Natanya (Tany) Milner – Head of Primary

Holly Dillon

For those of you who aren’t aware, Holly has made the wonderful and brave decision to return to study to become a teacher! Due to the workload, she cannot manage to study and work and has therefore resigned from her position at Emanuel in order to focus on her studies. Holly has worked as my personal assistant and in the Primary office for six years. Over this time, she has been an incredible professional and an outstanding colleague to us all. She is much loved by the children, staff and parents and is known for her warmth, dedication and attention to detail. At this stage, I am consoling myself about Holly’s resignation because I know that the world of teaching will gain monumentally once she graduates. I know you all join me in wishing her all the very best throughout her studies and our gratitude for her contributions over the years. Holly will leave Emanuel School at the end of Term 2.

Colleen Elkins | Gifted and Talented Co-Ordinator K-6

K-6 Gifted & Talented (G&T) Department

Term 2 has started off with a bang, with Year 5 and 6 students preparing for the Academic Da Vinci Decathlon which occurs on 30 May. Chess season has also begun and all of our teams played commendably in the first round of their Inter-schools’ Chess Competition last Friday.

Our High School Junior Team, Primary A Team and Primary B Team scored 11.5 points out of 12. A great start to the season!

Our students in Years 3-6 G&T Mathematics lessons have just embarked on the Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians (MCYA) this week, pitting themselves against their national peers, to see who can solve highly challenging word and reasoning problems, either as an individual or in small groups. There is no adult intervention involved and students have already become passionate about sharing their answers and explaining their work to their peers. This is a 4 week project and students are awarded a Distinction, Credit, Merit etc at the end of the process.

The Mathematics Olympiad Challenge also began this week, targeting G&T Mathematics students in Year 5 and 6. Once again, it is a wonderful opportunity to participate in externally set competitions and measure oneself against the wider community.

In the Humanities area, we have a Year 4 Reporters Club, catering to the budding literary talents in Middle Primary, as well as an embryonic Year 3 Debating Club, being championed by a Year 3 student and an older mentor.

Along with this, students showing a passion for particular disciplines are partaking in individual or partnered projects replacing content in the classroom that they may have already mastered. For example, we have a small group of Year 2 students who are working with a G&T staff member during class time on the National History Project, which culminates in submission of a final product to the National History Organisation.

Providing opportunities for students to ensure that they are challenged within the classroom and beyond, is of highest priority for the Gifted and Talented Department at Emanuel School.

Holiday news

Several of our Year 1 and 2 students (as nominated by the school) participated in the Brainwaves Academicus Program during the April holidays. This program involved activities such as investigating Science, Maths and Physics through roller-coaster Science and Board Games. The students were enlivened by the learning involved and the feedback from parents was very positive. I would recommend future workshops for parents looking for engaging pursuits for their highly capable child.

Congratulations to Asher Levin who was selected at this program to progress to the next level of competition.

All teachers at Emanuel are committed to providing learning at the correct challenge level for students. Staff undertook G&T Professional Development on the pupil free day at the end of Term 1 and the receptiveness of staff to implementing best practice is to be applauded.

Please be in touch if you have any questions or comments regarding Years K-6 G&T at Emanuel.