Primary

                                                                   Mrs Leanne Schulz

Assistant Principal (Primary)

It is great to see the new Cumberland Playground finally open! The students are having a ball exploring this new learning space. 

The new undercover space in the Prep and Year 1 area will be open for access in Term 2, once the new grass has had a chance to settle. This will be a welcomed addition for the students to enjoy! 

Harmony Week 

Mia P and Akshaj M (Year 6 Captains)

This week many people around the world will be celebrating Harmony Week. In Australia, Harmony Day takes place on Tuesday 21 March. It was first celebrated in 1999 when the Australian Federal Government declared it a national day.

Harmony Week is where we acknowledge, celebrate and support all the varied cultures that are a part of Australia. It is based on the combination of migrants from all over the world who have made Australia home. It is also an opportunity to pay tribute to the Indigenous Australians of this wonderful country.

A famous cultural historian, Thomas Berry once said -“The greater the diversity, the greater the perfection.”  

Australia is a very successful multicultural country with around one quarter of its population born overseas. Australia welcomes immigrants from many countries every year. Since 1945, almost seven million people have migrated to Australia. This rich, cultural diversity is one of our greatest strengths. Australia has the world's oldest continuous cultures, as well as Australians who identify with more than 270 ancestries. Isn’t that fascinating? 

We Australians believe that a society that accepts and embraces all cultures, is the one that grows and prospers. That is why we celebrate Harmony Day every year with a motto ‘Everyone Belongs’. 

On Harmony Day we wear orange to show our support for cultural diversity and an inclusive Australia. Orange colour….do you know why? Orange represents social communication, meaningful conversations and relates to  the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect. By wearing orange, we show our support, participation and appreciation on Harmony Day. 

Harmony Week is a reminder to demonstrate inclusivity, equality, respectfulness and belonging regardless of culture, religion and beliefs. If we refer to our closing assembly song, it states the following… “We are one but we are many and from all the lands on Earth we come” sums up what Australia represents. 

If you look around our school, you will notice that there are many different cultural backgrounds here. This is what makes Aitken College a multicultural community.  Let’s come together today, this year and every year to celebrate our diversities. 

Wishing a very Happy Harmony Day to everyone!

Term 1 Assembly Roster

Reminders 

• Students are not permitted to cross the ring road in the mornings for safety reasons, unless crossing at the pedestrian crossing to go to their class in the Prep or Year 1 area. 
• Each child is required to have a named bottle of water at school. 
• When packing a lunch box, we encourage you to attempt to eliminate the need for any plastic wrappers around food. It is important to include healthy snacks, including fruit and vegetables, and avoid snacks high in sugar or salt. NUDE Food is a priority. 
• Your child must bring their hat to school every day otherwise they may have to miss out on playing. 
• It is advised that your child bring a small tube/bottle of sunscreen. Please ensure that they have sunscreen on before they arrive to school. 
• It is compulsory that hair is tied back, at all times. If the hair is long enough to be tied back, it must be tied in a bottle green or navy hair tie.  
• Prep and Year 1 children are required to bring a spare change of underwear, socks and trackpants/shorts (blue or green) to school.  
• Jewellery is not permitted, except for a small stud or sleeper. 
• Mobile phones must not be used to communicate with parents during the school day; it is preferrable that Primary students also do not wear a smart watch as they are expensive, and there is a temptation for students to ring parents rather than sort problems out at school (this does not help build independence or resilience). 
• If you plan to bring birthday treats to school for your child, speak to the Homeroom teacher before you prepare a treat. A bag of lollipops is sufficient so please do not prepare elaborate individual lolly bags or gifts for students as this creates a level of unwanted competition. 

Mrs Natasha Radley (Head of Year Prep)

During Harmony Week, the Prep students enjoyed learning about what Harmony Week means. Here are a few student's replies:

Oliver L - Prep C: “ It means we celebrate with people”

Nate O - Prep F: “ It’s about other people and love”

Austin M - Prep F: “It is about being special and taking care of others”

Aidan A - Prep C: “You celebrate the day of Harmony”

Eli I - Prep C: “We celebrate all the other cultures and the same”

Zachary J - Prep H: “We wear orange to celebrate”

Grace R - Prep H: “We be nice to people”

Alayziah S - PH: We celebrate people with food and different cultures”

We are lucky to have staff from many different cultures. The Prep students were lucky to have a visit from Mrs Jyot who came in and read “We’re going on a Bear Hunt" in English and Hindi. She also wore her traditional dress and brought in bindis for the children to wear. They also participated in a traditional dance which was lots of fun. They were absolutely thrilled to have this experience.

On Wednesday, the Prep students enjoyed going to the new Primary building and catching up with their buddies. During this session they completed some Harmony Week activities. They decorated a hand with their buddy and wrote their names on it together and they wrote down ways in which to be kind to one another.

In class the teachers are always trying to instill in the children that being kind, caring and respectful will help them to be the best person possible. Harmony Week reiterated this for the Prep students, who have been doing a great job already in doing these things at school.

Mr Jevon Scandrett (Head of Year 1 & 2)

It has been a wonderful fortnight of learning in Years 1 and 2! 

Year 1 students have been continuing to work on recount writing. They have taken part in several experiences at school to write authentic recounts. Students visited the school farm and completed recounts after this experience - take a look at some incredible writing below! 

Kendrick B - 1D

Before lunch we went to the farm. We sat and we listened to the teacher. He told us about the lambs. He gave us some food. I put my hand out to the lamb so he came to me. They eat quick. I had to drop the food. It was crazy, I couldn’t believe it! We looked at the plants. I was hot. I felt great! 

Ariana G - 1D

Yesterday before lunch, 1D went to the school farm. We saw the new lambs. They were black and white. We got to feed them dried grass. One of the cheeky lambs pulled the grass out of my hands. The lambs had wool all over their bodies. Then we saw the alpacas. They had long necks and they had wool too. When we had to go I was tired. 

Dilein W - 1B

On Tuesday we went to the Aitken farm with Mrs Bailey and Farmer Glen. It was very fun. I fed the sheep and that sheep was good when I was feeding grass. I saw a very good alpaca and it was eating grass. 

Arshi S -1B

On Tuesday me and 1B went to the Aitken Farm. We went with Farmer Glen and Mrs Bailey. I fed a ewe. It was fun and it was sunny. Then we looked at some alpacas. We saw Farmer Glen feeding the alpacas. I was feeling happy and the alpacas were fluffy and we fed them hay. I was really happy and when I felt the lamb wool it was fuzzy. 

Tayza B - 1R

On Tuesday 1R went to the farm. At the farm we saw sheep and the sheep were cute and lovely. Some of us fed the sheep and some of us just looked at the sheep. We met a farmer, and his name was Mr Hudson. The sheep were 5 months old. The farm had big trees and rocks and bugs. When we walked back to the classroom I felt tired.  

Lyla G - 1R

On Tuesday 1R went to the farm. 1R met Mr Hudson and he was clever because he knew a lot about the sheep. The sheep were friendly because when we fed the sheep, they were very gentle. Do you know my hat went in the sheep barn? I was shocked and luckily Mr Hudson got my hat back. There were lots of trees and bugs. When 1R left I was very happy because I got to see the sheep! 

Year 2 students have been working on skip counting in Mathematics. It would be most beneficial for students to continue to practise counting forwards and backwards by 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s. This could be done during trips in the car to pass the time! 

Should you have any questions or concerns your first point of call should always be your child’s homeroom teacher followed by me as the Head of Years 1 and 2. 

Mrs Anne Adams (Head of Year 3 & 4)

Students have well and truly settled into the term routines. It is wonderful to see the students practising and promoting the College values in and outside of the classroom.  Congratulations to our cross-country winners and everyone else who participated. Students supported and cheered on their friends and promoting a positive team spirit. An exciting development was that the playground has finally opened. We are very fortunate to have such a new play area adjacent to our building. Here are some comments from some of the students and what they have been enjoying at school.

YEAR 4

Elijah E - 4R

In PE we have been learning the rules of volleyball. You need to hold your hands together to dig under the ball. You hit the ball with your palm when you serve. 

Henry F - 4R

I love reading. We are researching animals to write an informative text on them. We are learning to research using reliable sources. The information can be from books, online encylopeadias like Britannica. I am researching dogs.  

Melody M - 4R

I am enjoying collecting data in Maths. We had to make our own research question and think about the target audience. My one was on ‘4R’s Favourite Four-legged Animals.’ Dogs was the favourite.  

Dylan B - 4R

I love Minecraft Mondays. I go by myself but there are many students there. My world has taken a long time to build. I have a fortress around my world. It keeps out the zombies and creepers. 

Mary Y - 4R

In Art we are creating portraits of ourselves. It is based on Sandra Silberzweig’s works which are semi-abstract. We start with bold lines and then we are colouring the spaces in between from chalk colours on the colour wheel. We blend with a tissue or our hands. 

YEAR 3

Arhaan K - 3T

I actually liked doing NAPLAN. I enjoyed working on the Language Conventions and Numeracy tests. It was a good challenge.  

Stella L - 3T

I liked learning about persuasive texts. You need to be either for or against the argument and why it is better or worse. You need to use emotive words. I usually use positive words like excited, happy, positive, fantastic. I also use negative emotive words like horrible, upset and distraught. My favourite argument so far has been ‘books are better than iPads’. I think books are much better.  

Roy J - 3T

I really liked the NAPLAN. It was really fun! I liked the challenge. I am looking forward to seeing how I went. I liked the writing because it was the first time I wrote two pages under thirty minutes. Usually it takes me hours!

Olivia C - 3T

I love PE because we move around a lot. We get out of our comfort zones when you run around the athletics track. I didn’t think that I would make it, but I did!  

Mathew H - 3T

We have been studying about how day, night and shadows work. We made a video with a partner about it to show how the Earth, Sun and moon move. The sun stays still and the earth goes around the moon. It was really hard to get the moon to go around the earth because we ran out of hands to move the moon. 

Mr Nigel Keegan (Head of Year 5 & 6)

Recent learning experiences through the eyes of our brilliant Year 5 and Year 6 students…

‘It has been so much fun and awesome getting together with other schools and competing against them in Friday Sport, and seeing the kindness and sportsmanship shown.’  Noah S - 6P

‘We have been learning about timelines and Australia’s immigration history during Integrated Studies. I thought it was fun because we got to research and then demonstrate our knowledge.’  Kemindi I - 5M

‘We have been learning about renewable and non-renewable energy during Integrated Studies. The project we are currently working on has been a lot of fun.’  Dilara E - 6B

‘I have been enjoying playing soccer on the futsal court with all the Year 5 students and also learning about data and graphing during Maths.’  Jake E - 5J 

‘In English we have been writing about the World War 2 and the holocaust, using compare and contrast writing. It has been very interesting to learn about.’  Alexandria M - 6B

‘A recent highlight for me was running in the cross country because I like running and it was an opportunity to win points for my house.’  Samuel K - 5J

‘One of the best things we did was Cross Country. I enjoyed running with my friends around the school. It was hard but I managed to finish.’  Thimath B - 6B

‘A week of anxiety of NAPLAN, the excitement of Harmony Day celebrations, and activities for the Athletics Carnival make this a complete week.’  Parthiv P - 5A

‘In Maths, we have been learning about inputting data into graphs. A graph is a picture that represents the data we have collected. We asked our classmates some questions, collected the answers, tallied them, and transferred them onto the graph.’  Scarlett P - 5M

‘I really love the Integrated project. I made mine about wind energy, and wind turbines. It really gave us a chance to show how we understand the topic while making a flap-book and getting to show off the models we created. We got to learn more about renewable energies and how they affect the climate and how we can make the world a better place.’ Reuben T - 6A

As always, thank you for your ongoing support. We are looking forward to seeing many of you at Parent Teacher Interviews and discussing your child’s progress this term. 

Year 9 Initiatives 

$20 Boss

The Year 9 Commerce students have organised stalls for the Primary students (Years 1 - 6) to enjoy next Wednesday 29 March during lunchtime. The name of their project is $20 Boss. Year 1 to Year 6 students are invited to bring some change ($2 - $10) if they would like to participate. The Preps will not be participating this time as they are transitioning to school life. If you do not want your child to participate, please do not give them any money to spend. Make sure your child has a purse/wallet with small change if they would like to join in. 

Nude Food

Another Year 9 Initiative involving Fairview is a Nude Food Competition. It would be great if Prep to Year 2 students and parents could support their initiative.

Why?

To raise awareness of the damage that soft plastics can do to our environment. It is a day when you cannot bring any soft plastic to school.  You need to bring your food in reusable containers! The class with the least amount of soft plastic wins a prize! 

When?

• Monday 3 April - Prep  
• Tuesday 4 April - Year 1  
• Wednesday 5 April - Year 2

Thank you for supporting the Year 9 students! 

Message from Harper G and Uvinyaa W (Year 6 Community Service Captains) 

Please support our fundraiser for the Royal Children’s Hospital! 

If you would like to buy a ticket to enter the draw, it is $1 for 1 ticket or $2 for 3 tickets. We will be visiting Prep to Year 6 classrooms next week for your chance to go in the draw to win the Easter hampers!

Join in the GOOD FRIDAY APPEAL!

Lunchtime Activities for Primary students 

 World Maths Day 2023

This year, World Maths Day was held on Wednesday 8 March. Students in Years 2 to 6 were encouraged to login to Mathletics on the day to compete against students in their year level from all over the world. Each game ran for 60 seconds and students answered as many questions as they could in the time. Students were able to compete in up to 20 games. Students’ totals were tallied to create their overall score.

With it being World Maths Day, let’s have a look at some statistics from the competition. 

Aitken Top Scorers Board (all year levels) 

 Aitken Top Average Correct Answers Board  

Top 5 Total Score for Year 2 

Top 5 Total Score for Year 3 

Top 5 Total Score for Year 4 

Top 5 Total Score for Year 5 

Top 5 Total Score for Year 6 

Congratulations to everyone who competed. A percentage of all correct answers will be awarded to students’ Houses. These totals will be announced at assembly on Monday. Certificates will be given to homeroom teachers to hand out with individual results. Students on our leader board will be acknowledged in Monday’s assembly. 

(Ms) Megan Williams

Deputy Head of Primary