Junior School

Prep

What an exciting few weeks we have had in Prep!

We recently celebrated our 100th Day of School, and what a fantastic day it was! Everyone looked incredibly old in their costumes, and the Preps were wonderful actors too, with many putting on their best old-person walks and voices throughout the day! We celebrated our 100 days with lots of fun activities, including hunting for 100 Mentos hidden amongst 100 balloons, creating a 100th Day Monster, taking on the 100 Licks Lollipop Challenge, and much more. We were also so proud of the Preps for performing their Mr Clicketty Cane item beautifully at assembly!

This week, we have enjoyed spending lots of time learning and having fun together. We joined the other Prep class outside for a big game of soccer, which was lots of fun! We also teamed up with our Year 6 buddies to make our very own kites before heading outside to run around and test how well they could fly.

We have also been getting into the spirit of Book Week with lots of fun activities and crafts. It has been wonderful hearing about everyone’s favourite books and sharing our love of stories together.

There is always something exciting happening in Prep, and we love seeing the enthusiasm and joy the students bring to each new experience!

Alissa Griffin

Prep G Teacher

It has been a busy few weeks for our students. With lots of testing, dress-ups, and focusing on learning, we have enjoyed the sunshine showing its face, time with our buddies and a special free toastie lunch! It's the little moments we want to freeze in time and just enjoy. Seeing the students engaged, participating and showing enjoyment is what we look forward to each day. 

We are so proud of the preps, participating in reading, spelling and writing testing these past few weeks has been a big ask, but they took it on with confidence and even excitement! It was incredible to see the growth in each and every students from the beginning of the term, whether it be in confidence or academic performance, they all did a fantastic job. 

This week they are conducting a Zoo Escape investigation that looks at addition and subtraction in a real life event. They have loved making animal enclosures for the zoo and counting all the animals. While some aspects have been challenging, they are stretching their learning and showing great skills in this area. 

This term we have been practicing more sentence writing as we respond to different texts, which has been great to see students extending themselves where possible.  It's amazing to see their confidence grow as they begin to see their academic capabilities. 

This week has been Book Week and full of fun! Starting our week with a cubby house fort and our favourite books, to making our own bookmarks and favourite book banner, we are making sure our week is all about books! This week our show and tell was all about our favourite book, and we have even been listening or watching Mrs Grainger's favourite books. We are so excited for the students to finish their week dressed up as their favourite book character. 

We have been praying for good health and energy as we move into the next two weeks of swimming. I know as busy as it will be, it will be such a fun few weeks full of growing moments. Let's support our students by making sure they are having a good restful weekend and lunch boxes full of healthy brain food! 

Sarah Grainger & Margot Bail

Prep E Teachers 

Year 1

It has been another special week in Year 1, and we are so thankful to God for all the wonderful experiences we have shared together. The children have now finished their gymnastics sessions. Miss Stephen saidit was such a joy to watch them grow in confidence, balance, coordination, and perseverance! By all accounts, they worked hard, encouraged one another, and had plenty of fun along the way. It is wonderful to hear how brave they were in challenging themselves and giving new things a go!

We also had a wonderful day celebrating Founder’s Day and 40 years of our school! It was a very special opportunity to celebrate our school’s history and give thanks for God’s faithfulness over the past 40 years. The children loved being part of the special assembly where the whole school community came together. Of course, the sausages, surprise morning tea, and delicious treats were also a very exciting part of the day! There were plenty of happy faces as the children enjoyed these special treats with their friends. The afternoon was full of even more excitement as the whole school came together for games and challenges. The children had so much fun cheering for their houses, working as a team, and competing in different activities to earn points. It was wonderful to see them encouraging one another, having fun, and showing great school spirit.

We are so thankful for the many blessings God continues to give our Year 1 children. What a special way to celebrate 40 years of our school and the wonderful community God has blessed us with! Here are a few reflections written by some of our Year 1 friends.

King’s College is my school and we have Book Week and Founder’s Day. It has been 2 years since I was here when I was 5. When I am in Year 2 I am going to be 7.  By Ondrei

 

On Friday it was Founder’s Day. We had chocolate frogs and we went to Assembly. We even got sausages in bread. It was so fun.  By Frankie

 

At Founder’s Day we got to make a cake and we had lots of fun.  By Anna

 

King’s College is my favourite school because you can make friends here.   By Hudson

 

On Founder’s Day we got to celebrate when the school started. We had sausages.   By Maya

 

On Friday it was Founder’s Day. At lunch time we got sausages and juice delivered. We went to the Gym and played lots of games. We also decorated cakes. Knox won. Toby made a Jesus on the cross. Someone drew Mr Zeunert trying to reach the bubble tap on his tippy toes.  By Violet

Year 1 also had so much fun celebrating Book Week and enjoying our dress-up day today, the children were thrilled to participate! Looking ahead, we are excited to begin our swimming sessions next week.

Kerry Snook

Year 1 Teacher

Year 2

Last week, our Year 2 students had a fantastic time at the stadium taking part in a range of round-robin games. Each activity gave the children an opportunity to practise different skills, try something new, work with others, and most importantly, discover that we are all gifted in different ways.

As we moved around the different activities, we noticed that everyone had strengths. Some children were confident with their sporting skills, while others showed wonderful teamwork, encouraged their friends, demonstrated kindness, or persevered when something was challenging. Just as someone might have a natural ability to shoot a basketball, another person might be a fantastic reader, writer, problem-solver, or friend.

Our day reminded us that God has made each of us different and unique. We don't all have the same talents, and we don't need to! Our differences are something to celebrate. When we recognize and appreciate the gifts in ourselves and in others, we can encourage one another and work together as a team.

The students showed us that being "good at something" isn't just about winning a game. It is also about showing kindness, having a go, encouraging others, being a good friend, and celebrating the successes of those around us.

What a wonderful reminder for our Year 2 class: we are each uniquely made, wonderfully gifted, and an important part of our community.

Our Year 2 students have been making the most of recess, working together to create their very own “Mini Earths” in the dry river bed! 

It has been wonderful to see the children using their creativity, imagination and teamwork as they designed and built their creations together. They shared ideas, helped one another, and worked cooperatively to bring their mini worlds to life.

It is always lovely to see the friendships and learning that happen when children are given the freedom to explore, create and play together!

Emily Hunter & Ellie Johnson

Year 2 Teachers

Year 3

The Year 3 classroom has been full of hands-on learning over the past couple of weeks!

In Mathematics, we've been having lots of fun mastering how to tell the time to the minute. Using LEGO, we built our own clocks to help us remember that there are five minutes between each number on an analogue clock. We then reinforced this learning with Skittles and KitKats, using these tasty treats to explore how there are 60 minutes in an hour and how the minutes are grouped in fives around the clock face. The children loved these engaging activities, and they certainly made learning about time memorable!

In Science, we've continued exploring the fascinating world of solids, liquids and gases, while linking our learning to heat as a form of physical energy. We've investigated how heat can change materials, such as turning a solid into a liquid, and learned about the three ways heat travels: conduction, convection and radiation.

One of the highlights was making non-Newtonian oobleck! The children were amazed to discover that some materials don't behave like typical solids or liquids. Through hands-on experiments and plenty of scientific discussion, we've been asking questions, making observations and thinking like real scientists.

It's been wonderful to see the students' enthusiasm and curiosity as they explore new concepts through practical, engaging experiences. We look forward to sharing more of our learning with you in the weeks ahead!

We also had a wonderful evening at our Mother/Daughter Night. It was so special to see our Year 3 girls and their mums spending uninterrupted time together, sharing conversations, completing activities and enjoying a delicious supper. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed food to share. It was a beautiful opportunity to strengthen relationships, create lasting memories and celebrate the special bond between mothers and daughters. We hope everyone went home feeling encouraged and connected.

A special thank you to Amy Newton for creating such a beautiful and welcoming space for the evening, and to Kirri Nield for her help with both the set-up and pack-up the following day and the other mums who helped to set up and pack up. Your generosity and willingness to serve helped make the evening such a success.

Year 3 Takes Charge of the Chooks!

Year 3 has proudly taken on the responsibility of caring for our school chickens this term. From checking on the hens and making sure they have food and water, to collecting eggs and keeping their area tidy, the children are learning the importance of responsibility and caring for God's creation.

A special shout-out goes to these two legends, Jack and Lynden, who have been leading the way with confidence and expertise! Thanks to their experience growing up on farms, they've been wonderful mentors for their classmates, happily sharing their knowledge and showing everyone the best way to care for our feathered friends.

Thank you, Jack and Lynden, for your enthusiasm, leadership and willingness to help others - we're lucky to have your farm know-how in Year 3!

Ang Hales

Year 3 Teacher

Year 4

It has been a busy and productive fortnight in Year 4! We have continued to work collaboratively, support one another and approach our learning with enthusiasm. It has been wonderful to see students sharing their ideas and taking pride in their work.

We have been doing some great research and creating information posters. Students have been developing their research skills, organising information and presenting their learning in creative ways.

We have been learning about division and exploring the relationship between multiplication and division. We have also enjoyed playing multiplication games to practice our number facts and build our fluency and confidence. We have been learning lots of school-related signs in Auslan and have enjoyed practising these together.

Students have been building their vocabulary and developing their confidence with signing. Have a great weekend and stay warm and dry; winter is almost over!

Naomi O'Brien

Teacher

Year 5 & 6 Science and Engineering Challenge

On Tuesday 11 August most of Year 5 and 6 journeyed to Deakin University to compete in the Junior Science and Engineering challenge. This is the second year King's College has competed at this level. 

The Science and Engineering challenge is an all-day competition where students compete in groups of 4, completing 2 S.T.E.M. tasks for the day.  The tasks, called Get Over It, Launch it, Claw Control, It's a Trap, Eco-Shelter Showdown, Electropolis, Light Comms, and Gust Busters, include activities such as coding, building hands to pick things up, constructing bridges, planes, and windmills, catching pretend fish, and lighting up cities.  

The competition was judged on how well teams completed the activities and teamwork. 

At lunchtime, we watched all the Bridge building teams compete for which bridge could support the heaviest load. The King's team went very well supporting up to 5kg over their bridge before it collapsed in spectacular fashion. After all the morning activities King's was coming 3rd. 

After lunch all teams had the fun of rotating to one of the other activities where they tried their hands at something different from the morning.  At the end of the day all King's teams had a great day and competed well. 

Mr Tomkins and Mrs Robertson were very proud of the effort that all the students put in. They worked well together and tried their very best in all they did.  It was a great day enjoyed by all. 

Coral Robertson and Dave Tomkins

Year 5 & 6 Teachers

Junior School Swimming Commences Next Week!

A reminder that Junior School Swimming commences next week, beginning Monday 24 August. We are looking forward to seeing our students develop their swimming skills, confidence and water safety awareness over the coming weeks.

What to wear and bring:

Prep & Year 1

• Come to school wearing bathers with their sports uniform over the top.
• Please bring underwear to school to change into after swimming.
• Students will wear their bathers, enclosed shoes (including Crocs or runners), sports jumper and track pants OR a hooded swimming towel/dressing gown to and from the pool.

Years 2–6

• Come to school in school uniform.
• Students will get changed into their swimming attire before their lesson.
• Students will wear their bathers, enclosed shoes (including Crocs or runners), sports jumper and track pants OR a hooded swimming towel/dressing gown to and from the pool.

All students will need:

• Towel
• Goggles
• Swimming cap, if required
• Hairbrush and detangler hair spray for long hair
• Enclosed shoes, including (crocs or runners. Please no thongs)
• Sports jumper, tshirt and tracksuit pants OR
• Hooded swimming towel or dressing gown

Please ensure that ALL items are clearly named, including towels, goggles, bathers and clothing.

Child Safety Reminder

Parents and carers are welcome to attend and watch their child’s swimming lesson. However, as part of our Child Safe practices, please do not take photographs or videos of children swimming, including your own child.

We appreciate everyone's cooperation in helping us maintain a safe and respectful environment for all students.

Swimming Schedule

Parent Helpers

If you are available to help students get changed after their swimming lesson, we would greatly appreciate your assistance. Please get in touch with your child’s classroom teacher if you are able to help.

We look forward to a fantastic few weeks of swimming!

Christie Stephen

PE Teacher