Primary School

Echuca Moama Agricultural Show

This weekend, families are invited to attend the 145th Echuca Moama Agricultural Show at the Echuca Showgrounds, which promises two days of delightful festivities for the entire family. I would like to congratulate those students whose artwork has been selected for inclusion in our vibrant display in the Pavilion. Having our students’ artistic talents recognised and displayed alongside other talented individuals is a great achievement. The Show runs on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 November. Entry fees are $10 for adults, $5 for children (under 16), and free for kids under 5 years.

We look forward to collectively celebrating the talent and creativity of our young artists.

Bendigo Agricultural Show

In other exciting news, on Friday 27 October, Ella Betts in 2B competed in the Junior Cattle Section at the Bendigo Agricultural Show, including a handler class and Junior Judging. Ella placed Junior Champion Handler in the U15 section, beating 9 other competitors from Catherine McCauley College, Marist College, and surrounding studs. In the Judging section, Ella placed 3rd. Congratulations Ella on these wonderful achievements.

Year 3 Camp

On Thursday 26 October, 41 intrepid Year 3 students and 5 enthusiastic staff (Mrs Frew, Miss Briggs, Mr Moon, Mrs Day and Miss Lucic) travelled to Camp Kookaburra, Corop for their first ever camp. Excitement was high as we entered the camp and found out who was in the cabins! The Year 3 students played their new favourite game (GagaBall) and learnt to push themselves out of their comfort zones on the many outdoor activities. The activities included orienteering, archery, canoeing, giant swing, flying fox and low ropes. The weather was windy on the first day, but the sun was shining and beautiful on Friday. On Thursday night we had a movie night and snuggled down in our sleeping bags and cuddly pillows. The meals were delicious, particularly the desserts and it was great to see the students trying new and yummy flavours, many for the first time! The Year 3 camp concluded on Friday when we returned to school by 2:45pm.

LifeChanger Workshops

Throughout last week, our Year 5 and Year 6 students were engaged in a range of workshops facilitated by the LifeChanger Foundation. The LifeChanger Foundation works with young people in schools and communities to build resilience, contentment, gratitude, hope and achievement, with the fundamental goal of improving mental health and wellbeing.

The workshop for Year 5 students was all about leadership. We saw our students work through a number of fun and engaging, yet challenging activities that saw them draw on their leadership and communication skills. Each class had to achieve a goal of ‘crossing the river’, requiring students to work together, problem solve and ultimately move the whole class from one side of the river to the other. The key learning from the workshop was that everyone can be a leader and we are all capable of having a positive impact on those around us.

With the transition from Year 6 to Year 7 looming for our students who are soon to complete their Primary years of schooling, their workshop centred around building resilience and bouncing forward. Students became tangled in some fun, challenging, and at times frustrating activities that saw their patience tested and problem-solving skills come to the fore. Students had the opportunity to reflect on their values and share words of kindness and encouragement with their peers.

“I loved LifeChanger because it made me recognise a lot of things I didn't before. Such as how important teamwork is and I really loved the ‘cross the river’ game. It also made me notice the qualities I can improve to become a better leader”.

Alex - Year 5

“I enjoyed the LifeChanger session a lot because I have learnt that leadership is very important. I loved the ‘cross the river’ game, because it made me realise how much teamwork is needed to complete a simple game like that and how well our class worked together as a team”.

Sophie - Year 5

“On Thursday, the Year 6 cohort participated in a session called LifeChanger. The program was about relationships and getting to know each other better, as well as developing strategies and resilience. We did this by playing various games, like a bingo sheet, where you had to go around and find people who fitted certain interests and statements. We enjoyed the whole experience, as it made us reflect on ourselves”.

Hunter and Savannah - Year 6

We look forward to more fun and engaging sessions with the LifeChanger Foundation in 2024.

If you are interested in learning more about the great work of LifeChanger and the workshops they facilitate in schools, click here: https://www.lifechanger.org.au/

Year 3 Excursion to Kyabram Fauna Park

On Thursday 2 November, our Year 3 students visited the Kyabram Fauna Park as part of their Mathematics unit they are studying this term. Within this unit, students were given the task to design a zoo space by applying their knowledge of area and perimeter to a real-world tasks. Izzy, our Fauna Park tour leader, led the students through a variety of STEM activities throughout the park. Some of the students favourite animal exhibitions included the dingoes, meerkats, reptiles in the reptile house and patting the kangaroos. Our students have developed an insight into how zoos are designed and laid out with animal welfare in mind, which will assist them with the design of their own zoo in class. Thank you to Mr Ward, Mrs Frew, Miss Briggs, Mrs Day, Miss Lucic and the two Registered Parent Volunteers who attended and supported our students on the day.

T20 Primary Cricket

On Friday 3 November, we had our Year 5/6 Boys and Girls Cricket teams play in the Primary Campaspe Tournament at Jack Eddy Oval. Both teams performed brilliantly. The boys team finished 3rd for the day after winning 3 out of 4 matches. The girls did exceptionally well making it to the Grand Final. After an extremely close game with St Mary's, unfortunately the girls went down by the barest of margins. Putting the results aside, it was a great day and all the students represented the school extremely well. Thanks to Mr McMahon, Mr Harris, Mr Scoble, Claire Gibson and Krystin Nagle for their help throughout the day.

Primary Assembly

On Friday 3 November, the Primary School community connected at the first Primary Assembly for Term 4. I would like to congratulate Cabe Ludlow and Isabella Louttit, our Music Captains, for confidently running the Assembly. We enjoyed some beautiful performances from Pippa Gibson and Violet Lew on piano and Charlie Palmer on violin. Mrs Ripon demonstrated how greeting each other with a ‘hello’ and a smile makes us feel happy without it costing anything. Now let’s see if the students are up to the challenge!

Congratulations to the Kindergarten cohort for their wonderful performance showcasing their learning about ‘Living Things’. We look forward to our next Assembly on Friday 1 December when the Year 6 students will perform for us. Congratulations to the students below who received a Core Value Award for consistently displaying one or more of the School’s Core Values and Motto. Keep up the great work!

COMPASSION	RESPECT	INTEGRITY	HONOUR & EXCELLENCE
Charlotte Batten 1B	Bobby Scott KA	Jethro Bachelor KB	Xavier Patten KA
Lachlan McKay 2B	Oscar Reid 1B	Mackenzie Shinners 1A	Tabitha Polido KA
Grace Spear 5A	Hudson Knight 2B	Banjo Harrison 1B	William Nguyen KB
Lulu Williams 5A	Sam Connally 3A	Arhlan McNabb 3A	April Moore KB
Emma Coffey 5B	Chelsea Looney 5B	Chad McKee 3B	Amelia Goodsell 1C
Sienna Weeks 6B	Levi McKenzie 5B	Chloe Wildes 3B	Eva Michael 2A
		Fletcher Gilbert 4A	Audrey Watson 2A
		Oscar Richards 4A	Aaira Aanjabin 3A
		Elijah McCallum 4B	William Gulliver 3A
		Eli Teasdale-Dohnt 4B	Kai Taylor 3B
		Katie Angove 5B	Morgan Wright 3B
		Ruby Simson 6B	Lucy Donnan 4A
			Billie Chapman 4B
			Hamish McDonald 5A
			James Rush 5A
			Luana Kincaid 6A
			Airlie McManus 6A
			Evie Townrow 6A
			Addison Farr-Jones 6B
			Harvey van Haaster 6B

Primary Market Day

On Thursday 9 November, all Primary students were invited to attend a lunchtime Market Day, which was organised and run by a group of 14 Year 9 Commerce students. The kids had a great time and many managed to win one of the prizes available. I would like to thank the Year 9 students and Mrs McFadden for organising this event.