Primary School News

Dear Primary Parents,

In last week's newsletter, I wrote about the incredible opportunities that our boys are presented with here at the College. Since I wrote that article, I was fortunate to attend the Year 5 performance of Joust in the Draney Theatre on Thursday. It would be hard to find a more perfect example of what our boys are capable of when they all work together to achieve a goal. Our talented music staff took on the task of presenting the musical with only 8 weeks to prepare the boys. What a great job they did! The enthusiasm shown by the boys on stage was amazing as the songs were sung with great gusto. Congratulations to every boy and staff member who worked on this production over the course of the term.

With swimming, AFL, and cricket in the rear-view mirror, there was a transformation of sorts right the way along the Des Connor Fields. Shin protectors and mouthguards were the order of the day as the Year 5 and 6 boys took part in the first set of football and rugby trials in preparation for next term. Term 2 sports offer an ideal opportunity for the boys to consolidate what they learned about sportsmanship and team spirit in their Term 1 involvements. It is hoped that all boys enjoyed their trials on Saturday and are looking forward to next term's sports. When I spoke with our group of Year 5 football trialists, I made it clear to them that they need not worry about what team they will play in this year; the most important thing is the crest on their chest and how they are going to do their best in representing the College in Term 2.

Term 1 has been an extraordinarily busy term for our Primary boys, and this busyness will continue into Week 10 with our Year 5 Camp and Year 6 excursions happening this week. I would like to thank every parent in the Primary School for everything they have done to help make Term 1 a success for the students. Our dedicated Primary staff are continuing their hard work to finish the term off and prepare for Term 2 and the interviews early next term.

I hope everyone has a restful break and enjoys this special time of year together as we celebrate Easter with family and friends.

Year 5 Camp

Our Year 5 boys and staff have made a successful start to their time at camp. Day 1 was full of boogie boarding, high ropes, archery, and games on the oval. Hopefully, there were quite a few hours spent sleeping so the boys (and staff) have some fuel in the tank for a big Day 2 down there at Tallebudgera. We will provide a more detailed wrap-up of the camp in our next College Newsletter.

Primary Swimming Carnival

Congratulations to all the staff and students who made Friday such an enjoyable event for everyone involved. There was a great mix of swimming events and novelty events throughout the day thanks to Mr Lambourne’s meticulous planning and organising. It was so wonderful to see the Year 6 boys take the lead in getting the Year 5 boys involved in cheering and supporting their mates in the pool. The Primary Swimming Carnival is always the loudest carnival each year and those who work in The Tower certainly knew all the colour team war cries by the end of the day! Special congratulations to all the boys in 5 Gold and 6 Gold who accumulated the most points across the day to give the Gold Team the win for the second year running. The challenge is now on for the other colour teams to stop the three-peat in 2024!

Primary Speech and Drama

Marist Drama for Term 1 wrapped up on Monday. The boys worked incredibly hard learning all the skills that are required to be effective performers utilising dynamic movement. We have explored the ritual of fire in tribes. We have scaled mountains, driven cars and almost fallen off roller coasters. We have used our imaginations to conjure a mad scientist's laboratory and battled with lightsabers. Throughout all our adventures the children have worked on maintaining focus and discipline. Our motto has been to ensure that what we are doing looks real to the audience. Term 1 is also about teamwork and we have examined the elements of effective team work and how to share ideas and navigate in a group situation the selection of ideas. Next term the boys will tackle voice, improvisation and storytelling.

Ms Jen Little (Primary Learning Leader)

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all students and parents a very relaxing Easter break. Term 1 has certainly been a busy time for everyone.

At the conclusion of the term, parents and students will have the opportunity to view task results and specific feedback on Parent Lounge and Student Café. For assessments sat prior to Week 8, this information will already be available to you. Students are encouraged to regularly check-in on this, as it is through feedback that students will be able to progress. To access the feedback, please follow the instructions below:

Accessing Student Results and Task Feedback in Parent Lounge:

1. Open Parent Portal and click on “Parent Lounge”

2. On the left-hand tab select “Curricular Activities Due” and select “view all activities” on the top right-hand side of page. 

This will take you to a screen that lists your son/s assessment to complete or has been completed.

3. Click on a subject to view feedback. 

4. Once you click on the subject you will be able to find the following information:

a. Task sheet for assessment – this will outline what your son needs to do to complete the task successfully

b. Draft due dates and due dates

c. Criteria sheet

d. Feedback

e. Result

Please note that along with this important information, you will also be able to see teacher feedback on how students are demonstrating the learning behaviours:

• Application
• Organisation
• Behaviour

Further feedback on these areas will also be discussed at Parent Teacher Interviews early next term.