YEAR SIX BADGE ASSEMBLY

Congratulations to our 16 Year 6 students who received their 2023 Leadership badges and House Captain badges at this week’s special Assembly. In their final year of primary school, the students will find many opportunities to lead as individuals and as a group. At the Assembly we spoke about the need for leaders to show courage and teamwork. We also looked at the Rudyard Kipling quote from The Jungle Book -‘The strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack.’

At the Junior School, we will seek to provide opportunities for our Year 6 leaders to learn the art of building relationships within teams, establishing goals, developing the confidence to speak and learning from the challenges of implementing initiatives or coordinating events. I wish them well for the final leg of their primary school journey.

WEEK 4 STAR STUDENTS

Congratulations to our Star Students this week:

Ed Whinney - ‘Taking on all the challenges of a new environment in a positive manner.’

Will Diprose - ‘An organised, focused and enthusiastic start to Year 1.’

Tahni Brown - ‘Displaying tremendous House spirit at House Swimming.’

Georgia Kennedy - ‘Displaying tremendous House spirit at House Swimming.’

Max Cameron - ‘Displaying tremendous House spirit at House Swimming.’

CHINESE: Emma Milne - ‘Consistently striving for excellence in learning Chinese.’

MUSIC: Campbell Reid - ‘Sapphire certificate for 900 minutes of practice on the piano.’

2023 CLASS REPS

Thank you to the following parents who have volunteered to be class reps for 2023. We look forward to welcoming our new families and continuing to build and grow our Junior School learning community.

ELC – Zoe Price

Prep – Anna Bufton

Year 1 – Kate Wall

Year 2 – Phoebe Stewart

Year 3 – Zoe Price and Jodie Nelson

Year 4 – Caroline Coggins and Stella Reid

Year 5 – Henrike Milne

Year 6 – Georgina Templeton and Bec Small

JUNIOR SCHOOL UNIFORM

With Intensive Swimming completed, we are back to a normal timetable and a regular uniform. The experiment with leaving hats at Junior School has been a big success. Close to 100% of our students have their hats on in the playground at recess and lunch.

A reminder that if you choose to send boys to school on cooler mornings with a blazer, they must wear a tie. There is the option of no tie when students opt to wear a College jumper.

There have been a few parent queries around P.E uniform and House Sports Friday. If students have a timetabled P.E lesson on a Friday with Mrs Patterson (Years 2, 3 and 5), they are to wear their College P.E shorts/tracksuit with their House coloured tops. From 2.30 pm onwards, all students will have House Sports to end the week.

FURNITURE ADDITIONS TO MYRNIONG

If you have ventured into classrooms and hallways of late, you may have noticed some cream chairs and lilac sofas adorning some of the learning spaces. A big thank you to Quest Portland for donating the furniture, and Mrs. Sarah Covill (Year 5 teacher) for acquiring these items and organising the delivery from Portland.

STEPHEN NELSON

Head of Junior School

SWIMMING

The phenomenal spirit of the Junior School Community was well and truly alive last Friday as everyone came together to help our students perform with positivity, determination and strength at the Junior School House Swimming Carnival. From our smallest contributors, celebrating the success of two weeks of intensive swimming lessons with their demonstration activities and the famous Cork Scramble, through to our older swimmers who were working hard to earn points for their house in the 25m and 50m races, it was the greatest of pleasures to watch such incredible team spirit and ‘have-a-go’ attitudes from each of our students.

Congratulations to our age-group champions:

9yo Boy: Sonny Shepherd 9yo Girl: Maggie Wallis

10yo Boy: Angus Reid 10yo Girl: Matilda Mercer

11yo Boy: Sid Hawker 11yo Girl: Poppy Shepherd

12/13yo Boy: Jimmy Dyer 12/13yo Girl: Yolanda O’Sullivan

Particular thanks must go to the band of incredible staff and parents who helped run the day, filling roles of in-pool support, marshalling, time-keeping, recording and of course running the eagerly anticipated carnival day barbeque.

Congratulations to the following students who have now qualified (on times), to compete at the SSV Division Swimming Championships to be held in Warrnambool on Thursday 2nd March.

Angus Reid, Sonny Shepherd, Matilda Mercer, Sammie Price, Hugo Toma, Sid Hawker, Poppy Shepherd, Ada O’Brien, Jimmy Dyer, Yolanda O’Sullivan, Elsie Brown, Ed Whinney, Johnny Fenton, Ruby Price, Grace O’Sullivan, Sophie Satchell and Maelys Haynes. We wish you well on this day.

TENNIS

Good luck to the following students who will be representing The Hamilton and Alexandra College Junior School today at the Hamilton Lawn Tennis Courts. Angus Reid, Ed Whinney, Lachlan Sweeney, Sid Hawker, Poppy Edgar, Kirav Patel, Jimmy Dyer, Sophie Satchell, Camilla Edgar and Andrew Sun.

ATHLETICS

The Junior School students are now busily preparing for the Junior School House Athletics Carnival which will be held at Myrniong on Wednesday 8 March from 9:00 am. This all-day event is run in age groups and on a rotational system. We are looking for parents to assist with each age-group to both walk with the students and to help manage events. If you can help on the day, please email Louise Patterson at the Junior School.

A reminder that you must have completed the Child Safe Training Module online please. https://tha.ac/childsafeform

MRS LOUISE PATTERSON

Junior School PE and Sport

Dates to Remember