range of creative responses. A human animal hybrid creature morphing the student with an animal of choice was the brief for Year 6. This inquiry focused on the representation of characters within the larger idea of how stories can be constructed, told and interpreted in different ways. Venus and Mars, a painting by the Renaissance artist, Sandro Botticelli with its mischievous and captivating satyrs, was the provocation for the students’ art making. Cate Loder Junior School Specialist Teacher - Art

My Magical Mirror

Ines Lai is a Year 5 student at Barker who recently wrote and illustrated a book My Magical Mirror. She has been very fortunate to have this book published. She attributes the reason her book was published so quickly was because she wrote and illustrated the book herself. The publisher Ines used is Lilly Pilly Publishing which has the slogan ‘Dream Write Create’. It has been an amazing experience for such a young writer who is shy, humble and creative. Her book is available online at Booktopia and Book Depository. Ines’ journey as a Barker student began in Year 3. She acknowledges her teachers and parents who recognised her ability to write and encouraged her to keep writing. After holidays Ines would often shyly appear at the Junior School Library door with a hand-made copy of a book she had written during the break. She has been inspired to write through her love of reading. Her favourite series is Harry Potter but visiting authors to Barker including Deb Abela and Oliver Phommavanh, have resulted in Ines reading a wider variety of material. Ines has drawn from her mature outlook on the lockdown whereby she has felt that people might need a lift to overcome their problems. She hopes her book will inspire others to write stories and is stimulating her classmates to take part in writing.

Dance Troupes

Junior School Dance Troupes were fortunate to continue rehearsals online during Term 3. The Barker Dance Troupes from Kindergarten to Year 6 were committed to practicing their jazz and hip-hop flavoured competition routines and technique trackers in preparation for performances. The troupes were excited to share their polished routines with their parents at the conclusion of Term 2 ready for competing, however, Sydney Eisteddfod and other performances will now be conducted online through the use of a rehearsal video. Whilst this is not our first preference, the students have demonstrated an enormous amount of commitment, resilience and professionalism and are also working on a new piece of choreography to perform in the end of year showcase. She illustrates her books using digital art to create her pictures. Ines participated in Cartooning, offered in the Ignite program which has influenced her illustrations and motivated her into thinking that she might explore the idea of becoming a comic illustrator. There is a strong message of encouragement in her book and she hopes her future books will include messages to have a positive influence on readers. She says, “After they read my book, I hope they will feel something special.” The publisher on the website has these words: “We know that stories are created to inspire, to educate, to uplift, to empower, to entertain, to change and to connect.” Ines’ book certainly does all of those things and we wish her well in her future endeavours with her writing. Sharron Stokes Junior School Specialist Teacher - Librarian

Students collected their individual costumes orchestrated by a drive-thru at the beginning of Term 4 in preparation for a filming day as we are hopeful to celebrate Dance with the Barker community. Isabel Snowden Classroom Teacher & CCC Junior School Dance