School Newsletter
Number 11
2027 Term Dates
Scroll through for important Term 4 events. Events can also be viewed and added to your personal calendar via the Events tab in the Audiri app. Please contact Reception if you need assistance.
Important Dates
Term 4: 13 October – 9 December
From our Principal
Thinking
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“The child is capable of developing and giving us tangible proof of the possibility of a better humanity. [They have] shown us the true process of construction of the human being. We have seen children totally change as they acquire a love for things and as their sense of order, discipline, and self-control develops within them... The child is both a hope and a promise for [hu]mankind.”
— Maria Montessori, Education and Peace
Susan Harris-Evans
Acting Principal
Fundraising Results
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Oakbank Hotel Fundraiser
Wednesday 2nd December
Year 6 Graduation
Friday 4th December
AP Exhibition of Work & Learning
Friday 4th December
Year 9 Graduation
Monday 7th December
End of Year Concert
Whole School
Yultiwirra Coffee Morning
The Community Connection Group will be hosting another coffee morning on Thursday 29th October. Come along, enjoy a coffee and meet and mingle with other parents.
Please join us in the Yultiwirra Common Room after drop-off, from 9am onwards.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Thursday 29th October
Whole School
Oakbank Hotel
Fundraiser Dinner
Save the Date
Pop it in your diaries! Our Parent Reps are organising an end-of-year gathering for all Cycles on Monday 9 November, from 5.45 pm at the Oakbank Hotel.
More details to follow — we look forward to bringing our school community together to celebrate the end of the year!
Monday 9th November
Conversations
Conversations
Conversations Conversations
Starting Conversations About Online Safety
As children grow, their online experiences change, bringing new opportunities, questions and decisions for families to navigate. Creating space for open conversations helps young people feel supported to ask questions, share concerns and develop their own understanding of how to engage online.
Knowing when a child is ready for a smartphone, how to approach social media, or where to set boundaries around gaming and screen time can be challenging. These decisions look different for every family, and having practical guidance can make them easier to navigate.
Our upcoming parent information session, Smartphones, Videos, Gaming, AI Companions & Social Media: Raising Kids & Teens in an Online World with Anke Lasserre, will bring together the latest research and practical advice to help parents and carers make informed decisions. The session will explore healthy screen habits, online safety, the influence of addictive design and AI companions, and approaches to setting boundaries that support connection rather than conflict.
Attendees will receive a screen use agreement template, conversation prompts, a checklist for recognising imbalanced screen use and recommended resources for both parents and teenagers.
Together, we can create an environment where young people feel comfortable talking about their online experiences and are supported to develop safe, balanced and responsible digital habits.
Cycle News
Infant Program
Drosera Classroom • Ages 0-3
We have been busy in the Infant Program with lots of fun activities! We took part in the Aussie Bird Count, and it was lovely to spend time together looking and listening for different birds and enjoying their birdsong.
We have also enjoyed some spring craft, using spring-coloured paints and flowers from our garden to create prints on squares of fabric.
We also held our beautiful Wairoa Café morning, which is always a favourite with the children and families. The food and coffee were outstanding, and as always, we left with full hearts and bellies!
Infant Program
Cycle 1 Preschool
Cycle 1 Preschool
Banksia & Goodenia Community • Ages 3-5
The children are enjoying their exploration of arthropods. We have been learning about the features, lifecycles and habitats of insects and arachnids, supported by resources borrowed from the South Australian Museum.
We have enjoyed finding arthropods in our yard and classroom, with one favourite being the millipedes, which are in abundance. This has led to lots of drawings and children sharing facts about them with one another. Charlie shared, “Spiders are predators.” Another classroom favourite has been the Bogong moths, also in abundance. “That’s a moth – I care about all the creatures,” said Archie.
Another special occurrence in Preschool has been the fledging of three baby Wattlebirds in our playground. “The babies are learning to fly,” said Orr excitedly. Listening to the baby birds in their nest and then watching them fledge was so special to observe, and wonderfully coincided with the Aussie Bird Count. This has sparked many conversations and inspired lots of bird-related play.
We have also been repeating stories and books to support the children’s ability to retell familiar stories. It has been a lot of fun listening to their retellings of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Spider.
We were lucky to have Khushali visit and share with us about Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Light. This important celebration involves wearing colourful clothing, cooking and sharing food. Khushali helped the children create rangoli patterns using stencils and introduced them to the ‘diya’ – painted candles.
Cycle 1 Primary
Correa & Ixodia Classrooms • Ages 5-6
Our Cycle 1 classroom continues to be a place of discovery, where children explore new concepts, develop practical skills and extend their understanding through hands-on experiences.
In Science, the children have been exploring the fascinating properties of water and air, the water cycle and the states of matter. Through hands-on experiments and group discussions, they have been investigating how water and air behave, discovering their different properties and observing how matter can change from one state to another. They have also explored the water cycle, developing their understanding of how water moves through the environment. These experiences have encouraged the children to ask questions, make predictions, observe changes and share their discoveries with their peers.
In Geometry, the children have been exploring polygons, learning what defines a polygon and becoming familiar with the names of different shapes. They have enjoyed constructing their own polygons, as well as identifying and naming the various shapes found in the Geometry Cabinet. These activities have supported their understanding of geometric properties, shape recognition and spatial awareness.
Our classroom has also been busy preparing for our Class Café! The children have played an active role in bringing this special event to life, from selecting the menu and writing it out to creating invitations and preparing and cooking the food. They have enjoyed being involved in every stage of the preparation, sharing ideas and making decisions along the way. These experiences have provided meaningful opportunities to develop early writing and practical life skills, practise collaboration and build a sense of responsibility, all while creating excitement for welcoming our guests to the café.
Cycle 1 Primary
Cycle 2 Primary
Dianella & Acacia Classrooms • Ages 6-9
Cycle 2 students have just returned from a wonderful two-day overnight camp filled with learning, adventure and connection to Country!
We began at the Living Kaurna Cultural Centre at Warriparinga, where we were welcomed with a smoking ceremony. Nasyah taught us about Kaurna symbols, which students used to paint their own boomerangs, each telling a story. We also had a go at throwing boomerangs, which was great fun!
Uncle Belly then took us on a bush tucker walk, showing us a range of native plants and their uses. He also spoke about the importance of being custodians of the land and caring for Country.
After lunch and play at Belair National Park, we headed back to school to set up our sleeping spaces. The afternoon was filled with creativity and teamwork during our cubby-building session. After a delicious pasta bake dinner and dessert, we settled in to watch Ice Age. For many students, this was their first night away from home, and staying overnight in a familiar place helped everyone feel safe and settled. Everyone showed great courage, and it was lovely to see so many proud faces the next morning!
Day 2 began with our much-loved annual toy parade, where every soft toy got its moment in the spotlight. We then travelled to TreeClimb Kuitpo, where students took on the climbing courses and nets at their own pace. There was plenty of encouragement as friends cheered each other on. We finished with a forest hike before returning to school for a gratitude and reflection circle.
Camp gave students a wonderful opportunity to step outside their comfort zones, grow their independence, deepen their connection to Country and make lasting memories with friends.
A huge thank you to all the staff and volunteers who helped make this camp so special. We can’t wait to do it all again next year!
Cycle 2 Primary
Cycle 3 Primary
Callistemon & Grevillea Classrooms • Ages 9-12
Exploring Our Marine Environments and Animal Adaptations
Our recent excursion to the Marine Discovery Centre provided a wonderful opportunity to make meaningful connections with our study of zoology, while deepening our understanding of sustainability and the importance of caring for our marine environments.
Students enjoyed a beach scavenger hunt, an immersive VR scuba diving experience where they encountered whale sharks and other fascinating marine creatures, and a range of interactive, hands-on displays. There was also an opportunity to meet the resident pufferfish and his underwater friends! It was an engaging and enjoyable day, bringing our classroom learning to life and encouraging students to think more deeply about the incredible diversity of marine life and how we can help protect it.
Back in the classroom, our exploration of animal adaptations continues. Students are developing their research skills through various projects, learning to identify, organise and communicate information while discovering more about the remarkable ways animals have adapted to survive in their environments.
One of our recent hands-on investigations was a bird beak experiment. Students used a variety of tools, including blunt-nosed pliers, pegs and tongs, to model different types of bird beaks and investigate how effectively they could collect different food sources. This provided an opportunity to explore how the shape and structure of a bird’s beak is closely linked to its environment and available food. We discovered that some birds, such as seagulls, have versatile beaks suited to a varied diet, while others, such as hummingbirds, have highly specialised beaks adapted to particular food sources.
Our investigations into the fascinating world of animal adaptations will continue throughout the term as students deepen their understanding of the relationship between an animal’s features, its habitat and its survival.
Cycle 3 Primary
Cycle 4 Middle School
Wairoa Campus • Ages 12-15
A Bubbling Wairoa-Crew Brew
Oh, the spring has now sprung and so has the fun!
For the winter near over, the sun is all sun!
Like a mullet so thick with a swish and a flick,
It tells everyone what we want to make tick:
Out the front of Wairoa it's all business, and care,
Where the landscape designers are measuring there,
And green-thumbed young pros planting native-plant plots,
To make our school tidy and classy in spots!
Up front it is neat, a presentable show,
While the back is the party where all of us go!
And once you come in, oh, what else will we do?
We will meat you right by the brick barbecue, too!
Now who plans these things? Who knows what it’ll be?
It’s the Transitions and Celebrations team!
Big plans for the new twenty-twenty-seven crew,
And to send off the ‘26 graduates, too!
Oh, the work is so big and there’s so much to do
What a fizzing and bubbling Wairoa-crew brew!
Cycle 4 Middle School
Specialist Teachers
Spring Sports Carnival
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our Spring Sports Carnival! It was fantastic to see our school community come together to support and cheer on our students. The day was filled with wonderful energy, with students putting in their best effort and encouraging those around them.
A special thank you to all the teachers, parents and volunteers who generously gave their time and effort to help make the day such a success. Whether you helped set up equipment, run events, keep score or lend a cheering hand, your support was invaluable and deeply appreciated.
Badminton in Term 4
Term 4 has seen Cycles 1, 2, 3 and 4 dive into the exciting sport of badminton. Throughout the term, students have been working hard to develop their fundamental badminton skills. Across all cycle levels, students have put these newly developed skills into action through a variety of interactive drills, skill-building challenges and mini-games.
From cooperative rally challenges aimed at keeping the shuttlecock airborne to target games and friendly competitive matches, everyone has demonstrated fantastic sportsmanship, teamwork and enthusiasm. It has been wonderful to watch students improve their hand-eye coordination and gain confidence on the court each week.
Physical Education with Attila
Community News
Stay Connected
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“And such is our duty toward the child; to give a ray of light and to go on our way.”