What's Happening at Ainslie School
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Nurturing young coders
Posted on 14 May 2017
As part of our strategic commitment to teach and provide more opportunities for students in STE(A)M education, Ainslie School has purchased 1:1 Chromebooks for children in years 4-6 and a further 60 Chromebooks for children in years 3 and year 2. Children in preschool, Kindergarten and year 1 have access to classroom sets of Ipads.
In addition we have facilitated the teaching of discrete coding classes and are hosting a weekly coding club. Kindergarten children in this photo are enjoying the Bee-bot robots and older classes also have access to Wedos. We also have a class set of notebooks and Ipads.
Oral History Project
Posted on 14 May 2017
As part of the school's 90th Birthday festivities, student interviewers have worked with ANU oral historian Mary Hutchison and sound designer, Kimmo Vennonen to conduct oral history interviews following the 2016 Speech Day awards and recent2017 Canberra and Region Heritage Festivalwhen our heritage-listed school building was open for the day led by Libby Bailey. Four of the oral histories have now been published and can be accessed on our 'History' drop down menu on this website.
Principal's Welcome...
Ainslie School was founded in 1927, the second Canberra school after Telopea Park, and it is rich with history and tradition. Enrolment in the school is a first step on the pathway to a quality public education in the inner north which includes Campbell High School and Dickson College for students living in our Priority Enrolment Area.
Ainslie School teachers are members of an effective Professional Learning Community (PLC) the characteristics of which include a focus on learning, a collaborative culture and a results orientation. The main purpose of our school is learning, for students and staff.
Teachers work collaboratively in teams to answer the four key questions that guide an effective PLC:
- What do we want our students to know, understand and be able to do?
- How will we know when they have learned it?
- How do we respond when they don't learn?
- How do we enrich and extend the learning when they already know it?
The quality of teaching is the most important factor in student learning and our improvement efforts are concentrated on being better teachers. The curriculum, which includes the released areas of the Australian Curriculum and the ACT Every Chance to Learn Framework, is delivered through explicit teaching and integrated inquiry. The Walker Learning Approach is a feature of the Early Childhood years. In our preschools, Reid and Ainslie Baker Gardens, the national Early Years Learning Framework informs learning programs and a comprehensive orientation program prepares students for Kindergarten.
The Ainslie School community is active, supportive and diverse with students coming from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Almost a quarter of our students speak one of thirty-six first languages and have English as Another Language and/or Dialect (EALD). The largest language groups are Vietnamese, Mandarin, Mongolian and Nepali. They bring valuable perspectives to enrich our culture.
Our Japanese program is highly regarded and is made more effective by our access to the Japanese Teacher's Assistant Program which involves our hosting a native Japanese speaker for most of the year. The music program has been enriched by years of association with the ANU School of Music, which is obvious in school assemblies and during special events in the quality of the singing and band performances.
Parents and Carers of Ainslie students are vitally interested in the education of their children and keen to be involved in the school. Many contribute their expertise to enrich the teaching and learning programs and time to support the school and its students.
Students at Ainslie live core values of Respect, Excellence and Community and have articulated their wish for the school to prepare them for high school and later life. Their commitment to social equity is demonstrated by their willingness to donate money, effort or time to help others.
Ainslie is a very welcoming school full of passionate and skilful teachers, enthusiastic students and involved parents and carers. I feel very lucky to have been given the opportunity to teach here.
Kate Chapman, Principal of Ainslie School
For information regarding the school's 90th birthday events in 2017 click here
Meet the 2017 School Captains
(L - R) May, Ella, Kaian and Ben
