Last week I was fortunate to be able to visit our Year 3, 4 and 5 students who were attending camp. The weather was wonderful and the children were excited to be able to get to camp. When I arrived at the Log Cabin Camp in Creswick I was greeted by the sound of children gleefully squealing as they zipped down one of the two ziplines running across an open gully. Another group was in harnesses waiting their turn to be hoisted up 15 metres off the ground only to pull their release cord and go plummeting down on the giant swing. Everywhere there were children taking part in activities that they would never get to do at school and seldom at home. This is why we have worked so hard to try and give our students the camp experience this year when it would have been much easier to cancel them. Our children need opportunities to be challenged. They need to experience the anxiety, apprehension, and sometimes, the fear of new situations. By facing and overcoming their concerns children learn resilience, particularly when supported by adults who provide positive modelling and show that a problem is just a challenge to be overcome. As Dr Judith Locke explained in her recent Junior School parent seminar, it is important for the adults supporting children to not focus on removing barriers and problems, but rather to encourage the children to find solutions. It is quite alright for parents to provide their children with some suggested solutions when the child does not know how to tackle an issue but it is important that the child has ownership of the solutions and the subsequent actions.

I have no doubt that there would have been many nervous parents had they been standing beside the camp zipline watching their children jump off, hang upside down and fly to the other end. Some of those parents may not have believed that their child could do it and, when the child was nervous and wanted to step back off, may have stepped in and walked them down. As parents, it is our nature to want to protect our children, to keep them from harm, whether that is physical or emotional but we must also ensure that we are giving them every opportunity to grow, to face challenges and learn that they have what it takes to overcome them. Sometimes it is as simple as letting them know that we believe that they can do it.

This year we are taking Dr Locke’s advice and increasing the opportunities for children to face challenging situations in a supportive environment. In previous years we have given students a “Friendship Form” to fill in listing 4 friends that they would like to be in class within the following year. This year we are leaving the formation of the lists to the Year Level teachers without any input from students or parents. At her parent seminar, Dr Locke pointed out that it is important for children to know that they have the skills to cope with new situations such as a new teacher and new class. While it may be daunting at first, children quickly adapt. Of course, their current teachers take into account the observed friendships in the class and playground, social and academic balance etc. Their new teachers will also be very much focused on creating an environment that fosters positive social connections, particularly in the first days and weeks. What is imperative is that children know that they will be fine, that they will have friends and that they will succeed. Dr Locke pointed out that avoiding situations that make children uncomfortable, such as the unknown of a new class, will hinder their ability to develop the skills to cope with change and make new connections. Having worked with Dr Locke we recognise that this is not in the children’s best interest and providing small challenges such as this, for them to experience and overcome in their junior years will pay dividends as they move into adulthood.

Remembrance Day

Thank you to Mr Turner and the Student Representative Council for their fine work in leading our Junior School Remembrance Day Service this week. It was a well crafted and well presented service that paid solemn respect to those who have served our country. I was very proud of the way our Junior School Students conducted themselves. From the Head of Junior School

Mr Donald Thompson

Head of Junior School

Story Walk in Gateway Park

This Summer holidays, Kangaroo Flat Library is setting up a Story Walk in Gateway Park. This event involves walking from page to page along a path in the park to read a full picture book – Pig the Pug. Lily Rowe (10 Frew) and Libby Hutton (10 Frew) have been involved with this project, and they enlisted the help of the Early Years classes in Junior School. The students have drawn pictures inspired by Pig the Pug which will be prominently displayed in advertising for the Story Walk. This is a great chance for children to get out and about in the community and get involved in outdoor activities these holidays.

Year Three Camp: Sunnystones

On the first of November, year three was on the bus to Camp Sunny Stones. We stopped and got off the bus so we could walk the rest of the way. When we got to Camp, we made huts. Then we had a delicious dinner.

The next day we had breakfast and then we did geocaching. We had lunch then we did three more activities. First we did archery, then we did the low ropes course, then last of all we did canoeing which was my favourite.

On the last morning, we had breakfast then we played a game of survival tag. It was fun.

After that we got on the bus and went home. It was the best Camp I have ever been on.

Michaela Hall (3 Jones)

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Year Four Camp: Creswick

On November 1st, 2nd and 3rd Year Four went on camp to Creswick.

We enjoyed a programme full of challenging and rewarding activities. These included a Giant swing, commando course, zipline, initiative tasks and bush cooking. We also took part in making damper and drinking billy tea. We enjoyed having free time and cabin time with friends. Along with other great activities such as walks, movie night and the night bushwalk. We both loved canoeing, free time and having lots of fun with our friends. Camp Creswick was the best camp we’ve ever been on. 4D and 4M Had the best time in the world. It will stay as a memory for all year four students of 2021.

Leah Morley (4 Jenkin) and Archer Yuen (4 Frew)

When we got to Log Cabin Camp we went to our cabins. It was very big, we were in the Chapel. Then we did canoeing. Aanya and I were in a canoe together, it was very hard. The next thing we did was zip lining and it was very fun. When I got back to my cabin the people were very chatty. (well I was too!) The next day we went on the giant swing, the crate stacking and the commando course. The last thing we did was orienteering. On the final day we made damper and billy tea. We played in the games room because it rained. Then we went home.

Olivia Wang (4 Aherne)

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Year Five Camp: Creswick

The bus is waiting just outside the school gates, and everyone is buzzing with excitement. The suitcases are packed and we climb into the bus. The bus drives through lush green countryside hills, and sheep are apparently quite common up in these areas. After an hour and a half of driving, we finally arrive at the Log Cabin Camp. There are three dams that we pass and a goat paddock. There are ponies on the other side of the driveway too. Once we have taken our suitcases out of the bus, we get assigned to our cabins.

Soon we are again grouped around the meeting area to discuss our groups. We are sorted into activity groups, and head off with our teachers to the activities. On the giant swing, the person is harnessed to the swing, and the rest of the group helps to pull a rope that lifts them into the air. Then the person pulls a release cord, which causes the person to drop and swing. It is really scary and also fun.

Another activity is canoeing. You get a canoe to share with a partner, and then play lots of fun games on the lake. At the end, you can run and jump off the jetty, but be careful, it is cold!

Everyone agreed that the food was delicious. On the first night, we had chicken parmigiana with salad and chips. Even better was the dessert, which was a sticky date pudding with ice-cream!

All of the following meals at camp were truly spectacular, and they seemed to get better and better.

Ziplining turned out to be a favourite activity for most people. You get harnessed to a rope and then go whizzing down the line. Some people even chose to go backwards, upside down, and holding hands!

We had a wonderful time on Year Five camp and will remember it always.

Amélie Kooloos (5 Millward) and Hazel Ziffer (5 Jones)

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MOPS

This year we had 28 students from Year 6 compete in the Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO). It is a not-for-profit, professional organisation that offers a range of mathematical competitions for students aged from around 8 to 14. The programs are unique in that they focus on the students' ability to solve mathematical problems in a creative manner - as opposed to simply reaching a solution using a prescribed method.The APSMO Maths Olympiad has been operating in primary schools since 1987 and in high schools since 2003. Each year thousands of schools participate in the competition from around Australia and New Zealand.

Each week the group would meet and complete a variety of problems similar to those in the competition. We focused on different problem solving strategies each week.

Top 20% of the State – Stephanie Carlson (6 Frew), Riley Davey (6 Millward), Ben Phan (6 Jones), Shanali Wickramasinghe (6 Riley) and Misha Gupta (6 Millward). These students will receive a MOPS patch.

Top 10% of the State – Kira Collins (6 Jones) and Jack Joynson-Baker (6 Millward). These students will receive a MOPS pin.

Top 2% of the State and equal winners of the MOPS trophy this year – Thomas Seipolt (6 Riley) and Harshil Balraj (6 Riley).

65 Wattle Street