Head of Junior School 

Dear Families,

Who could believe we are almost at the end of Term 3? As I pause and reflect on this term, there is much to be proud of. Here are some of my favourite moments from the term: walking with our Year 6 leaders from the Junior Campus to the Senior Campus in solidarity with the Mary Rice Centre, in Nairobi, Kenya; our fabulous Years 2 to 6 Athletics Carnival on a glorious Spring Day; the boys who prepared for and recorded their speeches for the JATNET Competition and our inclusive and fun Footy Colours Day.

Looking ahead to Term 4, there is much to prepare for and to celebrate: 

Week 1: We will be welcoming our Grandparents onsite for our annual Grandparents Day on Wednesday 21 October.

Week 2: We will host our inaugural Junior School Spring Celebration of the Arts Afternoon: Music and Masterpieces on Wednesday 28 October between 2pm — 4.30pm.

Weeks 3 and 4: Annual Water Awareness Program at Collegiate Pool as well as the JSSATIS and STCPSSA Representative Athletics Carnivals.

Week 7: Speech day and Kinder Nativity.

Spring Celebration of the Arts: Music & Masterpieces

This special afternoon will be a wonderful celebration of the incredible creativity, talent and hard work our boys have demonstrated throughout the year. It will provide an opportunity to showcase the wonderful artwork they have produced across the year, alongside performances from all classes, Kindergarten through to Year 6, our Junior School Choir, Year 5/6 bands, the Senior School Junior Rock Band and a whole school song.

This is a Junior School community event. We warmly encourage all families to stay after school and join us for the afternoon. Rather than the Junior School participating in the Choomalaka Festival at the Senior Campus, this is our very own Arts Department celebration. It will be a lovely culmination of the year in the Arts at the Junior School and an opportunity for our community to come together and celebrate all that the boys have achieved. Specific information about the timing of performances will be circulated when it has been confirmed.

The P&F will be supporting the afternoon with a BBQ and drinks stall, as well as a delicious cake stall, providing an opportunity for families to relax, enjoy some food and drinks, and celebrate together.

After School Care (if required) will be moved into the Junior School library for the afternoon.

We look forward to welcoming all our families for what promises to be a wonderful afternoon of Music & Masterpieces.

Adventures Beyond the Classroom

Our Year 2 boys have been busy out and about on excursions, with opportunities to connect their classroom learning to hands-on experiences.

On Friday 18 September, Year 2 travelled down to Pioneer Village, where the boys stepped back in time and explored what life was like many years ago. During the visit, the boys were guided by some excellent HASS Extensions students from Sorell School who shared their knowledge and lots of interesting facts about life in the past. This connected closely with our HASS learning about technological developments and how they have changed the way people lived, worked, travelled and communicated over time.

On Monday 21 September, the Year 2 boys enjoyed a wonderful day at Hobart Zoo & Aquarium (formerly ZooDoo), where they had the opportunity to see and interact with animals up close! 

This excursion linked closely with our current Writing Unit on Information Reports about animals. Year 2 has been working on researching and writing paragraphs about animal classification, habitats, size and appearance, diet and eating habits. 

The boys particularly enjoyed seeing the birds and kangaroos and sharing the interesting facts they discovered throughout the day.

Laudato Si: Year 4 Students Caring for Country, Connecting with Culture 

(Written by Patrick Hughes, Lucien Cui and Theodore Kline)

Last Friday, a group of Year 4 students attended the Laudato Si’ Schools Day at St Aloysius Catholic College. The day was focused on caring for our common home and learning from First Nations knowledge and stories.

Firstly, we took part in a Smoking Ceremony and listened to First Nations knowledge sharers, Adam Thompson and Aunty Theresa Ardler. They shared fascinating stories about mutton birds and humpback whales. We then enjoyed morning tea before heading down to Boronia Beach with Adam, where we learned more about mutton birds and listened to the mutton bird song.

After lunch, we listened to Aunty Theresa share another story about whales. She also blew a special horn that is used to attract humpback whales. It was a fantastic day where we learned about Aboriginal culture, local wildlife and the importance of caring for our environment.

House Athletics Carnival

What a wonderful day we had at our House Athletics Carnival. The sun was shining, creating the perfect conditions for a fantastic day of competition, participation and fun. Our boys represented their Houses with great spirit, enthusiasm and camaraderie, cheering each other on and celebrating one another’s achievements. The boys took part in a range of track and field events, including 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m races, shuttle and circular relays, as well as vortex, long jump and novelty events. Some boys demonstrated incredible determination by participating in all of the track events. 

It was wonderful to see the boys encouraging their teammates, challenging themselves and giving their best throughout the day. A big congratulations to all our boys for the way they embraced the carnival and demonstrated such wonderful House spirit! 

Congratulations to Dwyer House (Captain and Vice Captain: Harrison Siddall and Panyioti Hiras), the winning House on 674 points, who led all day, with two Houses coming in equal second, Hessian on 583 and Doyle on 583 and Joyce in 4th place on 429 points.

JATNET (Japanese Language Teachers Association of Tasmania) Speech Competition

Students from Years 3 to 6 recorded their own speeches under the expert guidance of Mrs Alison Wignell and Mr Bruce Woods recently. The boys have worked very hard to write and rehearse their speeches. 

Well done to: Angus Hardaker, Hugo Helmers, Panayioti Hiras, Ethan Washington. Chris Xavier, Archie Bugg, Hugh Johns, Alby Thrift, Gabby Knaj, Owen Huntley, Patrick Hughes, Sullivan Stride, Archie Ashelford, Theodore Kline, Jake di Santo, Louis Johnson, Thomas Canning, Charlie Trengrove, Finn Zabel, Archie Benka, Teddy Johns.

Mrs Wignell has selected eight speeches to enter in the annual JATNET Competition. 

The students are: Angus Hardaker, Panayioti Hiras, Alby Thrift, Gabby Knaj, Archie Ashelford, Theodore Kline, Charlie Trengrove and Teddy Johns.

Hurricanes Hit the Junior School!

Our Preps, Year 1 and 2 classes, as well as our Year 3/4 boys recently had a fantastic opportunity to get active and develop their cricket skills with a Hobart Hurricanes Cricket Clinic.

The sessions were filled with energy, enthusiasm and plenty of smiles as the boys learned new skills, practised their batting, bowling and fielding, and took part in a range of fun cricket activities. The Hurricanes coaches did a wonderful job of encouraging the boys and helping them build confidence while developing their understanding of the game.

It was wonderful to see our boys getting involved, supporting one another and enjoying the chance to learn from some cricket experts. A big thank you to the Hobart Hurricanes coaches for a valuable cricket experience.

Flying the SVC Flag: Webb Team Selection

Each year, at the culmination of the STCPSSA Year 5/6 Football Competition, we celebrate the athleticism, skill and sportsmanship of some of the competition’s standout players. Each participating school is invited to nominate players who have demonstrated exceptional ability and contribution throughout the season.

Congratulations to Winston Whittle, Harvey Gilmore, Joe Langdale and Jack Kilgour for being selected to represent SVC in the Webb Team this year. Congratulations, boys, on this wonderful achievement!

Upcoming Dates 

 Friday 2 October: Milkshake and MND Awareness Day

Wednesday 21 October: Grandparents Day

Wednesday 28 October: Junior School Spring Arts Celebration: Music and Masterpieces: 2pm — 4.30pm