Specialist News

PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)

What a fantastic six weeks it has been so far in PE this term. All students from Foundation to Year 6 have been giving their all, and everyone is improving their basic sporting skills.

Foundation students have been practising their catching, kicking, running, and vertical leap skills, with all students showing improvement.

Year 1 and 2 students have been participating in activities that focus on improving their overhand throw, dodging, leaping, and ball bouncing skills. All students have displayed resilience and are consolidating their abilities.

Year 3/4 students have been practising their hurdle, long jump, shot put and discus skills, in preparation for the school athletics carnival. Our school athletics day will be at the Davies Reserve, in the last week of this term, on Wednesday, 1st of April.

Year 5/6 students have been preparing for their Summer Gala Day on Friday the 20th of March. They have also been practising for our school athletics carnival.

A Gymnastics Incursion in Week 9 will see all students from Foundation to Year 6 take part in one free session delivered by gymnastics specialists.

Exciting news! A summer gala and school athletics events notice has been posted in Compass. Please remember that both consent and payment are required to participate. We encourage you to complete these steps as soon as possible to help with event organisation and planning. Thanks for your cooperation!

I have set up a cross-country practice circuit at school for students to prepare for the school cross country event in Term 2. All students from Years 3 to 6 are encouraged to participate in this challenge.

I'm also pleased to see that almost all students have been coming to PE with a hat and a water bottle. Well done, everyone!

PERFORMING ARTS

Lunar New Year has been the focus of our learning in Performing Arts over the past few weeks. Students in Years 3–6 have been working creatively with our visiting artist, Jason Phu, while students in Foundation to Year 2 have been exploring the music and performance traditions of Lunar New Year celebrations. 

Our Foundation students performed beautifully at Tuesday’s assembly, sharing their interpretations of lanterns, a dragon parade and the exciting sounds of firecrackers. We are very proud of their confident and imaginative performance. 

This week, we have begun a new unit exploring the music, dance and storytelling traditions of different cultures around the world. 

• Years 5/6 are learning about Hawai’i 

• Years 3/4 are exploring Japan 

• Years 1/2 are discovering Nigeria

• Foundation students are learning about Australia’s First Nations cultures through listening to and learning about Country

With Harmony Day coming up soon, we would love to involve our families in this special celebration. If you or a family member would like to share something from your culture with our school community, we warmly invite you to join us at our Harmony Day Assembly on Tuesday, March 31, from 9am. 

Perhaps you know a traditional dance, play an instrument, or would like to share a song or story. Parents and family members are welcome to perform on their own or alongside their children. We would be delighted to celebrate the rich diversity of our community together. 

 VISUAL ARTS

Costume & Performance Incursion with artist Jason Phu

Our Years 3-6 students were very fortunate to take part in a creative workshop with contemporary artist Jason Phu, supported by Monash City Council. During the incursion, students explored cultural storytelling, practised theatre-making skills and created imaginative upcycled costumes to celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse.

About Contemporary Artist Jason Phu

Jason Phu is a highly respected Australian contemporary artist known for his playful, imaginative and culturally rich artwork. Working across painting, installation, performance and video, Jason combines humour, storytelling and elements of his Chinese–Vietnamese heritage to create art that is both thoughtful and accessible.

He has been recognised nationally through major art prizes. Jason is a finalist in the Archibald Prize, Australia’s most famous portrait competition, and a previous winner of the Sulman Prize, which celebrates outstanding contemporary Australian art. A portrait of Jason also won the Archibald Packing Room Prize, reflecting his strong presence and influence in the arts community.

Jason regularly exhibits his work in major galleries across Australia and collaborates with communities, festivals and cultural organisations. His workshops bring energy, creativity and a sense of fun—helping young people explore costume-making, storytelling and performance in exciting ways.

Incursion Recount by our Art Captain Sofia and Performing Arts Captain Sasha

On Tuesday 17th February to Friday 20th February the 5/6s had their art incursion for three whole hours over two days to create our beautiful masks and costumes.

5/6A and 5/6B created their own unique masks using cardboard. There were some pretty designs like wild animals, a tiger, lion, monkey, bear, a creepy dragon, hamster, chicken, humongous alien with a long nose and antennas, and a very cute bunny resembling someone's pet. When the masks were done, we just had to colour, cut and add unique designs to our costumes. Some 5/6s made it into a princess dress or a coat, jacket, scarf and other more creative styles.

On Friday, 5/6A and 5/6B made harmonicas. Harmonicas are a type of instrument which is small and portable. We made the harmonicas using 2 popsicle sticks, 2 rubber bands and paper. It was fun and easy to make and noisy! Last week all the Years 3-6 went to the Huddle for a quick parade practice, dressed in our costumes and playing our instruments in preparation for the Clayton Festival where we will be performing!

We would like to thank artist Jason Phu and Heven from Monash for providing this fun experience. It was very exciting and we had a good time. We look forward to parading our costumes at the upcoming Clayton Festival.

By Sofia and Sasha 5/6B

Clayton Community Festival Parade

As part of this project, students, families and teachers are invited to join the colourful street parade at the upcoming Clayton Festival, where our students’ costumes will be proudly showcased.

Event Details:

• Location: Clayton Community Centre

• Date: Sunday 22 March 2026

• Arrival: 12:00pm for a 1:00pm parade

• Activities: Costume parade, main stage appearance, and free market stalls, maker spaces, food and music until 5:00pm.

We look forward to celebrating our students’ creativity at this vibrant community event!