Primary School

Walk to School Day: A Special Journey on Menang Land

Today’s Walk to School Day was a celebration − not only of health and community, but also a heartfelt reflection on the beautiful Menang land on which we walk, learn and live.

Students, staff and families gathered, braving the drizzle and grey skies to take part in the much-loved event. Spirits remained high as we made our way through the natural surroundings that are so special to our region. 

As we walked, there were moments of quiet reflection and admiration for the environment around us: the rustling of the gum leaves, the call of local birds and the scent of damp earth. These small details reminded us of our connection to Country and the privilege we have to live and learn on Menang land.

While most walkers arrived with wet shoes and smiling faces, there was one slight hiccup. The school bus, attempting to navigate the waterlogged school grounds, found itself well and truly bogged! Despite the soggy situation, Mr Berryman was quick to find the humour in it all, offering a cheerful grin and helping hands. Thank you, Mr Berryman, for being such a good sport!

We look forward to many more moments like this, where we can come together in community, on Country.

Classroom News

We hope you enjoy reading about the classroom news from each week of term in our Early Childhood and Primary School classes. 

Kindergarten

Our Kindergarten students are currently in the exciting finding out phase of our inquiry and last week, their curiosity led us on a very special adventure: a walk into the Secondary School to seek out some knowledgeable Year Twelve students. We visited Mr Gugenheim’s Marine Science class, where the older students warmly welcomed us into their space and happily shared their expertise. The Kindergarten class came prepared with lots of thoughtful questions, especially about the red water at the Wild Space, which has sparked so much interest during our outdoor learning. The Year Twelve students took the time to explain some possible scientific reasons behind the colour and the Kindergarten class listened intently, eager to make connections to their own observations. This experience has deepened our students' sense of wonder and encouraged them to keep exploring, questioning and learning more about the natural world around them.

Pre-Primary

In Pre-Primary we have been reading the story Possum Magic as part of our Talk for Writing programme. In the story, Hush the possum is made invisible to keep her safe from snakes but she decides that she would like to be seen again. So, Hush and Grandma Poss leave the bush, where they have always been, to find the food that will make Hush seen. We have created a story map to help us retell the story and sequenced the people foods that Hush eats to make her visible again. We also created our own possums while identifying our favourite parts of the story. We have even created a house for Hush while practising our fine-motor weaving skills. We are loving Possum Magic!

Year One

The Year One class loved dressing up for Book Week and enjoyed their week of ‘adventures’. The new Noongar season role-play area has been set up and the students have been keen to play with the natural plants and seeds and identify the changes that are currently happening as Djilba enters its second month and Spring approaches. Lots of secret Father’s Day work has been written, created and designed this week with a buzz of excitement beginning over the start of assembly preparation for Week Seven. We cannot wait to invite our Dads into class next Wednesday!

Year Two

We have continued to work on our Information Reports and have begun the difficult task of typing our research into Book Creator. We were thankful for the assistance of the Year Six students, who provided us with valuable tips and tricks on the keyboards and helped us complete our typing in a more timely manner. In Health, we enjoyed role-playing phoning triple 000 and ensuring we were aware of giving all the relevant information. 

Year Three

It is difficult to go back-to-back with weeks full of excitement after the novel highs of Book Week, but Year Three is all about taking on big challenges. Week Five saw our class welcoming new students from across the world of literature, and literally welcoming a new student from north of the Stirlings. In repeated addition to that, we are getting to know even more new students: Wendy One, Tamika Ten, Henry Hundreds and Theodore Thousand, who have come to Year Three to help us work through our multiplication algorithms. With all of this multiplication and farming expertise entering our class, it was perfect timing for us to learn about fencing costs and fertiliser distribution, or as we like to call them, perimeter and area. Now, we just need to finish our research into pesky invertebrates and hopefully come up with a way to keep them off our crops. 

Year Four

The Year Four class has been learning about Chemical Science, investigating objects we use in our everyday lives and what they are made of. They have discovered that different materials possess distinct qualities or characteristics, which are suited to various purposes. A considerable amount of thought is invested in designing and creating objects that are tailored to their intended purpose. The students have also discovered that materials can be natural, processed or a combination of both. They will continue investigating materials and their properties by doing some experiments, designing some objects and testing their usefulness in the weeks to come. 

Year Five

In last week’s Year Five F assembly, with the Science theme of space exploration, the audience was introduced to the planets in a poetic interview piece. Complete with skits, dance and interviews the students went all in with props and dress ups as astronauts, aliens, planets and blackholes, and even Katie Perry made an appearance! It was an entertaining morning, and parents are to be thanked for their support leading up to the show. In HASS we have been busy with preparing our stalls and learning what makes a nice place to live, what drives its economy, the goods and services, the people and the skills they possess, the resources available to them to build capital and if they import or export any goods for their imaginary land. We are looking forward to seeing the students’ final presentations.

Year Six

Our Year Six students have been unleashing their imaginations by designing disastrous creatures as part of their writing unit. The challenge was to combine mythical beasts with the forces of natural disasters, then develop informational reports about their creations. From a giant spider that spins cyclones, to a hundred-tentacled sea monster stirring up tsunamis, and even a fiery horse that gallops through the land spreading bushfires – their work has been both creative and catastrophic!

Languages

Religieuse anyone? Or perhaps a mille-feuille, macaron, Paris-Brest, éclair, or fraisier? You might have guessed − these are all delicious cakes you would find in a French pâtisserie, and our Upper Primary students are learning all about them! While getting hungry looking at the flashcards, they have also been busy building their vocabulary and practising whether words are masculine or feminine. Meanwhile, our Middle Primary students are beginning to create persuasive posters to encourage the community to learn another language. And in the ECC, students are wrapping up their inquiry into first names from around the world, a beautiful way to celebrate diversity and identity.

Upcoming Events

Term Three, Week Six

• Friday 29 August, House Activities, Pre-Primary to Year Six, House shirts please. 

Week Seven 

• Wednesday 3 September, Kindergarten to Year Two Father's Morning, Library for morning tea and classrooms for activities, 8.45am to 10.45am
• Wednesday 3 September, Year Five and Seven, Spare Parts Puppet Play, in the Hall, 9.30am to 10.45am
• Wednesday 3 September, Kindergarten Storytime presented by Albany Public Library, 11.30am to 12.00pm

Week Eight

• Monday 8 September, Fotoworks Winter Sports and Kindergarten Photos, Multi-Purpose Sport Complex, 7.30am to 3.00pm
• Thursday 11 September, RU OK Day
• Sunday 14 September, Kingfisher Fair & Open Day, 11.00am to 3.00pm

Week Nine

• Thursday 18 September, Kingfisher Concert Rehearsal Day, AEC, 9.00am to 3.00pm
• Thursday 18 September, Kingfisher Concert, AEC, 7.00pm to 9.30pm

Have a wonderful weekend.

Ms Leah Field | Head of Primary and

Mrs Hayley Ranger | Head of Early Childhood