🌱 Student Voice in Action – Monash Council Integrated Planning Project 🌍

This term, a small group of our Yr 5 students were invited back to participate in the Monash Council Integrated Planning Project, following up on the thoughtful suggestions they contributed last year — including big-picture ideas like tackling climate change, improving local spaces and building a more sustainable future.

The visit gave students a valuable opportunity to see how their voices are not only heard but taken seriously by local leaders. During the session, students took part in a range of interactive activities, designed to spark discussion and deepen their understanding of local government planning— and had plenty of opportunities to share their own ideas.

One of the highlights of the day was sitting in the official Council Meeting Room, where students got a behind-the-scenes look at how real decisions are made. It was both empowering and inspiring. They also shared ideas and reflections on issues that matter to them — from green spaces and transport to climate action and community wellbeing.

🗣️ “It felt amazing to know that adults are actually listening to our ideas and care about what we think.” – Anthony, 5L

🗣️ “I really liked the activities – they made me feel like I was doing something important for the future.” – Lucy, 5L

🗣️ “Sitting in the council meeting room made me feel like a real leader.” – Calinda, 5L

We’re incredibly proud of our students for speaking up with confidence, creativity and care. A huge thank you to Monash Council for continuing to amplify student voice and for giving our young people a real seat at the table and well done to our students for stepping up as thoughtful, engaged young citizens!

This experience has shown our students that they can make a difference — and we can’t wait to see what ideas they bring to the table next!

Year 5/6 Students Learn First-Hand from Local Entrepreneurs

As part of our exciting Economics unit this term, our Year 5/6 students had the opportunity to hear from several of our parents who generously volunteered their time to share insights into their small businesses. These presentations gave students a valuable, real-world look at what it takes to start and run a business—from the spark of an idea to marketing, budgeting and customer service.

Our guest speakers covered a wide range of industries and business models, offering students a diverse perspective on entrepreneurship. The sessions were interactive, inspiring many thoughtful questions from students and sparking ideas for their own ventures.

This learning experience is an important step as students begin planning and developing their own small business ideas, which they will market and run later this term. The presentations have helped them understand key concepts such as profit and loss, supply and demand, target markets and the importance of innovation and resilience.

A big thank you to Michael Samsir, Daniel Paone and Darren Paone who shared their time, knowledge and passion. Your contributions have helped bring the curriculum to life in a meaningful and practical way. We look forward to hearing from Dexter Prack next week.

Looking forward to seeing the creative business plans our young entrepreneurs develop in the weeks ahead!

🏅 Summer Sports Recap 🏅

A Season of Spirit and Success!

As the summer sports days come to a close, it's time to celebrate the fantastic achievements of our school’s sports teams. Across tennis, volleyball, cricket and T-ball, our students showed remarkable effort, teamwork and sportsmanship. Here's a look back at the highlights from our two days at Interschool Sport this term. There were 8 schools participating across 4 sports in several locations:

🎾 Tennis Our Tennis Team had an impressive season. Our A Team making it all the way to the finals and finishing as impressive runners-up. The B Team also performed admirably, winning 3 out of 4 school matches, demonstrating both skill and consistency on the court.

🏐 Volleyball The volleyball teams brought energy and determination to every game. Team A dominated with 6 wins, showing great coordination and power at the net. Team B also had a solid season, winning 4 matches and showing strong development throughout.

🏏 Cricket The Cricket A Team enjoyed a strong season, securing 5 victories with excellent performances in both batting and fielding. The B Team worked hard and came away with 2 wins, gaining valuable experience along the way.

⚾ T-ball Our mixed T-ball team played with heart and enthusiasm, finishing the season with 2 wins. Our girls team showed excellent team spirit and their positive attitude was a highlight of every game.

👏 A big thank you to all our players, the Yr 5/6 teacher coaches, Mr Stokes and our parent supporters for making this summer sports season a success. We’re proud of everyone who took part and look forward to building on this momentum later this term when we compete in the Winter Sports season!

🏃‍♀️ Wellington District Cross Country –

Event Recap 🏃‍♂️

On Monday 12th May, a team of determined and enthusiastic students from Years 4, 5, and 6 represented our school at the Wellington District Cross Country event — and what a fantastic day it was!

Students in the 9/10-year-old age group took on a challenging 2km course, while those in the 11/12/13-year-old group pushed through an even tougher 3km race. Every student showed incredible perseverance, resilience and school spirit on the day — we’re so proud of all who participated!

A huge congratulations to the following eight students who have qualified for the next round at Division Cross Country. We wish them all the best as they prepare for the next level of competition!

Year 6: Aaliyah, Will, Lachie, Nathan

Year 5: Natalie, Devlin

Year 4: Mila, Alina

We’re proud of all participants — your determination was inspiring!

Here’s what a few of our runners that made it through from 5/6L had to say:

🗣️ “It was really hard, but I didn’t stop running – I’m proud of myself.” – Will, 6L

🗣️ “It was a tough track, but hearing everyone cheer as I ran past kept me pushing!”

– Nathan, 6L

🗣️ “Cross country showed me that I’m stronger than I thought. Last year I placed in the 60's and this year 4th in my age group!” – Devlin, 5L

👏 A heartfelt thank you also goes out to our wonderful parent helpers – Ailsa Ip, Setareh Pilvar, Lisa Simonds, Akku Matthews and Christina Paone– for their support on the day.

Well done again to all our runners – you’ve made us proud!

Raising Kids in a Digital World