Curriculum Update

Year 5 Camp Reflection – Lake Dewar

Written by the Year 5s from 5/6A

The Year 5 camp at Lake Dewar happened three weeks ago. This camp helped us build skills like persistence, logical thinking, and teamwork. We all had so much fun enjoying the different activities! There were heaps of fun and engaging things to do, which we’ll be talking about today. We got to sleep in cabins. It was the best! Some people even tried to pull all-nighters. Miss Murray was on duty the first night and kept coming in to tell us to go to sleep.

In the Adventure Tunnels, the Year 5s went on a quest from Captain Jack Sparrow to return buckets of water through tight tunnels and tricky obstacles, all the way to the Fountain of Youth. At the end, there was a big vertical tube with lots of little holes. Everyone had to block the holes with their fingers while the water was poured in. When the tube filled, a key floated to the top so we could escape. Everyone got drenched!

We also did archery in an open field. On the way there, we passed lots of animal droppings (aka landmines!). No one hit a bullseye, but we had a great time and learned how to knock an arrow and shoot. Everyone had a blast and learned a lot. When my group did archery, I was the first person to hit the red. I wasn’t that good, but when I got the red, I felt really happy and thought I was actually okay. Then I immediately butchered my second and third shots, but the high I got will never leave me. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

For canoeing, we got into groups of three and were given an oar, helmet, and life vest. Each person had a role: front, middle (or powerhouse), and back (most experienced). It was really fun, and we learned that if all the canoes stick together, it’s the safest – and almost impossible to capsize! Unfortunately, in one of the groups, one group fell in and got soaking wet.

Geoteering (or Geo-Orienteering) was a game where we got into groups of four or five. One person got a camp map with 16 numbered spots. On the back were clues that led us to those spots. Other people got things like a checklist, stopwatch, and a whistle for emergencies. Small items like toy cars or Lego bricks were hidden in strange places like inside benches, behind a trapdoor near the big ‘Y’ statue, or even in a hole in the ground under a sign. We found most of them and went back to home base to see how we did. It was kind of like geocaching.

Everyone tried a new experience during the Kickbikes activity. Kickbikes are basically a mix between a scooter and a bike, and they’re super tiring to ride. We played a few games, before riding the bikes around a bush track. The bridge was really slippery and many people did skids and some even fell off. But it was still a lot of fun.

The Flying Fox was one of the most exciting activities at Lake Dewar. It went across a canyon that was about 18 metres high. We had to stand on a ramp platform and run or jump off. We soared through the air with an amazing view of the countryside. For me, it was one of my favourite activities because it was full of excitement and joy.

At camp, the food was delicious. On the first day, we had spaghetti and creamy mushroom pasta. On the second day, we had toast for breakfast, wraps for lunch, and roast chicken for dinner. We also had treats for the movie and disco nights.

We had a movie night on the first evening of camp in the main hall. We watched Space Jam because Mr Brown really wanted to! The teachers handed out treats like popcorn, lollipops, cookies, and Mentos. Everyone got their sleeping bags and huddled together while we watched. The movie went for about an hour and a half, and it was definitely one of the best nights at camp.

On the second night, most of the Year 5s had a disco. The teachers gave us glow sticks, lollies, and heaps of fun. Mr Brown and Mr Peters made a playlist we all loved. The disco went for about an hour and a half – we danced the night away! Everyone sang, danced, and had a blast. After that, we all hit the hay.

On the last day of camp, we did The Amazing Race! We were in teams and had three hours to complete different challenges to earn points. Some of the activities included stand-up paddleboarding, the rope swing, and more. These challenges tested skills like running, swinging, balancing, teamwork, and persistence. It was so much fun!

Every Year 5 student had an amazing time at Lake Dewar Discovery Camp. We all thought the activities were a blast, and we hope future Year 5s love it as much as we did!

Western Metropolitan Region Cross-Country

On Thursday June 19th, eight of Willy North’s best Cross-Country runners attended the Western Metro Region Championships. In cold but still conditions, Ivy, Felix, Archie, Malia, Sienna, Indiana, Rosa, and Zara pushed themselves through 2000 and 3000m events, racing against top performing students from across Western Melbourne, Geelong, the Bellarine and Surf Coast.

All of our students displayed excellent determination, positivity and sportsmanship, each running to the best of their ability. Congratulations to all of our competitors, and a special good luck to Rosa, who qualified for the State Cross-Country Championships.

Keep up your training and hard work, and I hope to see you on the track again soon.  

Shannon Carroll

Physical Education Teacher and Sport Coordinator

NAIDOC Week at WNPS

Progress update on Sunshine the Cow!

She is starting to take shape! 

Premier's Reading Challenge

The Premiers’ Reading Challenge is officially up and running, and Williamstown North Primary School is excited to be taking part!

The Challenge encourages students between early childhood and Year 10 to read a set number of books by 29th August 2025, with their efforts recorded online. A book list recommends age-appropriate texts that children might like to try, but any book counts towards their Challenge totals.

Last year, Victorian kids read a huge 3.4 million books between them – so this year’s Challenge sets an even higher goal of 3.5 million books, encouraging children to become voracious readers across different genres, authors and styles of literature.

Children from Prep to Year 2 are encouraged to read or ‘experience’ 30 books with their parents and teachers. Children from Year 3 to Year 6 are challenged to read 15 books.

All children who meet the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Victorian Premier and former Premiers. 

Click on the link to read the letter from the Premier Jacinta Allan. To find out more about the challenge, visit www.vic.gov.au/premiers-reading-challenge

Your child's login details to the Premiers’ Reading Challenge platform will be sent home by classroom teachers. Using your child’s unique username and password, they will be able to record the books they have read throughout the challenge.

We hope to see as many students as possible complete the challenge! It is such a fun and exciting way to celebrate reading, and it is always such a pleasure to celebrate students’ participation in the challenge at its conclusion. 

If you have any questions, you can contact our school’s Challenge coordinators, Irini Mavridis and Ben Roosenboom.

Happy reading! 🙂

Kind Regards,

Irini Mavridis & Ben Roosenboom                              Kaitlyn Hayes

Premiers’ Reading Challenge Coordinators             Literacy Leader

School Choir

STEMM