Principal’s Message
Dear Community,
I pray this message finds you and your families in the best of health and spirits.
This has been a busy term for us and I would like to thank parents, staff and students for the continued support, dedication and hard work.
We celebrated 20 years of service for eight dedicated staff who have been with this august institution for more than 20 years. Not only is this a reflection of their dedication and commitment to education and the next generation, but also a reflection on our amazing institution which has been able to train and retain quality staff for more than two decades.
Congratulations!
Our NAPLAN results are out and I would like to congratulate everyone for a phenomenal performance, Masha Allah! Tabarakallah! We are looking forward to the NAPLAN award ceremony next term.
We also had our inter-campus Quran Competition this term, in which our students displayed amazing skill, grace and poise.
Works on our new building has started, the slab is down and building is progressing well. At this stage, we envisage project completion by early 2022, Insha-Allah.
Our P & F committee is moving at full speed this term with a great new initiative called “Containers for Change” moving us one step closer to our goal of becoming a fully-fledged green school.
I take this opportunity to wish you and your families a wonderful break and a safe return to campus at the start of next term.
Regards,
– Wahaj Tarin
Principal
Kindergarten
Our Kindergarteners have had some brand-new experiences this term, such as participating in a school-wide event like book week, visiting the book fair in the library, watching a caterpillar turn into a chrysalis and more! We enjoyed listening to students share their favourite stories during book week, and it was amazing to see how many have developed a love for books!
Kindergarten is ever engaging as we strive to provide our students with experiences that will foster their love for learning. We have covered many interesting topics this term.
In Literacy, students have also continued to enjoy learning letters and sound through our Jolly Phonics program. We certainly have some budding readers on the way!
In Numeracy, we explored measurement! From size to weight and capacity, students were eager to share their understandings through written work and hands-on activities.
In Integrated studies, we discussed concepts of print and how to care for books which led us to Book Week! We also learned about the lifecycle of a butterfly. Students were immersed into this topic through music and movement, stories, videos, art and more! We discussed the changes we may see as living things grow and how we can care for them too.
Term 4 will be even bigger and better!
Pre-Primary
The Pre-Primary have been very busy this term.
In HASS we have been learning all about Australia, the states and territories, our native flora and fauna and Australia’s famous landmarks. We read the story Possum Magic, an Australian classic, which led into labelling the states and territories on a map of Australia. We then made the Australian Flag and an Aboriginal Flag. We followed that with lovely dot paintings based on the well-known Indigenous Dreamtime Story Rainbow Serpent.
We also learnt about our native animals – kangaroos, koalas, wombats, kookaburras and the platypus. We studied their features, habitat, diet and interesting facts. We had an interesting visit from West Oz Wildlife where students had firsthand experience with our Australian Animals. Students had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the wildlife.
Pre-Primary’s also looked at our native flora. We learned about the Golden Wattle and Bottle Brush and created beautiful art works.
We studied famous Australian landmarks such as Sydney Opera House, Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef. The students had a lot of fun creating, drawing and painting the wonderful landmarks of Australia.
In Science this term we have been exploring life cycles. We investigated the life cycles of plants, butterflies and frogs. Students planted beans and observed how the seed grew over four weeks. They also used art and craft to represent the butterfly and frog life cycles.
We’ve had a fun term and hope that everyone has an enjoyable holiday.
Year 1
English
This term has seen some very exciting and interesting narratives from the year ones. They are starting to use a wider variety of language including adjectives and adverbs.
Our morning daily review is such an important part of our day. Some students get to go to a different teacher for daily review each morning and it helps our whole year one cohort to feel connected.
Book week was the highlight of this term. The students enjoyed dressing up as their favourite characters. There were many superheroes and princesses.
Mathematics
WOW! The year ones have started to add and subtract three-digit numbers. They are very impressed with themselves at they way they can learn new concepts and skills.
They are getting rather proficient with telling the time to the half hour and they have started to work out duration using hours, weeks, and months.
Shape is always fun. They had a go at making cubes using mats with some success, however, Playdough proved to be much more efficient for making 3 dimensional shapes.
History and Geography
In geography the class has been looking at the weather and hasn’t there been some weather through the last term.
History has been about leisure activities and communication and how they have changes over the years. Family traditions were also explored through the term and the students were able to discuss and compare their family traditions to others.
Science and Steam
Biological sciences is a favourite topic for the year ones. They studied different living things including mammals, fish, birds, insects and plants.
This term’s steam projects include catapults, anemometers, racing bristle brushes and art robots.
Year 2
Maths
In maths, we started learning addition & subtraction of 2 digit numbers using MAB blocks, jump strategy and split strategy with and without trading, then moved on to learning about fractions, sharing and 2d shapes.
Writing
For writing, we have focussed on persuasive texts. We wrote on a fair few topics and the most popular one among the students was “Is being famous the best thing in the world?“
Science
In science, we have been learning about biological sciences. We have learnt about how humans, animals and plants change as they grow. We have also looked at the life cycle of a butterfly. Our assignment for the end of the term is based on researching and writing about the life cycle of a frog, supported by diagrams.
HASS
In HASS, we started the term with history. We have been learning about the first fleet. Within these lessons, we have learnt about the first and most famous explorers to find Australia. This included James Cook and his ship “The Endeavour“. We have looked at how the convicts coming from Europe adapted to life in Australia and the different jobs and responsibilities they had. In the second half of the term, the year 2 students have been learning more Geography. Leading from our map work in term 2 we are now looking at how different areas compare to each other. This even included the areas in which we all live. We found out that some of us live quite far away from school!
Year 6
Literacy
In literacy, students have been exploring free verse poetry. They have mastered the structure and understand the purpose of writing this type of poetry. Students have enjoyed examining poetic devices and analysing why these are used in poetry.
We have also been exploring procedural writing which ties in with our Science. The Year 6 students used procedural writing to make their own bread. Recipes included sweet milk bread and delicious damper.
Mathematics
This term in Maths, students have been working very hard to achieve great results. Along with our daily Math warmups, students have been completing fortnightly tests in both Mathematics and English. The results are analysed and inform the teaching for the following fortnight. Some of the topics we have covered are probability, fractions, volume and capacity, integers as well multiplication and division of large numbers. Students are now working hard to practice and revise for the upcoming end of term exam. We wish them luck and know they will perform their best.
Science
In Science, we are focusing on living things and how physical conditions affect them. Students have explored micro-organisms such as yeast and conducted experiments to see how to make them active. We have also investigated the growth of mould on fresh produce and closely examined the process by recording our findings. Over the coming weeks, students will apply their knowledge and understanding of yeast by making bread.
This term, we have also started our STEM projects which will be displayed in the STEM exhibition. Each class has selected their own projects and are working hard to create wonderful pieces of work to present to the A.I.C. community
HASS
In HASS, we have been studying Geography with a major focus on the continent of Asia. Students have compared and contrasted Asia’s physical size as well as its population and cultures. We used this as a cross curricular opportunity and integrated with Art. We attempted to replicate Chinese New Year decorations, resulting in fierce dragons and beautiful lanterns.
Students also looked at how a country’s economic characteristics affect the population including, education, life expectancy, wealth and distribution and overall well-being. Through this learning journey, students have been able to make connections to our life in Australia.
Health
In Health, we have been learning about how to stay safe and recognise when someone invades our privacy. This also includes learning how to respond to bullying and when to voice their concerns. We are teaching our students to communicate their feelings in a safe space where there is no judgement. This also links to learning how to be resilient and ‘bouncing back’ from negativity.
Soccer Club
Twenty Year 7 and Year 8 boys were chosen for the high school soccer club at Australian Islamic College, Dianella. These boys have been put through their paces regarding fitness, skills, discipline and sportsmanship.
We have been fortunate to receive brand new soccer goals kindly purchased by A.I.C. Dianella for our students. Our old soccer goals were made from plastic and broke after a short amount of time. The new soccer goals are made from a metal that is sturdy, so it won’t break easily, but also has a bit of flex in it so it won’t hurt the students should they accidentally bump into it.
Through sport, many life skills can be learnt. The aim of our soccer club is to provide students with many different skills such as dribbling, passing and shooting, as well as, punctuality, leadership, comradery and confidence to name a few. Alhamdulillah, many students have shown first class sportsmanship and behaviour of good young Muslims by being honest and kind to their opponents whilst working on their fitness and soccer skills.
The climax of our soccer club will be on the last day of term 3, where the students get to show their skills in front of an audience. They will verse students from other classes to see how their skills and team chemistry has developed.
Netball Club
Our school was invited to participate in the Netball Multicultural Carnival in August this year, an experience our students truly cherished.
Our girls from grades 7-10 were selected to represent our Campus at this year’s event and despite the limited training, our teams showcased their commendable netball skills and teamwork. Sportsmanship was evident amongst our teams, and this resonated in the way they played. Beyond the game itself, students made new acquaintances with students from other schools. Our girls truly represented their school and their faith in a mature manner and all students returned feeling happy with their achievements and the experience overall.
A few days after the carnival, we were pleasantly surprised to see the photograph of our girls from Team Dianella on the cover of the Netball WA webpage, featuring as the ‘face’ of the carnival for 2021. It was such a proud moment for myself and my students: one we will remember fondly for many years to come, and one that will remain online for the world to see! To read the article, click on the link below.
Quran Competition
On Tuesday 7 Sep 2021, the religion department at AIC Dianella carried out a Quran competition for the high school students. The competition was held at the school mosque, and was based on memorization and was judged upon their, “Ahkam-el-Tajweed”.
Eleven reciters had stood out in the competition: Isra Sheikh, Najma Mohamed, Ayub Affey, Raneem Ahmed, Nagham Almohamid, Fatima Almodaffer, Miski Hassan, Muniira Omar, Jannat Abbas, Sahro Hussein and Sundus Mohamed, MashaAllah.
The aim of the competition was to encourage participation and engagement of proper quranic skills and the development of quranic activities. There are also benefits to student’s confidence and attitudes.
Alhamdulillah it was an enjoyable experience for all!
Green School Club
We have had a great time in Green School Club this term, with a range of interesting activities. Students have been conscientious in their efforts throughout the term and this has supported excellent learning in a really fun environment.
Our vegetable garden has been successful, carrying on from our planting last term our girls have maintained our garden beds and we are now into our harvesting period for most vegetables.
We spent time in the science lab understanding alternatives to plastics, and embarked on our own experiments to manufacture biodegradable polymers. We also created different bio-pesticides for use in the garden, and used microscopes to develop our understanding of plant and animal cells.
Thanks to the City of Stirling and Peg Davies for an enlightening presentation on recycling in the school and at home. We are now working with the P&F to implement the Containers for Change program at AIC.
Towards the end of term, we focused on different aspects of sustainable fisheries, culminating in a fishing trip to the Swan River. We weren’t very successful, but it was fun and interesting to learn a little about fishing and the different species of fish in fresh waters in Perth.
Overall, it was an excellent term for our club and we are all looking forward to future iterations.
