Junior School, South Plympton

Swimming Week

We were blessed to have amazing weather for this week when our Year 1 – 6 students all took part in their annual swimming lessons. Marion Outdoor Pool is a great venue for this, as the children were surrounded by grassed areas and shady trees. As my previous experience has been in indoor pools, this venue was an unexpected treasure. The children enjoyed learning new strokes and basic survival skills. 

The instructors noted how well behaved our children were, but even more encouraging was that they noticed what great relationships existed between our students and the staff. We are called to be God’s light in the world, and by example when we are in the community, this is what we need to do. We pray that instructors at the pool recognise that it is our Jesus-central relationships that provides the point of difference to other schools they might work with. 

A special thank you needs to go to Daryl Porter, Head of H&PE and Sports for all of the organisation of our swimming, the teachers and the many parent volunteers who helped out with supervision each day. There are many ways for parents to assist as volunteers at our school and this contribution is incredibly valuable.

We are really looking forward to our Year 3 – 6 Swimming Carnival on Tuesday 21 February at Marion Outdoor Pool when the children can use these skills in a carnival-type atmosphere. Please add this date to your diary as we would love to see as many parents as possible at this event.

Foundation Students

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new families that have joined us this term. Our new Foundation students have settled well into school life and are learning the routines of being a school student. Most are confidently playing in the playground and interacting with the other students. It is a real pleasure to see them engaging with learning. This week, one thing that they learnt was the difference between a letter and a word: one foundational skill as they begin to learn to read.

South Plympton Junior School Assemblies

Our assemblies are an important part of the Junior School, providing us with an opportunity to meet each week as a community, worship together, share a devotion led by a Junior School teacher and develop a strong sense of belonging as a Junior School. We welcome parent attendance at our Assemblies, and any Monday at 12:50pm you are welcome to join us in the EPAC at South Plympton. I know that this time is not optimum for some parents, but in trying to juggle the learning needs of the children and the availability of EPAC, it is the best we could do for 2023. When our assemblies highlight something specific to your child, you will be sent an invitation, but please understand that you are welcome any and every week. 

After a fabulous start to the year, we pray that our children will continue to flourish in the knowledge of their loving God and through the care of our teachers.