Due to the financial challenges of COVID a small number of parents have had to withdraw their application for Kindergarten 2022 and other grades. We seek your help in getting the word out that vacancies do exist. If you know if anyone that may be interested, please have them contact Mrs Rochester on kc.rochester@claremont.nsw.edu.au.
Application forms are available online on our website under Enrolments, or via the QR Code above.
With over a school term of Off Campus Learning behind us and as we are settling into our post-lockdown normal, many people are contemplating the world that our young students are growing up in now, how childhood has changed, and the implications of increasing technology use. We want our students to learn and to be prepared for their world beyond school, however this is a challenge for all of us because our current students have more technology at their fingertips than their grandparents, parents and teachers had at their age.
There is currently some excellent research coming out of UNSW Gonski Institute to help us to understand what ‘Growing Up Digital’ looks like for children, teenagers and parents today: “The aim of Growing Up Digital is to better understand the scope of physical mental and social consequences of digital media and technologies on children and youth” (Salsberg, P. & Graham A.). The research is investigating that ways technology is utilised:
Learning vs Distracting
Connecting vs Disconnecting
Safety vs Risks
Tool vs Treat
Harvard Medical School’s Digital Wellness Lab is investigating the causal behaviours resulting from excessive technology use on health, learning and wellbeing, whereas the Growing Up Digital research has summarised what teachers, principals, parents and grandparents are saying, in its first two phases of the investigation. The third and final phase still to be completed, will involve asking children and teenagers.
I would absolutely encourage you to have a look at the research yourselves (https://www.gie.unsw.edu.au/GUDAustralia), however, here are some statistics from the Teachers and Principal’s group:
Some statistics from the Parents and Grandparent’s group:
Together we can help students to ‘Grow Up Digital’ with a healthy self-awareness of the advantages and challenges of technology, by helping them to set a Digital Wellness Goal. Parents and teachers need to be role models for children; however, many recognise that they are also distracted by devises
There is light at the end of this tunnel and hopefully in the coming years, teachers, parents and their children will not be wrestling with the challenges of ‘growing up digital’.
There are strategies we can all put in place now, according to Pasi Salsberg, and that is to:
At Claremont College, we have already begun to be more conscious of the times when technology enhances learning, and restricting its use when it is a distraction to learning. Our staff have an app on their own devices so they can monitor what each child is doing to see if they are on task or off task. If a child is off task their iPad is locked and the student has to complete their work in another way. At the beginning of 2022, when we have our Parent/Student/Teacher Goal Setting Meetings, we will be asking students to set a Digital Wellness Goal, together with their parent/s. We are also committed to modelling sensible and safe digital practices, including restricting technology to learning, so that it is not used for leisure or as a reward at school, and providing some technology free time each day.
We will be asking you, parents, siblings, carers and grandparents to help us to model safe and sensible technology use, by restricting the time it is used for leisure, by setting family times that are technology free, and by revisiting the students’ Digital Wellness Goals throughout the year, so that we can help students achieve their goals. More information to come early in 2022.
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In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
We have a busy end of school year coming up (nothing new here), so please take a little time this weekend to read the newsletter, and don’t forget to share the news and stories with your children too.
Janelle Ford
Co-Principal
Website: www.claremont.nsw.edu.au
Instagram: @claremontcollege
Twitter: @claremont2031
LinkedIn: Claremont College
Congratulations Mrs Herborn and her husband on the safe arrival of their baby girl, Sienna, on 5 November.
Our Social Media Team is working to increase connections, and promote our amazing school. We know everyone has been doing wonderful things during this time and we would love to be able to share these with the Claremont community.
In the coming week we would like to focus on:
If your child would like to be considered to be featured on Claremont College's social media platforms, please send your photos and videos to socialmedia@claremont.nsw.edu.au with:
- Child's Name
- Grade
- Quote or Caption
OR, feel free to tag @claremontcollege on Instagram,
or @claremont2031 on Twitter,
or to follow us on LinkedIn Claremont College
Please feel free to submit any photos and most importantly, have fun!
The Social Media Committee
Website: www.claremont.nsw.edu.au
Instagram: @claremontcollege
Twitter: @claremont2031
LinkedIn: Claremont College
Congratulations to the following students who received a Gold Certificate or Pennant Award this week.
Sophie L (Yr 1) , Archer L (Yr 1), Jasmine B (Yr 3), Charlie H (Yr 3), Jez C (Yr 4), Sofia P (Yr 4), Jake W (Yr 6), Charlotte L (Yr 1), Cooper S (Yr 2), Hamish F (Yr 2) and Jonathan A (Yr 2).
Marcus R (Yr 2)
Our students are now in the Design phase of their PBL and soon will be preparing for the Delivery phase where the they will be presenting to a real audience, you, their parents. This is the phase of the PBL, where the students need to articulate the real-world problem they have been investigating, explain this and talk about their solution to their problem.
In lieu of our Learning Festivals this semester, where students love to show off what they have been learning, we are inviting you to join your child/ren’s classmates on Zoom during the times allocated below. We have planned the presentations in small groups rather than the whole grade, in the interest of time, so that parents will only need to sit through a smaller group of presentations.
Your child may be an exceptional presenter or may be quite shy when presenting so please remember the Delivery part of PBL is just one part of the process and the wonderful aspect of PBL is that every part of the process is equally important.
As a reminder, here is a link to the original article explaining PBL, that was in the Term 4, Week 1 newsletter.
We hope you can join us during the allocated time for your child/ren’s PBL ‘Delivery’.
Zoom links to these PBL Delivery sessions will be sent out on Monday 22 November.
Janelle Ford
On Behalf of the Grade Teachers
What a special day in September we had! A fun day of (virtual) celebration-still honouring and respecting the nationalities we have within our school community.
This year we introduced the General Knowledge Quiz as a new activity for all ages.
Congratulations to all those students listed below, for all their enthusiastic participation and valuable contribution to the COVID version of International Day! All prize winners in the various categories have received prizes in the form of book vouchers.
Despite the very different approach to the day, there were so many excited children (and parents) whose efforts made the day truly memorable for us all.
Kindy
Quiz - Kei M
Best Dressed - Anna D, Ethan K
Best Attitude & Effort - Darasimi A
Year 1
Quiz - Hayden J
Best Dressed - Matilda LS, Tex R
Best Attitude & Effort - Scarlett Y
Year 2
Quiz - Oliver H
Best Dressed - Jonathan A, Jai P
Best Attitude & Effort - Jacob A
Year 3
Quiz - Zachary S
Best Dressed - Maxwell M, Valentina S
Best Attitude & Effort - Lauren C
Year 4
Quiz - Billy R
Best Dressed - Lara D, Dion T
Best Attitude & Effort - Christopher S
Year 5
Quiz - Tabitha A
Best Dressed - Simona P, Chloe M
Best Attitude & Effort - Ben V
Year 6
Quiz - Tom L
Best Dressed - Isabelle W, Zahra A
Best Attitude & Effort - Bryce MC
Mr Geering, Miss Gilbert and Bu Jill
Samantha May Kerr is an Australian soccer player who is the current captain of the Matildas. She currently plays in the UK for Chelsea in the English FA Women’s Super League. Since joining Chelsea in 2019 Sam has become known as one of the best female strikers in the world. Sam was also named 2018 Young Australian of the Year.
This series tells the story of a young Sam growing up and how she fell in love with football, the importance of family and friends in her life and the challenges she faced as a child. Sam Kerr has co-authored this series of books with Australian author and actor Fiona Harris. The series begins when Sam is excluded from the Aussie Rules football team, she doesn't know what to do. Her best friends encourage her to switch to playing soccer. At the start it seemed like a good choice. The coach is okay and her teammates seem nice enough. But then there’s the pressure of learning new rules, strategies and positions. Sam wonders if it will all be too much? The second book in the series explores friendship issues and how Sam settles into playing soccer for the Knights.
Japanese illustrator Aki Fukuoka is the illustrator of both books and most well known for her illustrations for the Billie B Brown series.
Recommended for ages 7 years and older.
Please can you remind your children to return all library books. Many students still have overdue books from pre lockdown. Some students have been given overdue notices. Library books are easily identifiable as they are covered in plastic and have a Claremont Library barcode on the front or rear cover. The books can be returned any day of the week to the returns box in the library.
Many thanks for your assistance.
Mrs Susan Kesur
Librarian Assistant
Featuring a collection of bread recipes, family meals and sweet treats from students, parents and staff of Claremont College. Many recipes passed down through the generations or born through ‘lockdown’ to cook at home. Lovely memoir for your family or Christmas gift for grandparents and friends.
Purchase now on Flexischools, $32 a copy. Orders will close on 14/11/21.
St Andrew’s Cathedral School will offer one full or part scholarship to a Claremont student (boy or girl) for entry into Year 7 2023. This scholarship is in recognition of the relationship between the two schools, and acknowledgement of the high standard of Claremont graduates. The scholarship, and amount of scholarship will be based on the following criteria:
Application forms can be downloaded at
https://www.sacs.nsw.edu.au/enrol/scholarships/academic-scholarships/
Applications close on 10 February 2022.
30 Coogee Bay Road, Randwick NSW 2031
P 02 9399 3217
E office@claremont.nsw.edu.au
