End of Semester

Okay - you have had 9 weeks with no posts from me - but I can't let the Semester end without SOMETHING!  

So .. enjoy the break and we'll do this all over again next term/semester.  

Carry on being your awesome selves.  

Edutopia & End of Term

I'm baack ... right when you thought that you may have seen the last of me.  It's all good though, as it's almost the end of term, so probably just this blog post before we get a short break.

There are a couple of links below that could be of some interest for you and your classes, or at least resources that you may be able to adapt for your use.  Maybe even 'stuff' that could generate an 'ah-ha' moment?  

I'm not a teacher, so most of my offerings are a guess - but fingers crossed there is something here that may be of some use for you all. 

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/school-libraries-makerspaces-coexist-josh-weisgrau

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/equity-vs-equality-shane-safir

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-design-right-sized-challenges-suzie-boss

https://www.edutopia.org/article/two-ways-bring-games-your-classroom

Edutopia Articles that may be of interest

 Below are a few weblinks from the Edutopia website, that could be of some use for you all - and if you check the site out, you may find lots more for your interest.  

https://www.edutopia.org/article/strategy-exploring-student-creativity-collaboratively

https://www.edutopia.org/article/school-wide-focus-choice-reading

https://www.edutopia.org/article/10-new-focused-attention-practices

https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-find-games-classroom-learning

https://www.edutopia.org/article/game-based-learning-middle-school-math

https://www.edutopia.org/article/does-our-natural-affinity-games-have-place-classroom

https://www.edutopia.org/article/coding-across-curriculum

I hope that you get something from these articles - and the home site for Edutopia is:

https://www.edutopia.org/

Enjoy the upcoming weekend - and carry on being your awesome selves! 

Harmony Week

Harmony Week = 15th March to 21st March

Harmony Day is 21st March

https://www.harmony.gov.au/

Harmony Week is about coming together to celebrate the cultural diversity in your area and spread the message of ‘everyone belongs’.

Local organisations and community leaders are at the heart of Harmony Week. Your support means people all over the country can celebrate Harmony. They can come together and share, learn and appreciate the diversity that is Australia.  

Bringing communities together through sport, food, music and entertainment plays an important role in promoting our cultural diversity. It creates an opportunity to think, talk about and recognise how our differences and our similarities make Australia a great place to live.  

Celebrating Harmony Week can take any form you wish – big or small – from hosting morning teas to large community festivals.

Science Week 2021

14-22nd August 2021

Science Week 2021

The school theme for National Science Week 2021 will be Food: Different by Design. It will honor the United Nations International Year of Fruits and Vegetables and the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development.

Food: Different by Design will cover a broad range of areas in food production and sustainable agriculture, enabling students to explore topics such as biosecurity, food technology and laboratory-developed foods. Scientific development will be at the core to the theme, with other hands-on projects for students to explore.

School grants

Applications for school grants of up to $500 are now open. The grants are designed to support teachers and schools deliver engaging STEM events and activities in National Science Week. They are intended to be a contribution to the running of an activity or event in a school, and not be the sole means of support.

Applications close on 2 April. Grant rules and the application form are available from the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA).

The school grant round is conducted by ASTA and the grant pool of more than $100 000 is provided by the Australian Government.

TV4ED system

I have sent through an update of all staff to TV4ED (AKA Functional Solutions) so you should be getting a welcome email with information re logging on and using the system - hopefully very soon.  For those of you new to the school, this is a video streaming system we subscribe to - that allows you to login and stream whatever documentary or film that you need for your class.  Whatever you download will be under your name and stored on your 'bookshelf'.  

However, I can still download requests and put it onto our system for you if this is easier ... and sometimes this is the better option, as depending on the Internet and the day, it can hiccup and stagger all over the place.  Most of the time, the items I have downloaded and stored on our network don't really seem to have this problem.  

Just let me know what you are looking for, and if it is there, I can often get it down in a few hours and have it ready to go.  Anything that has been screened on TV is usually available to access - unless it is something brand new being screened - that takes at least a couple of days.  All adverts are cut out as well, which is a bonus. 

New Graphic Novels and others

Having had a few requests from students about some more and updated graphic novels, we now have some new ones on display .. or at least what hasn't gone out already.  They are mainly Marvel/Superhero type ones - Wonder Woman, Wolverine and so on.  Plus there is a DragonWing one, which is about the Dragonnet Prophecy and the RainWings disappearing from the forest without even the smallest trace. 

We are also currently processing a few new Fiction books as well - a puzzle type adventure that looks quite intriguing, titled 'The Inheritance Games', that will be catalogued under Mystery. 

As well, there is the 'Darkest Minds' trilogy, all about mysterious powers and government control, and runaway kids who are out to save the world while trying to keep themselves alive somehow. This series has a movie connection being released this year .. or maybe it has already been released? (*)   As I don't watch movies, I'm not sure about this.  These will be catalogued into the Science Fiction genre area.

These should be available for borrowing in the next week. A reminder to all that if there is anything you would really like to read, please see me.  I can organise an Inter-Library-Loan,depending on the location of the item -  or try to find a way to add it to our Library collection.

* Edit:  The movie 'Darkest Minds was released 3rd August 2018.  There is a sequel planned which will probably be released late 2021 or 2022.

Some 'Days' to celebrate

March 3rd is World Maths Day, is a chance to put your skills to the test, practice math skills and to get involved in a worldwide event that celebrates the history of maths.  This is a competition run through Mathletics. 

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/world-maths-day/

March 20th is World Story Telling Day, where you can celebrate the art of oral storytelling.  It's also a day for people around the globe to listen to, and tell stories in as many different languages as possible.  Most of us go through the day engaging in oral storytelling without even realising that we are doing so.  Have you made up a bedtime story for your child?  Told a friend about your most embarrassing moment? or retold a childhood memory with a sibling?  These are all oral storytelling examples. 

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/world-storytelling-day-march-20/

World Poetry Day is 21st March.  This is a day to encourage people to read, write, teach and publish poetry, and to recognise the amazing cultural contribution poetry makes to the human society.  Poetry is another form of story telling, and has been used for centuries to pass along knowledge, history and information.  The ancient Bards travelled around the countries, taking their stories, in verse format, to share.

https://observances.global/world-poetry-day/

(Oh, and February 14th is Library Lovers Day - just saying!)   😉

Welcome to 2021

Welcome back to everyone - and an extra big welcome to all of our new staff - looking forward to getting to know you all ... and don't listen to anything that the other staff tell you about me!  It is all exaggeration and untruths, I swear!! 

Hope you all had a wonderful break - lots of relaxing, and lots of reading happening.  2021 .. here we go again and hopefully it will be a better year than 2020! 

For the new staff - and a reminder as well for our previous staff - below is a list of some of what we can help you with. I put this list up each year, so if you go back through the posts, it is all there. 
Anything else? If there is something that you think we can help with, just come and have a chat. We are reasonably good at pulling rabbits out of hats and challenges are always interesting ...well, depending on the day, anyway.  

• Looking for a particular book or resource? Come and talk to us. We can organise an Inter-library-Loan or help you find where to purchase it.  
• Resources: Books, Magazines, iPad sets, Digital Cameras, Video Recorders, Computer Mice sets, Data Projectors, Teacher Reference, Headphone sets (a few) Chess sets, Kits........
• IWB area and a bank of computers, as well as laptop trolleys that are available to be booked for classes.  The B3/B4 laptop trolley is only to be used in the Library area, however.
• Help with research, proofreading of assignments, suggestions for books to read - we are your people.  (Maybe not so much with downloading stuff - just trust me on this) 
• A place to display your amazing class work.
• Collation of websites for subjects/classes
• Booking sheets for: Library areas, F Block Laptops, Headphones, Ipads, Corro 'stuff'...

Students have a 3 week borrowing period while staff have a month. Students can borrow 2 items, while staff are pretty much unlimited in capacity to borrow.  For most of the resources, we can adjust the loaning period for whatever is needed - at least till the end of term. However, this doesn't include the AV materials - that is a 1 week loan period only.

I am always looking for ideas or ways to use this blog with teachers and students - so if you have any ideas and suggestions, please come see me.  

Goodbye to 2020!

Just a quick post to wish you all a fantastic end of term break, and to thank you all for for the opportunity to work with you this year.  It has been a crazy year in so many ways - but I think that we have made it - although whether still of a sound mind, remains to be seen, of course. 

For those of you who are moving on, I wish you all the best wherever you may be next year - and everyone else - I'll see you back here next year!  

Philosoraptor

  Make sure you have a relaxing break and definitely spend time  reading!!  Not only does it lower blood pressure - it could truly be considered a matter of survival! 

  Remember - Dinosaurs didn't read and now they're extinct!         Coincidence? - Well, I think not!!  

  All jokes aside - have an awesome Christmas break and we'll get to do it all over again next year.  

Project Based Learning Weblinks

I came across the Edutopia website the other day, and even though it is American based, some of the information and articles do look pretty interesting.  If you get a few moments, you may enjoy having a quick 'squiz' through some of the links below. 

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/project-based-learning-getting-started-basics-andrew-miller

https://www.edutopia.org/article/exploring-social-justice-issues-through-pbl

https://www.edutopia.org/article/starting-small-pbl

https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-quests-project-based-learning

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/pbl-and-steam-natural-fit-andrew-miller

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/project-based-learning-gamification-go-great-together-heather-wolpert-gawron

https://www.edutopia.org/practice/arts-infused-project-based-learning-crafting-beautiful-work

Middle Years Science

Middle Years Science classes have been working with Miss Squires on Biomes and Ecosystems, with a focus on Human Impact and Environmental Issues.  

For this, they have chosen a creature and made a Diorama of it along with its habitat.  To go with this display, there is also a booklet about their creature and the lifestyle, and where it fits into the food web.  

Below are photos of a few of the gorgeous creations that the classes have done - and these will all be on view in the Art Display that opens tomorrow night.  

Kingsley - Wedge-Tailed Eagle

Nathan - Orca

Jet - Saltwater Crocodile

Estella - Black Flying Fox

Shaun - Black Panther

Weblinks on Reading and Libraries

When you get a few moments, check out some of the links below which talk about students and their engagement with reading.  

There are also a couple promoting libraries and their role in today's society.  I have also included one that talks about the rationale and purpose of libraries and librarians - and why we do what we do.  As well, there is an article about school libraries and activating the 'Third Space' which is a concept that is being seen more and more in various places in communities - and is becoming an important consideration in many school libraries today.

Although many of these articles are talking about Public Libraries,  I can see no reason why a lot of it can't also be true of school libraries.  Most 'library stuff' isn't really about the books - it is more about the connections made, and the time and information shared. 

https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/book-talks-with-librarians-opportunities-and-perspectives?

https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/successful-student-reading-engagement-initiatives

http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2013/04/community-centered-23-reasons-why-your-library-is-the-most-important-place-in-town/

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2017/03/30/how-public-libraries-help-build-healthy-communities/

https://287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu/colab/2020/03/03/third-places-and-four-spaces-the-evolution-of-public-libraries/

https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/past-issues/vol-36--2017/unlocking-the-third-space-activating-your-library

https://www.blyberg.net/darien-statements