School Newsletter
Number 6
Scroll through for all important Term 3 dates. 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
From our Principal
It was a pleasure to have Jascha Boyce join us at our Foundation event, where she reflected on her experience at The Hills Montessori School and how it helped shape the confidence and tenacity that led her to found two multi-award-winning arts companies, Gravity and Other Myths and Pulsing Heart.
Jascha credits her success to the independence, autonomy, respectful relationships and freedom to be herself that she experienced at our school. As she shared, "The love of learning that is nurtured at The Hills Montessori School made me a devoted learner... my career has relied upon my autonomy in self-directed education."
She also reflected on the lasting impact of being respected as a young person:
"The respect I was shown by the staff at HMS... gave me strength and agency."
"You definitely need a certain level of, perhaps ill advised, confidence deciding, straight out of school, to start a circus company! One of the feelings I remember most clearly about my time at the Hills Montessori School was the enduring acceptance and enthusiasm for doing things differently and forging your own path in this world."
We are delighted that Jascha has now returned to our school community as a parent in our Infant Community. Alongside a growing number of Old Scholars returning as parents, her story speaks to the lasting impact of a Montessori education and the strength of the connections formed here.
The Foundation event was a wonderful evening of connection and celebration. As Jascha commented afterwards, "It was such a pleasure to be surrounded by so many familiar faces."
If you would like to engage with our School Foundation or connect with Old Scholars, please see the links below.
Susan Harris-Evans
Acting Principal
An Update From the Board
At the June Board meeting held on the 16th June the Board accepted nominations for the Board Executive positions. We are pleased to welcome Brad Symes as the new Board President, Marnie Aldred as the new Vice President and Jade Crathern as the new and returning Treasurer. We very much thank the previous members for the significant contribution in their Executive roles. In particular, we acknowledge the considerable contributions from Nicki Stewart as Vice President and Jade Crathern for her impactful and significant role as Board President. We thank them sincerely for their dedication to our Montessori School and Community over many years.
Jade Cranthern
Board President
Wishing Cathy well
As previously shared, Cathy has been on leave this past term and was due to return to work in July. Cathy has now had to extend her leave and now plans to return to school mid Term 3.
Unfortunately, Cathy has sustained a significant injury following an accident and will need a little more time to recover fully. We wish her well in recovery and know that students and staff have been enjoying her occasional 'visits' to campus. Susan will continue in the role of Acting Principal in Cathy's absence and Ben Noble will increase his role as Acting Assistant Principal - Yultiwirra Campus.
Welcome to Our New Learning Support Team Members
This term, we are delighted to welcome two new members to our Learning Support team: Alice Nisbet and Matilda Martin. Both bring enthusiasm and warmth to our school community.
Working alongside and under the guidance of Suzie Saffin, they are supporting students across the primary school to meet a diverse range of learning and wellbeing needs.
Alice Nisbet
Alice joins us as an Inclusion Specialist at the Yultiwirra Campus, working one day a week.
Many families may remember Alice from her previous role as a guide in our Adolescent Program, or as the daughter our our dearly loved (now retired) Cycle 1 teacher Ruth Nisbet. Since Alice’s time working with our middle school, she has been busy raising her four children while also pursuing a Master of Inclusive and Specialised Education at Flinders University on a part-time basis.
In her role as Inclusion Specialist, Alice works collaboratively with students, staff, and families to promote student voice, agency, positive social development, and successful transitions across learning settings and school stages. Her role also includes mentoring and training staff, supporting the implementation of educational adjustments, delivering targeted programs and professional learning, and fostering a culture of inclusion and belonging across the school.
Alice’s passion for inclusive education and commitment to supporting our students is already making a positive impact within our community.
Matilda Martin
Matilda joins our team as a School Assistant, working three days each fortnight (every second Wednesday and every Friday). Matilda is currently studying a Bachelor of Education at Flinders University Matilda’s role is to support students across the primary school by assisting with educational adjustments, delivering targeted programs, and helping to create positive and inclusive learning experiences.
Matilda is also supporting the delivery of our social skills program, What's the Buzz?, and brings her love of movement and creativity to a new Cycle 3 Dance Lunch Club, providing students with another opportunity to connect, collaborate, and have fun together.
We are thrilled to have Alice and Matilda as part of our team and look forward to the many ways they will contribute to supporting our students and enriching our school community.
Conversations
Conversations
Conversations Conversations
Conversations for Lifelong Learning
At our school, learning is not just for students. As a Montessori community, we share a commitment to lifelong learning, recognising that parents, staff and students all play an important role in their own, ongoing, life-long educational journey.
This year, our Snippets sessions have provided opportunities for parents to engage in short, focused conversations about Montessori education and child development. Led by staff and designed to fit within busy schedules, these bite-sized information sessions offer practical insights, opportunities for discussion, and a chance to deepen understanding of your child's learning experience.
Whether introducing a new concept or revisiting a familiar one, Snippets aim to leave parents feeling informed, encouraged and connected to the Montessori approach.
Our most recent session, Supporting the Reluctant Reader, explored why some children find reading challenging, unpacked the mechanics of reading, and provided practical strategies to help parents foster confidence and a positive reading culture at home.
Through these ongoing conversations, our aim is to continue to strengthen the partnership between home and school, supporting the growth and development of the whole child.
Yultiwirra
Did you know?
All of our school events are listed in the Audiri app!
From sharing assemblies to parent events, Audiri is the best place to stay up to date with what's happening at school.
To make things even easier, you can add individual events from Audiri directly to your phone's personal calendar.
How to add an Audiri event to your calendar:
Open the Audiri app.
Tap the Events icon at the bottom of the screen.
Select the event you would like to save.
Tap Add to Calendar.
Allow Audiri to access your device's default calendar if prompted.
The event will then be added to your personal calendar, helping you keep track of important school dates alongside your family commitments.
We encourage all families to regularly check the Events section in Audiri (and also in the school newsletter), as it contains a comprehensive list of upcoming school activities and important dates throughout the year.
If you have any questions or need assistance accessing Audiri, please contact reception.
The Lasting Impact of Montessori
We invite our community to become part of The Hills Montessori School Foundation (HMSF) and support the ongoing strength and future of our school. The Foundation plays a key role in building financial sustainability for future students, while also creating opportunities for past and present families, staff and students to stay connected through shared experiences and events.
We warmly encourage all members of our community to consider becoming a member and maintaining a lifelong connection with our school. Apply for Membership here with a one-off fee of $150.
Make a tax deductible donation!
You may also choose to make a tax-deductible donation, either as a one-off or ongoing contribution. Every contribution, large or small, helps support opportunities for our students now and into the future.
To find out more, become a member or donate, visit: https://www.montessori.sa.edu.au/foundation/
National Emergency Warning System Test in July
AusAlert is a new national emergency warning system that sends urgent messages to compatible mobile phones and other mobile devices in a specified area. There will be a national test on Monday 27 July 2026 at 1.30pm ACST (Adelaide time), with a testing window of 1pm to 3pm. During this testing window, all compatible devices that are turned on across Australia will receive a test alert which includes an alarm (this will sound even if your phone is set to silent / do not disturb). This test is to ensure the system works as expected before it is used in real emergencies. See link below for further information.
Cycle News
Infant Program
Drosera Classroom • Ages 0-3
W
Infant Program
Cycle 1 Preschool
“Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment.”
Montessori said —
Banksia & Goodenia Community • Ages 3-5
Children have been noticing the changes in the weather and seasons and linking their understanding to our topic of Botany. They have mentioned that “All the rain is good for the plants” and “Now we need some sunshine to help them grow.” They have loved splashing in puddles and using the water in the sandpit to make sandcastles.
It has been lovely to see the social interactions and problem-solving that have occurred outside. The children are practising listening to others’ points of view and working together as they build castles with moats, move water through pipes and create dam walls.
Other learning has taken place through cooking experiences, providing opportunities to practise fine motor skills such as peeling, grating, mixing and taking turns. The children have enjoyed making apple muffins, pancakes and orange juice, while also developing practical skills through washing dishes, wiping tables and sweeping the floor.
Recent wet weather sparked curiosity about rain, clouds and thunderstorms, leading us to explore a cloud experiment. The children were fascinated to see ‘coloured’ raindrops falling from the ‘cloud’. They also investigated how water moves through plants using coloured water, celery and carrots. River observed, “Look, it’s being absorbed by the celery!” before explaining to another child that absorb means “sucking up the colour.”
Our natural environment provides many opportunities to spark curiosity, ask questions, investigate, predict and explore, supporting children’s learning.
Cycle 1 Preschool
Cycle 1 Primary
Correa & Ixodia Classrooms • Ages 5-6
This term in Visual Arts, Cycle One have been exploring the fascinating world of portraiture through the work of renowned artists including Leonardo da Vinci, Johannes Vermeer, Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Gustav Klimt, and Frida Kahlo.
Through observation, discussion, and creative expression, students have developed their understanding of facial features, proportion, colour, pattern, emotion, and symbolism.
With a range of mediums including drawing, painting, pastels, collage, the children have discovered how portraits can communicate identity, feelings, and personal stories.
Students have been encouraged to make independent artistic choices while building fine motor skills, confidence, and self-expression. We look forward to sharing their final self-portraits, which beautifully reflect both their creativity and their growing understanding of themselves as unique individuals.
Cycle 1 Primary
“In Portraits there is a sitter and a painter”
— Bryn
“Eyes are hard to draw, the ears are easy”
— Hugo
“It doesn’t need to be perfect, just as long as you do as good as you can”
— Jeanie
“Portraits doesn’t need to be a painting”
— Clem
“Eyes are halfway down your head, then nose then mouth.”
— Lenny
“A partite is when you pain yourself or someone else”
— Leo
“You can Break the Rules and use any colours and shapes”
— Abner
“Eyes are tricky to draw, I liked drawing the mouth”
— Matilda
Cycle 2 Primary
Dianella & Acacia Classrooms • Ages 6-9
This term, students have been immersed in an exciting creative project that combined storytelling, visual arts and animation.
The project began with students designing their own unique characters. They carefully considered their character's appearance, personality, interests and special traits before bringing their ideas to paper. Students then created storyboards and comic strips, developing short narratives that showcased their characters in action.
A highlight of the project was a visit from Ciara, an animation student who shared her experiences studying animation. We discussed the meaning of the word animation, which means "to bring something to life". We also explored the word anime, the Japanese term for animation. Students were fascinated to learn about the animation process and the many creative pathways available within the industry.
Inspired by Ciara's visit, students set about transforming their two-dimensional characters into three-dimensional creations. They constructed character armatures, covered them with papier-mâché and carefully painted them, paying close attention to the details that made their characters unique.
The final stage of the project is now underway as students prepare to animate their creations. Using their storyboards as a guide, they will bring their characters to life through animation, combining creativity, problem-solving and perseverance. We look forward to sharing our finished animations with one another once they are complete.
Cycle 2 Primary
“I'm making a capybara. Ciara showed us how she made a puppet animation.”
— Miranda
“Ciara taught us the steps of making an animation, there are a lot.”
— Vivienne
“It's been fun learning how to make paper-mâché. My character meets up with other characters at the end of the story.”
— Eloise
“My character is a rock wallaby, his name is Rok.”
— Felix
“It was hard to make a base structure for my character but then it was fun. I made a rainbow lorikeet.”
— Abby
“It can take 24 frames or pictures to make one second of an animation.”
— Otto
“I liked watching Ciara's videos on animation, there was a character who said '24 carat gold'.”
— Frances
Cycle 3 Primary
Callistemon & Grevillea Classrooms • Ages 9-12
This term Cycle 3 has been doing a continent study about Australia. A big part of this study has been further developing our knowledge and appreciation of Aboriginal culture. Students have recently created their own Acknowledgement of Country, completed research on influential Aboriginal people and learnt some words in Kaurna language. We also recently went on a whole cycle excursion to The Living Kaurna Cultural Centre. The Living Kaurna Cultural Centre is a major location for First Nations celebrations in South Australia and is open to the general public as well as for education sessions with schools.
Upon arrival we were welcomed and went to the yarning circle where a Welcome to Country was performed. We then split into two groups and began our sessions! Each group worked with Auntie Janis to learn about weaving and began to weave our own small mats or baskets. This was done using local grasses. The second session was a walking tour of the beautiful Warriparinga wetlands. On the tour we learnt about caring for Country, Kaurna dreamtime stories, bushtucker and Kaurna history.
We had a wonderful time and highly recommend venturing there to explore the beautiful wetlands!
Cycle 3 Primary
“I enjoyed the excursion. The walk was fun and I liked working with the adults on the weaving.”
— Edward
“I liked learning about the bushtucker and what you can and can’t eat. There was one that was also used for medicine.”
— Mila
“It was really cool seeing what all of the statues mean. The weaving was really fun as well.”
— Lilah
“I really enjoyed the walk of the wetlands and how our guide knew about the history. I also liked how he told dreamtime stories.”
— Noah
“I really enjoyed learning about Kaurna history. Looking at the art and structures was my favourite part.”
— Zohair
“I enjoyed learning the weaving. It was easy once you got started. I want to keep working on mine.”
— Soraya
Cycle 4 Middle School
Wairoa Campus • Ages 12-15
The year 8 and 9 science group ventured out to University Senior College (USC) to get some hands-on experience with chemistry experiments. We were introduced to a well-equipped laboratory and put the theory we have been learning into practice. It was a valuable excursion and the group really enjoyed the experience.
Back on campus there has been lots of prep for our Coffeehouse Cabaret!
Cycle 4 Middle School
Specialist Teachers
PE with Attila
In PE this term, students have been developing their skills for soccer and footy. We have focused on developing individual skills, teamwork, and the beginning of reading the game, or anticipating the play.
Students are encouraged to be creative with their skill development by finding new ways to challenge their capabilities. Students have been participating in small games and activities that develop their hand-eye coordination and teamwork abilities. Thanks to Sporting Schools funding, Cycles 1, 2, and 3 have had a footy coach over the last 4 weeks, teaching the students many new games and developing individual skills.
Cycle 4 has begun the term with indoor hockey and dance. Indoor hockey was held at the Yultiwirra campus in the mornings. Dance has been in preparation for the upcoming cabaret.
Congratulations to the students who participated in the recent SAPSASA cross country carnival. Eleanor went on to run for the Hills team at the state championships.
Upcoming Events
Yultiwirra
Yultiwirra Sausage Sizzle
Cycle 2 Community Connection Representatives will host a sausage sizzle to celebrate the start of Term 3 for all Yultiwirra campus students.
Sausages are $3.50 each, with meat, vegetarian and gluten-free options available.
Please purchase one ticket per child and provide their name, class teacher and any dietary requirements when ordering.
Humanitix booking fees will be covered by the school.
Orders close on Tuesday 21 July via Humanitix.
Friday 24th July
Lunchtime
Open Days
Please share our upcoming Open Day dates with friends and others who may be interested, across both our Yultiwirra campus (Infant Program, Preschool and Primary) and our Wairoa campus (Middle School, Years 7–9).
Word of mouth from current families is one of the most valuable ways people discover our school. We thank you for helping spread the word.
If you would like to further explore the different learning cycles at our school, you are also warmly invited to attend one of our Open Days via the link provided.
Primary School
Yultiwirra Open Day
Join a guided group tour led by staff and parent guides, with opportunities to speak with the Principal and teachers, observe Montessori in action, and gain insight into the Infant Program, Preschool and Primary years.
Tuesday 4th August
10:00am
Meet us in the Hall @ 12 Anderson Rd, Aldgate SA
For prospective families & families interested in exploring different learning cycles
Middle School
Wairoa Open Day
Take part in a group Principal’s tour of our Middle School (Years 7–9), gain insight into the Adolescent Program philosophy and curriculum, and hear directly from current student guides about life at the campus.
Wednesday 19th August
9:30am
400m up the driveway @ 142 Mt Barker Road, Stirling SA
For prospective families & families interested in exploring different learning cycles
Community News
Stay Connected
Following us on social media is a great way to keep up with our school community events, activities and Montessori insights — and to share our stories with grandparents and friends.
“Our care for the children should be governed not by the desire to ‘make them learn things’, but by the endeavour always to keep burning within them the light which is called intelligence.