5-8 Community News

NAPLAN

Our Years 5 and 7 students have just completed NAPLAN. The first day of NAPLAN saw internet outages around the country, however, our students were able to complete their assessments with minimal fuss. The remaining three days went very well, with all students completing their tests to the required time frame and doing them to the best of their ability. 

Homework  

There has been a slight drop in homework completion the last fortnight.  We aim for all our students to complete their homework every week, but we are currently at around 85% completion. The homework directly correlates to what they are learning in class, so we encourage all our students to ensure they at least show their parents/guardians what they are doing to ensure a connection between home and school.  

TA  

During our TA time, we have been studying a range of topics. Our current SOLE focus is showing gratitude and being optimistic. We have been discussing the importance of being grateful for all the wonderful things we have and how being grateful makes us feel better. Having optimism also allows us to do that.  

Another area of focus has been examining various statistics around some of the key areas that affect students’ overall wellbeing. Some of these include stress, anxiety, mental health, discrimination, loneliness and more. We have been able to break down the statistics to further study why these are an issue and what we can do about them.  

Reminders 

Uniform – please ensure the correct uniform is being worn at all times. We still have some students mixing their academic uniform with their sports uniform.  

Laptops – These should be fully charged every day. Laptops should charge overnight, each night, meaning a loan laptop or a charger at school is never needed.  

Year 8 Food Technology

Students in Years 7 and 8 Food Technology have had a busy start to the year. A range of delicious recipes have been prepared, with students developing confidence in essential kitchen skills. Making pizzas from scratch didn’t challenge them too much - however, ensuring each pizza included three different vegetables challenged some! This task encouraged students to think creatively about healthy choices while still producing pizzas that looked and tasted fantastic.

Year 7 Anglesea Camp

Our Year 7 students recently enjoyed a fantastic camp in Anglesea, staying at Burnside Camp after an exciting (and long!) bus journey.

Surrounded by serene bushland and located close to the stunning Surf Coast, the camp provided the perfect setting for students to step outside their comfort zones and build connections. Across the three days, students participated in a variety of activities including high ropes, zip lining, archery, bushwalking and team challenges, all designed to develop confidence, resilience and teamwork. A clear highlight of the trip was the surfing, with many students taking to the waves for the first time and embracing the challenge with enthusiasm.

A strong sense of community quickly formed, with students supporting one another, building new friendships and strengthening existing ones. Evening activities and shared experiences added to the overall enjoyment and created lasting memories.

Overall, the camp was a highly positive experience, supporting students in their transition to secondary school while promoting independence, personal growth and a strong year-level culture.