Volume 14 - 5th September 2022

From The Principal

This edition of the newsletter is full of wonderful events and opportunities our students took part in: Write a Book in a Day, spelling competitions, author visits, sport... These opportunities are the direct result of the hard work of our teachers who are always looking for new ways of engaging our students in learning

As the end of Term 3 slowly approaches, students are working hard on finalising assessment and showing their best work. At this week’s assembly, we talked about the importance of effort and behaviour marks on the report cards. We encouraged the students to think about what great effort looks like, and to talk to their teachers about how they can improve.   

I have had a chance to look at Year 3 preliminary data in English and Humanities and Social Sciences last Tuesday. Mrs Rae and Ms Fox were so proud of their students’ achievements in both learning areas, and have especially commented on the improvement in reading. It has been absolutely wonderful to see the improvements in reading with the new structure we trialled this term.

Thank you for all your support, patience and partnership as we move forward. Remember that it takes a village to raise a child, and we are all in this together.

I hope you and your family stay well, safe and strong!

From The Head of Department - Positive Behaviour for Learning

Over the past 2 weeks students have been showing our value of Perseverance and expectation of being a learner to complete their assessments. Although the term is coming to an end it is still very important that we attend school each day as teachers are still completing assessments or beginning new and exciting units of work.
Mind Body Character Day is coming up on the final day of term. This day allows children to discover the importance of looking after their mind, body, and character. We will be concluding the day with a colour run. Students will be encouraged to wear a white shirt and a hat that day. 
Enjoy the rest of the term and remember at Leichhardt State School, we are kind, we are safe and we are learners.

From The Head of Department - Reading

GRANTS 

Towards the end of Term 2 we were successful in our application for a Stockland CARE Grant to fund the purchase of two iPads and Reading Doctor software.  This technology will be used with students in Prep to Year 2 classrooms to provide extra practise for developing reading skills.  Thank you, Stockland CARE!

SPELLING 

The Term 3 ‘Spell-Off’ starts next week!  I hope everyone has been practising their ‘Spell-Off’ spelling list words.   If you do not have a copy of the ‘Spell-Off’ words, please contact your child’s teacher. 

AUDITIONING FOR ALICE 

Chapter 1  THE BEGINNING

Flyers flew through the air on a warm summer day. Brie, a cheese maker, was preparing the Cheese Delight shop for another busy Tuesday. As she walked outside to put out the open sign, a flyer flew down and landed at her feet. She bent down and picked up the flyer.  It read in bold, “Come and audition for the part of Alice! It’s a fresh new Australian look for Alice in Wonderland at the community swimming pool at noon today”. Brie was thrilled. She decided to close the shop early and go home to start getting ready and kick in her acting skills, that she had been working on secretly for ten years.

At the local hospital, Melanie, a doctor, was preparing to leave her shift. She was driving on the highway as a bright blue flyer landed on her windscreen. Pulling over, as she could not see a thing out of her windscreen, she took the flyer and read it.  Her face lit up. She was so excited. She could not believe it. Melanie loved acting and had been secretly practising since she was four years old. She rushed home, driving with one hand still reading the flyer over and over again. Unable to contain her excitement, she was jumping up and down in the seat of the car when she saw her mother. Melanie remembered that her mum had told her when she was small that she must never pursue an acting career as her mother believed it could ruin Melanie’s life. “Your poor grandmother was an actress,” she had said. “I believe that she was one of the best. But after a few successful years she began to lose favour in the acting community and didn’t get roles, ending up on the streets. The family became impoverished. Luckily, a lovely man gave her a decent job and her family’s fortune changed.”  It was obvious to Melanie how her mother would react to the news of her wanting to be an actor.

Chapter 2:                          THE AUDITION

When Melanie and Brie had gotten their flyers earlier in the day, they were surprised to see that the flyer was signed by the one and only, Monsieur Baguette, the most famous and flamboyant producer in the world.  They were so excited.  They had both rushed home in the warm summer breeze to get ready and look their best for the audition.  As alluded to in Chapter One, they were prepared for the disappointed response of their families.

Melanie was so excited and she had to tell someone.  She knew her mother would have issues, but she knew she had to tell her.  She hoped she was wrong and that her mother would cheer her on. But, my oh my, Patricia lost the plot at Melanie, screaming, “MELANIE JAYNE, HOW DARE YOU!”  Patricia was so angry because of how much money she had spent on Melanie to get her through medical school and now she wanted to be an actor!

Brie went home, hopeful her mum would not be too mad about her wanting to be an actor. She started to walk home and ran to her room hoping her mum wouldn’t see her and ask about her day or why she had shut the Cheese Delight Shop early. Because in all of the one hundred years that the Cheese shop had been opened, it had never closed early. Mr Pistachio-John, Brie’s father, walked past the Cheese Delight Shop and was in disbelief. It was closed. He had never ever seen it closed early in his time of owning it. He called Brie urgently asking why the shop was closed.  Brie said, “I am leaving to go to the audition for the Australian Alice in Wonderland.  That is why I closed the shop.  I’m sorry, but I am going to this audition whether you like it or not, you can’t stop me”.

“How dare you talk to me like that, young lady!” said Mr Pistachio-John angrily.

Both girls in their own homes got ready for the audition. They both wore a light blue dress with a white apron over the dress and Brie had a white shoulder bag that held her phone, water bottle and makeup. Brie had to tiptoe out of the front door so her father and mother would not hear her leave. Brie hopped in the car feeling anxious about the audition.

Melanie was driving to the audition but she was going to be five minutes late because her mother had blocked her car from leaving the drive way. Melanie had taken ages to convince her mother to let her leave.

Brie arrived at the audition and five minutes later Melanie arrived. They both walked in at the same time and realised they knew each other from primary school. They saw the caterpillar with a top hat, furiously munching on a bag of chips. The caterpillar walked over after swallowing the chips and said, “Hello, my name is Monsieur Baguette. What’s your names?”

“I’m Brie and this is Melanie,” replied the girls. 

“Nice to meet you. Are you auditioning for the role as Alice?”

“Yes, I am” said Brie.

“I am too,” said Melanie.

“Oh no, I thought you were auditioning for the understudies,” replied the caterpillar, in his French accent.

Chapter 3:  SABOTAGE

Monsieur Baguette, the flamboyant caterpillar, observed the audition’s prospective actors carefully and questioned if they could carry off the role of Alice.

Monsieur Baguette had spoken to Brie and Melanie about the changes to Alice In Wonderland.  It was now an Australian version with Australian animals that would replace the original Alice In Wonderland animals, like the Cheshire Cat. For ten minutes Monsieur Baguette explained the changes and said, confidently, that it would be a celebrated production.

Brie started to audition for the role of Alice In Wonderland first. The part she acted was when Alice was falling down the wombat hole, because remember, it is an Australian version of the story. Brie was afraid of heights, but was a determined person and she did not give up.  As Brie climbed the ladder to go on the rope for the scene, she felt the rope start to loosen, as if some of the rope strands had been cut clean.  There was only one strand that was now holding the weight of Brie and soon the rope would break. Brie called out repetitively to Monsieur, “The rope is about to break!!”

But Monsieur Baguette ordered for the acting to continue, in his thick French accent. As Brie fell through the air, she started to scream and no sign of concern from Monsieur Baguette or Melanie.

Melanie rushed over to Brie and acted as if she had nothing to do with Brie falling.   Brie cried, “I have broken my leg.”

Melanie said, ‘It is only bruised.”  Although Brie didn’t have any bad thoughts about Melanie, Melanie was jealous that Brie was better than she could ever be.  This had been the case since primary school.

Since Brie had a bruised knee and was badly injured, she begged Monsieur Baguette to stop the audition as she could not walk. It was then Melanie’s turn.  Melanie was attached to the rope, when the caterpillar sabotaged Melanie by pulling the rope up and down. Then he pulled the rope one more time knowing that Melanie would fall.  But instead Melanie bumped her head against the lamp post. Monsieur Baguette gasped and pretended to be upset and cried out asking if she was alright.

Melanie felt dizzy and passed out in the air, so Monsieur Baguette slowly pulled down the rope. Once Melanie was on the ground, she woke up, and asked what had happened. Brie told her that she had hit her head.  Brie was sincerely concerned for Melanie’s wellbeing.

Chapter 4 Enough!

“I am done with this!” Monsieur Baguette said fuming. “Get out now!” Brie and Melanie walked out of the community pool complex, mad. When Melanie got to her mother, she was really, really, furious and angry. “Melanie Jayne!” yelled Patricia, “Get in the car now!” In comparison, Brie’s parents didn’t yell at her. Brie’s parents only cared about what happened to her and how she felt.  But Brie didn’t think that.  She thought they would be upset and angry. Meanwhile, Monsieur Baguette, was as smug as a Cheshire Cat or a Brush-Tail Possum.  All along, his plan was to be the main character of the show and finally he had gotten rid of Brie and Melanie from the show. According to acting rules he had to have people to audition before he could give out the role. His plans to make them leave had worked.

Brie’s parents saw the fresh bruise on Brie’s knee, “What happened to your knee?” Susan asked Brie.

“Melanie!” replied Brie, “I was in the air and Melanie was the only person who could have cut the rope.”  When they got home Susan call Patricia, “Did you know that Melanie cut a rope that was holding Brie?” accused Susan.

 “I cannot believe that she did that!” replied Patricia angrily as she hung up the phone.  Patricia then texted Melanie and said that she was going to be in trouble as Brie’s parents had accused her of cutting the rope that was holding Brie.

 “Melanie!” Patricia screamed as Melanie walked out of her room. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the angry fire in her mother’s eyes.  “Melanie!” Patricia screamed, “You’re a doctor! You should not be doing that to people!”

“Well, I don’t want to be a doctor anymore!” Melanie cried with an ear-piercing scream.

Melanie packed her bags and joined Doctors Without Borders and was never seen again.

Brie and her family went to the Australian Alice In Wonderland Performance.  They saw Monsieur Baguette as the main character.  Brie said “Oh my goodness!”   Brie could not believe that Monsieur Baguette was in the main role.  He had wanted it all along.  He wanted all the fame. 

Brie went back to work part time at her family’s cheese shop and then studied part time as an actor.  She learnt from this experience that you don’t have to fight for a part.  If you don’t get it, it’s okay. However, she had plans to do her own version of Alice In Wonderland titled Alice in Cheeseland! And there would be absolutely, no roles for caterpillars!

Blurb

Two girls wish to follow their passion for acting when they find a flyer to audition for one of their favourite characters, Alice from Alice in Wonderland. But… their parents forbid them to act and the two girls are sworn enemies.   There is also a difficult caterpillar to contend with…

This book is recommended for children aged 9 to 12 years of age.

BOOK WEEK 

Last week was a huge week at Leichhardt.  On Monday, nine Year 6 students completed the online Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee.  Below are pictured eight of the nine students receiving their participation awards at Monday’s Week 8 Assembly.  LJ (6B), with a score of 22 out of 30, achieved the ‘2022 School Champion’ title.  Well done, LJ!  Well done, students!

On Thursday, four Year 5 students and 6 Year 6 students completed the annual Write A Book In A Day competition.  The students were given the parameters for the challenge at 8am and then collaboratively and conscientiously worked on planning, writing, illustrating and editing their story.  With a few eating breaks and some very short play breaks, students completed their book, ‘Auditioning for Alice’, for submission by 3:30pm.  A copy of the book has been included in this newsletter above.  Below are pictured nine of the students who participated in the challenge.  Well done, students!

To end Book Week, students and staff came in costume and enjoyed a rhythmic Book Week parade.  Classes were provided with different rhythms by Leah (5A) and Grace (past Leichhardt student) when they walked up to the stage and then walked off the stage to have their photo taken. 

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Also, on Friday, each student was gifted a free book to take home to keep by the Dymocks Children’s Charities.  What made this particularly special was that students were given the opportunity to select their book from the Dymock’s catalogue.  Students were very excited during the selection process and even more excited to receive their books on Friday.

On Friday, students also attended author/illustrator workshops facilitated by Jen Horn, author/illustrator of The Precious Plum.   Students participated in reading the story and enjoyed the illustration opportunities provided by Jen. 

Below are some Prep and Year 1 students proudly displaying their drawings.

From our Teachers

YEAR 1B

1B has been learning about skip counting in maths.  We have been practicing counting in 2s, 5s and 10s.  Using counters, we learnt that when skip counting with objects we need to move the same number of counters as the numbers we are counting in (moving 2 counters when counting in 2s).  
We found counting in 5s and 10s very exciting as when we were able to use our hands and fingers to practice developing this skill.  

Extra-Curricular

INDIGENOUS GAMES CARNIVAL

Thursday (8th September) is our 2nd annual Indigenous Games Carnival. All students have been working hard during their PE lessons to get ready for the carnival. Please see below the program for the day. All parents and caregivers are welcome to come and support on the day! Don't forget to dress up in your house colours!