Primary News

What a wonderful week it has been for our Year 6 students as they have enjoyed their last week as primary school students. They have danced, presented and today, they party! At their final assembly yesterday, they re-lived their                       St Philomena’s K-6 journey - from Kinder sleepover to the fabulous Year 6 excursion. School Captains Claudia Finlayson and Oliver Cook also gave their Captains Speech, in which they reflected on their leadership role. They, along with prefects Demi Thorburn and Harry Wells,  have been exceptional representatives of the wonderful group of students that have been Year 6 2015.

Claudia’s speech:

Good afternoon parents and friends, teachers, students and most importantly,my fellow year six students. I am Claudia Finlayson and today it is my privilege to share with you my time as school captain.

Being school captain has taught me many things. I could really sum it all up in three words - confidence, compromise and consideration.

Confidence to carry out the jobs that come with the role - in particular, weekly assemblies. Compromise in order to take on board the ideas of others, even when they may contain opinions that are not the same as yours. And finally, consideration. Being considerate and respectful of others and being aware of what is happening around the school, and how you can help, is also an important part of being school captain.

I would like to give my best wishes to the new school leaders for next year - Ruby, Edward, Nellie and Ryan. I know it will feel  nerve wracking at first but after a while you ease into it and it is a very enjoyable role.

To the other members of Year 5, it has been great sharing our learning space this year. I have made some wonderful friends and I have no doubt that, as a year group, you will guide the current Year 4 group and be fabulous role models in our Stage 3 space.

We have been so lucky to be the group that experienced this learning opportunity for the first time.

To my fellow Year 6 students, I really think we have been a close group. Hervey Bay was so much fun and just demonstrated how much we really enjoy each other’s company. Good luck to all of you next year. I really feel that we will all stay in touch somehow.

On behalf of my fellow year six students, I’d like to say thank you to all of the teachers, staff and parents, who have helped us through our                  St Philomena’s journey over the past seven years.

Mrs Jagers, we’d like to say thank you for leading us step-by-step through the past 7 years.

Mrs Downes. You’ve been the one with all the handy tips to keep us moving throughout the years.

All of our other dear teachers. Your wealth of knowledge and experience has seen us learn many things over the past 7 years, and of course, we wouldn’t be here without you. So we’d all like to say, Thank You.

Finally, our parents. For some of you it is your first to finish primary, and for some of you your last. The time and energy you have spent with us and with this school have made our primary days unforgettable.

Overall, this has been a great school year, a great primary school life. We’ve made it to the end of our primary school years and are very excited about what the next few years will bring.And guess what, we did it. Seven years later, seven years of education, and here we are, the end of primary school.

Oliver’s Speech:

Good afternoon Mrs Jagers,  teachers, distinguished guests, students and fellow Year 6 graduates. My name is Oliver Cook, and I am the School Captain of St. Philomena’s primary, and on this special occasion today I would like to share with you my fantastic experience throughout my many years here.

When I think about the experiences I have most enjoyed whilst being a school leader, I would have to say that the weekly assemblies have been one of my favourites, as it has trained me to be a better public speaker. I also personally liked the discos and games we held in the hall every Friday lunchtime, I think allllll of us can agree on that.

However, of all the enjoyable experiences I have had, there are a few things that I must say were a bit hard. Firstly, earning the respect of my fellow students was difficult, as I found that people don't always have the same idea as you. I learnt that in order to come to a conclusion, you need to pay attention to everyone's opinion and find an outcome that best fits everyone's needs.

Secondly, another thing I found hard was speaking in front of everyone at assemblies and special occasions, much like what I am doing before you today. It is rather nerve wracking at first, however after a few weeks of practise, it becomes a weekly thing to look forward to on a Friday afternoons.

There are a few people who deserve recognition. Firstly, our mentors. On behalf of the Primary Student Body, I’d like to say thank you to our mentors. Mrs Cath Keen, Miss Jessica Redgrove, Mrs Cathy Downes, and Mrs Pamela O’Neill.  We’d like to say thank you for always being there for us throughout the past year.

Secondly, I’d like to thank all the parent helpers. Whether it’s been in the canteen, coming in for reading when we were in Kindy, or just coming  in to help in  class. You’re the ones who’ve supported us, kept us moving, and, well, forced us to sit down and do our homework.

Finally, I'd like to give my deepest gratitude to my fellow prefect body and classmates. You guys are the reason why my years at St. Philomena’s have been the best years of my life; you guys are the reason why I have grown to be the young man I am today. We did it, we finally made our way to the big money, we finally made our way to high school.

I think all of us Year 6 students can agree that we have had many, many great years, have made lots of true friends, and have had lots of wonderful teachers.  Thank you, everyone, for making this such an amazing year.  It has been lots of fun, and I’m sure Year 6, 2015 will always  remember our seven years, that sometimes felt like 20 years, at   St Philomena's Primary School.

Years 3-6 Social

Oh what a night!!!!