Coffs Harbour Public School Blog

Courtesy & Honour – Relieving Principal: Jodie Hayes

What are a child’s rights?

May 16, 2013 by · 1 Comment · Education

Key principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
The CRC consists of 54 articles and is guided by four fundamental principles:

Non-discrimination. Children should neither benefit nor suffer because of their race, colour, gender, language, religion, national, social or ethnic origin, or because of any political or other opinion; because of their caste, property or birth status; or because they are disabled.
The best interests of the child. Laws and actions affecting children should put their best interests first and benefit them in the best possible way.
Survival, development and protection. The authorities in each country must protect children and help ensure their full development — physically, spiritually, morally and socially.
Participation. Children have a right to have their say in decisions that affect them and to have their opinions taken into account.

Coffs Harbour Public School has an extremely diverse student population who are all recognised for the wonderful individual strengths and culture they bring to our school. Our school recognises that ALL our students have the right to learn in a place that is nurturing, safe and provides them with challenges that equip them to be active participants in society and have their voice heard. We also acknowledge that all children in Australia have this right and are very thankful that we live in a country that celebrates and recognises the 54 Articles that makes up the CRC. There are many children in the world who do not have their rights valued.

Recently Mrs Booth came across this fantastic video, made by UNICEF, focussing on the  brother and sister pair Jack and Ruby as they explore  the Convention on the Rights of the Child. She emailed UNICEF and gained permission to use it on our school blog. Thanks UNICEF :) For more information and resources parents and teachers can go here:Talk to your children about rights and responsibilities . 

Click on each of these web books to read about the articles that make up children’s rights :)

What are rights? Photo Essay Illustrated Convention on the Rights of the Child

Mrs Booth

 

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Solar Eclipse 10th May 2013

May 10, 2013 by · No Comments · Education

 

“Photographing the reflection of the sun through binoculars onto cardboard (warning looking directly through binoculars at the sun would cause blindness) – the moon passed between the Earth and the Sun and partially blocked the sun in North Eastern NSW, Australia” Source: Marianne Logan

While we were lining up for assembly and working hard in our classrooms this morning an annular solar eclipse was occurring  up high.  Marianne Logan, Mrs Booth’s science lecturer, took these fantastic images in Lismore which is just up the road from Coffs Harbour. We will now have to wait until 2035 before the next eclipse of this kind will be seen in Australia.

Australia’s Solar Eclipse: Australian Geographic

Mrs Booth

 

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Our Ecological Footprint: Stage 2

May 4, 2013 by · No Comments · Education

A measure of the impact humans have on the environment is called an ecological footprint. A country’s ecological footprint is the sum of all the cropland, grazing land, forest and fishing grounds required to produce the food, fibre and timber it consumes, to absorb the wastes emitted when it uses energy and to provide space for infrastructure. Source WWF Australia
Stage 2 is looking at sustainable living and the ecological footprint their life choices leave on the environment. What they eat- how it is packaged, does it need refrigeration or to be heated, and where does it come from? What housing do they live in? How they move about the community? What do they wear and who makes it? Simple decisions can have an enormous impact on the lives of others and the planet.
Click here to find out your ecological footprint: My Footprint, or to learn more about e-waste i.e. computers. Watch this brilliant video from ABC’s The Checkout at the 11.59 mark  to understand what happens to all our mobile phones and other products, and how manufacturers want their products to become obsolete or out of style so YOU buy more!
This is an excellent article from local Coffs Harbour architect, Reiner Schimminger, about the amazing Eco Housing project (and an Australian first)  City of Hope at the Jetty . The development follows the standards set out by the Living Building Challenge which places the strictest performance requirements on a built structure.
Tasmanian southern coastal areas  are becoming the dumping ground for the worlds plastic garbage. Birds are dying due to a diet of plastic debris and the plastic particles are travelling all the way down to Antarctica.

Finally click here to view the incredible film trailer MIDWAY by Chris Jordan.

Lets start small and think more about what packaging we need for our recess and lunch. Do we really need all the TV’s on or that new phone? :)

Mrs Booth

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What happens when you wring a waterlogged face washer out in space?

May 3, 2013 by · No Comments · Education

International Space Station Commander, Chris Hadfield, was recently asked by Canadian high school students, Kendra Lemke and Meredith Faulkner, to demonstrate what happens when you wring out a waterlogged face washer in space.  The students from Fall River, Nova Scotia won a national science contest held by the Canadian Space Agency with their experiment on surface tension in space using a wet washcloth. Credit: Canadian Space Agency/NASA

See what happens!

Now how do you clean up the water?

Excellent! :)

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ANZAC DAY 2013

April 25, 2013 by · 1 Comment · Education

On the 25th of April 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. These became know as Anzacs and the pride they took in that name continues to this day. The poem that is used to help the general public understand the experiences of service people and their relatives during wartime is called  For the Fallen written by Robert  Binyon in 1914 . The 4th stanza is an integral part of  the ANZAC ceremony.

For the Fallen
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.


Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.


They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.


They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.


They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables at home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England’s foam.


But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;


As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.
Robert Laurence Binyon (1869–1943)

Australian War Memorial

Mrs Booth

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Stage 3 Self Nominated Projects and Speeches

April 18, 2013 by · No Comments · Education

Some students in Stage 3 have been working over term 1 on individual self nominated projects and others researching a particular country for speech assessments. Here is a video presentation showing some of the students work.

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Stage 2 Virtual Maths

April 17, 2013 by · No Comments · Education

3P and 3/4H  finished their maths lessons with Mrs Booth recently. Both 3/4H and 3P have been using virtual technology to complete tasks connected to data, measurement, space and geometry.  Though it was challenging using Sim-on-a-Stick all students have worked hard and helped each other to problem solve . The final task for 3/4H was to build a scale replica of the school library in Minecraft staying as close to the real design as possible. Some managed to finish and others still have some work to do but the fantastic thing was no body wanted to leave the lessons as they were so engaged with their tasks :) We also had a discussion on perspective because some students still felt Steve, the Minecraft avatar, was 2 metres tall though the Minecraft wiki puts him at approximately 1.75 metres tall. Each Minecraft block is 1 metre cubed and students placed 2 on top of each other to check. Since we don’t have wifi yet we were unable to go into each others builds to gain a viewing perspective from within the world. The wiki states:

The player’s eye level (According to coordinates while pressing F3) is 1.62 meters. Since his eyes are 29 pixels above his feet, leaving 3 pixels above his eyes (.17m), Steve is approximately 1.79 meters tall (5’10″).

The Player – Minecraft Wiki 

Mrs Booth

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Stage 2 Toy Company

April 17, 2013 by · No Comments · Education

Stage 2 has been working on the Storypath unit ‘Toy Factory’ over Term 1. These units are a highly engaging program that fosters problematic thinking and higher order thinking skills as students are scaffolded through a series of learning episodes.

Originally developed in Scotland during the 1960′s, Storypath draws support from decades of experience with teachers and students.
The Episodes of a Storypath are:
Creating the Setting – Students create the setting by completing a frieze (mural) or other visual representation of the place.
Creating Characters – Students create characters for the story whose roles they will play during subsequent episodes.
Context Building – Students are involved in activities that stimulate them to think more deeply about the people and place they have created.
Critical Incidents – Characters confront problems typical of those faced by people of that time and place.
Concluding Event – Students plan and participate in an activity that brings closure to the story.
Information source: Storypath Stu.Murray.Wikispaces.com

3P have been working in groups to design and develop their toys with all students assuming their particular job roles as part of the process. It is hard to work together but when each person has an identified purpose tasks are achieved and everyone is productive. It is just like working in a real toy factory. :)

This is an excellent 10 minute video from the Mattel Toy Factory in 1950 and the stages they went through to create a new toy. It mirrors the process Stage 2 took with their toy designs and final presentation.

Mrs Booth

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Cobra 7000

April 10, 2013 by · No Comments · Education

Hi this is Daniel and Keanu and we have been making the Cobra 7000 for the Toy House. The Cobra 7000 can hover across land, sea/water and fly high at top speeds. The people in our group are Luke, Blain, Lionel and us. The Cobra 7000 is made from meat trays, straws, stickytape, cardboard and empty containers but when it is built properly it will be made from carbon fibre and plastic. It has a 2 year warranty and will sell for $75.96. You get free batteries and two remote controls (one is a back up controller).

Come along the to the Toy Fair on Friday at 2pm in our classroom (3/4H) to see this amazing contraption!

Daniel and Keanu

 

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6M The Simpsons Exposition

April 7, 2013 by · No Comments · Education

On Thursday 6M wrote a draft response to a letter about a television show called The Simpsons written by a mother called Betty Boo. This mother thought the show was terrible and unacceptable and wrote that she would take the television station that screens it to court if they didn’t take it off air!  6M discussed the positive attributes but also explored the negatives and some ethical reasoning behind the story-lines. Afterwards the students drafted a written response  to be sent to the television station. Betty Boo’s letter was also full of errors and the students needed to identify and correct them. All students did a great job and Mr Murphy read out Cody and Pyke’s draft letters.

Pyke and Cody -The Simpsons

6M

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