Specialists News

Auslan News

Grade Preps have started learning the Auslan alphabet A-Z and are starting to do some fingerspelling. They are learning to fingerspell their own names which they have been very eager to learn!!

Grades 1-2 have continued learning signs for People: person, people, he, she, they, man, woman/lady, boy, girl, mine, yours. Students are using these signs in sentences they are writing about topics we have learned and then signing their sentences to the class.

Grades 3-4 have continued learning signs ‘About Me’ to be able to describe themselves, including signing their Birthday, about their favourite things, describing their eye colour (hazel is fingerspelled) and their hair colour and style: short, long, curly, wavy, and fringe.

Grades 5-6 have continued learning signs to indicate time: morning, afternoon, night, day, today/now, yesterday, tomorrow, before, and after.

Grades 5-6 students have also begun writing simple Auslan conversations based on topics we have been learning throughout the year!! Students are really embracing this task well… Many are well on the way to completing their conversations and are almost ready to practise them with their partner. 

Here are some photos from the past 2 weeks, including Grandparent’s/Special Person's Day in the Auslan Classroom, and some of the Grade 3-4s practising signing when their Birthday is, to their classmates:

Mrs Riordan.

Sports News

State Athletics Success.

School Sport Victoria Athletics Championships.

We had 5 students represent Spring Gully Primary School at the School Sport Victoria Athletics Championships in Melbourne last Wednesday – Jed K, Hser, Archie C, Emma A and Charlie F. They all performed extremely well. 

Charlie had a particularly outstanding day and is now the 11 Years Boys High Jump State Champion! Charlie also finished 7th overall in the 11 Years boys 100m.

Our 11 Years boys relay team smashed our Region record and finished 5th overall in the State. This team included Hser Yu Say, Archie C, Jed K, Charlie F and Hadley G.

Hser Yu Say (11 Years 200m), and Emma A (11 Years Hurdles) both ran superbly in their individual events against the top athletes in the State. Both finished 11th overall in their respective events.

Congratulations once again to these students, and a huge thank you to the parents who supported their children at this event and provided us with regular updates throughout the day.

Victorian All Schools Track & Field Championships

Congratulations to Jordyn L who represented Spring Gully PS at the Victorian All Schools T&F Championships in Melbourne last Sunday. Jordyn was competing in the 14 Years and Under Pole Vault. 

Coming into this event, Jordyn was ranked 2nd in the State and 3rd Nationally.

In an amazing performance, Jordyn cleared 2.30m to earn the silver medal. She will now go on to represent both Spring Gully PS and Victoria at the National Championships in Perth later this term.

Brilliant effort Jordyn!

Swimming Program

Our Swimming Program will be held during this term at the Peter Krenz Leisure Centre, Eaglehawk on the following dates:

GROUP 1           

GROUP 2

The students will complete five sessions with a fully qualified Austswim teacher from the Leisure Centre. Each session will be of 40 minutes duration. As this program forms part of the Health and Physical Education curriculum, it is important for all students to attend and take part in the lessons. 

Further information about our Swimming Program (including consent) will be placed on Compass. THERE IS NO COST for students to do swimming this year. The school has been able to secure a ‘Sporting Schools’ grant again this year and we have also received significant funding via the ‘Swimming In Schools’ program. Both of these Government initiatives have enabled us run this program free of charge. Please note that - with bus, pool hire and the cost of instruction, the swimming program would normally cost approx. $60 per student without this funding.

In order to place students in swimming groups appropriate to their level, all NEW students to Spring Gully PS in 2023 (including all Prep students) will receive a skill competence assessment checklist. We ask parents/carers to complete, as accurately as they can, this form and return it to school as soon as possible so that we can start to organise the groups. Students who completed the swimming program in 2022 do not need to complete this form as they have already been placed in a group based on this year’s results. All students will be assessed by the instructors during the first lesson and placed accordingly.