Dawn Meredith - Author

Hi All! I spent some time in the lovely seaside town of Victor Harbor recently. One of the highlights for me was taking the horse drawn carriage (drawn by Clydesdales) over the causeway to Granite Island. I even got to hold Thomas' reins on the way back! Most mornings the horses are taken for a dip in the ocean before their working day begins and I was lucky enough to catch them.  Granit Island. Love the rocks.  The Clydesdales taking a dip The gorgeous boy, Thomas, getting ready for the last ride of the day. Changing ends for the return journey.  The view from my hotel window the first morning  I was standing at the window with a cup of tea when this hopeful seagull  landed on the roof and waited for me to throw it a tidbit! Victor Harbor has a really unique fountain. As the area is known for annual whale watching, it is a fitting tribute to those magnificent creatures of the deep. cheers, Dawn

I had the priviledge of teaching a writing workshop to a single sex class of year 1 boys last week. I was profoundly impressed by their teacher, the behaviour of those little gentlemen and the philospohy behind this whole venture. Boys learn differently to girls and their response to literacy is likewise different. In this class, which began last year when the group were in kindergarten class, strong self-discipline values are encouraged and even the language used is more boy-friendly. In this age where many boys do not have a father living with them or significant male mentor in their lives, this sort of class has a huge, positive impact. I cannot speak highly enough of the school for having the sense to act upon current research into why boys become despondent with learning and literacy in particular at the critical ages of 6-7 years. As part of this ground breaking venture the teacher interviewed and photographed all the male teachers and other male staff of the school reading their...