From the classroom

Nude Lunchbox Challenge – A Huge Success!

Last week our school took part in the Nude Lunchbox Challenge, an initiative aimed at reducing plastic waste and encouraging more sustainable choices in our lunchboxes.

Each morning, students counted the number of plastic wrappers in their lunchboxes and recorded the totals on their class tally charts. By the end of the week, Grade 3/4 Acocks/Whitfield were crowned the winning class, recording the least amount of rubbish overall. They proudly enjoyed their well-earned hot chip lunch, much to everyone’s excitement!

Students who brought completely waste-free lunches received raffle tickets throughout the week, and we had several very happy winners of the IGA vouchers, along with others who earned new drink bottles, lunchboxes, and containers.

A big thank you to all families for supporting the challenge and helping reduce the amount of plastic waste brought to school. It was fantastic to see such enthusiasm and commitment from our students—and even better to see that many continue to make waste-free choices beyond the challenge!

Grade 2 Fun Day, F–2 Stay back & Grade 2 Sleepover

The end of the year has been filled with excitement for our junior students, with three special events that brought plenty of smiles, teamwork and unforgettable memories.

Grade 2 Fun Day

Our Grade 2 Fun Day was an absolute highlight! We started the morning with ten pin bowling, where many students scored spares and even a few impressive strikes. Members of the public complimented our students for their excellent sportsmanship and the way they encouraged one another — a proud moment for our school.

From there, we headed to the park where students enjoyed rolling down the big hill and spinning on the turning wheels. The fun continued at the Splash Park, with everyone getting soaked under the giant tipping bucket. The staff at the park were so impressed with our respectful and well-behaved group that they wished all visiting groups were like ours — and even rewarded the students with a Zooper Dooper on the way out!

F–2 Stay back

This year marked our very first F–2 Stay back, and it was an outstanding success. We began the afternoon with a delicious afternoon tea prepared by the Hands on Learning students — a wonderful treat to start the event.

How lucky we are to have such amazing 5/6 helpers, who were fantastic throughout the afternoon. They showcased what wonderful leaders we have at Rochester Primary School by running all the different activities, supporting younger students and keeping everyone engaged and excited.

Students rotated through a range of fun activities, including the big parachute, scooter races, vortex throwing, tail tag, stilts and cone games. The energy and enthusiasm on display were incredible.

We wrapped up with sack races and a tennis relay, which had everyone cheering and laughing, creating a lively and positive atmosphere. To finish off the afternoon, students enjoyed perfectly cooked sausages — thank you Kaye and Merv — followed by a refreshing Zooper Dooper. It was the ideal way to celebrate a warm summer evening.

Grade 2 Sleepover

The excitement continued with our Grade 2 Sleepover, a much-anticipated milestone for our students. They loved setting up their sleeping spaces and settling in to watch an awesome movie together. Later in the evening, during our night walk, the group made an unforgettable discovery — the biggest possum ever, which quickly became the standout moment of the night!

The next morning, students woke up bright and early for breakfast, and having Mrs Whitford and Mrs Povey join us made the morning feel even more special. We were incredibly proud of the students’ behaviour, teamwork and positive attitudes from start to finish.

Thank You

A huge thank you to Sandra and Beck for joining us for the Fun Day and helping make the day run so smoothly. Thank you also to Mr Carroll’s dad for generously driving the bus, and to Ms Trickey for staying overnight during the sleepover. Your support helped make these experiences safe, fun and memorable for all of our Grade 2 students.