Primary School 

From the Head of Primary 

The weeks feel like they are flying by with such an action-packed calendar. Our students are spoilt for choice with camp-outs with their dads, orienteering, Mother’s Day, Maths Relay, Year Six service activities, guest speakers, Mathematics Stretch and Challenge, and Horizons just to name a few. 

I have enjoyed spending some time in each of the classes this term and seeing the wonderful displays the students and teachers have created, often linked to their inquiry or Talk for Writing. The Gruffalo cave in Year One is incredible and I was lucky enough to see a cooking demonstration for “Gruffalo Crumble” on Wednesday. A big thank you to Mr Geoff Hardy and Ms May Botha who took a group of Years Five and Six students to the Interschool Orienteering event last Thursday and came back victorious, and to our ECC staff for such a wonderful Mother’s Day morning, today.

Year Six Service

Our Year Six students are busy coming up with plans and putting these into action to accrue their thirty hours of community service as part of our Anchor programme. Leadership is a huge focus for our students in Year Six, as we endeavour to give them a holistic education that prepares them for the journey ahead as community-minded young adults and Secondary students. You may have seen initiatives such as icy-pole sales, sausage sizzles, Foodbank drives, lunchtime activities and peer support happening around the school. The students have the entire year to complete their thirty hours, and if successful they will be awarded with their Anchor badge upon graduation.

Orienteering

Congratulations to our orienteering team, who for the first time brought home the Champion Overall School. Our Year Five students won their section, our Year Six students came second, and Ruth Toomey was the overall winner for the Year Five girls. Thank you to Mr Geoff Hardey for taking the students and for all of his training and organising, and to Gap Assistant Ms May Botha for her help on the day. 

Well done to the following students who achieved individual places:

Maths Relay

On Friday during our pastoral care rotation time, students from Years Two to Six participated in an Interhouse Maths Relay challenge. The ‘batons’ started in Year Two where students solved a picture-problem task. Well done to Year Two student Nina De Giambattista for giving Mokare a stellar start! With all batons eventually residing in Year Three, it was Sadie Cameron who burst out of Year Three first, giving Wilson the upper hand, only to have Amour Hardey solve the equation first in Year Four and hand the lead back to Mokare. The Year Five question had the cohort stumped for quite some time and built tension in the onlookers in the foyer, anticipating which House would solve the equations first and give the Year Six students a head start. The Mokare head start wasn’t a huge factor in Year Five and whilst Baudin was one of the last to begin, Zara Hancock ran out of Year Five first, giving Baudin the advantage. Hot on Zara’s tail was William Roxburgh, and Mokare was back in the race. All was quiet in Year Six but the doors eventually flung open with Blythe Marmion grabbing the flag for Mokare and raising it first. Well done to Wilson (second), Camfield (third) and Baudin (fourth). 

Mother’s Day Morning – ECC

Thank you to Miss Hard, our ECC Coordinator, for facilitating a wonderful celebration for GSG mothers and female heroes of our ECC students. Our ECC teachers, Miss Hard, Mrs Brown, Mrs Gouldthorp and Ms Diletti alongside our terrific Education Assistants provided entertainment, crafts and wonderful shared experiences this morning.

School Values 

Our Value focus for the first fortnight of the term has been 'commitment'. As a school, we have discussed the numerous ways students can show the value of commitment, including their sports teams, at school and with tasks they have taken on. Well done to the following students who received Value certificates for 'commitment': 

Agya Yeboah, Ally Buxton, Zayne Prasad, Annabelle Brennan, Gracie Williamson, Mia Palmer, Harrison Baldwin, Alex Wright and Jessica Lee. 

ECC Stars of the Week:

Odin Stephenson, Hamish Field, Joel Castle and Emily Hicks.

Reminders

Horizons

A reminder to please let us know if your child will be absent from their Horizons activities. We have a duty of care to ensure they are accounted for in the afternoon. Our Technologies and Art Clubs are full, but there are limited vacancies in Tuesday’s French Club, Wednesday’s Circus Skills and Thursday’s Strength and Conditioning. Please see the original email for ages and times for these activities. 

OSHC

We are excited for this to begin next week but require your support in sustaining this wonderful offering. Please contact Preity Dhaliwal if you would like to sign up your child/ren on a casual or committed basis. OSHC will be based in our Kindergarten classroom and offers care for students after school from Kindergarten to Year Six, from 3.00pm to 6.00pm. For booking and enrolment enquiries, please contact Preity on 0466 080 593 or preitydhaliwal@gmail.com

Mobile Phones and Smart Watches

With students catching buses and working parents, phones and smartwatches provide a wonderful peace of mind. However, please ensure your children are adhering to the School’s student mobile phone policy: “Smart watches must have a mode enabled which prevents access to wifi and data during the school day”, “May not be used by students on school grounds between 8.30am and 3.10pm”, “Must be kept in lockers, in silent mode, or handed to Administration. Mobile phones must not be taken into classrooms, assemblies, chapel or any other meetings.”

Walk or Ride to School Day

Our first Walk to School Day is happening tomorrow, Friday 12 May. We would love to see as many parents and students as possible parking their cars and walking or riding to school from Coraki Park. Please meet us there by 8.00am. Staff will be assisting with the walk by either walking, riding or ferrying bags back from the park. Muffins and Milo will be waiting at the Library upon completion. A shuttle service for parents to go back to Coraki Park to collect their cars will depart at 8.45am from the School. Please let me know at the start if you require a lift back. 

School’s 25-Year Celebrations

Several celebrations will be occurring this term to celebrate 25 years of GSG. All students are asked to please wear their House coloured shirts on Monday for a whole-school drone photo in the shape of a 25. Foundation Day and the Running of the Flags will be held on Friday 9 June. Students from Years Two and Six will run this Friday for selection. 

I look forward to seeing many of you at the Walk or Ride to School Day tomorrow or at the Year Three assembly in the Hall at 2.30pm (all welcome). 

To our mothers and mother figures, I hope you have an enjoyable and relaxing day on Sunday.

Mrs Leah Field | Head of Primary