Specialists News

Auslan News

Grade Preps are doing an amazing job remembering the signs we are learning for basic greetings in Auslan: 'Hello, how are you?' 'I’m good/bad/okay/sad/happy', 'Nice to see you!' 

The Preps have been enjoying learning these signs through 2 Emma Memma songs: “Hello, how are you?” and “Happy Birthday!” We have been playing the 4 corners game to learn how to respond to someone when they sign “How are you?” This has bought about much excitement and many cheers as the students gain points for their choices identifying the correct signs around the room! We have also played a memory matching game this week and the Preps are enjoying finding a matching pair of signs and then signing them to the class.

Grade 1-2s have been enjoying practising their Fingerspelling skills, learning from our new program Learn Auslan Online with our online Auslan teacher, Darren. They have also been learning some important 'Do’s and Don’ts' when fingerspelling. Ask your child/ren to identify the tricky letters when fingerspelling (r and l, m, n and v) and see if they can trick you with them as they’re signing! This week the Grade 1-2s are practising a simple Auslan conversation, using greetings and everyday signs with a partner: 'Hello, my name [fingerspell NAME]', 'Good morning/afternoon', 'How are you?' 'I’m good thank you', 'Nice to meet/see you', 'How was your weekend?' 'Good/Bad/Okay'. 'See you soon!' 'Goodbye'.

Grade 3-4’s have also been practising their Fingerspelling. They have been practising the alphabet through the sentence: THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER THE LAZY DOG! This is a good sentence to use for fingerspelling practise as it uses every letter of the alphabet, however out of order! This really makes our brains think hard to recall the correct sign for each letter to fingerspell the sentence correctly. Grade 3-4s have been writing their own simple conversation to sign with a partner to practise using greetings and 'Wh…' question words in context. Encourage your child/ren to do a little Auslan practise every night in conversations. Even just signing a word or two that they know while they are chatting about their day. 

Greetings: 'Hello, How are you?' 'Good Morning/Night/Afternoon', 'Was your day good?' 'My name is…' 'What’s your name?' 'How are you feeling?'

'Wh…' question words: Who, What, Where, When, Why, How, 'How old are you?' 'How many?' 'How much?' 'Why?' and 'Because'.

Grade 5-6s have been discussing MYTHS about what it is like to be Deaf or Hard of Hearing (HOH). Here are some MYTHS that the Grade 5-6s have come to learn are actually misconceptions that a lot of people have about Deaf people: ALL Deaf people can lip-read, Deaf people prefer you to speak s..l..o..w..l..y… for them to understand, Sign Language isn’t a real language, Deafness is a disability, Deaf people can’t work or go to University, The Deaf Community is a closed community, against spoken English, The Deaf Community is a quiet & subdued community, ALL Deaf people prefer to use a hearing aid, People who have hearing aids are not part of the Deaf Community, People who are Hard of Hearing, prefer you to speak loudly or yell for them!

Students have been able to identify some really interesting FACTS about people in the Deaf community by looking at the MYTHS people believe. These MYTHS have generated some really great discussions in class and we have enjoyed BUSTING the MYTHS, like the MYTHBUSTERS, with the knowledge we have about the Deaf community so far!! 

Mrs Riordan.

Sports News

Spring Gully Senior Swimming Sports

Congratulations to all students from Grades 3 to 6 who competed at our Senior School Swimming Sports at the Bendigo East Pool last Thursday. Perfect weather allowed for the sports to run smoothly as the students competed in a range events including; freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. Novelty games were also played in the Intermediate pool. It was great to see so many children participating, giving their best efforts. Students were awarded House points for every event they chose to compete in. The final House standings will be announced at Assembly on Friday. 

The highlight of the day was the House Relay event, with ASHBY House leading all the way to secure victory.

Congratulations to the following students who will now go on to represent the school at the Sandhurst Division Swimming Championships at Bendigo East Pool on Monday 4th March. These students have been informed of their selection and will receive further information via Compass.

Thanks to all staff and parents for their assistance in making our swimming sports run so smoothly.

Deborah District Tennis Tournament.

On Monday we had 5 students represent the school at the Deborah District Tennis Tournament at Spring Gully Tennis Club.

Oliver S and Charlie M played in the Boys competition, whilst Hannah J, Nihira G and Peggy P played in the Girls. The standard of play was fantastic with many high quality rallies taking place. The players are to be congratulated on the sportsmanship, enthusiasm and skill they displayed throughout the day.

Both Oliver S and Hannah J finished second in their respective competitions and will now go on to represent the school and Deborah District at the Sandhurst Division Tournament later this term.

A huge thank you to Jim Widdowson and the Spring Gully Tennis Club for their support with this event. 

North Melbourne AFL Footballers Visit

Last Monday we were lucky enough to have some Nth Melbourne AFL footballers visit our school. The students were very excited to see some of their heroes. Nick Larkey, Brayden George, Josh Goater and Miles Burgman spoke to the Grade 5/6 students about their journey to the AFL, their experiences, and the requirements of being a professional sportsperson. The players answered a number of questions from the students and signed autographs. We are very grateful for the time Nick, Brayden, Josh and Miles spent with our students and will certainly follow their careers with great interest.