What an exciting few weeks we have had here in the Early Years. Students have been engaged in rich learning opportunities in and out of the classroom, as well as preparing for their upcoming student-led conferences which will be held in Week 9 of this term. Bookings for student-led conferences can now be made via Parent Portal (Sentral for Parents - Interviews).

At OLSCC, our goal is to build assessment capable learners who know:

• What they are learning
• How they are going
• What they need to do next to be successful learners

Students will prepare for these conferences in the same manner as they prepare their learning in the Early Years - by answering the dot points above. This is a wonderful opportunity for them to share this with you in a powerful and meaningful way.

How will this work?

• Students will take a lead role in the conference setting
• Teachers will support the students throughout the process as needed
• Students will share with you what they are currently learning
• This will look different from Prep through to Year 4 and may include showing you how they learn with concrete materials, a work sample to discuss, a focus on a particular subject area, or a personal-social goal they are working on.

Important things to remember

• Your child will run this conference--not you, not the teacher. As part of their regular learning, all students have been putting considerable time and energy into reflecting on their learning and preparing for this. If you cannot attend, please arrange for another significant adult in your child's life to come to the conference.
• The conference is about learning, not behaviour or social issues. If you or the teacher have concerns here, please make an appointment with the teacher at a different time.

We look forward to sharing our learning journey with you!

Shooting Stars begins!

Last week, our pre-Prep students began participating in our highly regarded transition program, Shooting Stars, with Mrs Morrison and Mrs Horshner. This forms the first part of a rigorous transition process for our students, allowing them to become familiar with the routines and physical environment of our College, as well as focusing on important early literacy and numeracy skills that give the children a great springboard into formal learning in Prep next year. It has been great to see so many smiling faces this week as they get set for Prep here at OLSCC!

Optiminds

Our Early and Middle Years Optiminds team are eagerly practicing each week with Miss Blair, Miss Willocks, and Mrs O’Brien to refine their critical and creative thinking skills in preparation for their challenge day in Toowoomba this Sunday, 28 August. The Opti-MINDS Challenge is an opportunity for all those with a passion for learning & problem solving to showcase their skills & talents in an exciting, vibrant, and public way. We wish them all the best for their challenge day on Sunday.

Year 3 Star Gazing Evening

Last night, Year 3 students participated in a star gazing evening on our school oval. The afternoon began with students viewing the sun through a solar telescope. We were fortunate to have Mr Jenkinson share his expertise and his two telescopes so we could view our beautiful night sky. Below are some images captured through the Interstellar app connected to the telescope. This experience was a great way to consolidate the students learning of Night and Day in their current Science unit.

Kristen Bennie

Acting Assistant Principal Early Years