Students in Year 3 usually spend the morning looking at the Behind the News program developing their note taking skills. Today they used them in earnest to record the passing a Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa. The class was  fortunate to have Sue, a guest in the classroom, who was present at the inauguration of Nelson Mandela. She also spoke of her experiences of him and her time in South Africa. Her is a collection of their learning this

Nelson Mandela is famous because he was able to peacefully guide South Africa to freedom moving from an apartheid system of government to a multi-racial community.

Nelson Mandela was born 18th July 1918. He was named Nelson by his teacher.

Nelson Mandela was in imprisoned for 25 years for fighting against the government. He was released in 1990.In 1994 he was elected President of South Africa and continued until 2004. After his time in politics Mandela continued to work to fight HIV in Africa and against poverty.

During his life Mandela experienced great sadness with the death of his son to HIV and his great grand daughter who died in a car crash.

He won the noble Peace Prize.Today Nelson Mandela is considered by many as the father of South Africa.


References:
South Africa The Good News
www.sagoodnews.co.za
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

Year 3 students gathered today to watch some news of the latest reports from The Philippines. Here is a summary of what they learned by the students themselves.

Typhoon Haiyan
The typhoon destroyed houses and is considered one of the worst storms of the century. It struck the Philippines and continued its journey to Vietnam. The worst of the winds reached 315kms per hour.

Devastating Destruction
The typhoon quickly destroyed 80% of neighbourhoods. People sheltered wherever they could, even on rooves. It killed thousands and left many injured. Large waves destroyed coastal areas.

Difficulties
Groups have been working hard to clean up the roads, airports and communities. People from around the country and the world (eg. the Red Cross) have been going to help care for people. There have been difficulties for people finding shelter. Evacuation centres have been set up. Food and water are scarce.

Responding at Pender's Grove
At Pender's people have donated a gold coin during an out of school uniform day. Students have also had a jellybean, marsh mellow and lolly snake guessing competition. All the money raised will go to the Red Cross to help the recovery process in The Philippines. A great thanks to students in 12F and the senior grades who supported the day.

Today, on the 11th of November students from 34J, 34O and the Multiage class gathered to discuss the meaning of Remembrance Day. They read ‘My Mother’s Eyes’ by Mark Wilson and discussed the significance of the date. Students then collaborated to create this poppy chain  to remind us of the importance of remembering the tragedy of war and the significance of peace. You will not miss this remarkable  on your next visit to the administration area.

Students in Years 3 and 4 have been heating, cooling, observing, dissecting, researching and even experimenting as they seek to understand how their world changes. There has been great thinking and modelling of our Earth, Sun and Moon as well as looking at heating and cooling involved in cooking. Everyone has enjoyed designing their own experiments and watching seeds germinate under a range of conditions. This term's unit will conclude as students participate in their own design process that highlights what they have learned. 

Students from Prep through to Year 6 joined with thousands  of students to sing the same song 'Keep On'. At 1:00pm students came together to read and reflect on the words of 'Keep On' as well as watch a short video on the writing of the song. They then joined to fill the hall with pitch perfect sounds! If you missed it you can hear it all again on Friday at the assembly. 

On Thursday 15 October an activities team from Bunning’s Warehouse came to PGPS and helped us plant same vegetables, herbs and a lemon tree. They donated them all for free! Students from across all year levels were involved. We planted little seedlings in rows, like watermelon, cucumber, lettuce, corn, thyme, basil and much more!  Meanwhile there was a group that was setting up the worm farm which was also donated. We are hoping that all these plants will grow well and we’ll get a good crop! It was so much fun, we can’t wait to get into the garden again!

Elly & Maya

Yesterday students minimised their waste by ensuring lunches and recesses were in reusable containers. In 34J, those who brought rubbish anyway created a simple reminder that we need to reuse rather than throw away our waste. The picture shows off their great work.

Students in 34J and the Multiage class were entranced by the students in Years 1/2 today. The students in 1/2 performed their own musical accompaniment to The Legend of the Golden Snail by Graeme Base. Wood blocks and triangles as well as shakers and clap sticks joined Wilbur as he journeyed to the ends of the earth. 34O will enjoy their performance on Wednesday. Thanks for filling our day with such musical fun.

Nude Food Day encourages individuals to make their lunch a healthy, nutritious and environmentally friendly meal by filling
it with fresh food and eliminating all unnecessary wrapping! 

In 2012, close to one million Australians and New Zealanders participated to make Nude Food Day 2012 the biggest and best yet! 

Nude Food Day 2013 will be held on Wednesday 16 October. Schools and workplaces across Australia and New Zealand will compete  For the chance of Pender's Grove winning some fantastic prizes, each student can simply register online and nominate Pender's Grove Primary as part of National Nude Food Day.

Today students in Years 3-6 were invited to consider their participation in answering a survey aimed at learning more about the questioning behaviour of students. They will be returning home with explanatory notes and parental permission notes to ensure that carers are informed about the nature of the research.