Latest News

Spring Festival - music, flowers and festive cheer

27 Sep 2019

There were plenty of blossoms, crowns and and music for the Spring Festival day. Parents, staff and students enjoyed the warm and relaxing day and the oval was filled with family and friends. Thank you all for coming and for those who helped to create and coordinate the festival.

Class 5 learn the traditional Maypole dance

26 Jul 2019

Traditionally at Glenaeon, Class 5 dance the Maypole at the Spring Festival in a rhythmic and co-ordinated series of steps, whilst intricately weaving numerous ribbons into an impressive pattern.

Class 6 light up their world

26 Jul 2019

As a part of their Main Lesson exploring the physics of sound, light and heat, Class 6 began the week by painting the colour wheel, exploring the qualities of colours with teacher Rodney Dean.

Spring Festival 2019

27 Sep 2019

The weather was perfect for our Spring Festival at Middle Cove this week. After the acknowledgement of the traditional owners of the land, our Master of Ceremonies the kookaburra arrived and the festival could begin!

Kindergarten Spring Festival

27 Sep 2019

Big and Little Kindergarten celebrated their Spring Festival under sunny skies this week. It was a beautiful celebration - the children prepared fruit sticks and lemonade, and parents brought a delicious selection of dishes for a shared lunch afterwards. Spring is such a lovely time of year and the Castlecrag campus is decorated with children's art and craft.

Class One prepare for their first Middle Cove Spring Festival

27 Sep 2019

Class 1 were excitedly preparing for their first Spring Festival at Middle Cove, called the 'Big Campus' by the children. Parents brought in greenery and they made wreaths the day before. On the morning of the last day of school, parents helped put fresh flowers in the wreaths and they caught the bus to Middle Cove. Walking down to the oval, they were the first group to perform to the rest of the school and parents. Thanks to the parents who joined in to help prepare the wreaths and travel with the children to and from Castlecrag. The walk back to Castlecrag was a great thing to do together.

Year 12 journey back through the classes K - 11

27 Sep 2019

On their second last day, Year 12 journeyed through each class, starting at Castlecrag in the Kindergarten morning circle. They were sung to and gifted beautiful finger knitted bracelets. They continued to visit Class 1, walking their morning form drawing with them and continuing on to Class 2 and then to Middle Cove. This is a Glenaeon tradition in which Year 12 students spend a morning revisiting the younger classes, remembering times and joining them in part of their morning class. They ended the day signing off on each others' school shirts and would return the following day for their final assembly.

Twilight Market

27 Sep 2019

The weather cleared for last Friday's Twilight market, and the community came together for a relaxing afternoon of food, craft, shopping and friends. Class One ran a tie dyeing activity, Class Three sold beautiful T-shirts and a healthy smorgasbord of cakes. Class Five served home made felafel kebabs, fresh lemonade and sausages. It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.

Class Five knitting socks

20 Sep 2019

Class 5 have been following the complex pattern of knitting socks on 4 needles, and the results are impressive! Choosing their own colours and length, their socks are coming along well - here is an end-of-term photo showing skill, vibrancy and colour of their work. Knitting and craft is known to assist brain development, and the process of following patterns in more complex knitting develops the skills of planning, visualisation and fine motor skills.

Class One monkey bar fun

20 Sep 2019

The monkey bars are a feature in the Castlecrag Class One and Two playground, and are enjoyed by many students during morning recess and lunchtime. In addition,each morning, Class One undertakes an obstacle course, including any combination of climbing along the monkey bars, balancing activities, rope wall climbing, slippery dip, skipping, handstands, crawling, hopping, partner activities and tracing patterns and shapes with their steps.

Kindergarten Morning Circle

20 Sep 2019

Morning Circle takes place in the Kindergarten playgrounds after the bell rings, and is a gathering of all children and parents from the 3 Kindergarten classes.

The morning song is sung together, itself an acknowledgement to the indigenous people of our local area, the Cammeraygal tribe.

The words are:

"We greet the Earth, on which we stand,
Hand-in-hand on Cammeraygal Land
We thank the ancestors present and past
Who cared for the earth so it will last
We greet the sun that shines so bright
And shares with us its lovely light
Good morning everyone
Good morning, everyone".

Class Five Pizza Day!

12 Sep 2019

Class Five held their termly pizza day this week - it's always a popular event, preparing lunch for the Middle Cove school community by hand and cooking it in the Middle Cove Pizza oven near the garden. Harvesting biodynamic greens and herbs from the garden, students made herb-infused seasoning, rolled pizza bases (the dough kindly made by Year 8 students in the Food Technology class), and cooked them in the pizza oven with Class 5 parent helpers Nick Meredith-Jones and Patrick Franklin. Pizza is delivered to the primary classes and the High School and teachers buy directly from the garden stall. Making approximately 110 pizzas is no mean feat. Thanks to Gardening teachers Kathy Thangathurai and Michelle Chambers as well as Class 5 Co-teacher Michele Bosman who all help to facilitate this part of the Class Five curriculum

Class Two 'Long Stitch' pencil cases

12 Sep 2019

Class Two have been sewing these striking pencil cases, each with their own individual design. One side is a geometric pattern and the other is an image designed themselves. They are then sewn into a pencil case by teachers as the children complete the side seams. They will use and treasure these unique pencil cases for many years to come.

Class Five Blue Mountains outdoor education camping trip

10 Sep 2019

Class Five had a wonderful time in the Blue Mountains for their three-day Outdoor Education camping trip. Leaving on Wednesday morning by two buses, they arrived at Mt York, embarking on a two-hour walk on Cox's Road, built in 1814 by convicts to cross the Blue Mountains. Students then travelled to Blackheath and set up camp for the night. After preparing breakfast and lunches, they travelled to the National Pass in Wentworth Falls, and with the company of National Park rangers walked the 'Grand Canyon' walk, did some plant study and returned to camp. On the final day they packed up camp and travelled to the Three Sisters and Scenic Railway. Students walked down to the base of the railway and caught the train back up - the steepest railway in the world! Sharing tents and working together for all meals, the group developed closer connections and thoroughly enjoyed the experience under the guidance of Outdoor Education teachers Scott Williams and Kristen Gardner as well as teachers Michele Bosman and Kathy Thangathurai. Thanks to parent Paul Lakkis for attending and sharing these photographs.

"One of my favourite days was the Grand Canyon walk. We walked into the bottom of the canyon where there were rivers, fallen trees, ferns, yabbies and caves dripping with water which were cold and damp. Then we walked up thousands of stairs, and at top, there was a fantastic look out! Camp was AWESOME!" - Lucas, Class Five student

'D is for Daddy'... Class 4 Fathers' Day gifts

07 Sep 2019

Class 4 made beautiful infused oil bottles and jars with gorgeous hand-made 'D' cards for Fathers' Day. Lucky dads!

Kindy Rainy Day Play

06 Sep 2019

In kindy the weather is always fine....

Everyday we go out to play.

Class 3 Craft - crocheting pillow cases

06 Sep 2019

Class 3 students have learned how to crochet 'Triple Stitch', and are creating their own pillow cases for their chairs and activities at school. The quality and colours of the wool, combined with their own creative ability, means that each child creates a unique cover for themselves, a lasting and practical item they will use throughout Primary School.

Class 6 Geometry

06 Sep 2019

Class 6 are exploring the beauty and wonder of Circular Geometry in Main Lesson with Class Teacher Rodney Dean. Using a compass and pencil, they have discovered the myriad of shapes that are formed by the intrersections of numerous circles.

Class Four Cross Stitch fountain pen covers

06 Sep 2019

Continuing on from their Writing, Paper and Pen Main Lesson, Class Four are cross stitching their own fountain pen covers with individual designs. They design their pattern on paper first and then work to recreate it on the cross stitch fabric.

Class 2 have fun with Maths in the playground

30 Aug 2019

Class teacher Roger Richards and assistant Prue help the children learn mathematics with fun games in the playground in the mornings. The children eagerly line up, each assigned a number. Roger calls out a result, for example : "All those who can be divided by 2!"... and those who can run to the other side of the playground and back. It gets trickier and even more fun when he calls "Hold hands with the right people to add up to 10!" or "Find who makes you times by 2!". Morning maths is a great way to wake up the body and the brain!

Glenaeon Music Concert at The Concourse

16 Aug 2019

The Music Department was very proud of all the students on Friday night at our Class 5 -11 concert! They all performed as well as we had hoped they would and gave us a wonderful evening of varied music, from Back Street Boys to Russian Romanticism - quite a journey!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the other staff members and some parents of the school who so generously gave their time and attention to this once a year project. It is amazing to have such great colleagues and helpers!

Thanks also to all the parents who support our students in their musical endeavours. It is a hard job to keep children practising through all the distractions of childhood and adolescence but as the results of scientific research keep reinforcing, the rewards are great!

With gratitude,

Christian Lillicrap on behalf of the Music Department

Grade 6 Gazette - Special Edition on 'Turning Twelve'

16 Aug 2019

Class 6 produces a weekly Gazette, and last week's edition featured a special report based on the children’s responses to what it is like turning 12 this year. Class teacher Rodney Dean asked them to write answers to 16 questions on 'Turning Twelve'. Each week, 2 children are the editors, carefully compiling the pages and preparing for printing of all their creative writing and news. They sell for $1 internally at school, and have raised money for climate change research. Well done Class 6!

Glenaeon Student Art Show Opening

16 Aug 2019

Glenaeon's Art Show opening was a successful event, well-attended and officially opened with a welcoming speech by the Mayor of Willoughby, Gail Giles-Gidney. Curated by Head of Art Alisan Smotlak, the show highlighted Glenaeon's talent and artistic skill throughout the years from Kindergarten to Year 12. Also present was a selection of hand crafts from Kindergarten to Class 6 and some beautiful Main Lesson book examples. Andrew Hill welcomed the Mayor, who spoke of her support for the arts and the importance of creativity and artistic expression in education. Thank you to Willoughby Council for their ongoing support of this exhibition.

Little Kindy enjoy fresh honeycomb with their baked bread

09 Aug 2019

Little Kindy bake every Wednesday - it's known excitedly as 'Bread Day' by the children and is one of their favourite activities.

Meaningful Lives through Play

09 Aug 2019

You might have noticed a stream of articles and news stories recently as schools and educators discover that play in nature really matters. Below is an example.

D’oh! Isn’t it obvious?!

It’s the latest in a long line of “new discoveries” that are well established practices at Glenaeon. Play in Nature is so fundamental you wonder how it is that “research” is needed to demonstrate this alarmingly obvious point. At Glenaeon we regard play in Nature as a fundamental right of childhood. The physical, emotional, social and mental benefits are so obvious:

• Natural environments are open and undefined, fostering imaginative and creative play

• They foster social play that builds social skills and community rather than competing for the next turn on the swing

• They are filled with trees that exude nutrients and uplifting micro-organisms

• They look better than garish plastic play structures.

Meaningful Music, Meaningful Lives

09 Aug 2019

Our School Concert last Friday was a standout. Head of Music Christian Lillicrap deserves our warmest thanks and appreciation for leading such a committed and talented team of performers (students) and backstage organizers (teachers) to produce such a gift to our community.

Highlights? There were many, but in fact every item was a highlight in its own way. From the class choirs to the Chamber Strings, the Big Band, and the Year 10 band, they were all musically impressive and entertainingly fabulous. But the Beginners ensemble was an absolute gem. The sheer joy and pride of these students who have only been playing for six months, but could get up on stage and communicate their enthusiasm so unselfconsciously, was a joy to behold.

The finales to the two halves of the concert were the heart stoppers for me personally. Hearing our unofficial “School Anthem”, John Rutter’s For the Beauty of the Earth, is an ever enriching and moving experience, and it was again on Friday night. At the very end, the finale to Scriabin’s Symphony #1 for orchestra and choir was simply a tour de force. The grandeur and magnificence of the music, bringing together every student from Class 5 to Year 12, left the audience powerfully affected.

Mermaids in the sandpit

02 Aug 2019

Class 2 children have been extremely creative in the sandpit, turning it into an ocean of mermaids, turtles and craeatures!

"Oh, Mummy!" What's happening in Class 5?!

02 Aug 2019

Class 5 have just finished their Egypt Main Lesson with a class project - building a model from Egyptian History.

Meaningful Lives through Music

26 Jul 2019

Our School Concert reminds us why we do music. Music brings beauty to our lives, it moves us, it gives expression to our feelings, and as such, it is meaningful. Everyone needs beauty, and meaning, and that’s why we do music, and why everyone does music at Glenaeon. All our students from Class 5 to Year 11, plus our Year 12 Music students, will be on stage on Friday August 9 and we invite you to be part of this entertaining and uplifting evening.

Without music, life is a journey through a desert.
– Pat Conroy (American writer)

Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart.
- Pablo Casals

The legendary cellist Pablo Casals was on to something. Our lives need beauty, and poetry, to fulfil and enrich us, and to make meaning out of the myriad of what life brings us.

How do we build meaningful lives, how do we make meaning from all that comes to us in life? How do prepare our students to live and to love, in the deepest and broadest sense?

Little Kindy work and play

05 Jul 2019

This week Little Kindy have been busy making hand squeezed orange juice to help keep winter colds at bay. Every Wednesday is bread baking day in Little Kindy! The children also enjoyed a plant study in the garden, finding that gold and yellow flower petals and bright green leaves are still found in our garden this winter.

The Power of Play: A World of Infinite Possibility

27 Jun 2019

The debate on play has hotted up this past week with Sir Ken Robinson adding his eminent voice to the push for more play in children’s lives, especially their school lives: see below for his view. It fits perfectly with a Glenaeon view on play. At the Edu-TECH conference held in Sydney last week Professor Pasi Sahlberg, formerly of Finland and now of UNSW, was introducing his new book called Let the Children Play. He documents the decline in unstructured play in children’s lives in mainstream schools and outlines all the health and wellbeing benefits that unstructured play provides.