Finishing Up

The term is coming to an end, and all the student projects and hard work is being put into their portfolios and project books to share with their parents at 3-way conferences. The setup for these is a bit different from what I have experienced back at home. The student joins in the conference and in my grade level, the student is actually more of the facilitator than the teacher. We had the students fill out a guide sheet for the conference to help them run through their learning experiences this term. They reflected on each subject area and also their experiences in specialists and Interschool Sport. During the actual conference, Lauren and I will pose questions and help the student and parent to set goals for next term. I am looking forward to this experience and I think this may be an idea I pose to my future employer.

Over the weekend Susan and I took one last trip together. We headed to Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast to experience the Australia Zoo that was started by Steve Irwin's parents. We were able to see the majority of the native Australian animals, and we also pet a kangaroo and koala. We had a lot of fun together and enjoyed one last weekend away!

I do not think it has hit me yet that I am leaving all the fantastic relationships I have built over the last three months, especially the ones I have with my students. It is hard to put into perspective the fact that I will most likely not see these people again. While I do hope to return to Australia again someday, who knows where everyone else will be in their life at that time. I am so grateful for the friendships I have made and the hospitality of everyone at Greenhills. This whole journey has been unforgettable and that would not be possible without the welcoming, kind people that have surrounded me throughout my time here.

The process of packing has slowly begun and the end is in sight. I am very excited to return home to family and friends, but am also not ready to leave the Fairweather household. It will be hard to say goodbye this weekend, but I know that we will always keep in touch.

I am off to school this morning and will try to write one more time before leaving, but if not g'day from the land down under.

Final 2 Weeks

The clock seems to be moving faster and faster as my time in Australia comes to an end. It is hard to believe that I only have ten days left here. I am not looking forward to saying goodbye to everyone, especially the students and my host family. Everyone has been so open and welcoming since day one and it feels like home here. I have definitely seen growth in myself as a teacher and the students as learners and am looking forward to Three way conferences next week.

At our staff meeting this week the Assistant Principal, Helen spoke about Assertive Discipline. I found it to be a great refresher course for me because it has been some time since I heard the details of the theory. The main idea of assertive discipline is that teachers have the right to teach and children have the right to learn. For me, this sounds like a basic concept, but when Helen broke it down I began to realize some of the things I do or say in the classroom can sway the behavior of my students.

Being effective with this type of discipline program requires the teacher to always be aware of how they present themselves and act around the students. Your behavior is a direct reflection of student behavior. The initial setup in a classroom can also greatly impact how students behave in the classroom throughout the year. By establishing classroom rules and expectations, creating a class motto and mission, and implementing a reward and consequence system, students are less likely to act out or feel as though their opinion is not valued.

I found this session to be very valuable to me and my future experience in the classroom. There were two other comments that Helen made that really stuck out in my mind and made me reflect on my instruction time and the discipline system that has been established in 5/6L. They are:

"Say what you mean and mean what you say."

The full attention span of a student equals their age in minutes.

• Example: An 8 year old has a full attention span for 8 minutes

I will leave you to ponder those two statements. I have been borrowing Alan and Carolyn's computer to blog and do some planning and am so thankful for that! In case I do not have a chance to blog before the weekend, Susan and I are taking a trip to Sunshine Coast as it is our last weekend to travel and see Australia!

Updates all around

Classroom Update:

The students are hard at work on their end of term projects on Indigenous Australia. They are going to be evaluated on their oral presentation, teamwork, class activity, and accuracy of the information. Lauren and I have split the students into six different groups that break up our major topic for the Term. It is a very open-ended project where the students have choice and the chance to put on their creative thinking hats. Last week we provided them with the Multiple Intelligence Project Ideas which has allowed each group to choose an activity that is different and engaging for their classmates. My goal is to provide the students with the resources and accurate instruction to make their projects unique to the members of the group. Their work so far has shown me that each group is taking a different approach to the project and their end products will be successful.

School Visits:

Last week Alan took us to a few different schools in the area. We first went to another Primary school, which is located right down the road from Greenhills. Apollo Parkways is a school of about 775 students and is one of the schools that my Grade 5/6's play against for Interschool Sport. We also stopped at Diamond Valley Special Education School which caters to the needs of students who have an IQ under 50. It was a fantastic opportunity to see the different approaches taken to meet the needs of these students. I found the picture communication between staff and students and the use of horseback riding to engage and stimulate student's sensory to be the most intriguing.

Our third stop was to St. Helena Secondary College that consists of Grades 7-12. The school is split into teams, and consists of Junior School (Grade 7 & 8), Middle School (Grade 9 & 10), and Senior School (Grade 11 &12). There are 1570 students attending the school and 1 Principal with 3 Assistant Principals. Students in Grades 7-9 do not have a choice in the classes they take, but once they reach Grade 10 they are given a certain amount of electives they can take. The school day is broken up into six 48 minute periods with two breaks and a lunch. The school has recently built a new Science building and I am so thankful that Alan was able to take us and walk through this school. Australia is currently debating the structure of these schools and looking into how America breaks up this age group. It was hard for me to imagine how keeping children with such different age ranges, maturity levels, and interests could be successful in the same setting, but seeing this school gave me a better understanding of how they make it work.

Other exciting news:

1. Phillip Island- Two teachers from school, tiny penguins, walked along beach into small town for lunch (over bridge that connects mainland to the island)

2. Rialto Tower- Alan and Carolyn took us, daytime and again at night- 360 view of the city, gave me a perspective of where we have been and how far away things really are:

• 4 years to build
  
• 2000 people working on it at any one time


• 1254 steps to the top


• Observation deck opened in 1994


• 823 ft. or 253 m


• Elevator travels at 7.1m per second (Takes about 40 seconds to get to Level 55/Observation Deck)
  

3. South Bank Flames- 6 flames that blast and you can feel the heat, outside the Crown Casino

4. Planning Day (I will explain more of this next time because it was a wonderful opportunity for me to see how my Area works as a team). Below is the agenda that we had for the day:

• Jobs


• Collegiate Visits


• Term One Reflection on Maths and "Dreaming for Tomorrow"


• Space Unit


• English and Maths Planners


• CAT Organization


• Production

5. Holiday- Mooloolaba, Australia Zoo

6. Science Works/Planetarium with Alan and Carolyn

7. Aboriginal for a Day Incursion

Picture Update :)

This was meant to be posted on the GOR blog page, but it wouldn't upload. Anyway this is from Lorne and I caught it when we went walking on the pier, so the fish shop prepared it on the spot for us! Okay, so not really but this was taken in Lorne outside a fish shop. Alan made sure we got up close and personal for this beautiful photo opportunity. It smelt absolutely disgusting!


Last week during Literacy Rotations I had the students show me something new they have learned this term about Indigenous Australia/The Aboriginal Peoples. I gave them a ball of Play dough and clay to create whatever they would like. It had to be something they didn't already know and they had to be able to explain what they were creating. Later in the week they did a Self-Assessment on their project. Below are some of the students creations. It was hard to pick just a few to show you because they all did such a nice job.

These are just two posters that we have hanging in the classroom because they have been our focuses over the past two weeks. The students are working on Narratives to read to their Buddies and they are gorgeous so far. I also introduced MadLibs to the students this week and they had heaps of fun listening to the story their adjectives created.

Alan drove us up towards where the fires were, just past St. Andrews to look at the destruction. Here are some views of the area from the car. We were unable to go into King Lake because the police are still patrolling the area and trying to give the residents their privacy.

Jack Johnson on the TV screen at the Sound Relief Benefit Concert in Melbourne. He was phenomenal!

These last two pictures are also from our weekend on the Great Ocean Road. As we were leaving Tower Hill we drove past these koalas. It is very rare to find them awake and moving, but we were lucky enough to see them cuddling with one another. The bottom picture is me having a freak out moment because the Emu was so close to me. We actually fed them right out of our hands! They are very greedy creatures because once we fed them something they wouldn't leave us alone.

Young Leaders/AFL visit

On Monday I attended a National Young Leaders Conference with the Junior School Council Members in Grade 5/6. There are two representatives for each grade (one boy and one girl) who represent their class and meet bi-weekly to discuss school issues, improvements to be made, and ways to get involved in the community. I was very excited and curious to see how the conference would be organized because Lauren told me there would be about 5,000 students attending. I am so thankful for the opportunity to attend, and below I have included some of the notes I took during the conference. Each speaker was to share their life experiences in regards to leadership. Some speakers used their own life to make their point to the students, while others reflected on the lives of other people.

Premier John Brumby

• Thanked the Warundjari people for their land
• Leaders are "Ordinary people doing extraordinary things"
• Sound Relief Concert was the biggest benefit concert (in music industry) in the Southern Hemisphere
• The Government schools in Victoria have raised over 925 thousand dollars towards the bush fires
• Leadership = having a vision, taking action, making a difference, and working together
• "Perseverance" --> If you want to do something, don't ever give up

Kirsty Murray

• Have integrity- tell the truth
• Take time to reflect on your life and who you want to be
• "Readers are leaders"

Drew Ginn- 3-time Australian Gold Medalist in Rowing

• Do your passion to the best of your ability no matter what the outcome is
• Put "it" out there and it will come back to you (threw the Frisbee out in the crowd)
• Take a challenge to improve yourself; you have to start somewhere

Mike Martin- General Manager of the Halogen Foundation

• GREAT leadership= influence and responsibility
• "When leaders fail, life really starts to stink."
• Jack Sim- World Toilet Organization (informs people of adequate toilet systems worldwide and is working to minimize deaths from inadequate systems) Also shared that Nov. 19th is World Toilet Day
• Use influence to help others- Things go bad when you start to think about only your life and forget what others need
• Talked about Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and Obama: He explained that even when the odds are against you, your voice can be heard and people will support you. It is about giving yourself a chance and believing that you CAN accomplish your goals

Catriona Rowntree- Host for travel show, Getaway

10 things she wishes she would have known in Grade 5/6:

• Be careful who you listen to (choose the positive)
• If possible, make your passion your profession
• Push what is unique about yourself- don't waste time being what your not
• You will most likely not marry the person you are in love with RIGHT NOW
• It's okay if you can't do Maths
• The friends you have now are likely to be your friends forever
• LIVE IN THE MOMENT!
• Feel the fear and DO IT anyway
• Remember your karma- how you treat people is what you will get back
• Persistence leads to victory

Each speaker really made me think about how I approach my life on a daily basis. It made me think about how I can change the view (to be more positive) I have of myself as a leader, as well as the leaders around me. The speakers all had very positive messages. One of the most surprising aspects of the day was listening to the many references that were made to life/leaders in America. I think there are many leaders and people who have succeeded against the odds right here in Australia, but instead the speakers chose Americans.

Another highlight of my week was a visit from 5 AFL players from Carlton. The school has players come visit every year and talk about their experiences both on and off the field. However, this year was extremely special because the number 2 rated player in the league came to speak. Usually the kids do not recognize most of the players who come to speak or the players have only played one or two games in their career. It was great to see the kids react to a professional athlete being in the school and also listen to the questions they had for the players.

I was able to get a photo with all the players as well, but my computer has crashed so I am not sure when I will be able to post photos again on the blog. I am doing my best to keep up with blogging and lesson preparation without my computer. It is hard to believe that things were done with little to no computer access only a short time ago! I will look at this as another surprising/memorable moment in my experience here in Australia.

Multiple Intelligences

This past week I have been looking through some resources that the Vice Principal, Helen keeps in her office and one has really caught my interest. I believe that students need different opportunities in the classroom to express themselves and show me what they have learned. Not every student is going to be great at Math or write the perfect story. The Multiple Intelligences are a fascinating part of the human brain/body and I am really enjoying the information that I have been finding. Here are some quotes I picked out from just the first few chapters:


"Knowing one's own unique pattern of intelligences empowers a student to translate a different learning situation into an opportunity to operate from strength."


"Multiple intelligences empowers us to be more successful. We begin to see ourselves and others in more differentiated ways. No one is smart or dumb; each of us has a unique pattern of intelligences. Of our students we stop asking, "How smart are you?" and begin asking, "How are you smart?"
**I absolutely love this quote because sometimes it is so hard to remember that it is not always about how much a student knows and to what extent they know something, but more importantly that they know how they are getting to these answers and why they are able to figure things out (what intelligences allow them to solve these "problems").


"Each student has a very different mind; each is attracted to, comfortable with, and in turn becomes skilled with different kinds of stimuli."


"The more often we use our non-dominant intelligences, the stronger they become."
**This is another fantastic quote that really rings true for myself. In working with Lauren, I have learned that I need to be more comfortable with myself and the "silly" side of me. Students enjoy the animation and enthusiasm that you put into teaching. It is necessary to approach teaching from all different angles, whether that means singing a song, acting out or signing to the students; each opportunity can give yourself and the students a different view of who you are and the intelligences you possess (whether weak or strong it does not matter). Without practice you will never get better or comfortable with something.

Also from reading this book, I really want to try and make the teaching and learning more even between myself and the student. I would like to create lessons and activities that push the students to discover their own learning and also give them the opportunity to teach one another what they have discovered. This way they are held responsible for the information and also have to come up with how to discover what they want to know. As I read more, I hope to find ways to implement this at Greenhills in my last few weeks of teaching here. The students have such a variety of talents and all think so differently that I believe it would be a learning experience not only for me to try in the classroom, but also for them to discover things they do not know about themselves as teachers and learners.

This past weekend Susan and I went to a concert, Sound Relief. It was a benefit concert for the bush fires and between the Melbourne and Sydney concerts, over five million dollars were raised. Over 80,000 people attended the concert we went to at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) in the city. It was a fantastic experience, despite the rain that was definitely needed here. We arrived when the gates opened because we had tickets in the open lawn area. Unfortunately it rained for the first hour and a half we were there and it was rather cold. It took us a while to figure out that there was a place where we could sit inside and stay dry, so we did our best to warm up before the actual concert started. There were both Australian and American artists that performed at the concert. Each group or individual performed for about 30-45 minutes. Some of the artists included: Split Endz, Jack Johnson, Jet, Midnight Oil, Kings of Leon, Gabriella Cilmi, Paul Kelly, Augie March, Hunters and Collectors, Liam Finn, and Wolfmother. There were a few other artists and I really enjoyed the majority of performers. I think one of my favorites was Hunters and Collectors. The crowd was very active during their performance and the style of music was comparable to Journey or Kansas. I will definitely be downloading some of their music!

That's all for now. I have more to say on the concert, but need to have a sleep for now!

Sweet dreams:)

Another Week Gone By

Maths:

I wanted to explain some of the activities the students have been doing in Maths over the past week because I have not gone into detail about many of the lessons I have been preparing. Like I mentioned in my previous entry, we were able to get through all three rotations plus two teaching sessions which was not originally planned. One of the biggest challenges in 5/6 is trying to fit everything in and being prepared to have to spend more time on topics than you plan for. I think this is very common for all teachers, but because of all the 'extra' things that happen in 5/6 the pressure is really on to get the content to the students.

This week our focus was on positive and negative numbers as well as finishing up discussion on chance. The students were exposed to chance and probability last week so one of the rotations this week was Yahtzee. My students really enjoy hands on activities or games so I thought this was a great way for them to stay engaged and also work on their basic multiplication and addition skills. After my second explanation of the game it seemed to go very well. I definitely learned from the experience, and realize how important it is for me to slow down, explain, and demonstrate how to do something before just letting them 'give it a go'.

In another rotation I split the 50 minutes in half and took four students to do instruction with the Interactive Whiteboard and had the other four or five students use the Nintendo DS's to do Brain Training games. Each Grade 5/6 classroom has 6-7 Nintendo DS's that they can use. The Brain Training game helps students with their problem solving skills as well as speed and accuracy. Last week we had World Maths Day where students spent time on mathletics.com (this is a school wide program) working on all types of Maths problems. I noticed that a lot of my students are very slow to solve basic subtraction and multiplication facts so I gave them an opportunity to practice these types of problems for part of the session. On the IWB I worked on negative and positive numbers by providing various examples for the students and either slowing down or moving into more complex problems based on the group that I was working with. Any chance the students have to work on the IWB is great for them because their interest level is so high and they are enjoying the learning experience.

While I do not like to use handouts, this week I decided to use it for my third rotation. I found a great sheet in the Maths curriculum book on negative and positive numbers that would assess show me how much the students knew after my instruction earlier in the week. The problems were both application to the real world and basic concepts such as placing numbers onto a blank number line. From the sheets I have corrected thus far, the students seem to have a strong understanding of our focus for the week.

A few other things happening-

1. Our lizard, Junior, has shed his first layer of skin and is growing very quickly
2. We had a "love letter" incident in the classroom this week- It was interesting to observe what Lauren decided to do with this situation.  My instinct was to stop the chatter and talk to the students involved during tea or afternoon play, and then possibly have a class discussion about it.  Lauren has not addressed the situation yet with the class and right now has decided to let it go for now.
3. I have been reflecting on what I was like when I was in Grade 5/6 (Some comments from the students this week... "Weird, as in I'm weird." and "Do you want to go do some handstands in the oval for a bit?" They never fail to amaze me with their comments and I can really relate to some of the interests they have
4. My focus in the next week or two will be proper Assessment Tools. I have been using various types since I have taken on more teaching responsibility, but I really want to take this a step further.

I will leave you with some Australian Lingo:

have a go- give it a try
rubbish- garbage, trash
dodgy- sketchy/not quite right
I reckon, What do you reckon- I think, what do you think
good on you- nice try, way to go
muckin' around- goofin' off, wasting time, doing something you are not supposed to be doing

The Thunder Rolls

The weather has varied a lot in the past 5-10 days and today we heard the first thunder, hence the title of my entry.  Over the weekend it was cool and over 20C on one of the three days and today it hit 30C again.  You never know what you are going to wake up to and it is nice to have that surprise everyday.

With our week being shortened because of Labour Day on Monday, our Literacy and Maths groups have been split into 3's instead of 4's to get everything in.  It was supposed to be Grade 6 camp so that has given me a bit of breathing room for planning, but somehow I still feel like I am being rushed to cover the differ topics and specific skills that the area is focusing on for the week. Things seems to take a bit longer for this group of students, which is something I have had to remember when I am planning my lessons and rotations.  As long as the students are on task and not wasting time, I do not mind giving them the extra time needed to work.

I think two of my biggest challenges/frustrating moments in the last two weeks has been managing 28 students during rotations and getting the students to think for themselves instead of rushing to a teacher for an answer.  I believe there are many strategies that can be implemented at the beginning of the year that will help avoid the constant question asking.  I decided to do some more research on this and found some great resources from both Susan and her cooperating teacher, as well as the Vice Principal, Helen.  They both gave me information on the Habits of Mind which really makes students responsible for their learning and pushes them to think on their own for various reasons.  

Some of the habits include:

1. Persisting

2. Managing Impulsivity

3. Listening to Others

4. Thinking Flexibly

5. Thinking about our Thinking

6. Striving for Accuracy and Precision

There are 16 habits and I am very excited to have this as a future resource.  It is definitely something I will implement in my own classroom and over the next 3 weeks I am going to try and think of short activities or discussions that I can have with the students that focus on the "thinking" habits in this program.  

I think the challenge of having 28 students has been a beneficial learning experience for me and has pushed me to really work on my management skills as well as differentiating my instruction.  No matter what subject area I am teaching, there are some students that are at a very high intelligence level and also those students who really need to extra help and explanation to comprehend the information I am sharing with them.  This week I decided to make mixed-ability groups for both Maths and Literacy to see how the students would work when there were very high and low achievers working together.  Besides the reading rotation where the students sit and read a specific book with me, I would have to say it worked extremely well.  The students were able to help each other when they had a problem and I think the higher achievers who produce quality work were able to demonstrate to the others in the group what the expectations are.

I am very proud to say that we were able to get through all of the Maths and Literacy rotations despite a setback in Maths early in the week.  One of my rotations was having the students play Yahtzee with a partner and explain how the game related to our focus for the week.  There were a few students who knew the game, but not the majority so on Tuesday I did a quick demonstration.  After one rotation, there was much confusion about the rules and process of the game so I spent a session the following day doing a whole group round of Yahtzee and answering the questions they had.  This showed me that I need to slow down and take my time with instructions the first time so students are not confused.  Students need more time process the information I demonstrated the first time and it was rushed, which caused for the setback. This is one of many learning moments I have had this week in planning and teaching the majority of the day.  It has been a great week and will have more to share soon!

Random note:  Susan and I were making a list of the things we have tried since arriving and I wanted to share some of the chocolate bars we have tried and do not have in America!

-Violet Crumble, Picnic, Freddo Frogs, Caramel Koalas, Crunchie, and Morro-

Yawning? A microsleep can kill in seconds

A long journey, but every second was worth the 17 hours in the car, 1000K, and 100L of petro! This is a weekend I will never forget and cannot wait to share with friends, family, and my future students.

Alan being creative with his photography skills

The Enchanted Forest (turn your head to get the right view-- it wouldn't upload properly)

Susan and I after our walk through the forest and on our way back to the car (This was the first experience we had where the map was misleading and untrue to the time it would take us to complete the walk.  We ended up having to walk along the road to get back to the car.)

Experiencing wild kangaroos on our journey over the long weekend

The stunning experiences on The Great Ocean Road

It was a long weekend this past weekend so Alan and Carolyn decided it would be a great opportunity to take us along the GOR and have a bit more time to see all the sights along the coastline and then inland on the way back to Diamond Creek.  Of all the views I have seen since arriving in Australia, these were some of the most beautiful scenes, sounds, and smells that I have come across.  We had a very rigorous agenda that we wanted to complete and here is a list of everything that we did from Friday night after school until Monday at 10:15 pm when we arrived back in Diamond Creek.

Friday night:

-Drove from Diamond Creek to Torquay where we stayed at the family cottage

Saturday: (The start of our journey along the GOR)

-Breakfast at the cottage, quick stop at Rivers in Torquay, walk through of the market (we saw baby lambs, pigs, chicks, and bunnies)

-Burnside camp in Angelsea: This is where I would have been for the week if Grade 6 camp was not cancelled

-Aireys Inlet: lighthouse and coastal views

-Lorne: Beach views and lunch, pier walk, and a close up encounter with a shark head

-Kennett River: Koalas doing what they do best in the Eucalyptus trees

-Apollo Bay: final stop for the day; dinner on the beach and some fun taking pictures while on a walk along the coastline

--> Saturday was our light and more relaxed day of travel.  We all had a nice sleep and prepared ourselves for the 19 stops we made on Sunday.

Sunday:

1. Mait's Rest: rainforest walk

2. Castle Cove: views of the ocean along the Great Ocean Walk (this is a path that people can spend days doing and typically camp along the way)

3. Johanna beach: major surfing beach

4. Lavers Hill: unique birds and beautiful Australian flowers

5. Triplet Falls: another rainforest walk that leads to beautiful waterfalls

6. Gibson steps: lead down to a breathtaking view of 2 of the 8 Apostles still standing

7. The Twelve Apostles (8 still standing)

8. Loch Ard Gorge: Loch Ard is a famous ship that was built in Scotland and left the England coast in 1878 with 51 passengers and crew.  Three months into the trip, a disaster struck, and because of fog and haze Captain Gibb was unable to accurately calculate where the ship was located.  After attempting to control the ship along the rough Victoria coast, the ship was unable to hold on and crushed against the reef.  Pieces from the cliffs smashed into the ship and it sank within 15 minutes.  Only two people survived the crash, Tom Pierce and Eva Carmichael.  This is a famous, historical moment that will be forever remembered when one views this intense inlet/cove.

9. Port Campbell: We took a break from the major stops along the way to enjoy an ice cream and watch people swim in the port (was not quite warm enough for us to put the bathers on and jump in)

10. The Arch

11. London Bridge

12. The Grotto

13. Wind farm: Throughout our trip we saw various wind farms that consisted of seven or more wind turbines. 

14. Portland: This was our final destination for the day.  While I only have 14 things listed, there were many lookouts and other views we had to capture on camera so that lead to the 19 stops in all for the day.  After a nice dinner at the Grosvenor Motel, which was known to be "clean, quiet, friendly, and modern (or NOT!)", we all slept very well!

Monday: 

-Portland: views of the coast and various historic buildings throughout the town

-Wind farm #2: I never expected to see 10-15 wind turbines on the coastlines of Australia.  When you think about it though, these are some of the most productive places for them to be.  There were various spots along our trip where we saw these "wind farms" and had to capture the magnitude of them.

-Cape Nelson State Park

-Lighthouse in Cape Nelson State Park: Walked along the Great Southwest walk where we saw gigantic waves, cliffs, and a kangaroo skeleton.  Parts of this walk made me think we were in the Outback of Australia.  There was nothing but rock, dirt, and small vegetation.

-Enchanted Forest: A unique walk through some very "Snow White" type looking forests

-Port Fairy: This is where Alan and Carolyn would normally stay if they were doing the GOR in a weekend, but there was an extremely large music festival on.  Port Fairy is a small fishing town of about 1,000 and over the weekend there was 20,000+ people in the area for the event.

-Tower Hill: One last climb up a gigantic hill to get a different view of the ocean from the countryside.  This site had 270 steps going up and down, which did not include the four ramps you also had to walk up in between all the steps!

-Colac: This was our last stop on the trip back to Diamond Creek.  Most of the scenery along the way included large hills or completely flat farm land.  Colac is a town of about 5,000-8,000 people and we stopped here to get take away for dinner and make it home before midnight.

-HOME VIA GEELONG

There is so much information about the GOR and all the views along the way.  I have included a website for anyone who wants to read more or look at pictures of what we saw during our long weekend.  The site has various links to historical information as well as tourist suggestions and highlights along the roadway.

http://www.greatoceanrd.org.au

Here are some pictures from the weekend. It was really tough to choose just a few to share because there were so many fantastic views (I took over 700 pictures during the trip!).

Me inside a tree at Mait's Rest

The first 2 Apostles I saw up close after walking down the Gibson Steps. Breathtaking:) 

Indigenous Australia and Fighting for Rights

The reading rotations finished off on a positive note.  The work the students completed has definitely shown me their strengths and weaknesses.  My focus for the week was on comprehension, summarizing, and having a better understanding of terms used in the texts we are reading.  Overall the class definitely needs to revisit summarizing skills.  Many of them struggle to pick out the main idea in a piece of writing, and find it difficult to re-word the ideas to form their own sentence.  This skill is something that Lauren wants to work on with the students this year and hopefully improve upon.  She has found that when students research they do not know what information is worth using and also tend to copy straight from the books or websites.  This will be a focus in my reading groups for the week of March 10th-14th.

I do have some sad news to share. The Grade 6 camp has been cancelled. Alan was skeptical because this past Tuesday brought some threatening weather because of heat and winds up to 120 km an hour.  There are still some fires burning and with winds that hire there is risk for many of the surrounding communities.  On the high threat day, Susan and I both packed bags with things from the house that we would really want in case something did happen where we were unable to come back to the house.  It was very scary to think about and really put into perspective what people all across Victoria have been dealing with over the past month and a half.  Nothing happened and we were safe, but I found myself very anxious all day just thinking about what may happen.

With camp being cancelled, I have taken on the planning of everything except the Integrated Studies.  Lauren wants to get through a few more of the major topics before I take this over, and she also wants to guide me through a few things first.  I am a bit nervous about teaching this area because we are studying Indigenous Australia and even after doing heaps of research I feel like there is so much I do not know or have not heard about.  This topic is more of a learning with the students than me teaching the students.  To make myself more comfortable, I am looking at ways that I like to introduce topics to students and finding activities that I believe the students will enjoy and be engaged in.

We have a very big weekend ahead of us, and there is lots to prepare for school next week as well as pack my things! 

Wow! There is so much going on and the final stretch is within sight.  I do have to admit that I am getting anxious about completing student teaching here in Australia and having to prepare myself for job interviews within the next few months.  It is hard to believe that the time has come and I will return home is just over thirty days.

The week has been a very positive experience for me thus far.  Last week Lauren and I decided that I would teach the Language for the week and she would take back Maths for one more week just to give me a chance to see her do this once more.  We jumped rather quickly into Maths because of swimming the first two weeks of school so I really only saw Lauren teach/introduce Maths once.  I am comfortable with the curriculum for the most part, but I seem to second guess myself with a lot of the ideas just because it is something that is new to me.  I have to constantly remind myself that making mistakes is okay and everyone does it.  

I have been very busy with planning the Language rotations and after today, think that my hard work paid off.  The students were very engaged in the entire lesson and I had great feedback from Lauren afterwards.  She gave me the whole morning with the students so that they see me as "the teacher" and come to me with questions and concerns instead of approaching her all the time.  The Spelling rule for the week deals with prefixes so I broke the lesson into several pieces to give the students a chance to work individually and in groups as well as receive some large group instruction.  I also incorporated movement into the lesson by having students go to certain areas of the room depending on the knowledge they felt they had on prefixes.  I actually considered this my pre-assessment for the students because it easily showed me what students knew or did not know straight away.  

The lesson also included using the IWB, small group work in a timed setting to complete the task, practice in presenting information gathered, large group instruction, and an opportunity for students to take a chance and make a guess if they were unsure.  I feel that it is important for students to know that it is okay if they do not always have the right answer.  It is more important to me to give it a go and try, than to just sit back and let others do the work for you. I want all students to feel comfortable in contributing to classroom discussions and feel that they are valued by their classmates and myself as well.

 

One ' a ha' moment occurred today during the lesson and assured me that I am learning and becoming more confident with experience.  I have always been concerned about students giving incorrect answers and me not knowing how to address the answer they give.  I was able to experience this today, and thanked the student for their input, but explained why his answer was incorrect and had him tell me what he actually meant.  He was able to realize that the answer he had given was actually a contraction and not a prefix.  I never want my students to feel that their input is not valued or considered and I think this student appreciated how I approached his answer.

One challenge that I face on a daily basis is classroom management.  It is very hard to conduct Language rotations with twenty-eight students in a classroom.  I planned four rotations for this week and thought that my directions were thorough enough that students should be able to work independently or receive help from a partner.  I did go through each activity before the students went to work and hoped that would help.  That would be in a perfect world!  Students are easily distracted from their task and when you are trying to read and work on comprehension or another strategy with a small group of students it is hard to have discussions and manage the rest of the class as well.  I am grateful for the opportunity to work on keeping all students on task and also teach them independence and problem solving when they do get stuck.  After today, I want to have a discussion/create a poster to remind students what to do when they have a question before going to the teacher.  While it seems like such a simple concept, I think the students forget that usually they can solve the problem all on their own.

Other things happening:

1. Weather precautions for state of Victoria again

~High winds and hot temperatures again are causing schools to close and camps to be cancelled throughout the state

2. Go For Your Life Challenge

~National program proposed to schools to keep families more active and working to live healthier lives (more on this next time)

3. Steve Herbert- Parliamentary Secretary of Education visits Greenhills

~Student leaders within the school were presented with awards from Mr. Fairweather and Steve Herbert at assembly on Monday

4. Attended a Parent's Association Meeting

~A group of 12-15 parents along with the Principal and Vice Principal who have two major focuses; fundraising to improve school groups and the development of classroom resources and to build the community spirit of the school

5. Staff Meeting

~I have been attending these meetings every Monday after school and this week the focus was on the School Level Report.  This was a compilation of data on student performance in Numeracy, Language, and Communication Skills.  One thing that I knew, but never really thought about is that Australia does not have National Curriculum Standards.  Each state follows their own set of standards, which could make moving to different areas in Australia hard on students. (More on this and other differences to come next time)

Upcoming events:

-Long weekend: Traveling to the Great Ocean Road with Alan and Carolyn this weekend

-Grade 6 Camp: Next week Tuesday-Friday weather permitting

-House/Fun Day: Students have an opportunity to meet other people in their house and play games and practice their house chant throughout the day 

-Aboriginal for a Day Incursion: A group of people come to the school and put on a program for the students (This is our Integrated Studies topic for the term)

-Young Leaders Conference: A day spent with the Junior School Council members in the city listening to various people speak about their life experiences (focusing on leadership skills)

Growth and Learning

This week has been wonderful for me in that I feel as though I am growing as a teacher and also as a learner. I have been very active in the classroom this week, taking over the maths sessions and also leading a reading group rotation. The theme for this term in Grade 5/6 is Indigenous Australia and because of this I am always learning new things from personal research or materials Lauren provides me with. I have found it a challenge to form new and creative activities for the students to complete because of the amount of knowledge I do not have about the topic. As the week comes to an end, I am starting to feel more comfortable with the theme and know where to go if I need more explanation. Lauren has been very helpful with pronunciations of words as well as guiding me towards ideas for the reading groups. The grade 5/6 teachers rotate book boxes that come with activities already in them, but Lauren and I have often tried to create our own. By doing so, we are able to better fit the needs and interests of our students. While it has been a challenge, it has shown me that sometimes there will be topics that need to be covered and while you may not feel the most comfortable in doing so, it is possible to teach your students successfully and thoroughly.

In teaching Maths this week, I have become more aware of the language I need to use with the students (remembering to use as many Maths terms as possible during group instruction). The students responded very well to my second and third lessons. While teaching the lesson I felt the students were very engaged and eager to know what the next instruction was (they were using paper and scissors to visually represent tenths, hundredths, and thousandths). After the lesson I was able to talk with Lauren, and she definitely made some great suggestions that I will consider when preparing for next week. There were times in the lesson where I only involved one student and could have used all the students to keep them engaged. She also suggested giving them more of a chance to discover what the purpose of the cutting the pieces up was instead of me guiding them. All of her suggestions were very helpful and I hope that as I become more comfortable teaching on my own that these things will come more naturally to me.

I think part of me has worried about stepping in to teach because the first two weeks of school were not "normal" or routine. It may have been hard for the students to see me as a "teacher". Up until late last week I think I was viewed as someone helping in the classroom and not the lead teacher. Now that our schedule has settled down and I am taking over various subject areas I think they are seeing what my role in the classroom is and will become over the next few weeks.

Other news at Greenhills & life in Australia:

1. Next Thursday is House/Fun day
The students are split into four different houses when they come to Greenhills and they stay in these teams throughout their time at school. Part of the day is spent playing games and doing various activities with members of their house teams.
2. Grade 6 Camp is a little over a week away
3. The Grade 5/6L Wiki is completed and accessible to students
4. I am trying to plan a Skype interview between my class and some elementary students in WI
5. 5/6L has a class pet (Junior): a blue tongue lizard
6. Susan and I are spending the weekend with a group of teachers
7. Next weekend is The Great Ocean Road and 12 Apostles
8. I have tried and very much enjoyed some Australian favorites:
Kangaroo, Lamb, Lamingtons, Pumpkin, Pancakes with Ice Cream, cocoa biscuits, Vegemite (this one I did not really enjoy but did give it a go)
9. I contributed a piece on my reaction to the bush fire appeal/communities uniting in Contact, which is the school newsletters

A Learning Experience

Today I have learned a lot about myself as a teacher, and this will not be a real long entry because I just want to do a short reflection on my experience. Throughout the first few weeks of school there has been a lot going on in and out of the classroom (for students) and last week was our first full week of getting into the subject/content area for the year. I had my apprehensions going into today's lesson because Miss Richardson is still working to set up guidelines and expectations for work time and the environment in general. However, I was very excited about the opportunity to teach for two entire sessions and use what I have learned from my observations over the past weeks and also add in my own style.

I did a lesson on expanded notation and refreshed the students on decimals (place value). Overall I think the lesson was a positive experience for the students and they were able to gain something from both my teaching and the time spent in rotations. I believe that my strengths in the lesson included starting the lesson and bringing the students to focus, transitioning between different activities and topics during the lesson, and asking the students questions throughout the lesson to check their understanding.

This experience has also sparked some opportunities for improvement in my teaching. One part of the lesson became confusing because I thought I understood how to read decimal numbers, but found that they have the students do it a bit different than what was shown in the curriculum book. After thinking about the way Miss Richardson quickly explained it to the students, I believe it actually helps the students to think about the number and how it is formed. I appreciated her input, but hope in the future to be more aware of these things before I work with the students. I have to remember to ask if I have any hesitations or apprehensions going into the lesson because it is better to know ahead of time. I also want to work on my time management during the lesson. There was one activity that I was unable to do with the students, but am glad that I had too much prepared than not enough. I think I was afraid that I would rush through the material and not have enough for the students to do, but instead the opposite was true.

Today we also had a PD session on assessment and the purpose of strategic questioning. We watched various classroom teachers implement closed and open questioning, as well as strategies used to check students understanding throughout the lesson. This session has given me the opportunity to really think about what my purpose or intent is for each lesson I prepare. This was a focus in many of my classes at St. Norbert and in the excitement of being active in the classroom I have let this approach slip from my mind. This week my goal is to remember to do this when preparing my lessons and make sure that the learning focus for the students is clearly indicated.

Pictures

Me with a view of North Beach in Torquay

Milla Milla Waterfall in Cairns

The crossing signals :)

Chalk art on Australia Day in the city

View of the sky at night outside the house

My desk and Miss Richardson's desk

A literacy rotation where the students reflected on Aboriginal Artwork

The classroom- 28 students!

Student's personal shields- part of the Greenhills Gets Going Program

The 5 values at Greenhills

Maths for next week

Daily Schedule:

9:00-9:50- All school Assembly (Monday only)
9:50-10:40- Session 2
10:40-11:10- Morning Tea (Snack and play for students, and break and tea for teachers)
11:10-12:00- Session 3
12:00-12:50- Session 4
1:00-1:50- Play (Students eat in the classroom from 12:50-1:00 and then go outside to play. For teachers, this time is used to relax, plan or eat lunch.)
1:50-2:15- Fruit and Cereal (Students eat their fruit or cereal while the teacher reads aloud)
2:15-2:40- Session 5
2:40-3:30- Session 6

The students also have Specials, which include Music, P.E. (or Sport), Library, and Art. They have each area one time during the week. In grade 5/6 the students participate in Summer and Winter Sport as well. This occurs for the first session on Tuesday’s, which is used as practise time and then the first two sessions on Friday. On Friday’s the students break into their Green and Gold teams and either compete against another school at Greenhills or travel to a primary school to compete. The Summer Sports include cricket, bat tennis, basketball, volleyball, and rounders. Bat tennis is similar to tennis, but played on a smaller court, the players use wooden paddles, and the net is a wood block about a foot off the ground across the court. I have hit the ball a few times, but have yet to play a full match. Rounders is a lot like girls softball. I have not had the opportunity to watch the teams play yet because I am helping to coach the volleyball teams.

Differences in schools [Australia vs. America]
This is based on the experiences I have had as a student and also as a Pre-Service Teacher
1. Less “teaching” time and more student exploration
2. In Australia they combine the grades (1/2, 3/4, 5/6)
3. Compared to Greenhills, schools I have worked in are much further behind on technology
a. Students know more about computers in general and how to operate them
b. Teachers use Interactive White Board on a daily basis
c. The entire school here has wireless
4. Students in Grade 5/6 have numerous experiences that do not occur in America (from my experiences) including:
a. Intensive Swimming for 2 weeks
b. Sport weekly
c. 4-day camp trip
d. End of year pool party
e. Book Club on Friday’s
5. In America the students eat in a lunchroom, whereas in Australia they eat in their classrooms or outside

These are just a few of the differences. As always, it depends on the age of the students, what school you are working in, and also the teacher you are working with. Things vary even from state to state in America so it is sometimes hard to make the conclusions, but these are just some observations I have had thus far.

Next week I will be taking over the Maths block completely. Lauren has shown me what she typically does for Maths during the week, so I am more comfortable with how it is laid out. On Monday I will be doing a session of instruction and then the students will complete a rotation of the activities I plan. Throughout the week there will be two other sessions dealing with the same topics. I will start each session with a mini lesson or game for the students and then they will continue to work through their rotation.

Over the past two weeks I have really learned a lot about myself as a teacher. I would consider myself a very organized person who is more comfortable when things are ready to go for the following day and laid out for me. I like to know what I have planned and can look over my materials the night before. Lauren is more relaxed about preparing her lessons and does a lot of prep in a short amount of time. Her experience shines through in her teaching and I have learned that not everything needs to be planned out or laid in front of me. Sometimes, the best teaching moments happen when they are spur of the moment. I have seen some great examples of this and Lauren has shown me that sometimes you have to go with the side track conversations because they are beneficial to the students in the end.

I look forward to the lessons I have planned for next week and also learning a bit more about the literacy groups. I am hoping to have my students up and using the class Wiki by the middle to end of next week and am going to focus on transitions and classroom management in the next week or so. So far the students have been very respectful and I have been able to hold their attention or get it when I need to. We do have a few talkers in our grade, but I think just a change of seat or reminder here and there will solve the interruptions that are occurring.

Days Are Flying By

It is hard to believe that tomorrow is Thursday. The weeks seem to be going faster and faster lately.  With my grade going on camp in March, I only have five weeks left in the classroom before returning to America. Where has the time gone? 

School continues to be a positive experience each day and I have really embraced the staff camaraderie that I encounter on a daily basis.  I feel connected to several of the staff members and can see that there are strong friendships within the building.  Work is always more enjoyable and relaxing when you have these relationships and know you get along with the people working around you.  This is especially true with the 5/6 team and I am fortunate to be working with such great people.  Each week the different areas meet before or after school to share ideas and go over any new news that individual committees have met about.  This is a great opportunity to both share activities you have tried in your own classroom, and also learn new things from other people who are working with the same concepts.  It gives you different view points and can be great help if you are stuck on a topic and need something new and fresh.

I have now observed complete literacy and maths rotations this week and will be taking over all of maths next week.  In America there is typically a group lesson everyday for these subject areas, but here in grade 5/6 the students are introduced to a new topic or may revisit a previous skill towards the beginning of the week.  The students then split into either ability or mixed groups and have three to four activities that they rotate through during the week.  This may include independent work, computer activities, handouts relating to the topic, games, websites on the Interactive White Board, etc.  Students are able to complete tasks using different approaches to learning and the teacher circulates during this time or may just focus on an activity or group for that particular topic.  

Other responsibilities I have taken on in the past week or two include reading and responding to the students weekly journals, checking over maths work to see what students need more instruction on for next week, reading during "Fruit and Serial" time, assisting in Maths instruction, integrating the IWB (Interactive White Board) into lessons, and working with small groups of students during literacy rotations.

One project that I have taken on this term is setting up a PB Wiki for 5/6 L to use as a communication device for the students.  Lauren (my cooperating teacher) and I will post a monthly calendar with reminders about events at school, homework dates, sport practise and competitions, etc.  The students will also give us input on what to include in the Wiki and have the ability to comment back and forth with each other about things happening at school.  Eventually the students will contribute to the blog and we may be including student work and photos as well.  I am very excited about this and hope the students enjoy it as well.

I look forward to the teaching opportunities to come in the next few weeks and will be sure to keep you informed on how the lessons go, as well as the progress on the Wiki. 

G.R.E.A.T

Things are continuing to go well, both at school and at home with Alan and Carolyn.  This week starts a more normal schedule with the students which I am excited about because we will be splitting the students into their proper groups for maths, language, and spelling.  Some interesting things that I have seen in the past week at school include the PAT Maths and Reading Tests, as well as the ACER Spelling test.  These tests are Progressive Achievement Tests, which were formed t0 help teachers analyze what level the students are at based on the standards that are set.  Unlike in America, the teachers are not using these tests because they are accountable for the results, but instead use where their students are at depending on their performance, to put them in proper learning groups. By doing this, the teachers help the students to improve their skills and knowledge throughout the school year and the test also helps to see individual student improvement.

While I continue to observe the structure of the classroom this week, I hope to take on more tasks as the week progresses.  I am excited for the students to learn the respect song and perform it for their classmates.  It is both fun and something the students should value and work for in their daily lives, which is why I believe it will go well.  Some random things I have learned from the students and staff since arriving:

1. The trunk of the car is called a boot

2. Eraser= rubber

3. They use the word pencil, but more commonly they use grey lead

4. Stick deodorant is rarely used here.  The majority of people use roll-on

5. The map of the world here has Australia on the other side of the United States. (I will have to bring one of these home for sure)

6. The students do not know what Webkinz are (which makes me secretly happy)

I have created a message box for the students and will check it twice a week.  It is a way for them to ask questions or tell me things about themselves that they may not get the chance to do throughout the school day.  While I feel as though I am getting to know my students more and more everyday, there are still some that I do not know much about outside of the learning environment.  This week I want to focus on looking at each student as an individual and try to discover what their strengths and weaknesses are, as well as what type of learner they are.  From my observations thus far, I have found Australia to be more successful at meeting the needs of the whole classroom because there is so much room for flexibility and the style in which they teach.  The curriculum provides leeway for teachers to add in ideas they have or something that best fits the students in the grade.

My weekend:

I thought I would also share a little bit about the weekend. Susan and I went down to Alan's mothers beach house in Torquay.  It is about an hour and forty minute ride from Diamond Creek and is west of the city (Melbourne).  I have been to the ocean before, but this was so beautiful.  I found that I could spend an entire day just walking up and down the beach and taking in the view.  It is so surreal and calming. It was a wonderful break from everything that has been happening close to home.  Saturday afternoon we went to Surfer's Beach and attempted to boogie board.  The waves were not the best, but we still had fun.  We enjoyed some fish and chips by the water and also tried some deep-fried pineapple.  It was good, but I definitely prefer pineapple all on it's own!  

Sunday was a bit cooler than the previous day so we were unsure about going down to swim and boogie board again.  We spent some time at the market along the waterfront and then headed to Jan Juc beach which is one of the main competitive surfing beaches.  It was beautiful, like the two beaches we had been to on Saturday.  We walked back towards surfer beach and I couldn't resist going in and I'm so glad I did because I ended up getting Susan to come and boogie board for over an hour.  The waves were over my head and so much fun! I felt like a little kid all over again.  It was a great way to end our "getaway" weekend.

Community and Perseverance

Unfortunately, as many of you have probably already heard about in the news, the bush fires in Victoria continue to burn and spread to towns all across the state. At this point the death toll is still rising and has reached over one hundred and eighty as of last night. Families all over the state have lost everything, and are still waiting to hear if loved ones have been located.

This tragic event has brought communities together and the support among strangers is impeccable. People from all over Australia as well as other countries are sending clothing, food, toiletries, and monetary donations. Right down the road from where I live there is a community centre that has transformed into a relief center. People are able to stay here until the fires have ceased and it is safe to return to their communities. The support the communities and surrounding states have shown is incredible and while it is devastating that people are without everything they had to call their own, it is amazing to see how people can come together and raise money to assist all those who have suffered.

My host parents, Alan and Carolyn have known several people affected by the bush fires and we actually were in the area of the fires two weekends ago. One week after we went up to their son's Break Away camp the fires started. They finally received word last night that the fire had not destroyed the cabin and lodge that we celebrated the opening ceremony in. The towns we went through on the way up to the lodge have been affected though. Both Buxton and Healsville have been under flame or are completely burnt to the ground. We even stopped in one of these towns for an afternoon tea and the place we were at, no longer exists. Homes, businesses, police and fire stations, etc. will have to rebuilt and communities will have to start over from nothing.

It has been a very emotional time for both my host family and also the school community. Students and staff members have been directly impacted by the fires and many have come to school with stories to tell. On Monday, Mr. Fairweather (our principal and also my host dad) had a brief staff meeting to address how to approach this in the classrooms. In my grade, my teacher and I decided that we would address the fires and allow the students silent writing time to either write about their weekend or any questions or concerns they had about the fires. This allowed students to ask questions in a safe setting or to write about something other than what was all over the news the entire weekend.

On a more positive note, my second week in the classroom is going by fast. I cannot believe that tomorrow is Friday already. The students will have their final day of intensive swimming in Eltham and we will also participate in the first Inter School Sport competition. Each Tuesday morning the students practise in their specific sport and then on Fridays they either compete at school or travel to another local primary school to compete against another school. I am helping with the volleyball team and I am excited for the first match. Most of the students do not know a whole lot about the specific rules and techniques of the game and I am looking forward to educating them on these things. It is a wonderful opportunity for them to be active and also learn to work with others. I have found that the grade 5/6's have numerous opportunities to strengthen their teamwork skills as well as be active outside the classroom subject areas of maths, language, and integrated studies.

In the past two weeks I have done a lot of observing and getting to know my students on a personal level. Learning names was pretty easy for me, and the students have been nothing but welcoming and enthusiastic about me being in their classroom. The students are very curious and I feel that with each day I get to know a few more on a more personal level. I have introduced Pen Pal letters to my students (I had the classroom that I will be working in when I return to America write letters to the students in Australia) and throughout the week they have written letters back to the students in America, learned about the assessment process in grade 5/6 for the beginning of the year, taken role, read parts of the fruit and cereal novel, and engaged in various team building activities in the classroom.

Next week will be more of a regular schedule for grade 5/6's because the intensive swimming program will be finished. We will have another two periods with the students to start doing language and maths on a more regular basis. Lauren (Miss Richardson) is going to introduce me to their literacy circles as well as the spelling program they use and slowly give me tasks to do towards the end of next week or the start of week four. We are planning to do the same with Maths and possibly do small group work next week. The focus unit for this term is about Indigenous Australians, which we will also begin next week. I am looking forward to learning about the curriculum in more detail and take on some bigger roles in the classroom.

Over the weekend I will have some planning to do on Respect. We are doing some work on the Greenhills Gets Going Program next week and I am in charge of having groups of students put on plays about respect. Two of them are group plays and the other is a song to an NSYNC song. The students will have fun with these and entertain their classmates, I am sure of that. This weekend we are heading to Alan's (my host dad) mothers beach house. They have a gathering on Saturday night and thought it would be a chance for us to see a different part of Victoria and relax by the beach. It is supposed to be very nice weather for the weekend so I am excited to see something new and get away from everything for a weekend. I will try to post some pictures soon of all the adventures I have had since arriving in Melbourne. More on these later...

Week One at Greenhills

It has almost been a week with the students at Greenhills and I am very excited for this term.  I am in 5/6L with Miss Richardson and have twenty-eight students. The first two weeks in this grade are a bit unusual because the students participate in a swimming intensive program. This means that everyday from 11:15-1:00 my grade goes to Eltham Pool for swimming lessons. The students also had the opportunity on the second day of school to spend the entire day at Doncaster Outdoor Pool participating in swimming trials and then a free swim in the afternoon.  While I have yet to experience a first day of school in America besides my own childhood experiences, I doubt that this would happen in the states.  I think this whole program is great for the students and I am positive that by the end of the two weeks there will be great improvements in their swimming abilities.

I have also been fortunate enough to participate and complete three days of professional development before the school year started.  The staff started on the 28th of January and we spent three days learning about various topics and situations we would encounter throughout my term with the students.  Each session was very valuable and I think a lot of the ideas and information presented are things that I can see myself applying in my own classroom in the future.  I think the most helpful and interesting session for me was Bounce Back and Student Well Being.  We completed a lot of work in teams and were introduced to children's book that present situations that students will experience in their lives.  One of my favorites was How to Heal a Broken Wing.  It discusses helping others and how to look to others who may need help. The idea of rewarding and also giving ourselves time to heal were other focuses in the story.  I believe all of the books that were shared can really hit home to students if you use the right activities and allow for rich discussions in the classroom.

For the most part, I think I am adjusting to life in Australia.  I have found it very similar to America, but am also slowly finding that there are differences.  Speaking to the students has shown me that I will have to be aware of what I am saying at all times, and I must remember that not all the words we use in America have the same meaning here.  For our swim day, the students asked what I would be eating for lunch and I told them a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  I received many strange looks and was not sure why until I went home and found out that jelly here is our jello at home.  They use the word jam for what we would call either jam or jelly in America.  No wonder they were looking at me so funny. 

The kids have been very curious since day one and I am looking forward to week two at Greenhills.  I am planning to do work in small groups with students on some reading comprehension and also do several activities with my teacher on the Greenhills Gets Going Program.  It is a start of the school year program that all grades follow.  Most of it focuses on the five values of Greenhills; generosity, respect, enthusiasm, acceptance, and teamwork.  The first week has gone by very fast and I am excited to get to know the students on a more individual basis this week.