Vegie Patch Makeover

Since the silky oak lost a few branches including one that fell and squashed part of the fence to the vegie patch we've been discussing potential redesigns. Our two main criteria were 1. to have raised beds and 2. keep the stormwater manhole clear / accessible. When we started the vegie patch looked like this.

We first toyed with the idea of making beds from pallets however sourcing vegie friendly pallets was difficult so that went by the wayside fairly quickly.

Next while down at Bunnings for other supplies we noticed the galvanised raised beds. One in particular caught our attention - the parts could be arranged in a variety of ways to create different shaped beds. Noting the price and potential sizes, we continued on to the timber section to check out prices and timber sizes for comparison.

It was while we were in this section chatting to a very helpful Bunnings man that we were introduce to a system called Retain It. A prefabricated system utilising steel posts which sleepers simply slide into. No drilling, no screwing just a bit of digging and aligning! By the that afternoon, we'd installed the first sleeper! Thankfully we managed to skirt around the winter vegie crop that is doing so well.

Technology - Grand Designs

Grand Designs was the theme for Year 3 Technology unit, in which students are challenged to design and make houses to withstand a physical element based on climate. The houses are constructed from recycled materials collected from home. Katy was allocated Tropical climate. With a tissue inside, her house was required to withstand rain. Other climates were desert (aim to keep an ice cube inside from melting due to heat wind) and arctic (aim to withstand snow beanbags placed on the roof).

Her design was made of a milk container placed on stilts with a meat tray covered in alfoil as a roof.



As for the test, here is how her house stood up (or perhaps not) under rainy conditions. The tissue however did remain dry!

Winter Showcase

Both girls are really enjoying silks. They have been working towards perfecting their silks routine in readiness for the Winter Showcase. This involved choosing a piece of music and choreographing their own routine incorporating the skills they have learnt over the last 6 months. The evening was not only for their group, several adults from another centre performing.





Ella's routine was to Colour of Carnival by Kasey Chambers

Katy's performed to Roar by Katy Perry. She is a little hard to see in the photos with the dim lighting, wearing black and performing on the black silk!
















What was also lovely to see in the evenings performance was the collaboration with others. Mia involved Ella into her performance, while Lauren, the girls teacher, involved the littler girls in hers.

An Insight

For six hours a day, the girls are at school. Some afternoons they are chatty telling us snippets of their days while other days are one syllable answers - How was your day? Good. We are kept informed of their learning via a variety of ways. A portfolio comes home each semester displaying a variety of pieces of work from various subject areas. Then there are the 3 way interviews - student, parent and teacher. Plus seesaw... an app that the teacher post photos, videos or messages relating to your child, class or year.

I particularly love the portfolios, a keepsake of their learning journey. A fun piece from Katy's portfolio was this obviously done at the start of the school year - the glasses are looking into one's expectations and goals for Year 3.



On her glasses Katy wrote - I can not blew (believe) I am in year 3. I'm so exited (excited) about this year. I am rilly (really) looking forward to learn how to use chom books (chrome book - a computer) and go on camp and bing (being) a big budy (buddy). I rilly (really) want to learn my time tables and to learn how to tipe (type) farst (fast). I am so exited (excited) about the reset (rest) of the years and what exiting (exciting) things will be.

We are halfway through Year 3 now and I'm pretty sure that Katy is loving it as much as she thought she would. She has really clicked with her teacher, which has shone through in her academic progress.

Ella is also embracing the year especially the split Year 5/6 class format. From what I can see, they tend to mix up both the years and the classes. Lots of collaborative learning. She has had an interesting year full of lots of opportunities, experiences and surprises including one of her friends coming out as transgender. Ella (like most of the year) didn't blink an eyelid, is in full support of her friend and continued like nothing had happened.  Perhaps a recent piece of work from her portfolio in recognising those inner qualities of others was to help build strong relationships between students. In this piece, a student would identify a character strength, write down supporting evidence and sign their name. The student would fold the paper so their writing was hidden and pass it on to the next student who would add their thoughts. Once filled, the person whose was being written about would unroll the paper and read all the lovely comments. A interesting exercise to see how one is views by their peers!

Creations at Home

Ella, inspired by the cold weather, decided to make her own heat packs with scrap fabric and rice. The first model was hand stitched and not surprisingly leaked at little. After suggesting the sewing machine might make a better, more secure stitch, the production line began and the rice box was emptied as numerous mini heat packs were created. Ella handed out her mini heat packs to school friends the next day! Her larger own heat pack is warmed up in the microwave each night before being taken to bed!


Meanwhile inspired by a shop bought stone baked loaf of sourdough, I decided to investigate baking bread using this method. Normally I use a no knead recipe which involves mixing a few ingredients together, letting them hang out overnight together, then wrap them into a tea towel for a little longer before baking in a cast iron pot. Very easy and very delicious.

After scouring the net for a simple stone baked recipe, I settled on one and set to work. A few hours later, a couple loaves emerged from the oven. Note only did they look wonderful but were a super accompaniment with our soup! I declared the bread a success and have added it to my recipe book.

Bonus Plus Assembly

Ella invited Andy to watch her perform as part of the Year 5 band at a recent assembly. Ella is in the front row, third from the left playing the flute. A great effort for their first performance!

After committing to attend the assembly, we got word from Katy's teacher that she would be receiving a merit award! And so Katy was excited to receive her award for increased confidence in maths! Lots of proud Daddy moments and very happy girls!

Night time visitor

We had another growing up first recently.... Andy and I were invited to our over-the-back-fence neighbours house for dessert and wine. Thinking if would only be a few hours and we were a stone throw away from our house, we decided to leave the girls by themselves. Their plans were to watch a movie and then head to bed.

Happily chatting away while enjoying delicious desserts, cheese and wine and revelling in this new found freedom we wondered (briefly) how the girls were coping only to see the text message - Going to bed! It was 9.30pm.

Feeling smug with how smoothly the night was progressing, we relaxed and continued to enjoy the evening. About 30 mins later, my phone rang and a little voice on the other end said 'Mum, I can't get to sleep. Can you come home.' Ella had tried her hardest to reassure a scared Katy without any luck. Within a few minutes, I was home cuddling her as she drifted off to sleep.

Ella was still bright eyed and happy to read so I trundled out the front door intending to rejoin the evening only to spot a dark shape in the pistachio tree. Shinning my torch to say hello to what I thought was a possum, I discovered a lovely tawny frogmouth! Knowing Ella would love to see it and without a key, I made my way around to the back of the house and banged on Ella's window. Together we came through the house to find Andy opening the front door! He had walked straight past the lovely bird and not noticed it! Together we stood on the front deck and admired this wonderful creature.