Junior School

Sometimes these Newsletter items feel like a gratitude journal. This is because my reflection on the previous fortnight always fills me with gratitude to God for all the wonderful people in this community. Wonderful people who make great things happen and who go out of their way to ensure everyone feels welcome, loved and blessed.

Junior School Athletics Day

Thank you to the magnificent students, amazing PE coordinator, Christie Stephen and all the staff, PTFA (lead on the day by Amy Newton) and volunteers! It was a fantastic day. Read more here.

Harmony Day

It was fun seeing students arrive at school in either a splash of orange or dressed in traditional clothing depicting their heritage. It was a wonderful celebration of culture and tradition. Thank you to our brilliant Wellbeing/Chaplain team, Camilla McLeod, Tom Leach and Marko Wakim for putting on a great day for us. Read more here.

Japanese Homestay Students

We are so happy to welcome back students from Shibuya High School in Japan to King’s College. It has been a fantastic two weeks with Japanese students participating in lots of school activities and excursions. On Monday, the students came to visit the Junior School classes. Many Junior School students are hosting a Japanese student in their home and they have loved seeing them around school and in their class. Thank you to the program coordinator, Les Gardiner, and all of the host families for making this possible.

With all of this going on, we have also managed to squeeze in NAPLAN and Open Day. Thank you to our incredible NAPLAN coordinator, Carin Wills, as well as the great attitudes from our Year 3 and Year 5 students who have undergone tests this week. Thank you also to our enrolments officer, Kate McNaughton, for organising a very successful and highly attended Open Evening. There were many enrolments for next year, due to Kate’s hard work, as well as the efforts of staff, students and a team who, over the years, have ensured that King’s College is known and respected in our community.

Thank you God, for all that you are doing and all that you have done in the life of our school.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100:4-5

Alex Burgess

Head of Junior School

Prep

We have had an exciting few weeks at school! The Preps loved going to Athletics, our most favourite event was the "running race". Last week on Friday, we won the library award! This week we loved having some of the Japanese students visit and teach us how to make some Origami.

We also got to go to the Warrnambool Library this week! We had a tour where we got to see all the different parts of the Library, we got to ask all our questions, listen to a story and design our own book cover. When you're walking down the lower Junior School corridor, you'll be able to see pictures of all our book designs! It was a great morning!

We only have one more week till the School Holidays! Thank you to all the parents for all the help and support you give us in our learning!

Eden Romero

Prep Teacher

Year 1

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139:14

Last week, we enjoyed taking part in our Junior School Athletics Carnival. It was a wonderful day cheering on Calvin, Knox and Luther House Teams. We are very thankful for our parent helpers and to see the many families who were able to cheer on the students. Here are some thoughts from a few of our Year 1 students as they reflected upon the Junior School Athletics Carnival:

I didn’t win but I came third. We didn’t do relay. - Letty

I ran as fast as I could. - Anugrah

I didn’t have a medal but I tried my best. I was proud of everyone. - Olivia

I ran 200m. I got a green and red ribbon. I am in Knox. - James

I am good at discus. I am fast. - Reggie

I did 200m and 100m and 50m and I was fast. I got ribbons. Blue is for first. I got one first ribbon. - Rupert

I did quoits. - Enya

I did Athletics. I did 200m plus 100m plus 50m. It was a good day. - Eseta

I tried hard to win. - Zoe

Kerry Snook

Year 1 Teacher

Year 2

It is so hard to believe that Term 1 is already almost over! We have had so much fun throughout this term. Here's a little bit of what the Year 2's have been up to over the past two weeks.

If you've walked past the Year 2 classroom, you might have noticed some amazing information posters up on our windows! The Year 2's have gathered information as we toured the school and created information reports targeted at new families or students that might be interested in our wonderful school.

In Christian Studies, we have been learning about Jesus as the King and the Messiah. We explored what a typical king looks like and how Jesus was not what others were expecting. We had King Cayden demonstrate to the class how a typical king might look and act!

The Year 2's have also done an outstanding job at researching the life stages of different animals, then making 3D models out of plasticine of each stage. We also concluded our mealworm experiment, reaching the notion that mealworms in cold temperatures will not develop as quickly as mealworms in warmer temperatures.

Well done to all of the Year 2's on a fantastic first term!

Alissa Griffin

Year 2 Teacher

Year 3

Year 3 have been learning about vertebrates and invertebrates and the life cycles of different animals. They have become really good at classifying animals and identifying features of each group to classify them. Here are some pictures of some kids doing just that!

We’ve also been practising a lot for our Assembly item on Friday. We showed the school just how much we try to have a Growth Mindset in our learning!

We also celebrated Harmony Day and lots of us dressed up in our cultural background colours or in orange to celebrate harmony and diversity in our school and Australia.

Ang Hales

Year 3 Teacher

Year 4

In Year 4 we have a diverse range of nationalities. On Harmony Day, we talked about each student's nationality then researched the origin of their favourite foods, music, sports etc.

Christie Stephen

Junior School Teacher

Year 6

Year 6 really enjoyed this year's Athletics Carnival. I was extremely proud that every student participated in every event that they could so that they could all contribute every point possible for their houses. They enthusiastically and positively encouraged each other in every event but they also encouraged and cheered on students from others classes that were competing around them. They really showed exceptional leadership on this day. Well done Year 6.

Something else that Year 6 got to enjoy this week was on Wednesday, the Kinder children visited the Year 6's during their cooking class. In groups of 4 they worked together to put delicious choc chips and sultanas into their home made hot cross buns and did a fantastic job in creating a delicious treat for the Kinder children and staff. They then shared some books together. Year 6 wish everyone a wonderful Easter and fantastic holidays.

Coral Robertson

Year 6 Teacher

Junior School Art

The students have been enjoying using watercolour paint this term. The younger students have been learning the crayon resist technique, while older students have been experimenting with other more advanced techniques.

All the Junior year levels have been looking into what Easter means from a Christian perspective. We have watched videos, read stories and had discussions about the miraculous events which we in Australia recognise over three days beginning from Good Friday as Christ's death, and the other two days of the weekend which led to the climatic burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus.

This is when we as Christians celebrate Easter Sunday where it seems that even a child can understand the significance of this major final event which led to new beginnings for us, as now we are able to be set free from our previously helpless state of sin.

We have everything to gain after the miraculous resurrection of Jesus as we are now free to have a very intimate connection with our Saviour from within our hearts. This is indeed a greater position for us to be in and a time for great celebration!

Looking around our classroom and in the corridors it is clear by the Easter artworks that our students each understand and are able to express (in their own way using pictures) the very significance of this great event. Happy Easter!

Andrea Greene

Junior School Art Teacher

Junior School Gideon Program

The Gideon class recently had the pleasure of welcoming Mr Wakim’s Wellbeing Dog, Fezzik, into the classroom! Fezzik joined us for circle time where we learned all about safe ways to work with a Dog and also about how Fezzik can help us with our social-emotional development and engagement.

Fezzik then joined small groups on the mat and was read a variety of stories by our Gideon students whilst also receiving a multitude of pats and affection. An encouraging and uplifting session for our Gideon students!