This week's The Great Gib Gate Bake-off

We would like to congratulate the Gib Gate students and thank families for their support of online learning over the past three weeks. The Gib Gate staff are a wonderful team and we really appreciate all the kind messages we receive from parents about the quality of the online programme. Staff are working hard to ensure they spend as much time as possible online engaged in face-to-face teaching with their classes. We know that seeing and hearing their class teacher throughout the day keeps students engaged and maintains a regular routine, which is so important in these times. 

Teachers are making the online learning as interactive as possible, and the inclusion of regular brain breaks and movement sessions and all specialist lessons are important in providing balance. Wellbeing Wednesdays, with offline learning from 11.00am, are also designed to provide the students with a fun activity mid-week and a break from screen time. The Gib Gate Pet Show and Crazy Hair/Hat Day and Kahoot quiz were great successes. Held this week, The Great Gib Gate Bake-off was taken up with great enthusiasm, as seen by this selection of creations!

The Week 8 and Week 9 online programme also includes creative, hands-on tasks such as the Year 6 Legacy of Leaders display construction, Year 5 poster project, Years 4 and 3 display project, Year 2 First Lego League Explore kits, Year 1 Lego & Diorama construction, Kindergarten First Lego League Discover kits and P-6 Father's Day/Special Person craft activities. K-6 classes have also enjoyed starting Smiling Mind meditation sessions this week and I would like to encourage parents in supporting their child to use their Smiling Mind Journals for follow-up sessions.

Ms Sally Robson, Head of Gib Gate

Tournament of Minds

Congratulations to the Tournament of Minds team in the successful submission of their presentation on Friday 24 August.  The Tournament of Minds programme aims to foster divergent and creative thinking through collaboration and enterprise while solving complex, open ended challenges. The team consisting of Amelia Blackshaw, Ana McInnes, Isla McVinish, Sofia Nesci (Year 6), Matilda Spong, Edward Vilo and Annabelle Whyte-Cleaver (Year 5) chose the problem titled “Reboot My Classic”. They were required to rewrite a classic story into a new context and using a range of promotional techniques including, theme song, posters and short clips, needed to build hype for the release of this “new classic”, while at the same time gradually reveal key features of the plot without naming the original classic until the end.

The team has been working throughout Term 3 preparing to perform their solution at the South Coast Division of the Tournament of Minds competition at the University of Wollongong. With the onset of restrictions, they were required to use their creativity, problem solving and teamwork skills to quickly turn their performance into a video presentation using a variety of digital communication modes including Zoom and iMovie. The team is commended for its dedication and commitment in creating a clever performance.

Mrs Lee Ann Marsh, Coordinator