F/1A - Foundation and Year 1A

Our school year has nearly finished! Reflecting back at the beginning of the year, it’s incredible to see the way the children have progressed academically, socially and emotionally. Little things, but extremely important ones, have been their independence and confidence This was evident from our recent swimming program, with the children getting ready independently and approaching the set tasks confidently. Special thanks to all our ‘swimming teachers’. We have loved our time in the pool. Also special thanks to our families for all your support in listening to your child read and complete any homework tasks this year.

Merry Christmas and enjoy the festive season.

Mrs Chalmers, Classroom Teacher

F/1B - Foundation and Year 1B

Mrs Torney, Classroom Teacher

Year 2

Hello Grade 2 families,

It’s hard to believe, but the 2024 school year is coming to an end and the festive season is here!

To celebrate this special time of year, the class collaborated to create a one-of-a-kind Christmas tree to enter into the Wedderburn Community Art Exhibition. We joined Foundation, Grade 1 and Grade 3 students to visit the exhibition last Friday, and Grade 2’s creativity was recognised with a “Highly Commended” prize! Congratulations Grade 2!

Swimming lessons have also been a great way to finish off the year (and a nice way to cool off in the hot weather!) Students have shown courage in the pool, challenging themselves to extend their skills in the water.

Looking back across the year, we have shared so many experiences together: athletics days, the cross country, the school festival, book week activities, the reading olympics, the grade 2 sleepover and local excursion to name a few.

It has been such a pleasure to get to know all of the unique personalities within our grade and to witness friendships blossom, confidence grow and learning unfold.

Wishing you all the best for a safe and fun holiday period.

Ms Young and Mrs Mac, Classroom Teachers

Year 3

Year 3 – A Reflection

This year in Year 3 has been full of fun, learning, and exciting experiences. Let’s look back at some of our favourite moments.

Amazing Stories

We read some wonderful books this year, like Iron Man, The Wild Robot, Charlotte’s Web, and The One and Only Ivan. Each story taught us important lessons about friendship, kindness, and courage. Charlotte's Web showed us how special friendships can be, while The Wild Robot inspired great discussions about resilience. Watching The Wild Robot movie in Charlton was an exciting way to see the story come to life!

Another highlight was our school Reading Olympics. Everyone worked hard to read as much as possible, discovering new books and sharing favourite stories with each other. It was fantastic to see so much enthusiasm for reading throughout the class.

Sports, Sports, Sports!

We had an active year in sports! During swimming lessons, we improved our skills and confidence in the water. The Swimming Carnival and School Athletics Day were exciting events where we gave our best and cheered each other on. The Cross Country was a great chance to challenge ourselves and show determination.

Billabong Ranch Camp

Our camp at Billabong Ranch was a big highlight. We tried fun activities like horse riding, camel riding, bungee trampolining, bouldering, and mini golf. It was great to see everyone supporting each other and working as a team, even when some activities felt a bit tricky. We showed lots of courage and had so much fun together!

Inquiry Learning

We explored lots of interesting topics this year. We learned about landforms, like mountains, rivers, and cities, and discovered how they are shaped. In science, we explored day and night, moon phases, and space, which sparked our curiosity about the universe. We also learned about the Olympics, researching athletes, events, and the countries that have hosted the games.

Community Connections

This year, we also enjoyed being part of our community. The whole school fete was a colourful and exciting event that brought everyone together. We visited the Christmas tree festival and admired all the creative decorations. On our careers excursions, we explored local businesses and learned about the important jobs people do in our community.

A Special Thank You

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Mr. Daniel Pettifer, Ms. Trina Vaughn, and Mrs. Abby Bird for their incredible support and dedication to our class throughout the year. Their guidance and care made a big difference in our learning and personal growth.

A special thank you also goes out to our parents and carers at home for their encouragement and support. Whether it was helping with homework, cheering us on at events, or being there when we needed them most, your involvement made this year even more meaningful.

A Year to Remember

Year 3 has been a journey of discovery and achievement, from reading captivating stories to pushing ourselves in sports and building our understanding of the world. Each memory we’ve created reflects our growth and the bonds we’ve shared as a class.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe, happy break. Enjoy spending time with family and friends, and we’ll see you next year!

Miss Anderson, Classroom Teacher

Year 4/5

It is hard to believe the year is nearly over!

We have had lots of amazing experiences so far in 4/5, some of our favourites were:

Wheelchair basketball because it was a new experience for most of us.
The Reading Olympics because it was a great reminder to read each day.
Camp because we got to do things we hadn’t done before like the sponge dodgeball.
The Easter Fete because we had lots of full stalls to explore.
Swimming sports because everyone gave it a go and supported each other.
Trying new things that pushed us out of our comfort zone.

We wish you all a Happy Christmas and a safe and healthy holiday period.

Miss Eilish, Classroom Teacher

Grade 5 & 6

Well it's hard to believe that another year has been and gone. The students had a year filled with fun, learning and hands-on activities. It has been my privilege and pleasure to teach the Grade 5/6 students.

As individuals the have all grown up and developed their own sense of self and belonging. Whilst as a group they have made friendships and learnt how to address and resolve issues in respective ways.

Special thanks to Mrs Jess Polkinghorne and Mrs Jaz Vanrenen for their help inside and outside the classroom.

I would like to wish everyone a very safe and enjoyable Christmas break; I look forward to seeing everyone in 2025.

Mrs Turnbull, Classroom Teacher

Grade 6 Graduation

Last Thursday the Grade 6 students celebrated the end of their primary education. It was lovely to see all students in attendance with family and friends. All students presented a short speech to a receptive audience.

Every student received a pen and certificate.

Award winners

Bob Steel Community Award: Maora Pambudi

Joseph Lockhart Principal Award : Luke Martin

Literacy Award: Maora Pambudi

Maths Award: Brodie Turnbull

PE Award: Meika Collins

Integrated Studies: Brax Jaques

Art Award: Piper Denney

Quiet Achiever: Heath Leach

Mrs Turnbull, Classroom Teacher

Year 8 Humanities

Reflection of a Year 8 Mock Trial - Humanities

After weeks of preparation and anticipation, Year 8 went to court for the hearing of Alira Jones (Ava) who was facing charges of kidnapping. The witnesses for the defence, a friend (Cooper) and a therapist (Emily) spoke first, having to swear to tell “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me synonyms” on the thesaurus as held by our court officer (Ben) and then were questioned by each side’s lawyers. Then the other witnesses, for the prosecution, spoke as a bystander who had no knowledge of others in this case, right? And said father of the child. They spoke, a bomb was dropped and then it was Alira’s turn. Alira pleaded to the judge and jury that she was innocent.The case proved difficult for a decision to be formed because, after all, it was Alira’s child but, she had lost custody of the child (Samantha) for good reasons. And got intense and hectic when it came to shock revelations and confusing evidence. The lawyers for the defence (Bella and Aurelia) concluded by appealing to the judge and jury that she was just an upset mother, who had been let down by the system and needed to see her child. Then the prosecution (Me (Violet) and Alexis), spoke, claiming that there were other ways Alira could have seen her child and that by taking Samantha, everything had escalated, and she had distressed all involved. After a discussion, the jury (Nevaeh, Heidi, April and Nada) gave the decision of guilty which was followed by another guilty verdict from the judge, but one with leniency and sympathy for the accused. Both parties were pleased with the result, and it was a good day in the courtroom.

On behalf of the Year 8s I would like to thank Mrs Braybrook for being our judge and organising the whole thing, and our cameraman, Mr P, who was not at all distracting or dramatic. It was a good fun opportunity to show our learning of Civics, Citizenships and Legal Studies.

By Violet Stephenson

Year 9

Ms Herrington and Miss Van De Wetering, Year 9 and Duke of Ed Homeroom Teachers

Year 10

Last week our Year 10’s celebrated their final week of school for the year. We enjoyed our class party, where a highlight was the hot sauce off and delicious food everyone brought along. It was lovely to spend this final session as a group together to really celebrate our year. Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful break. See you all next year.

Miss Milne and Mr Iser, Year 10 Homeroom Teachers

PE News - Mr P and Miss Milne

F-7 Swimming

For six days, our F-7 students enjoyed their swimming program. It was fantastic to see so many students show such growth over this time. More and more students were getting into that streamline position and we saw an improved flutter kick.

On Monday, we enjoyed playing some games and competitions against ourselves.

Big thank you to Mr P, Miss Robyn, Miss Haley and Miss M for their work in this space.

Golden Goggles

Emma Milne & Ben Pettifer

Sports Coordinators

Loddon Healthy Minds

Shared News

Keeping Everybody Informed