Junior School

House Athletics

Congratulations to all involved in the Junior School House Athletics last Thursday.  It was a hugely successful day.  Thank you to staff and parent volunteers who assisted with the BBQ, ran events and chaperoned age groups.  A special shout out to Mrs. Louise Patterson for her expert coordination of the event.  Well done to Laidlaw House on claiming the 2025 House Athletics Cup.  

Our Age Champions for 2025 were:

• 9 Years - Rosie Bell (Berry) and Will Diprose (Learmonth)
• 10 Years - Harriet Small (Laidlaw) and Will Brown (Laidlaw)
• 11 Years - Violet Shrive (Berry) and Harry Diprose (Learmonth)
• 12/13 Years - Arya Bouchier (Berry) and Tommy Brown (Laidlaw)

The District Athletics will be held on Thursday 20 March at Mitchell Park.  Mrs. Patterson will be in contact with students who have qualified for track and field events.

Week 7 Assembly

The following students were awarded Star Certificates at this week’s Assembly:

• Piccino:  Harriet Griek for her kindness, understanding, and inclusion of her peers. She consistently helps others in their time of need.
• Year 2:  Mikey Slabbert for the effort he put into planning and writing about the snails’ adventures at the end of the story ‘The Snail and the Whale’ to answer the question ‘What happens next’?
• Year 3:  Wal McClure for an impressive attitude towards his learning.  Completing tasks promptly and asking enquiring questions to consolidate his understanding. 
• Year 4:  Daisy Tigges for her exceptional attention to detail and dedication to her Home Learning tasks and extensions.
• Year 4:  Eloise Bufton for her dedication and resilience during House Athletics Day, where she displayed wonderful sportsmanship, determination and a never-give-up attitude. 

Berry House fundraiser / students with allergies

Following on from their House Service, Berry House will be running a fundraiser tomorrow at recess and lunch.  They will be raising money for the CFA, an organisation that did amazing work during our long hot Australian summer.  Cakes, slices and biscuits will be available for purchase.  Students are asked to come to school in CFA yellow and red and, bring a gold coin donation for a worthy cause plus some loose change for the bake sale.

As this is our first bake sale for the year, it is timely to remind families that we have students at the Junior School with food allergies and intolerances.  These range from mild to extremely severe, including several with EpiPens for their allergies.  Occasions where food is shared, as is the case with bake sales, birthday parties, House lunches etc, can be highly stressful events for students with allergies.  Whilst we are not a ‘Nut Free’ school, we ask all in our learning community to be ‘Allergy Aware’.  This includes limiting the number ‘allergy’ foods sent into school.  These may include nuts, milk (dairy), wheat containing products (such as bread) and eggs.  

With activities like the Berry House ‘Bake Sale’, all contributions need to have clearly labelled ingredient lists.  Recently, our Upper Years students in Years 3-6 took part in an education session where they were stepped through an ASCIA (Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy) presentation to raise their awareness and, to answer any questions they had about the best way to look after students in their classes with allergies. 

College Values Art Competition

Next Monday is the final day for entries in the College Values Art Competition.  Students can hand their work into Mrs. Povey.  Selected winners will have their work displayed on College banners and advertising material(s).

Hockey 2025

Final call for expressions of interest forms to be returned for Junior Hockey in 2025.  We will be finalising teams in the next week.  Junior teams will compete in Under 10 and Under 13 divisions of the GRHA competition.  With ANZAC Day falling on Friday 25 April, the first round of this years’ competition will take place on the weekend of 3/4 May. 

Ganbette

The fifth principle of Ganbatte is long-term relations.  Keys to long-term relationships:

• Consistent effort and attention
• Acceptance of imperfections (wabi-sabi in love)
• Shared goals and dreams
• Maintaining individual identities
• Cultivating mutual admiration and respect

Long-term relationships require a combination of Ganbatte (perseverance) and kaizen (continuous improvement).  By applying these principles to love, we can build strong, lasting partnerships that withstand the test of time and grow deeper with each passing year.

The Compass Award

Introducing The Compass Award at The Hamilton and Alexandra College

As part of College’s leadership program, your child has the opportunity to participate in The Compass Award, a program of discovery and adventure for young people aged 10-13.

The Compass Award is designed to develop goal setting and life skills to enhance the development of the individual child. The program fosters positive attitudes to learning whilst building an environment for positive engagement and interaction between young people, schools and family members.

The Compass Award is structured over four progressive levels. To achieve each level, young people create a unique program of activities over a set length of time across four Sections:

HEALTH (previously Physical Activity) - Physical & Mental Fitness. Fostering resilience, health and well-being through activities that build mental and physical fitness.

SKILLS (previously Hobbies/Skill) - Practical Skill & Interests. Empowering personal growth by learning new skills, expanding knowledge, and cultivating interests that can be applied in both academic and real-world contexts.

CITIZENSHIP (previously Volunteering) - Impact & Change. Inspiring awareness, compassion, and leadership through engagement in social and environmental causes that create impact or change at a local or global level.

ADVENTURE (previously Exploration) - Exploration & Challenge. Encouraging curiosity, initiative, independence, adaptability, and teamwork by stepping outside comfort zones through outdoor expeditions, cultural immersions, or group challenges.

By giving participants the opportunity to try new things and learn new skills, they develop initiative and commitment, and in the process become more responsible, motivated and inspired young people.

The program is both fun and challenging.  By taking the lead in setting goals in activities that interest them, young people take the initiative, ownerships and engagement in their formal and informal education.

Participating in the programs is a unique and exciting journey for young people and their families. You play a vital role by providing support and encouragement as they work towards their goals. I will be available Thursdays at recess in the Prep classroom to discuss ideas, answer questions and provide support to your child.

They will embark on an individual journey that will be challenging and exciting, including undertaking activities outside their normal comfort zone. As a result, you can expect them to further develop their life skills, including leadership, goal setting, planning, time management and resilience.

The cost of The Compass Award is $110 (paid online when you register your child via the following link below), which includes Level 1, 2,3 & 4 materials and resources, ongoing enquiry support, Award Level badge and certificate and insurance.  If your child would like to participate, please fill out the online registration form using the link below. Registrations close on Friday 21 March.

https://compassaward.org.au/particpant-registration/the-hamilton-and…college-myrniong

On the Compass site is a ‘Mentor Guide’. Please note, due to new Child Safety Compliance regulations, before undertaking any activities with students, Mentors must have read and signed the ‘Mentor Code of Conduct’ form and completed the College Child Safe Training Module using the following link https://tha.ac/childsafeform.

Participating in an Award program offers a great experience and we look forward to witnessing your child unlock this capacity on their Award journey! Click here for more information.

Kind regards,

Sharon Kelly

Compass Coordinator