From the Head of the Junior School

This week the Junior School staff spent time reflecting on the term gone by. We talked about the growth of the students over this busy and long term. Everyone was excited to share the learning that their students had taken part in. It was wonderful to hear about the community that had been built in Stage 3 – across the whole cohort, and between the Year 5 students and the Year 6 students. Mr Forbes and Mrs Spohr talked about the empathy and understanding that their students had for the individual students in our school.

Our Stage 2 teachers have been proud of the Year 3 students who ‘step up’ into all things ‘Primary’ once they start in their classes. It’s been great to see these students take the leap in regards to their classwork, and shine in new experiences like Naplan. At Springwood, our Stage 2 students are the leaders of the campus and as usual, these students lead their peers beautifully.

Mrs Walker and Ms Walters have enjoyed the times their classes have been together, teaching one another and their parents about the history of our school and local areas. Ms Walters shared that her class are incredibly capable of deep and reflective thinking, and even though the children are only small, they are using reflection to help make wise decisions. Mrs Walker is impressed with the speaking and listening skills her class, the Stage 1 Garad group, have developed this term.

Our Kindergarten students have managed their first term of full-time school brilliantly. The Kindergarten teachers are impressed with the Literacy skills their students have, and reflected on the privilege it is to witness a skill that wasn’t there last week all of a sudden “clicking” for students this week. Helping children with so many ‘firsts’ is really exciting. Our Kindergarten students have all conquered lots of fears, climbed mountains and already achieved so much. The teachers are proud of every individual on his or her own learning journey.

Our Pre Kindergarten students are gaining confidence and independence every single day. Mrs Ratcliff and Mrs Fox are enjoying watching friendships form across their class groups. Already the children are thriving as they feel a real sense of belonging in the Junior School. Mrs Fox said all of her children are “have a go” kids and their independence and willingness to try things is life long learning in action.

We know that students and parents are just as tired as the teachers and staff, so we sincerely hope that everyone has a restful time in the holidays. Term 2 will be full of rich learning opportunities and lots of fun, so we look forward to welcoming everyone back safely.

Kind regards,

Rachael J Newton

Head of Junior School