Year Level News

Upcoming Excursions and Incursions

Please ensure you have processed all consents and payments on your Compass portal to guarantee your child's participation in all upcoming incursions and excursions. 

If your child is unable to attend any of the events, please notify the office via email - here.

Foundation News

Wrapping Up Term 3

Here we are, successfully completing another term, Term 3 already! It has flown by so quickly, and with all the amazing learning and engaging activities along the way, we hardly noticed the nine weeks passing.

The last fortnight has been especially busy as we explored the topic of community helpers and what makes up a community. A highlight was a special visit from the fire brigade, where we learned about good and bad fires, the importance of smoke detectors, and having a family meeting place in case of an emergency at home. Students even had a little 'homework task' to count the smoke detectors in their house and discuss a safe meeting spot with their families. We were farewelled with a siren and look forward to a possible second visit early next term.

We were also very fortunate to welcome Fireman Bill (Emma’s dad), who spoke to us about fire safety and the importance of only dialling 000 in an emergency. The students came prepared with thoughtful questions, which made the session both valuable and engaging.

Another highlight was our excursion to the Werribee Zoo and students are still buzzing with excitement! We are so proud of how our Foundation learners displayed our school values while out in the community.

In Writing, students have been busy sharing their dreams of what they would like to be when they grow up. Alongside the much-loved 'famous footy player', we also heard about future palaeontologists, builders, doctors, architects, and many more wonderful ambitions.

In Maths, we explored the idea of sharing equally, discovering when things can be shared evenly and when there might be some left over. We also enjoyed working through Scaffolded Literacy sessions, using the text ‘How Did That Get in My Lunchbox?’ to guide our learning.

It has truly been a wonderful term of growth and discovery. We wish all our families a safe and happy break, and we look forward to another exciting term of fun, engaging learning ahead.

Year 1 News 

Bundoora Park Farm Excursion

On Wednesday 3rd September the Year 1 students visited the historic Bundoora Park Farm, located on Woiwurrung land. We were learning about how people lived in the past over 100 years ago as a connection to our history unit about community and culture.  During the day students rotated around 4 different activities including Aboriginal history, a school experience, exploring a homestead, seeing a working printing press, and learning about farm machinery and jobs.

Students stepped back in time to experience what school and home life were like many years ago. At the old schoolhouse, they learnt how strict classrooms used to be—lined up as boys and girls, with boys giving way to girls, hands by their sides, and everyone sitting in neat rows. The children tried their hand at cursive writing with ink pens, saw the old dunce hat, and discovered that there used to be only one book to learn from. The whole school was in a single classroom that taught every year level from Foundation to Year 8!

At the homestead, students explored everyday life in the past. They searched for modern comforts like toilets, TVs, fridges, and heaters—and quickly discovered they didn’t exist! Instead, they learnt about outhouses, chamber pots (or guzunders), fireplaces for warmth, and entertainment from books, games, singing, and the gramophone. Our guide Tom even showed them how to wind the gramophone up and play a record. Students also tried some old-fashioned chores such as churning cream to make butter, sweeping, and washing clothes with a washboard.

The printing press was another highlight. Students explored how communication has changed through time, from Indigenous art and Egyptian hieroglyphs to the invention of the press. They even had a go at printing their own initials using printing blocks—writing them backwards so they came out the right way when printed!

Farmer Matt introduced the children to the farm animals, sharing amazing facts about emus and eastern grey kangaroos. He also demonstrated old farm machinery, horse-drawn carts, and the blacksmith’s workshop, where they learnt how horseshoes protect horses’ feet and how a sharpening stone kept tools ready for work.

It was a wonderful day full of learning, discovery, and hands-on fun!

Year 3/4 News

Building Connections Through Creativity Social Skills Lesson

In our recent Year 3/4 social skills lesson, students worked in pairs to create imaginative chalk artworks that incorporated their partner into the design. Each student took turns as both the artist and the model, with designs ranging from riding a wave to holding balloons.

The activity encouraged teamwork, communication, and creativity, with a focus on building positive relationships and developing critical and creative thinking. It was wonderful to see students problem-solving together, celebrating each other’s ideas, and creating colourful artworks that brightened up our schoolyard.

Carlton Footy Team Visit

Some of the Year 3/4 students were fortunate to have the Carlton Footy Club visit and run a workshop about respect. Students worked together on building cooperative skills, understanding differences, and strengthening resilience through building activities. We learnt skills that footy players are taught, like how to manage emotions, and were given tools to understand gender stereotypes.

The Rajah Quilt

In Term 2, Year 3/4 students designed their own quilt patch based on the Rajah quilt they read about in the picture book ‘My Name is Lizzie Flynn: A Story of the Rajah Quilt’. This quilt was made by convict women on board the Rajah ship as they sailed to Australia from England. Today the quilt is housed in the National Gallery of Australia. We were so lucky to have a Year 3/4A grandma take each student's patch and create a class quilt for each of the Year 3/4 classes. Each patch took over an hour to attach - a mammoth effort!

Hobsons Bay Council and the Games Discovery Centre Excursion

We were so excited to be given the opportunity to see what it is like to be a council member and voice our opinions at Hobsons Bay chambers, where all the local decisions are made. It was great to see how democracy works. We also visited the Altona North Library and were lucky to see one of our teachers' books on display! Most of us were surprised by the availability of such fabulous free games at the Games Discovery Centre in the library. It was definitely our favourite excursion so far this year!

From 3/4A