Archive for the 'Features' Category
Posted July 23 2010At the Alliance of International Educators Conference held in July 2010 Meredith Lawson, Sandra Tiepermann and I presented on how our learning community is engaging Middle Schoolers in experiences that enable them to construct solutions to real world issues in our Integrated Studies Units. Our paper was entitled, Building Powerful, Inclusive Communities. We explored with educators from around the globe how we engender a culture of students saying, “I’m not sure but I want to find out, let’s think about this together.”
We shared examples of student led campaigns, extended role plays such as the Hungry Planet Banquet and a range of different ways that we create a passion for discovering and understanding other cultures. We demonstrated that through an array of structured learning choices, our students emerge with their own positive world view.
During the presentation, we received so many questions about how we empower students to understand that one small action can make a difference on a global scale. The impact of particular pinnacle experience units were explored with our audience on World Religions, Saving Planet Earth and Hungry Planet. We discussed how these units incorporate essential questions based on Harvard’s Teaching for Understanding Framework and offer our students opportunities for creativity, synthesis and the revolutionary use of class time. The educators we spoke with were impressed that each unit seeks to build community and an understanding of diversity as our learners become activists with global responsibilities.
Also during the holiday break, Merril Darling presented on Poetry Knowitry at the National Conference for Teachers of English and Literacy held in Perth. She explored how many children have had access to poetry through rhyme and song from earliest childhood as an enjoyable, shared literacy experience. Her presentation highlighted how children delight in the predictability of rhyme and respond physically to the rhythmic writing found in many picture books.
Her Poetry Knowitry presentation focused on the practical use of poetry as a rich and engaging teaching and learning tool for developing phonemic awareness, analytical skills and deep literacy understanding. She shared theoretical underpinnings for the use of poetry. Her criteria for poem selection was also considered. The links to phonemic and literacy skill development were demonstrated along with a range of teaching, problem solving and thinking strategies Evidence was provided of the development of deep understandings of short poetic texts leading into children’s own poetry writing.
Our teachers benefitted greatly from sharing their experiences with other educators and it was great to receive such positive feedback at both conferences about our programs at Huntingtower.
Fiona Gordon
Head of Teaching and Learning
July 23 2010 | All and Features | No Comments » | 
Posted March 17 2008A warm thank you to all the families who have taken care of our visitors from Shibuya High School in Tokyo over the past ten days. They have felt very much at home in your families. Enjoy the weekend!
Vicki Anderson
March 17 2008 | All and Features | No Comments » |
Posted February 29 2008The annual Junior School Swimming Carnival is to be held on Friday 14 March, 12:00noon – 3:00pm. The Swimming Carnival is to be held at Mt Scopus Memorial College. Mt Scopus Memorial College is in Station Street Box Hill South, just north of Burwood Highway. Parking is available on the Mt Scopus site and also on Station Street until 4pm when it becomes a Clearway. Parking in the side streets is not recommended as strict parking restrictions are enforced.
February 29 2008 | All and Features | No Comments » |
Posted February 15 2008
Thought for the week
“When you are grateful for what you have, you get more to be grateful for.”
The joyous faces of our children are enough to make every school day one of immense pleasure for everyone involved in education. How blessed we are to be able to be around hundreds of energetic, positive, loving and thoughtful young people. As I walk through the grounds, talk with children and learn from them, I am immensely grateful for the country in which we live and the school in which we work.
It is quite clear, according to the Law of Attraction, that focussing on the positive things we experience will draw more positive experiences to us. Focussing on the negative will attract more negative. Mary Baker Eddy says “Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good and the true and you will bring these into your experience proportionable to their occupancy of your thoughts”
I am currently wearing a wrist band which reads “A Complaint Free World”. When we complain, we are seeing fault, finding fault and soon this can become looking for fault and will certainly draw more negative into our experience. My goal is to go 21 days without complaining. Yes! Not complaining about anything, anyone or any situation; simply focussing on good. If I catch myself complaining (or someone else catches me) I have to transfer the wrist band from the current wrist to the other; until I can go 21 days without complaining. A habit is formed after 21 days and so this attitude should then be permanent. If anyone would like to take the challenge with me, please ask me for a wrist band. I would love to share the journey.
On Tuesday 19 February the PTA are holding their AGM in the Performing Arts Centre. We would love to see as many parents there as possible. Please join us at 7.30pm. The meeting is short and should be over at 8.15pm. If you would like to join the PTA please let me or a current PTA Committee member know or just come along to the meeting.
On Saturday 23 February at 5pm the PTA is hosting a Welcome To New Parents in the School Quadrangle. This is a very relaxed evening where current and new parents and their children bring a picnic basket and have a social time listening to some popular music, chatting and getting to know one another. Miss Greiveson and I will be cooking sausages for you and we are sure the children will enjoy playing in the grounds. We should conclude at about 8.30pm. Please join us. I would love to see hundreds of current and new families on Saturday.
We wish the Year 11 group going off on their “Outback” expedition a very happy time.
Sholto Bowen
Principal
February 15 2008 | All and Features and Principals Message | No Comments » |
Posted February 01 2008
Thought for the year
“In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.”
The Bible
At the commencement of a new year I think it is important to reaffirm that the government and wisdom of the one Mind is always with us to guide us, to help us and to keep us in all our ways. That means to care for us in every situation in which we find ourselves. Sometimes all we need is to quietly affirm our oneness with the almighty to feel a sense of great calm because it is not up to us. As many great thinkers and leaders have said before: “let go and let God”.
In all that we do this year I hope that we can keep uppermost in our thoughts, the ever presence of God so that we don’t get totally caught up in the busy-ness of the activities that we undertake and think that it is all up to us. We also have a new government in place in Canberra and we wish them well as they tackle the economy, the environment and all the unique issues facing Australia and the world.
This is going to be a wonderful year for everyone. We have over 575 students enrolled this year and we welcome over 90 new families to the school.
Our new Multipurpose Astroturf as almost complete and we hope that it will be commissioned soon. This facility will provide us with a new dimension to our sporting facilities. Six new tennis courts, netball courts, a new Cricket practice net and a full size Hockey field.
For those of you who were unable to attend our commencement assembly I will say a few things about our VCE results. We are very proud to report that we once again had a 100% pass rate and 100% tertiary acceptance rate. Our median study score was 36 which placed us very high on the school ranking as the highest ranked school (MacRobertson’s Girls High) had a median study score of 39. The highest Co-Ed school (Bialik) had a median study score of 37. So you can imagine how pleased I am with our 2007 graduating class and their teachers as they achieved a median study score of 36.
25% of our ENTER scores were over 95 which essentially means that these students can really choose whatever course they wish to follow. As Huntingtower is not a selective school, it is important that all students’ needs are catered for and this makes it all the more pleasing that all students have a tertiary course to do if they wish. Our congratulations go to Elizabeth Debicki who was dux and achieved her aim of being accepted directly into Melbourne University – Victorian College of the Arts in Performing Arts; could she be the next Nicole Kidman? – no I think she will be the first Elizabeth Debicki and will set a new standard. Elizabeth also achieved a perfect score in both English and Drama. Other perfect scores included Anne-Marie Johnson (Indonesian), KJ Tsanaktsidis (Information Technology) and Karen Androulakis (Visual Communication). Our 2007 school captain Genna Verbeek achieved her dream of getting into Medicine at Monash. We are thrilled for her.
We are so proud of all of our students.
We congratulate our new 2008 leaders who were inducted at the commencement assembly. Special congratulations to the new School Captains Ben Carthew and Bianca DiFede and Vice School Captains Adam Jahnke and Kathleen Mann.
We welcome our new teachers: Mrs Jenni Deubel (Year 4), Miss Meredith Stevens (VCE Biology and Year 10 Coordinator), Miss Brett Fletcher-McGookin (Maths), Mrs Judith Borrell (English) and Mr Leigh Parsons (Physical Education, sport, History). We know that you will all make them most welcome.
Have a wonderful year and keep smiling.
Sholto Bowen
Principal
February 01 2008 | All and Features and Principals Message | No Comments » |
