Primary School News

Primary School

Dear Families,

We have had a wonderful first term despite the many extremely hot days. Cold water spray bottles, frozen grapes and icy poles have been the saviours!

Although term one is short-term we have managed to squeeze in many wonderful events. The opening of our gorgeous Junior side garden, grade 3/4 Indigenous projects, grade 5/6 learning community games, free Art play excursions, Naplan, Open day, Welcome to Country smoking ceremony, Nature walks and many more.

I like to thank the College of Teachers for their end-of-term play and also a special thank you to Hannah Martial and Anna Ephraim for their wonderful idea to run the Thursday Community morning tea and for baking delicious snacks every Thursday, if you haven’t been already please join us every Thursday morning from 8.45 am on the front oval.

Iftar- Last Thursday we had our community come together to help celebrate Ramadan with our Muslim families and held our famous Iftar Celebration. A huge thank you to Hussein, Badria, Hassen and Felicia for putting it together, and for everyone who was able to attend and bring so delicious food to share.

Smoking ceremony- On Friday last week we were lucky to have Uncle Ian officially welcome everyone to our new side garden with a welcome-to-country smoking ceremony. As always Uncle Ian mesmerised all of the students with his stories and fire-starting techniques.

Late arrivals:

Arriving at school on time is crucial for your child's success and well-being, as well as for the smooth operation of our school community. Unfortunately, our late arrivals have been extremely high this Term.

Please be reminded that school begins promptly at 9:00 AM, and we strongly recommend that all children arrive by 8:50 am. This allows them to settle in, and prepare for their day and ensures they are ready to learn from the moment their first session begins.

We understand that unforeseen circumstances can occur; however, ongoing lateness is disruptive. It not only affects the late student's learning but also interrupts the teaching process and the learning of others. Consistent lateness can significantly impact the educational experience and environment for everyone involved.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Smile Squad:

Once again we are participating in the government free Dental checkups for kids. The program will run from weeks 3 to 5 of Term Two. Consent can be given electronically (please see my Compass email) or paper forms are available from the front office.

Teachers professional learning:

Every year our teachers partake in professional learning to engage with new research and enhance their professional development. This year we are learning:

Berry St- Last year our College began a two-year professional development course with the Berry St educational Model. Berry St brings real-life strategies into your classroom supporting all students, particularly trauma background students, neuro-diverse students, and students disengaging with the school as well as strategies to teach mindfulness, open mindset, and how to be a caring individual. Berry St and the RRRR curriculum work extremely well together supporting social and emotional wellbeing and development.

Seven steps to writing- Grade 3 to 6 teachers are undergoing training to enhance and engage young writers and to further develop their writing skills.

John Lewry’s outdoor learning space and differentiating for all individual needs- John comes with many years of expertise working across Steiner and main program schools in New Zealand and mentoring schools in Australia. His passion for outdoor learning and outdoor classrooms as well as ensuring individual student engagement is well known and documented. We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to work with John and learn from him.

Important dates:

First day of Term Two- Monday, April 15

Student-free days- Friday, April 19

Monday, May 6

Last day of term two- Friday, June 28

I wish everyone a wonderful break.

Sormeh Afkari

Assistant Principal - Primary

 Sormeh.afkari@education.vic.gov.au

Year Prep - 2 Art 

As part of the Primary Performing Arts program, Year Prep -2 students had the opportunity to participate in a wonderful dance workshop with dancer Gerad Veltre.  Students also had the opportunity to showcase some amazing solo dance skills.

Phunktional | Dance Theatre Film Youth Projects

Year 3/4 Art

As part of the Performing Arts program, Year 3/4 students had the opportunity to work with artist Jessica Wilson from Child Nation. Students working on adventure stories, with adventures that took them exploring around the school. 

https://www.childnation.com.au/

Angela Dionysopoulos

Primary Art Performing Arts 

INSTRUMENTS FOR SALE (updated 15 March) - Contact Person - Steve Wu

Please click on the attachment below to see a list of Stringed instruments for sale. If you have an instrument for sale please email Steve at:  fengchih.09@gmail.com

COLLINGWOOD COLLEGE ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM 

Collingwood College is online! Feel free to follow us on: 

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/collingwood.college/ and like us on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/collingwood.vic.edu.au/ to keep up to date with everything that our school has to offer our students and the community.