Junior Journeys

Life long learners

By Kellie Osborn Email this article

Finding inspiration from each other.

Anh Doh author talk
Anh Do is one of Australia’s best-loved storytellers. His junior fiction series Wolf Girl, WeirDo, Hotdog! and Ninja Kid are adored by millions of kids around the country, having sold in excess of 5 million books, and they are certainly extremely popular with our students too.

Many students listened intently to Anh talk about his creativity and inspirations for his work, his career, his popular and new titles, and answers to student questions from around the country as part of the Sydney Opera House presents Digital Schools Talk.

Reading is without doubt one of the most important skills that we foster in our children, and Anh’s energy, passion and delivery certainly sparked excitement.

Reading entertains, inspires, provokes, captivates and motivates. It provides us with the opportunity to escape, explore, and inquire; discover different countries, worlds, lives, and more. It is the single most powerful skill that we have, and delivering a passion and joy for reading is undoubtedly one of the most important jobs we have as teachers or parents.

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Acknowledging our amazing mothers
Being a mother is both incredibly rewarding and phenomenally challenging, and I know every Mercedes mother and mother-figure works at being the best they can be. I also know that our students are very grateful for their mothers and saw their gratitude in spades as they prepared to celebrate Mother’s Day. We hope you all enjoyed the fun 'chatterboxes' that went home in backpacks, too.

For those members of our community who are missing their mothers due to distance, or whose mothers have passed, please know that you have been in our thoughts and prayers during this period.

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Thinking, and the ongoing process of  our learning
"Curiosity and an open mind are surely amongst the most powerful and important dispositions to nurture not only in our learners but in ourselves." Kath Murdoch

It is always a pleasure to observe the learning that is happening within each class in the Junior School, and a privilege to observe the skills and knowledge students acquire each day, but observing is about more than watching from afar. Observation is asking questions, engaging in conversations and, most importantly, reflecting. The Primary Years Programme is rooted in child-centred education, and inquiry-based learning is one part of this. Our Units of Inquiry, through their transdisciplinary nature, offer inquiries from across the curriculum and link them into class lessons.

Every student is on their own learning journey, and we as educators pride ourselves on being lifelong learners. Our teachers are role models for learning, and we endeavour to embody the IB Learner Profile attributes each day. Observations help us to learn, be principled within our practice, and reflective on methods. Through regular planning sessions we share good practice in teaching, learning and assessment, plan events, learn about new research and documentation, as well as many other areas of professional development. It is truly an honour to be part of the innovative, creative and reflective teaching staff in the Junior School.

When we hear, "I'm finished!" or "I'm done!", we remind our students that learning is an ongoing process. Teachers - just as much as students - continue to learn every day and we are grateful to our young students for teaching us new ways of thinking.

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Kellie Osborn
Head of Junior School