Classroom News 

What's Been Happening in Year 5

Swimming with the Year 5s 

This week the year 5’s went to Splash to learn how to improve their swimming skills. Every morning the bus driver drove us to Splash. We sat in our groups and got in the pool. The groups were based on our level of skills in the water.

The teachers taught us different skills and techniques that help us to survive in the water. We learnt how to hold our breath, build our stamina in the water, and how to swim using backstroke, free style, breast stroke and more. 

Chanel’s favourite part was floating in the water like a starfish, jumping in the deep end and swimming under the water, it was so fun!

Josh’s favourite part was practising dives in the deep end and using breaststroke to swim. I used to be bad at swimming with breaststroke but now I’m really good.

We want to thank the instructors for being so nice and helpful.

(From Chanel and Josh 5D)

 On Friday, we put on any casual clothing and got into the pool. We learnt about safety and what to do in emergencies like if someone is drowning firstly, check for breathing. Next, tell someone to call 000 for emergency help, stay calm and don’t panic. If they’re in the water struggling throw out a rope or something long and easy to grip onto. Pull them and get them out of the water safely. We also got taught what to do in an emergency like if you’re stuck in  water struggling to swim out. After that, we put on life jackets and got sorted into groups of two. One person would pretend to drown and the other would throw a long pool noodle. The person “drowning” would hold onto the noodle and slowly get pulled out by the person outside of the water. We were also  taught to look for and read the signs, follow the posted safety information, walk, do not run, never run on the pool deck, be careful getting in and out of the pool, look before you leap or dive in, stay within your abilities, never swim alone and play carefully. After all of that learning we go back to school.

(Ryan 5B)

Swimming was so fun. First we got on the bus and got driven to Splash and were divided into our group’s and then we got into the pool. In my group we got to do laps of breaststroke, backstroke, freestyle and dolphin kick, pindrops, compact jumps and had some fun by doing knee dives, stand up dives and cannonballs. I loved swimming laps with my friends and having races. And I loved water safety day, where we got to wear clothes / pyjamas in the pool which made it heavier for us to swim. We also did our survival strokes, chicken, airplane soldier ,canoe stroke and scissor kick with life jackets on and learned what we do in an emergency. D,R,S,A and B . Which stands for: Danger: Check  for danger to yourself and others, Response: Check for  response by shouting “are you okay?” Send: Send for help, call 000.  Airway: Clear and check to see if anything is blocking the airway . Breathing: Look, listen and feel for breathing (we practised on Bob the manikin). We also had to save our classmates who were pretending to drown. We had so much fun swimming, I can’t wait to do it again next year.

(Niamh 5B)

Swimming was a fun experience with our friends. Lots of people moved up and we got to see even more friends. The groups were pink, blue, green, purple and yellow. In my group (which was blue) we did some laps of freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke. We also did some dives, pin drops and fun jumps. 

On the first day, we did some freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke. Then we did pin drops at the same time. After that we could either pick a dive or a jump. We also had to do a treading water competition. 

(Gabriella 5C)

Swimming was an enjoyable experience for my classmates and I.

From laps of freestyle to fun games and races which I will tell you about now.

On the first day of swimming, it was on a hot summer Monday, we got on the bus and drove to Splash. When we arrived, we got divided into our groups from lowest to highest and got started to walk into the pool.

In my group (which was blue), we did some laps of freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and dolphin kick. (which we did all throughout the week).

We also did some fun dives and interesting games which I really enjoyed.

On Friday, we had Water Safety Day!

We learned what the “Doctor ABCD” is, (or as you might know “DRSABCD”) and other water safety things!

DRSABCD stands for:

Danger, Response, Send, Airway, Breathing, CPR, and Defibrillation. 

Overall, the experience was amazing and enjoyable.

(Chloe 5C)  

Josephine Ho - 5A

This week the year 5s went to Splash Aquatic Centre. We all had a lot of fun and enjoyed swimming. The staff members were really nice and caring. My swimming instructions were incredibly kind and caring. When we did dives, I had a lot of fun. Overall, we had a really fun experience

Dominc Elyas - 5A

At Splash I have learnt how to do backstroke and some other professional swimming techniques. Some of them were hard and some were easy. It was really fun and all the swimming instructors were amazing. I found some things scary like how we had to dive into a 2 metre pool, so I decided to do a pindrop. 

Division Swimming

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are thrilled to share the fantastic news of our students' outstanding achievements at the Whittlesea/Woodlands Division Swimming Championships held on Tuesday, 5th March at the Broadmeadows Leisure Centre.

Liam Woodgate from 4A, Olivia Gortva from 3C, Imogen Anderson from 5C, and Niamh Anderson from 5B represented Our Lady's Primary School with unparalleled enthusiasm and skill in the pool. Each student demonstrated exceptional dedication, sportsmanship, and a true passion for swimming.

A special congratulations goes to Liam Woodgate, who not only showcased remarkable talent but will also be progressing to the next level by participating in the Northern Metropolitan Region Swimming Championships on Thursday, 21st March. This is a tremendous accomplishment and a testament to Liam's hard work and commitment to excellence.

We extend our gratitude to the students, their families, and the entire school community for supporting and encouraging our young athletes. The success at the Division Championships reflects the collective efforts and spirit of Our Lady's Primary School.

Once again, congratulations to Liam, Olivia, Imogen, and Niamh for their amazing job at the Whittlesea/Woodlands Division Swimming Championships. We wish Liam the best of luck as he advances to the next stage of competition.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Sincerely,

Anthony Whitty

Physical Education Teacher

Our Lady's Primary School

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