Inside the Classroom

Early Primary - K to Year 3

Since finishing swim school, our Early Primary students have smoothly transitioned into their busy class routines. Early Primary students are continuing to focus on developing their social skills and building connections with their peers and staff.

Mrs Jen Cooke has started teaching music lessons in each classroom every Tuesday. Weekly sports are back on Wednesdays, featuring activities like RDA, swimming, spa and Ten Pin Bowling. Our students delight in a diverse range of activities throughout the school day, including spa time, fine and gross motor activities, Anson farm visits, literacy, numeracy, HSIE, Science and Visual Arts.

Billie-Jo Rutten

Early Primary Leader

Upper Primary - Years 4 to 6

The students of Upper Primary have completed their swim school sessions for the year. They have all shown great improvement in water confidence and swimming ability through these days. A huge thank you to all the staff who have supported the students through this program.

Class 12 students have been working on increasing their independence in dressing skills by getting ready for the spa and learning about sun safety. Putting sunscreen on is part of their daily routine. The students have also been practicing their balance skills through PE lessons in the classroom. 

Class 13 has been practicing ball skills of catching and throwing over the past few weeks. The students have enjoyed accessing the MultiBall wall in the gym. 

Class 8 has been accessing the Skills House and learning how to fold socks, shirts, and pants. They have also learned how to use the paper slicer and shredder.

Kari Priest

Assistant Principal

Stage 4 - Years 7 and 8

Stage 4 has been working hard in the Skills House and Mini Woolies. Students have practiced making beds and cleaning surfaces.

In the Mini Woolies, they have shopped, scanned items, and used the cash registers. Understanding how much money you must spend and calculating the items you put in your basket is a very useful skill to take into the future. 

Classes have been accessing the Engine Room for regulation and therapy activities. The students have been very engaged and supportive of each other during these sessions. 

Mr Stephen Gross

Stage 4 Leader

Stage 5 - Years 9 and 10

The past few weeks, Stage 5 has been enriched with wonderful learning experiences, with a focus by all teachers on explicit teaching.

During Literacy sessions, Stage 5 has continued with the Jessica Watson inspired book - True Spirit, while in Numeracy sessions students engaged in the use of money and change via Mini Woolies.

In HSIE, students actively engaged in furthering their understanding of World War I, with a focus on environmental conditions in the trenches, how military uniforms were required to be adapted, and the significant contribution Australian women played during WW1 via the Womens Land Army and nurses who cared for the wounded soldiers.

In Science, students focused on how and why circuits work and the benefits of circuits in today's society. 

Curiosity Clubs have continued to be popular sessions, where students have explored and enriched their learning in aquatic animals i.e. Sharks, Orcas and Puffins, while further diving deeper into Marine Studies with a focus on how pollution impacts the oceans of the world and the different layers (depth) of the oceans. 

In Design & Technology students focused on their vegetable garden and how changing conditions affect the growing rates of plants. In Auslan, the class is refining their skills in the Alphabet and working towards an entertaining presentation of Katie Perry's Firework song. 

Mr. Hugh Rasmussen

Stage 5 Leader

Stage 6 - Years 11 and 12

Year 11 students had the wonderful opportunity to attend the RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness) road safety education program at Towac Park. RYDA features a highly engaging and memorable one-day workshop that gives students an understanding of road safety and gives them the tools, habits and motivation to take action and stay safe on our roads as both drivers and passengers throughout their lives. Thank you to Rotary Daybreak for this wonderful opportunity. 

Some of our year 12 students attended Tafe to complete a one-day course on side-by-side safe driver training as part of their Primary Industries and Technology courses. Students enjoyed the day meeting their specialist teachers, learning about the safety equipment and how to safely operate the vehicle after completing their passenger training. 

Jess Hodder

Stage 6 Assistant Principal 

Orange Learning Centre 

OLC has been working on projects and classwork sent from their home school. 

Ali has built a model of the original Canterbury Cathedral circa 1086, using Minecraft as part of her Medieval unit in HSIE.

Lilly has created a model of a plant cell using plasticine as part of her Living World unit in Science.

Class 21 has adopted a class pet praying mantis named Jason. The students have researched how to care for Jason and have provided him with care and food. He has even been involved in cooking classes. He was released back into the wild so that he could be with his family.

Students enjoy using the Engine Room and Gym as regulation and reward spaces.

Both Lilly and Jason have started their transition back to their home schools, both completing 2 periods at a time. We are hoping to increase this time very soon.

Kate Griffen

Head Teacher Orange Learning Centre