Outstanding achievements in Music, Tournament of Minds and an Australian Champion in Snowsports

Gib Gate’s exceptional Music programme has celebrated this week with the presentation of AMEB examination results in piano, flute, clarinet, trumpet and saxophone. Ninety-eight peripatetic Music lessons per week support students in achieving at the highest level: Grade 3 Piano – Sophie Goodisson, Amelia Hartnell, Georgina Lewis (Year 6), Jade Neilson (Year 5); Grade 3 Flute - Georgia Suttie (Year 4); Grade 2 Piano – Sophie Alexander, Elizabeth Shadbolt (Year 6), Olivia Quilty, Scarlett Shadbolt (Year 5); Grade 2 Clarinet – Alice Mulligan (Year 6); Grade 2 Saxophone – Arabella Whitehead (Year 6); Grade 1 Piano – Harry Lawson (Year 5); Grade 1 Clarinet – Anthony Neilson (Year 4); Grade 1 Flute – Lexi Wimalaratne (Year 5); Grade 1 Saxophone - Georgina Lewis (Year 6); Preliminary Piano – Chloe Hannah, Phoebe Purnell (Year 5), Matilda Spong (Year 3); Preliminary Clarinet – Amelia Hartnell (Year 6); Preliminary Flute – Olivia Cowley, Sophie McAndrew (Year 4).

Interschools Snowsports – A National Champion

The Australian Interschools Snowsports Championships were held at Mount Buller in Victoria last week. There were many outstanding individual and team performances with Sebastian Atra (Year 4) National Champion and Gold medal in the Division 5 Boys Skier Cross (see Mr Standen’s Sport Report for details).

Ms Sally Robson, Head of Gib Gate

Studies

Tournament of Minds 2019 - Gib Gate awarded Honours in State Finals 2019

Last Sunday 15 September, Gib Gate’s two teams travelled to the University of New South Wales to compete in the State Finals after Gib Gate’s two teams won the regional competition at the University of Wollongong. Both Teams were awarded Honours in their discipline competing against 18 other regional teams from across NSW.

The Long Term Challenge for the State Finals was a little different from the six-week preparation time the students had for the regional competition. They were escorted to a preparation room at 9:00am and given just three hours in which to explore and prepare a solution to their Challenge. Each team was supplied with a box of ‘materials’ from which they made their costumes and props. The same materials were supplied to all teams within the discipline and the supervising teacher was a teacher from another school.

The teams also participated in an unseen Spontaneous Challenge within this three-hour timeframe with a team of judges arriving at their room according to a specified schedule. This challenge required a quick change of thinking and in five minutes, the team had to ensure a rapid interchange of ideas, the ability to think creatively and then in one minute demonstrate their well-developed thinking and group cooperation skills. The Spontaneous Challenge was: You find a box labelled ‘creativity’. What five things are in the box? What is the box? Where did you find it?

The Gib Gate Arts Team comprised Piper Berkelouw, Mollie Fitzpatrick, Jade Neilson and Lexi Wimalartatne (Year 5), Georgina Lewis and Elizabeth Shadbolt (Year 6). The three-hour challenge was: For thousands of years, cultures have handed down important stories through dance, visual art and music. These stories can now be stored digitally, in a variety of ways. What happens if modern technology ceases to exist? How will we remember our most significant stories?

Teams had to decide on a significant story from their culture that should be remembered for generations. They had to explain how the team came to choose this story and the benefits of it being passed on through generations. The story could be told using a mix of music and/or song, visual art and dance that others can continue in the future.

The Gib Gate Social Sciences team comprised Elizabeth Griffin-Peters, Amelia Hazlett, Olivia Quilty, Scarlett Shadbolt (Year 5), Sophie Alexander, Hannah Day, Sophie Goodisson (Year 6). The 2019 challenge was entitled: Who’s Who and What’s What? The challenge was: Someone has stolen part of your identity. You are still able to access it, however they have made radical changes to it which now impact on you as a person. They have benefitted from this theft, much to your annoyance. What part of your identity has been stolen and what effect has this had on your life? How can you regain either your original identity or the different one they have created?

Teams had to explain what part of their identity had been stolen and what effect it had on their life. They needed to construct a creative action plan to reclaim either their original identity or a different identity they have created.

Tournament of Minds is an opportunity for students with a passion for learning and problem solving to demonstrate their skills and talents in an exciting, vibrant and public way.

Congratulations to Gib Gate students and their teacher, Mrs Katelyn Williamson!

Ms Kate Chauncy Director of Teaching and Learning P-12 and Coordinator of Gifted and Talented Programmes

Sport

The Centenary Pool, Frensham - Learn2Swim Week

We draw attention to the Aquabliss Learn2Swim Week in the coming vacation – another opportunity to teach children how to swim and educate them about water safety.

For details, contact Aquabliss Frensham: PH: 02 4872 3672 E: aquabliss.com.au.

Interschools Snowsport
The Australian Championships were held at Mount Buller in Victoria last week. There were many outstanding individual and team performances: Sophia Atra (Year 2) Silver medal in the Division 6 Girls Skier Cross; Sebastian Atra (Year 4) Gold medal in the Division 5 Boys Skier Cross; Isabella Atra (Year 6) Silver medal in the Division 4 Girls Skier Cross; Division 4 Girls Cross Country team consisting of Tempe Arnott, Isabella Barber and Isabella Carpenter (Year 6) Classic 6^th place and Relay 5^th place. Special mention is also made of past Gib Gate student Romeo Atra (2017), now in Year 8, Gold medal in the Division 3 Boys Skier Cross event.

Athletics
The CIS Primary Athletics Championships were held in Sydney last week and we congratulate the following students who represented Gib Gate: Sophie Baldwin, Isabella Barber, Arabella Whitehead (Year 6) and Piper Berkelouw (Year 5) 5^th Senior Girls 4 x 100 metre Relay; Arabella Whitehead (Year 6) equal 4^th 12-13 Years Girls High Jump, 12^th 12-13 Years Girls Shot Put, 15^th 12 Years Girls 100 metres; Oliver Linde (Year 6) 4^th 12-13 Years Boys Shot Put; Amelia Blackshaw (Year 4) 3^rd Junior Girls Shot Put; Eloise O’Shanassy (Year 4) 12^th 8-10 Years Girls Discus.

Amelia Blackshaw has qualified for the CIS team to compete at the NSWPSSA Athletics Championships next term.

Equestrian
Sophie Baldwin (Year 6) is representing NSW at the National Interschools Equestrian Championships being held at The Sydney International Equestrian Centre at Horsley Park in Sydney during the holidays.

Mr Michael Standen, Coordinator PE and Sport Gib Gate

Enrichment/Activities

Tulip Time
On Wednesday 25 September at 9.30am, students from Preschool, Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 will be dancing in Corbett Gardens as part of the Tulip Time celebrations. Parents are welcome come and watch the students in the Gardens. They will have their morning tea there before returning to Gib Gate.

Extra-curricular Activities Term 4
Please return enrolment forms for the extra-curricular classes for Term 4 so that classes can be finalised before the end of this term.

Interrelate Family Night
Many parents and students from Years 3 to 6 attended the Family night on Monday in the Gib Gate Library. The programmes were presented in two sessions: Where Did I Come From? and Preparing for Puberty.

2020 Japan Trip Information Meeting
Students participating in the 2020 Japan tour will visit Kyoto and Kanazawa – including a visit to Gib Gate’s sister school Hokuriku Gakuin Elementary School – where students will have the opportunity to homestay.

An Information session for parents and students will be held in the Library at 6.00pm on Monday 23 September. During this information session we will be discussing the itinerary and other information. Please note there are limited places available on the trip and these will be allocated in order of receipt of the Japan Trip Reservation Form after the Information Session.

Gib Gate has been making biennial trips to Japan since 1986 and values the connections made in Japan and with its sister school.

Mrs Anne Graham, Gib Gate Coordinator (Administration)

Preschool

Tell me, and I forget, teach me, and I may remember, involve me, and I learn.

– Benjamin Franklin

As major excavation work has been carried out on the Gib Gate playing fields this term, the youngest students have paid careful attention to the comings and goings of machinery, trucks, fences, and pipes. Many questions have been asked of the teachers and Ms Robson over this period. There was much excitement in the air as the day arrived when the students ventured onto the playing fields to examine the machines.

The children were encouraged to think of words and gestures to use when they met the construction team, such as saying ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’, and making eye contact when speaking. Safety rules and procedures also formed a solid part of the discussion. Some children offered knowledge that they already had about diggers, and challenged themselves to think of new questions and find out new information, even if they thought they already knew a lot about trucks and diggers. 

Gordon Delamont and his team provided a wealth of information about the machinery and the children listened attentively.  Some questions asked were: ‘How did you learn how to use the digger?’, ‘How do you take off the digger part and change to another part?’, ‘Why do you work all the time?’, and ‘Did you ever find any surprises when you are digging?’. To everyone’s delight, Preschool were invited to examine the diggers up close and from all angles, and had turns at sitting in the driver’s seat.

The students recorded their memories of the visit to the construction zone on paper and were encouraged to think about what they liked, what they could see, and what they were wondering about.

Leo Berkelouw: Why does the truck have two lots of wheels?

Gordon Delamont: You need more tyres to carry more weight. The more tyres, the more weight can be put on the truck.

Sibella Baggott: Have you ever found a surprise?

Gordon Delamont: Yes, we usually find a surprise. In this field, we've found old balls but, in other places, we’ve found old leather or bottles.

Mrs Tinna Loker, Preschool Coordinator