Pedare - The Vine Newsletter Issue 6 for 2020
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The Vine Issue 6 – 2020

May 8, 2020
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James Tamblyn

COLLEGE PRINCIPAL

Mr James Tamblyn

 

Please view the video below:

Mother's Day Message


Whiteman Andrew Final

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL/HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL

Mr Andrew Whiteman

 

The return of students this week has been welcomed and there has been a quick return to normality at Pedare! I would like to congratulate all students and families on their persistence and engagement during our remote learning program. Many of our Senior School students enjoyed independence whilst learning from home and working in their own environment. I also know that every single student was excited to be back in the classroom on Monday, not something you can say every week! The lack of social interaction during the remote learning period was challenging for us all and to be able to again provide a face to face teaching environment as well as social opportunities for the students brought a lot of joy to our teachers.

We continue to look for ways to improve our teaching programs here at Pedare and being rushed into remote learning has opened up a number of exciting opportunities. We want to harness the positives of the experience and use them to enhance the student’s experience here at school. The ability for students to attend online lessons then go back and catch up by re-watching videos really provides an insight into how many university courses are offered. Setting the students up to complete work and assignments independent of a teacher standing at the front of the room or completing an online test are new experiences that could be used in the future.

This week I held a virtual assembly with both Year 11 and Year 12 students and explained to them that they must hit the ground running on their return to school. For our Year 11 students, they will be completing Semester 1 exams in Week 8 of this term. More information and a timetable will be emailed out in the near future. Our Year 10 students will also experience a limited number of exams in Week 8. This will be their first formal experience of exams and teachers will be preparing them for this. Students were surprised to hear that these exams are only 5 weeks away! With the loss of some face to face teaching, these examinations will be adjusted accordingly.

We look forward to the coming weeks where our extra-curricular program will start to be put into action. Our students have been very good so far at following our physical distancing directions and personal hygiene protocols. With extra-curricular resuming and other opportunities opening up across the city we must continue to take a considered and responsible approach to the health and well-being of everyone.

I thank you for your support during this time and look forward to the next opportunity where our whole community can join us inside the walls of Pedare.


Mrs Lauren Brooks

HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

 Mrs Lauren Brooks

 

Welcome back to Pedare classrooms to our Middle School students!

We are so happy to see all of you back at school and learning in our classrooms. As much as we enjoyed the challenge and rigour of the Remote Learning experience, we missed our students terribly during this time!

During our Remote Learning program, we know all of our students and staff have had to become masters of adaptability and there are so many incredible skills and opportunities we have garnered over this challenging period. Earlier on in the week, we encouraged our students to consider all of the positive experiences from their Remote Learning, the areas where they have grown and the moments where we were all challenged outside of our comfort zones.

Now it is time to adapt again, back to life in the classrooms. We can’t wait to reflect on the Remote Learning experiences with all of our students and support them in seeing this as an incredible opportunity for growth and development moving forward.

Please view the following video of some of our Middle School students reflecting on what they love most about being back in Pedare classrooms again:

Middle School Reflection

Just finally, I want to thank our Pedare teachers. Our teachers at Pedare are simply extraordinary. They were able to adapt to Remote Learning seamlessly, without complaint, and put in more hours than ever before to ensure every student had the opportunity to continue their learning journey from home. Not only was it in the academic and technological approach from our teachers that was exceptional, but it was another opportunity for our teachers to demonstrate their genuine care for all of our students. Conversations with teachers throughout this time would often end in comments such as; ‘I miss the daily interactions with my students’, ‘I miss seeing their beautiful smiles and hearing their laughter’, ‘I miss being able to support them in a personal and individual manner’. Our teachers care so much for your children, watching them grow and supporting their journey.

On behalf of our Middle School community, thank you to our extraordinary Pedare teachers.


Mr Randall Pearce

HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL

Mr Randall Pearce

 

Firstly, let me wish all mothers, grandmothers, and mother figures a happy day for this Sunday. May those little rays of sunshine – your children – bring you great joy for the day, and for every other day of the year too!

My sincere gratitude to all parents for their support and words of encouragement as we have moved from remote learning into to face to face teaching and learning with some new conditions. It has been so wonderful to see all the children again and reconnect and listen to joyful sounds of the playground.

I have been impressed with how settled and calm the restart has been, again thank you for preparing your children so well for the new conditions and setting them up for success.

Further to this, I would like to pay tribute to the Junior School teaching staff, Education Support Officers and our OSHC staff, collectively you have provided a safe haven both online and in person. Your efforts to continually improve our offering so that all the children continue to learn, engage and remain socially connected has been simply outstanding.

Please stay connected with the Junior School as we navigate our way through Term 2, we understand there may still be changes to our operations as well as events such as Cross Country and the Reception Welcome Service. News regarding these events will follow shortly.

Should you have any concerns regarding Term 2 please do make a time to see me. With the revised timetable, I do plan to be out in the yard most mornings and after school each afternoon.


TRICK SHOT CHALLENGE

Good work Pedare students for being equal winners of the most entries into the Trick Shot Challenge run by School Sport SA over the holidays.

For details of the next challenge, the Ultimate Team Juggle Challenge please visit School Sport SA website https://bit.ly/SSSAUltimateTeamJuggle.


STUDENT NEWS


FARMBOT

Pedare has become the first school in South Australia to install a FarmBot (www.farmbot.io), an Open-Source CNC Farming System that showcases a future possibility in food production. With the FarmBot, students will have the opportunity to engage in 3D printing components, writing 3rd party software and analysing the various datasets that will be available from the farming process.

The FarmBot expands the mind to think about big questions; How will humans colonise planets? What will sustainable farming look like in 2050?

The entire farming process with a FarmBot is automated, from seeding, to watering, to soil moisture testing and finally the really exciting one – weeding! Yes, weeding through a camera that scans for weeds and crushes them into the soil!

Zachary Elliot (Year 12) and Bradley Przibilla (Year 11), two students involved in our VEX Robotics program constructed the FarmBot, our Grounds and Property Team provided the build of the greenhouse, garden bed and internal connections and finally our IT Department provided the required internet communication for the Farmbot. A huge team effort by all!

Stay tuned as we prepare a live stream from our greenhouse enabling you to literally watch plants grow!

The following videos shows the testing phase of the FarmBot.

FarmBot Testing


JUNIOR SCHOOL RETURNS

What a joy it is to have all our students back at school, learning in the classroom and seeing them being able to interact with their friends again. The staff are enjoying seeing the happy faces of our students and appreciate having some ‘noise’ around the College again.

It was also lovely to see some of our Junior School students enjoying the autumn sunshine and having a great time playing outside last Friday before the main cohort of students returned to school this week.

Some student comments from Year 2B about being back at Pedare:

  • “It feels good to be back.” – Tyson
  • “I felt nervous to come back.” – Hakala
  • “I missed playing with my friends.” – Aaliyah
  • “It feels good to be back at school because I like to learn at school.” – Josiah
  • “It feels good to be back at school because I get to see my friends.” – Evie
  • “I’m excited to play with my friends at school.” – Liam
  • “I’m happy to be back because I like the Maths.” – Peter

YEAR 11 & 12 – BUSINESS INNOVATION

Future-focused thinking in Business Innovation

Business Innovation at Pedare is all about making the most of the opportunities and resources we have available, understanding possible futures and working to create the futures we want to see for our world. These are important 21st Century skills for our young people

This week, Year 11 and Year 12 Business Innovation students virtually visited MOD @ UniSA – the futuristic museum of discovery. Both classes explored the Seven Siblings from the Future exhibit. This exhibit considers a range of possible futures for South Australia in the year 2050.

Acting as consultants, Year 12 students used this experience to help them to develop ideas for how Adelaide Oval might innovate their business model. This included undertaking a forward-thinking risk analysis for the business.

Year 11 students worked in teams to develop innovative solutions to solving real world problems. For example, one team developed an app to sell to the Australian Government which monitors and regulates individual CO2 emissions. Another team looked at ways that technology can be used to help young people better manage stress and their competing priorities. This includes how information can better be shared between students and their families and teachers. A third group considered how AI might be used to teach social skills and solve the problem of loneliness. The virtual visit to MOD helps students to think more creatively, beyond what they are seeing now.

Interested to join in the fun? Please click here to view the MOD @ UniSA exhibit.

Mrs Kirstin Davenport – Senior School Business Teacher


STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT


Extra-Curricular

NEWS

Extra-Curricular Sports feature articles and results below:


EXTRA-CURRICULAR RESULTS

DUE TO COVID-19 THERE ARE NO EXTRA-CURRICULAR EVENTS TAKING PLACE AT THIS STAGE


COMMUNITY NEWS

PedareLogo_MB

 

Tea Tree Gully Anglican

 

Due to the current situation with COVID-19, the Tea Tree Gully Anglican Church is no longer able to meet together in their traditional Sunday format. As such, Sunday gatherings have been suspended but are currently meeting online using Zoom and YouTube  Service times are 8:30am, 10:00am and 6:00pm.

Please contact Dave Brown on dave@ttganglican.org.au for more details, or check their Facebook page for links.

If you are struggling and would like to talk with someone from the church during these trying times, please phone 8264 3736.

KEY DATES