“Window” by Jeannie Baker

What did you notice in this book that had something to do with survival? 

• Trees. Well, there was trees in that book, and trees, well, they need to breathe as well. They don’t need air like us, they need water like us, but they don’t need anything to eat, they just need water and soil. Trees need sap. And instead of their blood being red, their blood is clear.

What happened to the trees? 

• There became more and more.
• No, more and more houses were coming and more trees were gone.

How does getting rid of trees affect other things? 

• More stuff can fit in there, like houses, because trees take up lots of room.
• You can get a new house and then a new footpath and then a new road. 
• If we cut down trees, squirrels, birds and wood peckers wouldn’t have anywhere to lay their nest. 
• You’ll get less paper ‘cause it comes from trees and then you wouldn’t be able to draw plants. 
• If we chop down trees then birds won’t be able to lay their eggs there. 
• If we cut down trees, it’s not good because then if squirrels want to climb trees and birds want to have their nests there, how will they? 
• If we cut down trees, it’s killing nature. And nature is the most special thing in the world. Everything is nature. We are nature. Plants are nature. Trees are nature. 
• Kids can’t have cubbies in trees. 
• Well, even if we keep cutting down trees… all sorts of animals or reptiles wouldn’t be able to live in them.  
• When we were walking to my ballet, we saw a tree house. You wouldn’t be able to make tree houses.  
• If you chop trees, um, we can’t smell them. 
• If you cut down all the trees, you won’t be able to breathe and you’ll die.

So we need the trees to survive! 

• It cleans; if you breathe, it goes out from your house into a tree and the trees cleans your air.
• When I was walking to school, I saw a bird’s nest and some little eggs in there. They will break and the babies won’t survive (if we chop the tree down). 
• If you cut down trees and they can grow fruit, then we won’t be able to grow fruit and nothing would be able to live in them if we grow trees. 
• If you cut down trees, well, nothing can grow and then when you buy everything from the supermarket, the supermarket won’t be able to get anything and you when you finish all of the food in your house then you’ll die ‘cause there’ll be no air. 
• If we chop down trees and there are leaves on them, then animals wouldn’t have anything to eat. 
• If people cut down trees with leaves on them, then animals won’t be able to make their nests. 
• I once saved a parrot from a tree because the tree was about to be cut down a parrot’s nest was in it and the parrot was in it. 
• If you don’t cut down trees, you won’t have any paper to draw on. 

So should we cut down trees or not?

• Sometimes. 
• Well, it’s good to draw pictures for if your mum or dad are hurt or sick. 
• Trees clean the air. I know one reason why we don’t have steam trains anymore – they make the air dirty. Where the trains went past, there were lots of trees so the dirty air didn’t really get past.

Tidying up on last day of Term 2 - helpers wanted

Friday 29th June is the last day of school for Term 2.

Could we please pretty please have parent helpers to help:

• clean up and sort out the atelier (it’s a huge job and we’re desperate for some help),
• sorting out the castle/imaginative play (we have a back stage area which needs to be sorted out and labeled, and excess items in the castle to be stored back stage) 
• take dress ups and smocks home to wash, 
• sort maths equipment, 
• sharpen pencils, 
• watering the plants on the terrace and feeding them some fertilizer (in the trunk) 
• and just generally helping to tidy. 

This would be a major help for the teachers and will help to continue to provide an orderly, clean and safe environment for the children.

Also note: early dismissal for children at 2:30pm.

End of Term Picnic and Amy’s Farewell

On Thursday 28 June, from 9:30 am - 1:00 pm Prep Bicicletta and Triciclo will be joining forces and walking to Fleming Park to celebrate the end of term and farewell Amy. All families are invited to join. You can join us for the whole time or meet us at the park. Bring along a picnic rug and any safe games to play at the park, such as skipping ropes and grip ball. If you wish to take your child straight to or from the park please let your teacher know. You will need to sign an early leave form if you wish for them to leave early.

Children will be taking their own bags and will need:

• Play lunch and lunch. (This is not a picnic where children are sharing food)
• Warm clothes and sensible shoes.
• Things to play with at the park (such as balls, frisbees, skipping ropes, clearly marked with your name).
• Water bottle.
• A book, colouring pencils, activity books or anything for down time at the park.

Best day ever for teachers at BEPS!

We had no idea that you were planning a morning tea for us yesterday (Thursday 14th). What a wonderful surprise it was to find a staffroom laid out with a morning tea fit for the Queen - and an army! We were all so grateful to receive your positive feedback, acknowledgement and support in the form of words and sugar. You are a talented group of home bakers and a very kind and generous community. Genevieve and I feel really lucky to be spending the year with you and your children. Thanks again, a thousand times over.

Learning spaces in Bicicletta

If you haven't had the opportunity to visit Bicicletta recently and have a look around, please enjoy this virtual tour of our learning spaces... 

Entry. This doorway leads out to The Terrace.

Entry from the door near "the Pit" - take home readers and a display of our family photos.

The Science area - currently on display are a number of machines, donated by families, which are support our Inquiry project into movement.

Blocks on the light table and a comfy ottoman.

Reading area.

Reading area.

The Atelier.

View towards the dramatic play area. Lunch trolley and display of children's work in the foreground. On the wall behind, children's movement drawings are on display.

Dramatic play area.

Writing area.

A popular place for children to work on writing skills.

Philosophy

Philosophy in Prep is all about developing basic thinking skills. The first and most important skill that we started with this year was questioning, and we spent a bit of time sorting out the difference between an question and a statement.

Some of the first questions that we came up with were:

• Why do volcanoes blow up?

• Why does petrol make cars go?

• Why do textas have ink?

• How do clocks tell the time?

• How do cars move?

• How do computers work on the plane?

• How do humans work?

• Who am I?

After exploring questions for a while, we have now started on our Community of Inquiry.  We follow a model based on the Philosophy for Children (P4C) framework that uses picture storybooks as stimulus to inspire children's curiosity.  

One of our first inquiries was based around The Bunyip of Berkley's Creek.  After reading the story together, the children came up with some questions that the book provoked. These included:

• Who looks like me?

• What do Bunyips look like?

• What do I look like?

• Why are Bunyips black?

• Why is the Bunyip sad?

• Do Bunyips exist?

We voted on 'Why is the Bunyip Sad?' as our question to explore. Here are a few of the things that we came up with in discussion:

"It didn’t have any friends"

"Because no one liked him, they thought he was ugly"

"Because it wanted another one"

"It didn’t know what it was"

o   How do you know what you are?

"You’re a person because you have 2 arms and legs"

"Bunyips don’t exist

o   How do you know bunyips don’t exist?

"You can’t see any"

"If they’re invisible they can’t exist"

·        So if something is invisible does that mean it doesn’t exist?

"I don’t know but I think [so]"

After some discussion a few children started to disagree about whether or not the bunyip was real, and how they knew they were right.  How do you know?  is one of the most important questions we use.  Here are a couple of the children's descriptions of how they know about the world.

"It’s in your head and your eyes and comes down to your mouth"

"That’s right, your brain tells you everything"

Environment Day

Well done to all of us for caring for the environment by not turning on any heaters all day!

The weather was particularly bad, but it was the teachers who seemed to find it the most challenging – the kids were fine in their lovely woollen knits! 

Well done and thank you to Chris who spoke at assembly on Monday – you were great! 

Thank you also to Peta and Libby who ran an interactive Magic Compost show on Tuesday with all of the Preps throughout the morning. It was a lot of fun, as you can see from the photos. We feel so lucky to have such supportive, creative and involved parents in our community. 

 

In support of the environment, we now share with you the messages that we received at school and encourage you to take them on board:

• eat locally grown food that is in season, 
• grow your own food as much as possible, 
• start a compost heap (build the layers like lasagne) or worm farm if you haven’t already, and 
• layer up and wear wool instead of turning on the heater.