MARGARET E LYTTLE AM

Preshil gratefully acknowledges the research undertaken by Gina Levenspiel for the School’s Conservation Management Plan, upon which the material on this site is based.
Celebrating her 100th birthday on 20 November 2012, Margaret E Lyttle is a towering figure in the history of Preshil and a much-loved member of the school community. Margaret led the school as Principal for more than half a century until her retirement in 1994, along the way pioneering progressive and child-centred pedagogy in Australia and influencing the movement internationally.
On the occasion of Margaret’s centenary, Preshil is holding series of celebrations and tributes, many of which will be shared with the public. This includes the publication of ‘reflections’ on Margaret’s life, drawing on new interviews conducted during her 100th year as well as historical sources, as well as the release of accompanying audio files, photographs and other materials celebrating this extraordinary milestone.

Stills Photography courtesy of Karl von Moller

Thank you to everyone who attended or very special ‘Ode to Margaret’ celebratory fundraising concert, held on Sunday, 24 February 2013 at 5.30pm at the Melbourne Recital Centre in the Elizabeth Murdoch Hall. The audience enjoyed an incredibly diverse program of entertainment and on behalf of the Margaret Lyttle Foundation we would like to thank and extend our sincere gratitude for each and every performers contribution to the success of the concert, making it a warm and memorable event for everyone.

The long list of performers included friend of Preshil Lior, MC and Alumni Lisa Gorton, Alumni Clare Bowditch, Jesse and Emily Lubitz from Tinpan Orange, Benjamin Martin, Louisa Breen, Teresa Duddy, Frank Pam and The Melbourne Musicians, past teacher Dr Ros Bandt, and other wonderful Preshil musicians including current students, parents, staff and alumni in this one off celebration of one Australia’s great educators. The concert was presented by the Margaret E Lyttle Foundation in association with Preshil, the Margaret Lyttle Memorial School.

Download the full program here.

Read our latest article in the Boroondarra Review Local here.

We apologies for the couple of errors and omissions from the official program but we will have a revised copy shortly.

Here are few memories captured in Art by Sam Golding, Preshil parent of Will and Kate Golding.

And lovely sketch by Ben Carlisle, little brother of Liv in the 10s and 11s.

Margaret E Lyttle Media Release 2012

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

On behalf of the school, I congratulate Margaret on her centennial year and reflect on her enduring legacy.
Margaret E Lyttle is a passionate and indomitable woman, who built Australia’s foremost progressive school on principles that were well ahead of their time and increasingly accepted today as best practice.
Few people realise that Preshil was the first progressive school in Australia – and one of the first in the world – to treat children as active rather than passive ‘receivers’ of learning, implement genuinely child-centred education, focus on the whole child and promote learning through creativity and play. Margaret was a genuine pioneer whose importance is only now being adequately acknowledged.
Through generations of Preshil students – many of whom have gone on to be leaders in fields as diverse as law, art, sport, music and science – and through the international impact of her example, Margaret’s influence continues to be felt today and she remains at the absolute heart of the Preshil community.
Margaret’s 100th birthday is a wonderful opportunity to honour and celebrate her achievements, and refresh our own commitment to building on her extraordinary legacy. The Preshil community is incredibly lucky to have Margaret in our lives, and we wish her a very happy birthday indeed.
Marilyn Smith
Principal

We have a few new musical events coming up

Friday 10 May from 8.00am, Kevin Borland Hall
Breaky and musical entertainment with the Acapellicans

Wednesday 29 May – 7.00pm, Blackhall Kalimna
VCE Music night – Year 11 and 12 students will present an evening of solo and group performances.

Tuesday 11 June – 7.30pm, Dizzy’s Jazz Club Richmond
Come to our regular Dizzy’s Jazz night – Ensembles – Pavement, Jazz/R+B band, Chamber Orchestra, VCE students and more.

Studio and Design Technology

Welcome to Design Technology! This course has been created to give you an insight into the design process. Over the course of the semester we will be trying to find the answers to several questions. What is design? What makes a ‘good’ design? What sorts of considerations do designers have to make? What is a specification?

You will also be creating your own designs using software such as Google Sketchup, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
Here is a sneak preview of what we are doing.
Preshil Grand Designs
Preshil Studio Art

Detail from ‘Filth’ series, Peter Plumbridge 2012, mixed media on paper.

YEAR 7 – 12 MUSIC CONCERT 2012

I would like to thank everyone for their support of Music Week at Blackhall/Kalimna, which has been a really successful undertaking this year, with over 50 students involved as performers. The Concert at the Church last week was a wonderful end to Music Week with many memorable moments and a great turnout.

I do need to acknowledge the help of key people in the running of the 5 music events -

I would also like to thank the many parents, staff and students who came and supported students endeavours throughout the week.

Many thanks
Tim Dargaville
Music Coordinator Senior Campus

TOP ACTS 2010: PRESHIL SHINES

Preshil students featured prominently at the prestigious VCE Top Acts Concert at the Palais Theatre, St Kilda on Friday evening May 13. Year 12 student Karli Dinardo (Dance Technique Solo) and Nick Hall, Ben Zagroon and Chris Bates (Tim Dargaville’s 2010 Year 12 Group Music Performance students) dazzled a huge audience with memorable performances.

The final 44 performers for the night (4 from Preshil) were selected as the ‘best of the best’ from a series of 12 VCE Top Class concerts held earlier in the year. Dance, Drama, Theatre Studies, Music Solo and Group Performance and original musical works were blended together into a dynamic presentation. Incredibly, Preshil students featured in 2 out of 22 performances!

The depth of artistic diversity displayed at the concert was breathtaking – there was an exhilarating atmosphere with a lively, warm and enthusiastic audience. It was a joyful and life-affirming celebration of hard work, commitment and extra-ordinary talent. A large, admiring and vocal Preshil audience contingent cheered our students on. Karli’s dance was outstanding and many of us were moved to tears at the beauty and poise of her sublime movement and subtle interpretation. The rock band boys were also excellent – their best performance to date of their compelling original rock/jazz composition, Epilogue. Hugh Rabinovich, an ex-Preshil student recently graduated from the VCA, joined them ably on drum kit.

We were all so proud of the Preshil students’ performances and they were over the moon to have had the opportunity to be part of such an amazing event. A DVD of the event will be available (check the VCAA website).

Rodney Waterman

web archive 2011 download Here

web archive 2010 download HERE

Thursday 16 May – 7.00pm – Senior Campus Blackhall Kalimna Library

10s and 11s Art Expo Opening

Tuesday 21 May – 3.00pm (Open All Week) – Junior Campus

Education Forum

Wednesday 22 May – 7.30 pm – Senior Campus Library

Class Rep Meeting

Thursday 23 May – 9.15am – Arlington Sitting Room

6/7s parents coffee morning

Wednesday 29 May – 9.30am – Venue to be confirmed!

VCE Music night – Blackhall Kalimna

Wednesday 29 May – 7.00pm

JUNE 2013

Dizzy’s Jazz night

Wednesday 11 June – 7.30pm

Solstice

Thursday 20 June – 4.00pm

You can also download our latest e-Bulletin for all the latest news and ‘What’s on Next’

Term Dates: Dates listed are inclusive, for more details click here.

For School times click here.

TERM DATES FOR PRESHIL STUDENTS FOR 2013

TERM 1: Thursday, 31 JANUARY – Friday, 28 MARCH

TERM 2: Tuesday, 16 APRIL – Friday, 21 JUNE

TERM 3: Tuesday, 16 JULY – Friday, 20 SEPTEMBER

TERM 4: Tuesday, 8 OCTOBER – Tuesday, 10 DECEMBER

Regular Happenings

PRESHIL ACAPELLICANS GROUP

Tuesday, The Kevin Borland Hall, Arlington, 8.30 – 9.00am

OPENSTAGE

Wednesdays, The Kevin Borland Hall, Arlington, 8.30 – 8.45am

PRESHIL SENIOR CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Wednesdays, Music Room, Kalimna, 1.00pm

ARLINGTON COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA

Fridays, The Kevin Borland Hall, Arlington,, 8.00 – 9.00am

STRINGS GROUP

Cancelled this term. Please join the Arlington Community Orchestra on a Friday Morning at 8.30

CHESS CLUB

Thursdays, Library, Arlington, 3.45 – 4.45pm

PAVEMENT ACAPELLA ENSEMBLE WITH SUZIE AHERN

Thursdays, Senior Campus, 11.00am

PRESHIL CHAMBER CHOIR WITH HELEN KERR-LAWLEY

Wednesdays, Senior Campus, 11.00am

FUNBALL

TBA

BALL SPORTS WITH BILL

Thursdays, Senior Campus Tennis Court, 8.30 – 9.00am

R&B JAZZ BAND WITH IVAN ROSA

Thursdays, Music Room, Senior Campus, 1.00pm

A special certificate awarded for their artwork.

Some of our Preshil girls from last years 8′s & 9′s class went to a Knox City Council Presentation Evening and were given certificates for painting power boxes in Knox with Preshil parent Kathy Thompson.

Some of the girls couldn’t make the evening but the girls who participated were: 9s Amelie, Ebony, Plum and 10s Abbie, Lucy, Nichaud and Olivia. Well done! For more information you can also visit www.urbansmartprojects.com

Mother’s Day Classic REVIEW

Last Sunday we hit ‘The Tan Track’ with Team Preshil Health. With over 90 members participating in the Mother’s Day Classic we were lucky enough to receive a trophy for the largest group for a school under 500. Louise Davidson, mother of Kaye, Lily and Rosie Blight and an ex-Preshilian, is the co-founder of this annual event.

Congratulations to everyone who participated and a special thanks to Marisa and David for organising the group. You can visit our website to see some highlights of the day!

Mother’s Day Breaky

It was great to see so many families and staff join us for breakfast and music in the Kevin Borland Hall last Friday. A special thanks to Irene for organising the catering and our great Aftercare team who helped set up the hall.

How lovely to be spoilt with a beautiful soiree of music from our very own Acapellicans Choir and Cello Ensemble.

Senior Campus Doodah BBQ

Doodah has grown up and is now ready to make its transition to the Senior School on THURSDAY 2 MAY.at 1.00pm. All students are invited to attend. Please read the history of Doodah and the details of the event. We really hope you can join us to make this inaugural luncheon one to remember.

A Quick History of Preshil Doodah

Doodah is a joyous day of Preshil community al fresco eating, until now celebrated only at the Arlington Campus at the end of each term. The meal is cooked and served ‘on the bricks’, the legendary place outside the 8s and 9s classroom, come rain hail or shine!
Legend has it that the tradition of Doodah was established in the 1980’s when Mug asked a group of parents what they were organising – ‘Oh just a doodah on the bricks’ was the response. Some claim that it was Mug herself who coined the monica! Doodah is one of the most popular ways for the Preshil parent and carer community to be actively involved in the school life of their children.

Doodah has endured for over 30 years, becoming one of the most eagerly anticipated days at Arlington. Willing volunteers organise, prepare, BBQ, and serve up a delicious morning tea and Lunch to all the people attending Arlington on that day. From the smallest 3 year old, to die hard doodah’ers from the Blackhall/Kalimna campus, it is an event for everyone to be involved in.

Arguably the most enduring amongst the culinary delights of Doodah are ‘Meg’s Cupcakes’, Served at morning tea with hot or cold chocolate milk. Always delicious and always with a thick coat of icing and at least one big lolly on top; these cupcakes are the creation of Meg Lowe, Teacher of the 5’s for more than 20 years, and daughter of Heather Lowe who taught the 3s and 4s in the 1970’s. In spite of Meg having progressed to other adventures in her life, she continues to bake her delicious cakes for doodah, regarding Preshil as an important part of her community.

Doodah continues to be celebrated at Arlington through the willing commitment of Parents and Carers, and the keen delight of the children. Over the years, the flavour of the meal itself has changed and evolved, reflecting the personalities and appetites of those who make it happen.
And now a new incarnation of al fresco eating is coming to the Preshil Senior School! Blackhall Kalimna will have their own meal produced by mums and dads, carers and kids and served from the covered area outside the kitchen. It will be a simple fresh BBQ with salad, fruit and house-made bickies to start with, but who knows what it will become in time as it evolves to reflect the tastes and personalities of the Senior School.

We are not going to call it Doodah, though! This feast needs a new name to reflect its new grown up status. On the day of the lunch, You will be able to make suggestions for what you think it should be called. Make history by coming up with the new name for Doodah!

To help launch the grown up version of a wonderful Preshil tradition, you are invited to participate next THURSDAY 2 MAY 2013.

Charlotte Jowett, Lisa Wilson and the team.

GRANDPARENTS AND FRIENDS DAY REVIEW

The children would like to thank you for coming along to visit yesterday. It was really wonderful to hear such a beautiful reprise of Gustav Holst’s ‘Jupiter’ and the debut performance of our Arlington vocal group ‘Acappelicans’. A special thank you to all those involved in putting the celebration together.

Here are for some photos of the morning.

We are also happy to announce we raised $150.15 to purchase bulbs for our special Working Bee and Bulb Planting day at Arlington on Sunday 21 April. We would love to see you all there.

ODE TO MARGARET CONCERT

A very special thank you to everyone who attended or very special ‘Ode to Margaret’ celebratory fundraising concert, held on Sunday, 24 February 2013 at 5.30pm at the Melbourne Recital Centre in the Elizabeth Murdoch Hall.

The audience enjoyed an incredibly diverse program of entertainment and on behalf of the Margaret Lyttle Foundation we would like to thank and extend our sincere gratitude for each and every performers contribution to the success of the concert, making it a warm and memorable event for everyone.

The long list of performers included friend of Preshil Lior, MC and Alumni Lisa Gorton, Alumni Clare Bowditch, Jesse and Emily Lubitz from Tinpan Orange, Benjamin Martin, Louisa Breen, Teresa Duddy, Frank Pam and The Melbourne Musicians, past teacher Dr Ros Bandt, and other wonderful Preshil musicians including current students, parents, staff and alumni in this one off celebration of one Australia’s great educators.

The concert was presented by the Margaret E Lyttle Foundation in association with Preshil, the Margaret Lyttle Memorial School.
 You can download the full Ode to Margaret Fundraiser Program here.

As you can imagine we have many photos and visual content of the concert to process. We will update you in the coming weeks about making them available for viewing. Here are a few memories of the evening’s program.

We will keep loading more over the coming weeks.

Stills Photography courtesy of Karl von Moller

PRESHIL CHESS CLUB AT THE JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

During school holidays our chess club members Boaz Fraser, Angus Tonkin and Ziggy Grambas from the 8s and 9s, participated at the Australian Junior Chess Championship held on the Gold Coast.
All our boys played in under 10 section and did very well.
Here are some photos from this prestigious event.

“MUSIC. PLAY FOR LIFE”

Last week, Preshil Students took part in a national school music initiative by “Music. Play for Life” which united more than half a million school children across Australia in music, on the same day, at the same time, to highlight the importance of music education in the nation’s schools. This year’s song was Different People (Stand Together). The kids thouroughly enjoyed being part of this great iniative and had enjoyed rehearsing for several days prior. Thank you to Cilla for organising everyone in such a short time. Looking forward to the next all in singalong event.

STRINGS HALLOWEEN CONCERT REVIEW

Last week we held our annual Arlington Strings Halloween Concert. Once again we were treated to a fabulous feast of musical delight. Charlotte’s spooky story was fantastic. The children are still talking about the great ending. We heard the usually popular Witches Brew
, 
Pachelbel’s Canon and
Clocks. The strings were joined for their finale of the classic ‘
My Sharona’ by Mick 8/9s, Michael 10/11s & Rod Waterman.

Thank you to all those who came along and supported the children on the day. A special thank you also to the staff and parents who have been tirelessly working on this fabulous ensemble of work throughout the year. We are looking forward to another spookily amazing concert next year

Kids Teaching Kids Conference

The kids teaching kids conference occurred on the 15th and 16th of October. Preshil was represented by a delegation of 14 students including ten from the 8s/9s and four Year 9s. This was a continuation of the learning partnerships between the two age groups in which the Year 9 students taught science to the 8 and 9s.

The conference was was held at Etihad stadium and brought together 700 students from schools across Australia and internationally, to share ideas and understandings about sustainability and water ecology. The conference included hands on workshops, presentations, guest speakers such as Kayne Mills and Victoria Brown and a panel including Dr Mark Norman.

The students greatly benefited from being surrounded by passionate and likeminded students from other schools. It was also a fantastic opportunity for Preshil students to strengthen their bond spanning the age differences.
Comments from the kids included…
“Interesting”
“The fashion workshop was cool”
“Dr Mark Norman was cool to hear speak”
“Organic cooking was the best”

Allegra in the 8s and 9s wrote ..
“Last week i attended a conference called “Melbourne Water 2012 Kids Teaching Kids Conference”. It was my first ever conference and it was so fun. I loved being part of a group representing Preshil and also meeting kids from 99 other schools. There were more than 700 kids and we all learnt together about Melbourne’s waterways and how to protect them. We visited environmentally friendly buildings, The Aquarium and did tons more activities in Etihad Stadium. There were 10 of us from Preshil and it was great to have fun with the kids from Blackhall Kalimna.

My favourite bit was playing fruit ninja with my friends and i’d like to do something to help platypuses find the Yarra a safe place to swim. I’d really like to go again next year if i have the chance”.

Bush drama camp

Reports back from the camp were that “they had so much fun and it was a wonderful challenging adventure despite the leeches and mud”. We are hoping to make this Drama Bush Camp an annual experience so we will update you more about that soon. A very special thank you to James (Matthew’s Dad) who was a fantastic help and attended to all of the middle of the night leech cries for help, along with camp fire and water collection duties. They couldn’t have done it without him. Also a special thanks to Lilith’s grandparents Anna and Morry for providing the venue and their neighbours Brian and Joan for creating the campsite and to Zahava (Lillith’s mum) for all the wonderful meals and assistance.

“Judi and Lee executed an amazing Bush Drama Program which culminated in a wonderful performance in the bush at dusk and I had the privilege of watching the kids enact their story as we followed them around various locations as the story unfolded and the sun went down.” Zahava

Below is a selection of the great photos.

Makedo Maze Challenge

What a great day we all had at Preshil with Makedo for the Global Cardboard Challenge. The weather was so very kind. More than 100 kids and families came to help build a life-size Cardboard Maze and played in it afterwards. This was a great initiative by Makedo and Thinkplay in support of kid creativity and the Imagination Foundation!

There were awesome raffle prizes with proceeds going to the Imagination Foundation and plenty of fantastic kits to get you started at home.

A very special thank you to Preshil Parents Claire and Paul Justin for making this day so special, we look forward to doing it again.

6S AND 7S OLYMPICS

Inspired by this years London Olympics the 6s and 7s created their very own Olympics complete with a torch, opening and closing ceremonies, Paper cupcake medals and personal bests!

They would like to thank you for all your support. “They all had a fantastic day, with the sun coming out and the children all taking responsibility for achieving their personal best.

It was great to see everyone encouraging each other and the day had an atmosphere of cooperation, friendship and support. A big thank you to Callum, Melinda, Amanda, Cathy and Charlotte for volunteering to help out for parts of the day, we could not have done it without you.” Well done everyone!

OPENSTAGE

This week we heard from Amelie, Will Hac, Angelica, Laura, Elena, Bella, Abbie, Acorn and Lachie and were treated to a jazz dance to Gloria estefan’s hit ‘turn the beat around’ by Allegra and Nichaud.

Arlington OpenStage is an opportunity to share your music/dance/poetry in an informal and supportive environment.
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THIS WEEK AT CHESS

On Wednesday our Preshil Chess team were at the official Primary Zonal Tournament for Chess in Victoria. The tournament was open for students from Prep – Year 6 under the direction of Leonid Sandler, International Chess Master, Federation Trainer and Captain of the Australian Women’s Olympiad Team 2004, 2006 and 2010.

The boys won most of their games against all age levels, sharing an equal second place with Brighton Grammar. Well done and congratulations!

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5S PARENT DINNER

The 5s parents recently go together for dinner at St Katherine’s in Kew. It was a delicious and a fun way of getting to know other parents. You can find out more about St Katherines here.. Meanwhile the some of the children got together in the 5s to set up a water stand for passerbys.

Remember if you are having an event or catch up you can email communications@preshil.vic.edu.au and advertise it in the eBulletin.
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AFTERCARE NEWS WEEK 8

As we start to wind up for the term we still have lots and lots of activity in the Aftercare room.

• Monday: We did one of our favourites, scratch art. We had some left over paper from when we did this activity earlier in the year. It is specially coated and when you scratch it, there are lots of lovely colours revealed from underneath. Chris also got some stencils so the children had the choice of creating their own art or using the stencils. We had some great pictures.
• Tuesday: We made some lovely pet rocks which were left at school at first so the paint could dry and they looked lovely on our table in the back room for a few days.
• Wednesday: We made pizza. At Aftercare we make our pizza base from scratch and then add our toppings that we have sliced and diced. As we had a few children missing, some of the staff got to enjoy some too. Delicious!!!
• Thursday: We made stilts out of some large tin cans we had donated. The children got to decorate their stilts and then try to balance on them. Of course we hade lots of fun.

Next week is our last week of term so we are looking for some good ideas for activities. If you have any ideas for us, please write on the slips on the Suggestion Box on the sign out table and pop them in.

Chris & Emily
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OZ OPERA ‘MAGIC FLUTE’

On Monday 27 August, we were very happy to once again welcome the performers from the Oz Opera touring arm of Opera Australia. This year Oz Opera performed Mozart’s Opera, ‘The Magic Flute’. It was, as promised, a mysterious and wonderful tale with beautiful music and an excellent cast.

The children from Nursery to year 7 loved it and were thoroughly engaged for the entire hour. The cast of 5 and their musician had beautiful costumes throughout the performance and built a fantastic set, which we flipped to the back of the hall to allow everyone more space to fit in.

The children had lots of great questions and Will from the 6s and 7s shared a wonderful review of each character along with the cast.

Thank you very much to the assistance of Rodney Waterman who once again secured this opportunity and thank you to Angelo in the 6s/7s who did the beautiful photography. We are already looking forward to next years visit.

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MEL 5TH ANNUAL ORATION

On Tuesday 27 August we hosted the Margaret E Lyttle Foundation’s 5th Annual Oration. Our Orator was Alumni Kelvin Officer, who is the Director of Navin Officer Heritage Consultants, a cultural heritage consultancy, specialising in digging up, recording, and collecting old stuff, and “getting paid to do it”.

This years Oration was titled ‘Predicting the Past – making stories out of left-overs’. Kelvin shared with us a small portion of his 24 years in the field of archaeological consulting as well as many detailed photographs of his fascinating discoveries, which was enjoyed by all young and old.

His presentation around digging up old stuff included a look at ‘Identity, myth and the past’

He also shared many of his fond Preshil memories of the past with some old photos and friends, many of whom attended the evening.

Thank you to all those who were able to attend and make it another special event. If you wish to make a donation to the Margaret E Lyttle Foundation to assist with Margaret’s care you can download the form here or pop into the office.
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PRESHIL BOLLYWOOD BALL

Sunday 3 September, was the Preshil Bollywood Ball hosted by the 10s and 11s Class Reps. It was definitely a great success and a wonderful way to share Fathers Day. Everyone enjoyed the food and entertainment.

It was nice to see so many adults and kids alike try out some authentic bollywood style dancing with the Natya Bollywood Dance Troop. Kids eagerly lined up for their special Henna Body Art and everyone was treated to their very own Bindi.

Thank you to Sachin Gaarg Indian Cuisine for keeping everyone fed and thank you to all those who helped organise and clean. It was a great evening and we thank the parents group who raised a little over $2000 for the school.

We’d also love your feedback, if you feel inclined, as it would be great to have something similar in term 3 next year. Please email your thoughts to Bronte at communications@preshil.vic.edu.au
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NEW CALEDONIA 2012 UPDATE

Dear Preshil,

If you wish to follow the Preshil Blog (online journal) for our French language students’ trip to New Caledonia (Sept 5-12 inclusive), follow this link.

I have already posted a lovely little video with spectacular aerial footage of some of New Caledonia’s coral lagoons (most of which is on the World Heritage List). The first island you see is Amédée island which we visit next Sunday by boat … not bad eh? If you want to be alerted to updates and actively comment on the blog you will have to click on”Follow” (top RH corner) and set up your own Tumblr blog account, otherwise you can just visit the above URL to see what’s going on (text, pics, videos etc) – we’d love to hear from you while we’re there.

Have a great week folks!

Rod Waterman
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NURSERY MUSIC AND CHOIR

Teresa Duddy (Cohort 2004)

Tess is a freelance Soprano and has a Master of Music. Vocal Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

We had the recent pleasure of welcoming her back to Preshil to take our Nursery Music class and our 8s, 9s, 10s and 11s Friday Choir Elective.

Tess writes …

“I have been taking “music class” in the Nursery school twice a week for the past couple of months. The children are wonderful listeners and very quick learners. We have been working on a variety of musical concepts, and they can all now demonstrate to me such ideas as Rhythm, Melody, Harmony, Dynamics, and Duration. Along with musical games we have learned some new songs such as Edelweiss and Do a Dear, and I have discovered some very enthusiastic singers! It has been an incredibly joyful couple of months, and the children seem to be excelling with their musical skills as well as having some fun.

I have had the pleasure of taking the Choir Elective this semester. The girls and I have worked on many new songs including Hallelujah, Lean on me, I can see clearly now, One heart beating, Ipharadisi, and Yonder come day. All songs have had various vocal parts, and I have been very impressed with the ensembles musical skills in harmonisation, and speed at which they can pick up new pieces. Their passion for performance was also demonstrated when we talked about putting on a show – a plan for next time I hope! This week the choir will perform for the Nursery school some of the songs that they have learned”.
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ENROLMENT UPDATE FOR 2013

Just a reminder to all our parents who may be planning to enrol a younger sibling, now is the time to do this as planning for 2013 is well underway.

If you have friends who are interested in Preshil, our next tour is in Term 4 on 23 October at 9:00am.

As always, I’m happy to chat about all things enrolment.

Cressida Batterham-Wilson
Registrar
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YEAR 7 AND 8 DRAMA PRODUCTION

FANTASTIQUE

Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 September, 7.30pm
Kevin Borland Hall, Arlington

Come and see the Year 7 and 8 Drama students present a mosaic of fairytale, horror and urban myth. Come and show your support. Everyone welcome!

AFTERCARE NEWS WEEK 7

This week we have been doing all things “Father’s Day” related and have had lots of fun. Emily was away for two days at the end of last week but we are delighted to see she has recovered and is feeling a lot better.

Monday: Due to illnessess and absences we only had four children which made it very quiet in our room. We made some lovely cards for our Dads in the shape of Chef Aprons so we hope the Dads like them.
Tuesday: We made some yummy chocolates and of course we had to sample a few ourselves just to make sure they were okay.
Wednesday: We created some pen and pencil pots out of tubes and icypole sticks. Most attractive and functional.
Thursday: Today we constructed some very nice gift bags to put our gifts in for our Dads.
We hope the Dads enjoy all their gifts. Next week we have all sorts of activities planned so come and join the fun and frivolity.

Chris & Emily

CHEMISTRY CHALLENGE

Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Chemistry Challenge
Year 12 students Brittany and David have been accepted as Preshil’s team in the Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Chemistry Challenge being conducted over two days by Monash University at their Parkville Pharmacy campus in the September holidays.

This will be a great opportunity for them both to investigate their biological science interests and help firm up their tertiary and career intentions.

We wish them well!

OPENSTAGE

This week we heard from Lilith, Laura, Acorn, Abbie, Stella and Tilda playing solos and duets on piano, cello, violin, guitar and singing which was great. It was wonderful to have an audience of supportive friends, parents and staff too.

Arlington OpenStage is an opportunity to share your music/dance/poetry in an informal and supportive environment.

ANNABELE WINS JO DAVIS CUP

Annabel Ellison (Yr 12)

On Saturday, Rostrum Victoria held the final of the Jo Davis Cup, its premier speaking competition, at the Royal Yacht Club in Williamstown. Annabel had qualified to compete in this event by winning another Rostrum competition, the Gil Lee Archer Trophy, in July. The great news is that Annabel won the Jo Davis Cup. She is probably the youngest winner in the 56 year history of this event. Congratulations Annabel!

LABYRINTH MATHS 10S AND 11S

Members of the Labyrinth elective lead a small peer group in the learning of how to construct labyrinths.

Using different mathematical calculations, one of the questions was to find out how much rock would be required to make the labyrinth permanent based on the size and scale of thier design.

YEAR 9 SOCCER TEAM UPDATE

Last week we updated you on the Years 7-10 developing their Personal Learning Projects which are challenging and involve students taking on increasing levels of independence and responsibility.

One of those projects was the Year 9 Soccer Team. It’s an amazing initiative and they recently celebrated a win over Carey 5-2. This week they played Kingswood College, unfortunately they lost but played a really great game. Check out a couple of the shots here. They also recently had a visit from Sheda (The former captain of the Kenyan National Football Team) who shared some tips. Sheda runs the Kickstart program SoccerKids for ages 5-16 and also runs a unique 45 min session for kids parties.

OPENSTAGE

Arlington OpenStage is an opportunity to share your music/dance/poetry in an informal and supportive environment.

This week we had performances from Elena, Acorn, Bella, Lachlan, Laura, Allegra, Dante, Nichaud and Tilda. What a talented bunch of kids. If you would like to try out your new song or perhaps revive an old one, dance or read a poem, everyone is welcome.

AFTERCARE WEEK 6

An enormous “thankyou” to the person who donated the whole roll of Woolworths Earn & Learn stickers. Thanks to Cressida for passing them on. We were not going to do this program as well as the Coles one, but with this donation we thought we would give it a go. We have all been madly sticking the stickers on the sheets and so far have 42 sheets completed. If you have any further stickers, please just pop them in the Coles box and we will look after them for you.

Coles Sports for Schools: This venture finished last week as well so if you have any tickets at home, please bring them back and put them in the box outside the hall as soon as possible.

Our Program this week has been quite varied:

Monday: We made some delicious fruit smoothies with bananas, berries, honey and icecream and milo. We had four different flavours and they were, of course, delicious.

Tuesday: We had science day and with the donated microscopes and slides we received we were able to look at lots of different speciments. We then did our own fingerprints and made pictures and stories out of them as well as examining them with the magnifying glass.

Wednesday: We did food dye art with paper towel squares cut into shapes and dipped in the various colours of food dye. We were dying to do a great job.

Thursday: We made all sorts of creatures out of bottle tops which of course were awesome.

Next week we will be doing all things to do with Father’s Day. If you have any ideas for activities, please let us know.

Come and join us
Chris & Emily

AFTERCARE WEEK 5

Despite the chilly and wet weather we have had over the last week, the children and educators have had a great time. I am now feeling a bit better but the ribs are still quite sore. Once again, Thankyou to all for your care and concern. It certainly helps.

This week we have been very busy.

Monday: We made a quoits game out of an old plastic soft drink bottle with a little sand in it. The quoits were made from hoops made out of twisted cane. we had great fun trying to get the quoits over the bottle.

Tuesday: We did some very interesting texture rubbings of coins, tree trunks, tree stumps and various other things.

Wednesday If mess is the criteria of fun, then we had lots of it – fun (and mess) that is. We filled up small water pistols with food dye and shot it at the pieces of cardboard. Naturally we used drip sheets to do it on. Our creations were amazing.

Thursday: Lyla suggested we make some bird toys and once again we made some wonderful creatures. Thanks Lyla

Friday The ever popular Fairy Bread Friday. Thank goodness I remembered to buy the hundreds and thousands as we ran out last week.

COLES SPORTS FOR SCHOOLS: Thanks to all who have been handing in their tickets. This promotion has now finished, so please get in any spare dockets you have as soon as possible so we can count them and choose what we want from the catalogue.

See you soon
Chris and Emily

AFTERCARE WEEK 3 AND 4

Due to my fall last week I did not get my report in. So, many apologies. Thank you to you all for your care and concern, it meant a huge amount. Thank you to Irene and Emily’s mum Jane for filling in on Thursday and making what would have been a busy day a lot easier for Emily. Thanks also to Alistair who helped to organise all the rearrangements at such short notice.

Basically what happened was that I had three bouts of extreme nausea and the third time blacked out just as I got into the bathroom and knocked myself out on the wash basin. I bruised my knee, forearm and cut my head open. I also badly bruised my ribs so moving around has been the tricky bit. Anyway, I’m back on deck even though moving around a little more gingerly than usual. So this week we have a report from the last two weeks.

Chris & Emily

PS: It is the last week for the Coles dockets next week, so please keep them rolling in.

READATHON FUNDRAISER

Some of the Year 8s are embarking on a readathon as part of their PLP (personal learning project). They were at Arlington this week to get the 6/7s, 8/9s, and 10/11s involved. They are raising money (up to $1,000) for a giant chess set. They would love to get as many people behind it as possible. Your child/ren may have already received a form and more info so please complete it and get it back by the end of August. If you would like another form or you did not receive one, please pop into the office at either campus.

New Registrar Cressida Batterham-Wilson (Cohort 1988)

This week we would like to warmly welcome our new Registrar Cressida Batterham-Wilson.

Cressida has a long history with the school; she is the daughter of Mondie Wilson former student and former chairman of the school council. Cressida attended Preshil for all of her schooling, and although Mug banned her from Arlington during her teenage years as her sense of style was thought to scare the littlies, and perhaps their parents, she returned to Arlington after completing year 12 and taught there for a time.She started Preshil in the 4s in 1975 and finished year 12 in 1988.
For any enrolment enquiries you can telephone her on 9816 7901 or
 email her at registrar@preshil.vic.edu.au

ARLINGTON CONSERVATION PRESENTATION REVIEW

Thank you to all those Parents, Guardians, Friends and Staff who ventured out on a cold night and were able to hear the wonderful and informative presentation about the Arlington Conservation and History Project, presented by Gina Levenspiel.
Gina presented a very informative overview about some of the important history of Arlington through historical photographs and documents. She explained the policy framework and timeline to date through diagrams and also how the extensive research and finished report will be used to support the conservation actions for the management and works programs. This will enable the school to care for its precious heritage buildings and landscape.

We will keep you updated about any future presentations and ongoing project information.

AFTERCARE NEWS WEEK 2 IN TERM 3

Aftercare this week has been pretty busy with the children enjoying the activities.

We are counting lots of dockets from Coles but can always do with some more. Please keep placing them in the box outside the hall.

Also as we said last week, if you have any of those large containers that fish oil tablets come in we would love to recycle them for you.

Next week we will doing some activities to do with the Olympics. Come and join us.
Chris and Emily

GIL ARCHER TROPHY WIN

Congratulations to Annabel (Year 12 Student) on her recent trophy win at the statewide 2012 Gil Archer Trophy Competition. She was very excited to tell us this is the premier speaking competition for Rostrum Victoria’s Eastern Region and the first time she has won it. For more details about Rostrum visit here.

AFTERCARE NEWS TERM 3

Here we are back into the term and it hardly feels like we have been away. Chris spent her time sewing calisthenics costumes and was truly grateful that she could spend all her time on this. Emily is still studying and will now be working in the library part time at the Senior school so she will be even busier than usual with study and Aftercare. However we have had lots of fun on these first days back. An enormous Thank you to Dominique who has donated some goodies we can use for cooking and afternoon tea. Thanks Dom.

This is what we have done this week:

Meanwhile, keep putting you coles vouchers in the box outside the hall so we can cut and count them Thanks for all the ones at the beginning of the week. We might get through them all soon.

See you all soon
Chris & Emily

DOORSTEP CONCERT

The Doorstep Concert was once again a lovely and inspiring way to finish the term at the Blackhall/Kalimna campus. We heard wonderful music from Preshil musicians including the school ensembles Pavement, The Chocolate Royales, The Wind, Fire and Earth Horn Band, Winter/Ted/Spencer rock band and Louis Edwards and Friends. We were treated to a surprise staff/student band featuring students Henry and Jordan, and staff John Collins and Kris Austin. Rock on!

DIZZY’S

A full house was in evidence at Dizzy’s jazz club in Richmond on Tuesday night. Families, teaching staff and friends were all seated around tables enjoying great food and good company whilst Preshil students from years 7-12 put on a fantastic selection of solo and group music items, ranging from jazz standards and contemporary ballads, to classical solos and chamber music.

Ably supporting students in their endeavours were Preshil music staff. Vocal teacher Susie Ahern led the acapella ensemble Pavement, bass teacher Ivan Rosa the R+B band The 5 Royales. A house band comprising instrumental teachers Phil Bywater (saxophones), Adrian Perger (brass), Lawrence Folvig (guitar), Ivan Rosa (bass) and Phil Collings (drums) nurtured young first time performers, and also stepped out and dazzled the crowd in their interactions with more experienced students. To see Preshil students perform so well, in such a quality professional setting, is truly inspiring.

Of the many highlights click here to see programme one surely was the special guest performance by alumni Tess Duddy, recently returned from Chicago where she has been furthering her studies in classical voice, and performing with the Chicago Opera. Her voice filled the room with incredible sound, and had everyone entranced.

Special thanks must go to the 30, yr 7-12 students who performed on the evening. Each of their performances showed a real engagement and delight in presenting to a highly supportive audience. Thanks also to Music Coordinator, Tim Dargaville for organising the event and leading from the piano, to Rodney Waterman and Jo Porch for co-hosting and also to Head of Campus Andrew Kohane for providing a memorable closing speech to the evening.

Another Music night at Dizzy’s is planned for Semester 2, so stay tuned!

AFTERCARE NEWS

Aftercare are now the proud owners of a microwave to be used for crafts and food preparation and heater in the back room of hall, so we are all warm and cosy.
We have now reached the end of another fun filled term, our children have been fabulous and some of them coming out with rather funny statements which has kept Emily and I quite amused. It has been great to hear of weekend achievements including sports, those who have made it into finals games etc. We love to hear all their weekend news.

Once again we have had a fun filled week.

We are now getting more used to relating each activity with the new framework and what learning outcomes we are achieving. We are also looking at better ways to evaluate what we do and how to improve them. If you have any ideas or feedback for us we would love to hear from you.
We wish you all good luck and fun over the holidays. Chris will be sewing madly for the calisthenics group she is involved in and Emily will be catching up on her studies.

See you all ready and raring to go!

Chris and Emily

FURTHER CHATS WITH ALISTAIR

Thank you to everyone who has dropped in for a chat. I have really enjoyed meeting you all, putting names to faces and hearing your stories and ideas.
If you haven’t had a chance to drop in and introduce yourselves there will be further ‘Chat’ opportunities next Term.

Stay tuned for dates to be published early in Term 3.

Alistair Rayner
Head of Arlington/Assistant Principal

AFTERCARE NEWS WEEK 11

We cannot believe that the term is almost over. At the beginning of the term we felt we were in for a long hall but here we are almost ready to go on holidays again. There have been lots of things happening as usual. Hereunder are a few:

All these ideas came from our suggestion box which made our job of programming a little easier. Trying to think up new and different ideas for activities each week can be a challenge. So, please keep the ideas coming!

Thank-you also, to all those who have started dropping off their Sports for Schools vouchers. We are now busy cutting and counting them all.

Friday’s – Don’t forget that we are in the 10/11′s room from now on due to the drama group using the hall. From what we have seen and heard they seem to be having a wonderful time.

Chris & Emily

VCE Music Night – Tuesday May 29

Students in years 11 and 12 presented a fantastic evening of solo and group performances at the recent VCE music night. Around 50 students and parents came and supported the event, being a generous audience, and providing strong positive feedback on all who presented. There was a great diversity of work on display, with many assured and confident performances in evidence. For some students this event was a major step up in performing publicly, for other more seasoned performers this was an opportunity to further refine their performance craft, with a high level of sophistication being shown. A notable aspect of the evening was observing how our students accept and enjoy each others efforts in an occasion like this, and also how they willingly give informed feedback and support to each other.

The new library, as the venue for the first half, really helped set the tone for the success of the evening. Early arrivers made themselves comfortable in a couch with a variety of books whilst the setting up was going on. The cosy atmosphere also meant that a quite extensive first half (over an hour) could be presented and enjoyed fully. Year 12 Music Investigation students added an extra dimension to the evenings proceedings by talking about some of the in depth research they have conducted in to the music they have been preparing. For details of the programme please see below.

Thanks go to the fine team of instrumental music staff for their coaching and accompanying of students, and particularly to Phil Bywater and Tim Dargaville for coordinating this event.

VCE MUSIC NIGHT – PROGRAMME

Part 1 – Library

Gianna – Year 12 Music Performance – voice
(accompanied by Ainslie Wills)
• Even When I’m Sleeping
• Lullaby of Birdland

Nick  –  Year 11 – guitar duet
(accompanied by Lawrence Folvig)
• Nothing else matters

Ruby – Year 12 Music Investigation – voice
(accompanied by Tim Dargaville)
• Round Midnight
• Strange Fruit

Antonia – Year 11 – voice/guitar
• Imagine
• The A team

Adrien  – Year 12 Music Investigation – voice
(accompanied by Tim Dargaville)
• Money

Lotta – Year 12 Music Performance – voice
(accompanied by Tim Dargaville)
• Scarborough Fair
• You’ve Got A Friend
• Stand by Me

Tessa – Year 11 voice/guitar
• Crooked teeth

Jordan – Year 12 Music Investigation – guitar
• Limelight
• Ganryu Island

Part 2 – Music Room

Wynton  – Year 11 music – solo drumkit
• Solo snare study
• Public Service Announcement

Connor – Year 11 music – solo drumkit
• Misery Business

Billy – Year 11 music – piano solo
• Nocturne in Eb (Chopin)
• Rue de Cascades (Yann Tiersen)

Jasper  – Year 11 music – piano solo
• Sonata in F major – 1st movt.(Scarlatti)
• Sonata no. 5 (Alexander Scriabin)

Henry  – Year 12 Music Investigation – bass/voice
• River Euphrates

Year 11 Group items
• Hiphopopotamus meets the Rhimenocerous
• If it means a lot to you

PARENTS/FOUNDATION LUNCH

The Parents/Foundation lunch at Cumulus was a delicious way of connecting with the Preshil community.
Due to such an enthusiastic response to the first Preshil Parents/Foundations CBD lunch we will be organising another one next term. Please keep an eye out for the next time, location and date. Yummy!

AFTERCARE NEWS WEEK 9

We have had a great and hilarious time at Aftercare this week.

DON’T FORGET THAT FROM NOW ON AFTERCARE WILL BE IN THE 10s & 11s ON FRIDAYS

Next week we are doing some cultural face painting, donuts on a string, making pizzas and some nature printing.

Hope to see you there,

Chris and Emily

10S & 11S VISIT TO SENIOR SCHOOL CAMPUS

A successful evening and many thanks to the Year 7 students who volunteered their time and spoke so openly and honestly about their transition from the Arlington Campus and other primary schools to the Senior Campus. This along with their parents in making the evening a success and gently easing the transition of the 10s & 11s to the Senior Campus.

Also the Year 7 coordinators and staff for their informative presentation and discussion on the year ahead and our 10s &11s teachers who were present to support us all.

Parents of the 10s & 11s that would like to have a copy of the ‘Transition Process’ document please click on my email link alistairr@preshil.vic.edu.au to indicate this and I will forward you a copy.

Alistair Rayner
Head of Arlington, Assistant Principal

Lyttle Green Book

The new edition of the Lyttle Green Book has been printed and will be mailed out to you in the coming week.

It is an invaluable guide for you to keep handy. This guide outlines information about the following:

Aftercare News

Once again we have had a few children away ill this week. We hope they are all feeling much better now. Please let us know if your child is not attending aftercare, it saves us running around checking if your child was at school that day, thank you to the parents who have done so.

However, as always we had lots fun again;

On Wednesday afternoon we had a surprise visit from the Department of Education to check that we are complying with the new ‘Aftercare’ Framework. This visit was only a short one and we should receive their report in the next few weeks.

With the children not at school on Friday and Monday we have two short weeks.

Look forward to the fun and games we intend to create next week.

Chris and Emily

Doo Dah

It’s Doo Dah time again!

It’s provided by parents for the children at Arlington and occurring on the second last Friday of each term.

It includes a yummy morning tea of homemade cakes and chocolate milk and a filling lunch, followed by fruit and a drink of water or juice.

Children are asked to give their teacher $5.00 to cover the cost of food.
Parents, Allona and Judy, are coordinating this event with the help of parent volunteers.

Help is always welcome.

Your Doo Dah Reps
Allona & Judy

With Thanks

Thank you to Leo’s Supermarket – Kew

Parents teaching the ‘Cooking’ elective would like to thank Leo’s Supermarket for their donation of a $100 gift voucher.
The voucher was put to good use stocking the pantry in the 8′s and 9′s with the basics and it covered all the ingredients for the first week.

Thank you Leo’s!

Stephanie & Prue

AFTERCARE NEWS

We have had a few people away this week due to illness, birthdays and all sorts of other reasons. Thanks to all those who let us know that their children would not be attending. It is really important that you let us know, otherwise we have to run around looking which takes time and takes us away from the children we are looking after.
Thanks to our Suggestion Box we have had a few ideas from the children on what activities they wanted to do this week. This box sits on the table near the sign out sheet and we always welcome new suggestions from the children and the parents. Naturally it has been busy again but lots of fun.

Last week we mentioned that we had finished the jigsaw we had been working on for several weeks. This actually ended up happening on Monday and not Friday but when we finished it, it had two pieces missing. On Tuesday afternoon there was only one piece missing. Can you solve the mystery?

Next week we are making paper and cardboard dolls, playing some indoor games, threading pasta puppets and creating some dot paintings. Hope to see you there.

Microwave: Does anyone have a microwave oven in good working order that they no longer want? Aftercare would love to have one.

Chris and Emily

DRAMA CLASS

Preshil is pleased to announce the commencement of Drama Classes for Arlington students in the 8s, 9s,10s and 11s for Term 2. Please note all places have now been filled. The drama classes will be run by Judith Chaplin-Fleming. Judith studied acting and graduated from NIDA, she has enjoyed acquiring 23 years performing, directing, writing, producing industry experience and taught the NIDA ‘Open Program’ for 4 years. Drama class will be run on Fridays for the remainder of Term 2. For more information on Judith’s achievements and the outline of the programme please click here.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC AT PRESHIL

This year a record number of students are currently enrolled in the instrumental music programme at Preshil. There are currently 65 students enrolled from Years 7 -12 at Blackhall/ Kalimna, and there are 50 students enrolled at Arlington. Our popular music programme is continually expanding and there are still places available for some instruments this year – particularly brass, voice, woodwind, and bass guitar/double bass. If you would like to discuss the music programme or enrol your child for Term 3, 2012 please contact Music Coordinator, Tim Dargaville at timd@preshil.vic.edu.au or call into the Office at either campus to collect an Instrumental Music form or download one from here.

AFTERCARE NEWS

It has been a hectic week at Aftercare this week. Some of the activities were ones which were pretty full-on in organisation and implementation but in the end went very successfully.

Wednesday: Today we made coloured salt people. To make the coloured salt, Chris filled plastic containers with table salt, added the powder paint, put on the lids back on and shook a lot. (The containers not Chris) By the time she had finished she had a variety of colours. The children then used plastic spoons and paper funnels to add the salt to the plastic bottles so they ended up in coloured stripes.
A huge thankyou to Ben who made the brilliant suggestion of placing the plastic bottles in the salt containers so there was not as much spillage. Any spillage was gathered up and placed into a separate container to make a rainbow salt.
Lots of mess, but lots of fun

Next week we will be having more fun and frivolity, so come and join us.

Chris and Emily

AFTERCARE NEWS

As mentioned last week, Emily and I attended the Secondary Campus production of ‘Leaving’. It was fantastic and to see the train up on stage it was really exciting. They way it moved around was amazing and there were lots of gasps and “oohs” and “ahs” when the train came on stage

This week has been a very busy one:

Next week we are making some design boxes and lollipop cakes. We will also make the favourite coloured salt bottles and Graffiti posters.
Come and join us. If you want to see specifically the days we are doing these activities on, just look at the Program Plan on the door of the hall.

Also on Tuesday Emily and I attended our Term 2 Network meeting at which they bombarded us with lots of info on the new Framework.
See you soon
Chris and Emily

Arlington Electives

Last Tuesday and Thursday afternoon saw the beginning of our exciting electives program here at the Arlington Campus. The activities on offer are;

5/6/7’s
Photography/Movie making
Woodwork
Music
Information Technology
Exploring the Media

8/9/10/11’s
Labyrinths
Clowning
Gardening
Make-do Craft
Cooking
Puppets

Both afternoons saw the children extremely active and engaged in their discoveries and later on excited to be telling their peers about their experiences. The electives afternoon will run for the rest of Term 2.
We are extremely grateful to the parents who have so generously offered their time and expertise to work with our children. I encourage all families to ask their children to share and reflect on the new things they learn and experience during these sessions.

Alistair Rayner
Assistance Principal, Arlington

MOTHER’S DAY BREAKFAST

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavour by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.” Washington Irving (1783-1859) American Author

These thoughts were in our hearts as we cherished and appreciated our mothers at the special Mother’s day breakfast last Friday.
It was pleasing to have so many of our mums attend where we were able to enjoy a warm, well cooked Bacon & Eggs and BLT rolls, muffins, fresh coffee and juice. There was a lovely sense of closeness, togetherness and community in the hall throughout the morning. As the morning progressed we were entertained by the student cello ensemble and by individual student performances. I even overheard one mum asking if we could do this every Friday morning.

Special thanks goes to our hard working Communications Staff and to the Dads who turned up to assist with the function. With added thanks to Jonine & Giovanni for their donation of the yummy goodies provided on the day. For those of you that enjoyed Giovanni’s cooking you can enjoy more of it at Ruby Tuesday’s located in Chapel St. Prahran. Also thank you to John and Amanda for supplying Milla’s Organic Orange Juice.

Alistair Rayner
Assistant Principal, Arlington

Contact! A Netball Opera

Year 10 Drama/Music excursion to the Victorian Arts Centre
On Tuesday 24th April Year 10 Drama and Music students, accompanied by teachers Jo Porch and Tim Dargaville, attended a performance of a new music-theatre work by composer Angus Grant at the Fairfax Studio. A large crowd of students from a range of schools were also in attendance on this day. One notable feature of the performance was that one of the singers in the cast was ex-Preshil student, Tess Duddy, recently returned from the U.S. where she has been studying classical voice, and performing with the Chicago Opera. So there was a special air of anticipation and interest in this event amongst the Preshil students. Year 10 music student Jack writes -

Review by year 10 student – Jack Viney
I must say, when I hopped on the tram with my class to go see this performance, I had mixed expectations. An Opera about netball? That seemed a bit far-fetched to me. I’d never been to an Opera performance before, but I still held in my mind the expectation that an Opera had to be some kind of posh performance held only in the most esteemed of theatres with large, overweight people singing so high they could break the opera-glasses of those in the audience.

Funnily enough this wasn’t the case. Contact! is a much more modern take on the art of Opera, which in no way means it isn’t good. It had a plot about how a suburban netball team overcomes personal conflicts and succeeds against the odds in winning a championship.

SINGING SOIREE EVENING

The newly-opened Preshil library was the venue for a recent singing soiree by senior students from Preshil’s instrumental programme. Many in the audience of 45 or so parents, students and friends commented on how beautiful the library’s atmosphere is, particularly at sunset and also how clear the acoustic is. For the evening’s singers, the venue also posed some exciting new challenges in performing in a new space for the very first time. All performers rose to this challenge admirably.

Singing teachers Susie Ahern and Ainslie Wills jointly organised the programme with students from years 8-12. Preshil’s acapella ensemble ‘Pavement’, led by Susie and comprised of students Louis, Maddie, Charlotte, Georgia, Adrien, Brittany, Ruby and Sunday, began the evening with two pieces that displayed some glorious harmonies (“Lonely Boy” – the Black Keys), and tricky rhythms (“Mori Sokopiye” – a traditional Macedonian folksong). Louis and Maddie then performed “Overboard” as a duet presenting a strong performance with great vocal projection. Sunday stepped up to give an intimate and engaging rendition of “I won’t back down” by Hudson Taylor, followed by Ruby who completed the first part of the evening with a powerful performance of the Thelonius Monk’s jazz classic “Round Midnight”, displaying great expressiveness and technical facility with the songs demanding phrasing.

Ainslie Wills accompanied her students for the second part of the evening, providing nuanced and sensitive support at the piano. Lotta Kalla’s performance of “Stand by Me” showed clear enjoyment and great feel. Luca haunting rendition of “On my own” from the musical “Les Miserables” proved to be an effective and sensitive contrast. Brittany and Taylor both gave confident and musically engaging performances of Lennon/Macartney’s “I Will” and Pink’s “Dear Mr President” respectively. The evening closed with a powerhouse performance of “All that jazz” by Georgia and an evocative and beautifully phrased reading of “Even when I’m sleeping” by Gianna.

A notable aspect of the evening was the clear, respectful and supportive rapport shown from students towards Susie and Ainslie, and also towards each other during the performances. There was much attentive listening throughout the evening’s programme. Many thanks to the performers involved in this lovely soiree and particularly to Susie Ahern and Ainslie Wills for devising the event.

M.O.N.A

Last Friday, 16 Year 12 students accompanied by Andrew Kohane,Christine Edwards,Gillian Crother and Kay Hann ventured down to Hobart for the day to visit the Museum of Old and New Art (M.O.N.A.) which has created a sensation in the art world with its innovative architecture and unique collection of artworks.

The Year 12 Art and Studio art courses have a focus on the Arts Industry and how artworks are displayed along with the issues that are presented through the works themselves. Upon arrival the students were all handed individual iPhone based guides and they headed off down the subterranean tunnels of this gallery to view the many works of art. Upon completion of their viewing they were able to email their individual tours back to themselves.

The students were excited by the works and they generated much discussion as we headed back into Hobart to see some of the sites, enjoy fish and chips on the jetty, soak up the atmosphere of Salamanca place with music and activities along the foreshore before departing late in the evening for Melbourne.

A really successful and memorable excursion for our students and staff.

AFTERCARE NEWS

Click this link for the Pom Pom Movie

The train has left! We came in on Monday to see the train carriage for the ‘Leaving’ musical all pulled apart ready for transport to Kew High School for the performances. On Tuesday it had left the building. It was great to see it on stage on Thursday night. These young people have worked so hard for a great result!
This week has of course been geared to Mother’s Day activities. Mums, we hope you will enjoy your gifts. Some children just could not wait until Sunday to give these little presents so we hope you have enjoyed them.

• Monday: We made soap with some melt and pour soap that took a bit of a marathon effort to find. When we did this activity two years ago the shop was in Hawthorn. It has now moved to North Fitzroy and with a bit of a hunting expedition Chris located it.Then when we tried to melt the soap it was taking a long, long time so some children lost interest. With a brain wave from Chris the microwave in the 8s and 9s worked a treat. If you have an old microwave that still works Aftercare would love to have it. Just let us know or click here.
• Tuesday: We made 3D cards which were a great success. There were so many varied designs we are sure the Mums will love them. This also evolved into cards for Dads as there are a few Dads that are having birthdays very soon. It was great.
• Wednesday: Today we made caramel bites. This is a recipe that Emily found and of course they not only looked good but tasted quite delicious. We hope the Mums enjoy them.
• Thursday: It was pot plant day. We made up some lovely pot plants in eco friendly pots. They looked very pretty.
• Friday: Once again the children got to choose an activity from earlier in the week.

Next week we have some more fun and frivolity planned, so if you have any ideas for activities we would love to hear from you. Does anyone have some easy kitchen science experiments we could use? All suggestions are welcome.
Hoping to see you all soon

Chris & Emily

VOICES OF CHILDREN

“From the very beginning, the philosophy of the school was to ensure all students were seen as individuals with unique interests and abilities to be accepted for who they are and their talents nurtured. Through the junior school, students are placed in multiple-age groups, accommodating the varying speeds in which individuals learn.
Principal Marilyn Smith says the underpinning value of the school is still progressive. “Preshil does not attempt to standardise children, for example with rows of desks, uniforms, every one of the same age working from the same page on the same day,’’ she says. Read more here

Age Article – on Co-ed schools, included Preshil. Monday, 30 April.

MUSIC EXCURSION – YEAR 9

Year 9 Music students were thrilled to visit the Maton Guitar Factory in Box Hill and to be shown around by the founder Bill May’s daughter – guitarist and teacher Susan Ellis. The factory employs nearly 80 workers and sends out 30-40 guitars every day. We followed the progress of a steel string acoustic and an electric lead guitar from seasoned wood treatment rooms to the finished product as professional players tuned strings and tested the completed instruments. Students were fascinated by some of the historic and custom Maton instruments on show. Every Year 9 class gets an opportunity to see this world class guitar manufacturing facility.

PSYCH EXCURSION – YEAR 12

Last Tuesday the Year 12 Psych class went to the Epworth Hospital Sleep Laboratory as part of their work on ‘Altered States of Consciousness’ which is part of Unit 3 of the VCE course. The hospital treats patients in-house as well as in their own homes (they issue out equipment that monitors the sleeping patterns of the patient and analyse it in the lab).
A student, Simon, was wired up to 4 different electrodes to measure his brain waves, heart rate, eye movement and muscle movements. It was fascinating and the students learnt a lot from this experience as all the theoretical knowledge was applied in a ‘hands on’ manner and with a fantastic scientist.

AFTERCARE NEWS MAY 4

We are still seeing the train carriage in the hall evolving. This week it has gone from a plain wood to a silver colour. The seats and bars for people to hold onto are all now in place. This train carriage is of course for the ‘Leaving’ play being performed next week on the 10th, 11th & 12th May. Emily and I have our tickets and can’t wait to see the show. If you have not got your tickets yet, contact the cottage at the Senior school. Once again, being in a shared space, we get to see things evolve and it is very interesting. We vacated the hall again on Thursday night so they could have a proper practice space and all went well. If you have not had a look in the hall to see the train carriage, you will need to be quick as it is being transported down to Kew High School very soon.

Having our 10/11′s away on camp has been quite interesting. On Tuesday we only had 8 children and it was very quiet. We can’t wait for them to return on Friday and hope they have had a great time. I am sure we will hear lots of stories next week.
Monday: We made some yummy fruit skewers with marshmallows added in. Each child was allowed two marshmallows so there was not too much of a sugar hit.

Tuesday: We had some very out of date pasta shapes, so we made some very interesting pasta pictures. It was amazing to see the diversity of ideas and once again we enjoyed the creative ideas the children came up with.

Wednesday: We have a number of children that are interested in dragons. We purchased a fabulous kit from Zart Art with pre-cut dragon shapes. We attached different pieces together with split pins and created many different types of dragons.

Thursday: We created pom pom people out of wool. We used pom pom makers which is basically large popsicle sticks attached together in the shape of an “H” and you wind the wool around and around them. You then tie wool around the middle and cut down the sides and Hey Presto you have a lovely pom pom. You then attach joggle eyes, beads and mouths and there you have a pom pom person.

Friday: Once again the children get to choose from any activity we have done during the week.
Next week we are doing everything to do with Mother’s Day. So we hope all the Mums enjoy their gifts.

Emily and I have been working hard on our Quality Improvement Plan which must be sent in to comply with the new framework that came out in January. I think we are dreaming “improvement”. So much fun? We are nearly there, so wish us luck.

Chris & Emily

CHESS JUNIOR TOURNAMENT

13 teams (63 children) participated in this prestigious event at Brighton Grammar. Our team was the youngest in the competition.
We played 28 games and ended up sharing 2nd place with Brighton Grammar School. The winners were Sandringham Primary School.
Based on the results of the competition, the Preshil Team has qualified for the Victorian Primary School Semi-Final being held later in the year. Our Chess Team: Ziggy, Angus, Meier, Louis, Solomon, Boaz and Charlie.

Well done boys!!

Full results will be published on Leonid Sandler’s website, Chess Australia click here

AFTERCARE NEWS

We have been lucky enough to witness some of the Senior School play coming to fruition, in our hall. We now have a train carriage that was designed by one of the kids and constructed by a parent. It is amazing, so if you get a chance, pop your head into the hall and have a look see. If you have not yet booked your tickets, do it soon. Emily and I can’t wait to see it.

• Monday, with all that rain we thought it would be a great chance to practice our emergency evacuation drill for ‘flood damage’. It took us a few goes but we did get much better at the task. We also had a visit from Nathan, one of our previous regulars who is now in year 8. Nathan gave us some positive insights about his experiences at our senior campus. Other senior children popped-in to say ‘Hello’ , it was wonderful!
• Tuesday: We made Anzac biscuits which were fun and of course yummy!
• Wednesday: Anzac Day so no Aftercare.
• Thursday: We made some very interesting wall hangings with Autumn leaves and sticks. Once again there were some great variations.
• Friday: We were invited to join the 6/7′s in their disco so of course we had great fun.

Come and join us
Chris and Emily

The Preshil Library

ARLINGTON ART

The 8s and 9s and the 10s and 11s are showing a beautiful series of observational paintings from last term in the Arlington House hallway. Please come and have a look next time you are passing through.

LIBRARY CELEBRATION REVIEW

On Wednesday 28 March at 2.30 we celebrated our ‘Moving In’ day

The Preshil Library was launched on a perfect autumn afternoon. Children from the ‘Fives’ cut the ribbon to open the building, welcoming in the younger students first and then the senior students.

Refreshments had been prepared by the kitchen garden class and there was an Easter chocolate hunt for the 5s, 6s and 7s.

Guest speakers included, the architect Stephen O’Connor who explained how the building connected and shared ideas as to the scope of the new building. Alumni Sally Warhaft spoke of the rich world of reading and libraries.
We will have some photos in the gallery soon.

DOO DAH – THANK YOU

A big thank you to the parents who came to help out for Doo Dah day. There was an incredible parent turnout and a lovely chance to chop/serve/chat together. Doo Dah is run by the parents group for the benefit of the whole Arlington community and is a great way to get involved.

10S AND 11S PLAY

‘I Thought It Was An Easter Play’

A play by the 10’s and 11s -
Public Performance was held Wednesday, 28 March at 7.00pm

All were welcome – Thank you for attending the 10’s & 11’s play “I Thought It Was An Easter Play?”
We hope you appreciate the many hours of work we have put into it. Through thick and thin, through rich and poor, we stuck together like a pancake on the floor. We work like an engine in a car we hope this play takes us far. Our play is the best so chuck out the rest…….Hope you all Enjoyed it!

Aftercare Week 9

We have had lots of Easter fun this week.

• Monday: We started off with plain polystyrene eggs and ended up with amazing creations. Some children used sequins to decorate their eggs and some used textas. The result was very effective.
• Tuesday: We made eggs out of felt and sewed them together with embroidery thread. We also made gold or silver boxes and added mini chickens either on the top or inside. Once again the results were very varied and wonderful.
• Wednesday: Chocolate, chocolate everywhere!!! We melted chocolate in our special chocolatier machine and filled up lots of moulds. With mini lolly hearts added for decoration we created some yummy treats for family gifts. Enjoy!!!
• Thursday: Chris whipped out the overlocker and sewed up several pieces of fabric to make fabric bunnies. The children then stuffed the pieces and sewed them together.
• Friday: The last day of term. Who can believe it has gone so fast.

Emily and Chris watched with interest as the 10/11′s play evolve, ‘I Thought it was an Easter Play’ It was quite fascinating and very enjoyable. Chris went to the evening performance and laughed herself silly. How amazing these children are! We watched the play move from discussions, to scenes, evolving and changing to finally the end result, the Finale. Absolutely and utterly FANTASTIC! How talented these children are to be able to move from a concept to a production in under two weeks. Unfortunately, Emily could not be at either performance due to study commitments, so THANK YOU to our trusty Film Maker Extraordinaire, Angelo, who filmed it for her on his iPod we hope to post a movie soon.

The 8s and 9s are closing in on their target!

Their fundraising stalls on Tuesday afternoon were a roaring success and the commemorative Margaret E. Lyttle calendars have sold well. They will be able to purchase a greenhouse for the whole school to use very soon.
What wonderful ideas the children have had to make it happen! And a great display of team work, too.
Any further monies they raise will be going towards garden supplies such as seeds, tools, gloves, fertilizers and plants. Donations of gardens supplies such as these would also be greatly appreciated.
Please continue to support them by purchasing a calendar.
It covers March 2012 through to February 2013.

Calendars are $8.00 each and can be bought or ordered from the eights and nines classroom or call us.

Aftercare News week 8

Click here for the movie

It has been a really busy week this week.

• Monday: We made friendship bands which then evolved into hair wraps..
• Tuesday: We made totem people but with all the fun and excitement of the 8s and 9s stall outside not many children participated. The children will have another chance to finish this project on Thursday and Friday..
• Wednesday: We made two pizzas from scratch. First we mixed and kneaded the dough. we cut up pineapple, bacon and grated the cheese. We put on the sauce and they went into the oven. We ate one that afternoon and saved the other one for Thursday. Yum!!! Look out for Angelo’s video of the event..
• Thursday: We had a request in the suggestion box for ‘painting’. So watch out Picasso, here we come..
• Friday: Our usual free activity day where we can do the activities from during the week.

Next week: Easter, Easter, Easter. A few things with chocolate and other interesting activities.
If you want to view our program just go and look on the door to the Kevin Borland Hall.

Hoping to see you at Aftercare

Chris & Emily

MOTHERS DAY CLASSIC

Sunday, 13 May from 6.15am

Join Team Preshil! Walk or Run for Breast Cancer Research
Alexandra Gardens & the Tan

Come and Join ‘Team Preshil’ – and walk around the Park with us.
We are doing the 4km walk starting at 9.30am.
For more information on the Mothers Day Classic – 4km or 8km walk or run , or to register ….click here

Aftercare News week 7

We all enjoyed an extra day off last weekend and some caught up on important family time. Unfortunately their were others who were not at all well. We hope that by the time you read this you are feeling much better.

• Tuesday: We created some very interesting and attractive wooden spoon people.
• Wednesday: We made the ever popular and delicious Nachos.
• Thursday: Our dream catchers were naturally delightful and creative.
• Friday: Fairy Bread day, as usual, was well received.

Next week we will be making friendship bands, totem people, pizzas and painting.

If you want to view our program just go and look on the door to the Kevin Borland Hall.

Hoping to see you at Aftercare

Chris & Emily

ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA - DIGITAL

Encyclopaedia Britannica Online is a valuable electronic resource that is available for all Preshil staff and students to use at school.
Easy to use and suitable for all ages, it is a great starting point for all levels of research. It is also a great introduction to using online resources for the youngest and newest of users.

Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, (and many other useful electronic resources), can also be accessed at home if you are a member of Boroondara Library. For more information visit their website here.
It is well worth a look.
Sue, Arlington Librarian

8S AND 9S COMMEMORATIVE CALENDAR

The eights and nines have made a beautiful Calendar to commemorate Margaret Lyttle’s Centenary year.

It covers March 2012 through to February 2013.

Calendars are $8.00 and can be bought or ordered from the eights and nines classroom or email us and all proceeds will be going towards getting a greenhouse for plant propagation to grow veggies to use in our kitchens across the whole school.

So please come and see our calendar.

Thank you from the 8s and 9s

Aftercare News WEEK 6

Once again we have had heaps of fun and laughter at Aftercare!
A huge ‘Thank-You’ to Angelo who has excelled himself in filming and producing his videos of our activities. We love it when the children actively join in and help with our programming. Our ‘Suggestion Box’  is always on the “sign out” table, so if you have any ideas for activities please fill in the slips attached to the box and pop them in. We always try to keep our activities open ended and to see the creations that evolve is amazing. It seems that only superbly talented children attend this school. This term there has been a big interest in cubby making and once again we have seen many and varied cubbies evolve. Some have had several rooms and the sounds of chatter and laughter coming out from under these ‘hidey’ holes is terrific.

Monday – We brought out the ever popular beads and then watched some amazing jewellery evolve. Emily received a lovely bead hanging that is now gracing her bedroom at home
Tuesday – We provided all our boxes of scraps and once again watched some fabulous “scrappy sculptures” emerge. There was a dragon, a dream catcher, several unidentified sculptures which were accompanied by lots of chat and laughter. We love to hear the explanations of all that is created.
Wednesday – We started off with plain, undecorated hand held fans and ended up with some very beautiful and interesting works of art that can also keep you cool on hot days.
Thursday – Cooking is always a favourite and on this day we made some whizz wheel biscuits. You start off with two colours of cookie dough, place them one on top of the other and then roll them together. you then cut the rolls into slices and hey presto you have a very attractive, not to mention, delicious biscuit. Yum!!!

We are still working on next week’s program, so if you have any ideas, please let us know.

Chris & Emily

Aftercare News week 5

This week has been another fun filled affair on:

Monday, we did face painting and hair colouring. Chris was duly decorated as a clown and quite a few parents got a bit of a surprise when they came in and saw Chris’s new makeover!

Tuesday, saw us making some yummy orange juice with freshly squeezed oranges. The children love Emily’s recipe and all the different types of orange squeezers she supplies.

View the movie here

Wednesday, was a day for some bubble fun with giant bubbles, bubble wands, small bubbles and other types of bubble concoctions.

Thursday, we once again applied some fake tattoos which are always popular. There were lots of varieties to choose from and the children went home looking just delightful!

Tuesday, was also the day for this terms Network meeting where all the local schools gather together and talk about all the fun stuff we have to comply with in Outside School Hours Care programs. Our school hosted the meeting and all attendees were quite fascinated with our whole environment and set up. The meetings are always informative and the ladies from the City of Boroondara always helpful.

Next weeks program includes beading and jewellery, sculpture making, decorated fans and whizz wheel biscuits. For more information, just speak to Chris or Emily.

If you want to join the fun, fill in a Registration Form and let us know when you would like to attend. As mentioned previously, our fees are $19 for a permanent booking (at least one day per week) or $23 for a casual booking.

Just another reminder to hand in your Registration Forms if you have not already done so.

Chris & Emily

PRESHIL FACEBOOK LAUNCH

This week we launced our new Preshil Facebook Page.

We will post news and information about events, Alumni, Preshil happenings, articles of interest, education and much, much more. Please share this with your friends and hit the’ like’ button! If you are current parents, Alumni or Friends of Preshil and have any news we would love to hear about it and share.

Aftercare news week 4

Once again, a big “thank-you” to all those who have completed and returned their Registration Forms. For those of you who still have not done this, please do so as soon as possible as we are NOT supposed to accept your child/ren until we have these forms. As previously mentioned, it is a legal requirement to have new forms each year.

This week we had fun and games again:

Monday: we played the ever popular Parcel Game.

Tuesday: we were happily making pancakes when all the power went off. We then transferred our fry-pan to the Staff room as we thought it was the power point that was the problem. Much to our dismay we tripped the power in there as well and the whole office was in black out. An enormous thank-you to Irene who fixed the problem at the switchboard. Many, many apologies to Marilyn and the rest of the staff. The fry-pan is now in fry-pan heaven. In future we will have donated goods tested before we use them. A good lesson learnt for all. The only fortunate thing is that we had cooked the majority of the pancakes before the problem occurred.

Wednesday: we made our own naughts and crosses games with bottle tops and on

Thursday: we created some blob/marble art creations. You place a piece of paper in the bottom of a foil tray, put blobs of paint on the paper and place a few marbles in the tray. When you roll the marbles around you get some wonderful designs.

We are still thinking up activities for the next fortnight, so if you have any ideas we would love to hear from you. If you want to know what we are doing in Aftercare, just look at the Program on the door of the hall.

Finger Painting in the 5s

5s enjoyed a morning of finger painting

Aftercare News week 3

View the movie here.

Thank-you to all the parents who have sent in their new Registration Forms, it is greatly appreciated. For those who have not done so yet, we need them as soon as possible. It is a legal requirement to have a new form each year.

This week has been lots of fun:
Monday: we made Valentines Day chocolates for family and friends.View the video here. Some of the staff were able to enjoy the left overs.
Tuesday: we made dolls clothes and saw some very interesting designs. Who knows these children might be the ‘fashionistas’ of the future.
Wednesday: we had “Crazy Hair Day” and our hairdressers created some fabulous hairdos. Again we may have created hairdresser extraordinaires . Look Out Vidal Sassoon or Edward Beal!
Thursday: we practised our Origami skills, and
Friday: is ‘Free Choice day’ and as usual the children choose an activity that we have done during the week.

Next week: we will be playing the ever popular parcel game, making mini pancakes, creating a noughts and crosses game and doing blob/marble painting creations. If you want to come and join in the fun, just contact us and come along. Our program is on the door of the hall for you to look at.
Once again we have Chess Club on a Thursday at 3.45-4.45p.m. There are still a few vacancies so come along and try your skill at chess. The fee for chess is included in your Aftercare fees. Just a reminder too that our fees for this year are $19 for a permanent booking and $23 for a casual booking.
Hoping to see you soon,
Chris and Emily

Chess

During Summer school holidays two of our Arlington students participated in the Australian Junior Chess Championship 2012 that was held in Melbourne.
Boaz scored 4 points from 9 games in Under 8 division.
Angus scored 3.5 points after 9 games in Under 10s division.
Both Preshil representatives participated in this prestigious events for the first time.
Well done boys!

Please remember that Chess Club is every Thursday starting form 3.45 – 4.45 pm in the library.
Its not too late to join please complete the form on our website and come and play.

Aftercare News Week 2

We welcome our new children and their parents and of course welcome back all our families from previous years. It is great seeing you all and we look forward to a fun year.

Thank-you to all who have brought in their new Registration forms. As mentioned in last weeks Bulletin it is a government requirement to fill in a new form each year for Aftercare. For those of you that still need to complete one, you can download one from our website or collect one from Aftercare. Once completed, please return your form/s to the Office or to Aftercare.

Our fees are: Permanent Fee $19       Casual Fee  $23

For Aftercare bookings:

Mobile: 0458 512  373 (Text message preferred);

Email: aftercare@preshil.vic.edu.au , or

Booking Sheet:  available at the Office or at Aftercare.

Busy Start: we have had a busy start but have had lots of fun, we started off last week with a whole lot of new play dough toys which the children (and staff) had great fun with. This week we had heaps of fun with the bubble wands which created all sorts of different bubbles all over the footy field. On Tuesday we made some chocolate chip cookies. What started out as individual biscuits, sort of spread over the entire area of the trays and ended up as two giant cookie pizzas. Once cut up and distributed, we all agreed they were delicious. On Wednesday we made ‘Mirror balls’ with polystyrine balls and lazer contact and on Thursday we did some magic tricks as well as the Chess Club starting.Click here for the Chess club registration form

If you would like to join us in these fun activities, just grab a Registration Form (as mentioned above).

Looking forward to a great year,

Aftercare news Week 1

Welcome back, we have a very exciting year planned for all with lots of treats and activities in store. However for all children attending aftercare we require that the 2012 Aftercare Registration Form is completed prior. It is a requirement by law to fill out a new form each year. Please click here to download the form and bring it along with you.

For those children that wish to attend the Chess Club you need  to  complete the form. Click here to download this form and hand it to either Chris or Emily prior to next Thursday as we need to know how many children will be attending and this will assist us in planning. Please note Invoicing for Aftercare or Chess will be added to your Term fees. If your child/children attends both on Thursdays you will be invoiced only for one.

Disco at Arlington

We would just like thank everyone who came to our Disco on Wednesday evening.

It was a great night and nice to see so many on the dance floor. This was the first of our many fundraisers for the ‘Preshil Friends of the Arts’ and we made just a little over $1000 so it is a great start.

Friends of the Arts includes music, drama, dance, photography, digital arts, film and of course art to name a few. The arts provide young people with an authentic learning experience that engages their mind, body and heart. The Arts have always been an integral part of the Preshil philosophy and we would like to create further opportunities to inspire more kids to be involved. We hope to build on the past and offer more opportunities for ‘Artists in Residence’, specialists workshops, production and special equipment. We will update you early in the New Year with more details. We are a small school with big ideas so please join us in supporting them

AFTERCARE NEWS

the last few weeks at Aftercare have been so very hectic! We have been so busy painting, making designing and assembling that all that remains is for Emily and I to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We hope you all have a lovely break and see you all in the New Year.

Please Note: A new Registration form is required to be completed for each year for aftercare. The 2012 form will be available on the website from January. Please make sure that you complete the form and return it to us prior to school starting.

Kind Regards

Chris and Emily

stenc-o-rama

Jane Sawyer’s classes finished art for the year with a visit from stencil artist Satta van Daal. He came to work with some Year 7 – 10 students. This was the culmination of a term of work on street art techniques. It was a wonderfully inspiring day of busy work designing, cutting and spraying stencils. There are some images below but if anyone wants to see the real thing you can visit the walls in the courtyard of the Frankie Derham Artspace at Blackhall/Kalimna.

Thanks Satta and if anyone wants to see more of his work his web site is: www.stenc-o-rama.com

Jane S

Arlington Clay Club

Yesterday was our last Clay Club for 2011. The Arlington kids particularly love working with clay and some of them have been coming to our regular Clay Club every Thursday lunchtime to hang out and make friends with a pottery wheel or build some amazing constructions. It has been exciting to see their creations as they develop their skills and concepts. The kiln is firing madly to finish the year off so parents will see the results shortly too!

Jane S

AFTERCARE NEWS

This week we have been doing lots of Christmas things:

On Monday we made felt decorations that were really pretty we followed this on:

Tuesday with cute little Snowmen and on

Wednesday we made some Bon Bons. The lollies were really tempting and we avoided the temptation of eating them during this session, so, at the end of the activity we allowed ourselves two each. We also had the honour of having a sneak preview of the first half of the Explorer’s film which was fabulous.

Thursday we made lovely baubles and on

Friday we had a choice of all the activities we have done during the week.

Next week we have got more Christmas things to do. On Wednesday, our last day, we will be starting the program when school finishes. If you would like us to take your children over to the Disco next door we can do so at 5 o’clock but Please Let Us Know if this is what you want us to do

We thank-you for all your support during the year and wish you all a very Merry Christmas

Please Note

The last day of school is Wednesday, 14 December finishing time is 2.00pm please note that aftercare is available from this time till 6.00pm on the last day of school.

Chris and Emily

AFTERCARE NEWS

A big thank you to all who came and visited our Tattoo Tent at the Fair on Saturday. Lots of people went away wearing butterflies, spiders, dragons, eagles and a variety of other embellishments on their persons. These people then walked around advertising our wears and letting others know where we were. The tattoos took 60 seconds to attach and counting with the smaller children as they looked straight into your eyes was gorgeous. Who would have thought counting to 60 could be so much fun. Thanks to for Emily’s Mum and Dad who came and gave as a lunch break. We went home a little damp and cold but very happy.

This week we have been busy again. On Monday we used some of the left over tattoos from the Fair and once again children (and some parents) left looking very attractive. On Tuesday, thanks to a huge donation of icing and gingerbread biscuits as well as lollies, the children had fun and produced some lovely decorated styles. We even had a few left over for the Wednesday group. We also made flying saucers on this day and continued on Thursday with a crazy hair day. The styles and colours were interesting.

Next week we will start our Christmas activities so come along and join us. Watch out for Chris’s variety of hats and earings.

Regards

Chris and Emily

Another academic ACHIEVEMENT award

The Victorian School of Languages (VSL)  is very pleased to advise you that Isabella, Year 8 student @ Preshil who is studying with VSL by Distance Education, has been awarded the best effort prize for Excellence in Year 8 Italian studies.

THE VICTORIAN SCHOOL OF LANGUAGES (VSL) AWARDS

Congratulations to Isabel and William in Year 8 in their achievement prizes in Italian and Latin respectively.

AFTERCARE NEWS november 24

This week we had a great (but noisy) week!

Our new Twister type game was the cause of all the fun and frivolity.

On: 
Monday we made animals with foam cups, plastic spoons and sticks. They looked really great,

Tuesday we had Chris’s birthday Party. Another great day with lots of wonderful wishes from all the kids. As we did on Emily’s birthday, this day is to celebrate all the birthdays that have happened over the past few months. Unfortunately we cannot celebrate every birthday of every child so this is our way to share with everyone. So we all had a good birthday.

Wednesday we made a fishing game and on

Thursday we made friendship bands.

Next week: fake tattoos, mini pizzas, flying saucers and crazy hair day. Please come along.

REMINDER: Aftercare at the FAIR!

As mentioned last week we will be running a fake tattoo stall at the Fair and would love some helpers on the day. There is a sign on sheet next to the sign out sheet in the hall or just let us know via email or text message if you can help us out.

Chris and Emily

COMPUTER PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS

The introduction to software engineering elective in the 10s/11s is in full swing with topics covered so far including operators, variables, conditionals, messages, objects, random numbers and binary representation. The kids are having fun applying these concepts together within the ‘Scratch’ framework (out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA – MIT) to make their own games and other programmatic curiosities.

‘EXPLORERS’ MOVIE – 5S

The Explorers Present – The History of the World’

The Explorers wish to announce that the premiere of their film, ‘The Explorers Present – The History of the World’ will be held in The Borland Hall on the 7th of December at 5pm.

There will also be another screening during class time during the final week of the year.

This is a project we have been developing all year.

PRESHILL STUDENT GETS PUBLISHED

Suzanne a Year 10 French student gives a testimony on Quizlet, a vocabulary learning website in a professional magazine from the Association of French Teachers Victoria – Carrefour.

Congratulations to Suzanne for her first publication in a professional magazine.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Congratulations! To William who is studying with the Victorian School of Languages (VSL) by Distance Education. He has been awarded the academic achievement prize in Latin Year 8 studies.

Well done William.

STELLA RECEIVES LETTER FROM PM

Stella and her family were lucky enough to receive a letter from Julia Gillard who spoke very highly of the Hepburn Community Windfarm created by Stella’s father Simon. Stella spoke to the children during our meeting which promoted a meaningful discussion amongst the group. You can read the letter here.

What is a Wind farm?

“They are big flower stems and have big pointy things that go around and around. They make electricity for lights. They make electricity by the things inside, there’s lots of buttons.”

Who is Julia Gillard and what does she do?

She’s the Prime Minister, you can vote for Prime Ministers. She has short hair, reddy black hair and she has  a work jacket that has buttons.

AFTERCARE

Wednesday 9th November we had a “Spot Check” visit from the National Childcare Accreditation Council (NCAC). Naturally we were a bit nervous but all went well. In addition no concerns or issues were raised or recorded, which was very exciting.

We were assessed on the current ‘Quality Assurance’ framework. A new system is coming in on January 1, 2012.We now need to get on with all the preparation needed to meet the standards of the new system.

As mentioned last week we now have a Communication Book for staff, children and parents to use. Thank you to those that have already added some lovely comments, it’s very pleasing.

Please feel free to add your suggestion or comments.

The book is located next to the sign out book.

Aftercare at the FAIR!

At the Fair, Emily and I will be running a stall for fake tattoos. If you would like to help us on the day or give us a bit of a spell, especially if we are looking hungry please help us out.

It will be a great day.

Chris and Emily

Open Day results

WOW! What a great response to our open day – Both campuses accommodated large number of groups.

The Alumni presentation with Ben Cleveland and Dylan Brady was well attended and inspiring.

Two wonderful drama performances were held at the senior school by drama students from years 7-10 (10 students in all). The performance called ‘Spaces’ was an interesting exploration of the definition of Spaces and how it relates to Preshil. The performance came to the conclusion that the most exiting definition of Space could be our school motto:

“Sufficient freedom from external pressure to develop or explore one’s needs, interests, and individuality” – The Free Dictionary.

Thank you to all the teachers and students that where present and assisted at both campuses.

A very positive day with the prospect of lots of future Preshillians!

Blackhall Kitchen Garden News

We’ve been busy in the garden of late. We’ve planted beans – both bush and climbing, brown onions, zucchinis, pumpkins and cucumbers. Also the first of many tomatoes plants have gone in. We’ve started with a yellow grape variety with some of Spiros’ monster reds to follow. We pulled out a bunch of the Warrigal Spinach to make room for the tomatoes and discovered that it’s a wonderful weed suppressant, so we transplanted it down to the back blocks where we are in some dire need of weed suppression. At the moment we have leeks and lettuce a-plenty and this year’s garlic crop is coming along nicely. We were also pretty excited to see the broad beans fruiting, and we’ll start cooking them up shortly into goodness knows what.

Any donations of seedlings, manure of straw are always welcome.

Cheers

John and the Kitchen Garden Crew.

Australian Mathematics Competition.

Congratulations to our students who participated in the 2011 Australian Mathematics Competition. We don’t make entry compulsory but it was very pleasing to see students who were keen to have a go. Elliot Johnston of Year 9 and Mark Khey of Year 10 both achieved High Distinctions. To do so students have to score in the top 2% of the state.

The competition provides excellent experience for students in an exam situation tackling a wide variety of mathematical problems that require ingenuity and perseverance.

David Main

Mathematics (Senior School)

MUSIC WEEK MEDIA  LAUNCH

Angelo, Harley and Jazz with Spoonbill at the Melbourne Music Festival media launch on Wednesday. They got to see the Lord Mayor, a sneak preview of the promotional advertising and a close up view of the light cubes that will be at KUBIK a revolutionary, truly global, open-air live music venue, makes its Southern Hemisphere debut as the pulsing nerve centre of Melbourne Music Week. It is constructed from interconnected, glowing water tanks that change colour in response to music. Jazz’s mum Starr is very busy getting it ready.

Check out the festival program. There are some great DJ workshops for kids and plenty of other things happening. November 18 – 26

Independent Learning Project

Hi my name is Louise.  I’m currently in Year 9 and i’m 14 yrs old. In Yr 9 at the moment we are doing Independent Learning Projects and my project is fundraising for a school in Papua New Guinea. This school is called Butuka and is in Port Moresby. I know there is a lot of corruption in countries like PNG so I have figured out an idea to help the school without giving them a heap of money. I am going to collect and buy stationary, books, tables, whiteboards, the stuff that they lack in the classroom. I have put two boxes in Blackhall where I would like anyone to donate their old books and stationary. For more information please contact me on my email f_is4fishy@hotmail.com or you can find out more information with the brochures in the cottage.

Thankyou!

MESSAGE FROM FRANCE OUR EXPERIENCE IN AUSTRALIA

From our exchange students

When we first arrived in Australia, we didn’t expect a city as fabulous as Melbourne. We loved it. It’s a very contemporary city. Public transportation allowed us to be independent and admire it. At the beginning of our trip, we were a bit scared of losing ourselves in this huge place, but we really quickly understood that Australians are welcoming, patient in spite of our English, and ready to help us. Melbourne is a city where it’s good to live.

Preshil is very different from French school. It’s much smaller, what we found well. Class are smaller, and it’s better for learning and teaching. A day at Preshil is shorter than a day in a French school : we start at 8.00 am and finish at 17:30pm.

Environment of study was really pleasant. We really enjoyed it.
Preshil’s students are very nice, funny and indulgent (forgiving of our mistakes). We are glad to met them. Teachers are very close and ready to listen to students. Thanks to them, we learned a lot of things. They are also patient, and we were well integrated in their class.

We bring back to France with us great memories. We became friend with students that we will never forget. We saw beautiful landscapes and met great people.

We already miss Australia, and hope coming again as soon as possible. Thanks all for everything.

Julie & Joséphine

AFTERCARE NEWS September 19

We can hardly believe it is already the end of the term. Once again the Chess Club has been very well attended with some of our children attending a tournament earlier this term and doing really well. Of course this has made Thursdays chock-a-block with children and brought us on or very close to our 30 limit each week.

This week we have had lots of fun. We started off with bubble fun and blew lots of interesting bubbles with the different tools we had. On Tuesday we did the favourite iced biscuits and also had a disco. It was Emily’s birthday so we wished her a great day and although it was hectic she had fun. On Wednesday we had our book day looking at many interesting and lovely books. Due to popular demand and a few absentees because of the 8s & 9s camp last week, we repeated our cup cake cooking and of course they were delicious.

We also say farewell to two of our regular attendees Anja and Hamish. We are happy that we will still see them one day a week each next term but will miss them on the other days very much. We have also welcomed a few new people this term and have had great fun getting to know them.

We now look forward to Term 4 and would welcome any ideas you have for activities. Chris and Emily

MUSIC WEEK

It was wonderful to be at this early morning event that helped kick off Music Week at Preshil. How fortunate we were to be blessed with beautiful weather for the guest performance by the Oxo Cubans (featuring alumni multi instrumentalist Leo Dale, vocalist Mal Webb and percussionist Gavin Gray) on the lawns outside Blackhall. The Oxo Cubans have been performing in schools since 1991 and have toured with the South Australian Arts Council, Victorian Arts Council and the Northern Territory Arts Council.

During the week a wide range of musical events were offered to the children. It involved all the school’s musicians and offered musical pathways for all, regardless of perceived talent or previous experience. The week also gave those with a particular interest or talent in music the opportunity to contribute their ideas on how music can be promoted within the school and provided a way for them to use their time and talents in support of the musical events.

Many thanks go to the wonderful music staff for their enthusiasm and organisation of this week. It was also pleasing to see the number of parents who joined their children for many events over the week. The benefits of our wonderful music program at Arlington were obvious from the high level of involvement and beaming smiles on many young faces.

Research shows …. read more.

KITCHEN GARDEN AT ARLINGTON

Lauren Burns (Class of 1991) has extended her kind offer to help invigorate not just the kitchen garden in the 5s but the new kitchen gardens across Arlington.

As a qualified naturopath, nutritionist and herbalist, and mother of two small children, Lauren has always been passionate about food having become a vegetarian at the age of three. Her passion is now being shared with the children through her kind donation of a proportion of the proceeds from the sale of her vegetarian cookbook, Food from a Loving Home, and eco friendly zip bags to this project.

To help our spring plantings and develop your own approach to healthy eating, purchase a copy of Lauren’s cookbook to extend your vegetarian culinary skills and knowledge of natural remedies or purchase one of her eco friendly zip bags. For each book sold, $11.95 will go toward our gardens plus $7 from each bag sold.

To purchase your copy email communications@preshil.vic.edu.au or T: 9817 6135.

AFTERCARE NEWS September 2

This week we have been making gifts for the Dads.

The dedication and care that the children have given to creating these gifts has been wonderful to watch. The stories the children have told whilst making the gifts has been very inspiring and has brought us almost to tears at times with the sincerity and love expressed.

Next week we will be making freshly squeezed lemonade which of course should be delicious. We will also create collages, cook fairy cakes and tie dye some t-shirts. We will also miss our 8/9s whilst they venture off to camp.   Chris and Emily

HAPPENINGS IN THE NURSERY SCHOOL

Two of the boys revisit the female stick insect. While one comments, ‘It’s in attack position’, the other sprayed water on the leaves so, ‘It can suck up the water on the leaves.’  Check out the Learning at Arlington Blog and read more here …

THREE WAY CONFERENCES

Next week we are introducing three way conferences between the teacher, child and parent(s). We are excited by this new initiative and hope to receive feedback from parents and guardians regarding the process. Check out the Learning at Arlington Blog and read more here …

IF WALLS COULD TALK – PRESHIL’S 80TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

It was a great privilege last week to be invited to open the exhibition that the children in the 8s and 9s have been so engaged with over the past few months with our Artist in Residence, Penelope Bartlau. The Staff at Arlington were delighted when we were successful in being awarded an Arts Victoria ‘Artists in Schools’ grant that allowed us to engage an artist for up to 20 days to work with children and teachers on a creative project. See and read more about the project on our dedicated page here.

VALUES CONFERENCE LED BY PRESHIL STUDENTS

As a follow up to The Preshil Values Project, senior school students engaged in a fascinating process reflecting on our values at the recent Values Mini-Conference. Check out the Learning at Blachall Kalimna Blog and read more here …

PRESHIL STUDENTS PERFORMED WITH BOITE SCHOOL CHORUS

Three Preshil students were among hundreds of students from across the state who celebrated the rich history of Gospel on Thursday evening August 18 at the BMW Edge Theatre, Federation Square. The concert was filled with joyous vocal harmonies, soulful grooves and a story of hope which looked towards a future free from slavery. The Freedom Road House Band featured an all star line up with the funky sounds of Barry Deenick, Mark Grunden, Hammond Legend, Tim Neal and Skip Sale. A highlight was the smooth vocal solos from soul singer Geoffrey Williams. This was the fourth year in a row that Preshil has been involved in this exciting event.

AT the movies – french cinema

This Wednesday, August 24, twenty-one Year 9 French students visited ACMI to view the French film, L’emmerdeur (A pain in the ass). Released in 2009, this film is Francis Veber’s latest comedy. Heavily subsidised by the Association of French Teachers Victoria and Independent Schools Victoria (ISV), these excursions provide a wonderful opportunity for students to practice their French listening skills whilst, at the same time, enjoying themselves.

Each week this term, all students from the senior school are also invited to join French students and teachers to discover French cinema, learn more about the culture and discover obscure movies, old and new.

French Cooking and Art APPRECIATION

In this elective children are given an insight into and taste of French cuisine and an opportunity to develop some culinary skills as well being introduced to a brief history and understanding of the different artistic periods in France as it relates to paintings. The children have the opportunity to explore their own artistic talents as they try to emulate the style of some French artists and consolidate their French vocabulary.

ELECTIVES CELEBRATION: TERM 3

Thursday, September 15: 2.30pm

Kevin Borland Hall

Family and friends are invited to attend our third elective celebration at Arlington for this year. Children will set up a market place of their work and visitors are welcome to wander around and chat to the children in the different elective groups.

Many thanks for the fantastic work that our parents and other friends of Preshil (inlcuding our alumni) have undertaken this year. I look forward to putting together another wonderful group of offerings for the children for Term 4.

With best wishes

Kerri McCulloch (Head of Campus)

MOVIE TIME

Wednesday Afternoons, Term 3

Each week during this rainy term, all students from the senior school are invited to join French students and teachers to discover French cinema via a selection of movies.

The theme so far has been Paris and we have seen films such as: An American in Paris (classic Hollywood music-hall), Paris 36 (a recent  French film about a music hall in the 30′s in Paris), Zazie dans le Métro (a surrealist comedy from the 60′s) and Tais-toi! (a recent comedy by Francis Veber with Gerard Depardieu and Jean Reno, two very famous French actors).

It is fantastic to see students enjoying that destination, relaxing and laughing every week. Not all students are currently learning French but all are very keen to learn more about the culture and discover obscure movies, old and new.

If you are able to attend please contact our French teachers at the senior school, Delphine or Elonie to make arrangements.

PIANO ANYONE?

In last week’s bulletin we welcomed Caroline Barron, our new piano teacher at Arlington, to Preshil. This week meet Scott Copeman who now teaching piano at Blackhall/Kalimna.

If you are interested in your child learning please fill in an enrolment form available here or from the Arlington office or The Cottage at the senior school.

Alternatively email susanne@preshil.vic.edu.au for Arlington enquiries at Arlington or timd@preshil.vic.edu.au for enquiries at Blackhall/Kalimna.

FALLINGWATER TRIO

The Fallingwater Trio combines the talent of two of our instrumental teachers, Phil Bywater (saxophone) and Elliott Folvig (guitar) with dale Lindrea (electric bass).

Reviews of their debut CD, ‘Stay’, have been unanimous.

Pure and simple- stripped back jazz that soothes the soul. Glorious undercurrents and passages of lyrical solitude. Four Stars.

Peter Wockner, ABC Limelight Magazine

A stunning jazz album. Bywater’s lyrical sensuous sax is the standout, but the lovely gentle backing of Folvig and Lindrea make a perfect backdrop. Sid Grane, Readings Monthly

Bywater’s tenor sax flows along with Elliott Folvig’s guitar and Dale Lindrea’s electric bass as naturally as quiet waters over river stones. This minimalist album from talented players has an ethereal and Zen-like atmosphere, producing a highly relaxing, dreamlike soundscape. John McBeath, The Weekend Australian

To read more and to listen to their music see their website.

STUDENT VOICE: NEW WEBSITE

STUDENT VOICE: THE STUDENT EDUCATION CONFERENCE

Tuesday August 16

Hawthorn Town Hall

Student Voice now has its own website.

View the video here.

This initiative of around 50 Blackhall/Kalimna students is led by a strong leadership team of seven and will include students from more than 15 other Victorian schools. See the website or click here for more information.

As part of the advertising for the event, the students are arranging community bill boards. If you would be willing to support them and allow a board to be displayed outside your home, they would be most grateful. If you can help please post a message here or email communications@preshil.vic.edu.au and we can pass on your message.

MUSIC WEEK: ARLINGTON

Week commencing September 5

This year’s Music Week will be a bumper one!

For 80 years, music has been an integral part of a Preshil education. Come and join us this week as the students become immersed in a feast of music and song.

Program details coming soon!

Learning about Preshil – What the children say about electives

The popular elective program started again at Arlington this week with many options such as chocolate making, sewing and french cooking available for the children to choose from. Some of our new children to the school enrolled in the cubbies elective had these thoughts to share with us.

A WORD FROM SUZY

Dear Parents/Carers,

I’d like to introduce myself as I have just started this term at Preshil and will be working with your children. I am teaching VCE Psychology, Creative Writing in Year 10 and Integrated Studies in Year 8. After meeting the delightful Year 12 Psychology students during the holidays I have been looking forward to meeting all the other students this week. If they are anything like what I have experienced so far, which I am sure they will, it will, no doubt, be a great second semester.

Should you wish to get in touch with me the quickest way is to drop me an e-mail at suzyg@preshil.vic.edu.au. Alternatively you can ring the office and leave me a message on 9817 6135.

I really look forward to working here for the remainder of 2011 and should you be on campus, and can spare the time, please come and say hi.

JAZZ NIGHT AT DIZZY’S review

For those of us who couldn’t get to Preshil’s night of jazz at Dizzy’s, music teachers, Rodney Waterman and Phil Bywater, have given us a flavour of what we missed.

Preshil’s Dizzy’s Jazz Nights are always a great occasion showcasing the fine work of students and providing an opportunity for students, instrumental teachers and music staff to perform together. This term’s event was no exception. Crowd favourites on the night included Tim Dargaville’s cameo on the RnB classic ‘Night Train’ accompanying Nick S, Oliver T, and Phil B on tenor saxophones, the Year 11 class ensemble’s version of Adele’s ‘Rolling In The Deep’, and Tess S’s stirring rendition of ‘Landslide’. Also well received were the Year 7/8 Groove Band’s performance of ‘St James Infirmary’ and ‘Cissy Strut’ (featuring wonderful improvisations on lead guitar, keyboards and ‘cello), sublime singing by Maddie N, Ruby D and Adrien A, and excellent band work by Henry O and Jordan O on guitar/vocals. We were pleased to receive some very warm feedback from a number of parents attending the evening commenting on the depth of musical talent at Preshil and the creative and supportive environment provided for their sons and daughters. Great thanks for all the hard work from staff, students and families!

DOORSTEP CONCERT review

Now an institution at Preshil, the second Doorstep Concert for 2011 was held on a beautiful sunny, windless day. Students and staff enjoyed wonderful performances, including the beautiful duet for voice and bass guitar ‘Best for Last’  by Ruby D and Henry O and some brilliant original songs with guitar by Bridget M, Tess T S and Emily W. Lotta K’s original composition for piano was intriguing – very beautiful. A highlight was the a cappella choir directed by instrumental teacher Susie Ahern. The audience was thrilled to hear a variety of music, including a powerful Gospel song with solos from all in the group and a rustic Balkan part-song with its earthy harmonies. Choir members were Katie L, Tess S, Madeleine N, Isabella T, Louis E, Emily W, Eliza S and Ruby D. Great playing everyone!

E-LIBRARY CONSTRUCTION COMMENCING

BAGS AND BOOKS STILL AVAILABLE – raising funds for student voice conference

We still have some of Lauren Burns’ signature zip shopping bags available for sale. The bags fold to a wallet size for easy carrying. (RRP $14.95). For each bag sold, Lauren is donating $7 to go towards catering for the Student Voice: The Student Education Conference. This initiative of the senior school Preshil students will take place on August 16 in the Hawthorn Town Hall so get in quick to buy your bag.

If you are on the look out for a copy of her new vegetarian recipe book, Food From a Loving Home RRP $29.95, copies are available from the Communications and Development Office at the school or view and buy it online from Lauren’s website.

For more information about Lauren and her work, click here.

To learn more about the scrumptious photographs in the book photographer by another of our alumni, Steven Pam (Class of 1989) click here.

VCE INFORMATION NIGHT: 2012 admissions

Monday August 1:  7.00 – 8.30 pm

Kevin Borland Hall

All students and parents/guardians of students who will be doing Year 11 or a Year 11 subject in 2012 are invited to attend a general Information session about VCE at Preshil. Preshil students and students attending other schools are warmly welcome.

Letters will be sent home but interest in attending can be registered with Judy at The Cottage on 9817 6135.

For further enquiries please contact Marisa Lawlor, VCE Co-ordinator on 98167928 or email marisal@preshil.vic.edu.au

STUDENT VOICE ADVERTISING BOARDS needed

STUDENT VOICE: THE STUDENT EDUCATION CONFERENCE

Tuesday August 16

Hawthorn Town Hall

This initiative of around 50 Blackhall/Kalimna students is led by a strong leadership team of seven and will include students from more than 15 other Victorian schools. For more information click here.

As part of the advertising for the event, the students are arranging community bill boards. If you would be willing to support them and allow a board to be displayed outside your home, they would be most grateful. If you can help please post a message here or email communications@preshil.vic.edu.au and we can pass on your message.

AFTERCARE NEWS

We cannot believe it is Term 3 already. Last term seemed to just fly past.

This week we have been very busy. We began the term with the ever popular Chocolate Game and continued with portrait painting followed by Treasure Maps. Chess Club is back and is even more popular than last term.

Next week we are making salt dough money, more boats because they were so popular and toffee apples. On Thursday we are having a Teddy Bear’s Picnic so please bring your teddy along for a fun day. If you do not have a teddy just bring your favourite toy. If you would like to book in for this day or any of the others just let us know. We are looking forward to all the fun.

Chris and Emily

CLASS BLOG 8S AND 9S

Our resourceful teachers in the 8s and 9s, Karen and Deb, are now utilising blogging technology to communicate with parents. A link to the blog is now available in the left hand panel of the e-bulletin for ready access. Parents will need a user name and password to access the site. Please see Karen if you have any questions.

EXTREME ORNITHOLOGY BLOG

Extreme ornithology is just one of our many great electives. Why not check out their blog for the latest news.

THE RHYTHM TREE MUSIC AT PRESHIL – NEW DETAILS SEMESTER 2

Thursday mornings, July 21 – Sept 17, Two sessions: 9.30 – 10.15 am; 10.30 – 11.15 am Kevin Borland Hall

More details click here

80TH BIRTHDAY FAIR

Saturday November 26: Time TBC

Blackhall/Kalimna

The date for the 80th birthday Preshil Fair has been finalised. Put this date in your diaries now!

If you’d like to get involved these are some of the activities being organised now. To get involved come to the next planning meeting to talk to the people already coordinating some of the activities or share your own ideas.

Talk to Kaye if you’d like to help on the Plant Stall: cuttings, plants, heritage seedlings, etc.

Talk to Charlotte who is preparing a Childrens’ Only Tent for little ones or Judy about helping with her a soft toy stand.

Ask Katrina about how to assist children to make Preshil Eagle Costumes out of cardboard, tissue paper, foil, ribbon and fabric.

Chat with our student, Felix about his plans for a Computer Game Championship or his friend, Matheus, who is organising an innovative soccer/bowling hybrid game.

And if none of these tempt you, there’s more to come. We will post more details as soon as they become available.

PRESHIL FAIR: PLANT STALL

Vanessa (Mum of Callum Yr 12 & Madeline Yr 10) and Catherine (Mum of Martin Yr 7) are jointing co-ordinating the Plant Stall for the Preshil Fair.

They are looking for a few things:

volunteers to propagate some plants.

donations of premium potting mix

donations of pots or tins with no sharp edges

donations of old dessert or soup spoons (to make plant markers)

The donations can be left at the The Cottage or the Arlington Office. If you can help with the propagation of plants, please contact Vanessa T: AH 9877 1574; E: vanessamallard@gmail.com or Catherine T: AH 9489 7751 or E: c.durkin@optusnet.com.au

ABOUT OUR DOO DAH

It was brilliant weather for our Doo Dah for first term – sunny and warm but not TOO warm. Some scallywags had put up some funny posters for Doo Dah around the school to capitalise on the April 1 date. Did you see any?

As always, the children poured out onto the Bricks with great excitement, first for cold hot chocolate and Meg’s cupcakes, and then for the full-on lunchtime BBQ experience: sausages/vege burgers in buns with salad, hummus, fruit skewers and fruit juice in cups. I’m not sure how the children manage to wait so patiently to be called out when the smell of sausages cooking so readily permeates Arlington but they do!!

We had a great turnout of parent helpers this time. The fruit sticks were prepared in record time and we even had time for a brief cuppa before lunch. We also had a very dedicated line-up of child helpers. They took their jobs very seriously and all did a fabulous job. They all deserve an extra hug of thanks.

I think we parents, even though we work pretty much non-stop from drop-off until around 2.00 pm, really have the best day of all. To see all those happy kids hanging out and enjoying their Doo Dah is truly priceless. And when there are enough of us, as I think there were this time, we all get a chance to stop and have a smile at the way the day unfolds for the kids.

Thanks to each and every person who helped, and most especially Lisa, without whom I think we all know there would be no Doo Dah. She is amazing. Special thanks are also due to Meg who makes us cupcakes each and every Doo Dah. Also Alona’s partner, Daniel, who makes and donates the bread rolls. And last but not least Glenferrie Gourmet Meats who donate the sausages. When you shop with them, tell them you’re from Preshil.

Doo Dah takes place on the Friday of the second last week of every term. I hope, if you didn’t make it this time, you can make it next time – even if only for half an hour. And if you made it this time, hope to see you again.

by Judy (Parent)

VISITING MUG

Last Monday five students went down to Victoria Gardens to visit Mug. Acorn and Aurelea played violin, Lilith sang solo, Lachlan played piano and Angelo took some photos and gave Mug a painting. Then all of the children sang Doh a Deer to Mug.

Mug was extremely moved by the children’s music and when she realised they were Preshil children she exclaimed ‘My Scallywags’. It was very moving to watch the children interact with Mug and to hear her chat with them after the performance.

OUR SCHOOL PRESHIL

By Harry L (8s/9s)

I think my school is the best but I do not have a favourite part because I like every bit of it because it is so fantastic. So I’m going to tell you most of the bits of my school: the 3s and 4s, 5s, 6s and 7s, 8s and 9s,10s and 11s, the Front Garden, the Footy Field, the Climbing Frame, the Giant Swing, the Loft in the 8s and 9s, the playground in the 3s and 4s, the metal play ground, the Pines, Hut Ally, Peppercorn Lane, the cubbies, the monkey bars and the teachers with the children. This is my school. I hope if you come here you will like it.

MUSIC ELECTIVES UPDATE

Mondays 8.30 – 9.00 am

Arlington Music Room

The Monday morning musical electives program aims to provide students with the opportunity to experience a broad range of musical styles. The styles of music and instrument choices offered in the program change each term.

In third term, Rodney Waterman and Susan Neilson will be running an ensemble for all Arlington students encompassing a broad range of instruments including marimbas, voice, guitar, glockenspeil, and djembe. They will be rehearsing an eclectic mix of Music.

This ensemble is in place of this term’s very successful Strings Alive program.

If you are interested in your child being involved, please email susanne@preshil.vic.edu.au.

80TH BIRTHDAY AUCTION – GOODS AND SERVICES NEEDED

An auction is being arranged for the Preshil Fair in November.

If you have any items to donate or know of businesses that might be willing to donate goods, services or other items such as holiday home rentals, free entertainment, equipment hire etc, or know of an auctioneer who might be willing to donate their time, please contact Kerri McCulloch  E: kerrim@preshil.vic.edu.au or T: 9817 6135.

AFTER SCHOOL DRAMA PROGRAM

Commencing June 22, Wednesdays 3.30 – 5.30 pm

This after school program for the children at Arlington is being offered by Drama with a Difference, created by Michele Williams, a Preshil parent.

The children will perform at the Melbourne Fringe Festival alongside other students attending Michele’s drama program at her studio in Northcote. Preshil students receive a 20% fee discount.

To register, please see Karyn at the Arlington Office.

NEXT PLANNING MEETING: PRESHIL FAIR

TBA

Kevin Borland Hall

Please put this date in your diaries now and join the host of volounteers now involved in staging this event.

More help is still needed.

BOITE CHORUS 2011

Preshil will be involved again this year in the Boite Chorus. Children who are interested in taking part are invited to come and see Susan Neilson for a notice.

This year’s theme is gospel music.

BERTHE MOUCHETTE POETRY COMPETITION

Preshil students of French are invited to take part in the Berthe Mouchette Poetry Competition organised yearly by the Alliance Francaise.

Year 9 and 10 French students are especially encouraged to take part in this unique experience and demonstrate what fantastic accents and abilities they have in French. Other students can use this as an opportunity to learn a poem, use their memory, show their drama skills or just have fun!

To register your interest, contact Delphine on delphine@preshil.vic.edu.au T: 9817 6135 or catch her around the B/K campus.

WHERE DO WE KEEP OUR MEMORIES?

Anytime

As part of their project on ‘What is History’, the children in the 6s/7s have been investigating personal histories including the broader context of ‘memory’.

Come for a stroll along our corridor gallery in Arlington House to view their reflections on memory made visible through their drawing. And whilst you’re there enjoy the watercolour paintings of the 3s/4s resulting from their responses to the water beetles discovered by one of the children in her garden and brought to school as one of the many items of interest brought in by the children to share and provoke conversations.

80TH BIRTHDAY FAIR

Saturday November 26: Time TBC

Blackhall/Kalimna

The date for the 80th birthday Preshil Fair has been finalised. Put this date in your diaries now!

If you’d like to get involved these are some of the activities being organised now. To get involved come to the next planning meeting to talk to the people already coordinating some of the activities or share your own ideas.

Talk to Kaye if you’d like to help on the Plant Stall: cuttings, plants, heritage seedlings, etc.

Talk to Charlotte who is preparing a Childrens’ Only Tent for little ones or Judy about helping with her a soft toy stand.

Ask Katrina about how to assist children to make Preshil Eagle Costumes out of cardboard, tissue paper, foil, ribbon and fabric.

Chat with our student, Felix about his plans for a Computer Game Championship or his friend, Matheus, who is organising an innovative soccer/bowling hybrid game.

And if none of these tempt you, there’s more to come. We will post more details as soon as they become available.

WHERE DO WE KEEP OUR MEMORIES?

Anytime

As part of their project on ‘What is History’, the children in the 6s/7s have been investigating personal histories including the broader context of ‘memory’.

Come for a stroll along our corridor gallery in Arlington House to view their reflections on memory made visible through their drawing. And whilst you’re there enjoy the watercolour paintings of the 3s/4s resulting from their responses to the water beetles discovered by one of the children in her garden and brought to school as one of the many items of interest brought in by the children to share and provoke conversations.

PRE-ORDER 2011-2012 ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS

The new 2011 | 2012 Greater Melbourne Entertainment™ Books will be available from late March, and we’ll be selling these as a fund-raiser – order your copy today!.

The new Book is only $65 and you’ll receive $15,000 worth of valuable offers, valid until 1 June 2012. Entertainment™ Books feature valuable offers from many popular local businesses. The 2011 | 2012 edition has great new inclusions like The Palace by Luke Mangan, Mezzo Bar and Grill, Falls Creek, Left Bank Melbourne, Kmart…

And plenty of your favourites such as Comme Kitchen, Sushi Sushi, Taxi Dining Room, Red Spice Road, Nando’s, Zoos Victoria, Coles, The Point, Melbourne Aquarium, Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder, plus many more!

Browse the book online here.

Order and pay for your new Greater Melbourne Entertainment™ Book before 6 April 2011 and you’ll receive additional offers, valued at over $175, which you can use immediately!

To preorder, contact Jenny on 98167916.

WEB ARCHIVE 2011 DOWNLOAD (from the parents) HERE

WEB ARCHIVES 2011 DOWNLOAD (Arlington) HERE

WEB ARCHIVES 2010 DOWNLOAD (ARLINGTON) HERE

WEB ARCHIVE 2011 DOWNLOAD (BK) HERE

WEB ARCHIVE 2010 DOWNLOAD (BK) HERE

Andrew Kohane (Assistant Principal Senior School)

Welcome to 2013 Term 2 at the Senior Campus
Ode to Margaret
The Ode to Margaret was a beautiful and inspiring evening. A rich and diverse program of music and poetry was performed at the Melbourne Recital Centre. To see our Arlington and Blachall Kalimna students performing alongside experienced musicians conveyed a great sense of how the Preshil community collaborates and shares knowledge and skills. Parents, alumni, teachers and students together performed a wide range of classical and contemporary works. The opening performance of Jupiter by students and the readings of Margaret’s words interwoven with Tim Dargeville’s composition were vivid examples of a program that was testimony to the rich creative life of Preshil over time. Likewise the duet by Helen Kerr-Lawley and student Georgia Andrew brought Monteverdi to life and demonstrated how well our students and staff perform together. To realise that Margaret was able to see the first pieces brought to the evening a profound sense of the legacy that she has created for all of us at Preshil.

As part of the celebration of Margaret’s hundredth birthday staff and students have been reflecting on her educational thinking and views. We have made a display of photos of Margaret in the new library facility at the Senior School and have been sharing memories and reflections with staff and students. We are very fortunate that Eva Strasser continues to teach at the school and she, along with other staff and students, have shared their memories of Margaret’s presence.

Student Forums
The students understanding of the Preshil approach to learning is being actively discussed this term and it is a pleasure to hear our students articulating their thoughts with such confidence. For example, in a recent forum discussion on the question of punctuality, students discussed the pros and cons of having Bells. A strong view expressed in the forum was that it is our responsibility to manage ourselves and get ourselves to class on time. ‘Bells’, it was suggested ‘would only be a way for someone else to do the organising for us ‘. Years 9 and 10 students are also keenly planning a School Social for next term and have developed a plan to share facilitation roles in their Forums.

Preshil Senior School turns 40 in 2013l
As the Senior School enters its 40th year we are planning to hold a week of activities in September to celebrate this landmark. The 40th celebrations gives us a chance to reflect on how the Senior School has developed over time. We recently published Eva Strasser’s account of the early days of the Senior School in her most engaging book ‘Progressive or Cranky’ and plans to publish the ‘Courage’ document are also underway and provides great insights in regard to the enduring elements of the Preshil approach as it developed with Margaret’s leadership. Students and their work will be at the centre of the 40th celebrations and we also look forward to collaborating with our alumni who have been such an integral part of the Senior School over its four decades.

The ‘Ode to Margaret’ was a great point of contact and meeting for the Preshil community and we look forward to renewing and developing contact with our alumni over the year.

Facilities Development
Following the opening of the Library last year and the recent refurbishment of Blackhall we are enjoying a time of focussing on renewing our beautiful Sackville Street campus. The development of the media and art space continues with the introduction of 18 IMacs, networking and data projection.

Our VCE students have moved their common room from the Art area to the Cottage. They are enjoying the intimate and restful space at the centre of the campus, and it is always a pleasure to drop in to visit them. The baking of cakes and cookies is becoming renowned and our VCE students are taking great care of our Cottage.

School Camps
Years 7 and 8 students have recently returned from the Flinders camp with many vivid memories and experiences. The camp involved four days and three nights of tree surfing, tube sliding, mountain biking, low ropes, archery and creek creations. At the Golden Valley Lodge there was a wide array of activities for students to choose from, including volleyball, yoga, giant chess, trampolining along with trivia quizzes, films, games and the delicious food. Then it was back to the beach for swimming, snorkelling and a highlight of the week, the ‘stand up paddling’. The week provided a great chance for Years 7 and 8 students to get to know each other better and for teachers to continue developing strong relationships with their students.

Years 9 and 10 students have their annual ocean camp at the Lorne Surf Club nice and early in the year. Students had a great chance to surf, swim, walk and play all kinds of beach sports. Being able to stay at the Surf Club, overlooking the ocean, creates a brilliant environment for staff and students to relax and get to know one another. The feedback from students was that the Camp is providing a good balance of structured activities and informal time. It was also great to see John Collins get his new surfboard out and take to the waves along with many capable Preshil surf riders.

New Staff 2013
We are very happy to welcome back to Preshil, former teachers, Molly Turner (O’Neil) and Yavanna Dyson. Molly returns as VCE Co-ordinator and is looking forward to working again with the students she Co-ordinated when they were in Year 9 and 10. Molly will also teach Year 12 English and Year 8-10 French. Yavanna is a highly respected and experienced Science and Math’s teacher and will be teaching Year 12 Biology, Year 7 Math’s and Year 10 Science.

Values development.
At Preshil we place considerable importance on shared values. Rather than use punishments or rewards to influence behavior we aim to align our behavior and actions with our agreed values.
The process of arriving at and defining our values is an ongoing process. At the beginning of the year students will be involved in sharing their thoughts in regards to which values are important for them. We will then discuss and explore the identified values coming up with a shared collection. We will reflect carefully on which behaviors build or reduce the values and use this as a basis to identify agreements for our classrooms. These provide a foundation for values based conversations.

I look forward to sharing what the students come up with. The complexity and richness of their values discussions has certainly been a highlight for me personally since I came to Preshil in 2011. There is an example of this process in my earlier posts below.

Blackhall
Over the vacation we have seen some exciting changes at the Senior Campus. We have relocated the Senior Campus Office and Administration to the front of Blackhall (the building to the left as you approach from Sackville Street). New carpets have been laid and now provide a splendid entrance to the Senior School. Judy and Jan will now be situated to the left of the entrance in our new reception area at Blackhall. Irene (Business Manager) and Bronte (Communications) will also be able to work from here.

Marilyn (Principal) and Cressida (Registrar) Senior School office will be shared in the downstairs room on the right and my office is now located upstairs. We look forward to welcoming you in the new Senior Campus Offices.

We are also developing a Media and Arts Centre in the current Frances Derham Art Space with new software, networking capacity, data projection and 18 newly imaged iMacs. This is a significant development that will be led by Media teachers David, Gillian and John and will also connect closely with our Art and Technology programs.

What’s on
There are a number of upcoming events in Term 1. I look forward to seeing you at the Information Evenings being held for Years 7-8, 9-10 and VCE on the following dates.
Years 7 & 8 Tuesday 12 February 2013 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Years 9 & 10 Thursday 14 February 2013 7:00 – 8:30 pm
VCE Wednesday 6 February 2013 7:00 – 8:30 pm.
These evenings provide a valuable opportunity to hear about the coming year and to meet both your son/daughter’s teachers and tracker. The ‘Tracker’ will work closely with their students to support them and to help them throughout the year. They are also an important point of contact for you. After our presentations there will also be opportunities to meet other parents and students.

Our Whole School Family Picnic will be held on Thursday 21 February from 5:00 pm on the front lawns of the Senior Campus. This will be a great chance to meet Preshil staff, students and parents.

To bring to a close a busy February, The ‘Ode to Margaret’, will be held on Sunday, 24 February 2013 at Elisabeth Murdoch Hall. This is a one-off celebration of one of Australia’s great educators. The concert will draw together talented Preshilians and friends from the past and present to celebrate Margaret Lyttle’s centenary birthday and honour her unique contribution to Australian education. This evening will be a memorable one and I do hope that you and your family are able to be there to share the experience. You should have received an invitation by email and or post but please let us know if you have not.

Please remember to check our new Events Calendar on the website for ongoing events.

“About Preshil People”
Preshil Kids by Riley Phillips
You Might just wonder what it’s like
to be a Preshil kid-
It’s something real, it’s something deep,
and it’s something that you get to keep.
You have to look much deeper
than the shells that are exposed
to the inside bits and the special parts
that Preshil likes to grow.
We’re all unique and different
with our own special codes.
We can all stand tall and solo
but each of us the same,
the trust, the love, respect and time
we give and then exchange.
The Preshil bond is alive and well,
and grows from day to day,
united, proud and courageous
with strength we’ll fly away.
But one thing is for certain,
it stays within our hearts,
the painting of the curtains,
the peppercorns, the huts-
we’re all pieces of a jigsaw,
a colourful display
of eagles stretching out their wings
and dreaming of amazing things
that they could do that day.
So I’m really very thankful and honoured to be here,
its special and its Preshil
and my kids will all come here.

I look forward to working in partnership with you in 2013 to provide the best school experience for your son/daughter. Please do contact me to discuss any aspect of school life at Preshil.

The End of Year 2012
The year has taken wings and we are fast approaching the completion of 2012. As I look both forward and back I continue to be so impressed by the quality of the relationships here at Preshil; relationship between students and their peers, with their teachers and with our families. The sense of community, of support and enjoyment are qualities that I see each day at Preshil. It is a pleasure to come to school each day and there is always a surprise or two in store I am sure for each of us.

Year 12 Valedictory Dinner
I would like to take this chance to congratulate our Year 12s on being both a wonderful group of individuals and a fine year level. Each of you have contributed something special to Preshil and it was a great privilege to see you all at the Valedictory Dinner and to hear the thoughtful, humorous and above all, heartfelt thoughts that were shared. The 11s and all the children at Arlington had done an exceptional job in preparing Borland Hall for the evening. The colourful decorations, the preparation of the traditional curtain and the beautiful table settings made the Hall look splendid and captured many memories for our senior students. The 11s had each interviewed a Year 12 and made creative and very thoughtful presents their buddies

It has been a demanding and challenging term for our Year 12 students as they have completed their classes and prepared well for their Year 12 exams. And what a privilege it has been to see our senior students end of year performances and exhibitions. These included a marvelous Music Concert the at the Uniting Church in Richmond, the Film Night for Media, Art Exhibitions and Drama Performance.

A special thanks also to our dedicated staff: to Kay and Jill who have worked arduously to help Year 12s complete their art folios, and to David Cobb for his dedicated work with the VCE Media students. The final movies were very impressive and covered a wide range of genres and techniques. David acknowledged the pleasure it has been to have worked with many of his students since Year 7. , our music staff brought together a rich week of music performances, that culminated with the evening in the beautiful church in Richmond. The quality of the students work is to be commended.

As our Year 12s complete their school years so too it is a significant time for our Year 10s and 11s as they prepare for their VCE and valuable leadership roles at Preshil. Both year levels are preparing for their exams and then follows the VCE Transition Camp at Wilson’s Promontory. This is a great opportunity for students and staff to celebrate the year and to begin planning for 2013.

Curriculum Planning
Staff at the Senior School are using a new web based program, Rubicon Atlas to document and map their curriculum. The program enables teachers to see what is being taught in each class and to integrate learning topics where there are connections across subjects. We can also plan more effective sequences of learning across year levels and enable students to extend their learning in subjects they are thriving in.

Teachers are reviewing their 2012 curriculum and gaining feedback from students in regard to what is working well and where we can make changes. We are also connecting our learning programs in English, Math, Science and History to align with the first stage of the introduction of the National Curriculum for 2013.

As we develop the timetable for 2013 we are looking at creative and innovative ways to connect students and subjects. The PE and Health program, for example will involve girls and boys classes, enabling students to explore relevant topics. With the opening of our beautiful library there are also opportunities for teachers and classes to work together. Collaborative learning and teaching enable teachers and students to support one another and to provide valuable feedback.

Spring Cleaning and Working Bee at the Senior School
Together staff have been busily ‘spring cleaning’ and were well prepared for our working bee last Sunday. The response from parents was great and we had a relaxed but very busy day of gardening, and tidying, along with a few adventurous projects. A lovely lunch was provided and thank you very much to all our families that made it along to help. It was much appreciated.

Welcoming new students for 2013
Our new registrar Cressida has worked closely with new families and we have students beginning their orientation to Preshil across all Year Levels. We have 32 students beginning Year 7 next year and they have been involved in an engaging Transition program. The students have been sharing their interests and thoughts in regard to their learning profile and how they learn most effectively. The program has included classroom activities, meeting buddies, evening meetings and get togethers for families.
I welcome them and wish all our new students the best for their coming school years at Preshil.

Spring has come to Preshil.

We are approaching the end of Term 3 and the warmer weather is seeing students and staff emerging from inside the buildings to enjoy the early spring sunshine. This gives us a chance to sit outside and enjoy lunch, to begin to settle on the Library decking and to enjoy views of our beautiful new facility. It is just over 12 months since work on the Library began and we are now enjoying the new spaces.

Our Library is Open and in Full Swing.

Classes are using the Library regularly now, the books have been moved from Kalimna and students are able to read and use the space for private study. The 3 areas of the Library are taking form and include the Reading, Meeting and Presentation Rooms.

We have had a number of evening functions and meetings including the VCE Information Night and Course Counselling Evening, Year 6-7 Transition Nights, VCE drama performances and Parent Social Events. The feedback from students, teachers and parents has been very positive and we are all seeing the benefits and scope of a large open space at the heart of the Senior Campus.

New Computers and Web Programs.

Mac Air Books are now available for use by students along with 18 IPads. Their addition to the IMacs provides us with an excellent base on which to develop our students’ access to ICT at Preshil.

Staff are using Google Docs to share curriculum with their students, who are then able to share drafts and completed work on line. We began this process with VCE classes and are now gradually involving Years 7-10 classes as well.

Upcoming 3 Way Conferences.

3 Way Conferences are planned for Years 9 and 10 students and their parents in Term 4 on Wednesday 17 October between 1:50 and 8:00 pm. Classes will finish for Years 9 and 10 students at lunchtime on that day. A letter and booking form have been posted and students should bring the form back and confirm appointment times with teachers in the first week of Term 4.

3 Way Conferences for our Year 7 and 8 are penciled in for Wednesday, 24 October from 1.00 – 730 pm but details will be mailed to parents soon.

The Years 7 and 8 Drama

This week we saw the Years 7-8 Play ‘Fantastique’ at the Kevin Borland Hall at Arlington. What an impressive collection of performances and how well the students handled all the challenges involved. The feedback from everyone was excellent and i would like to pass on their appreciation of all the work done by Fiona, the students and such dedicated teachers. I encourage you to read Fiona’s fantastique program notes which explains how the ideas were generated in the classroom with most pieces written and developed by the students, which is one of the important elements in the Preshil history of ‘Playmaking’.

Looking forward to keeping in touch via this blog and do give me a call at school.

Curriculum and Rubicon Atlas

Teachers are currently reviewing and documenting their Subject Plans using an excellent on line program called Rubicon Atlas. By placing their Curriculum on Rubicon Atlas we are then able to see each other’s Subject Outlines and build a picture of what we are teaching at Preshil. Using the program teachers can compare and track how different subjects develop skills and identify repetition or gaps in learning.

Our VCE teachers have also being using Google Docs to share work, lesson plans and resources with their students. The website also enables teachers to provide ongoing feedback on pieces of work as they develop. This semester we are introducing Google Docs to Year 7-10 students and also exploring a range of web based communication options.

Effective Feedback on Learning

We are in the busy phase of the Term 3 at present and I am very keen for you to be in contact with your son/daughter’s tracker. Students will have had time to reflect on their mid year reports and to discuss with their teachers what their goals are for second semester.

As a staff we are sharing strategies for giving effective feedback to students in regard to their learning. Reflecting and evaluating how we are going with any skill is a challenge, and I look forward to you having interesting conversations with your son/daughter and their teachers over the coming weeks.

VCE Information Night and Course Counseling for 2013

We had an excellent and informative evening last Wednesday for Year 10s and keen Year 9s considering a VCE subject, and this week there is an opportunity for parents and students to attend a course counseling meeting with teachers.

VCE co-ordinator, Christine Edwards and VASS co-ordinator Jenny explained how VCE works with great clarity, while Marisa shared her experiences of being a parent of Carly who completed VCE last year and Luca who is currently in Year 11. She commented on the flexibility of the Preshil’s approach to VCE and the enormous support each student receives.

Being a small school we are not able to offer all VCE Subjects, but we are confident that we offer the subjects that enable our students follow and achieve the pathways they are interested in. Christine presentation was a detailed and interesting and if you would like to speak with her or request a copy of the presentation please contact her at school.

The options to do a VET subject or a subject by Distance Education were also outlined, and it was this flexibility that Marisa spoke of also, as her daughters have both been actively involved in Dance programs that have complimented their studies at Preshil.

Personal Learning Projects

Year 7-10 students are developing their Personal Learning Projects and I look forward to sharing highlights from these most interesting initiatives. The PLPs are challenging and involve students taking on increasing levels of independence and responsibility.

A Project Management Team of students hears the PLP proposals being put forward and provides feedback as to how impressive and viable the Projects are looking. If the Projects are looking a little ‘light on’ or ‘overly ambitious’ the Project Managing students will provide helpful advice.

Each Project has a staff mentor and where possible students also finds a community based mentor, who might be an alumni or parent of Preshil students. We will have an evening soon in which students’ share their Projects and parents can help suggest mentors and ways to support the initiatives.

Projects so far include;
The Year 9 Soccer Team: an amazing initiative – recent winners 5-2 over Carey – read more here
Rebuilding Motor Bikes: Harrison’s complex and detailed challenge working with experienced riders.
The Giant Chess Set Project – help us by joining Will Gahan’s Readathon
Cooking with the Fives at Arlington-
The RSPCA Project,
and many more.
Snapshots of just 2 are included here below:

Fund raising for Indonesian Kids
The Kasih Club is a club to raise money for an organization named Kampeung Kids. We run the club from Preshil and are hoping to expand. This involves feeding the Indonesian kids once a month with a nutritious meal, as well as supplying some stationery for the school. We would be happy to share more information with you and we have a website at www.kasihclub.webs.com. Our school at Preshil has a license to hold a raffle and we were looking for some donations.
We are also keen to connect with other groups of students interested in Social Justice initiative like ours
From Emma Hehir

The Dumbo Feather Project, a great idea is actualized…

A group of year nine students at Preshil are tackling a new project in PLP (Personal Learning Projects). They are aiming to create a junior version of the successful magazine, Dumbo Feather.

What is Dumbo Feather?
Dumbo feather is an independent magazine that celebrates extraordinary tales and exceptional people. Dumbo feather interviews and writes about people that achieve amazing things, scouring the globe to find those that strive to make a difference.
‘Each quarterly issue features five extended (20 page) profiles of people worth knowing, across enterprise, education, science, sport, politics, fashion and the arts.’ – Dumbo Feather
For more information… http://dumbofeather.com/

What we hope to achieve.
The Year Nine Preshil group have been given the amazing opportunity to create a prototype of what we hope will become the junior version of Dumbo feather. It will be similar with the big exception that we are looking at young people aged 25 and below to write about.

We hope to create a functioning and engaging magazine based on the achievements of the younger generations around the world. With some luck (but mostly hard work) we aspire for it to be a published attachment to the already printing Dumbo Feather and will be available in shops.

What we have achieved.
Work on the magazine has commenced. We have appointed an editing team that will be working closely on the project in the next couple of terms. Also appointed were positions within our team depending on what area of the project students are interested in. These include researchers, journalists, photographers, publicity, lay out and design.

Benefits for our Learning
Essentially, this project is providing us with a firsthand experience of what it is to create a magazine. It will require a lot of hard work and dedication but the end result of a published magazine will be more than worth it. It’s a perfect way to give our opinions a voice, and to really get the important issues out there.
Please contact… janinea@preshil.vic.edu.au or andrewk@preshil.vic.edu.au for more information, we appreciate your help.

The Dumbo Feather Project is such a great example of what Preshil education is based on. If you know an extraordinary young person who is under 25 that you think would be happy to be interviewed please tell us.

Georgia and Lucy, on behalf of the Magazine Team

SCHOOL PLAY – ‘LEAVING’ – Thursday 10 May – Saturday 12 May

Preparations for the Senior School Play ‘Leaving’ are in full swing.
The involvement of all 50 students has been very impressive. Long hours, dedicated rehearsals and inspiring teamwork are helping bring the Play to production. Jo Porch (Music/Drama and Theatre Studies teacher) is doing an inspiring job in directing the Rock Musical, along with many committed staff and parents. If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet do call the Cottage at the Senior Campus on 9817 6135.

3 Way Conferences’ at the Senior Campus

The first of our 3 Way Conferences (student, parent/s and teacher) was held for Years 9 and 10 on Monday 30 April from 1:50 – 8:30 pm. These interviews give us the opportunity to report on your child’s progress both academically and socially. They also give your child the chance to share with you topics studied throughout the term and their insights into their own learning.

Teachers will be available for 10 minute interviews. If you are not available on this day, please let us know and we can organise another time or hold interviews over the phone. If you would like to make an appointment to speak with Rosie Mullany, the school Wellbeing Coordinator, she can be contacted on 9816 7923. Do call the Cotttage at the Senior Campua on 9817 6135 for further information.

LIBRARY INTERIOR DESIGN PLANNING

Following the Opening of the Library on Wednesday 28 March, students and teachers have been actively researching, looking at a range of interior designs, sharing ideas and experimenting with furniture.

The First Library Interior Design Meeting was held on Monday 27 February
At the initial meeting students Matt, Simon, Rebekah and James met with Stephen O’Connor our architect and Preshil alumni Ben Cleveland, a lecturer in Education at Melbourne University. Also involved were Michael, our Librarian, Bronte and myself.

We talked for near on two hours exploring how to develop the interior spaces of the library. What kind of learning we hoped to see and how the interior design and furnishing can best support the Preshil approach to learning. While there are 3 identified spaces for Reading, Meeting and Presenting, there is also scope for connections between these areas. The quality of the conversation was exceptional, with the students fully engaged and making valuable suggestions in regard to the new spaces and how the existing library could transition to the new building. Ben provided a university perspective on pedagogy and space. His advice was to ‘move in slowly’ and to begin with adaptable pieces of furniture.

The notes from the meeting will be shared as part of the developing research project.

INITIAL STEPS

Going slowly with the furnishing process – initially introduce some bean bags and cushions, modular tables and light chairs.

Year 9 students researched a range of soft furnishings and led an expedition to the King Kahuna Bean Bag Shop in Carlton. They did not leave empty handed!

Next step was to look at possible couches for the Reading Room and cushions for the spacious windows in the Library.
Ikea provided some excellent possibilities and the students were taken by the notion of having many vivid and contrasting cushions to reflect the life and diversity of Preshil.

Our next consideration was the Meeting Room. We are looking at a number of options and have borrowed the beautiful ‘Dickie Blackman’ tables from the Music Room. The three tables together form an excellent space for small or large class groups to meet in a semi-formal space.

INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) in the Library
Laptops and iPads will also enable flexibility and we are keen to observe and see how students and teachers best use ICT in the Library.

We have a set of 18 iPads and 3 sets of Mac Air Books that will be available for use by mid May. Ownership by students is seen as a vital part of the process of moving into the Library. We want students and teachers to be active researchers developing their own capacity to be independent, curious and engaged learners.

NEXT STAGES

Once we have established the initial design for the interior of the Library we will explore:

The remainder of the Term will continue in the same vein as it started ‘busy’ with more excursions, exams and learnings to be had till the end of Term.

2011 ARCHIVE

AN INDEPENDENT LEARNING PROJECT

Hi my name is Louise.  I’m currently in Year 9 and i’m 14 yrs old. In Yr 9 at the moment we are doing Independent Learning Projects and my project is fundraising for a school in Papua New Guinea. This school is called Butuka and is in Port Moresby. I know there is a lot of corruption in countries like PNG so I have figured out an idea to help the school without giving them a heap of money. I am going to collect and buy stationary, books, tables, whiteboards, the stuff that they lack in the classroom. I have put two boxes in Blackhall where I would like anyone to donate their old books and stationary. For more information please contact me on my email f_is4fishy@hotmail.com or you can find out more information with the brochures in the cottage. Thank you

STUDENT VOICE CONFERENCE

Congratulations to all the students involved in The Student Voice Conference, held Tuesday, August 16 at the Hawthorn Town Hall. Organised by Preshil senior school students, the conference brought together students from around Australia and internationally to discuss their views on the role of education in the 21st Century. The students hope to bring you video of the event via their website As a taste of some of what was discussed, we have included the text of the presentation by one of our students on what students need from schools to be engaged in their learning.

‘STUDENT VOICE’ CONFERENCE :  KEYNOTE

ENGAGED IN EDUCATION
 by Cailean A Douglas, Preshil student

Picture the world as a city whose pavements are covered a foot deep in gold coins — you have to wade through them to make progress — their clinking and rattling fills the air. Imagine that you meet a beggar in such a city “Please give me something – I am penny-less” “But look around you!” you would shout “There’s gold enough to last you your whole life all you have to do is bend down and pick it up”  Stephen Fry, The Fry Chronicles

People claim that school doesn’t suit them and at the moment that’s true. However, they may also claim that they don’t have a good memory or will tell you of they can’t do maths. These are the same people that are able to recite countless pop lyrics or statistics of their favourite sports team.

What they don’t realise, and what the system fails to recognise, is that when you’re not interested in the subject matter and you’re taught in a way that doesn’t engage you, it is very difficult to learn. People will, however, learn about things that they’re interested in. The most important and most often overlooked skill that a school can teach a student is how to teach oneself. There is no future career or area of life in which being able to teach one self is not highly valued. It is a major skill in university, trade, art, and many other areas. When you’ve learned how to learn, education changes from something you’re required to do to something you choose to do and something that engages you.

What I am proposing is a revolution of the classroom starting with a new pilot class — a new area of study — to be introduced to the schools of the world. It is similar to and somewhat based upon Individual Learning Projects (ILPs). For those of you not familiar with Individual Learning Projects: they are class time dedicated to a student educating them self on their own chosen subject. They are a fantastic idea, however there are two areas that, in my experience, they have fallen short.

The first area is that the student is told to choose a subject and then go research it. Some students will do well with this strategy but most will not. What needs to change is that there needs to be a greater focus on teaching the student to teach themselves. Without guidance on where to look for resources, research can be very frustrating and it is absolutely vital to have a contact teacher to tutor them and help them choose an appropriate area of study.

The second area is how the student is assessed. At the moment ILPs are not taken seriously. A teacher doesn’t have any solid base to mark a student on. That needs to change and the answer is one that is not only applicable to ILPs but to most other classes. Consider this: One can be said to truly understand a subject when one is able to teach it to another. So my answer is to have a student show what they’ve learned by teaching it to others. This could manifest itself as a Student University where students teach their fellow students and teachers. But this need not be Intimidating; it can be done effectively with little fuss and can be quite casual. Thus, this would offer another option to those who don’t test well and it is applicable to most subjects. Of course for other subjects the traditional exams would still be available.

What is the best medium for students to use? I believe that technology (internet — especially Youtube and podcasts) as well as good old fashioned books are the best way for one to teach oneself. The internet is full of tutorials, walkthroughs and interviews, each of which are fantastic resources for students to use, for example, The Khan Academy. Run by Salman Khan, the Khan Academy produces video lessons about 10 minutes in length (the average length of the human attention span) about a range of subjects: in particular maths, sciences, and economics. The internet is a vast and ever growing resource and it is perfect for many types of learners.

Running parallel to this class I also propose a new way of running career advice. What is important in life, if not for one’s career to be their passion, is to have a career that facilitates their passions. Ideally one will choose a career that is related to their passion, such as a music aficionado working in the music industry. However, not everyone can have a career that they’re passionate about — there are dirty and frankly boring jobs that our society relies on to keep going. But just because one isn’t passionate about their career doesn’t mean that they can’t have time in their life for their passions and this is something that career advisors must keep in mind — it is often the dullest jobs that allow for this.

So the question was: ‘How can we make education more engaging’? My answer: When a student has learned how to teach them self, when they are learning about what they’re interested in — as well as the life skills and techniques they need to learn about for their future careers, and when they start to associate education with their passions. THAT is when they will find education more engaging.

Remember: There’s gold enough to last you your whole life all you have to do is bend down and pick it up.

VALUES CONFERENCE LED BY PRESHIL STUDENTS

REFLECTING ON OUR SHARED VALUES AT PRESHIL

As a follow up to The Preshil Values Project (see below for our earlier post on this), senior school students engaged in a fascinating process reflecting on our values at the recent Values Mini-Conference.

We introduced the meetings by reflecting on how the values are already here and we are just consolidating and articulating them – this enabled us to discuss our actions in relation to the values. This is an alternative to relying on rules and punishment. Instead, the aim is if something happens we talk about how to fix it up and deal with it.

There was a great turnout, with everyone there engaged and wanting to be there. Students from each year level read out their year level’s values, and explained which ones they thought were particularly important and why.

We then broke off into smaller groups composed of people from different year levels to decide what our seven most important values were as groups. One person from each group came up to the board and wrote their group’s seven values. Any values that came up twice were ticked, so we could keep track of how many times a particular value came up. The values that came up every time were put onto the list automatically, and the rest of the values were voted on in a big group. In the end we narrowed the list down to our seven most important values and these current favourites were Freedom, Trust, Respect, Fun/Humor, Communication, Individuality and Equality.

CREATIVE ADAPTIONS  included :

• Independent and responsible freedom
• Humour with respect
• Supportive, equal and transparent, communicaton
• Mutual respect with acceptance  and a spirit of co-operation
• Passion with love, balance

Our aim is to follow a similar process at the beginning of each year and to see how the ‘values thinking and conversations’ evolve over time.

MATHEMATICS

Preshil students from Years 7 to 12 recently sat for the Australian Mathematics Competition. As one of the largest Mathematics competitions of its kind in the world, it causes quiet a lot of excitement and interest among the students.

The competition is designed to encourage interest in Mathematics using challenging and unusual mathematics questions and encourages lively discussions later in classes. It also provides a forum in which talented students may be identified.

Congratulations to all of our students who participated in this year’s competition. We are all looking forward to receiving the results later this year.

THE PRESHIL VALUES PROJECT

Exploring our Preshil Values: Year 7 students collaborating together.

As part of the Year 7 ‘Resilience’ program I was invited by thier teacher, June, to speak with the students regarding strategies to develop ‘cyber citizenship’. The series of meetings proved to be memorable for the chance to meet with our youngest students at the senior campus and to be involved in such profound, reflective and philosophical discussions. There were two groups with 14 students in each. A facilitator was nominated to work with me to guide the conversations.

We began by exploring what kind of culture we had and wanted to develop at Preshil. Key words included Collaborative, Supportive, Creative, Kind and Co-operative.

In turn, I asked what kind of values helped this type of culture to develop. I explained how the Socrates Project was a European Union initiative where each European country debated, discussed and nominated seven values for their country. In the same way our challenge was to see which seven values each group would come up with.

Students read cards (designed for VCE students) that listed a wide range of values and included complex discussion of each value. It was amazing to see the students totally enthralled with the cards. While some students just read them, others opened their notebooks and copied the words down, while others took five and even 10 from the box and began to arrange them in patterns. After some time, enthralled in their reading and reflecting, the students brainstormed their ‘possible’ values. These were recorded by the ‘scribe’ on the white board. Groups of four students then had a lengthy discussion and came up with their proposed list of seven. Representatives from each group then met to synthesise and negotiate their lists. While this was occurring the other students chose to draw images of their values or helped work on an edit of our Well Being Policy.

A similar process was followed in the other Year 7 group and it was then proposed to bring the two lists together. There was a keen sense of interest in what the lists might look like and amazingly five of the seven values were shared across the groups. Given that both groups had identified over 40 values the odds of this alignment was quite uncanny.

A Year 10 student, Suzanne, joined the next meeting with nine students from across both Year 7 groups to further discuss and negotiate which final seven values would be identified. The conversation began in a highly open and philosophical tone – I asked the students to share their sense of their own well being, to reflect in pairs and share with the group how they were feeling and travelling at this time in their life; not easy questions at any time, even for adults. Each young person shared their reflections with great attention, interest and respect for each other. Feelings were shared with great intelligence and awareness, and Suzanne was able to guide the process blending philosophy and values most effectively.

The conversation turned to the challenge at hand – how to move from the nine nominated values to seven. A fascinating discussion evolved – Creativity, Fun and Freedom were strong contenders along with Respect and Trust, all having been selected by both groups. Interestingly, Balance was also seen as important for many reasons; for example – to quote the various members of the group, ‘the balance between academic learning and creativity’, ‘between working hard and relaxing’, ‘between outdoor and indoor learning’ and’ between self discipline and discipline’. If balance was important then ‘what was the balance to freedom’? Responsibility had been identified by one group and a lengthy discussion followed. It was fascinating to see the students wrestle with the notion of taking on ‘responsibility’ and after much debate it was agreed. In turn, Integrity and Honesty were combined to reach the final seven.

Similar processes have been initiated with other year levels and a Student Values Conference is planned to negotiate what each year level selects as their key values. Students, including the highly experienced Year 7s, will design the process to be followed at the conference. As staff we will provide catering and look on with keen interest to hear what the students are thinking.

What is important to acknowledge is that the inspiration to begin this process came from the agreements developed by our younger students at Arlington in 10s and11s (Grade 5 & 6)

The early draft of the VCE list of values includes Freedom, Independence, Respect, Communication, Transparency, Fun and Support.

The process followed by the Year 7 students demonstrates the capacity of our students to reflect together, to explore complex ideas and to articulate, synthesise and negotiate the values that underpin their shared culture.

I am looking forward to seeing the Values Exploration involve all our senior campus students, and lead to a deepening connection and living of the agreed values.

I look forward to keeping you updated on the progress made by the students.

COOKING UP SMILES

Preshil’s answer to fine French cuisine

Serving Preshil the highest quality snacks since 2006, Preshil’s Kitchen Garden class has been run by The Man, J.C. Preshil teacher John Collins.

Held solely for Year 10 students on a Monday morning and Tuesday afternoon, Kitchen Garden has been feeding both students’ love of both cooking and gardening, as well as the Preshil student body and teaching staff for five years.

It’s the Kitchen Garden’s duty to maintain and stock the canteen. The Kitchen Garden group prides themselves on their garden, where they try to harvest the majority of their organically grown fresh fruit and vegetables. The tending to the garden, like the canteen, is the responsibility of the group.

The only regret by the class is that they’re only able to attend for a single semester. The reason for this is so that other students may have the pleasure of spending a morning and an afternoon once a week in a supportive, friendly and laid back cooking environment that supports every student’s personal tastes. From advanced Chinese dishes to simple Australian classics, the Kitchen Garden group can do it all.

INDEPENDENT LEARNING AT PRESHIL

A key goal for us as teachers, students and parents in the 21st Century is the challenge of developing individual learning plans for students. Preshil has been focused on developing a personalised approach to learning over many years now. We aim to help our students to discover how they learn best, encouraging them to find their own rhythm, encouraging their passions and connecting them with the school curriculum to achieve their best work.

Liam’s Independent Learning Project by Liam Kruimel

I started doing an independent project about a month ago. Andrew suggested I research something that I am interested in that would develop my media and design skills. I chose a magazine on the lifestyle in the Melbourne BMX scene because it’s something I take part in every weekend. The project enables me to practice skills in art, photography and creative writing, along with design in various Adobe products.

This is an image of me used for a ‘Riding Way’ advertisement. ‘Riding Way’ is the store I have been riding and working for over the past two months or so. The owner Stephen is my mentor for this project.

What do you like about working on the Project?

I like the freedom I get doing the project. I chose what I wanted to do and exactly how I wanted to do it, although it did take a lot of planning with Andrew.

What skills are you developing?

Throughout my project I have been developing my design skills using Abode Photoshop and Adobe In Design. I have been practising a lot of other skills like interviewing people and being able to take important quotes.

So I guess I have been developing my art and creative writing skills, along with English.

During my individual learning project I practice my design skills using Macs and design software. I am developing skills using In Design and using the photos I take of professional and amateur riders to create magazine articles.

COMING UP LINK

The Junior school is always a hive of activity. Below is a snapshot of what the kids are up to at Arlington.
by Alistair Rayner (Head of Arlington Campus/Assistant Principal) .

Assessment for Teaching – A partnership with the University of Melbourne

Assessment and evaluation at Preshil is a carefully considered and ongoing journey. When we assess children the individual child is at the heart of the process and assessment/evaluation is viewed as the beginning of children’s learning and not the end point. Children at Arlington are not ranked against others, instead a thoughtful blend of both formal (diagnostic) and informal (observations) assessment strategies are used.

Arlington is extremely fortunate to be involved in a three year research project with the Assessment Research Centre at the University of Melbourne along with a selection of other government, catholic and independent schools. The research project is based on the work of Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development (ZPD). This zone is the gap between what the child has already mastered and what they can achieve when provided with support. The study will help us as teachers continue to foster a developmental approach, which was a key part of Margaret Lyttle’s thinking, with the focus being firmly on students’ readiness to learn and individual differences in their capacity to respond to ‘scaffolding’ of their learning. The three areas that we will be focusing on will be literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills.

The 8s, 9s, 10s and 11s children and their teachers will be directly involved in this study. This will include the children being assessed twice a year using the Assessment Research Centre’s online system. The system helps teachers select assessments at each child’s stage of development in order to gain the best information to plan their teaching. The benefit for Preshil is the support for the development of effective, collaborative professional learning for our teachers in helping all our children to flourish in their learning.

Welcome to 2013

Welcome back to a new school year! Preshil is an outstanding school for children to grow and prosper in a uniquely creative and individualised environment.

I want to extend a special welcome to those of you who are first-time children, parents or staff. The early years and primary years is a very special time, with tremendous growth for children, socially, emotionally and intellectually. Helping your children grow through this period of their lives and become healthy, whole, caring people who know how to use their minds well is rewarding work. I am delighted to be in partnership with you to help maximize your child’s potential. Preshil offers a variety of experiences with small student to staff ratios, which provides very special learning opportunities for our children.

The beginning of every new school year is an exciting time. Here at Arlington we have 3 new teaching staff members joining our team. Oriana Ramunno in the Nursery School, Natalie Jensen in the 10/11s and Emma Cutting as our new piano instrumental teacher. Also, Ann Collacott becomes our receptionist in the office. Please welcome these new staff members with a warm Preshil smile. They have all commenced work already in their respective areas of the school and look forward to becoming part of the Preshil community. A tremendous amount of energy goes into the start of every year. We all want to start it right, to give our children the best possible beginning to help them make it a successful, productive, and happy year. To this end, we will help both new and returning children settle in their environments making Preshil a school that is safe and productive for everyone. In partnership with families Preshil will continue to be a school community in which every person feels respected, valued, and is encouraged and supported to achieve personal bests.

This year Arlington staff will be working closely with and be supported by the Austin Health, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAHMS) through our involvement in the CAMHS And Schools Early Action program (CASEA). CASEA is a program designed to assist schools and families to support primary school-aged children’s social, emotional and behavioural development. The main aim of the program is to enhance skills in understanding and expressing feelings, as well as getting on with others. The program will begin for staff next Wednesday 30 January with a series of professional learning sessions which are designed to up skill teachers and build on their knowledge and base regarding mental health issues in the school setting.

The topics to be covered on the day will include;
1. Feelings and Behaviour: Promoting Social and Emotional Learning
Broad introduction to social/emotional learning

Brain development
Promoting self control and emotional understanding in the classroom

2. Self Regulation
Understanding self-regulation
Ways to support children to develop self-control
Behavioural; emotion-coaching; environmental and sensory approaches

3. Emotion Coaching
Emotional intelligence and how it works
How to read and reflect feelings
Managing anger in the classroom and the schoolyard
Problem solving

Follow up professional learning that addresses more specific school priorities and processes will continue throughout the term. Targeted early intervention approaches for a small number of identified children and families will occur in Term 3.

Again, welcome to the new school year at Preshil. We recognize that without your support we will not be able to reach our full potential as a school. So, please do become involved, in whatever way works for you, whether that be talking with your children about their school experiences and schoolwork, volunteering to help with an activity, or contacting us to give us your thoughts and ideas.
Please feel free to stop by my office or contact me at any time via phone or e-mail if I can be of assistance.

Reporting Term 4

As I write, staff are extremely busy drafting and proofing their student’s descriptive reports in preparation for distribution at the end of Term 4, which is marching ever so, close.

Our key aim of reporting students’ progress to parents is to ensure that parents are provided with accurate, useful and timely information about their child’s progress at school and to provide a point of discussion between teachers and parents to assist with the next steps in student’s learning.

Here at Preshil we are extremely fortunate that our parents see themselves as partners in their children’s education. They are motivated to work collaboratively with us in achieving the best possible outcomes for their children. Successful partnerships rely on shared key understandings: alignment of values; common language and meaning; open-door policies; collaboration, sense of mutual obligation and responsibility, and open and transparent accountability. It was with these items in mind that we worked on better using and describing our current mandated 5 point reporting scale. Through discussion and collaboration amongst the Arlington staff we have established the Preshil – Arlington Campus Developmental Learning Continuum. On the front page of your child’s end of semester report you will find the following,
which aims to continue to expand and explain our approach to assessment and reporting. I welcome any feedback as we continue to improve our methods of reporting student progress to parents.
Preshil – Arlington Campus

Developmental Learning Continuum

At Preshil, assessment and evaluation are ongoing processes. Rather than compare and rank children against one another, we prefer to utilise a range of assessment and evaluation strategies both formal and informal to monitor the progress of each child.

“Preshil does not give marks or prizes. It is fundamentally opposed to setting one child against another, believing that all should be free to develop happily and fully without fear of failure or hazard of contempt. Children move along at their own individual pace”
(Margaret J.R.Lyttle)

The Preshil – Arlington Campus Developmental Learning Continuum summarises each individual child’s depth of knowledge, understanding and range of skills. Word descriptions matched to the continuum are embedded in each child’s report to best articulate their individual achievement and progress.

Arlington Developmental Learning Continuum

Open to Learning

The child is observant in the learning area and is curious and eager to develop their knowledge, skills and understandings. They have experienced some success and are ready to become more adventurous.

Learning with Support

The child is developing knowledge, skills and understandings in this learning area. They have engaged in many learning opportunities and have experienced success with support.

Learning Independently

The child has a reliable understanding and knowledge of the learning area. They display competence in applying their knowledge, skills and understandings independently.

Extended Learning

The child has comprehensive knowledge and understandings in the learning area and has a high level of competence in the processes and skills. They are able to apply and see connections to other learning opportunities.

Transferring to other Learning

The child has an extensive knowledge and understandings in the learning area and has achieved a very high level of competence in the processes and skills. They can apply and demonstrate these skills to new situations and instruct others.

Smiling Minds Pilot Project

I am pleased to comment that staff have begun to implement the Smiling Minds pilot project into their days with the children.  This program was mentioned in the e-bulletin late last term when co-founder and past Preshil student James Tutton introduced staff to it in a staff meeting.

The program is a pre-emptive mental health and wellbeing program.  It’s core objective is to teach young people a life skill; one that will help to manage stress, increase awareness of negative emotional states, improve attention and focus and help prevent mental health issues in later life.  Smiling Minds aims to raise awareness of the importance of emotional health and well being by providing a proactive, resource based program on Mindfulness Meditation.  This is one of the most effective ways of teaching us to pay attention; to be more mindful.  It is not about clearing the mind, but rather focusing our attention on the present moment; being aware of and acknowledging our present thoughts and actions, without judging them in any way.

Smiling Mind complements the general capabilities of ‘personal and social capability’ and ‘critical and creative thinking’ and is being introduced into our classrooms predominately during morning meeting time or at a point of the school day where our children may need a calming and refocussing time.  Implementation of the program involves daily meditation including:

1. Set up and brief participants
2. Mindfulness Meditation practice (listening to an audio recording), and
3. Debrief

The above three step process takes approximately 15 minutes.
The program is designed to initially run over an 8-week period.  A new subject is introduced every week in the Introductory Session, with complimenting Daily Mindfulness Guides and takes Home Activities.
I look forward to the feedback our children provide on this pilot program.
You can find out more about Smiling Minds on their website at smilingmind.com.au

Australian Curriculum Framework

Having recently attended a seminar which gave an overview of the Australian Curriculum Framework and an understanding of AusVELS for Victorian schools, which is how Victorian schools intend to implement the curriculum, we have begun to think about the challenges of how to facilitate its content into our current curriculum. In doing this we will have the following statement at the forefront of our thinking;

At Preshil we prefer not to place emphasis solely on what is taught, but also how and why we teach children as we do. Our guiding principles, our belief in the child, how we perceive the role of the teacher and what we believe the purpose of education to be, compel us think broadly about curriculum.
(Arlington Curriculum Document)

The Australian Curriculum represents the development of a national framework for curriculum from Foundation F-12 that has grown from successive national declarations of schooling in Australia, culminating in the 2008 Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians.

The Australian Curriculum sets out the core knowledge, understanding, skills and general capabilities important for all Australian students. It describes the learning entitlement of students as a foundation for their future learning, growth and active participation in the Australian community. It makes clear what all young Australians should learn as they progress through schooling. ACARA is responsible for the development of the Australian Curriculum from Foundation to Year 12. The development of the Australian Curriculum will occur over three broad timeframes (stages).

All Independent schools in Victoria must implement the Australian Curriculum. The implementation of the first stage of the Australian Curriculum (English, Mathematics, History and Science) for Foundation to Year 10 will proceed in 2013.

For Preshil children this will continue to mean that they will be supported in their development. We will continue to take a holistic view of their learning process in relation to the formulation of this new curriculum. Integrating academic disciplines within meaningful and authentic contexts, working from the children’s interests and fostering an ongoing love of learning will be paramount.

Term 3 Electives

Our Term 3 electives program has now been running for 3 weeks and the children once again seem totally enthralled in their sessions. It was quite evident when I was reading our children’s reports at the end of Semester 1 just how much they had learnt from their involvement in the program and how much they enjoyed the opportunity to try something new.

The electives program brings together children from different classes. As a result cross-age friendships evolve based on common or shared interests and are more meaningful when children are able to share their ideas, knowledge and skills. Demonstrating a positive attitude toward their learning, committing to a longer-term, extended task, persisting and building on prior knowledge is one of the main objectives of electives. Children are able to work cooperatively and collaboratively with others and to reflect on their learning over time. Depending on the activity chosen, they sometimes encounter problems, which may require creative solutions. We provide a wide variety of diverse experiences that cater to different interests, skill levels and reflect all of the Intelligences (musical – artistic – physical – naturalistic – spatial – mathematical – linguistic – interpersonal).

This terms electives offerings are;

We have four more weeks of the program left this term. If you would still like to volunteer to assist in any of the areas listed above please do not hesitate to contact me.

Welcome back to Term 3

It was wonderful to return to the Arlington Campus after our two week holiday break. In my conversations and engagements with the children they impressed me with their willingness to embrace new learning and to reconnect with classmates whilst sharing stories of holiday adventures. Those who have visited the office area of Arlington House will have noticed the reconfiguration of the reception desk and adjoining office space. It is hoped this will improve our presence and communication in this important part of the school and accommodate Bronte (Director of Communications & Development) and Cressida our new Registrar in a much more central area.

Focus Groups

Last week in the 10/11s we introduced focus groups on a Wednesday morning. At this time the children gather according to their literacy and numeracy needs and work with a range of existing and visiting staff. The aim is to ensure each child is fully engaged in learning according to their developmental needs and to allow them to perform to their potential. They will be guided through activities that nourish their personal development as well as their literacy and numeracy skills. These groups will remain fluid for the remainder of the year and it is quite possible that a child in the 10/11s is part of a number of focus areas. I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions I had with ten of the students in my Mathematics focus group and I look forward to further challenging their intellect for the remainder of the year..

Coming Up

We have a number of other important and exciting events taking place for the Arlington children in the coming weeks. Some of which include; the commencement of the Term 3 Electives program next Tuesday afternoon for the 5s,6/7s and Friday afternoon for the 8/9s & 10/11s, the next phase of the 11s transition program to Blackhall/Kalimna and a Working Bee on Sunday 12 August.

I look forward to reporting back on these and other events as the term progresses.

LOOKING BACK

What the 8s and 9s said about The Artist in Residence Project 2011

Our emerging writers in the 8s and 9s recount their experiences and reactions from their work with Penelope, our Artist in Residence.

IF WALLS COULD TALK 2011

By Laura

Tea cups and teddy bears’ paper and pots put them together and what have you got? Puppetry!

The 8s and 9s did a performance and installation. It’s a unique take on the history of Preshil. It all started when we went to Mug’s old house and got some old objects and we played around with them and made stories about them. Our puppeteer Penelope helped us use our puppetry and we really improved.

NEWS  ARTICLE

By Sasha

Last term I really looked forward to the activities that the teachers had planned because the teachers always have SOME fun things up their sleeves. One of the things that the teachers did not teach us is puppetry. But the person who did is called Penelope. She does puppetry as her job. It is so interesting! I love the activities she does. Everyday is so different and so fun! On the first day Penelope came she gave us visual diaries. They are to store our ideas in. You can even store your dreams if they’re interesting to you. With Penelope we formed 7 groups with some of Margaret’s old things that Penelope found in the house. I was in the group of the cigar box. When we opened it…it had pen refills – that type of stuff. But that was our project but Penelope has done some puppetry as well as that. We did all types of puppetry like Bunraku puppetry. We’ve done sorts of Bunraku puppetry with teddie bears’ paper and news paper. But another puppetry we did was object puppetry. So how this worked is that everyone brought in a vegetable or a fruit and if you forgot someone would give you one (one of those people was me). But anyway, the teachers we paired us up. We had two minutes to practice with our patterns and then we all would have a turn at performing.

Only a few weeks ago our class started an experiment. We got vegetables, fruits, paper and milk that kind of stuff. We were reporting how they change over six weeks. They all changed either a bit or heaps. We used our visual diaries to record what was happening.

The experiment continues.

Over all it has been a great experiment and it will keep going! I rate it 9.8/10!

THE GHOST

By Jasper

Penelope was making a ghost puppet, it shattered and it started to grow and sucked Penelope in, then Duncan and Will and Elissa too. It ate the Tens and Elevens and the Sixes and Sevens. Then it took over the whole school. The Tens and Elevens were terrified.

I didn’t know what to do! Then Max came and tried to stop it with a knife but he got eaten. It flew to the Sixes and Sevens room where it took my brother and munched his head off.

It went to the grocery shop to buy some ketchup and mustard to eat with the teachers. It captured the teachers and covered them in the mustard and ketchup and then ate them.

Then, all of a sudden a purple wind blew it away and it was never seen again.

THE 8S AND 9S PROJECT

By Lily

The 8s and 9s have been doing a fun project about the history of the school. I really liked it. It involved puppetry, visitors and lots of other stuff. One of the visitors was Elizabeth. She told us that when Preshil first started there were only five students. One of the students was her mum.

A POEM

By Sia

Penelope

Preshil history,

And stories.

Puppets, bears and newspaper,

Science, mouldy fruits and vegetables, cloudy water.

Hall installation,

Excited, happy,

Sia

LEARNING FRENCH AT ARLINGTON

Why learn a language other than English? At Arlington we acknowledge the important role that Languages education plays in preparing children to participate effectively as global citizens of the 21st century.
For many years it has been acknowledged that learning another language enhances the learner’s understanding of and insights into their own language. Writing in the 1930s, Lev Vygotsky, whose ideas had a significant impact on current educational theorising, commented on the heightened understanding of one’s own language gained by studying another:

It has been shown that a child’s understanding of his (sic)native language is enhanced by learning a foreign one. The child becomes more conscious and deliberate in using words as tools of his thought and expressive means for his ideas…The child’s approach to language becomes more abstract and generalized…The acquisition of foreign language in its own peculiar way liberates him from the dependence on concrete linguistic forms and expressions

(Vygotsky 1986).

Learning a language:

• develops an understanding of how languages work which leads to improved literacy skills, including English literacy;
• helps children develop critical thinking, analysis and problem solving skills;
• teaches students about other peoples, their ideas and ways of thinking;
• inspires interest in and respect for other cultures;
• enhances employment and career prospects;
• contributes to social cohesiveness through better communication and understanding; and
• contributes to economic, diplomatic and strategic development. 
(The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development)

Below are some snapshots of the children’s learning in French

Liza and Kate in the Nursery School made drawings of themselves following French instructions as the work.

Let’s start with  la tête, les yeux, la bouche, les cheveux, le cou, les bras, les doigts, le corps, les genoux, les pieds.

The children in the 6s and 7s engaged in the learning of the vocabulary in the Eric Carl’s Book Ours Brun, dis-moi. Together they viewed a selection of visuals and used gestures to consolidate the terminology.

The children are always encouraged to develop their speaking skills and share their work with others.

The children in the 5s have been learning more terminology related to fruit and associate the colours.

Une tomate rouge, un citron jaune, un kiwi vert. They drew and labelled un kiwi et une orange and showed fruits from their lunch boxes.

The children in the 8s and 9s have been  reading aloud familiar material from the unit Les trois petits cochons using correct pronunciation and intonation.The children use visual cues to understand what they say and hear (gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice).

The children add new lists of words in their cahier working cooperatively to assist and support each other in the writing activity.

In the 10s and 11s, children engaged in the learning of vocabulary related to a trip to the zoo with the song Allons au Zoo!

Qu’est-ce que c’est comme animal? C’est un éléphant. un éléphant?…un éléphant.

Qu’est-ce que c’est comme animal? C’est un hippopotame. un hippopotame?… un hippopotame.

Qu’est-ce que c’est comme animal? C’est une girafe. une girafe?…une girafe.

Qu’est-ce que c’est comme animal? C’est un chimpanzé. un chimpanzee?…un chimpanzé.

Qu’est-ce que c’est comme animal? C’est un kangourou. un kangourou?…un kangourou.

Qu’est-ce que c’est comme animal? C’est un tigre. Un tigre?…un tigre.

Qu’est-ce que c’est comme animal? C’est un tigre non non c’est un lion. Un lion?…un lion

Qu’est-ce que c’est comme animal? Shhh, c’est une tortue, Une tortue? une tortue Il y a tant d’animaux!…

The children in the 10s and 11s have also been engaged in creating a French comic strip. They are using their vocabulary and extended research with the use of ICT and/or dictionary to create an original comic strip.

French Electives have provided the children with an opportunity to create lots of amazing thing. The children have experimented with different forms of artwork and cooking.

During one activity in our elective program the children explored Vincent van Gogh and his art. They viewed a selection of images of some of van Gogh’s famous paintings and investigated the ideas shown in the paintings. Some children then decided to create an outdoor scene that showed ideas about where they live or go to school whilst others chose to create a landscape picture of someplace they have visited.

French cooking has also been a big hit with the children.

Nous sommes chanceux d’avoir Dominique travaillant avec nos enfants. Le programme de français est riche et créatif.

WHAT ARE VALUES?

Values are the ideals that give significance to our lives; that are reflected through

the priorities we choose, and that we act on consistently and repeatedly.

Brian Hall (1994:39)

Margaret Lyttle founded Preshil in 1932 with the motto ‘Courage’. While many practices in education are the legacy of a previous time or of a mind set appropriate for a different era this motto is certainly still relevant today and a big part of what we value and believe.

At Preshil we are dedicated to preserving the values of progressive education. These values are embedded within our overall curriculum provision at the school. This is evident through our project work in which we encourage children to ponder, engage with, examine and explore issues, see life from different approaches and thereby develop both an innate sense of empathy for different viewpoints and considerations, as well as an intellectual curiosity about our world. But how can we make these values more explicit?

This term, the children were encouraged to engage in conversations about the values at Arlington. Some of the questions posed to the children included:

 What does it mean to be an Arlington graduate?

 What are the characteristics of a child who is graduating from Arlington?

 What is their concept of courage?

Stella D: School should teach kids that not everyone is the same and you don’t have to think what everyone else thinks.

Rupert: Courage

Michael: Respect of your surroundings

Ava: It is always nice to leave with respect and know that you are leaving here with a lot of knowledge and you have been learning about things in different and interesting ways.

Kaye: Courage is important because in life you need courage for a lot of things like if someone is in danger and there is no one else around. If you don’t have courage you wouldn’t be able to help.

Aurelea:  Well, knowledge, friendship, respect and courage. I have learnt to stand up for myself. I have also got a lot of confidence. This is a big one for me because when I was little I was very shy. In this school I am normal.

Harry L: Knowledge and courage and also I think we should also leave with the ability to speak in another language like French.

Lucas: Knowledge because of all the things we have learnt. Also courage because you need courage when you are playing sport and you get hurt

Bobby: Friendship and courage and a good education. Stand up for yourself

Will: I think friendship is important and friends help you when you are sad. I have learnt to be myself and not to try and be someone else.

Jeremy: I think you should leave here with good social skills and being able to help others when needed. I have learnt that it is ok to really be yourself. It really doesn’t matter what other people think if you are confidence with yourself.

Lilith: I think children should leave Arlington knowing what it feels like to be respected as a person.

Rupert: I think we should leave with courage. When you are older and run a business you would need to have courage to fire someone. That would be something big.

Harry M: I have learnt to speak my mind better. If I don’t like something I will now speak up.

Rather than asking the children in the Nursery School about values I asked them what they thought the word ‘Courage’ means.

Sonny: Being brave, fighting scorpions

Ethan: Brave and running really fast.

Moss: Trying to do something that is hard and being fierce. Like when I went skiing I didn’t think I could do it because it is hard and then I could do it.

All children need opportunities to practice values if they are to make the values their own. This has implications for how we promote the children’s voices and children’s participation in all areas of our work at Arlington. School values are made explicit with the assistance of the school community.

At Arlington we believe in deliberately investigating the congruence between our practices and what we value and believe as an ongoing project. We need to continue to have many conversations with the children and the wider community and this will assist us in redefining our values for today. These will then be ‘our’ values rather than values that are imposed from outside.

The conversations continue…

MUSIC WEEK

Research shows that children who receive music as part of education do better on standardised testing, tend to have less discipline problems in school and tend to have a sense of belonging to something. From ukelele playing through to instrument making, open music sessions, strings concerts, rehearsals, playground activities and Oz Opera, – the benefits of music-making was truly heard and celebrated around the school by the old and young, able and not-so-able.

Music is inherent in who we all are. Music is part of every culture in the world. Music is part of who we are as a people.

THREE WAY CONFERENCES

Next week we are introducing three way conferences between the teacher, child and parent(s). We are excited by this new initiative and hope to receive feedback from parents and guardians regarding the process. The children will be responsible for leading the discussion and will reflect on their learning. At Arlington we see a child’s learning and education as a shared responsibility that actively involves the participation of the child, their family and the school staff. By involving the children and their parents in this process we believe this helps to dispel the belief and traditional hierarchy that often exists in schools that is based on assumptions of ‘teacher knows best’. This practice fits with our belief that assessment and evaluation should not be ‘done’ to children, but rather should be a participatory, democratic undertaking.

The conference will be based around the child’s portfolio. Portfolios have been used in some form at Arlington for several years and now every child in the school has a portfolio. For teachers, portfolios reflect what learning we value at Arlington and highlight why we value it. The portfolio is a record of the child’s process of learning and while we consider products important our emphasis is more on the process. Below is an outline to assist parents in gaining a greater understanding of the use of the portfolio.

Portfolios
At Arlington documentation of children’s work in progress is an important tool in the learning process for children, teachers, and parents. As you view your child’s portfolio, you will learn about their:
•    personal styles;
•    thought processes;
•    accomplishments;
•    strengths; and
•    difficulties.

Portfolios are used to record traces of each child’s:
•    thinking;
•    understandings;
•    interests;
•    evidence of creations;
•    interactions;
•    conversations;
•    friendships;
•    relationships; and
•    work samples.

We appreciate their knowledge, skills and understanding of life through documenting their work.

We believe that documenting and recording your child’s learning in a portfolio is necessary so that they can express, revisit, construct and reconstruct their feelings, ideas and understandings. This reflection has not only become an essential way for children to find their own voices—it has also become a way for them to learn and provide evidence of their capacity for critical thinking, analytic reasoning, and integrative learning. As teachers we often act as recorders for the children, helping them trace and revisit their words and actions – making the learning visible.

Our portfolios capture the blending of process and product. We see this interface as interwoven and complementary—an integrated part of the whole, involving discovery, reflection, evaluation and communication.

Portfolios also show possibilities and future pathways that provide opportunities to scaffold, transform, review and evaluate learning in partnership with others.

They are a way of celebrating and understanding children’s learning and development, particularly when we value the learning processes that lead to the end product. When parents and teachers discuss with the children their understandings through portfolios it promotes a real partnership, especially with decisions about goals for future learning.

We invite you to reflect on the records of your child’s knowledge, understandings, skills and abilities and hope this will provide you with fresh perspectives about your child’s learning. As your child leads you through this process we don’t underestimate the value of reflective learning and hopefully this process will give you a window into just what and how your child is thinking and learning.

“………at Preshil, we are, one and all, learning and living together-teachers, children and parents.”

Margaret E. Lyttle

IF WALLS COULD TALK – PRESHIL’S 80TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

It was a great privilege last week to be invited to open the exhibition that the children in the 8s and 9s have been so engaged with over the past few months with our Artist in Residence, Penelope Bartlau. The Staff at Arlington were delighted when we were successful in being awarded an Arts Victoria ‘Artists in Schools’ grant that allowed us to engage an artist for up to 20 days to work with children and teachers on a creative project. See and read the more about the project on our dedicated page here.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

It has been terrific receiving feedback from the articles on this blog. There have been a number of parents who read the document ‘Conflict Resolution in the Nursery School’ and questioned the use of the term ‘time out’. In the Nursery School all conversations are ongoing and continually being reflected upon. Since the feedback from parents the teachers have had a follow up discussion on the process that takes place when resolving conflict in the Nursery School.

Instead of using the term ‘time out’, which was derived from the children, it is now called ‘time of reflection’. This allows the child to move to another space and reflect on what’s happened. Having a special place to go to during times of conflict can help children gain perspective during difficult moments. Reflection time is then followed up by a deep discussion as to what happened with all those involved, with the support of a staff member. A child who has been taught strategies for managing various social situations, within a safe environment, is better equipped to handle life’s challenges.  Staff discuss with children about how particular actions made by others can make us feel a certain way. This then leads on to a discussion on feelings and how we can make a friend feel happy again. Usually this is followed by a conversation about what the children could do differently if this situation arises again.

The staff at Arlington have witnessed first hand the wonderful benefits that come from the explicit teaching and talking about social and emotional skills to children. When children have the language and skills that are necessary to effectively express themselves and to navigate their way through a variety of circumstances, they have more energy and time to dedicate to playing, learning and growing in a holistic way.

HAPPENINGS IN THE NURSERY SCHOOL

Two of the boys revisit the female stick insect. While one comments, ‘It’s in attack position’, the other sprayed water on the leaves so, ‘It can suck up the water on the leaves.’
If children start to take care, handle and observe living things, then this will build on their already existing empathy, respect and care towards friends and living creatures as they continue to grow. Observing and caring for an animal instills a sense of responsibility and respect for life and brings increased sensitivity and awareness of the feelings and needs of others—both animals and humans.

The children had so many more wonderful ideas for our city project. We have created our own song about building a city and what we need to undertake this project. One of our teachers, Susan, sat with some children and started to develop a city board outside while another teacher, Anna, sat with two of the children and looked up street signs on the Internet. One of the children was very keen to start making a large collection of signs throughout the day. We would like to encourage families to be part of this project as we value your ideas and resources, so please let us know if you would be interested. Another project that’s underway is the stage. We plan to put up a curtain. The children have decided to they want to use different coloured material. If you have any material at home please bring it in.

When Anna took a few children over to the 5s, another child, Harley, told us that they had discovered a dinosaur bone. He led the children over to the area. The 3s and 4s were very impressed by this and decided that they wanted to hunt for bones in their playground. Five minutes later Harley gave Anna a map, ‘This is for the Nursery children so they know where the bone is’. Some of the girls then used the map to locate the bone in the 5s playground. They were so excited by this, they decided that they wanted to make their own maps and look for bones. This then led to the discovery of another bone, and another map created by another of the children led us on an adventure walk through ‘the old house’ (Arlington House) and out through a secret passage. Many other children were influenced by this and started to design their own maps.

Maps are a valuable bridge between the real world and the abstract world and can prepare children for understanding graphs of math and scientific information. Maps also represent children’s experiences of beauty, secrecy, adventure and comfort. We believe in allowing the children to expand their exploration and learning throughout Arlington, where the unique design of the learning spaces can allow this magic to happen.

“A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision; that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood”.
Rachel Carson

TALKING TO PRIMARY AGED CHILDREN ABOUT SEXUALITY

Last week I attended a professional development session on ‘Sex Education’ in primary school with Rosie, our school counselor. Sexuality education includes not only the facts about the human body and how it works, but also about emotions, feelings, attitudes, values, decision-making, relationships and communication. Teaching about sexuality encourages children to develop a coherent set of personal values based upon respecting themselves and others. Children who understand and value themselves and others are better equipped to develop meaningful and positive relationships. Primary-aged children are naturally inquisitive about sexuality education, so it is important they get accurate information from an early age.

Historically, sex education in school has been contentious and subject to public criticism from some quarters. Discrepancies can arise between parental preferences and school delivery of such information. While sexual development of young people is a critical part of their growing and may be seen by them to be the most important aspect of their lives throughout adolescence, we must be thoughtful about the process of developing a program at Arlington. The following quote highlights the need for a strong partnership between school and home.

‘We need to think in terms of a team delivering sex education to young people. On that team are the media, the internet, peers, teachers, parents and healthcare providers. We know that some members of this team will provide less reliable information than others so we must ensure that the more reliable members of the team – teachers, parents and healthcare providers are supported and strengthened in this role. Clearly school programs provide the best infrastructure for these team members to work together.’ (Dyson, 2008).

How much ought to be revealed at which age and by whom?

Next term we are planning a parent information meeting to discuss a school-based sexuality education program. This will provide parents with an opportunity to discuss their role and the school’s role, and find ways to support each other.

The following is an extract of our initial exploration with the children in the 10s and 11s about the idea of teaching sex education at school.

I think we should actually start to learn about it because when girls start puberty they would probably want to know about it. We shouldn’t have to wait to until we go to high school.

I think we should start learning about it because we have got to learn about it some day. When you go through puberty you need to know it is going to happen. We should let parents know because some people have different ideas. Some people are a bit private and prefer that the child doesn’t learn about it at school.

I agree. You might want to learn about it in primary school. We have a friend and they were having their period and they were really freaking out and then they learnt about it. We should ask the parents if it is ok to learn about it. I think we should learn about it at school because your mum and dad might feel uncomfortable telling you about it.

The school should teach sex because well my mum wouldn’t know everything about it so the school would know a bit more I think.

The teachers should teach you about it but parents should give information as well.

You might be uncomfortable with teachers teaching sex. I think you should have the same sex teacher teaching you.

I think we should wait until senior school because some people aren’t really to learn about it.

People should have an option. It they are uncomfortable they shouldn’t do it. You can be a lot better at learning about it if you learn about it in Junior School. Learning more at senior school would have more impact if you already know something.

I don’t think we should learn about it right now because we are just kids. We aren’t going to start doing it until we are older.

Maybe some people do have changes going on already so maybe we should learn about these changes now and the other stuff in senior school. I don’t think it matters who teaches us but some parents might want to teach their own children when they think it is the right time. Others kids may feel uncomfortable learning from their parents.

When we are old enough to learn about sex we should be taught by someone who has had sex.

It can also involve a lot of learning about your body.

Lots of parents are not comfortable about talking about this so parents would like teachers to do. If your parents give you a book about it…. well it is a bit obvious that they don’t want to talk about it.

I think teachers are good but mums are good with puberty because they have been through it.

I think we should have sex education but I am not sure when. I think teachers should teach it because parents, not everyone has a strong connection to them, whereas everyone knows teachers. Not all parents would be happy teaching sex education.

I think that sex education should be taught in the last year of primary school because some children do start to have changes in their bodies and they might not know what is happening. It should be optional. Personally I think we should wait until senior school as I am not that comfortable with someone talking to me about it. It should be the boys with a male teacher and the girls with a female. Otherwise it could be awkward.

I think it would be good to learn about it before the changes happen to your body. We should get permission form parents before it happens. I personally know that my parents wouldn’t care if I learnt about sex education. Some other kid’s parents might get upset.

Some people find sex education at school offensive and they would like to tell their own children in a way that suits them.

I think we should learn about puberty issues now and reproduction later.

I think if you learn those two things separately there will be a big gap and it would be confusing. They should go together.

I think it would be confusing and they should both be taught in the same year. I think it would be better to teach them earlier than later.

We are probably going to have sex someday but we don’t need to learn about it yet.

I think we should have sex education in year 7 but not now because it is just not right…. it’s just not right.

Twelve or thirteen is a good age unless there is a special reason to learn earlier. Some people are not emotionally ready for it. In our culture nowadays most of the songs make sex look bad and shocking.

People say it is the best thing in the world. Some people say sex is wonderful and really good.

I think we should learn about it in High School. When you mentioned sex education a lot of people laugh. They aren’t mature.

I think we should get permission from parents but I think there should be some sex education at Arlington. Some schools do it like in grade 5 and 6 and if you are moving schools you need to know about it.

We shouldn’t have it at Arlington. Best for senior school

It’s best to do it in senior school because I don’t really need to know yet. I would feel a little uncomfortable.

If it happens it should be a teacher from Arlington not a specialised teacher from outside.

The police band

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.

Plato

Last week, the Victorian Police Show Band visited Arlington to play to the children. Live music is an important tool in the development of a child’s musical skills. Live music inspires children to develop their own skills set, take risks in their own music making and opens them up to a diverse range of musical styles.

Engaging all of the children from the nursery right through to the 10/11s, the band played an eclectic mix of music, which had the children dancing and singing. The 5′s were so inspired that once they returned to their classroom they made their own instruments and the 6/7s wrote compositions in Music that afternoon after a discussion about the concert. This event demonstrated the power and importance of Music, it’s ability to promote inclusion, confidence, team work and to ensure every child has the opportunity for creative freedom of expression. It was a joy to be part of the experience.

Below are some of the children’s reflections.

Robert: I really liked the police band. They were very talented at what they did. I thought they had just the right amount of songs for both the little and big kids. I learnt that even that even if you are in a job with the police you can still do other things. They were also pretty cool and the singers had good voices.

Ava: I liked the band because it wasnít common to find police people in a band. They taught the little kids about road safety. It was fun being outside and listening to music. It was cool in the front garden. There was a good variety of songs.

Asher: I thought it was great. I loved the dancing.

Matthew: They played my favourite songs and I danced.

Axel: I loved the trumpet.

Jack: I liked the band because there were lots of gold things. Maybe they were trumpets.

Isabella: The band was great. They had trumpets. There were lots of songs. I did sing and I did dance.

Luca: I know my mum was the girl with long hair. She is a good singer.

I am sure the conversations will continue.

Teachers Are Also Learners

At Arlington every person is a learner, and everyone is a teacher. What better role model for children as learners for them to see that their teacher is also an avid, lifelong learner.

“The great teachers are those who are best at helping students gain deep understanding through personal experience, and know the joy and wonder and power of learning itself.”

Geoffrey Caine, 2004

Teachers and administrators at Preshil are always constantly evaluating and refining their craft.

Dominique Jhumun, our French teacher, recently attended a conference at The Association of French Teachers of Victoria. This was a two-day event and Dominique explored engaging children in French through games. She is also exploring learning French through the use of ICT.

Cal Baxter, Michael Price and Jess Brown attended a professional development day hosted by Eltham College with Richard Gerver. In 2005 Richard won the prestigious ‘School Head Teacher of the Year Awardí at the British National Teaching Awards for his work in leading a school on the brink of closure to becoming one of the most innovative in the world.

Anne Nelson Page, Rachel Bowen, Karen Watson, Louise Ward-Nolan and Sue McLean attended Level II First Aide training. The course covered a broad range of topics to enable participants to confidently manage emergency situations, providing care for the ill or injured until medical aid arrives.

Anne also attended a professional development session on the New Victorian Early Years Framework Curriculum with Catherine Hydon, Being, Belonging and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework is the first framework to be nationally endorsed for use by educators in a range of early childhood settings.

Bronte Howell has enrolled in a single subject ‘Innovative Spaces and Pedagogy‘ which she is doing with Ben Cleveland (Alumnus) at Melbourne University. On completion of this subject participants will have the knowledge, skills and understanding to enable them to develop an interdisciplinary vocabulary regarding space and pedagogy. This study was also inspired by the CEFPI conference Bronte attended in Sydney, Connections: Curriculum + Space; Learning + Place. The conference explored, questioned and demonstrated the connections between learning and the built environment through keynote lectures, workshops, site visits, debate and networking.

Louise Ward-Nolan attended Firbank Grammar School to learn more about ICT in the primary school. The presenter was Paul Mears, Head of Learning Technologies at Firbank Grammar Schoolís junior school. We explored different software that can be used with the children.

Rachel Bowen and Jess Brown attended a seminar hosted by Ivanhoe Grammar, presented by mathematician, Michael Ymer. The seminar focused on using activities and games to inspire group engagement and mathematical questioning when using the four processes: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Michael emphasises the importance of making connections to the world around us to ensure mathematical inquiry is meaningful. Michael challenges teachers to question and respond actively to what does and does not work in our classrooms today.

Karen Watson, Elissa McAuliffe and Jane Kirkpatrick spent an inspiring day with Howard Gardner, research professor of Project Zero at Harvard University and author of many books on the subject of progressive education. Professor Gardener incorporates the explosive findings in current brain research into his ideas for educational practice in todayís social, technological and environmental context. He proposes a new enlightenment, in which searching for truth, beauty and goodness, forms the basis of a deeply human, authentic and life-long curriculum, cradled by the development of disciplined, creative, synthesizing, respectful and ethical minds: his ‘Five Minds of the Future’.

Yesterday I attended the first day of a professional development series on the Australian National Curriculum. The Foundation to Year 10 Australian Curriculum for English, Mathematics, Science and History needs to be implemented in our school by the end of 2013.

After teachers return from professional development we encourage an open sharing discussing successes, challenges and discoveries. The staff thrive on these sorts of sessions sharing ideas, exploring possibilities, discussing childrenís learning, agreeing and disagreeing, thinking collaboratively, creating something new and learning from each other.

We are teachers and we are learners too. And we love it.

MUSIC

Monday Ensemble

“Music has the capacity to… exalt the human spirit, transform the human experience and bring joy, beauty, and satisfaction to people’s lives”

Pascoe, 2007

It was a pleasure last week to observe the children and parents involved in the new ensemble group now running on Monday mornings at 8.30 am. The ensemble features an eclectic mix of instruments creating rhythm grooves using a variety of world music. This week we began a Macedonian piece using marimba, untuned percussion, violin and cello. Many children joined in, including children from the Nursery School.

At Arlington we seek to both enable and encourage our children to grow and flourish in their particular music fields. Joining an ensemble develops many other skills as well, teaching children teamwork and cooperation and reinforcing certain social values in their lives. The value of playing music in ensemble as a mode of expression also provides for a lifelong leisure activity or vocation. Its incorporation into the musical program at Arlington recognises the value of musical activities in the development of the child, involving all of a child’s senses and reinforcing many traditional curriculum areas such as maths and language skills. We strongly believe through musical exploration, children will be able to express themselves as thinking, feeling individuals and develop their musical imaginations.

MORE ABOUT OUR ELECTIVES

We have some wonderful opportunities available for our children in our elective program. Some of our past offerings have included: Science, Working with Wool, Circus Skills, Bollywood Dancing, Woodwork, The Human Body, Puppet Making, Mural Making, and more. At Arlington we seek to help all children develop their innate gifts, talents and abilities by offering an elective program that is a hands-on approach to further cultivate curiosity, interest, and skills. Children are given opportunities to explore a variety of interests through elective classes that are project based.  Individual or group projects are presented at the end of each term in a market place celebration in the hall. These programs are run by parents and friends of Preshil, all of whom are encouraged to volunteer and share their knowledge and skills. Through the elective program, children are able to participate in activities they are excited about, experience different teaching styles and form new relationships. Learning at Arlington is intensely personal because it revolves around these successful and meaningful relationships.

This term the children can elect from the following electives: Cubby Building, Craft, Postcard Production, Cooking, Comedy Writing, Yoga, French Cooking, Health and Wellbeing, Chocolate Making, Quilting or Doll Making. I would like to thank all our wonderful parents and friends who have been part of the program to date.

Below are some comments from the children:

Tayla 6s and 7s: ‘I have learnt how to make pom-poms, dream catchers and dolls out of wool. Electives are fun and I like learning different things.’

Plum 6s and 7s: ‘I have learnt how to make special cards and you can move some of the parts. I also learnt how to make pop up cards. Parents make good teachers because they know things that normal teachers don’t know about. They know things that you don’t usually learn at school.’

Jeremy 10s and 11s: ‘I like to try out new things that I don’t normally do on a day to day basis like yoga. Last term I did an art elective and we went on excursions to art galleries. I learnt how to do etchings.’

Bobby 10s and 11s: ‘I like making food dishes and looking at recipes. I also like learning about drawing. The parents have all been good teachers. Perhaps they have already had experience at it somewhere else.’

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Beginning in the Nursery School we believe that children should be able to ask relevant questions during the course of a day and the teachers encourage children’s inquiry by asking thoughtful, open-ended questions and encouraging children to ask questions of one another. At Arlington teachers rarely ask leading questions that seek a single ‘right’ answer or binary questions that can be answered with a simple ‘yes’or ‘no’. Instead, we hope to teach children to pose their own thoughtful questions and come up with many different solutions to solve problems.

Last week in the Nursery school we were faced with a problem of conflict between different groups of children. Conflict and disagreements at Arlington are seen as a normal part of life at school and we assist children in building communication skills to solve the problems. We want the children to develop the skills to make friends, to respect them as well to express themselves verbally when someone hurts them or their feelings.

The following highlights the many conversations in the Nursery School.

What is a friend?

Elkan: ‘Someone you want to play with’
Kate: ‘I think you don’t hit a friend’
Evie: ‘If someone is sad you give them hugs to make them better’
Milly:  ‘Joining someone into your game because they like it’
Lillian: ‘If a person falls over you say what’s wrong’
Noah: ‘A person you want to play with everyday.’
Cassius: ‘Play together all day.’
Orson: ’Elkan’
Luca: ’You can tickle them’
Angus: ’A friends is someone you play with’
Maya: ’Matthew’
Isabella: ‘To cuddle’

Why do we have friends?
Sonny: ‘Because if you didn’t have friends you couldn’t play with anyone’
Lillian: ‘You would be lonely’
Ethan: ‘To play and share’
Nat: ‘To make them happy’

How do we make friends?
Ethan: ‘If you see someone you don’t know you say hi what’s your name’
Moss: ‘You say hello after you say you like them’
Evie: ‘If you find a friend, you say can I join in your game?’

What do we do or say when someone hurts you or your feelings?
‘Stop it I don’t like it’
‘Move away’
‘Tell the teacher’
‘Say stop, I don’t like it’
‘Get a teacher’

What should happen to that person who hurts you?
Nat: ‘Time out’
Joey: ‘They should go inside’
Lillian: ‘They should be on their own.’
Arianna: ‘You have to respect them.’

What does respect mean?
Sonny: ‘Take care’
Ethan: ‘Look after’
Lillian: ‘Not break’

Who has time out at home?
Eleven children responded with a yes.
Ethan: ‘I have to go to my room.’

How long?
Elkan: ‘When you’re calm.’
Moss: ‘When I go to my room, I read a book for four minutes and my brother reads for seven minutes.’

As a group the children agreed that it would be fair that we would do the same. If a child is three then time out would be for three minutes and so on.

Kate: ‘You have to look after you’re little friends.’

The teachers have noticed a very positive change in the children’s social behaviour after this valuable discussion. Children are including other friends into their games. If there is a conflict then that child knows the consequences. The conversations will no doubt continue……..

LEARNING

Arlington exists to give every child who comes to us the best possible context and opportunities to learn how to learn. Children are learning to monitor and direct their own progress, asking questions such as ‘What am i doing now?’, ‘Is it getting me anywhere?’, ‘What else could I be doing instead?’ Teachers are asking children to reflect on thinking, before, during and after the process, pondering on progress and how to improve. Our commitment is to support children to be empowered learners who are able to take their place in the world.

Each person as a learner seeks to find the niche that they are able to carve, create or spin for themselves, a niche that is connected to others but allows each individual to continue to grow and learn in the world. This kind of educational experience aims to make connections between all types of learning and to see each child as a whole person in their community.

For each child, from their early years, creatively playing and developing their views of the world, to those eager and waiting to move across to the senior campus at Blackhall/Kalimna in 2012, there is a place for them at Arlington. We are committed to providing, and providing well, for all students. Our commitment to supporting children in learning to learn remains paramount.

Preshil is celebrating its 80th birthday and the children have all been developing research projects around our history and birthday celebrations. Of course, this year will be a particular opportunity to remember the extraordinary contributions of the two Margaret Lyttle women in shaping the school’s philosophy and providing continued inspiration.

The first Margaret Lyttle was a brilliant teacher of ‘instinctive genius’ who went back to first principles: her aim was to develop the child’s feelings, sense of independence, security and self-confidence. Believing that the best learning took place through self-directed activity, she produced a prospectus, which stated: ‘Preshil aims at being a school which fits itself to the needs of the child’.

We must always remember that the golden eagle is the symbol of our school, and our motto is ‘Courage’. What did Margaret mean by the word ‘Courage’? How do you interpret the word and what does this value look like today?

Is it about the courage to speak the truth, the courage to own a mistake? Is it about persistence in the face of failure? Is it about having the courage to stand up for what you believe in? Is it the courage to speak our mind and not stay silent, simply because we are afraid that other people might not agree with us? Is it the courage to shape our world? Margaret Lyttle believed that her school should be a model of the world, as we would love to have it. The list could go on and on.

In Term 2 the children were encouraged to continue conversations about the values of Arlington. One of the questions posed to the children was, ‘What does it mean to be an Arlington graduate?’ What are the characteristics of a child who is graduating from Arlington? What is their concept of courage?

At least some of the characteristics of a graduate of Arlington can be linked to the values of the school, values that have been fostered throughout a child’s time at the school. If we hold these values sincerely then they should be evident in each child and in the experiences students have had learning at this school.

What we hope is that graduates will leave the school with a real appreciation of courage. That they demonstrate by their actions and attitudes that they value having been part of the community that is Arlington. We hope that children leave here believing that courage is something to celebrate and that the world is a better place for its courageous thinkers and courageous people in the many senses of the word.

Other values quickly come to mind. To be a creative person, to think and behave creatively in what is becoming a homogenised world, is core to all of us becoming creative thinkers and learners. To be able to develop new ideas and interpretations, to think laterally and imaginatively, evident in art work displayed around the school, in playmaking, music, in play and in writing but also in many other aspects of each of the children who attend Arlington today.

Creativity leads to innovation. Not innovation for innovation’s sake, but if we don’t innovate, adapt and look imaginatively at the possibilities for the future then humans on this planet may face huge difficulties.

Our society is changing and those who will be successful are those who are able to find a new and better way to achieve something. Those who can innovate will be those who get joy from what the world brings forth. We intend that every child should leave the school with a sense of what they have achieved, what they have contributed to the whole and belief in themselves, and a commitment to work hard to achieve something in the world.

In the end, what makes all the other bits of achievement, or creativity, or imagination worthwhile is the relationships we build with other people. Our sense of what it means to be related within our small community, and as a part of the entire globe, connected to the world community.

Values are the ideals that give significance to our lives, that are reflected through the priorities we choose, and that we act on consistently and repeatedly.

Brian Hall -Values Shift (1994)

PROJECT WORK

Through our project work, the learning in which we invite children to partake at Arlington has a sense of purpose, using real tools and involving real skills. We want to give children authentic learning experiences from a very early stage; a big part of our philosophy is putting the responsibility of a child’s education in their hands. In our project work there is plenty of opportunity for children to work together; planning, sharing ideas, reflecting; helping their peers and in turn being helped by peers. Children are encouraged to work in collaboration as opposed to competition. Children teach each other, collaborate with each other, and help each other. They are encouraged to pursue passions and interests, to play, to explore, to invent, to question and to communicate in productive collaboration with others. Below is an example of the project work undertaken in the 5s (aka The Explorers).

We started our year with reading the book Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge written by Mem Fox. This led the conversation into the olden days and how Preshil has been around for a long time. Our teacher in the 5s, Jess and Cush, both came to Preshil when they were children and both of them have many stories to tell. Jess let the group know that an artist will be coming to the school to run a project called, “If these walls could talk.” The question was asked, “What would the walls of Preshil say if they could talk?” There was silence while everyone thought, and then one child said, “Well the walls might see the toys come alive at night time”. The project began…

We decided to write a letter to everyone in our community to come in and be guest speakers to tell us about their favourite toys when they were little. We also wanted to have an Old Fashioned Day, and thought that we might learn some good games to play from our guest speakers.

It was great to have a focus of letter writing as we know that people write letters all the time. We received a thank you letter from a parent who received flowers from us, an invitation letter from the 10s and 11s to see the play and Mia brought in a letter her grandma had written her.

We completed our letter to every one and the next step was to deliver them the old fashioned way, via the post.

But what would we need? We decided on stamps and envelopes.

We designed our stamps.

The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.

Walt Whitman

We wrote up all of the people that we would like to send the letter to and counted them out. There were 14. So then how many stamps and envelopes would we need? We worked out we would need the same amount. And by a stroke of luck there were 14 children in the class so every body would get the chance to put together a letter. We already had 10 photocopies of the letter,

How many more would we need? Imogen thought maybe four more. So we counted on from 10 and discovered she was right. Off we went on an excursion to the office to photocopy four more letters and ask Karyn for 14 envelopes. With vibrant attention and curiosity the children greeted people along the way.

We had a terrific response to our letter with many guest speakers coming in to tell us about their favourite toys and games when they were little. We have continued with letter writing and have used Kim’s thank you letter and Mia’s Nana’s letter as an inspiration.  We have set up a letter writing table with beautiful writing paper, squares to make our own stamps and envelopes. Our learning will continue…………

The stories of childhood leave an indelible impression, and their author always has a niche in the temple of memory from which the image is never cast out…

Howard Pyle

It is through analysis of words, drawings and photographs that we try to understand the learning process and this enables us to learn about and understand deeper how children learn.

ELECTIVES AT ARLINGTON

One innovative and unique approach to teaching and learning at Arlington is our elective program. During this time, regular classes do not run, but learners opt into elective programs run by parent volunteers. This allows parents to offer programs that can’t always be run in learning areas and in short, to extend and enhance the curriculum. At Arlington we are committed to creating a ‘learning’ rather than a ‘teaching’ environment.’ Parents work with children for one afternoon a week for a whole term. Children choose their electives based on their interests. At the end of the term we conclude with a celebration of the learning.

Electives began in Term 1 and the children have thoroughly enjoyed the programs offered and I am sure that parents and children alike have learnt a lot from this process. I wish to thank all the parents, families and friends for their work in first term.

Reflections…

Will: I chose to do gardening because I like gardening. I made a grass head which was a sock filled with seeds and potting mix. It was left in a jar filled with water and over time it grew hair which was grass. In our group we also made a veggie patch which had French breakfast radishes, baby carrots and lettuces.

Laura: I chose sewing and knitting because my Mum is really good at these and she also helped in the class. I also want to be as good as my Mum at these so that is a reason why I chose it as well. I made a cape for my dog and a necklace out of material for me. I realised how fun it could be to sew.

Jack: Creative percussion was interesting. I like the instruments Roland bought in for us to experiment with. I learnt about rhythm and beat.

Harry: In woodwork I built things. I built a boat and I have still got the boat. I built a windmill because it started out as a birdfeeder but that didn’t work so I changed it to a windmill. The teachers were pretty good and I had quite a bit of fun. I learnt how to use a hammer and nails. You need to start it first and then hammer it in.

Andrew: I picked yoga because it sounded the most interesting of all the electives. We learnt many different yoga moves and poses. I realised it was harder than it looked and it was very painful. I had never done yoga before and found it fun. I would definitely do it again.

Ruby: I chose science because I thought it would be really fun and it was. I learnt how to make sherbet and elephant toothpaste. I made sherbet by mixing all these powders together and then it became sherbet. I think we used peroxide in the elephant’s toothpaste and because of this we needed to wear gloves. We also lit an empty tea bag which flew up into the air. It flew in the air because the hot air made it rise.

NEXT: ‘CHILDREN FOR DESIGN’

agIdeas” international design week is one of the largest and most prestigious design festivals in the world. Each year agIdeas brings 40 internationally acclaimed creative people to Melbourne, those who have pushed the boundaries and excelled in their area of creativity.

An eager group of young designers from Arlington attended the agIdeas “Next: children for design”, a conference held in the BMW Edge at Federation Square. The inaugural “Next” was a program of activities aimed at encouraging children to become champions of good design. The activities we participated in included a forum with 500 other children from local schools followed by a workshop with internationally acclaimed designers, culminating in a collaborative creation.

The children were challenged with two big questions “Where does design play a role in your life?” and “How could design make your life better?” The resulting work enabled the children to make their thinking visible on large ‘puzzle’ pieces that fitted together to create a public artwork in the form of a sculptural mural. Some Preshil concepts included a pollution free factory design, a bedroom with a tropical forest inside it and a robotic controlled passenger plane.

By opening children’s minds to the value of good design, they’ll be inspired to become the creative leaders of a design-savvy generation who demand a world that looks and works better.” agIdeas 2011.

A reflection on the learning experience…

Jeremy: We all worked on different pieces of cardboard and we all had the same task to do. The task was to draw or design things that we see or interact with in our everyday life. I drew a selection of things like a how, dresses and my list goes on. The second task was to design something that would make our lives better in some way. I drew a self driven aeroplane. The man then asked people to come up on the stage. I went up. Some people had very out there ideas and some ideas were quite plausible. I chose the aeroplane as I think this would be a good investment for low budget airlines. They then wouldn’t have to worry about paying the cost of a pilot. The day excited me and the topics were very broad so everyone could relate to them in their own way.

If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.~

Sir Ken Robinson

CAMPING: 10s and 11s

On March 29 this year the 10s &11s went to camp at Eumeralla Scout Camp at Anglesea.

The camp was the result of an exhaustive research process taken on by a volunteer committee of children in the group.

The educational purpose of the camp was:

• to develop interpersonal skills outside the familiar setting of Preshil;
• to encourage risk taking;
• to encourage a sense of adventure and commitment to seeing physical challenges through to the end;
• promote interdependence; and
• encourage an appreciation of the natural world.

Rory:  We had our lunch on the bus and waved to drivers and everyone shared out the lollies that they had brought.

After we arrived at the camp, everyone put up their tents and sorted out their cabins.  The three main cabins were The Owls with Harry C , me, Robert, Lachie, and on the second night we had David as well.  Then there were the Cuckoos, the girls’ cabin and the Peckers, the mostly 11s cabin.

In the afternoon we went canoeing.  It was enjoyable and the paddling made your arms tired and in my group we had a game of Whale Tiggy, where you put the toy whale in the back of someone’s canoe.

One of the leaders told us about the incredible journey made by the eels that live in the Anglesea River.  Each mating season they make their way out to sea, up the coast of Eastern Australia and out to Pacific islands where they breed.

Afterwards those who wanted went for a frolic in the ocean.

Wednesday morning involved surfing for most and bushwalking for others.  The weather defied the forecast and a ‘totally awesome’ morning was had by all.

Sam:  Surfing was really, really fun!  The weather was perfect and most of us even got a few tricks off.  Not many of us had been surfing before but most of us manage to stand up.  The instructors were really thorough in their teaching and even people who had never surfed got the hang of it quickly.

Jeremy:  Bushwalking was interesting.  We got to look at very interesting plants and trees and there were some quite nice views.  I tried to use some perspective in my photos like trying to make a rock look like a cliff.

A trail ride through the bush at the back of Aireys Inlet was a highlight for many that afternoon and in just one session we trotted and some of us even cantered.  Everyone fell in love with their horse (all of which had names) and much pampering was given after the ride.

Angelica: I’ve never really ridden a horse.  I really wanted to do it because it was new to me so I thought I should try it.  When we first got on our horses I felt very small. My horse was called Pumpkin; I think she had a good temperament!  I liked trotting the best because walking got a bit boring after a while.  When the session was over there was a big tin can there.  It was fun going in it while people rolled you around.  Overall the horse riding was a good experience and it was fun.

The final morning took some of us to the top of the Aireys Inlet Lighthouse, into the cold waters of the Inlet ‘netting’ and along the shore of the Marine Park as part of an estuary discovery session.

Jeremy:  We tried to find marine life in the estuary but no one found anything.  We found a dead puffer fish on the beach though which was pretty cool.

COMING UP LINK

April

A booklet outlining Preshil’s Strategic Plan – Towards 2023 was recently sent out to all families and in the first two weeks of the term we have hosted a series of Q and A sessions and an Information Night to ensure that our community and prospective parents have an opportunity to understand the major strands of this plan. We have been very happy with the positive response to our plans and invite anyone who has not received a booklet, or who would like to discuss the implications of the plan for their child, to contact me and to make a time to discuss it in detail. The Strategic Plan has now been published on the school website.

Already we are receiving much interest from people across the educational and the wider community who are pleased to see a clear restatement of our philosophy from the Nursery School to Year 12 and the alignment of our progressive ideals with the gradual introduction of the International Baccalaureate programs into the senior school.

An article in “The Age”, Wednesday 1 May, ‘New directions for top students‘ cites a state government discussion paper which warns about the “unhealthy focus” in VCE on university entrance scores which distorts education in the senior years. “The paper says the tendency to focus almost exclusively on the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) means students try to maximise their VCE score, sometimes at the expense of enrolling in a wider range of subjects or pursuing a specialist area of interest.” It goes on to point out that this narrow focus is increasingly unnecessary “as universities increasingly look beyond a single entrance score in their admissions procedures.”

All of these issues were considered as Preshil formulated a clear vision for the school we want to offer our students into the future and we are confident that our thinking will be increasingly echoed by others who believe education is about so much more than a single score. Please take the time to consider these issues for your own child.

The Preshil Foundation is very enthusiastic in supporting the school to achieve our capital works objectives, to ensure that we have facilities which are appropriate and inspiring, as well preserving the beauty of our campuses. Already a number of fundraising projects are underway.

The 2013 Annual General Meeting of the Preshil Association was held in the Kevin Borland Hall on Wednesday 24 April. A small, but very engaged group of Association members attended and the Annual Report will be forwarded to the Victorian Registration and Qualification Authority.

At the Annual General Meeting two new members of Council were unanimously voted onto the Board. Trent Taylor and Andrew McMeekin are both parents at Preshil and they are to be commended for their willingness to contribute to the school in this major way. Eva Strasser, a long-standing member of the teaching staff at the Senior School, will join the Council as a teacher nominee.

Eva has also agreed to chair the Education Forum we have been planning for some time. The first gathering for this forum will take place in the Blackhall Kalimna Library on the evening of Wednesday 22 May. More details about the Forum, its format and topics for discussion will be published in the eBulletin over the next few weeks. Please let me know if you have ideas or want to discuss this proposal.

A special pleasure of my role as Principal at Preshil is hearing from parents about the appreciation they feel for the individuals who teach their children. Many parents report the change that takes place in their children and adolescents when they establish a rapport or are inspired by a particular teacher. I recently received this message :

“One of the most amazing things about Preshil (and I think there any many) is that at Preshil he is valued for his quirkiness, individuality, creativity and encouraged to expand on that and find the inner person that will take him from adolescence to manhood in, not only his academic learning, but also is his personal growth. It’s such a joy to watch and I am very proud of him.”

Preshil can feel very proud of our teachers.

March

On Sunday 24 February, the Preshil community gathered to honour and celebrate the remarkable contribution to education of Margaret E Lyttle, who turned 100 years old last November. It was an occasion of joy and humble pride as we all took the opportunity to consider the enduring achievements of our school, exemplified through the alumni, the children and older students, parents and teachers who performed for us so generously. Melbourne’s beautiful Recital Hall reflected back to us an image of who we have become; it felt very comfortable and appropriate, albeit exciting, to see our community settle in to these lovely surroundings. Preshil does not make a habit of high profile events so for many of us, delighted by the success of this event, we felt perhaps we should get out more!

A highlight for the school was to actually have Margaret in sufficiently robust health to attend the concert for some part of it. For many children and those new to the school it was a moment when myth and history come to life. The concert was an event to raise funds for the continuing care of Margaret Lyttle and for the curating of her archives, so please contact the school if you would like to contribute to the Margaret E Lyttle Foundation. The concert was preceded by this informative article in the local Boroondarra Review, you can read the article here. or download the full page one and page two titled ‘Marvelous Margaret’.

In “The Age” last Saturday there was an interview with Nicolette Fraillon, the Conductor of the Australian Ballet, a Preshil alumni who refers to the ‘hugely formative’ years she spent at “Preshil, the legendary independent school’. Nicolette has gone on to challenge so many assumptions and conventions of the classical music world in Australia and internationally, but still driven by her sheer love of music, which began as a tot. you can read the article ‘Lunch with Nicolette Fraillon’ here.

Pleasure in making music has been a constant thread in Preshil’s enduring commitment to creative expression. Music of all styles, without the deadening hierarchies and elitism which marginalises the musical passion of many children, is fostered to the highest levels, with many other levels of capacity and commitment along the way. Joy in the making and sharing is the bond.

It is impossible to over-estimate the value of singing, playing an instrument, being a part of a band in all human development and cultures. It seems that every day some new piece of research or evidence comes to light to show how beneficial music is _ – for babies in utero, for the development of a child’s brain, for enlarging children’s capacity for all other learning, such as language acquisition and mathematics, as well as the obvious connections with all other fields of artistic expression. Most recently there have been clear links established between lower blood pressure and musical expression.

Both Arlington and Blackhall Kalimna are about to host opportunities for all of our students to see and hear each one of our Instrumental Music teachers, and to consider the opportunities they can take up learning an instrument or playing in an ensemble at Preshil. All children should ‘have a go’ at a number of instruments. It may be the moment which fires their life defining passion, offers a pathway to an enriching hobby or simply makes child’s play of maths and language. Please let me know how Preshil can provide a wonderful musical experience for your child.

I have received a great response to the changes that have become evident at the senior school in the presentation of our buildings, our modest renovations and the improvements we have recently made to the administration and reception areas at Blackhall. It is certainly a pleasure to use these spaces and to be able to enjoy the peaceful outlook of the front lawn and the scale of the light-filled front rooms, where we can now welcome parents, guests and hold meetings and small functions.

The Cottage is now in full operation as a VCE study and common room – a great facility for our senior students where they have study and tutorial space upstairs and a lounge area and kitchen downstairs. We would like to expand this facility with an outside area, paved and shaded to provide further study and recreation space. If you would like to contribute to this project please let me know.

A number of individuals have generously offered to fund small projects to keep the impetus of this ongoing work and of course I am delighted to share with the Preshil community our plans and ideas to make the school welcoming, comfortable and a truly beautiful environment for our children and staff. We have a working bee coming up on Sunday 17 March, so please come along for an hour or two if you can.

Please let me know if you would like to be involved in our ongoing capital works program or feel that you would like to make a contribution to any aspect of the school.

Welcome 2013

It is a great pleasure to welcome the Preshil Community to the 2013 school year.

There is so much happening at the school and I am confident that we are embarking on an exciting and satisfying journey together.

At the end of last year I received so much inspiring feedback from parents and children about their experiences at Preshil. People have taken the time to write and say how wonderful individual teachers are, how much their children have enjoyed particular events and activities, how different the school experience is for some of the children who enrolled last year and how many of the characteristics of the school resonate with their hopes for their children. They mention that the children feel genuinely respected and treated as individuals, that there is no pressure to conform and that the absence of a competitive culture means they are able to pursue their interests and learning without fear. These elements lie at the heart of the school and it is a joy to hear such feedback.

Preshil has not made a practice of publishing information about our VCE results, in the belief that the significance of any result can only be understood in the context of the student’s own goals and capacities. However, in the school’s Annual Report we are required to report on ‘student achievement’ and we will comply. I am very happy to report that our students have achieved many outstanding results. Our percentage of ATAR scores over 90 well exceed the state average, we have students achieving perfect scores and being selected for Top Arts. Our students are successful in gaining places in all of the major tertiary institutes, including those which require performance and folios for selection, such as the VCA. Our teachers are outstanding and we are immensely proud of the culture of collaboration and individual support they offer their students. VCE is not the be all and end all of schooling; it does not warrant the culture of hysteria and competitive frenzy perpetuated in the media and it is certainly not the only pathway to achieve one’s goals. We encourage all students to set their own goals, to delight in their achievements and to find strength in their setbacks.

At the end of any year schools are faced with saying goodbye to teachers as well as the students leaving. We farewelled Christine Edwards, who has left Preshil to travel around Australia and will then resettle in her home state of Tasmania. Jo Porch has left Preshil and will seek an alternative position in 2013 and Helen Wood has left to take up a position in Sydney.

Suzie Gaymer, Celia Lambert, Sue Bell and John Stafford, who were employed in short term replacement positions, have each completed their stay at Preshil and Claire Morgan has left and has since welcomed a son, Tor, into their family. Peter Roberts has taken a year’s leave. From Arlington Sian Staples has returned to the UK and Louise Ward-Nolan and Lauren Hutchison have both taken a year’s leave.

Each of these people will be missed by their colleagues and by students and parents, but hopefully will remain a part of the extended Preshil community and their contributions will continue to be valued.

We are delighted to welcome Ann Collacott as Receptionist at Arlington, Natalie Jensen, who will be working with Michael Price with our 10s and 11s and Oriana Rumunno in the Nursery School.

Molly Turner (O’Neil), Trish Rogers, Mary Ann Metcalf and Yavanna Dyson are returning from leave to the Senior School.

The stewardship and care of our facilities has become a focus for the school and will continue to be a priority as we undertake our Conservation Management Plan at Arlington and embark on a capital works project at Blackhall Kalimna. The completion of the Library at the senior school and the ways we can now use the spaces it offers has allowed us to consider the use of each of the buildings and opened the way for improved teaching and administration areas. The school Administration will now be housed in the two front rooms of the beautiful Blackhall building. We have been able to replace the truly worn out carpet in much of the building and will continue to carry out refurbishment of all areas in this part of the school. We have also been able to significantly improve and update the senior Art and Media facilities, with enhanced IT capability and much greater opportunity to offer the students flexible and integrated approaches to these subject areas.

At Arlington, in the Sitting Room, there are treasured pieces of furniture collected by Margaret Lyttle. They are well worn and in a couple of instances they are threadbare. We have had a generous offer by a member of the Preshil community to have them re-upholstered and this work is underway, with due care to the choice of an appropriate fabric and maintaining the atmosphere of the room.

There are many other small projects which would suit anyone wanting to make a tangible and perhaps quite modest contribution to the school. Donations to acquire specific items of furniture, indoors and outdoors, donations to undertake specific small projects of refurbishment or landscaping, specific items of electronic or IT equipment, contributions to the curating of the school’s art collection, musical instruments – these are all areas where the school would be delighted to discuss possibilities. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is an idea you would like to follow up.

As always, please feel free to make a time to come and talk to me, at either Arlington or at Blackhall Kalimna. You will be warmly welcomed.

October 2012

Two weeks of Term Four have already passed with so much activity at Preshil the recent holiday period has quickly faded to a pleasant, but distant memory. I did not receive some communications during the term break so if you contacted me and have not had a response please do not hesitate to remind me.

This week the Senior School held its annual Music Festival. We had a series of great performances culminating in a concert in the Richmond Uniting Church. The program was a marvellous showcase of the range of musical styles and ensembles the school runs. From a delightful Monteverdi duet, Corelli played by the Chamber Orchestra, brackets of piano and voice solos to an acapella version of ‘Down Under’, the evening was testament not just to a breadth of musical offerings but even more importantly to the culture of unselfconscious and joyful performance Preshil has established.

The talent displayed and the standard of performance was excellent, but it is the atmosphere of shared enjoyment in each contribution which makes these events so special.   Tim Dargaville, our Senior School Coordinator of Music, and all of the teachers involved deserve our thanks and congratulations.

The week has been the final week of classes for our Year 12 students, culminating in the Valedictory Dinner in the Kevin Borland Hall hosted by the Preshil Council. This is a very special night for the students who have the opportunity to speak about their experiences at Preshil and what the school has meant to them. It is a time of mixed sadness and joy as we farewell them in the knowledge that they are all about to embark on their individual journeys into adulthood.

This term the school and the wider Preshil community will celebrate Margaret Lyttle’s one hundredth birthday. A number of events and publications will mark this extraordinary milestone and we will share those details with you shortly and you will be able to read about it on our website in this link here.  We have also began updating the historical section on the website here and which describes Margaret’s life, her work and the impact she has made on educational thought in this country. We will include more information in the coming bulletins leading up to her birthday.

Last weekend the Preshil Council spent a day working on the Preshil Strategic Plan 2013 – 2023. While this is an ambitious task it is essential for the school to have a clear set of goals and expectations for the children who are already enrolled in the school’s Junior School and will actually complete their secondary education beyond this date. While we cannot predict the future we can take purposeful action to ensure that our processes, plans and resources position us in the best possible way to meet their needs within a framework entirely consistent with Preshil’s abiding values and educational philosophy.

Members of the Council take their governance role very seriously and I feel very blessed to work with a team of such highly skilled and focussed individuals. Our Strategic Plan will be ready to publish for the community in time for the start of the 2013 school year and I look forward to engaging the school community in the process of implementation and ongoing evaluation.

September 7

Over the past several weeks I have been meeting with every teacher in both campuses to talk to them about their work and experiences at Preshil this year. Every meeting is a revelation of the extraordinary commitment our teachers have to the school, their passion for teaching and their willingness to contribute to the school’s future. We are all dedicated to improvement, to constantly developing ways to engage, challenge and nurture every child to ensure they become confident and demanding learners.
This commitment to driving a progressive culture of learning and teaching at Preshil is the central element in the work we are now undertaking to deliver the school’s Strategic Plan 2013 – 23.

While the time frame for such a plan seems ambitious we are in reality mapping out our ideas for the education we will deliver to our youngest children already enrolled at Preshil. These children have every right to know that the adults of their school are working hard to formulate the education they will experience. Preshil is working with two people from Reos Consultants to help us create an imaginative and firmly realistic plan which will cement Preshil’s future reputation as a pre-eminent, progressive and highly individual school. This work will be finalised during Term 4 and I look forward to sharing this vision for Preshil’s future with the school community.

In the final term this year we will begin the exciting process of refurbishing the Blackhall building at the Senior School. This is a beautiful building which requires significant attention to bring it up to a standard which provides a welcoming and comfortable environment for our senior students and teachers. We plan to relocate the Reception, Administration and office for the Head of Campus to this building. As the Principal of Preshil I also need to be able to have a regular and accessible presence at the Senior School and look forward to spending more time there in the future.

We are also undertaking the first stage of some significant landscaping projects at Blackhall to minimize the impact of cars entering the grounds and improving the passive recreation areas around the school. Plans to re-install the Downball Wall are finally underway!

At Arlington we are allocating funds to carry out a planned maintenance, repair and refurbishment program, as indicated in the Conservation Management Plan. In Term 4 necessary work will be started on Borland Hall, The Tree House, which houses the Art Room and on the gardens.

Today at Arlington we were once again treated to a Doo Dah lunch. Delicious, healthy food prepared by our wonderfully creative parents. At the same time our Year 12 students were visiting Arlington to be interviewed by the 11 year olds, in preparation for the Valedictory gifts they make and give to the exiting students. All of this activity made up a very satisfying picture of the children and young adults at Preshil.
I am taking some leave and will be away for this holiday break, so look forward to returning for the final term of 2012.

August 3

We started the new term with some very happy recent memories of events which took place toward the end of last term. The Winter Solstice celebration was a wonderful night and we all enjoyed the opportunity for the children to gather in their school, rugged up, equipped with lanterns, enjoying an open fire, hot food and entertainment. This event was, as usual, supported by a terrific group of parent helpers with very thorough organisation behind the scenes. I am sure we all remember the childhood magic and excitement of gathering in the dark with friends and family and we look forward to continuing this as a very special annual occasion and we have already put it in the calendar for Thursday 20 June 2013. Doodah always means we finish the term on a high note and this term’s feast was enjoyed in warm sunshine – a pleasant surprise and bonus as we pass through the middle of winter.

Alistair Rayner joined the Preshil Community at the new Head of Campus at Arlington last term and has settled into his role speedily and gracefully. He brings a depth of knowledge and experience to this role, combined with a strong commitment to Preshil’s core values and great energy. Alistair is one of the many individuals who has been particularly attracted to Preshil by the school’s longstanding reputation among educators as a unique environment with a genuine commitment to progressive thinking. He cites the “Courage” document as a particular inspiration.

We are planning some long overdue refurbishment of the Blackhall building during the remainder of the year. This project is symbolised by the installation of our new “chandelier” in the front hall of the building. It is a delightful creation made by Sally Mills and donated to Preshil for our Fair last year and then purchased and donated again to the school by our Chair of the Preshil School Council, Phillip Marzella. It adds a magical touch to the entrance and we will undertake the necessary work to make the surroundings more deserving of its beauty.

Architect Gina Levenspiel gave an inspiring presentation of the work she has carried out over a period of two years in bringing together previously dispersed and unresearched areas of Arlington’s past. She has completed an exhaustive examination of the heritage significance of the junior school and its site and has mapped out the way forward for the school to rectify and to protect the buildings and the grounds. By this means Preshil will be able to ensure that future generations of children are able to enjoy learning in a place specially designed to honour and celebrate childhood. Gina’s work brings together rigorous scholarship, a depth of sensitivity and enormous respect for those individuals who played such key roles in creating Arlington. Her work will be of enduring value to the community as we seek to restore and build on the work of these past giants in the school’s history.

We have recently welcomed Cressida Batterham-Wilson to the school to take up the key role as the School Registrar. Cressida will oversee all matters to do with enrolments and new students and will work at both Arlington and at Blackhall/Kalimna. She attended the school as a student, as did her father, Mondie Wilson, and her brother. Many people in the Preshil community will know Cressida so please contact her or drop in to say hello.

There has been a change in the provision of out Information Technology network and services throughout the school. Mark Walsh has resigned from his position after working with us for 5 years and the system will now be managed by an external company who will provide us with the ongoing support and specialist services we need. We expect to see some changes taking place and students at both campuses will have the opportunity to play a part in deciding how the system might best serve their needs. The Library at Blackhall/Kalimna is now equipped with wi-fi and we all look forward to greater access to resources throughout the school.

I have now been at Preshil for a little over 2 years and can truly say how passionate I am about the future of the school and how humble I feel to have this position as Principal. Every day I work with a group of outstanding teachers and support staff who are all deeply committed to the children and young adults they work with and I meet with parents who think very deeply about education and the issues it currently raises. But my experience here at Preshil is most significantly influenced by the children and students across the whole school who make this job worth every moment I devote to it. Children are magic.

Please feel welcome to contact me or either of the Heads of Campus, Andrew Kohane and Alistair Rayner.

May 11

On Friday 27 April, Arlington hosted a Grandparents and Friends Day. The Kevin Borland Hall was overflowing with visitors and the children were eager to entertain them with a short concert showcasing the pleasure and pride our children take in performing together. It is an opportunity to thank the instrumental teachers at Arlington, on this occasion Fran Johnson, Karoline and Atilla Kuti, who, together with a committed group of parent volunteers, cultivate such a vibrant and inclusive musical culture.

Our visitors also had the opportunity to visit all the classes and to see the Preshil program in full swing. The children are not regimented into rows or required to remain in their seats. Margaret (Greta) Lyttle referred to the special relationship between “the committed band of teachers” whose central concern is with the personal development and growth of the children into mature persons. “We see this growth taking place when children are truly engaged and absorbed in what they are learning…” Everyone visiting Arlington is struck by the atmosphere of genuine engagement, of freedom and of happiness which is exhibited by the children. This was the overwhelming impression commented on by grandparents, many of whom had had little previous experience of this unique school.

Margaret (Greta) Lyttle went on to consider “What then is the essence of the relationship between teacher and children which makes such inner freedom possible? Its essence would appear to be the teacher’s capacity for unconditional acceptance of each child as he or she is – an acceptance which the child is able to feel, and through which he or she is unconsciously convinced that the teacher is on his or her side.” It is this commitment to each child as an individual which underpins Preshil’s culture and our teachers are exceptional practitioners of this philosophy. Some of our visitors were curious to know why there was a train carriage of life-sized proportions sitting in Borland Hall. This extraordinary construction is part of the set for the school’s musical “Leaving” which is being performed in the Renaissance Theatre at Kew High School over 3 nights from Thursday 10, Friday 11 and Saturday 12, May at 7.30pm

Senior students have been extremely committed to this very demanding project which deals with issues in current society which are all too real for many young people. Issues such as social disadvantage, homelessness and the many vulnerabilities and choices facing individuals as they make their way to adulthood. Preshil’s motto of Courage in the face of adversity is of particular relevance. Despite its grim themes our students have been thoroughly enjoying the experience of bringing the musical to life. The opportunity to make friends across the different year levels, engage creatively with all aspects of the production and collaborate in performance have led to a very happy experience despite the demands of meeting other commitments alongside out of hours rehearsals, set production and publicity. While there are many people to thank with such an ambitious undertaking I would like to make special acknowledgement of Jo Porch, the Director and Tim Dargaville, the Music Director.

Hopefully our wonderful cast and crew will play to packed houses each night and I encourage parents and older students – “Leaving” has a recommended rating of 12+ – to go along.

April 20

Welcome to the second term at Preshil for 2012. It is a lovely time of the year for us all to enjoy our pleasant outdoor spaces in the sunshine before the onset of real winter. The children are certainly making the most of the front garden at Arlington and it is a pleasure to be able to watch them from my window.

I am very happy to be able to announce the appointment of Alistair Rayner as Head of Campus at Arlington. He will take up this position from Monday 30th April and I am sure the Preshil community will welcome him to this key role in the school. Alistair comes to Preshil after years of leadership experience in several independent schools. He has been Head of Junior School and Kindergarten at Mowbray College and, most recently, Head of Middle Primary at Grimwade House, Melbourne Grammar.

I would like to acknowledge the extra work all of the Arlington staff, both teaching and support staff, have taken on in the absence of the support and leadership they need from a Campus Head. We all look forward to making opportunities for Alistair to get to know the children, their parents and the wider Preshil community as soon as possible.

At the end of last term we had the joyful experience of being able to invite the Preshil students to take possession of their new Library at the Blackhall/Kalimna campus. The students had a major role in the celebrations. Four students spoke to the assembled students, teachers and guests, together with a key note address from alumnus Sally Warhaft and Stephen O’Connor, from O’Connor and Houle, the architects who designed the building. The students have had an active part in choosing the colour scheme of the building and continue to be involved in the choosing the furnishings for the building. Matt, a Year 12 student, together with William and Milly from the 5s, cut the ribbon and the doors were officially opened.

This occasion marked the completion of a project which involved the work of many individuals and the support of the generous parents who supplemented the government funding. The library has exceeded everyone’s expectations; it is beautiful without being grandiose, it provides a flexible and inviting set of spaces both inside and externally.

At Arlington, as part of the comprehensive conservation and heritage project, the school has commissioned to complete a Conservation Works Program. We have now commenced necessary works recommended by the Arborist’s report which has meant the removal of a small number of aged trees considered to pose a possible safety risk. This will be the beginning of a planned replanting of trees to ensure that the Junior School and the Nursery School have healthy foliage and sufficient ‘wilderness’ areas for children to explore for many years to come.

Already the busyness of Term Two at Preshil is in full swing!

February 17

The Preshil year has certainly started very well. At Arlington, the junior school has each room humming with activity and energy. Parents have seen the enthusiasm and enjoyment the children display. Our new teachers have been paired with mentors and are establishing their own part in the rich and varied opportunities which Arlington offers for the children to inspire them to learn, play and explore.

At Blackhall/Kalimna we have welcomed many new students to the senior school. Andrew Kohane and the teachers are focusing in a renewed and expanded role for ‘Trackers’ for every student from Year 7 to Year 12 with an emphasis on Preshil’s core commitment to see every student as an individual whose learning needs to be shaped specifically around their passions, strengths and goals.

At Preshil we do not single out our ‘high achievers’ for special praise, nor do we try to use such achievements for aggrandizement of the school’s status. We share the delight of all students in their triumphs and in the overcoming of sometimes enormous obstacles. To simply stay the course may represent the most extraordinary courage and achievement, while the world’s accolades often prove to be hollow.

I am particularly pleased by the breadth of paths our senior students seek in their post-secondary school choices, confirming the truth that there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ Preshil student. While the large majority of our graduates take up offers at universities they choose very different courses. Two of our students chose to seek out opportunities in overseas universities and both of them achieved their goals.

Apart from two students whose decisions for this year are not yet final, all Preshil graduates have gone on to tertiary study this year. Many of these pathways are not determined by an ATAR ranking and I hope that teachers, parents and students are all aware that the obsession with ‘scores’ is increasingly out of touch with the diversity of opportunities and pathways now on offer at the end of secondary schooling. Setting one’s own goal and finding realistic ways to achieve it is what we aim to do with every individual student.

On Thursday 1 March we will host a Family Picnic to welcome families new to the school and to provide an opportunity for the Preshil community to get together and enjoy a pleasant evening in the front garden at Arlington. Members of the School Council, the Preshil Foundation, will be introduced and there will be the opportunity for parents to hear about some of the plans for 2012. Let’s hope for some beautiful late summer weather in which to share a rug and a picnic tea.

January 31

Welcome back to Preshil for the start of the 2012 school year.

I do hope that all our families are refreshed from the holidays and that all the children and older students are ready to return to school with great stories to share. Ideally we all start the year with an eagerness to learn and a willingness to challenge ourselves.  Each new year at school is a new start; an opportunity for renewed optimism and the eternal hope that this will be the best year of all!

For me this year I plan to make many more opportunities to engage with all of the Preshil students.  I will be attending forums, regular student meetings, working as a ‘tracker’ for a small number of students, reading weekly stories with the Fives, welcoming students into my office for conversations and morning teas and working with them to find clearer avenues for students’ voices to be heard in planning and decision making. Later this term I will actually be teaching a short unit of poetry as part of the senior Literature course. 
 
2012 is Margaret E Lyttle’s centenary year.  This is an enormous milestone for Margaret and we all hope that she is sufficiently robust to experience some of the joy and satisfaction she deserves.  For the school it is a wonderful opportunity to refocus on the uniqueness of her educational vision, to recapture the passion for children and their development as the individuals they already are, with rich social relationships and a contribution to make to community life.

The school seeks to honour Margaret in a number of ways throughout the year and there will be many opportunities for all members of the Preshil community to become involved.

As usual the start of the year is an opportunity to welcome some new faces to the school and to welcome back others who are returning. Many of these ‘new’ faces have already had some connection or experience with Preshil and all of them are excited to be working at this much loved school.  Bronte Howell has worked very hard to get an updated version of the ‘Lyttle Green Book’ ready for distribution in the coming weeks. The photo gallery will give everyone the basis for recognizing new faces and welcoming them to our small world.

Over the holiday period there has been an enormous amount of work carried out to get the school ready for the 2012 year. Cleaning, gardening and facilities maintenance have all now been completed.

On Saturday we held an extremely successful working bee at Arlington and I would like to extend a huge thank you to all the parents who contributed their time and muscle power to cleaning up the workshop area and tackling the cubbies.  Last year we discussed the state of the cubbies with parents and the children and agreed that we needed to restore the sensible practice of dismantling the buildings at the end of each year so as to encourage a new opportunity for different groups of children to work together to construct anew their version of a cubby.  We are now looking for possible contributions of exciting and useful materials to add to the substantial pile of boards, planks and panels reclaimed, ‘denailed’ and ready for construction which our efforts have garnered. I am sure we will see a new era of creative architecture and building once again flourishing as we work together to preserve and support this quite precious part of the children’s work at Arlington.

I am confident that we can make 2012 an exciting and serene year for children and adults alike and I look forward to working with you to achieve this.

December 6

What an extraordinary day the Fair, on the 26th November, turned out to be. The heavy deluge which had us almost immobilised at 11am was surprisingly kind for most of the time the Fair was in progress and while the rain returned to dampen a few feathers of our courageous little eagles as they paraded around the school wearing their beautiful plumage our spirits were not dampened at all.

The fair was a wonderful opportunity to experience the strength of our community, the warmth of affection and depth of commitment of so many people. I was overwhelmed by the generosity of spirit and contributions made by so many individuals. It was marvellous to meet so many people who took the opportunity to reconnect with Preshil and to remind us all of what the school has meant to them in the course of its eighty years.

Victoria Osborne sent out a message of thanks which really captured the atmosphere and impressions of the day.  One of my strongest recollections was of Victoria herself, overseeing the digging of channels in the morning torrents of rain and thoroughly soaked again as the clean up team got on with their work after the crowds had disappeared. Victoria has been the unwavering driving force which got the project off the ground in the first place and inspired so many others to get on board.

I would also like to remind you there is an Information Session on Monday December 12 at 7.00 pm in the 10s and 11s room for Arlington parents. This session is to talk about the plans and staffing arrangements for 2012, to ask questions and for us to meet and welcome new parents. I am sorry about the late notice but we have only just now been able to finalise some of these arrangements.

Recently we have been holding interviews for new and replacement staff. During these interviews applicants usually have the chance to explain what it is that attracts them to Preshil and how they might be able to contribute to the Preshil community. Their answers reflect what they believe about the values, the philosophy and the culture of Preshil as it is understood in the wider educational community. They are both illuminating and encouraging. Teachers are attracted to Preshil because it represents an opportunity to truly inspire children and young adults to be themselves, to find their own voice and to pursue their passions , regardless of whether or not this pathway is one approved of by society as ‘successful’ or requiring an impressive ATAR score. Preshil requires teachers to respect each child and support their progressive development both as a learner and as an individual member of the Preshil community. One young teacher saw Preshil as the opportunity to become a ‘great teacher, not just a good one’; this is an opportunity we are delighted to offer.

November 22

There seems to be no time in the school year when is not extremely busy, but these last weeks of Term 4 seem to be reaching new levels of feverish activity amid the planning for 2012.

The Preshil Fair has involved many parents, children and staff at both campuses in a host of preparations.  Food and drink, auctions, displays, music and many other entertainments

have been organised for the Preshil community to get together to celebrate the final stages of our Eightieth Year and to welcome visitors to our school. We are all looking forward to being involved and if anyone is still eager to join in there are contact lists and links available at either campus and elsewhere on the website.

Last week we hosted the annual Margaret E Lyttle Foundation Oration. Dr Rachel Nordlinger spoke about her work as a linguist focusing on indigenous languages and the prospect of the significant cultural loss to us all, if these rich and incredibly diverse languages disappear. Rachel was able to identify those influences and events from her time as a student at Preshil which had set her on this path to her eminent career and it was encouraging to reflect on the way the school has generated such diversity among our alumni.

Margaret E Lyttle saw the school as a centre for the nurturing and exchange for ideas to enrich the intellectual life of the Preshil community so it is satisfying to see events like this flourish with such a large and engaged audience.

The Margaret E Lytttle Foundation is set up specifically to provide support for Margaret and to take responsibility for the maintenance of her archives, which are an extraordinary collection of resources on Australian progressive education. The school is eager to assist this Foundation and I would encourage people to contact the school if they are able to volunteer some time or would like to contribute to this fund .

I have included a Letter for 2012 planning update here sent out to the Preshil families this week. Further information regarding 2012 will be available during the forthcoming weeks.

November 2

On the evening of Friday October 28, in The Borland Hall we celebrated the Valedictory Dinner with this year’s group of Preshil graduates. It was a joyful occasion, despite the emotion which always accompanies a farewell, with parents and teachers sharing a sense of great pride in these wonderful young adults.

The Hall was exuberantly decorated by the children of the Junior School around the theme of the “Wild Things”, with wondrous creatures suspended from the walls and ceiling, marvelous table settings and centerpieces, with table mats which were highly prized collectors’ items at the end of the night. The Fives had created the most impressive paper chain decoration I have ever seen.

Preshil does not select a special Valedictorian to deliver a prepared speech; rather each person is offered the opportunity to speak if they wish.  Each of the many speakers had a different perspective, different special memories and recollections, different offerings of thanks to special teachers and to particular friends, painting a picture of the richness of their relationships and experiences at the school.  One theme emerged – that each student felt valued as an individual, regardless of how quirky, different or difficult they had been. Preshil welcomed them and respected them as individuals within a community.

Not one student mentioned the impending exams – we all know that their identities as successful human beings are already assured.

One piece of advice for Andrew Kohane and for me was not to ‘change things too much’! What a huge accolade that is for the school and the teachers, and what a serious warning it is. In the endless striving to improve, to progress and to be up to date it is good for us all to hold on to the sense that the fundamentals of Preshil are rock solid: Nurturing of each child’s being, from their earliest years until adulthood and giving them the confidence to be themselves.

The whole evening reminded me of a quote from E.F.Shumacher, contained in the notes from the school’s Working Party B of 2009.  He urgently advised that we needed to devise an “education of a different kind; an education that takes us to the heart of things.”

In the short time left of the school year our planning for 2012 is well underway.

At Blackhall/Kalimna we are watching the new Library take final shape. It is exciting to see how it sits comfortably in the site, offering new spaces inside and outside the building which will take on their own significance within the life of the school.  Students and staff will have the opportunity to shape the way the interior areas are developed and furnished, somehow hoping to keep the comfortable and friendly atmosphere of the Kalimna library while achieving some seriously cutting edge resources and electronic possibilities. The sound of hammering will cease during exams and we are confident that the expected completion date will be achieved.  An ‘opening’ event will be planned for early next year.

Blackhall/Kalimna will also be the site of the 80th Anniversary Fair on November 26th.  This promises to be a great day with quiet preparation taking place throughout the whole school community.  If you are not already involved please get on board.  Contact either of the school’s offices for more information, or have a look at the possibilities under ‘Fair help’ on the website.

At both campuses with increased enrolments we will be recruiting some new staff, welcoming back some teachers who have been on leave and fare welling others who are taking leave or going on to different places and career opportunities.

I am delighted by the quality of applicants we have had approach the school in the hope of a position at Preshil and confident that we will be able to appoint some outstanding teachers to the positions available at both campuses. Final information about these arrangements for 2012 will be communicated to parents in the next few weeks.

I have now been able to set up my office in the front room of the Arlington house, which is a truly lovely and comfortable room. We have a table large enough for meetings and, together with the Sitting Room, this means that the part of the house which was Margaret Lyttle’s home can be returned to a central place in the life of Preshil.

AUGUST 18

On Tuesday August 16, Preshil students hosted their first ‘Student Voice’ conference, with students from 18 schools across Melbourne and country Victoria arriving to share their thoughts. This conference invited participants, from age 11 to 18, to discuss and present their views on several key aspects of ‘What is an ideal 21st Century Education?’ The Hawthorn Town Hall provided a perfect venue for round-table discussion groups and the day unfolded with students delivering keynote addresses on the different topics, discussion and group responses, punctuated with student musical items.

There were no adult participants – but teachers were free to observe from the balcony – and it was with immense pride and considerable humility that we were able to watch and to listen to the ideas presented. Those ideas have been recorded and will certainly contribute to the school’s ongoing conversations about these same topics.

A commonly noted characteristic of both present and past Preshil students is their ability to articulate their own point of view, to ‘be their own person’ and to participate in society with confidence and generosity. All of these qualities were demonstrated throughout the whole process of organising, promoting and running this inspirational event.

The teachers at Blackhall/Kalimna have all been supportive of this venture, but it is the particular drive and commitment of David Cobb which I would like to acknowledge. He has remained determinedly in the background and empowered the students to take ownership of their event and they have more than justified his confidence in them.

More details of this day will be available on our website in the near future.

At Arlington, parents have increasing opportunities to learn about what is happening in their children’s classes through the regular distribution of email updates and blogs. The junior school curriculum is not a rigid, week by week series of set subject units delivered throughout the school year. Rather the teachers work to build the curriculum together with the children, shaping the work and areas for exploration around projects and the varying interests of the children as they lead to new areas and ideas.

A visit to the classrooms at Arlington gives the impression of everyone being busily and actively engaged. Achieving this atmosphere of engagement and industrious collaboration involves all teachers in high level planning and development of resources so that they can guide the children’s learning and document it carefully for future reflection and planning.

AUGUST 10

It has been a very eventful few weeks for the start of Term 3 in particularly at the Blackhall/Kalimna campus.

The new library is taking shape before our eyes with the floor complete and wall frames about to transform the space into a recognisable form. First impressions suggest a much bigger area than I had imagined, but for those who have been involved from the start this may not be such a surprise. We are hoping for more sunshine, less mud and look forward to the excitement of a completed building.

The senior campus has also witnessed some other changes. Sandy Barnes accepted a position at Worowa, a school for indigenous girls in Healesville. This is the culmination of Sandy’s long standing involvement in indigenous education and while we are sorry to have Sandy leave this was clearly a very satisfying and important opportunity for her and we wish her all the best for this venture. Sandy is committed to developing links between our two schools which would have very positive benefits for both.

Elonie Prenter and Kris Austin have stepped in to share the work of coordinating the Years 7 and 8 program for the remainder of the year. Both Elonie and Kris are well-known to the students and parents will have the opportunity to meet them in the near future.

Mary Ann Metcalf will take leave for the remainder of the year and return for the start of 2012. The reasons for this leave are personal and could not be foreseen. Her classes will be taken by two teachers. Margaret Hepworth, previously a Head of Campus at Blackhall/Kalimna, has returned to Preshil to take over the History classes and Celia Parham, who has already spent some time at the school this year, has stepped in to take over Mary Ann’s English classes. They both will be supported by other teaching staff and by the Head of Campus, Andrew Kohane. We will all be focusing on supporting each individual student through this transition.

The students are now in the final week of preparation for the Student Conference, scheduled for August 16. This has been a very ambitious project and has involved students working together across the year levels to bring about a genuine opportunity for students from Preshil and other schools to talk about education. Preshil has long stood for the importance of students expressing their views and developing their capacity to participate in community issues. Students having a say in shaping a vision for contemporary education should surely be a fundamental right of all students.

JUNE 30

I note with some feelings of dismay that my last blog entry was welcoming everyone back to Term 2 and now I am looking back over a term packed with events, hard work and the crowded daily life of this buzzing little school.

This morning we witnessed the remarkable efficiency with which the ‘computer portable’ was lifted from the Blackhall/Kalimna grounds in readiness for the start of the construction of the long-planned e-Library. All that remains is an attractive space among the trees and at least a dozen balls of different sizes, which had rolled under the portable, ready to be reclaimed. We are now in a state of transition until the new library is complete and we can incorporate these generous new spaces into the curriculum and resources of the senior school.

Earlier this week the second meeting of the committee planning an event in November to pay tribute to the extraordinary work of Margaret E Lyttle, in the school’s 80th year and to coincide with Margaret’s 99th birthday, took place at the school. Ray Magid has agreed to chair this steering committee and anyone interested in contributing to this event is encouraged to contact him or the school’s Communications and Development Office on 9817 6135. We anticipate holding the event at Arlington in the refurbished front rooms of the old house. There will be opportunity for much reminiscing among the other events planned for the day.

On the same evening as this meeting the senior school was treated to a great night’s entertainment with the production of a ‘Preshil Review’. Highly inventive and showcasing an impressive array of talented theatrical and musical performances by senior school students, the show invited the audience to move from venue to venue around the school in a remarkable display of coordinated timing and efficiency. Congratulations to Jo Porch and all the other staff who assisted her to bring this showcase of previous productions to life once again.

Last week Rod Waterman from our music staff, was responsible for another great night at Dizzy’s Jazz Club. Once again the pleasure, confidence and camaraderie our musicians display in performance created an atmosphere of sheer joy for all who attended and reinforced the power of music to connect all of us to those values which drive the music program at Preshil. Special thanks to Rod and to all of our instrumental music teachers who supported the students in preparation and on the night.

The end of Term 2 is a very demanding time for all our teaching staff and for our senior students in particular. The GAT, exams, report writing always coincide with the time of the year when students and teachers alike succumb to viruses and other horrors, so it is great to look forward to the break at the end of next week. A special thanks to all the teachers who have stepped in, stepped up and generally kept the wheels rolling.

JUNE 23

At our 80th Birthday Soiree event last Monday evening, I was delighted to meet with many past staff, students and friends of Preshil. It was a wonderful night and I was warmed by the enthusiasm and support for the school that was shown by the 150 people who came and enjoyed the evening at Cutler & Co.

For those who couldn’t join us I would like to share with you the speech that I delivered on the night which outlines some of our achievements to date and the exciting goals for the future.

I look forward to catching up with you at our other events being scheduled throughout the year.

Dear Friends of Preshil

Tonight’s Soiree is part of the celebrations that Preshil is hosting for the 80th anniversary of this extraordinary little school. It represents an opportunity to reflect on the past and to honour the children, the adults and the achievements which have brought us to this point in the school’s story, but equally to look to our future and to our responsibilities to the students, and their parents, who will trust us with their education right up to Preshil’s centenary in 20 years time.

Coincidentally, this day represents an anniversary for me, too. Precisely a year ago tomorrow, I began as Principal at Preshil, meeting with Frank Moore to start a series of briefings about my role and the tasks immediately ahead.

What has become very clear to me, in this past year, is that I have been lucky enough to come to the school at a time of a remarkable regathering – a re-energising and redefining of Preshil. A re-gathering of the alumni, of past parents and teachers and of the wider Preshil community. I have come to understand that Preshil has a huge heart. It endures as a robust community with a powerful commitment to some key ideas. Certainly, the school has been buffeted by changes of leadership and financial uncertainty, but there is no doubt that at heart it is still very much intact and this gathering tonight is hugely symbolic of where the school now is. It represents the efforts that have taken place in recent times to articulate a philosophy and recreate a strong and relevant vision for the school’s future. The visionary drive of the Preshil Foundation and the brilliant work of our Communications and Development office, working with Sense Agency in establishing a strong public identity for the school, together with the work begun by Frank Moore and Working Party A have all led to this atmosphere of regeneration. Kerri McCulloch at Arlington and Andrew Kohane at Blackhall/Kalimna are leading staff in driving our Strategic Plan, with really exciting ideas of how Preshil can remain true to its fundamental values, but offer students a vibrant education in a C21st  setting. Kerri and Bronte Howell have just returned from a major conference in Sydney, researching the best ideas for contemporary and future learning spaces.

So, we are here tonight to officially launch two major fundraising campaigns. Preshil must raise funds to carry out significant building programs at both Arlington and Blackhall/Kalimna.These two campaigns simultaneously honour and celebrate our past and envision our future through the very tangible forms of our buildings. We are in urgent need of a building fund to allow us to create and maintain a school which builds on the inspirational buildings we already have and provides new spaces which are just as exciting and innovative as our Borland heritage.

At the Arlington campus we have already invested in the completion of an extensive Conservation Management Plan, meticulously undertaken by Gina Levenspiel who continues to uncover ever more significant and rich details of Arlington’s importance as a heritage site. We now need to consolidate a substantial fund to restore both the Borland Buildings and the old Arlington House to their deserved state of repair, as well as fit these buildings out to maintain Preshil’s leading edge as a truly progressive school for the future.

• At Arlington we need to reallocate spaces to provide a real Art space where the children can be inspired to develop an enduring sense of entitlement to self-expression and creativity, not as an add-on to ‘serious learning’ but as fundamental aspect of their sense of themselves.

• Similarly, our music program, bravely supported by a band of parents, is bursting out of the meagre space available.

• Our Nursery School, so precious to Margaret Lyttle’s original vision of the school, is not large enough to accommodate the three and four year olds whose parents would love to enrol them at Preshil and so we turn away many of the children who would then go on to the primary and secondary schools.

• Arlington has always been about the delight of children’s play fostered in the overgrown and lush garden setting, of building cubbies and taking ownership of special outdoor spaces. But this will disappear without deliberate and sensitive planning, to preserve and foster areas of wilderness and exploration. We want an environment which naturally encourages scientific curiosity and a lifelong commitment to sustainability.

At the Blackhall/Kalimna campus we are only days away from starting the construction of the eLibrary – the first new building the school has undertaken in a very long time. We will finish this beautiful building, designed by Stephen O’Connor and Annick Houle, early next year. The eLibrary is not just an addition to the senior school;  the space it frees up will allow us enormous scope to rethink and revitalise our use of the present buildings to cater for our students in all the ways indicated by the most exciting advances in current educational thinking.

• We now need to significantly increase our IT capabilities. Computer technology is now at a stage which offers students marvellous opportunities for creative expression, collaborative research and sophisticated communication. We want our students to be able to exploit all the potential of social media, to take charge of their own identities and passions, rather than to be passive spectators.

• In July, Preshil students are hosting a conference which specifically sets out to celebrate student voice. It is an opportunity to support students to seriously debate issues with a direct impact on their lives and education. They will, of course, do this with great originality and many of them will find their own public voice for the first time. Sadly, we have had to hire a venue because the senior school does not have a suitable space. We can’t just accept this.  Preshil students need a Performing Arts space. A space which truly respects and encourages the school’s longstanding culture of Performance, of Music, Drama, public debate and expression in all the forms which allow Preshil students to define who they are.

• The Blackhall Masterplan will give form to Preshil’s enduring values associated with allowing students to become themselves, to be their own person. It will encourage creativity in all fields of learning, based on values and relationships rather than glib rules – ‘the well-informed conscience’ as well as the intellectual challenge of a great, rather than a glossy, school.

We’re prepared to embrace a very exhilarating time ahead. Our financial systems have been overhauled, our School Council is working hard and we are already benefiting from regular donations and support from parents.

Preshil wants to continue to be a small, individual school, which resists the regimentation inevitable in large schools and increasingly fostered by an unthinking political agenda. We are determined to maintain a high teacher to student ratio where every single student matters and is respected. But this means it is absolutely essential for us to develop strong financial resources. No independent school can thrive without systematic and targeted fund-raising. Preshil does not want to erect imposing monuments or maintain vast sport pavilions or manicured gardens. But we are all determined to give our children the opportunities to play, to perform, to create and to wonder in surroundings that are safe, beautiful and inspirational.

I hope you will consider supporting our appeals and making this shared vision a reality.

Thank you for your support tonight.

MAY 6

A belated welcome back to the second term of 2011.

On Wednesday April 27 the teaching staff returned after the term break for a day of professional learning and planning. For one of the day’s sessions we worked together to finalise the school’s Strategic Plan, which will be presented to the School Council later this month. This document sets out our goals for the next three years. It represents the hope and the determination of all staff to ensure that Preshil remains a vibrant and genuinely progressive culture with a continued, central focus on each individual student.But the highlight of the day was provided by a group of parent volunteers and students who chose the occasion to have a working bee around the school’s kitchen garden. On a day of glorious autumn sunshine they not only transformed the garden area, shed and herb garden, but also prepared a delicious and healthy lunch for the staff. It was very gratifying to look around and see students, parents and staff variously absorbed in work to provide the best possible educational environment for our students

In recent weeks the head of the Senior School, Andrew Kohane, and I have interviewed a number of students seeking enrolment at Preshil for later this year or for the start of 2012. I have been interested and very happy to note a common response to the question “Why choose Preshil?” which, repeatedly, has been that while Preshil has a widely accepted reputation for respecting the individuality of students and having a genuinely nurturing culture, the school is also known to support students who want to achieve at the highest possible levels. This response is accurate and it is  encouraging to realise that more and more people recognise that these two pursuits are not mutually exclusive. For example, the school is delighted to have supported students in their outstanding performances, enabling Preshil students to be chosen for two items at the forthcoming Top Acts concert on Friday May 13. More detailed information about these performers can be found elsewhere on the school’s website. But equally, for those other students for whom their highest goals they choose to aspire to, do not result in public performance or accolades, Preshil equally acknowledges and honours these students and their goals.

Our Annual General Meeting of the Preshil Association recently took place and at that gathering a number of members of the school community expressed interest in an event scheduled later in the year to honour the extraordinary, visionary work and contribution to education of Margaret E Lyttle. This event will take place in November and will invite many previous members of the school, alumni and the current school community to share their stories and memories of Margaret. A garden party is envisaged, with a focus on the regeneration of the Arlington House as the heart of the school, a celebration of the school’s 80 years and culminating in the annual Margaret Lyttle Oration in Borland Hall. Please contact the school if you are interested in sharing in this wonderful event.

March 8

Preshil’s Aftercare program offers families the opportunity to have their children looked after each day until 6.00 pm. We are very fortunate to have such a lovely environment for this program where the children do feel ‘at home’ and where they have enjoyable activities together with the freedom to actually play. Some families are dependent on this service and we are happy to provide it, recognising that achieving a balance between work and family life is a significant issue for most families.

We encourage families to support the program by registering and using it for their children to perhaps arrange an occasional play date with friends from school who do not live close by and with whom they want to spend some time outside of school hours, or to take part in one of the weekly activities included in the program. Fridays are now ‘Fairy-bread and Party Games’ day!

During this year we are discussing ways to improve this program and to consider extending Aftercare for our nursery school parents. Please let us know if you have ideas, if you would like to take part in the program if it were different in some way or if childcare outside of school hours is a problem for you that we could help you address.

As part of our 80th anniversary celebrations this year we are planning a fair and concert as a culmination of the year’s events. A sensational team of parents, students, ex-students and teachers is gathering momentum in planning this extravaganza and all interested persons are invited to come along to a planning session in the Kevin Borland Hall next Wednesday March 16 at 7.30pm. Even the tiniest contribution to this effort will be welcomed, so do not fear becoming over-committed by a raised hand at the wrong moment! If you can, bring a plate. We would love to see you and hear your ideas.

At the weekend a friend messaged me to tell me that she had noticed Preshil listed in the top five secondary schools for ‘Reading’ according to the My School data! There we were, snuggled between the state’s two selective entry high schools. How delightful. Preshil is not a school that believes rankings and children competing against each other are effective methods of learning. From the earliest years we work together to encourage a love of reading. We promote storytelling and children have stories read to them regularly. They share their own reading experiences and are encouraged to develop their own passions in literature. I would like to think that this is what is being acknowledged by the My School data.

I read two of the national papers’ editorials on My School. One of them praised the government for this ‘highly effective tool’ and both articles used the publication of the site as a prompt for discussing funding levels to schools, of the ‘bricks and mortar’ aspects of educational disparities. A feature article in The Age noted that the website makes no mention of the single most important factor in student performance – the quality of teaching.

Again, I would like to think that Preshil is acknowledged for the commitment and professionalism of our teachers. Preshil has a high proportion of teachers to students and offers small class sizes. This year the staff at both our campuses have enthusiastically embraced our new professional learning program where every member of the teaching staff, myself included, will engage in a research project to identify an area for professional growth, research and trial new ideas and seek feedback from colleagues and students on the success of their development. In this way Preshil supports and encourages the very best teaching in a genuinely progressive and collaborative learning culture.

Most parents at Preshil chose not to have their children undertake the NAPLAN test, as is their right. What significance there is in a comparison between the hundreds of students who gained entry into Mac Rob and Melbourne High Schools with the tiny number of Preshil students who sat the test is really anyone’s guess – and probably requires a very special type of ‘reading’ ability to work it out!

February 19

Since the start of the school year we have been contacted by several alumni who have wanted to reestablish a connection with Preshil. To have the opportunity to hear first hand what the school has meant in the individual lives of past students is both humbling and very inspiring. Each of these people has taken a very different pathway and has expressed the belief that Preshil fostered in them a strong sense of self-belief and the confidence to ‘be themselves’.

These past students want to ‘give back’ to the school and we are always delighted to welcome them to the school community and hope to be able to enlist many alumni as mentors and inspirations for our current students.

Preshil does not seek to foster a culture of competition among our students, either academically or in areas such as sport. As a community we recognize that many of the greatest achievements in school, as in all of life, are not public and often go quite unnoticed. But it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to celebrate with students their special achievements.

Our congratulations to music students Nick Hall, Chris Bates and Ben Zagroon whose original composition Epilogue has been selected to be performed in the VCE Season of Excellence 2011 Top Class Sound. This work was created as part of their VCE Music Group Performance program last year, and performing with them will be Preshil’s drum kit teacher Phil Collings. Congratulations also to Jean O’Donnell who was invited to perform her drama monologue and to Karli Colosimo-Dinardo who has been invited to perform her dance solo in Top Acts. Andrew Plumridge also got into VCE Season of Excellence in the Top Screen section for his short Media film called “Close Call.”

These achievements are also a tribute to our teachers who provide so much of the impetus for student achievements. On this occasion we congratulate Tim Dargaville, David Cobb and Andrew Johnson, in particular.

Top Class is a concert series presenting works by students from 2010 VCE Dance, VCE VET Dance, Drama, Theatre Studies, Music Solo and Group Performance and Music Styles for the benefit of current VCE students, teachers and the public. The series celebrates students who achieve a very high grade in VCE performing arts studies. These events are open to the general public and tickets can be purchased.

At Arlington, our first round of electives has begun. Kerri McCulloch has worked hard to get this program up and running. These are weekly opportunities for parents and other adults connected with Preshil to offer a series of classes in various areas not otherwise available to the children. These sessions are organized for small groups of children from different classes and involve such pursuits as making board games, mural painting, textiles and clay, woodwork, gardening, percussion and many others planned for the future.  This is a very exciting program and one which I hope will really flourish.  Preshil has always valued learning beyond the classroom and including the individual passions and skills of parents in our school program is a wonderful way to inspire the creativity of the children.

This week on Thursday I will welcome this year’s Parent Representatives to our first meeting for the year.  This group provides a vital link with all parents across both campuses. Parent Reps. organise social events for their class parents, act as a point of contact for information and create a significant network for discussion of issues important to both parents and the school.  I particularly enjoy the discussions we have at these meetings and welcome the exchange of diverse views.  The quality of schooling we can provide, the values which underpin Preshil and the hot topics of the day are all part of what keeps the school vital and genuinely progressive. My thanks to all those parents who are willing to take on this role.

February 1

Welcome to the 2011 school year – Preshil’s 80th anniversary. A very warm welcome it has been, with temperatures nearing 40 in a typical February back-to-school day.

I want to extend a very special welcome to all those children, older students and their parents who have joined our school for the first time today. I hope you quickly come to feel a part of the Preshil community and that you receive all the help needed to settle into the life of our vibrant school culture.

I am delighted to welcome our new Head of the Blackhall/Kalimna Campus, Andrew Kohane, to Preshil. He comes to us from Castlemaine with a wealth of experience in progressive school settings and a strong vision for learning in the 21st Century.  He is committed to the idea of a school community which honours the timeless principles of nurturing the individual passion and creativity of each student within a culture that is respectful and based on the highest ideals of behaviour. Together with Kerri McCulloch, Head of Arlington, we have been preparing for the year ahead, working with the teaching staff for three days before the children and older students returned to school today. It has been a great pleasure to work with all our teachers in planning how the school needs to develop. Preshil’s teachers have a very deep commitment to the students, which is a great source of pride to me.

Celebrations and events marking the milestone of our 80th anniversary will take place throughout the year. I hope everyone in our extensive school community will be involved and enriched in some way by a renewed sense of belonging and pride in the enduring and inspirational place our small school continues to play in the educational landscape. This year will be a particular opportunity to remember the extraordinary contributions of the two Margaret Lyttle women in shaping the school’s philosophy and providing continued inspiration. The very special buildings and environment of Arlington will be a focal point for our celebrations.

During the holiday break our support staff have worked extremely hard to prepare the school buildings and grounds. Arlington has a picture-perfect group of sunflowers in some new garden beds to inspire young gardeners and there are many newly cleaned walls just crying out for the children’s artwork. Jane Kirkpatrick has joined the junior school as our new art teacher and we are looking forward to her impact on revitalizing Preshil’s long tradition of art as a keystone to learning and imagination.

Each new school year is an opportunity for great optimism which I trust we all share. I hope, and expect, 2011 will be another year which will illustrate the truth of Margaret E Lyttle’s observation of Preshil, quoted in our “Courage” document: There is a tremendous busyness among its kids, teachers and parents, not only in observable achievements, but more importantly in the many nattering conversations which have to happen constantly if we are to keep, or perhaps find, the ‘Group Mind’ which is at the centre and controls all that is challenging and valuable at Preshil. This urge which so many of us have to comment, question, suggest and negotiate can be exhausting, yet it is important indeed and is the basis of our achievements whether with relationships, schooling or buildings.

I look forward to nattering with you throughout 2011.

2010 ARCHIVE …

December 17

I would like to welcome the appointment of Jane Kirkpatrick to the position of Art teacher at Arlington in 2011. Jane has a Masters of Fine Art and a Bachelor of Media Arts. Jane is excited by the endless possibilities for this program and will be working in the latter half of the year with our Artist in Residence, Penelope Bartlau, whose work with the school has been funded by an Arts Victoria grant of $6500. Welcome Jane.

It is also with great pleasure that I can now announce the appointment of Andrew Kohane to the position of Head of Campus at Blackhall/Kalimna. Andrew comes to Preshil from Castlemaine Secondary College and has a wide experience of progressive education, developed in several different schools. He has seen Preshil as an inspiration for his own learning and we are delighted to welcome him to the school from the start of Term One in 2011.

The field of candidates was of a very high standard and it is gratifying to know that Preshil is held in such high esteem amongst educational leaders of this calibre. I would like to thank the selection panel for their very considered and professional approach to this demanding task, and the staff at Blackhall/Kalimna for their input into the process when each of the short-listed applicants had the opportunity to make a presentation to them.

The school community will have an opportunity to meet Andrew early next year.

December 2

The end of the school year seems to arrive so suddenly. All at once the busyness and activity associated with the last minute completion of tasks and preparation for events is over and the prospect of a long holiday stretches ahead.

Last night Arlington held its end of year concert in Borland Hall. It was a great pleasure to witness so many of our children enjoying the opportunity to perform for friends and families. It was also an opportunity for the Preshil community, children, parents and teachers, to come together before we all disperse for the summer holidays.

After the children have finished next week, the staff at both campuses will be working together, over the remainder of the term, in a variety of planning workshops, to prepare for next year and to finalize the goals which will then drive Preshil’s Strategic Plan for the next three years. The process of consultation we have established will be further strengthened and expanded over this period.

2010 has been a tumultuous year in many ways.  There have been huge changes at both Blackhall/Kalimna and Arlington.  In 2011, in the school’s 80th year, we look forward to re-establishing an atmosphere of stability and harmony as a basis for the unique educational environment we all want Preshil to be.

Thank you to the many people who have welcomed me into the Preshil community, who have been willing to share their stories and wisdom with me and who have continued to believe in this wonderful school.

I wish you all a safe and happy holiday and will look forward to welcoming you all back in the new year.

November 22

This week the children at Arlington celebrated Margaret Lyttle’s 98th birthday and some of them had the opportunity to visit her.  Margaret’s wisdom and educational vision continues to inspire the school community. She said to the children to “Do as the adults tell you, but do it in your own way.” Her advice to the children on this occasion could well serve as something for the whole school to take to our hearts as we consider our relation to those in authority in the educational sphere. As we implement the national curriculum we will do as we are told, but we will do it in our own way.

A very enjoyable example of some of our senior students doing things their own way was on display on Thursday evening in Borland Hall, with the annual Preshil In-school Film Festival (PIFF). Films created as part of the VCE Media courses were shown to an enthusiastic audience of students and parents, who all came with high expectations of the evening, created by the strong tradition of film-making at Preshil. Documentaries, drama, comedy and horror – with a particularly convincing cameo performance from our senior Media teacher – made for a thoroughly entertaining and impressive film event.

In 2011 we plan to re-introduce an elective program for the children at Arlington. We all learn from each other – everyone is a learner and everyone is a teacher. From their earliest years, children at Preshil have always been encouraged to choose and this tradition of choosing special projects and interests will be supported in this program. We are inviting parents or grandparents (or other interested people) to consider offering some particular interest or skill of their own to this program. Each program will run for the most part of a term and may continue or be repeated in the next term, depending on the time commitment volunteers are able to make, the particular focus of the elective and the interest of the children.

These electives will cater for children from the 5’s, 6’s and 7’s on a Tuesday afternoon and the 8’s, 9’s 10’s and 11’s on a Thursday afternoon. We hope that this program will allow parents and other volunteers to help us to broaden and enrich the curriculum as well as reinvigorating core Preshil practices to do with making and creating, building and growing, exploring passions and fostering eccentric interests! Volunteering at Arlington will provide opportunities to share and learn skills, to mentor children and other adults, to support teachers and contribute to the world we all create for the children.

With only a few weeks left of the term there is no evidence that anyone at Preshil in either campus  is starting to wind down.

November 8

October 25

October 13

August 20

May 2012

LATEST UPDATE MAY 2012

It’s incredible to think that we are approaching the half way point of 2012 – a year of great significance as Margaret E Lyttle (Mug) celebrates her 100th birthday in November. Coming immediately after the school’s 80th anniversary in 2011, Mug’s extraordinary milestone provides us with another opportunity to embrace Preshil’s history while we continue to build its future.

This year I have accepted the position of Chair of the Preshil Foundation and would like to thank outgoing Chair Peter George, for his commitment and contribution. As an ex Preshilian and current Preshil parent, I feel strongly connected to the school’s past and its future; and it is wholeheartedly that I take on this position.

When the Preshil Foundation was re-launched 18 months ago, our small community responded with great enthusiasm. With the generous support of many families and friends we have raised almost $200,000 and have been actively working with the school to create the necessary structure for our ambitious fundraising goals for the future.

Together with the school, some of our highlights include:

Early in Semester 2, School Council will have established its strategic plan and specified the Foundation’s key fundraising targets for the balance of 2012 and beyond. You’ll be hearing more from us in relation to specific appeals at that time. In the meantime, the Foundation will be working on a number of initiatives including:

The Foundation is a team of dedicated volunteers committed to the long term and continued success of Preshil far into the future and any contributions of time, ideas and energy are encouraged.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any Foundation members should you have any questions or suggestions – we are available to speak with you at any time and welcome your input. Our contact details are below or email foundation@preshil.vic.edu.au

Once again, on behalf of the Foundation, I would like to thank everyone who has supported us. Your assistance has been very important in helping us achieve so much so quickly, to the direct benefit of our children and generations of Preshilians to come. We look forward to your support in the future and to celebrating further progress together.

Sincerely

Zahava Elenberg
Chair, Preshil Foundation

Foundation members:

Zahava Elenberg zahava@move-in.com.au
Peter George Peter.George@minterellison.com 

Katrina Holmes a Court katrina@holmesacourt.com
Phillip Marzella phillipmarzella@gmail.com
Natalie Toohey natalie@natalietoohey.com
Phil Winbanks philipwinbanks@gmail.com

June 2011

SUPPORTING PRESHIL

This is a friendly reminder for those who may be considering making a donation to the Preshil Foundation that the end of the financial year will be upon us next week.

As mentioned in the recent note from the Preshil Foundation, all donations to the ancillary fund, the building and maintenance fund and the bursary fund are fully tax deductible. These monies directly contribute to improving the school’s infrastructure, facilities and accessibility for the benefit of both current and future students.

The Foundation also warmly welcomes non-monetary donations, recognising the invaluable role played by in-kind donations, volunteer time and assistance in promoting our activities for both maintaining and growing our school. Your feedback on the activities of the Foundation and ideas are welcome at any time.

For more information on our tax-deductible giving options, or other programs and opportunities, please contact Bronte in the Communications and Development Office T: 9817 6135 or E: communications@preshil.vic.edu.au or any member of the Foundation Board (details below).

We look forward to your ongoing support over the coming year.

Preshil Foundation board members:

Zahava Elenberg             zahava@move-in.com.au
Peter George                   Peter.George@minterellison.com
Philip Marzella                 phillipmarzella@gmail.com
Katrina Holmes a Court   katrina@holmesacourt.com
Phil Winbanks                  philipwinbanks@gmail.com
Natalie Toohey                natalie@natalietoohey.com

PRESHIL FOUNDATION SOIREE

A huge thank you to all those who attended last Monday’s event hosted by the Preshil Foundation. It was wonderful to see friends from the past with the night providing a great opportunity for old friends to catch up.

The sensational entertainment provided first by children from the ‘Just Strings’ group from Arlington and then by alumnae, Clare Bowditch, cemented the enduring link between Preshil’s present and past. Many thanks to Clare for finding the time in her hectic schedule to share her talent with us.

Our gratitude also goes to current parents, Pascale Gomes McNabb and Andrew McConnell, for opening their superb restaurant, Cutler & Co, for our use on the night, and to their staff for their immaculate service.

Our appreciation extends to our kind donors, Anna and Morry Schwartz for their generous financial contribution that has enabled all proceeds from the ticket sales of the evening to be directed towards the Preshil Foundation for allocation to the two new appeals launched on the night: the enhancement of our creative and performance arts facilities at Blackhall/Kalimna and the restoration and enhancement of the Arlington Junior School Campus.

We are also extremely pleased to announce the tremendous impetus provided to the Arlington project via the significant financial support provided by Zahava Elenberg and Callum Fraser (current parents). Their contribution underwrites the Conservation Management Plan that is essential for ensuring that all necessary works at the heritage listed site are undertaken in a way that maximises the restoration and care of the Arlington campus and its important buildings.

For complete information about our plans for the future and the imminent construction of our new e-Library at Blackhall/Kalimna, please see Marilyn’s speech from the evening in the Principal’s Blog.

For those of you who weren’t able to make it, we really look forward to catching up with you at one of the many events being planned this year as part of Preshil’s 80th birthday celebration.

March 2011

November 2010

Early last month, the Preshil Foundation held its first formal fundraising event – a soiree for parents and guardians at the home of one of our families. We were delighted to welcome more than 40 people to the event, which was an encouraging turn out and a great start for our fundraising program. Attendees were generous with their pledges and feedback. All told, we have received $17,500 in donations as a result of the soiree – taking our grand total since the July launch to a little over $34,000 for the year to date. A sincere thank you to all the parent volunteers who helped to organise and host the event, as well as those who attended, pledged and donated.

Last Sunday (November 28) we also assisted the Margaret E Lyttle Foundation to raise funds to cover the living expenses of the school’s longest serving Principal and cherished friend Margaret (Mug) Lyttle. A fundraising afternoon tea was held in Mug’s Sitting Room at Arlington House and attendees were invited to make a pledge to help meet the cost of Mug’s care, so she continues to enjoy the best possible support and quality of life in her advanced years.

By now you will have received our revamped school fee slips. These now give families the option to make a donation at the same time as you pay your school fees. This is a quick and easy way to support the school, and may suit those families who do not have the time to attend fundraising events. You can choose to support one of the school’s tax deductible funds, or make a non-tax deductible donation for consumable items such as classroom materials and the like. I hope you will take advantage of this great new giving option.

Finally, I encourage more Preshil families to get involved in the Foundation’s program in 2011. We are planning a number of exciting events that will celebrate the Preshil tradition of giving and ensure our small school has the resources and facilities it needs to continue to be a truly wonderful place for children. Everyone’s help is required, and we would very much welcome your ideas, time and contribution to ensure we succeed.

Warm regards,

Peter George

Chair, Preshil Foundation

October 2010

Continuing the Preshil Tradition of Giving – Preshil Foundation Update

The relaunch of the Preshil Foundation has been very well received by the school community and I’m delighted to report that our fundraising in support of the e-library, masterplan and heritage report is progressing well. It’s fantastic to see our community coming together to ensure Preshil remains at the forefront of progressive, child-centred education in Australia for generations to come.

I trust all parents and guardians have now received personal invitations to attend our first formal fundraising event on the evening of November 8. This night is especially for current parents and guardians who are a vital part of the school community and a great source of energy, ideas and support.

Please email foundation@preshil.vic.edu.au or call 9817 6135 to confirm your participation in what will be an informative and enjoyable evening. Thanks again to the supportive parents who have generously offered to host this event.

Look out for further updates from the Foundation as we advance towards our goals over the coming months, and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you can support our efforts in any way.

Regards,

Peter George
Chair, Preshil Foundation

FUNDRAISING UPDATE

Our fundraising for the development of our e-library is moving forward.

• TARGET $1.21 million
• RAISED $900,000
• STILL TO GO $310,000

We look forward to bringing you more information about our progress towards the Heritage Report and Master Plan in our next update.

go here for news about what’s coming up AT PRESHIL.

LATEST NEWS

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anton gerner

Here is a sneak preview of the box made by Anton Gerner for Australia’s first banknote which was on display at the World Stamp Expo, Royal Exhibition Building Melbourne. Award winning craftsman Anton Gerner was commissioned by Coinworks to produce a presentation box.
Anton made this very special box for Australia’s first Commonwealth banknote, which is going to be offered for sale for around $3.5m.

You can read about the news here at the ‘Age‘ and numberonenote.com
There was a story on at 7pm on the ABC TV News, Wednesday 1 May about the banknote and the box he has made from rare Burl Myrtle and Huon Pine.  We will post a link if it becomes available.

Congratulations Anton!
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rupert guenther

Rupert Guenther, known to many from his Preshil days as Paul Gunter, is the Founder of Integrated Contemporary Performance.

“I am thrilled to share that our Classical Improvisation Teacher Training program has been recognised by the State’s school instrumental music education division, namely the School of Instrumental Music (SIM) in Perth, Western Australia.

We are now training the State’s instrumental teachers in this simple yet highly effective method of classical improvisation. It allows classical music students (and teachers, and all classical musicians in fact) to begin a lifetime enjoying making their own original creative classical music, whether at home, at school, on their own CDs, or on the concert hall stage.

This hugely significant step opens the door at last for classical music to meet the creative/inspirational needs of generations of its musicians to express themselves – to give flight to their own feelings, ideas, and sounds, just as a painter paints their own inspirational pictures onto a canvas. It ends the limit imposed for centuries of being bound to the equivalent of reproducing pictures by Rembrandt over and over, while at the same time it recognises the value and skill-sets of the traditional classical training and brings them to new life.

We welcome and commend the team at SIM for their insightful and innovative vision, and being in the vanguard of fostering a new future for classical music – a bright and exciting future of original classical artists who have found and express their own music in their own voice.”

Rupert is a concert artist, composer & teacher and offers personal & professional development, personal mentoring, sacred sound & new paradigm leadership. For more information please email Rupert at omshanti@rupertguenther.com or visit his website at www.rupertguenther.com

Rupert will be in Melbourne in July for the AUSTA Conference – So keep an eye out for surpise gigs!

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Tess McKenzie (Cohort 2004)

Slade School of Fine Art in London

My name is Tess E. McKenzie and I am a 2004 Preshil graduate. I am a practicing and exhibiting artist based in Melbourne, and I studied towards a Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) majoring in Sculpture and Spatial Practice at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne. Since graduating in 2009 I have exhibited nationally.

I have recently been accepted to undertake a MFA in Fine Art degree at the prestigious Slade School of Fine Art in London. Past alumni of this school include; Martin Creed, Tacita Dean, Antony Gormley, Rachel Whiteread, Ian Fairweather and Ben Nicholson. This offer to study towards a Masters degree in the United Kingdom is extremely exciting, and a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any artist. I will move to London for the duration of this two-year degree, which commences in September of this year.

However, there are various challenges involved in undertaking this program of study. This is why I am seeking financial assistance to help cover the cost of the substantial (international) tuition fees, living costs, and the establishment of my new studio in London.

I visited Slade in May/June 2012 and instantly felt an affinity with the Sculpture department and the school’s staff. Both the Slade School and University College London (of which Slade is a faculty) have a great deal to offer my future practice as a visual artist in terms of tuition by internationally renowned artists, research facilities and resources, technical and conceptual education and established networks.

Since returning to Melbourne from the UK, I have thoroughly researched potential funding avenues and scholarships that would support my participation in the two-year MFA (Sculpture) program. Unfortunately there are very few scholarships available to me both within Australia and the United Kingdom.

I am continuing to pursue all avenues of funding for duration of my study at the Slade School of Fine Art, and I would greatly appreciate any assistance or suggestions of trusts, companies or individuals that may be able to help me in any way.

If you are interested in my practice you can visit my website which has an archive of works and exhibitions.
www.tessemckenzie.com

I would be very grateful if anyone in the Preshil community has any suggestions relating to my aforementioned circumstances, and if appropriate, could forward my details to anyone who may be able to offer me assistance or support with my tuition fees, relocation, or associated living costs.

I can be contacted on my mobile or by email if you would like any further information.
T: +61 439 463 970
E: tess.mckenzie@gmail.com

Tess E. McKenzie

Katherine Hattam

Landscape of longing: Shoreham 1950–2012
Until 21 April 2013

A Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery exhibition

“Landscape of longing draws together an impressive array of new and rarely seen paintings and drawings by three generations of artists from one Melbourne family –Hal Hattam, Katherine Hattam and William Mackinnon. Produced in response to their rambling house and beach holidays at the small coastal hamlet of Shoreham, each of the artists have revisited, photographed, drawn, painted and pondered this idyllic setting over a sixty two year span.”

For more information about the gallery click here.

Tin Pan Orange (Alumni Jesse Lubitz 1993, Emily Lubitz 1994)

Wed 7 November – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
Thu 8 November – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
Tinpan Orange are on their National Tour in support of their new album ‘OVER THE SUN’. The highly ambitious new work from recent Triple J Unearthed winners Tinpan Orange was released in September. The band will be taking the new album on the road. For more information or about their concert dates in other states please visit here.

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James Tutton (Alumni)

James attended Preshil during primary school at Arlington and went on to become the founder of Moonlight Cinema. He is now a director of Neometro, a Melbourne based property development group. More recently, inspired by some of his fond memories in the 5s at Arlington, he became Co-founder and director of Smiling Mind. James and Project Manager Lucy Richards, presented Smiling Minds at Arlington earlier this week as an introduction to supporting their pilot program for schools… so more about that soon.

Smiling Mind aims to help young people develop a sense of calm, clarity and contentment. The Smiling Mind program is a tool to lower stress, increase resilience and positively impact mental health and wellbeing. Smiling Mind has created a world first initiative – a free Mindfulness Meditation website and App for young people.

James, along with co-founder Jane Martino, is launching Smiling Mind with a (mindful) bang, and they need your help to make it happen. Some of their Ambassadors also include another Preshil Alumna Clare Bowditch along with Brett Kirk (former Sydney Swans captain), Fuzzy Agolley (Video Hits, The Voice), Jules Lund (Fox FM), Simon McKeon (2011 Australian of the year) and Dr Andrew Rochford (The Project)

Smiling Mind has created a world first initiative – a free Mindfulness Meditation website and App for young people.
To generate media interest and word of mouth around this exciting launch, they are on the hunt for a large group of people to join them in Melbourne’s first ever “med mob”. That’s right, they are staging a five minute mass meditation at Federation Square.
To be part of this very special event, all you need to do is show up, take a seat, close your eyes and be taken through a Smiling Mind guided meditation.

Can your Smiling Mind take five and take part?

Date: Tuesday, 2 October

Time: 10.00am for 10.30am start (concludes by 11am)
Location: Federation Square | Swanston Street Forecourt | Flinders Street, Melbourne

Contact lucy@smilingmind.com.au to confirm your attendance. We will be in touch with further details on Wednesday, 26 September so watch your Inbox!

You are welcome to bring along friends and share this message with anyone you think might be interested.

Thanks in advance,
The Smiling Mind team

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Clare Bowditch (Cohort 1993)

Clare launches (September 14) her awesome new album ‘The Winter I Chose Happiness’ Her next series of concerts in Melbourne are:

October 25 – The Regal Ballroon, Melbourne
October 26 – The Regal Ballroon, Melbourne
October 27 – Drama Theatre at GPAC, Geelong
December 08 – Arts Centre, Melbourne

For tickets and more information click on here but hurry cause they sell out fast!! You can also visit her website here for more news and some great interviews. Clare recently completed a series of interviews on happiness with guests Missy Higgins, Goyte, Stephanie Dowrick and and Dr Rober Holden.

Clare is also an Ambassador for ‘Smiling Mind’, James Tutton’s recent world first initiative creating a free Mindfulness Meditation website and App for young people, which launches in Federation Square on October 2. (Details Above)

Follow Clare on Twitter, Facebook or Youtube

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Teresa Duddy (Cohort 2004)

Tess is a freelance Soprano and has a Master of Music. Vocal Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

PRESHIL NURSERY MUSIC AND CHOIR
We had the recent pleasure of welcoming Tess back to Preshil to take our Nursery Music class and our 8s, 9s, 10s and 11s Friday Choir Elective.

Tess writes …

“I have been taking “music class” in the Nursery school twice a week for the past couple of months. The children are wonderful listeners and very quick learners. We have been working on a variety of musical concepts, and they can all now demonstrate to me such ideas as Rhythm, Melody, Harmony, Dynamics, and Duration. Along with musical games we have learned some new songs such as Edelweiss and Do a Dear, and I have discovered some very enthusiastic singers! It has been an incredibly joyful couple of months, and the children seem to be excelling with their musical skills as well as having some fun.

I have had the pleasure of taking the Choir Elective this semester. The girls and I have worked on many new songs including Hallelujah, Lean on me, I can see clearly now, One heart beating, Ipharadisi, and Yonder come day. All songs have had various vocal parts, and I have been very impressed with the ensembles musical skills in harmonisation, and speed at which they can pick up new pieces. Their passion for performance was also demonstrated when we talked about putting on a show – a plan for next time I hope! This week the choir will perform for the Nursery school some of the songs that they have learned”.
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DYLAN BRADY (Cohort 1988)

Dylan’s latest project is an iconic and enchanting new art facade for the newly opened Wintergarden Shopping Centre in central Brisbane. The facade covers three sides of a city block and is a complex study of wintergardens, biology, geometry and layering. The Wintergarden Facade has been shortlisted for the 2012 Melbourne Design Awards.

As one of the founding members and directors of the architectural firm studio505, Dylan is known for his cutting-edge design capabilities with recent projects including the innovative naturally ventilated ward design for the 980 bed Ng Teen Fong (NTF)General Hospital in Singapore and design of the Wujin Grand Theatre and Youth Palace in China.

Through his leadership in the design of Grocon’s carbon-neutral Pixel Building in Melbourne, the first carbon neutral office building in Australia, the project was awarded Winner: Built Environment at the 2011 Premier’s Sustainability Awards. The Pixel Building is also now short-listed for the Premier’s Design Awards.

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GERALDINE FRATER (Cohort – 1995)

Fashion Runway – Holiday Course Launch for 15 – 17 yr olds

Monday 1 to Friday 5 October, 9am to 4.30pm
The Textile & Fashion Hub Kangan Institute
Building F 85 Cremorne Street, Richmond

Geraldine attended Preshil for Years 7-10, leaving due to a lot of overseas travel, she continued her VCE studies by correspondence but with some of her exams held at Preshil in 1994/95. She has worked with many project managers and producers who have also attended Preshil.

Geraldine has an event production company in East Melbourne and her main client is L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival. The company delivers their entire Festival each year and also produces designer shows for Australian Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week. Currently she is promoting the Runway Production School which was created because they are firmly committed to helping the next generation of industry talent and understand that to work and become successful in runway production, practical knowledge and experience is vital.

She also believes it is a great stepping stone for students who may be interested in fashion but not have a great understanding of the different roles available and how to further their study after VCE. The course moderator, Daniel Pizzato, has worked for 5 seasons as the BOH Production Manager for London Fashion Week. you can read more about the course and Event Gallery either here in this link or in the neighbourhood section of the eBulletin.

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JANE SAWYER (Cohort – 1977)

SLOW CLAY CENTRE – SPECIAL HOLIDAY CLASS!

Tuesday 2 and 3 October, 10am – noon

13 Keele St, Collingwood

Slow Cay Centre will be running a special holiday class. Kids will get a pottery wheel to use and also the opportunity to work off the wheel if they prefer. They will learn about the different qualities of the stages of the process from making, joining, painting and finishing and all within a gently guided atmosphere of open exploration of the material, clay. Limited to 12 places.
Cost: $140 for the two sessions. 
Tutor: Jane Sawyer

AFTER SCHOOL CLASS

Thursdays from 4.15 – 5.45pm (Starting October 11)

13 Keele St, Collingwood

We will also run an after school class inTerm 4 
Tutor: Louise Morrison.
Please email info@slowclay.com for details or to enrol or phone 0418 106 039.
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Lisa Gorton

LAUNCH OF BITTERSWEET – free event with poetry readings at The Melbourne Writers Festival

Friday 24 August, 7.00 pm
Yarra Room

Lisa Gorton lives in Melbourne. Her first poetry collection, Press Release, was shortlisted for the Melbourne Prize Best Writing Award and the Mary Gilmore Prize, and won the Victorian Permier’s Prize for Poetry. Lisa has also been awarded the Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize. Her children’s novel, Cloudland, was one of the Age Critics’ Choice Books of the Year in 2008. Lisa completed a Doctorate on John Donne at Oxford University and received the John Donne Society Award for Distinguished Publication in Donne Studies. Her second poetry collection, Hotel Hyperion, is forthcoming from Giramondo. Her novel, Heritage, is forthcoming from Scribe.

About this event
Your regular coffee now comes with an added legal stimulant – poetry. During the festival, inside sugar sachets at cafés across Melbourne, you’ll find a poetry scroll from one of Melbourne’s finest wordsmiths, including the late Dorothy Porter, Chris Wallace-Crabbe, Jessica Raschke, Angela Costi, Ali Alizadeh, Lisa Gorton, Cameron Lowe, Jeltje, David McCooey, Emilie Zoey Baker and Kevin Brophy. Come sweeten your coffee and your mind at the launch with the project’s coordinator, Jessica Raschke, and host berni m janssen. Proudly supported by Arts Victoria.

AT THE MELBOURNE WRITERS FESTIVAL
27 – 30 Aug 2012 .
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EMMA BORLAND (Cohort – 1984)

Click on the thumbnails for larger image.

Growing up at Preshil in the 70s and 80s was a unique experience.

Often I am reminded of the significance Preshil has in my life. In my arts practise I have built on the basic principles taught to me in clay classes in the 10s and 11s.

Preshil has had a profound influence on my creative outlook both as a person and as an artist. I am very grateful for the foundation I received in this unique environment.

Emma Borland is opening a professional Hand Made Glass studio in the Dandenong Mountains with her partner Mark Ammermann. She completed her Master of Fine Art candidature at Monash University in 2011. Emma and Mark are full time professional glass artists. Their work is highly acclaimed and they have received many prestigious awards. The work ranges from Architectural installations, sculpture, hand blown art glass and fused glass panels. They are also available for commissions. You can view some of her fused kiln formed glass work here.

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Cressida Batterham-Wilson (Cohort 1988)

This week we would like to warmly welcome our new Registrar Cressida Batterham-Wilson.

Cressida has a long history with the school; she is the daughter of Mondie Wilson former student and former chairman of the school council. Cressida attended Preshil for all of her schooling, and although Mug banned her from Arlington during her teenage years as her sense of style was thought to scare the littlies, and perhaps their parents, she returned to Arlington after completing year 12 and taught there for a time.She started Preshil in the 4s in 1975 and finished year 12 in 1988.
For any enrolment enquiries you can telephone her on 9816 7901 or
 email registrar@preshil.vic.edu.au

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ANTON GERNER (Cohort – 1987) EXHIBIT

ANTON GERNER AT DESIGN: MADE: TRADE

Design Made Trade This weekend!

19-22 July 10-5pm (Public 21-22 July)

Royal Exhibition Building

9 Nicholson St, Carlton

Get along this weekend and visit Anton and see some of his beautifully crafted pieces. DESIGN:MADE:TRADE is a diverse and inspiring trade exhibition space, including some of Australia’s leading furniture, fashion, textile, graphic and industrial design brands. For more information visit their website here or check out Anton’s website here.

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Kelvin Officer (Cohort – 1979)

Dr Kelvin Officer (Preshil Class of 1979) is a Director of Navin Officer Heritage Consultants, a cultural heritage consultancy, specialising in digging up, recording, and collecting old stuff, and getting paid to do it. His doctorate investigated the archaeological analysis of Aboriginal rock art by reinventing the concept of style (no, really). Kelvin has worked in the field of consulting archaeology for 24 years and has been involved in over 800 projects. It is a constant fascination how the past (which only exists as a concept), remains a powerful and always emergent social dynamic.

We hope to see you all there!

The Margaret E. Lyttle Foundation warmly invites you to the 5th ANNUAL ORATION Presented by Dr Kelvin Officer ‘Predicting the Past – making stories out of left-overs’.

Tuesday, August 28, 8.00pm
Kevin Borland Hall
Rear, 395 Barkers Road, Kew
RSVP: August Thursday 23

We hope to see you all there!

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JANE SAWYER (Cohort – 1977)

SLOW CLAY CENTRE – FORMAL OPENING!

Friday, 22 June, from 6.00pm

13 Keele St, Collingwood

Join Jane Sawyer an Alumna and Art teacher of Preshil has established a new ceramics school, the Slow Clay Centre, in Collingwood, which is being formally opened tonight.

It is now open for bookings for adult and children’s classes for Term 3. There is a children’s Clay Club (for 8 year olds up) on Thursdays after school or Saturday mornings and plenty of adults classes to choose from too.

Slow Clay Centre specialises in ceramics education of all descriptions and is a centre for excellence run by practising professionals. In true Preshil style, all classes are open-ended, developmentally instructive and not product-prescriptive!

For more information please click on the website link www.slowclay.com or email Jane on info@slowclay.com

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JAMES ADLER

COSI – ONE PUBLIC SHOW ONLY!

Sunday, 13 June, 8.00pm

Revolt, 12 Elizabeth Street, Kensington

Tickets on sale Thursday, 17 May from 1.00pm click here to book

Directed by James Adler

Stage Management by Andi Snelling

Set By Colin Craig

Costumes by Brooke Smith harris

Music by Ashleigh Southam

Cosi has the potential to be a beautiful and insightful play about the painful isolation of mental illness and the therapeutic value of artistic collaboration. Unfortunately many productions end up being an awkward blend of stereotypes and farce.

I think with this versi…on we’ve licked the problem. The actors have thrown so much of themselves into it that when the characters of Cosi trip and stumble – we fall with them and when they finally rise to the challenge of performing their opera their victory is ours.

The most beautiful and yet painful thing about the play is that there is no illusion about art being a cure for mental illness – the patients of this play are not cured but what they do get is at least a moment of joy and a chance to share their stories.

Set against the backdrop of the greatest political movement of living history, the Vietnam Moratorium, the play is a stunning reminder that humanism and politics exist in every relationship and interaction we have with our fellow beings.”

Nick Hall

SCHOOLS OUT! – END OF SEMESTER PARTY

Saturday, 30 June, from 9.00pm

1st Floor, 393 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

Nick Hall (Cohort 2010) is the singer of Midi Widow, a Syn-Rock band.

Midi Widow + Guests are celebrating the ‘End of Semester, End of Exams’

Join them for a great night!

Check out their website for more details here.

CLARE BOWDITCH

Clare Bowditch made her TV acting and singing debut on Offspring (Channel 10 – Australia) this week, as Rosanna Harding.

Clare wrote ‘You make me Happy’ especially for the TV show Offspring and it is her new single. The release date for the single is Friday, 25 May.

Click here to have a sneak peak of the song or click here to go directly to Clare’s facebook page and ‘like’ her song

CAMERON LEE (Cohort – 1993)

GREEN HAT WORKSHOP

Deepdene Scout Hall

Sunday, 20 May, 11.00am – 4.00pm

Cameron Lee an Alumni of Preshil is running one of his free ‘PLANKS’ Building Events.

‘PLANKS’ is a dynamic, open ended, multi aged, creative building activity for Junior School aged children.

Please come along and have some fun creating, designing all manner of constructions with Green Hat’s collection of precision cut building PLANKS.

For more information, click here to read more…..

Gwen Ford (13/02/1941 – 26/03/2012)

PAST STAFF (1987 – 1994 )

(Gwen)”Ford attended La Trobe University in the 1970s and graduated with a BA in English and a diploma of education. She taught at Preshil, drawn by the school’s focus on social awareness and creativity. Several students remained her friends and saw her as a lifelong mentor.” Article from Monday’s Age….. Read more

CUSH PHILLIPS (Cohort 1978)

After completing her entire education at Preshil, Cush graduated as a member of the first Year 12 class to complete their secondary education at Preshil. Cush travelled extensively after her secondary schooling and studied at a variety of international locations including Laban Summer school in London and completed a Graduate Diploma in movement and dance at Melbourne University. Since that time she has maintained a close professional and personal connection with the school through her work with Arlington children following her passion of creative dance.

In addition to her work at Preshil, Cush also teaches creative dance and ballroom dance classes in her own studio in Canterbury – Dalmaine Dance Studio. Her creative dance classes for children from 5 years of age allow imagination and confidence to develop without the constrictions of competition or technical standards. In contrast, these classes emphasize self-expression, creativity and dramatic interpretation through dance.

The Ballroom and Social Dancing courses for teenagers cover a variety of dance styles and incorporate instruction in social etiquette and formal conventions and run for two school terms.

For further details about after school classes or to book a place, please contact Cush on 0428 210 660.

JANE SAWYER (Cohort 1977)

Art teacher, Jane Sawyer, who is on a sabbatical year, wishes to welcome Preshil people to her new studio classes. Her popular classes run under the name ‘Slow Clay’ and she is taking the move to expand them out of her little studio at home and into a bigger space in Collingwood.

Starting off in Term 2, Jane will offer day and evening classes for adults and a Thursday after school and Saturday morning class for kids. All levels catered for.

Jane is an alumna of Preshil and started her journey with clay at Preshil. Later it led her around the world, training as a traditional apprentice in Japan and setting up her first studio in Edinburgh. She exhibits widely and has represented Australia at Collect at the V & A Museum in London. She specialises in teaching Japanese techniques on the potter’s wheel to adults and with kids she brings a distinctly Preshilian approach which is open and exploratory.

Jane will be joined by Louise Morrison, another Preshil alumna, who has trained with Jane and also in Japan.

Register your interest and ask for the Term 2 timetable email here or visit her website slow clay or further details.

JAMES ADLER (Cohort 1994)

April 27.

1 AUSTRALIAN & 2 WORLD THEATRICAL PREMIERS

Eagle’s Nest Theatre presents Böll, Lorca & Neulist.

Since 2011, with the support of the Ministry of Science, Research and Art for the state of Baden-Württemberg (Germany), Eagle´s Nest Theatre and theater in der westentasche, have been involved in an international cultural exchange.

As a result of this exchange Eagle’s Nest will be presenting the Australian Premier – Ansichten Eines Clowns by Heinrich Böll on

April 28

Then on the following night they will present the world premiers Dialog with Buñuel by Federico Garcia Lorca & Chernobyl by Annette Neulist.

EMMA AND MELANIE FASHAM (Cohort 1989 and Cohort 1991)

Fasham – The Family.

Sisters Emma and Melanie Fasham “both attribute their independence to their days at Preshil” Where they were encouraged to follow their own path and develop as individuals. They recently appeared in an article feature for the Weekly Review titled “The Family Way” They now design and build individual homes for individual clients at their family business – Fasham” Read more here.

ANTON GERNER (Cohort 1987)

Dovetailing into demand for quality

“A craftsman goes against the grain, creating timeless furniture a world away from the superstore flat-pack.” Read more

 Article from The Age – 10 March, 2012

STEPHEN BRAM (Cohort 1979)

STEPHEN BRAM’S PARALLEL COLLISIONS EXHIBITION

2 MARCH TO 29 APRIL 2012

Guided Tours, 2 March – 18 March daily, 11 am & 2 pm

From 19 March daily, 12 noon

Gallery of South Australia 2012 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art –  Free Admission - Stephen Bram – The work is a shelter!

See Stephen Bram’s latest exhibition of his work.Stephen’s work is classified as abstract. “It is not a representation of anything”.Its form is determined by the principles underlying a practice, by an idea of a kind of space, and by the limitations of circumstance.

Stephen used ordinary materials such as: wood, steel and painted plasterboard for his latest exhibition.

Curated by Natasha Bullock and Alexie Glass-Kantor.

FRANK PAM (Cohort 1944)

Please help support our Alumni Frank Pam and the Melbourne Musicians new Facebook page. Please like them and get along to their concert.

The Melbourne Musicians

Wow! Huge internet day for The Melbourne Musicians – not only have we updated our website with the concert details for this year, we finally have a Facebook page! Hope to see you at our first concert on 28 March at Melba Hall.

Eli Dance Ali (Cohort 2008)

“Eli is a member of the Preshil alumni and currently studying music at Monash University. It would be great if you could please support his soul ensemble by ‘liking’ them on facebook and get down and see them play!”

SOULFEAT is: Olaf Scott – Keys Stu West – Bass Pam Zaharias – Drums Anthony Tropea – Trumpet Simon Carter – Trombone Eli Dance Ali – Sax and Judith Perl – Vocals

KArli colosimo-Dinardo (Cohort 2011)

Congratulations to Karli on her successful application to AMDA.

AMDA is the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. AMDA is a world-renowned conservatory and college located in New York and Los Angeles. The Academy only accepts 1,000 students from the US and around the world per year. Karli has been offered and accepted a part scholarship in Dance Acting and Musical Theatre at the New York college.

We wish her well!

CLARE BOWDITCH

Tuesday 7 – Sunday 19 February, 2012

Athenaeum Theatre

Clare Bowditch will be back in Melbourne in February commemorating Eva Cassidy.

A two week season only and following the sell out early this year demand will be high so book now! An ideal Christmas present!

Nick Hall (Cohort 2010)

MIDI WIDOW

More of our wonderful and talented Preshil Alumni. Word is they are releasing their first Album early next year and have some gigs lined up too, so i will keep you in the loop.

In the meanwhile check out their website here: or find them on facebook here: Well done guys!

Was nice to see the lovely and talented Nick Hall today at Arlington, armed with stickers for midi widow.

JAMES ADLER – DON’T MISS OUT – LAST 3 NIGHTS!

A Christmas Carol – At the Athenaeum Theatre 8 – 11 December

Directed by James Adler – X-Press student (cohort of 1994)

Reconnect with family and friends and fall in love with this most loved Christmas story as you’ve never experienced it before.

Catch this stunning recreation.

www.charlesdickensperforms.com

STEPH TOUT

Photographer, Steph Tout best known for her pinhole photography work and featured alumni marries Nathan Croft, filmmaker.

Congratulations to Step Tout and Nathan Croft on their wedding day.

STEPHEN BRAM

Stephen is part of the 2012 Adelaide Biennial.

Planning a trip to Adelaide in March for WOMAD and the Adelaide Festival? The 2012 Adelaide Biennial is also on so make sure you include a visit to the exhibition Parallel Collisions at the Art Gallery of South Australia. Preshil alumnus and current Preshil dad Stephen Bram is taking part with a large installation. Details here.

Quentin Hanich (Cohort 1990)

Fisheries Governance Programme Leader - Senior Research Fellow – Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS)

After stumbling through the last years of high school and my first degree, I finally got the hang of school again in my late twenties when I studied Antarctic stuff in Hobart. I enjoyed it so much that I did reasonably well and got a real job – even cut my hair (though by that stage, it was falling out anyway so no real sell-out there).

Cin and I had spent much our twenties climbing and sailing and just generally getting the hang of things. Sailed to Moruroa to tell the French to take their nukes elsewhere. Lost weight in Nepal. Climbed most of the moderate traditional routes at Arapiles. Down-climbed various mountains in New Zealand. Very occasionally found a summit.

We then spent much of our thirties working and building these career things. I’m still not sure what my career is, but it seems to involve a lot of meeting people, reading and writing stuff, and travelling – generally in extremely tiny developing countries. For a while there, I worked for the Australian Environment Department. After a while there, I learnt that I don’t really have the temperament for bureaucracy. I’ve got lots of respect for many public servants, but I haven’t got the patience for the rules and glacial timescales that go with any large organisation. So, I resigned my permanent position and re-joined Greenpeace where I led their oceans campaign for the Antarctic and Pacific regions. I spent the next few years humbugging people in various ways to do the right thing and look after the marine environment. Sometimes I did this from the ocean. Sailing around the pacific islands region on the Rainbow Warrior to campaign for sustainable tuna fishing practices. Night watches on the equator. Tunaboats at dawn. Swimming in 4000 metres of ocean with nothing below but blue pillars of light fading into the depths. Or sailing across the sub-Antarctic on a rundown old yacht to campaign against fishing practices that were killing albatrosses. Handsteering on deck for 6,000 nautical miles. Surfing monster waves by the light of the aurora. Seven weeks of watches. Bonecold for five weeks. Strange days.

Much of the time however was spent sitting in international treaty meetings. Often in a dreaded suit. Sometimes even with a tie. Talking to lawyers and government officials. I kind of got the hang of this. Not very Greenpeace, but that’s where the decisions are made. After the inevitable burn-out, I started a Phd and took up consulting. Two beautiful children quickly followed and we were a family.

Governments, regional organisations and the odd American foundation now hire me to tell them what I think. For the past 6 years, I’ve been based in a small semi-independent oceans institute at the University of Wollongong were I lead their Fisheries Governance Programme. I work throughout the Asia Pacific region on various fisheries governance projects, mostly as a consultant, sometimes as a research academic. I guess I’m sort of a consulting academic, although I rarely teach and most of my salary is covered by my consulting work. Most of my research is on the equitable distribution of conservation, particularly as it impacts on small island developing States. For example, wealthy developed States have overfished the oceans for decades and serious conservation reductions are required. The wealthy developed States argue that developing States should not be allowed to develop their fishing industries because the wealthy developed States have buggered it all up and there aren’t enough fish left (kind of like polluter pays in reverse).  The small island developing States think otherwise.

Lots of interesting stuff there to work on. The tricky bit is not working too hard and spending as much time as physically possible at home with my beautiful family.

Christmas Concertos directed by Frank Pam (Alumni Cohort 1944)

Wednesday, November 30: Time 8.00 pm

St Johns Southgate

The Melbourne Musicians perform Christmas Concertos directed by Frank Pam at St Johns Southgate.
Playing popular concertos by Corelli, Manfredini, Torelli. Geoff Payne (Principal Trumpet MSO) and his wife Julie play Vivaldi’s brilliant Concerto for Two Trumpets.
 Tickets available at M-tix 9685 5111 or Malthouse or at the door.

JANE SAWYER’S ART WORK ON SHOW (Alumni Cohort 1971)

Thursday, November  24: Time 6 – 8pm until January 15

The Chinese Museum, 22 Cohen Pl, Melbourne.

Jane’s work will be on show at an RMIT-curated exhibition called Tooth and Nail, opening this Thursday. The exhibition runs until 15 January. It is subtitled ‘Cross Cultural Influences in Contemporary Ceramics’. The ceramic piece that is included in the exhibition has been influenced by my training in Japan when I was young and how this translates to Australian materials. It is also part of an ongoing exploration to do with connections between the body, materials and processes.

It is a non-selling, touring exhibition but if people like what they see I will have a piece for sale in the silent auction at the fair!

LAST REUNION:

On Sunday November 13 was the first reunion for graduating years 2006, 2007 and 2008. As we mentioned in the invite, Preshil has always done things a bit differently and our reunion program is upholding that tradition!!

Graduates from 2006, 2007 enjoyed a lovely afternoon of catch-up with some lovely wine and cheese. Past teachers Marisa Lawlor and Kay Hann were there along with our Principal Marilyn Smith, Business Manager Irene Nikolaidis and Communications & Development Director Bronte Howell to hear what everyone was up to.

Thank you to all those who attended. Our reunions are in an early stage so if you have any suggestions or able to help in this regard, we would love to hear from you.

ORATION:

Last week we hosted the annual Margaret E Lyttle Foundation Oration. Dr Rachel Nordlinger spoke about her work as a linguist focusing on indigenous languages and the prospect of the significant cultural loss to us all, if these rich and incredibly diverse languages disappear. Rachel was able to identify those influences and events from her time as a student at Preshil which had set her on this path to her eminent career and it was encouraging to reflect on the way the school has generated such diversity among our alumni. Margaret E Lyttle saw the school as a centre for …… click here for more.

JAMES ADLER  (Cohort 1994)

James Adler, former Preshil student, has just received the exciting news that his theatre production ‘Charles Dickens performs A Christmas Carol’ will be heading off for its European premier in Germany this coming new years eve 2012.

The production, which is returning to Melbourne at Athenaeum Theatre from Dec 8-11 this year has been a pet project of James’ for almost the last ten years.

Since leaving Preshil in 1994, James completed a Bachelor of Arts and diplomas in Modern Languages (German) and Creative Arts at Melbourne. He was lucky enough to receive a scholarship to undertake semesters of study in both Germany and Russia.

Apart from being a good student James was, during his time at uni, prolific in the student theatre scene. Since leaving Uni in 2001 James has worked full time in the community and professional arts sector (in fact he blames Preshil entirely for his obsessive need to try to build communities that foster inclusivity and the right of all individuals to an artistic voice)

In the last ten years james has cofounded three community Arts organisations and is currently the founder and artistic Director a 4th – Eagle’s Nest Theatre – When asked why he choose the eagle he says “The Eagle is a symbol of Courage – the courage to be yourself and the courage to support other’s rights to be themselves.” Eagle is also the English word for James name Adler.

This trip to Europe will not be James’ international theatrical debut – In 2009 he was fortunate enough to be able to have his play An Actor Prepares performed in New York and in Massachusetts – BUT THIS WILL BE JAMES EUROPEAN PREMIER and at this stage it looks like the show will be touring not only to Germany but also possible to Bosnia other EU countries.

We wish him and his blossoming career all the best – And if your looking for a beautiful way experience some of the sentiment of christmas without the materialist hype you may want to consider getting yourself a seat at the Athenaeum this Xmas – Who knows if things go well enough in Europe this might be the last chance you get to see this show for a while.

Reconnect with family and friends and fall in love with this most loved Christmas story as you’ve never experienced it before

More information, reviews videos etc about this critically acclaimed production can be found here. Tickets are available through ticketek 1300 795 012 ($40-$25) Charles Dickens Performs A Christmas Carol

alumni team up again for latest music video

Kess Broekman-Dattner (Class of 1996) teams up again with Clare Bowditch (Class of 1993)

The shoot for Are You Ready Yet, the new single written by Clare Bowditch and Gotye was a day that quite aptly punned that title entirely out of the stadium. As a skeleton crew did an incredible job of thinking on their feet over a huge last minute change, read more here:

Hepburn Wind Launch a huge success

Thanks to the 750 supporters who shared the day with us, we are well launched! Watch the report here and visit our Flickr gallery here.

Photo by Karl von Moller

Alumni, Dan and Scott, joined forces with Preshil parent, Simon Holmes a Court, and others, as directors of the Hepburn Wind Project. Having built Australia’s first community owned, cooperative wind farm, Hepburn Wind will not only provide renewable energy to the Hepburn region but will also provide benefits to the community and take constructive action towards energy transition. For their contribution to the development of a sustainable future, Hepburn Wind was awarded the 2011 Winner: Community at the Premier’s Sustainability Awards and just recently the Banksia Award 2011 for the Built Environment.

IDEAL CHRISTMAS GIFTS! LAURENS COOK BOOK & ECOFRIENDLY ZIP BAGS

Don’t miss out! We still have copies of Lauren Burns’ (Class of 1991) new vegetarian cook book along with her ecofriendly zip bags.

Costs of the books are $29.95; Zip Bags are $14.95

Come to our Arlington Office and have a peek, some great recipe ideas!

Proceeds of the cook book and zip bags go to purchasing seedlings for our children’s veggie garden here at Preshil.

To read more about Lauren, visit her website here.

To purchase your copy email communications@preshil.vic.edu.au or T: 9817 6135.

GRUNT – James Adler (Alumni)

Wednesday, November 2 at 8:00pm – November 12 at 11:00pm

Chapel Off Chapel

A short play presented by Pickled Productions as part of the SHORT and SWEET THEATRE festival of Melbourne 2011.

Kate Renae Kelly, (ALUMNI) James Nicholas Leslie Adler, Andi Snelling

Check out the event on Facebook here.

A christmas carol  James Nicholas Leslie Adler (Class of 1993)

Athenaeum, December 8 – 11

Preshillians – Call for help from James Nicholas Leslie Adler – Charles Dickens Performs A Christmas Carol, December 8  - 11. Please click here for more details:

“If your willing and able please re-post or re-tweet this if you can. We want to see if we can get a million people to see Mr Dickens new video. I hear that if you get a million views on YouTube you get an automatic audience with the queen.

And on a less silly note i would just love to get as many people as possible to see the new promo video – so we can get some feedback on it for the wonderful folks at wind and skye who made it for us”.

CLARE BOWDITCH at BELLA UNION

Sunday November 20: 4.00pm at the Bella Union

Get in, sit down and hang on. 

Brilliant, brave and hilarious Melbourne girls Marieke Hardy and Clare Bowditch talk about their vivid, messy, unconventional and exhilarating lives with Catherine Deveny. How they do it and the times they almost didn’t!

An afternoon of laughs, insight, broken hearts, guilty secrets, deadlines, failures, unexpected joys, great loves and heaps of swearing. 

Is there a question you’d like asked? Email catherine.deveny@gmail.com and she’ll do her best. 

Have a sleep in and wander down to Bella Union on a golden Melbourne Sunday afternoon. Grab a wine at the bar and strap yourself in for an afternoon taking a look under the bonnet of local dollies you know and love. We’ll finish around 6pm then grab an early dinner on the way home. 

Game on moles! 

DOORS AT 3PM FOR A 4PM START BOOK HERE:

TRANSFER TO RENEWABLE ENERGY

Join alumni Dan Cass (Class of 1988) and Scott Kinnear (Class of 1975) and their fellow directors and staff at Hepburn Wind, in making the transfer to renewable energy and the reduction of carbon emissions.

Victorian residents are invited to switch their electricity to Red Energy on their Community Saver plan. Red Energy is 100% owned by the Australian company, Snowy Hydro Limited. They will be buying 100% of the electricity generated by Hepburn Wind in addition to promising that Snowy Hydro Limited will match every unit of electricity you buy from Red by generating one unit of electricity from a renewable source.

Offering 10% discount off your entire bill when you pay your bills on time, Red will also contribute $12.50 for every bill that you pay on time to the Hepburn Wind Community Fund.

To find out more about this offer call 131 806 and quote ‘Hepburn Wind’ or join up online at redenergy.com.au/hepburnwind.

PAST STAFF WWOOF

Jen Clarke (past staff member at Blackhall/Kalimna) has been in touch about her amazing journey overseas this year. For those interested in a different sort of trip, she has recommended Wwoofing! Wwoofing stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms and is a scheme where you work for a few hours each day in return for full board with the host family. It is a great way to experience a taste of farming life across the world. Jen’s experiences in the UK, Ireland and France sound idyllic.

Learn more about Wwoofing here.

TAKE ACTION WITH ALUMNI AT HEPBURN WIND

Join alumni Ben Cass and Scott Kinnear and their colleagues at Hepburn Wind in taking action in A Community Campaign for Clean Energy.

For updates about renewable energy, you can sign up to their newsletter here.

INTERVIEWING OUR ALUMNI

We have had a few of our alumni in the press this year.

In this Monday’s education section in The Age newspaper, Lauren Burns from the Class of 1991 talks about her educational experience and current views on education.

To read about what she had to say you can read the article online here.

But what about you too? Please feel free start the ball rolling and tell others about your:

• favourite subject at school
• a teacher who changed your life
• what you wanted to be when you were 12
• who you sat next to at school
• the best lesson ever learnt
• and why you took the educational journey that you did?

If you’ve got a memory to share please join other alumni in the Preshil group on Facebook or email alumni@preshil.vic.edu.au

4+/-1 YEAR REUNION: 2006 – 2008 UPDATE Invites HAVE BEEN POSTED

Sunday November 13: 2.00 – 5.00 pm

Artspace, Blackhall/Kalimna

BYO alcohol and a plate to share.

Preshil has always done things a bit differently and our reunion program is upholding that tradition.

As friends are made across years and numbers are small, our 5 year reunion is actually a 3, 4 & 5 year reunion all rolled into one.

It is with great pleasure that we invite graduates from 2006, 2007 and 2008 and their teachers to catch up at a reunion in mid November.

Personal invites will be going out next term to those for whom we have current contact details. If you or someone you know hasn’t received one that means we do not have your latest contact details. Please pass on the message or have the go click here to update their details with us.

RSVP via Facebook at this closed group link to let everyone know you are coming or to post a message.

So far 14 attending and 16 maybes.

Please let everyone know!

2012 REUNIONS

New plans to be advised

If you would like to be involved in organising reunions, please feel free to contact Bronte at alumni@preshil.vic.edu.au or T: 9816 7916.

MARGARET E LYTTLE ORATION

Wednesday November 16: 8.00pm  Click here for more details..

CLASSICAL MUSIC GOES FUNK Tristan Lee (Class of 2004)

Hosted by fortyfivedownstairs, a not for profit organisation offering a funky urban performance space in Flinders Lane, Melbourne, Tristan delighted audiences at his solo piano recital last week featuring works by Mozart, Brahms, Liszt and Beethoven. Described as one of Australia’s most exciting classical exports, Tristan is now pursuing a successful career as a concert pianist  in Europe.

Following his presentation of a Masterclass earlier this month at The University of Melbourne, this one and only Melbourne concert was a prelude to his musical trio’s concert featuring piano, violin and cello at London’s Wigmore Hall on October 8.

Although this was his one and only concert performance during his visit back to Melbourne from his, now, UK based home, you can still catch him adjudicating at the LaTrobe Valley Piano Competition until September 13 .

To stay abreast with what he is now up to see his website

INSTRUMENT MAKER RECOGNISED -  Joanne Saunders (Class of 1978)

Our great instrumentalists may take years to find their voice and during that quest, they form the closest of partnerships with their instrument. ABC Classic FM

To hear about the amazing work of Joanne Saunders, another of our very talented alumni and one of the first graduates of the Preshil secondary school in 1978, tune in to the ABC Classic FM interview conducted with her in June this year.

Joanne is Australia ‘s sole instrument maker of beautifully crafted baroque recorders. More recently her designs have been informed by her research undertaken whilst on a Churchill Fellowship in which she studied tenor recorders and historical models used across the world in their design.

Joanne’s workshop at the Abbotsford Convent is where she applies her talent to produce these instruments using native Australian mulga timbers. To read more about her work click here.

PHOTO SCANNING: PRESHIL ARCHIVES

As part of this year’s 80th Birthday Fair, a display of ephemera, anecdotes and pictures from the past is being planned. Any memorabilia or stories from the past that you may have would be most appreciated.

Help is also needed to scan original photographs for creating a digital record and preserving photographs.

If you can help, could you please contact alumni@preshil.vic.edu.au

Some stories or memories have already been posted via Facebook. To view other posts or to post your own, go to the Preshil Facebook or email alumni@preshil.vic.edu.au.

TInpan orange

We have a brand new song up on JJJ Unearthed – it’s called Barcelona… You are welcome to go and have a listen and even grab a free download… We’d love for you to ‘rate’ it… here.

Tripple J Unearthed program here

ALUMNAE HELPS BUILD KITCHEN GARDEN – update

Lauren Burns (Class of 1991) has extended her kind offer to help invigorate not just the kitchen garden in the 5s but the kitchen gardens across Arlington.

As a qualified naturopath, nutritionist and herbalist, and mother of two small children, Lauren has always been passionate about food having become a vegetarian at the age of three. Her passion is now being shared with the children through her kind donation of a proportion of the proceeds from the sale of her vegetarian cookbook, Food from a Loving Home, and eco friendly zip bags to this project.

To help our spring plantings and develop your own approach to healthy eating, purchase a copy of Lauren’s cookbook to extend your vegetarian culinary skills and knowledge of natural remedies or purchase one of her eco friendly zip bags. For each book sold, $11.95 will go toward our gardens plus $7 from each bag sold.

To purchase your copy email communications@preshil.vic.edu.au or T: 9817 6135.

CONCERT FOR MUG

Wednesday September 7: 2.00 pm

As part of Music Week, children from the Primary School will be performing a concert for Mug at the Victoria Gardens Aged Care Facility. All are warmly invited to join them.

For further details please contact Susan Neilson (Arlington Music Co-ordinator) on 9817 6135 or email susanne@preshil.vic.edu.au

TERM 4 ELECTIVES

If you would like to volunteer for the Arlington elective program in Term 4, or if you have been thinking about doing this, please contact Karyn in the Arlington Office or email Kerri, our Head of Campus at Arlington at kerrim@preshil.vic.edu.au as soon as possible so she can begin planning next term’s program.

To read more about the program, see the relevant posts on our Learning at Arlington blog.

MUG AND PEOPLESCAPE

Many thanks to Lloyd Jones, past member of staff, and past parent and friend, Felicity Renowden for sharing information about the Centenary of Federation Peoplescape project and its tribute to Mug.

This project was the final event for The Centenary Of Federation celebrations involving an outdoor installation of 5000 figures on the slopes of Parliament House and Federation Mall, each figure representing individuals who had significantly impacted the lives of others, their communities or the nation. Running over a two week period in late 2001, the exhibition consisted of life size cut outs of individuals who had been selected from those nominated across the country by family, friends and colleagues. One of these cut outs was of Mug.

Those nominated came from every imaginable walk of life, both famous and unknown and included local sports coaches, a town’s historian, bushrangers, diggers, community workers, entertainers, scientists and actors, amongst others.

A blockbuster concert featuring a range of well known celebrities opened the exhibition in celebration of the lives of these Australians due public recognition, presenting their stories through song, dance, music, performance and a series of tributes hosted by Hugh Jackman.

If you have any memories or photgraphs of this project or your involvement in it, we would love to hear and document them for our archival record: E: alumni@preshil.vic.edu.au or T: 9816 7916.

STUDIO SPACE NEEDED

As many of you know and have experienced, the children in the 10s and 11s design and create the stage curtains for the Kevin Borland Hall. Since the inception of the secondary school, these curtains are rehung as part of the rituals for the valedictory dinner for these children and their colleagues on their completion of Year 12. These curtains are of tremendous significance for the school and the students who made them and the school is keen to ensure their preservation.

We are currently investigating options for digitising the curtain designs and for their storage to ensure their care. The first step of this project is to take photographic images of each of the curtains that are still in existence. This is quite a task requiring a large studio space that can accommodate the hanging of full stage curtains. We have had a few suggestions of studios that may be suitable but the costs are significant. We are looking for some support in this project and would be extremely grateful if anyone was able to assist us in providing a suitable space or supporting this stage of the project in other ways.

If you are able to assist or if you would like more information please contact Jenny and Bronte in the Communications and Development Office: E: communications@preshil.vic.edu.au or T: 9817 6135. Thank you!

IF WALLS COULD TALK

If Walls Could Talk – Preshil’s 80th Birthday Celebrations

The following extract from Penelope Bartlau, Preshil’s Artist in Residence for this year, explains the fascinating journey of the children in the 8s and 9s as they explored history in the context of the school’s 80th birthday and shared stories of Preshil and Mug through a range of artistic mediums.

The idea for the project ‘If Walls Could Talk’ was to focus on the history of Preshil, as part of the 80th Birthday celebrations. This focus was to take the form of a series of installations, based on objects, histories (oral & other) and or stories from Preshil’s past.

Our first few weeks focused on…Read more about the project ‘If Walls Could Talk’ here.

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

Thanks to Georgia Zomer for responding to our call out on the Preshil Facebook page for the lyrics to the Preshil version of the Carol, ’12 Days of Christmas’. For those who had forgotten, here they are:

Twelve twitchy tradesmen

Eleven lengthy lectures

Ten touchy teachers

Nine nasty neighbours

Eight plays an evening

Seven septic toilets

Six sexy singers

Five digit fees (five digit feeees)

Four frantic fathers

Three worried mums

Two fighting dogs

And a child stuck up in a high tree

Sounds like the last line referred to a few past students!

If you have any stories about getting stuck up a tree, literally or figuratively, please share it with us on Facebook or join us on twitter.

next FAIR PLANNING MEETING

Monday August 29: 7.30 pm

Location: Staffroom, Blackhall/Kalimna

Everyone is invited to bring wine and cake and join others at the next planning meeting for this year’s 80th Birthday Fair.

For the latest updates visit our fair planning page here.

If you can help please either come to the next meeting or email vickoz84@yahoo.com.au

FOLLOWING MISCHA

Wriitng for The Age newspaper, Mischa Merz (Class of 1981) vivdiy recounts the rebirth of Fitzroy Stars, officially known as  Melbourne Aboriginal Youth Sport and Recreation and Victoria’s only Aboriginal-run boxing gym. Read more here or read her recent commentary on bringing women’s sport into the limelight in last weekend’s Sunday Life Magazine.

Don’t forget to check our her latest book, The Sweetest Thing: A Boxer’s Memoir, $30, Seven Stories Press at your local book store or online or go to www.mischamerz.com.

Check out the music week schedule

September 5 – 9

For 80 years, music has been an integral part of a Preshil education. Come and join us this week as the students become immersed in a feast of music and song. Hear our studerns perform with the help of some of our alumni. Everyone welcome!

Full program now available here.

LEARNING ABOUT PRESHIL

Open Day

Saturday October 22: 11 – 2 pm

Please join us and bring your friends to our next Open Day so they can learn about our school.

Read about what the children say about the school here.

ORIENTATION DAYS: 5S FOR 2012

For more information visit here

LOST & FOUND MARKET – Kate Borland (Class of 1977)

Open 7 days (10am – 6pm)

Go visit Kate at her stall (number 28) at the Lost and Found Market and say hi.

Located at 12 Smith St, Collingwood, the market houses 40 market stalls crammed with all things vintage and retro including shoes, shoes, shoes…..check it out.

tales from the life of EVA CASSIDY – Clare Bowditch (Class of 1993)

August 9 – 21

Athaneum Theatre

Book your tickets now to hear Claire Bowditch (Class 1993) pay tribute to the musical genius of Eva Cassidy in the production co-written by herself and Jim McPherson, author of other biographical productions honouring John Denver, Dudley Moore and Cat Stevens.

To read about how Eva’s work inspired Claire, click here.

Read more about the show or book your tickets here.

THE MELBOURNE MUSICIANS – Frank Pam

Wednesday August 10: 8.00 pm

Alumnus from the early years and past parent, Frank Pam is conductor of The Melbourne Musicians.

To see their 2011 concert program and to book tickets go to their website.

PRESHIL THROUGH THE AGES

As part of this year’s 80th Birthday Fair, a display of ephemera, anecdotes and pictures from the past is being planned. Any memorabilia or stories from the past that you may have would be most appreciated. If you can help could you please contact alumni@preshil.vic.edu.au

Some stories or memories have already been posted on the preshil via Facebook. To view other posts or to post your own, go to the Preshil Facebook or email alumni@preshil.vic.edu.au.

CURTAINS AT PRESHIL

The making of curtains, whether it be for plays or for valedictory dinners, has been an integral part of Preshil since its early years and is associated with many fond memories. If you have nay photographs of these times or stories you could share with us we would be most grateful. This information is important to the school for many, many reasons, including the preservation and commemoration of the past but also for its significance and ability to inform the future and will form part of our archival material.

If you can help please email alumni@preshil.vic.edu.au or contact Jenny on 9816 7916 or Bronte on 9816 7904.

HAUNTED HEART - Tania Donald (Class of 1989)

Hearty congratulations on the publication of her first novel, ‘Haunted Heart’.

Haunted Heart is Tania’s first novel, and stems from a life-long love of horror and the supernatural. Inspired by the works of H P Lovecraft, J Sheridan Le Fanu, and M R James, Tania’s work is an homage to the tradition of classic supernatural fiction. Haunted Heart aspires to inject some fresh blood into the genre with a new kind of supernatural predator, and a passion for exciting and erotically-charged psychological horror. To read more click here

Tania Donald is a Melbourne-based writer and artist. She holds a Ph.D in English Literature and has worked as a freelance writer, as well as writing plays and sketches for theatre, radio and cabaret. Haunted Heart is her first novel. To learn more about Tania and her other multiple talents, click here.

The literate, fighting female - Mischa Merz (Class of 1981)

Mischa is well known in the sporting arena as an accomplished female boxer, becoming Australian Amateur champion in 2002 and winning the National Women’s Golden Gloves 138lb title, the Georgia Games championship and the Ringside World championship in the US. Having established herself as a worthy competitor in a traditionally male dominated sport in which many did not think women would be able to hold their own, she is a strong advocate for pushing the boundaries surrounding women’s boxing. As an accomplished artist and also writer of two books chronicling her experiences in the sport, her recent article in The Age evokes a vivid picture of the world of boxing and the lengths to which a writer must go to sell their book.

Tio find out more about Mischa and her work click here.

RHYTHM TREE: ALUMNI DISCOUNT

A 10% fee discount is now available for Preshil alumni enrolling their children at our Preshil venue on Thursdays. Sessions run at both 9.30 and 10.30 am. Places are still available for this term in the 10.30 am class. Feel free to pass on this information to any Preshil Alumni family who may be interested. Families are very welcome to come for a free trial class before enrolling

For families who have already paid this term’s fees, reimbursement can be made either in cash at the start of term or by bank transfer. Please send through your bank details if you would prefer the latter.

To find out more click here

EXHIBITION: GET TOGETHER - Tess Mckenzie (Class of 2004)

July 22 – August 13: Wed-Sat, 12.00 – 6.00 pm

Screen Space

Join alumnae Tess Mckenzie (Class of 2004) in her latest installation, Get Together at Screen Space in Guildford Lane, Melbourne.

Tess completed her Bachelor of Fine Art [Honours] degree, majoring in Sculpture and Spatial Practice, at the Victorian College of the Arts in 2009. Recent shows include Goodbye Yellow Brick Road at Michael Koro Galleries, Knowledge W 414 at window99 and HATCHED 09 at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art.

Tess was the recipient of the inaugural Hooker Cockram Melbourne Chicago Exchange Award in 2007 and in 2011 was awarded an Australia Council Artstart grant. She has self-published a number of publications including paper on nothing /nothing on paper in 2009. Her practice is informed by investigations into the balance between emptiness and poeticism within a single artwork.

A huge thanks also to Tess for her recent mentorship of Preshil senior school students in the preparation of their portfolios of work for their tertiary study submissions.

Thanks Lauren

A huge thank you to alumnae Lauren Burns. We now have a supply of her signature zip shopping bags available at the office and with the sale of each bag we will be giving $7 to assist catering for the Student Voice: The Student Education Conference. This initiative of the senior school Preshil students will take place on August 16 in the Hawthorn Town Hall so get in quick to buy your bag. The bags fold to a wallet size for easy carrying. RRP $14.95 (remember $7 per bag will go to the students).

If you are on the look out for a copy of her new vegetarian recipe book, Food From a Loving Home RRP $29.95, copies are available from the Communications and Development Office at the school or view and buy it online from Lauren’s website.

For more information about Lauren and her work, click here.

BAGS AND BOOKS STILL AVAILABLE

We still have some of Lauren Burns’ signature zip shopping bags available for sale. The bags fold to a wallet size for easy carrying. (RRP $14.95). For each bag sold, Lauren is donating $7 to go towards catering for the Student Voice: The Student Education Conference. This initiative of the senior school Preshil students will take place on August 16 in the Hawthorn Town Hall so get in quick to buy your bag.

If you are on the look out for a copy of her new vegetarian recipe book, Food From a Loving Home RRP $29.95, copies are available from the Communications and Development Office at the school or view and buy it online from Lauren’s website.

For more information about Lauren and her work, click here.

To learn more about the scrumptious photographs in the book photographer by another of our alumni, Steven Pam (Class of 1989) click here.

PRESHIL MEMOIRS

The Preshil Facebook is gathering posts about the past from many of its members in response to Jane Sawyer’s post requesting memories for this year’s special event being planned to honour Mug.

Here is some excerpts from Lisa Sinha in response to Jane’s invitation for stories about Mug:

“Mug was a progressive and a radical and yet she was the pinnacle of respectability.”

“Some say Mug ran a benevolent dictatorship. Perhaps this is so and if true, how privileged am I to have spent my entire schooling years in a school headed up by someone whose principles were to consult, to listen, to respect, to care, to learn, to think, to play, to value the individual, and above all, to have courage.”

To view other posts or to post your own, go to the Preshil Facebook or email alumni@preshil.vic.edu.au or janes@preshil.vic.edu.au

NEWS ABOUT MUG

In our last update we weren’t able to provide any photos of Mug so are pleased to include one in this week’s edition taken at the last visit made by some of the children at the school.

For more information about Mug or information about visiting, please feel free to contact the school on 9817 6135.

An event honouring Mug is being planned for closer to her 98th birthday in November this year. We will keep you posted as details become available.

SINGER DEBATES

Our last edition noted a story about alumnus Peter Singer in The Melbourne Magazine. For those interested in his views, read here for commentary on his latest debate ‘Is there a God?’ last Wednesday night at The Melbourne Town Hall or to hear some of his previous debates click here.

For information about his upcoming engagements see his website.

MORE ON PLANKS

In a previous edition we shared information about Cameron Lee’s (Class of 1993) new business ‘Planks’. Having spent the first week of the holidays at Warrnambool’s Kids Festival, Fun4Kids, his business is burgeoning with a gig at the Hawthorn Market last weekend and success at The Mornington Racecourse at another children’s festival, KidsGoExpo.

With the idea inspired from the work of children in the 10s and 11s at Arlington stacking parquetry planks, the idea is gaining momentum. Keep an eye out in this month’s Educational Experience Education resource catalogue for more information, visit the website or follow PLANKS on facebook via the link on his website.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEPBURN WIND

Happy Birthday to Hepburn Wind on turning four this week!

Preshil is proud to keep you up to date on the innovative work being done by this organisation in the development of wind power that currently includes the work of a number of alumni/friends of the school amongst its membership.

The Age Speaks To Peter Singer

For those who missed the cover story of July’s issue of The Melbourne Magazine featuring influential thinker and alumnus Peter Singer, you may read it online here. Join millions of readers who choose to read their favorite publications online to help protect our forests.

Miriam’s House

Coincidentally, July’s issue of The Melbourne Magazine also included a piece about another of our alumni, Miriam Bereson (Class of 1981). The article, highlighting the design of a beautiful house recently built by Miriam and her partner Adam Nissen, held faint echoes of the treed environment and child inspired design at Arlington.

To find out more about their beautiful house and access the article online, click here. Join millions of readers who choose to read their favorite publications online to help protect our forests.

Preshil Dances With The Wolf

Friday July 15: 11.30 am

Elisabeth Murdoch Hall

Melbourne Recital Centre

Bring the kids and the grandkids along for a morning of family entertainment at this production of the much loved children’s classic, Peter and the Wolf, as it comes to life with a wonderful new dance piece featuring Karli Colosimo-Dinardo (Yr 12) who continues to gain accolades following her award winning performance as part of this year’s VCE Season of Excellence. In this production she is joined by her other beautiful sister Luca (Yr 10).

Well done girls.

Tickets: $25 ($15 concession)

Exhibition: Nillumbik Prize 

Thursday June 16 – Sunday July 31

Monsalvat

Join artist and alumnae, Steph Tout, at this exhibition showcasing her work and that of other finalists in the 2011 Nillumbik Prize. Presented by the Nillumbik Shire Council in association with Montsalvat, this art prize celebrates the diversity of art in Nillumbik.

Innovative Space And Pedagogy: New Subject

July 29/30; August 5/6; September 2/3; October 14/15

Ben Cleveland (Class of 1993) is currently enrolled as a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at The University of Melbourne. With an academic background in education and science and as an experienced primary and secondary school teacher, Ben’s research focus is on the design of learning environments which can support contemporary educational philosophies and pedagogies. He has a particular interest in supporting processes of educational innovation.

In his capacity as Research Fellow for the Learning Environment Applied Research Network (LEaRN) at The University of Melbourne, he has helped spearhead the development of an innovative new multidisciplinary subject that brings together the learnings across the Faculties of Education and of Architecture, Building and Planning to develop new knowledge for the design of educational spaces that support student learning and teacher satisfaction. Individuals are invited to complete this subject as part of the Master of Education program or as a one-off subject within the university’s Community Access Program.

For more information about this subject click here.

Firebird Trio

Sunday September 4: 3.00 pm

Monsalvat, Barn Gallery

Wednesday November 2: 6.00 & 8.00 pm

Melbourne Recital Centre

Don’t miss the last two of this year’s inaugural four concerts performed by the Firebird Trio. These three acclaimed performers include Preshil alumnus and pianist, Benjamin Martin.

Firebird Trio concerts regularly sell out so book early to avoid disappointment.

Brown and Breen Concert

Saturday August 6

Matinee 2.00 pm; Evening 8.00 pm

South Melbourne Town Hall

Featuring Bernstein’s enthralling favourite West Side Story and Ravel’s virtuosic La Valse and presented by internationally acclaimed and multi award winning pianists, Bonnie Brown and Louisa Breen (both Preshil alumni), this program of classical and popular music will delight young and old.

To read about Bonnie and Louisa and their amazing talent, click here.

For bookings and details go to www.BrownandBreen.com

A SHINING FUTURE BY PRESHIL ALUMNI

Our hearty congratulations to Preshil alumni Dylan Brady, Dan Cass and Scott Kinnear on their involvement in winning projects at the 2011 Premier’s Sustainability Awards.

Through their abilities and their commitment to creating a better future, Dylan, Dan and Scott, along with their coworkers, provide ongoing examples of the enormous possibilities generated by creativity and collaboration.

Dylan Brady

As one of the founding members and directors of the architectural firm studio505, Dylan is known for his cutting-edge design capabilities with current projects including the innovative naturally ventilated ward design for the 980 bed Jurong General Hospital in Singapore and design of the Wujin Grand Theatre and Youth Palace in China.

Through his leadership in the design of Grocon’s carbon-neutral Pixel Building in Melbourne, the first carbon neutral office building in Australia, the project has been awarded 2011 Winner: Built Environment at this year’s Premier’s Sustainability Awards.

Dan Cass and Scott Kinnear

Alumni, Dan and Scott, have joined forces with Preshil parent, Simon Holmes a Court, and others, as directors of the Hepburn Wind Project. Having built Australia’s first community owned, cooperative wind farm, Hepburn Wind will not only provide renewable energy to the Hepburn region but will also provide benefits to the community and take constructive action towards energy transition. For their contribution to the development of a sustainable future, Hepburn Wind was awarded the 2011 Winner: Community at the Premier’s Sustainability Awards.

PRESHIL MEMOIRS

This week, we are pleased to share the memories of Jenny Grierson with you. Jenny is a fellow classmate of Peto Beal (nee Fitzpatrick), one of Preshil’s graduates from the 1940s, who provided the e-XPres memoir in the June 10 edition.

Dateline: July 15, 1989, Nostalgia Day

Last year [1988] was the year for many reunions, tying in personal lives with the big birthday party. My primary school,being deliberately eccentric, or perhaps making a statement, is having one today. I will not be there physically, but through the magic of the human mind I am as much there now as I was forty years ago.These days I may sometimes lose my car in the council car park and do other forgetful things, but I can clearly remember the smell of the school cloakroom to this day, a not unpleasant configuration of left behind tomato sandwiches and oranges I think. Do schools no longer have this pungent odour because the food is sealed in plastic or because the tomatoes are no longer sun-ripened, warm and aromatic, just picked from the garden near the compost heap?

If I were there today I would be overwhelmed both by the numbers and by the empty ranks. I am trying to visualize fifty eight years of unique individuals each one with an umbilical cord cut, torn or still plaited invisibly to this second family. When I was there it was my place, together with my friends’. There were Barbie and Emily, both talented artists even at ten years old, so different to each other, so recognizable in their work, such sensitive friends. And the terror, Nigel, whose hair was sometimes the butt of Miss Margaret’s threats to be tied up in ribbons, when it reached his collar. They will not be there.

I am glad that in memory I can still climb the big pine tree near the front gate. Did others do this too? It was a quiet, private area where personal challenges could be met without supervision, and where, having once in a life-time struggled to the very top, I was confronted jointly by the sight of my alarmed mother, a part-time teacher, stepping on the bus to go home, and the dim coastline of Port Phillip Bay, with the added glory of a 360′ horizon if I dared to move my head all around. The curvature of the earth was almost visible, certainly imaginable from that vantage point, and the desire to travel born then. I don’t remember any repercussions from this apparently dangerous adventure but perhaps I was given full marks for courage as well as for knowing my own limitations.

Climbing trees was a big part of our lives. The cypress close by the pine tree had a totally different aura. Instead of inviting one to reach ever higher it said ‘balance on the wings of my outstretched arms and rock with me’. In earlier years ladies in white dresses may have sheltered in mid-summer beneath its horizontal branches whilst watching the tennis, for this was a comfortable home set in two acres of garden. But when I knew it, the tennis court had reverted to open space and was a wonderfully level rectangle for our own (competitive) games such as the one now known as ‘Red Rove’. The expansive lawns encouraged handstands and self-motivated gymnastics, and the surrounding shrubberies were hidey-holes for wrapped sweets for the Easter Hunt, a time of temporary indulgence in those post war days.

SUPPORTING PRESHIL

This is a friendly reminder for those who may be considering making a donation to the Preshil Foundation that the end of the financial year will be upon us next week.

As mentioned in the recent note from the Preshil Foundation, all donations to the ancillary fund, the building and maintenance fund and the bursary fund are fully tax deductible. These monies directly contribute to improving the school’s infrastructure, facilities and accessibility for the benefit of both current and future students.

The Foundation also warmly welcomes non-monetary donations, recognising the invaluable role played by in-kind donations, volunteer time and assistance in promoting our activities for both maintaining and growing our school. Your feedback on the activities of the Foundation and ideas are welcome at any time.

For more information on our tax-deductible giving options, or other programs and opportunities, please contact Bronte or Jenny in the Communications and Development Office T: 9817 6135 or E: communications@preshil.vic.edu.au or any member of the Foundation Board (details below).

We look forward to your ongoing support over the coming year.

Preshil Foundation board members:

Peter George                              Peter.George@minterellison.com

Brett Kunkel                                brett@kunkel.org.au

Philip Marzella                            phillipmarzella@gmail.com

Zahava Elenberg                       zahava@move-in.com.au

Katrina Holmes a Court             katrina@holmesacourt.com

Phil Winbanks                             philipwinbanks@gmail.com

Natalie Toohey                            natalie@natalietoohey.com

Preshil Alumni Awarded Queen’s Birthday Honours

Warm and hearty congratulations to Preshil alumnae, Professor Sue Richardson, a Preshil primary school graduate, who, this year, has been awarded Member of the Order of Australia as part of the Queen’s Birthday honours awards for her services to the social sciences, particularly in the field of labour market economics, as an academic and researcher, and through contributions to the development of socially inclusive public policy.

Sue’s award this year follow on from that of her identical twin sister, Associate Professor Jo Wainer, also a Preshil primary school graduate, who received the same honour in 2010 for service to the community as an academic and researcher in the area of women’s reproductive health rights, and through leadership roles promoting women in medicine, particularly in rural and remote areas.

Many thanks to Zoe, also a Preshil graduate and daughter to Jo and niece to Sue, for letting us know.

PREMIER’S PRIZE

The Premier’s VCE Awards pay tribute to young Victorians who have completed their studies with particular distinction.

Congratulations to Jack Brown (Class of 2010) who received a Premier’s Award in Studio Arts. This was presented to him at a ceremony held at The Melbourne Convention Centre on Monday May 30.

Jack has always been interested in art throughout his secondary education and took up photography in Year 11. He is currently studying photography at the Victorian College of the Arts.

80th Birthday Auction – Goods and services needed

An auction is being arranged for the Preshil Fair in November.

If you have any items to donate or know of businesses that might be willing to donate goods, services or other items such as holiday home rentals, free entertainment, equipment hire etc, or if you know of an auctioneer who might be able to help, please contact Kerri McCulloch E: kerrim@preshil.vic.edu.au or T: 9817 6135..

Electives

The elective program at Arlington is an initiative that recognises the valuable contribution that families and friends make to the learning of the children. It involves family members, alumni and/or friends sharing their expertise with the children over the period of a term.

We are now looking for volounters to run sessions in the Electives program for third term.

If you feel that you may have something to share with the children that may be of interest or would just like to find out a bit more about the program please contact Kerri McCulloch, our Head of Campus at Arlington, via email on kerrim@preshil.vic.edu.au or phone 9817 6135.

Programs run for eight weeks with a celebration of learning at the end of term. Some parents and alumni have paired up and run a program together which can work well. All volounteers are required to have a Working With Children Check (WWC). This is easily obtained and forms are available from Karyn at the Arlington Office or from your closest Australia Post outlet. For more information about the WWC click here.

TOP ACTS: PRESHIL SHINES

For those of us who couldn’t get to the Top Acts performance on Friday May 13, Rodney Waterman, a member of our music staff, shares the evening with us below.

Preshil students featured prominently at the prestigious VCE Top Acts Concert at the Palais Theatre, St Kilda on Friday evening May 13. Year 12 student Karli Dinardo (Dance Technique Solo) and Nick Hall, Ben Zagroon and Chris Bates (Tim Dargaville’s 2010 Year 12 Group Music Performance students) dazzled a huge audience with memorable performances.

The final 44 performers for the night (4 from Preshil) were selected as the ‘best of the best’ from a series of 12 VCE Top Class concerts held earlier in the year. Dance, Drama, Theatre Studies, Music Solo and Group Performance and original musical works were blended together into a dynamic presentation. Incredibly, Preshil students featured in 2 out of 22 performances!

The depth of artistic diversity displayed at the concert was breathtaking – there was an exhilarating atmosphere with a lively, warm and enthusiastic audience. It was a joyful and life-affirming celebration of hard work, commitment and extra-ordinary talent. A large, admiring and vocal Preshil audience contingent cheered our students on. Karli’s dance was outstanding and many of us were moved to tears at the beauty and poise of her sublime movement and subtle interpretation. The rock band boys were also excellent – their best performance to date of their compelling original rock/jazz composition, Epilogue. Hugh Rabinovich, an ex-Preshil student recently graduated from the VCA, joined them ably on drum kit.

We were all so proud of the Preshil students’ performances and they were over the moon to have had the opportunity to be part of such an amazing event. A DVD of the event will be available (check the VCAA website).

Rodney Waterman

Read what they said here.

SONGWRITING WITH CHARLIE THORPE

Classes are now available with Preshil alumnae, Charlie Thorpe (Class of 2007) from Melbourne based pop duet ‘Dash & Will, and as seen on television shows Spicks and Specks and Rockwiz, as host of Nickelodian’s music program The Go Show, as well as on Video Hits, Rage, Channel V, MTV and more.

Classes are provided at her home studio but home visits are available. Pick up from school is also an option if this is preferred.

To discuss session times and rates, contact Charlie on M: 0438 895 402 or E: thorpe.charlie@gmail.com

To view her band go to www.myspace.com/dashandwill OR www.facebook.com/dashandwillofficial

Read more here

JAZZ NIGHT AT DIZZY’S

Tuesday June 14: 8.00 – 12.00 pm

Following last years’ sell out performances, Dizzy’s Jazz Club in Burnley St Richmond, is again hosting an evening of entertainment presented by our very own Preshil music students.

Come and join us in this evening of great music, food and refreshments. Book in early if you would like to secure a table. Dizzys is a licensed venue.

For dinner bookings contact Dizzy’s Jazz Club. T: 9428 1233; E: dizzys@dizzys.com.au. Tickets available at the door.

EXHIBITION: NILLUMBIK PRIZE

Thursday June 16: 6.00 pm.

Monsalvat

Join artist and alumnae, Steph Tout, at the opening of the exhibition showcasing her work and that of other finalists in the 2011 Nillumbik Prize. Presented by the Nillumbik Shire Council in association with Montsalvat, this art prize celebrates the diversity of art in Nillumbik.

Exhibition Dates: Thursday June 16 – Sunday July 31

PRESHIL PRESENTS

DRAMA, DRAMA, DRAMA

Reminisce at these affordable nights out in this series of ONE NIGHT ONLY performances.

2011 Year 7 – 12 DRAMA REVUE:

Celebrating 80 years with 8 plays

Wednesday June 22: 7.00 pm

Blackhall/Kalimna campus

To celebrate Preshil’s 80th birthday, the Drama department is performing a selection of excerpts from 8 productions that have been performed at Preshil is the past. These include both the recent past – The Wedding Singer and Masquerade, and the distant past – My Fair Lady and The Importance of Being Earnest.

This is a one night only special. Due to limited seating tickets are capped at 160 so get yours fast!.

Tickets on sale Monday June 6. $10 adult; $5 children; Tickets available from The Cottage or by telephoning 9817 6135.

Year 9 Drama Performance of FairyTale High by Marlene Magee

Monday June 27: 7.00 pm

Gym School, Blackhall/Kalimna

Lots of Fun as all your favourite fairytale characters battle the Evil Queen in her quest to become “Teacher of The Year!”

Admission: Donation at the Door.

Year 10 Drama performance of Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party

Tuesday June 28: 7.00 pm

Gym School, Blackhall/Kalimna

This is the culmination of detailed study and experience of Absurd Abstract Theatre.

Tickets $5 at the door

LEARNING ABOUT PRESHIL

Tuesday June 28: 9.30 – 10.30 am

Monthly Tour (bookings essential)

A warm invitation is extended to all alumni and friends to join us on our final monthly tour for this term and learn more about the current educational program at Preshil.

For more information about our Open days and Monthly Tours for 2011, click here.

OBITUARY: KEITH MILNE

Keith Milne, who taught woodwork at Yallambee in the 1980s and 1990s, died suddenly, aged 78, on 28 April. Although in theory retired from both teaching and building, Keith had been busy as usual with maintenance for the Box Hill Baptist church and the Barcelona Street community he founded, and with helping his grandson build a shed, woodturning and playing golf.

Keith will be remembered fondly by many at Preshil as a good colleague and a generous, patient teacher, who shared his love of wood and carpentry skills, as well as his enthusiasm for bushwalks and cross country skiing. He worked in the secondary school, but spent time at Arlington whenever Mug thought they needed another man about the place

Text by Jean Rumbold. Photo by Glennys Williams

A MESSSAGE FROM ALUMNA LOUISE DAVIDSON

Sunday May 8

Alexandra Gardens

As many of you know, I was motivated to start the Mother’s Day Classic in memory of my Mum who died of breast cancer. From modest beginnings in 1998, the event has grown into Australia’s largest charity event. This year it will take place in capital cities and regional centres all around Australia, attracting around 120,000 people to walk or run for breast cancer research. The event has raised over $7.8 million for breast cancer research since it started.

The last few years Preshil has fielded a team in the event, and we have been the largest team from a small school and won a trophy as a result! Let’s try to do this again this year. You can register for the event at www.mothersdayclassic.com.au. Make sure you select the Preshil team so that you will be included in our tally – everyone can join our team – kids, teachers (current and past), parents, friends, past students and family. It is a great day, lots of fun with plenty of kids activities. You can choose to walk or run 4km or 8km – most of the team does the 4km walk. The assembly point for the event is Alexandra Gardens, and the walk goes around the Tan Track.

I am planning to run the 4km around the Tan Track again this year, hopefully with a better time that last year’s fairly poor effort! If you can’t come along on the day but would like to sponsor me I’m sure it will help me sprint up that steep Anderson Street hill even faster – here is the link to my sponsorship page.

Many thanks Louise

FOOD FROM A LOVING HOME

Congratulations to Lauren Burns (class of 1991) on the launch of her new book, Food From a Loving Home.

See her website for a sneak peek of the book and to order online.

Also available at Readings, I dream a highway, Key Ingredients, Luft, Avenue Bookshop or Books for Cooks.

MORAN PRIZE: ALUMNI NOMINATED

Hearty congratulations to both Steph Tout (Class of 1998) and Ilana Rose (class of 1979) on becoming finalists in the Moran Contemporary Photographic competition. To see their work click here.

ARE YOU A CURRENT PARENT?

If you are a current parent at the school and also an alumni, could you please go to the Preshil website to confirm your status as alumni via the update form. Unfortunately some of this data was lost in the transfer of data to our new administration system. Thank you for your assistance.

PRESHIL MEMOIRS

Memories of school can be some of the most significant in our lives and in this section we invite our alumni and past parents and members of staff to share their special and/or humourous memories with our readers. Memories about the plays that were put on, the stories behind the valedictory curtains, the teachers, recollections of Mug, cubbies, the creations and inspirations or just funny times: all would be welcome.

Here’s one we discovered from the original eX-Pres:

We recognised one of our (airborne) science experiments pictured in the local paper, accompanied by an article about a sudden rash of UFO sightings in Kew and Hawthorn.

If you have a special recollection from your years at Preshil that you think would be of interest, please email  alumni@preshil.vic.edu.au or ask for Jenny or Bronte on 9817 6135. We would love to hear from you.

PRESHIL BUSINESS/INTEREST NETWORK

In this section we invite Preshil alumni to share information about their work and/or business or special interests with our readers and to connect with others who may have similar or complimentary interests.

If you have ideas and would be able to assist in further developing this concept we would love to hear from you. Please email alumni@preshil.vic.edu.au or telephone 9816 7916.

PLEASE UPDATE YOUR DETAILS AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS

As some of you may be aware, we are working towards developing a vibrant alumni relations program incorporating not only reunions but other opportunities for alumni to connect and share with each other and the wider community. This work requires that we have up to date contact details for our alumni and other friends. The increased resources made available with the creation of a dedicated Communications and Development Office now provides a means for the school to establish and maintain this database.

A big thank you to all those alumni who have already updated their details via our website. There are, however, thousands of contacts yet to be confirmed. In an effort to address this, we will be undertaking an intensive program over the next few weeks calling all our alumni and other friends of the school for whom we have telephone numbers and asking them to confirm the contact details that we have. As part of this process those who have recently updated their details may be contacted again. We do apologise if this is the case and would appreciate your understanding as we establish our internal administrative systems.

As we do not have telephone numbers for everybody on the database, many alumni will not be contacted. If you or other alumni who you know have not been contacted by the end of the month, it is likely that we do not have your current details. If that is the case we would be most grateful if you could update your details via the website.

GETTING TO KNOW OUR ALUMNI

Kess Broekman-Dattner (Class of 1996)

Over time we aim to bring you news about our alumni and what they are doing. This week Kess Broekman-Dattner (Class of 1996) kindly offered us some insight into his work.

Kess lives, breathes and occasionally eats films. His emerging career as a commercials and music video director has seen him garner various awards including Music Video of the Year at MusicOz in 2010 for Preshil alumnae Kate Vigo’s The Way You Are. He’s been fortunate enough to create work for a growing number of talented people, including but not limited to: Clare Bowditch, the National Gallery of Victoria, EMI, Pez, The Australian Government and Universal Music as well as agencies from all around Australia. He’s currently developing a new sci-fi fantasy short to shoot in 2012, and is represented by The Directors Group , a production company formed in 2002, as well as assisting Preshil with some of its design needs at different times. He’s also a freelance writer, designer and considerably taller person than film critic, Margaret Pomeranz.

To find out more about his work click here.

If you have any news to share contact Jenny at jenniferal@preshil.vic.edu.au.

JOIN THE PRESHIL FOOTY TIPPING COMPETITION

If you have an interest in footy why not join this competition and take your chances against other Preshil footy lovers!

Even though the season has started it’s not too late to join. Register your details at www.footy tips.com to make an ‘account’ then go to ‘Join a Competition’. Enter ‘Preshil’ as the name of the comp, use the password “frank” to get in, and you’re IN.

Although the cost is $25, we’d be happy to take you in for free, just as a player, without eligibility for prizes. Also, sign up your wife/hubby/partner, children, friends and others.

First round is Thursday night (tomorrow) so do it quickly.

To arrange payment or for futher information contact David Cobb on 9817 6135 or email davidc@preshil.vic.edu.au

Good luck!

PRE-ORDER 2011-2012 ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS

The new 2011 | 2012 Greater Melbourne Entertainment™ Books will be available from late March, and we’ll be selling these as a fund-raiser – order your copy today!.

The new Book is only $65 and you’ll receive $15,000 worth of valuable offers, valid until 1 June 2012. Entertainment™ Books feature valuable offers from many popular local businesses. The 2011 | 2012 edition has great new inclusions like The Palace by Luke Mangan, Mezzo Bar and Grill, Falls Creek, Left Bank Melbourne, Kmart…

And plenty of your favourites such as Comme Kitchen, Sushi Sushi, Taxi Dining Room, Red Spice Road, Nando’s, Zoos Victoria, Coles, The Point, Melbourne Aquarium, Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder, plus many more!

Browse the book online here.

Order and pay for your new Greater Melbourne Entertainment™ Book before 6 April 2011 and you’ll receive additional offers, valued at over $175, which you can use immediately!

To preorder, contact Jenny on 98167916.

AUSSIE WINS BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL PRIZE

Australian film, Minnie Loves Junior,  has made its mark at the Berlin Film festival, with a special mention in the Generation K Plus section recognising movies for or about children. This story of love set in a seaside fishing village was written and produced by one of our alumni, Tom Birch (Class of 1994), and his colleagues Doug Maskiell and Andy and Matt Mullins at Sandhill Road Pictures. Tom’s move into film production with his partners has been another step n this highly successful collaboration with the establishment of a flourishing business within the Australian hospitality industry. Click here to read more about their film or here to find out more about Sandhill Road. Congratulations Tom, Andy, Matt and Doug!

There is also a wonderful backstory about four friends on Screen Hub.

IN REMEMBRANCE

It is with deep sadness that we pass on news of the death of one of our alumni, Gregory Hjorth (1963 – 2011). Internationally respected as both a mathematician and Master chess player he passed away suddenly at the age of 47 in January this year. We share with you the following tributes to him.

Professor Greg Hjorth died of a heart attack in his birth city of Melbourne, Australia, on Jan. 13. He was 47. Hjorth was recognized as a young chess whiz in his primary school years. He quickly advanced to tournament chess, becoming joint Commonwealth Champion in 1983 and earning his International Master title in 1984. He played Garry Kasparov, among other accomplished chess rivals, but took his own later advice that “if you’re not in the top 100 by 21, get out.” Hjorth’s passion for chess played over to mathematical logic…Read More

Greg Hjorth was an international master and represented Australia in 3 Olympiads, ’82 to ’86. He was also, of course, a mathematician and was a professor at both UCLA as well as at the University of Melbourne. In an interview last year with Melbourne Chess Club’s Grant Szuveges, Hjorth had this piece of advice for young hopefuls:…Read More

PHOTOGRAPHY AT PRESHIL

We know that many past and present members of the Preshil community have photography expertise. At various times the school has a need of photographers for recording memories of people and events and we are keen to utilise the skills available in the community on a fee-for-service (regular or casual) basis. If you think you may be able to assist us or know of others who might be interested, Jenny and Bronte in the Communications and Development Office would love to hear from you. They can be contacted via email at communications@preshil.vic.edu.au or by phoning 9817 6135.

ALUMNI STORIES

STAYING IN TOUCH

2011 & 2012 REUNION PROGRAM

JOIN THE PRESHIL FACEBOOK

web archive 2011 download Here

Thursday afternoons, between 4.00 – 5.00pm
123 Auburn Road, Hawthorn
Come along for a free trial!
For ages 7 -11 years
A creative class that encourages your child to explore the benefits and principles of yoga in a fun, non-competitive environment.
Children learn through games and creative play using their imagination. We combine dynamic movement, quiet postures, breathing exercises and meditation. The focus is on fun and respecting our bodies as well as each other. Download the flyer here.

Please contact Michelle 0414 441 824

http://sproutorganics.com.au/studio.html

John Sugden Swim School INTEGRATED curriculm

Play with Purpose

Learn to Swim to Survive – Don’t Just Learn to Survive

. We Teach Everyone to SWIM to SURVIVE 
not Just to SURVIVE!

John Believes that:  
”The Distance Swum is Not Relevant; 
Important is the Swimmer’s Relationship with the Water at Any One Moment”.

John’s motivation to teach and coach swimming as well as own and run a swim school is simple:  The desire to provide others, with the life skills to move comfortably & calmly through water with efficiency and speed at any age!!

Visit his website here. Preshil parents click here for details about a free trial.

KEW HEIGHTS SPORTS CLUB