Junior Campus

2024 House Captains

Well done to all our Year 6 students who applied for the position of House Captain.  The students all delivered well-planned, honest and passionate speeches to their Houses last Wednesday.  After much deliberation, Junior School Heads of House and House teachers selected their Captains for 2024:

• Berry House - Grace O’Sullivan and Evie Templeton
• Laidlaw House - Abel Gaussen and Fred Nagorcka
• Learmonth House - Aida Adamson and Kirav Patel
• Young House - Imogen Johns and Ada O’Brien

The Year 6 Badge Assembly is next Tuesday (20 February) at 12.20 pm in the Refectory. 

Gratton Institute - Reading

On Monday, the Gratton Institute released a report - The Reading Guarantee: How To Give Every Child The Best Chance of Success. The following points were made. 

• The key cause of Australia’s reading problem is decades of disagreement about how to teach reading.
• The evidence is clear; the whole language approach does not work for all students.
• Schools should adopt a ‘Structured Literacy’ approach, with a focus on phonics in the early years.
• Explicit teaching to build up background knowledge and vocabulary is a necessity. 
• Universal screening of student’s reading skills is required to track student progress.

In 2022, the Junior School moved to embrace the evidence-based whole-class Literacy program in our Early Years. This year, we introduce SpellEx, a whole class spelling program suitable for students in Year 3 and Year 4.  It provides explicit instruction in spelling concepts, terminology, rules and conventions. We have also undertaken reading screening assessments with all students using DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills).

Junior School Campus Programme 

Next week, our Year 5 and Year 6 students head off on the first of our 2024 school camps. Students will canoe, abseil, mountain bike and bushwalk at The Outside Inn, a new school camp venue close to the Wannon River. The timing of this camp should allow students and teachers the opportunity to bond and enjoy outdoor pursuits. 

Young House Service 

The first of our 2024 House Services will be held on Monday 4 March at 10.15 am in the Uniting Church. Young House Captains, Imogen Johns and Ada O’Brien, along with Head of House, Mrs. Sharon Kelly, have commenced preparations for the Service.  All Prep to Year 6 Young House students will contribute to the Service. 

House Swimming Carnival

Tomorrow, we will see our first House competition for 2024, the House Swimming Carnival at Hamilton’s Hughan Park outdoor pool.  Prep to Year Two water confidence events commence at around 9.30 am. Parents and grandparents are most welcome to attend and cheer on the students.  Students in Prep to Year 2 are welcome to go home at the conclusion of their events, around midday.  Please advise your child’s House teacher or Nat Povey when you leave.  The Parents’ and Friends’ Association will be running a BBQ.  Sausages, muffins, fruit salad and drinks will be available for purchase.

Hockey

Expressions of interest forms went out this week for the 2024 hockey season. It would ideal if they could be returned to Mrs. Povey tomorrow, Friday 16 February. The 2024 season will commence in the first week of Term Two. 

For new players to hockey, Hook in2 Hockey will run in Term One. Sessions will be held at Pedrina Park, with the first this Saturday at 9.30 am.