Recently, we have had the opportunity to reflect on various milestones. This included hosting an Orientation morning for 2024 Kindergarten students and their parents. This week, we welcomed Year 12 Frensham Gib Gate Graduates and their parents to a Farewell Assembly to celebrate their time at School. We reflected on Gib Gate’s part in their journey, as well as wishing them well for their upcoming examinations and life beyond school. The Year 12 students enjoyed visiting the Gib Gate campus, re-living memories of favourite places and events.

This week, Year 6 students presented their Legacy of Leaders Project which is the culmination of many weeks of investigation, inquiry, commitment, and persistence. This was an inspiring opportunity for students to learn more about people in leadership and the impact leaders can have in service to others.

We are pleased to be welcoming Ms Amanda Graham to the Frensham Junior School staff as the new PDHPE/Sport Coordinator. Ms Graham was a Frensham Schools staff member from 1999-2022, working in a variety of roles including Head of Sport, Head of PDHPE, Coordinator of Year 7, Deputy Head of Boarding, Acting Director of Boarding and Coordinator of Events and Planning. She is excited to be joining Frensham Junior School and bringing to the role her years of PDHPE and Sport teaching and leadership experience, as well as her deep understanding of the Frensham Schools culture and values.

Our Frensham Schools bus has arrived in Australia and is expected to be outfitted, signage wrapped and delivered to us by early next term. After a period of staff induction at this stage, it is anticipated that our pick-up and drop-off service will commence in Week 2. A trial route will be published on Schoolbox in the coming weeks.

Mrs Lucy Gregory, Head of Frensham Junior School (Gib Gate Campus)

Enrichment

Visual Arts
The Ngununggula Regional Art Gallery in Bowral recently held a Student Art Prize from across the region. They were delighted with the quality of the entries from Frensham Junior School (Gib Gate campus) and these student’s artworks will be exhibited during their summer exhibition, New Dog Old Tricks.  Congratulations to Archie Driver, Amelia Gardiner, Tilly Milosevic (Year 5); Carly Hughes, Olive Celestino (Year 4); Kalina Gajic, Lucy Wright (Year 3); Alfie Satchwell (Year 2); Charlotte Kenwright-Dennis, Paige Rooney (Year 1).

The Gib Gate class collaborative artworks have been selected for the IPSHA Virtual Art Show this year. Families can view the IPSHA NSW Virtual Art Show by accessing the link on Schoolbox. 

Students in Years 1-5 are entering artwork in The Australian Conservation Fund ‘Endangered Species’ Wild Art competition. They have enjoyed creating work for a purpose that may make a difference in the world.

Year 6 students have recently undertaken a Dairy Farming in Australia case study through the ‘Picasso Cows’ program. They investigated various elements of sustainable food production, finding out about different practices that exist and why some practices are more sustainable than others. The culminating activity involved students designing a template to reflect their learning journal. They then painted their design onto a life-size fibre-glass cow that came from Australian Dairy Farmers as part of the Picasso Cows Program with their Kindergarten buddies.

Gib Gate students have recently had opportunities to be involved in a range of incursions which adds to their experience and rich learning; Year 5 worked with Mrs Spencer, Frensham and Sturt Art teacher doing printmaking linked to the current Sturt exhibition; all students participated in Indigenous hands-on workshops and Kindergarten to Year 6 had a ukelele workshop; while, Years 1 and 2 enjoyed their Outdoor Education Day at Camp Wombaroo.

We also wish the current Year 12 Gib Gate graduates good luck as they finish their HSC. A number of these students started at Gib gate as 3-year-olds in 2009!

Mrs Anne Graham, Deputy Head of Frensham Junior School

Preschool

We are grateful for the support our parent community gives to extend the Preschool programme. Recently, parents contribute their unique talents and expertise to enrich the preschool experience. The children were inspired and engaged by Sam Stephenson's recent presentation and hands-on activity as she shared her sculpture work. Creating sculptures from cardboard encouraged creativity, fine motor skill development, and spatial awareness in their young minds. We displayed their creations according to their own specifications, which showed respect for their individuality and artistic expression.

The Preschoolers were excited that a broken canoe could further extend our investigation into boats. This discovery provided an opportunity to teach them about upcycling. Eliza and Stephanie Hughes took the lead in repairing the canoe. We will continue to problem-solve together to figure out how to fix the canoe.

Rupert Cole arranged for a fire truck to visit Preschool and the visit was well timed with fire safety and prevention particularly important in the lead up to summer. Rupert and his team shared valuable information about fire safety, firefighting equipment, and how to stay safe in fire-prone conditions. Exploring the fire truck in detail was an exciting and educational experience for the children, as they saw the firefighting equipment up close and had a turn of using the firehose.

These activities provide fun and engaging experiences for the preschool students and impart important life skills and knowledge. Our involved parents support rich, educational experiences for the children in preschool.

Mrs Tinna Loker, Preschool Director