Growing Stronger and Wiser as a Community
I would like to thank all members of our community for your support, understanding, and expressions of goodwill during IDAHOBIT week. It was a trying week for us all. While the external noise was raging, it was so pleasing to feel to support within the community; from students, parents, and members of staff.
I am pleased IDAHOBIT was celebrated across the three campuses in a manner that is age-appropriate and meaningful for all students. Days like IDAHOBIT are integral to our embedded and integrated approach to wellbeing. In recent Messenger issues, I have spoken about the work of Dr Helen Street and the idea of ‘contextual wellbeing.’ This approach focuses on creating a school culture and environment where everyone in the community feels valued, connected and that they belong. IDAHOBIT is one of several great teaching moments on the international calendar where we can highlight and demonstrate inclusion, creating a sense that no matter how different we are, all students can find a safe space at Woodleigh. These are not strategies that can be delivered by a program or through an external organisation; these ideas must be embedded in everything we do.
"At Woodleigh, we encourage students to be themselves, to express themselves and to find their tribe."
IDAHOBIT is a chance to raise awareness of difference, and also to normalise difference to help eliminate fear from society. All of our students are different. If they see difference as acceptable, they are more likely to be comfortable with who they are and who they are becoming.
For senior students, this occurs through guest speakers, events held at school and encouragement from external support groups to find their voice and be vocal about celebrating the day. For our junior students, this is more difficult, as concepts such as homophobia are hard to discuss and very difficult for our youngest students to understand. However, this is where our culture of inclusion and belonging develops its foundations. For younger children, visible and tangible examples are required, visible difference that they can engage with, be curious about and ask questions of. While for some, Drag Story Time could be seen as controversial and provocative. However, it does provide a safe environment for all students to engage with difference, be curious, and ask questions.
Last year’s Drag Story Time was a huge success, with our students asking enlightened and well-informed questions that reflect our school culture of respect for others. I would like to thank and acknowledge those members of our community who supported the school during this day and the subsequent issues raised externally. I would also like to thank those members of our community who had concerns about this day and spent time with myself, and members of our leadership team working through their concerns. This proved to be a great learning moment for us all, as we develop understanding of others’ perspectives in a respectful and curious manner.
I was reminded of how deep the culture of respect is at Woodleigh at a recent SIS Senior Boys’ Football match that Craig Azzopardi and I coached. Last week, when Nazareth College arrived for the match, we realised that they only had 14 players, most of whom were recruited from other sports and younger age groups. They had been hit hard by COVID and other school events. Craig raised this with our team of high-performing athletes and without hesitation they offered to play for the other team, ensuring everyone had a positive and respectful game of football. Not only did they play for the other team, they encouraged, supported, coached and brought the younger players into the game. A positive experience for both teams. The scoreboard was irrelevant on the day as both teams departed as friends and better for the game.
Speaking to the Nazareth Staff and students after the game, they said they were amazed by the welcoming nature of our school, our staff, and our students. They said that there was an automatic sense of our culture upon arrival as our students randomly offered to help and to guide them to the oval. Staff volunteered to assist them to prepare, and our players deliberately assisted with their game to support the younger players. While this was no AFL standard match, and most of our players will represent their local teams in more serious games on the weekend, this was a fantastic experience for all involved and a great example of how well-being can be enhanced by the environment in which we learn and live.
I would like to thank all members of our community for your support, interest, and collaboration for the first half of the term. As a community we may not always agree on everything; however, I know that we can work our way through any issue and come out the other side stronger and wiser.
David Baker
PRINCIPAL
On Friday 19 May, over 70 students from Minimbah travelled to Senior Campus to compete in the annual Bayside District Cross Country Running event.
In cold and wet running conditions, they ran on a course that winds its way around the Wildlife Nature Reserve in the top paddocks behind Cruden Oval. Competing with over 500 students from 11 other schools our students produced a sensational team effort, which saw them win the Division 2 Junior Shield, the Division 2Senior Shield, and the Combined Team Championship Shield.
The team was very well led by a large group of Year 6 Students who were nominated as Team Leaders for this very physically demanding event, and for all the many training sessions in the weeks leading up to the championship.
Final scores for the Division 2 Championship were:
1st Woodleigh School – 649
2nd Karingal PS - 1022
3rd St Francis Xavier PS - 1241
4th Frankston East PS - 1348
5th Ballam Park PS -1407
6th Karingal Heights PS - 2200
Congratulations to all team members and to the following students who qualified to run in the Northern Peninsula Division Championships at the Hastings Foreshore Reserve on Wednesday 31 May by placing in the top 10 at the District Championships. The whole school community congratulates them for outstanding personal achievements and wishes them well in their endeavours. Well done!
9-Year-Old Girls Harper Johnson 10th
10-Year-Old Girls Eadie Rix 10th
10-Year-Old Boys Billy Sitzler 5th
11-Year-Old Boys Kevin Ni 4th Dallas Teleskivi 6th Brodie Johnson 9th
12-Year-Old Girls Tilley Falkingham 1stOlivia Matthews 3rd Willow Boadle 9th
12-Year-Old Boys Ethan Gately 4th Archie Butt 6th
Mark Roden
SPORTS MASTER
Term two is well underway and our library is full of researchers! Students across our school are sharpening their research skills (at age-appropriate level) through the exploration of non-fiction narrative, traditional non-fiction texts, and learning how we can safely use the internet when researching unfamiliar topics.
Some broader questions all students are focusing on include:
· Where can we source information?
· What non-fiction features can help us in our inquiry?
· How do we know when a source is reliable?
· How can we best record and information?
We can’t wait to share our findings with you later in the term! Stay tuned …
Don’t forget our library is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8:30am. Come in for some shared reading with your child and browse our collection, I hope to see you soon!
BRIONY WRIGHT
Minimbah Library
Hello Minimbah families, I'm so happy to share with you what we've been up to in the Art Room this term.
ECC looked at how Clare Youngs creates papers for her artwork and they made a wonderful pride of lions.
Foundation made collaged and painted robots.
Year 1 and 2 students created some wonderful portraits of their mums for Mother’s Day.
Year 3 and 4 are working on an art project combining Threads and Textiles, Collage and Printing.
Year 5 students have completed their Threads and Textiles circular weavings, check them out on display in the staffroom and home-made papers for our Matisse-inspired panel artworks.
Year 6 students are looking at the work of Kindah Khalidy to inspire their abstract artwork.
SARAH PILGRIM
Art Teacher
Passports stamped.
Luggage checked.
Seatbelts on.
Ready for take off!!
Our Year 1 and 2 travelers were very excited to embark on their journey to Bali, Indonesia. There were many important steps to follow and complete for this trip to take place. As a class, we researched and discussed the places we could visit in Indonesia. It was a unanimous vote that we should travel to Bali, as many of us knew about Bali or had in fact travelled to Bali before.
We discovered that before we could travel internationally, we had to have passports. So, we set about creating our very own “BUKU PASPOR”. We got to include important details like our “Nama” (Name), “Umur” (Age), “Tempat Lahir” (Birthplace), drawings of ourselves, and even our pets (who were traveling with us).
Queuing up at the airport to get our Buku Paspor stamped was very exciting and once we boarded our plane, the pilot got us ready for take-off. All was smooth sailing until our plane had an emergency landing and that is when our adventure really began! We moved through mystical portals and visited strange and mysterious lands. We met a dragon and finally found ourselves at an Indonesian Wet Market filled with colourful fruit and new foods to explore.
Where the Wild Things Are in Indonesian / Dance
Foundation have been exploring different environments and habitats, the creatures who live there and the interesting ways they travel. Taking turns and following a leader, sharing pathways and ideas, connecting pathways and movement qualities were interesting ways of wondering and exploring our ideas together.
Join the fun in the Minimbah Hall on Friday 16 June!
A light dinner is included in the entry price.
Dress Code: Create a unique ensemble that merges the worlds of tomorrow and the untamed jungle, or choose the theme you like best! Dress up in metallic hues, exotic animal prints, neon accents, colourful vegetation, and futuristic accessories and show off your vivid fashions on the dance floor.
- BYO drink bottle and support this event to generate as little waste as possible
And of course, DON’T FORGET TO DRESS UP in our FUTURE JUNGLE theme!
All funds raised will be donated to a charity chosen by the Year 4 class.
Book now