Junior School

Connected Community and Optimism - 2024 Serra Terror

I had the pleasure of being a member of a Serra Terror team made up of colleagues and past Collegians.  Our Assembly theme this week was the College value of optimism, and how this assisted teams in completing the 85-kilometre course. We looked at how optimism is being able to expect the best out of an experience. It is having hope, a strong belief, and confidence to deal with situations. Finally, how optimism is about thinking positively. Whilst our team didn’t threaten any course records, we completed the course in a more than reasonable time and, remained both resilient and optimistic throughout. There were many benefits in taking part - connecting with nature, shared experiences, mental resilience and a strong sense of achievement. I would highly recommend the event to all those in our learning community.  

Over the course of the two-days, it was amazing how many people with connections to College we crossed paths with as part of this unique outdoor endurance event.  Past Junior School students and parents were in Year 8, 9, 11 and 12 teams. Numerous parents were in support crews for some of the 42 teams. Our Gap Student, Max St John, was in a team with Year 12 students. College Parents and Friends provided biscuits and slices for hungry walkers.  Mrs Lousie Patterson was on several checkpoints and past College parents were part of the organising committee.  It was a true celebration of community in a beautiful part of the world.

Star Students

The following students received Star Student certificates at this week’s Assembly.

Piccino

• Matteo Kearns for demonstrating exceptional leadership skills as the leader of the day during our excursion.
• Gigi Grimmer, for her remarkable bravery in stepping outside her comfort zone during the Bush Kinder exploration.
• Willow Weilbaecher for her kindness and thoughtfulness in supporting and guiding her friends in their learning activities.
• David Slabbert for his resilience and bouncing back during the Bush Kinder experience.

Prep

• Lydia King for her consistent efforts in everything she does in the classroom. She is always organised and focused on the task at hand.
• Freya Nettleton for her amazing, neat handwriting and for her big effort to include 13 when counting to 20.

Year 1

• Sophie Harvey for giving 100% effort and focus to all learning tasks this term. 

Year 3

• Will Brown for being a “Master of Addition and Subtraction with Trading”.
• George Whinney for being a ‘Master of Addition and Subtraction with Trading’.
• Shriaan Golwala for being a ‘Master of Addition and Subtraction with Trading’.

Year 5

• Arya Bouchier—Arya has developed a solid understanding of the relationship between Multiplication and Division. This has encouraged her to establish a Home Learning routine that includes the Times Tables. Arya is working consistently to increase the speed of her automatic response so that multiplication facts are no longer a barrier when solving division algorithms. 

Year 6

• Mi-Ha Kim for always being willing to try challenges in the classroom and making valuable and insightful contributions to whole-class activities. She is a valued member of the Year 6 class.
• Imogen Johns - She makes an excellent effort in all that she does, particularly in her narrative. She regularly participates in class discussions and pushes herself to take on challenges. Her attitude towards others is always one of kindness and inclusivity.

Spotlight on Myrniong Learning

Year 1 

We have been reading the poetry of A.A. Milne from ‘When We Were Very Young’ and ‘Now We Are Six’.  Our favourite poems are ‘Forgiven’ about Alexander Beetle escaping from his matchbox, and ‘Waiting at the Window’, where two raindrops are racing down a window pane.  We also loved ‘The King’s Breakfast’.  It made us want to eat bread with butter and marmalade!   As well as exploring vocabulary, we have been discussing rhyme and rhythm when reading the poems. 

Year 5 

We have accomplished the identification of angles. The students explored Myrniong, attempting to locate angles, and were successful in their endeavour. Year 5 was amazed at the variety of angles discovered. The Year 5 students have drawn and measured angles using protractors, which has assisted in the identification of angles.

End-of-Term Reminder for After-School Care

Next Friday, the final day of Term Two After School Care, will close at 4.30 pm.

Unwell Students

As we navigate our way through the cooler weather to the end of term, I wanted to take a moment to remind Junior School parents of the importance of keeping sick children away from school. There are presently a number of seasonal illnesses circulating in our local community. While we understand the desire to ensure continuity in education, it's crucial to prioritise the health and well-being of our entire school community. Keeping sick children at home can help prevent the spread of illness to other students, teachers, and staff members. Many thanks for your cooperation. 

Hockey

Hockey resumes this week with the following matches.  This will be the final match this term as we reach the season's mid-point. 

Division 5    Tigers v Demons Red at 12.00 pm - Pedrina Park

                        Panthers v Coleraine Maroon at 12.00 pm - Pedrina Park

Division 4    Wolves v Coleraine Gold at 2.00 pm - College

                        Foxes v Coleraine Maroon at 3.30 pm - Pedrina Park

The College Foxes v College Wolves match scheduled for Saturday 13 July has been moved to Tuesday 16 July, 3.45pm at Pedrina Park.