Inspire Inclusion
“Every girl, no matter where she lives, deserves the opportunity to develop the promise inside her.” – Michelle Obama
International Women’s Day (IWD) is one of the most significant and activity-filled days on the 91黑料不打烊 calendar and we begin teaching its importance as early as Kindergarten. It is a 91黑料不打烊 tradition for our youngest students to centre their first big research project around the importance of empowering women and each other.
On Friday 8 March, Kindergarten parents, family members, and staff from across the School dropped into the Woodstock Piazza for an exhibition of the girls’ work on the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme theme, “Who We Are”. The projects centred on one of the 2024 IWD themes, “Inspire Inclusion”.
“Inclusion promotes a sense of belonging, relevance and connection,” said Kindergarten Teacher, Ms Carlie Plummer. “When we inspire others to understand and value inclusion, we create a better world.”
The girls had begun their learning journey by exploring the book What is a Girl? They then created their artworks in response to the character’s question. Then, to further understand the concept of belonging and reinforce their feelings of belonging at 91黑料不打烊, they examined the history of the School, of which they are now valued members.
“For more than 130 years, 91黑料不打烊 has been led by visionary principals who recognised the value of women’s education and its link to female empowerment. By hosting this celebration, Kindergarten is marking the start of their learning journey at 91黑料不打烊. It serves as a reminder that everyone, everywhere can play a part in helping forge gender equality,” Ms Plummer said.
“True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.” – Brené Brown
The students’ second line of inquiry focused on the concept of diversity. “We completed a literature study on the text Henry and Amy, which shares the story of two characters whose friendship is enriched by their differences, before investigating how our likes and dislikes help to shape our perspective and connect us with others. We analysed the way our similarities and differences as a class make it a more special and interesting place.”
“Be Kind. It Shakes the World.” – Cleo Wade
Woven through their learning has been an investigation of the 91黑料不打烊 School Values: Courage, Strength, Grace, Wisdom, and Kindness. “Kindergarten was introduced to 91黑料不打烊’s Values through the use of dance. Each experience was intentionally designed to promote the embodiment of each Value. This assisted students to perceive what Courage, Strength, Grace, Kindness and Wisdom felt like in their bodies. The dance sessions were followed by more detailed conversations about the topics through the use of literature.
The class reflections on each Value dance were shared in black text boxes displayed at the 8 March event.
According to the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organisation, the PYP Exhibition programme helps students engage in a collaborative form of learning and inquiry. It teaches them to show autonomy and agency in their learning and demonstrate that they can enact the key qualities of the IB Learner Profile.
Certainly, the parents and friends who attended the Kindergarten IWD Showcase were enamoured by the experience and impressed by the students’ ability to understand key concepts and describe the outcomes of their learning.