We have had the opportunity to reflect on various milestones recently at Gib Gate. We hosted an Orientation morning for the 2023 Kindergarten students and their parents, and there was much anticipation and excitement as these students prepare to commence their formal Primary School education. Year 6 and Kindergarten shared a Friday Performance Assembly recently and this was a reminder of the educational journey from Kindergarten to Year 6 with all the students presenting confidently.

Year 12 Frensham Gib Gate Graduates and their parents came to Gib Gate for a Farewell Assembly this week as they mark the end of their School life and we had the opportunity to reflect on Gib Gate’s part in this journey for them as well as wishing them well for their upcoming examinations and life after school. The Year 12 students enjoyed visiting the Gib Gate campus, re-living memories of favourite places and events from their Preschool to Year 6 2016 and it is always a delight to see a slideshow composed of images taken from their years at Gib Gate. Gib Gate students loved seeing the photos of the Year 12s as tiny Preschoolers or dressed up for all the special events we still enjoy at Gib Gate such as Book Week, Christmas Dress-up Day, the Years 5 and 6 Social, or taking part in Carnivals and Sport. A particularly touching moment for Year 6 was seeing photos of Year 12 dressed in character for their Musical, Wonder in Aliceland, and for their Legacy of Leaders Project, as the current Year 6 students had their Legacy of Leaders presentation day this week. 

These occasions gave us the opportunity to reflect on the cycle of life in our School; to consider beginnings and endings, and how we support and prepare students for these changes, as well as celebrating the annual events which we are so glad we can celebrate face-to-face this year.

Mrs Anne Graham, Head of Gib Gate (Acting)

Mathematical Olympiad Team 2022

Congratulations to the Gib Gate Year 5 and Year 6 Mathematical Olympiad team who completed its last ‘contest’ for 2022. The team of Max Cannon-Brooks, Hannah Chalak, Sophie Chin, Arabella Munro, Matilda Spong, Annabelle Whyte-Cleaver (Year 6); James Macpherson, Elyssia Mason, Aliyah Mhanna, Olivia Pattison, Emma Stedman (Year 5) participated in five monthly ‘pen and paper’ 30-minute challenges in which they had to complete five problems.

The Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiad is an annual contest which has been operating since 1987.  Every year, schools from all over Australia, New Zealand and other neighbouring countries take part. The overall aim is to encourage students to develop important mathematical problem-solving skills in an enjoyable environment. Certificates of Achievement will be awarded in Term 4 during Performance Assembly.

Ms Kate Chauncy, Director of Teaching and Learning P-12

Activities and Enrichment

A tech-savvy group of students have been meeting on Monday afternoons over the past two terms, to prepare for the 2022 ACT Regional RoboCup Junior Competition. James Macpherson (Year 5), Camille Muir, Sammy Robb and Isaac Webb (Year 3) were tasked with creating a group performance lasting 1-2 minutes, set to music, involving robots and humans. They chose to create a stunt driving demonstration which featured two robot vehicles performing tricky manoeuvres and making near misses without actually crashing. The robot vehicles were made from Lego EV3 equipment and were the students’ own, unique, designs. The students performed the role of a television commentator and team managers. Students also created painted and decorated scenery, and selected costumes, to give colour and context to their performance. Taking place in Canberra on Saturday 3 September, our team competed in the Novice OnStage category and their performance earned them equal first place! This was quite an honour, as the other winning team was comprised of Year 9 students. The Gib Gate RoboCup team members are congratulated on their outstanding achievement in the competition and the positive manner in which they interacted with the judges and competitors from other schools on the day of the competition.

The winter Soccer season drew to a close on Saturday 10 September. All players are commended for their commitment to their teams during the winter season, particularly as we endured the ‘less than favourable’ weather conditions. When it is drizzly, windy and only 4 degrees, getting out of bed to play a team sport feels more challenging than it does on a warm, sunny morning! Special mention to the Under 7 Soccer team which achieved ‘runner up’ on their gala day at Moss Vale. We wish to thank all of the coaches who contributed time and effort to support Gib Gate students in Soccer and Hockey this winter.

On Tuesday 13 September, Year 1 and Year 2 classes ventured out to Camp Wombaroo for a fun day of outdoor experiences. Facilitated by the Outdoor Education Group (OEG), students participated in games, challenges and activities which were highly engaging and provoked thoughtful discussions about perseverance, teamwork and communication. Highlights of the day included cooking banana boats and damper over a campfire, low ropes, hiking and the vertical challenge. The experiences that students had on their Outdoor Education Day continue to be recounted and discussed at school because the lessons learned are just as relevant when students are challenged personally through their schoolwork, when trying new things and when collaborating to achieve shared goals in the classroom.

Mr Gregory Hannah, Administration Co-ordinator (Acting)

Preschool – Connections

The preschool children welcomed Mick (Raf's father) into the classroom to teach us how to make focaccia last week. This hands-on experience for the children, had everyone taking a turn at mixing, kneading or putting holes into the dough for the oil and rosemary. Most importantly the children sampled the focaccia once it was cooked. Raf assisted his father with a poster that provided the children with pictures of how focaccia is made. The written recipe was shared with families and many families made focaccia that evening.

Henry brought his father, Alan, in to show us all how to play golf. First, Alan spoke about what equipment is needed to play golf, which is a small, hard ball and a club. He explained that the aim of the game is to get the ball into the holes at the golf course. Alan noted that you need two or more people to play golf and although it can be challenging to play, having fun is the main idea. Henry told us that it can be frustrating when you hit your ball into the bunker. He also said that you can drive a golf buggy around the course so that you do not have to walk. We had turns at hitting the golf ball on the field and Alan showed us how far he could hit the ball.

Parents and family members coming into the preschool is a wonderful experience for the children. We promote that we are always learning from each other, and we all have skills that can be shared and that can enhance everyone’s learning experience.  We not only appreciate but treasure parental and family input into our Preschool programme at Gib Gate.

Mrs Tinna Loker, Preschool Co-ordinator