Junior School Report

Message from the

Director of Learning

Junior School

Miss Jessika Cichy

As we head into the final stretch of Term 2, we’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the incredible effort and growth we’ve seen across the Junior Sub School.

A huge congratulations to all our Academic Excellence and Personal Best Award winners who were recently recognised for their achievements. Academic awards go to students who have consistently excelled in their subjects, while Personal Bests celebrate students showing determination, improvement, and goal-setting success. Well done to all our awardees – and to every student working hard and showing progress this term.

Attendance & Punctuality Focus

As part of our sub-school’s focus on developing punctuality and organisation, students have been issued letters regarding unexplained absences or lates. If your child received one, we kindly ask families to read through the letter together, write in any explanations, sign, and return it to school.

Families can help avoid these letters in future by:

• Logging absence notes directly into Compass via the Parent Portal

• Calling the school if you're unable to access Compass

• Encouraging students to pack their bags the night before, and head to lockers promptly when music plays in the morning

With 47% of Year 8s and 34% of Year 7s missing out on weekly Westall Points due to lateness, we are reminding students that lockers are now locked between Period 1 and 2. Students should be bringing the tools they need – including their charged laptops – for both periods one and two to their period one class. Please support them by reminding them to charge their laptops overnight and ensure their bags are packed and organised in advance.

Developing habits like time management and preparation now sets students up not only for school success, but for future work and commitments.

Upcoming: Year 8 Bounce Excursion

A reminder that the Year 8 PE Bounce Excursion is happening this Friday 20th June from 12:30pm–3:11pm. Students can bring or buy lunch at Bounce. The cost is $13 and permission/payment should already be finalised.

This is a fun opportunity for students to put their gymnastics and coordination skills into action in a high-energy, exciting environment – with trampolines, ninja courses, dodgeball and more!

Holiday Homework & Support

With Term 3 around the corner, the holidays are a perfect time to get ahead. Both year levels will begin a text study early next term for their English classes, and we recommend using the break to start (or finish) reading:

• Year 7 – Two Wolves by Tristan Bancks

• Year 8 – Crow Country by Kate Constable

These novels were included in students’ booklists and will be the focus of upcoming assessments in English. We highly recommend getting touch with classroom teachers to see what students could complete over the break, so they are prepared for their Term 3 classes and topics.

To help students maintain routine and avoid the “holiday slump,” we also recommend:

• Keeping regular bedtimes and wake-up times
• Scheduling some reading or quiet study time each day
• Reviewing notes or class materials from this term
• Having open conversations about school goals for next term

Thank you for your ongoing support in helping our students build great habits, both in and out of the classroom.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s progress, wellbeing, or school experience, please feel free to get in touch with myself or our Junior School Team. We are always here to support. 

Warm regards,

Miss Jessika Cichy

Director of Learning – Junior School

Aim High students 

This semester, our Aim High students collaborated in groups to research and present a wide range of fascinating topics to their peers. A key focus was imagining the future—both utopian and dystopian—prompting critical thinking about technology, society, and sustainability. To prepare for their upcoming visit to the Melbourne Museum, students also took part in an engaging introductory session on fossils, biodiversity, and evolution. Students also worked in groups to perform extensive research on different environmental problems and then presented their findings. These foundational concepts will help them make meaningful connections as they explore the museum's exhibits next week.

Mr Jason Tickner

Assistant Principal