Strong Hearts Strong Minds

Year 6 Graduation

As this chapter of Primary School comes to an end for the class of 2024, it is a time filled with excitement, pride, and celebration. The Year 6 Graduation marks not just the conclusion of years filled with learning and growth, but also the friendships made, the guidance of teachers, and unforgettable experiences like camps and special events. It’s a moment to look back on the students’ accomplishments and the memories that have shaped their journey, as they also look to the exciting next step of Secondary School with hope and anticipation. This year was the very first time the Year 6 Graduation was held off site at the York on Lilydale. The students were beautifully dressed, spoke lovingly of their time at MECS, and celebrated the end of their Primary Years with all the glory and praise to our incredible God!

SP Team

Prep Friday Fun Day

Last Friday Preps celebrated their amazing year of learning with a fun day out at Sprouts Play Centre.

Fiona Holliday

Prep Team Leader & Teacher

I liked when we went to the play centre and we stayed until the end of the day!

Hugo

I liked that we got icypoles and that we played with our friends. We were very lucky that the bouncy house deflated when we were leaving and not when we were there.

Lennox

I liked when me and Ella played in the baby play section.

Aubree

My favourite thing was the big slide.

David

My favourite thing was the rocket ship and the big yellow slide and the colouring.

Adelyn

My favourite thing was the rocket ship and the big swirly slide.

Maggie L

JP School Camp Experience

A Memorable Adventure!

From Wednesday, 27 - Friday 29 November, our JP students embarked on an exciting school camp experience filled with fun, learning, and adventure.

Wednesday: Transition Activities and Lego Incursion. The camp kicked off with engaging transition activities designed to prepare students for their new classes next year. The highlight of the day was the Lego Incursion with Ryan from Lego Masters. Students were thrilled to participate in three creative challenges: building a tower, hanging something from a piece of string, and making a food item that you can hold. The room buzzed with excitement and creativity as students showcased their impressive Lego-building skills.

Thursday: Excursion to Jells Park. Thursday was all about exploring the great outdoors at Jells Park. Students rotated through four activities: kite flying, playing games, walking to the playground, and bird watching at the lake. The fresh air and beautiful scenery made for a perfect day of outdoor fun and learning.

In the evening, the Year 2 students had their special 'stay late' event at school. They played more games, enjoyed a delicious dinner, practiced their manners and dinner conversation, and even cleared away their dishes to prepare for next year's MP camp. The night ended with a cozy movie session, watching Paddington with some popcorn.

Friday: Digital Technology, Sports, and Christmas Market. The final day of camp was packed with excitement. Students participated in digital technology activities, enjoyed various sports, and visited the Christmas Market. It was a fantastic way to wrap up the camp, leaving everyone with wonderful memories and a sense of accomplishment.

Throughout the camp, we were reminded of the importance of community and fellowship, as highlighted in Hebrews 10:24-25: "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." The students embodied this spirit by supporting each other, working together in their activities, and building lasting friendships.

Overall, the JP school camp was a huge success, providing students with a mix of educational and recreational activities that they will cherish for a long time. A big thank you to all the teachers, staff and parent helpers who made this experience possible!

Leesa Woods

Primary Team Leader & Teacher

Year 5 Christmas Market

During Term 4, our Year 5 students took on the exciting role of becoming business owners. They learnt about goods and services, marketing, advertising, market research, and understanding profits and losses. Each student was tasked with creating a business to operate at the Year 5 Christmas Market. Their primary goal was to raise funds to support GAWA Christian School (our sister school on Elcho Island) and an additional charitable cause, which is going to the Basement Food Hub to feed the homeless and needy.

The market featured a variety of activities and treats, including soccer juggling, ‘The Ducks That Stole Christmas', Santa’s Cups Ping Pong game, and an array of delicious goodies such as gingerbread, cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, fudge, rocky road, and more. The students delivered exceptional customer service, creating a lively and enjoyable atmosphere for all attendees.

Thanks to their hard work and creativity, the students successfully raised just over $4,000!

With thanks for your support, 

SP team

Student Reflections

The Christmas market was a time to remember and I loved all the excitement in the room. At the start we were all nervous and excited, until the first Preps & their buddies came, then we were all very excited. I was in a group with Lucy, Tess & Grace L. I loved to advertise to everyone walking around to try and get them to come to our stall & sell some brownies in a box. Even though my throat hurt at the end, I sold about 30 by walking around.

Once the market was over we decided to give some of our extras away for free because we had so many left. Even then we still had a lot of brownies left to take home. In the end our group made $298. The entire market made $4030.  

We changed our idea many times, from Jewellery to Gingerbread to Brownies then all the way around again. In the end we chose to do Brownies. We called our stall Brownies & Bells. That day was not only the only thing that was fun though, the weeks that led up to the day were equally fun. We got to make the posters, bake the brownies, make the decorations & plan it all with our friends.  

$2000 of the money we made is being given to Gawa Christian School to buy the students their Christmas presents & to get them a new school bus. The leftover $2030 is being given to the Basement Food Hub to feed the homeless and needy.

Harin, SPB

The start of the Christmas market was so nerve-racking, and the preps coming up with their buddies built up the stress. But when we started selling, I felt way better. I recommend selling Lebkuchen, because it was very popular with the older kids. If you’re not getting too many sales, you should try reducing the price slightly, or give deals, like buy one get one free, because there is a chance you will get more sales, which means more money.

When we got more sales, I felt excited and my nervousness just disappeared. The Chocolate Lebkuchen I made sold like hotcakes! Isaiah’s Marshmallow Snowmen was super popular too. I was very happy to be a part of the Christmas Market, because I got to have a try in running a business. Who knew running a business would be so fun?!  After the Christmas market, I asked some of the people who ate the Lebkuchen and Isaiah’s Marshmallow Snowmen if they liked it, and they did!

Jeffrey, SPB

The Year 5 Christmas Market for 2024 was an outstanding event, for both the customers and shop owners. We made an astonishing amount of $4030. Our group unfortunately made far too much stock, and next time it would be better to agree on a universal size for our cookies, so it wouldn’t differ as dramatically. On the whole it was a huge success, and everyone had lots of fun, from the Preps to the teachers.

The money is going to be sent to two places, GAWA Christian school, to help pay for a new bus and Christmas presents for the children and to the Basement Food Hub in Lilydale, provided we can make contact. The Food hub is just like a shopping centre, except you don’t have to pay to get your groceries. It is designed for people who might be going through hard times financially.

Alyssa, SPY

In our Christmas stall, we did a cup game where you throw a ball at some stacks of cups, but I think we should have brought more prizes because most of the young kids wanted the squishy prize. 

Our group didn’t expect a lot of people to come to our Christmas stall, and in a few hours most of the prizes were gone! We were very surprised when we ran out because a simple game made tons of money!

All of the year 5s had lots of fun during the Christmas stalls! I think that this year's Christmas stall was a very festive season, because it was decorated with a lot of Christmas ornaments and lots of colourful lights. We can’t wait to see next year's Christmas stall!

Jenny, Blessing and Ely, SPY

As we waited for the first class to come in, it felt like forever! Finally they were able to come in and Mack got their attention by dressing up in a Santa Claus costume and ringing a bell, saying, "come to our stall, you win prizes", we are doing soccer juggling if you like soccer. The teachers were also able to win a free massage. As kids came to our stall we took turns talking to them and how many turns they wanted. We all counted them on as they juggled. The buzz and energy coming from the kids was just great! Matthew got the most juggles, 55 and he won a mini soccer ball. The teachers that received the massage vouchers were Mr Chamberlain, Mr Pirie and Mr McMaster.

When we were able to buy from the other stalls, we walked around and looked at each stall and wondered what we were going to buy. The stalls looked amazing and everybody who served us was really kind and respectful. All the things we could choose from there were fudge, cookies, cupcakes, punch, popcorn, gingerbread popcorn, gingerbread and so much more. 

Our group raised $164. The Christmas market was the highlight of the year for all of us. We were so sad when it ended. When we were cleaning up most groups that were selling products had heaps of leftovers. The Year 5s got to take the food home.

Mark, Mack and Zoe, SPG

Bang! The door slammed open. The day had begun. We took our positions and got prepared for what was about to happen. We watched as the Preps and their buddies excitedly walked around the pump room. All of a sudden, before we knew it, the JP’s started coming in! The day was going by fast. 

By the time the MP’s came in, our money box was nearly full! We were all proud of ourselves for making all that money to donate to Gawa Christian School. Who knew running a business was so exciting and fun to do?!

We started having a long line of kids wanting to come to our stall. We could see their excited faces as they tried to do the claw machine. And when they got something from the claw they looked so excited. We loved seeing the buzz of energy and chaotic kids rushing from stall to stall buying things for them and their family. 

Our stall was a big hit to all the kids who love games, jewellery and lollies. Even some of the teachers bought from our stall and had a go of the claw machine. The Christmas Market was a huge surprise and was a really fun experience to know what it feels like to run a business and to know how to respond to customers who were being a bit of a pain. 

In the end, we made a total of $470 dollars from our stall! 

Grace, Alannah, and Mia J, SPR