End of Term One in New South Wales
Term One for New South Wales Students is In the Books!
Hello Elementary Friends,
I hope this post finds you enjoying a fine spring day in the USA! It is starting to feel a bit like fall here with normal high temperatures in the upper 70's and low 80's, although today was an anomaly topping out at 30C which is approximately 90F! On the news they said that it was the hottest day on record for April 6th. Wow - I am ready for the cool temperatures to stay with us for a while.
Dinner in Newtown with NSW Exchange Teachers' League
This past weekend we went to dinner with the Exchange Teacher League at a Turkish restaurant in Newtown. Here is some information on this Sydney suburb.
Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west is located approximately four kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, straddling the local government areas of the City of Sydney and Marrickville Council in the state of New South Wales,Australia.[2]
King Street is the main street of Newtown and centre of commercial and entertainment activity. The street follows the spine of a long ridge that rises up near Sydney University and extends to the south, becoming the Princes Highway at its southern end.
Enmore Road branches off King Street towards the suburb of Enmore at Newtown Bridge, where the road passes over the railway line at Newtown Station. Enmore Road and King Street together comprise 9.1 kilometres of over 600 shopfronts. The main shopping strip of Newtown is the longest and most complete commercial precinct of the late Victorian and Federation period in Australia.[3] King Street is often referred to as "Eat Street" in the media due to the large number of cafés, pubs and restaurants of various cultures.[4] Cafes, restaurants and galleries can also be found in the streets surrounding King Street.
We loved this artsy, young, vibrant neighborhood. We commented that it reminded us a lot of some areas of south Austin, Texas. Every time we attend an Exchange League function, I am amazed at how closely connected everyone is. The Australian educators who have been on exchange in years past share a common bond with each other. They want to "pay it forward" to those of us who are here on exchange this year and to help us glean the most of the experience.
Busy with End of Term One Activities
This week has been very busy wrapping up Term One of this school year. We have been studying poetry, and in particular the Cinquain. Here are some cinquain poems that my students wrote:
We had a "crazy hair" day at school yesterday to raise money for the Children's Hospital. Here is a photo of my class with their crazy hair!
Earlier tonight many of our staff members met at a local restaurant for a dinner celebrating the end of Term One. It was so nice to visit with colleagues in a relaxed manner. While we are working during the day, it is hard to really get the chance to visit! There are some lovely, talented, and passionate educators on the staff of Beaumont Road!
Tomorrow at school we will have an ANZAC Day Commemorative Assembly. ANZAC Day (a major Australian Holiday) actually falls on Monday, April 25th, however we will still be on School Holidays on that day, so the school always holds the assembly on the last day before holidays begin.
What is Anzac Day?
Anzac Day, 25 April, is one of Australia’s most important national occasions. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.
What does ANZAC stand for?
ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as Anzacs, and the pride they took in that name endures to this day.
Why is this day special to Australians?
When war broke out in 1914 Australia had been a federated nation for only 13 years, and its government was eager to establish a reputation among the nations of the world. When Britain declared war in August 1914 Australia was automatically placed on the side of the Commonwealth. In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula in order to open the Dardanelles to the allied navies. The ultimate objective was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany.
The Australian and New Zealand forces landed on Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders. What had been planned as a bold stroke to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated from the peninsula, with both sides having suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. More than 8,000 Australian soldiers had died in the campaign. Gallipoli had a profound impact on Australians at home, and 25 April soon became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who died in the war.
Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives, the actions of Australian and New Zealand forces during the campaign left a powerful legacy. What became known as the “Anzac legend” became an important part of the identity of both nations, shaping the ways in which they viewed both their past and their future.
Mitch to Speak at ANZAC Day Assembly
Mitch has been asked to speak at the assembly tomorrow, so he has been busy writing his speech. I have just read it, and it is beautiful! Here it is!
I was surprised and humbled by the invitation to speak to you today as Australia prepares for ANZAC Day, but it is certainly an honor and I’m grateful for the opportunity to do so. Mrs. Hankins and I have been so overwhelmed by the wonderful reception we’ve been given and how we have been made a part of the Beaumont Road Public School Family and the support and friendship we’ve been given not only here but in every aspect of our experience in Australia.
I knew a bit about the history of ANZAC Day and the bravery and sacrifice of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps beginning in 1915 on the shores of Gallipoli …but certainly not ending there. I have learned more and understand the pride with which Australia and New Zealand honours the memory of the Veterans of World War One and the subsequent conflicts in which brave men and women have stood up and stepped forward to again and again protect not only your homeland but also the principles and ideals that make your country such a shining example of the best that the world has to offer.
I’m not here to talk to you about your history. You know it much better that I and you could speak about it with a depth of understanding that I could only pretend to have. What I would like to speak with you about is the relationship between Australian and the United States and how proud we, as Americans, are to have such a loyal, strong and important alliance and relationship with Australia and the Australian people.
Our countries are quite distant from one another but that distance has not diminished the reliance we place on one another. It has reinforced it. We Americans were not engaged in World War One at the time that the ANZAC Corps were so bravely fighting in Turkey. There were many in the US at the time that didn’t want to become involved in the war. As they learned more about the nature of the conflict and the importance of of what was at stake for the future of the world, America joined to conflict and for the first time entered into an alliance with the Allied forces, including the ANZAC troops who were fighting along with the British, the French and many others. It wouldn’t be the last time we joined together to protect our common viewpoint of humanity.
We entered the war too late to have been of help in Gallipoli, but we joined with our fellow allies in the fields of Belgium and France where we were victorious and together made the world a safer and a better place. At least it was that way for a while. But again we had to join together as allies to face new struggles during the dark days of World War II. The ANZAC forces and the American forces fought bravely in the South Pacific to again defeat enemies that wished to destroy our way of life, the freedoms and liberties we share. This time America didn’t wait to join the fight and the American Navy and Marines came to this part of the world to join with you and to protect one another.
It wasn’t long before we again had to join together to fight a common enemy. This time in Korea, where Australian and American soldiers, along with our other allies again fought together.
And because sometimes grown-ups don’t learn and keep repeating behaviours that lead countries into war, we found that we were forced to fight together in Vietnam -
again bravely, and again as allies.
When the United States was attacked by terrorists on September 11, 2001, our friends, the Australians, were soon again at our side as we began to fight the people behind the terror in Afghanistan.
I’m telling you about all of these conflicts not to make you think that we are always fighting but to show you that when events force our countries to fight together for the values that allow our nations to exist - the ideas and purposes that define us as Americans and Australians and New Zealanders - we do it together as friends and allies. The US knows that Australia has our back and I hope you know that Australia’s back is covered as well.
This year on ANZAC Day, I hope you will all be very proud of your country and the heroes that have come forward, time and again, to do what they must do to keep Australia safe and free. With the parades and the ceremonies and the flags and music be reminded that your country is a leader in the ongoing effort to keep the world safe and free. And this year also know that you have friends and admirers and allies that live on the other side of the world from you - the people of the United States of America. We are proud of you also and are so very, very fortunate to have you as our friends.
Finally a couple quick "out of the mouths of babes" quotes and then you get to experience something very special and unique to education at Beaumont Road.
Mortensen teachers know this well - we are always trying to emphasize the "why" of what we are learning in class. Students should be able to clearly understand what we are learning and why it is important. They should see the relevance to their lives in and out of school, and they should be able to articulate the purpose of the learning. So, to ensure that I was emphasizing the why in my teaching the other day, I asked the students to tell me why I was having them learn these things. One response was "So that when Ms. Nemeth returns, she won't think that you didn't teach us anything!" And the one I like the best because I am starting to hear myself come out of these kids - "So that when we go to Year Three the teachers won't think we have LAZY BRAINS!"
Topic Talks at Beaumont Road
A tradition at Beaumont is that the students are trained to give what are called Topic Talks or News Talks. These three - four minute presentations are prepared at home and presented to classmates once per week. Sometimes there is a specific assignment for the topic, and sometimes it is "free choice." This exercise teaches the students so much - decisions about a topic, researching skills, preparation of the presentation with visual aids, etc. and then the actual speaking in front of an audience. The students receive feedback on a rubric for attributes including their stance, voice level, interest level of the topic, use of visual aids, etc. During the recent parent-teacher interviews I obtained permission from a few parents to share a video of their child presenting a topic talk. Here is your first glance at a Topic Talk from Class 2KH at Beaumont Road Public School, Killara, NSW, Australia! Just click on this link:
Mitch and I will be heading to New Zealand on Saturday for our School Holidays! Next week's blog will come from there, so keep posted!
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