Specialists News

Auslan News

Grade Preps have been enjoying learning the Auslan signs in their new topic of Clothing: clothes, T-shirt, shirt (collared), shorts, jeans, skirt, dress, scarf, gloves, jumper, coat, rain coat, socks, shoes, and school uniform.

Prep students have made paper collages of people wearing different clothes to sign. They have been signing clothing items to hang with pegs on a mini-clothesline in the classroom.

Grades 1-2 students have been revising signs from previous terms. They are enjoying signing from the work they have completed throughout the year in their Auslan folders. They have been playing the Days of the Week Boardgame to revise the fingerspelling for the Days of the Week.

Grades 3-4 have been continuing to practise their new signs for Family: family, mother, father, parents, brother, sister, aunty, uncle, cousin, grandmother, grandfather, grandparents, girl and boy. Students have been writing short conversations to sign about their family with a friend. There has been some very impressive signing by some of the grade 3-4s during this task!

The Grade 5-6s are completing PowerPoints on famous people that have had a positive influence on the Deaf Community both within Australia and internationally. Famous people the students have been researching include: Helen Keller (Author and Writer), Sam Cartledge (Australian Deaf Basketballer), Alex Kirchner and Cindy Lu Fitzpatrick (Swimmers), Mike Webb (Interpreter), Beethoven and Emma Memma (Musicians/Entertainers), and Arnaud Balard (Artist). 

The Grades 5-6 students have completed their simple Auslan conversation recordings based on topics we have been learning throughout the year!! 

The Grade 5-6s are to be commended on how much they have learned in Auslan this year, particularly the Grade 6s knowing that they only had 1 year to learn as much as they could before moving onto Secondary School. I really hope that our students have the opportunity to continue to learn this valuable language as they move into their next phase of their education. Well done Grade 6s for giving it your best in Auslan this year!

All of our Spring Gully Primary students should feel very proud taking on the new language of Auslan at our school in 2023. The students have continued to amaze me in how they have embraced the language and worked hard to try to retain the signs we have learned throughout the year. Congratulations SGPS on an awesome first year of learning Auslan!!

I look forward to continuing to build on what we have learned this year, so that we can become more fluent at signing Auslan and having conversations in sign language together in 2024!! 

Mrs Riordan.

Sports News

Swimming Program

Our Swimming Program will conclude tomorrow with all of the students in our remaining groups looking forward to a slide at the end of their session. It has been great to see the students learn so much about stoke technique and water safety in such a short period of time. I would like to thank the staff at the Peter Krenz Centre for the outstanding quality of their instruction and caring nature with the children. I would also like to thank the SGPS staff and parents who assisted in making this such a smooth running program once again. 

We have been able to secure the same venue at the end of Term 4 in 2024. 

Junior School Athletics

Our Junior Athletic Sports will be held at the Spring Gully Cricket Oval on Monday the 18th of December. This will provide each student within grades Prep, One and Two with an opportunity to participate in a range of athletic events. Students will be split into six groups and will compete in their grade level for the duration of the day. Fun and participation are the themes of the day. Children will need to wear house colours and broad-brim hat, sun protection and suitable footwear for running. Children are asked to bring a water bottle, which can be refilled on the day.

The students will compete in the following events:

Further information, including consent to participate, can be found on the Compass Parent Portal.

Australian All Schools Athletics Championships - Jordyn L

Good luck to Jordyn L who will be participating at Australian All School Athletics Championships in Perth over the weekend.

Jordyn will be representing SGPS and Victoria in the 14 Years and Under pole vault event. All the best Jordyn!

Choir Performance

Congratulations to the SGPS Choir for their fabulous performance at Bendigo South East Secondary College this week as part of the "Big Sing". Students are commended for not only their outstanding musicianship, but exemplary representation of our school values throughout the day.

The SGPS choir performed 2 songs and also participated in the massed song item with over 100 students from 5 different schools, singing together on stage. We also had a tour of the performing arts building at BSE and heard some of their ensembles perform, such as the stage band and singing groups. It was amazing to get a taste of the opportunities available to our students when they move to high school.

Student reflections about their participation in the Big Sing

Zoe S: “I was proud of myself for going on stage and singing. It was a great opportunity to go and sing in front of other primary schools and BSE.”

Janaya S: “It was nice to see some people from BSE and see them sing.”

Casey B: “ Thank you to all my friends for supporting me and going on stage with me.”

Baylee M: “I was very proud of everybody for going on stage and having the most fun they could”

Elsie E: “I was proud to get on stage and sing in front of everybody.”