Primary School
Interschool Swimming Carnival
The recent Primary Interschool Swimming Carnival was a truly outstanding celebration of energy, determination and community spirit for Great Southern Grammar. With perfect conditions and a vibrant atmosphere, our students embraced every moment of the day, demonstrating not only their swimming skills but also the values that define our school.
From the very first race to the final relay, the carnival was filled with excitement. Our swimmers gave their all in every event, pushing themselves to achieve personal bests and cheering each other on from the sidelines. The effort displayed across all year levels was nothing short of inspiring. Whether diving into a competitive freestyle heat or bravely stepping up for a first-ever race, every student contributed to a day we can all be proud of.
What stood out most was the exceptional sportsmanship shown by all involved. Students supported not only their teammates but also competitors from other schools, creating a positive and respectful environment throughout the carnival. This spirit of encouragement and camaraderie is what makes events like these so special.
We also extend our warm congratulations to St Joseph’s College, Australian Christian College and Bethel Christian School. Their students showcased impressive talent, determination and teamwork, making for some truly thrilling races. The level of competition was high, and it was wonderful to see so many young athletes performing at their best while demonstrating mutual respect and encouragement.
Overall, the carnival was a fantastic reminder that success is measured not just by results, but by effort, attitude and the way we support one another. Great Southern Grammar can be incredibly proud of its students, who represented the School with enthusiasm, resilience and outstanding sportsmanship.
Individual Highlights:
- Year Six Girls: Sophie Mitrovski – Runner Up Champion; Laily Wrobel – 3rd Place
- Year Five Boys: Mason Fourie – Champion Boy
- Year Five Girls: Stephanie Forgus – Champion Girl; Evie Ford – 3rd Place
- Year Four Boys: Louis Sutton – Champion Boy; George Howard – Runner-Up Champion
- Year Four Girls: Lucy de Groot – Runner-Up Champion; Rosie Mitrovski – 3rd Place
Final Results:
1st – Great Southern Grammar
2nd – St Joseph’s College
3rd – Australian Christian College
4th – Bethel Christian School
Classroom News
Please see the classroom news below. Some fantastic experiences are happening in our classrooms; we hope you enjoy reading about them.
Kindergarten
This week we have continued to consolidate our pre-writing patterns, and the students are becoming very confident in identifying and clapping syllables. So Clever! This week we have also enjoyed an adventurous walk to the Wild Space, where the children noticed the tide was very high. Together, we carefully manoeuvred over rocks, through shallow water, and under and over branches. We were on a special hunt for feathers because we are wondering what types of birds live in the area. Mrs McPhee discovered a nest, sparking lots of curiosity, and we are now excited to investigate which kind of bird may live in a nest that size!
Pre-Primary
In Mathematics the students have been enjoying the Learning Through Doing program. This week we looked at two-dimensional shapes. We located shapes such as circles, squares, rectangles, ovals and even hexagons in our classroom environment. We learned to identify a trapezoid and rhombus. Then we used the pattern blocks to make patterns and pictures with some regular shapes. It has been such fun!
Year One
The Year One class recently became story writers, creating their very first five-sentence stories − and they were amazing! Over the past few weeks, they have been working hard to develop their writing skills, and it has been wonderful to see their confidence grow. Feel free to pop into our classroom and read these fantastic first attempts.
The students also continued their HASS inquiry by exploring the idea of memories, after reading the beautiful story Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge. We shared warm memories, sad memories, funny memories and memories from long ago.
In Mathematics, we have continued practising skip counting. There have been some great ‘lightbulb moments’ as students noticed patterns and proudly shared the connections they discovered.
Year Two
This week it was fabulous to see all the students brave and confident enough to present their poem from George's Marvellous Medicine to the class. With a focus on volume, tone, clarity and expression, along with some very good actions, the students once again exceeded our expectations in what they are capable of at such a young age. We have been focusing on doubles in Mathematics and making sure we have automatic recall of these facts out of order along with completing our skip counting and time assessment. In spelling we have enjoyed learning the Flossy Words song to help with this spelling rule.
Year Three
Year Three has been a hive of activity as we finalise our units of work for the term. It has also been a week filled with mixed emotions. We sadly farewelled Mrs Hardey, sharing lots of beautiful notes and cards to say thank you and goodbye. At the same time, we were excited to warmly welcome Miss Sibylle Wenger, our new teacher, into the Year Three classroom.
We have finished exploring the soil profiles of the GSG garden beds and have begun learning about the differences between minerals and rocks. Did you know that we eat minerals and that rocks can tell stories? Our Year Six buddies came and helped us with some tricky note‑taking in HASS. We have discovered that there are many community groups to be part of in Albany, and we are looking forward to creating a matching card game to teach our friends about these groups and the benefits of joining them. Mondays are always a laugh in Year Three as we turn Miss Tilly, our workplace student, into a robot who acts out the algorithms we write in Technologies. Our brain breaks have been full of cardio this week as we gear up for the whole-school cross country, and in Christian Studies, we have been learning about the importance of Easter and what it means to Christians.
Year Four
Over the past week, our Year Four students have been busy transforming the classroom into a mini arcade! They have been designing their own creative games inspired by pre-18th century explorers, blending history with hands-on problem solving. Along the way, students have been applying their understanding of forces to plan how their games will work, testing ideas and refining their designs. Students have also been explaining their designs to classmates, building confidence in speaking and making connections across learning areas. There have been some incredibly imaginative ideas, and we are very proud of their effort and creativity.
Year Five
We have officially launched into the final stage of our inquiry project − and what a spectacular orbit it has been! Speeches have been crafted, cakes have been baked, and now we are enjoying presentations that are truly out of this world.
Last Thursday set the bar sky-high, beginning with the marvellous Uranus crew: Caleb, Faolan and Mason, who served up a lemon yoghurt and jelly masterpiece (complete with a cricket bat prop that certainly caught our attention!). Next, Katrien and Shelby blasted off with their incredible asteroid cake, featuring a blazing sparkler tail that had everyone in awe. To finish, our Jupiter team: Stephanie and Annabelle, wowed us with a stunning multilayered (egg-free!) gas giant cake, topped off with fantastic costumes that brought their presentation to life.
Every student involved has set an exceptionally high standard, showcasing creativity, confidence and a whole lot of scientific flair. A huge thank you to the Ward, Williams, Fourie, Mead, Lambrechts, Brennan and Forgus families for your support and guidance in helping bring these interstellar creations to life.
Stay tuned as we continue our journey through the solar system; there are plenty more delicious and dazzling planetary presentations still to come!
Year Six
This week we continued our theme of practising investigations in Science. Both Year Six classes watched a video of landslides before discussing how we could implement this on a smaller scale. We looked at how we create questions and predictions to guide the investigation. The students created structures in the playground and used various amounts of water to test how stable their structure was. In HASS we have started our timelines and investigations to wrap up our work on Federation. On Friday (if the weather allows) we are looking forward to hosting the Primary sports rotations which we have spent time as a year group planning for.
ECC Briefing
The following superstars have worked exceptionally well and received a Star Award for their outstanding efforts.
Kindergarten A: Orion Melia
Kindergarten B: Kiana Jensen
Pre-Primary A: Alphonse Wong
Pre-Primary B: Amber Gill
Year One: Sophie Doorey
Year Two A: Harvey Lucas
Year Two B: Sofia Inglis
The following students have stood out for their ability to show integrity.
Kindergarten A: Matthew Brown
Kindergarten B: Alaina Chen
Pre-Primary A: Madison Edwards
Pre-Primary B: Hillary Parsons
Year One: Larni Jefferis
Year Two A: Isla Hodge
Year Two B: Charlotte Perera
Year Three to Six Integrity Values Award Winners
Year Three: Harry Mitchell
Year Four: Max Carpenter and Olivia Nelson
Year Five: Mackenzie Coleman and Raine Melia
Year Six: Tate Sawicki and Billy Sapstead
Brag Award – Lining Up Quietly After Lunch
Well done to Year Three!
Next week the Brag Award focus is on a tidy classroom…
Upcoming Events
Week Eight
- Thursday 26 March, Primary School, Parent Teacher Interviews (PTIs).
- Friday 27 March, Tabloid House Sports, House shirts for Year Three to Six.
Week Nine
- Wednesday 1 April, ECC Easter Hat Parade, 8.45am to 9.30am in the Gym. All welcome.
- Thursday 2 April, Easter Service, Pre-Primary to Year Twelve, 9.00am to 9.45am, in the gym. All welcome.
- Thursday 2 April, Whole-School Cross Country, 9.45am to 2.00pm. All welcome.
Term Two - Week One
- Monday 20 April, Pupil Free Day
- Tuesday 21 April, Term Two commences
- Tuesday 21 April, Welcome & ANZAC Assembly, Year Three to Year Twelve, 9.00am to 9.35am, in the Gym.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Ms Leah Field | Head of Primary and
Mrs Hayley Ranger | Head of Early Childhood