Specialists News

Sport/Phys Ed News

Swimming Program

Our Swimming Program will be held during this term at the Peter Krenz Leisure Centre, Eaglehawk on the following dates:

GROUP 1   - Week 8      

 GROUP 2 - Week 9

The students will complete five sessions with a fully qualified Austswim teacher from the Leisure Centre. Each session will be of 40 minutes duration. As this program forms part of the Health and Physical Education curriculum, it is important for all students to attend and take part in the lessons. 

The cost of the Program is $35.00 per student. The school has been able to secure a ‘Swimming in Schools’ grant again this year which has helped to reduce the cost. With bus, pool hire and the cost of instruction, the swimming program would normally cost approx. $68.00 per student without this funding. Further information about our Swimming Program (including payment/consent) is available on Compass.

In order to place students in swimming groups appropriate to their level, all NEW students to Spring Gully PS in 2024 (including all Prep students) will receive a skill competence assessment checklist. We ask parents/carers to complete, as accurately as they can, this form and return it to school as soon as possible so that we can start to organise the groups. Students who completed the swimming program in 2023 do not need to complete this form as they have already been placed in a group based on this year’s results. All students will be assessed by the instructors during the first lesson and placed accordingly.

State Athletics Championships

Good luck to the following students who will be representing the school to the State Athletics final at the Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne on the Wednesday the 6th of November:

Jed H - 9/10 Years Boys High Jump

Max H - 9/10 Years Boys 100m & 200m

Archie C - 12/13 Years Boys Hurdles

Emma A - 12/13 Years Girls 100m

Auslan News

This week, Grades P-4 have continued learning about Handshapes used in Auslan signs. There are 38 major Handshapes used in Auslan. Handshapes are important as they help us to sign more accurately.

Grades P-4 have also been learning about HOLM+NMF: Handshape, Orientation, Location, Movement, and Non-Manual Functions. As Auslan is a visual language, HOLM+NMF is an important part of Auslan grammar. All grades have been learning HOLM+NMF by matching the definitions to pictures.

Grade 5-6s have been learning some Auslan Visual Arts signs, including: Art, Gallery, Painting, Make, Paint, Draw, Paper, Pen, Pencil, Texta, Crayon, Sew, Knit, Glue, Scissors, Mess and Clean.

Students are also continuing to practise the signs for Performing Arts: Music, Dance, Dancer, Sing, Drama/Show/Theatre, Clown, Puppet, Funny, Laugh, Dress Up, Ballet, Drums, Guitar, Piano, Flute, and Band.

In expectation of a busy Term 4, I have introduced the Grade 5-6s to parts of their Auslan Learning Task for this term, earlier than usual. This will give students the opportunity to do their own OPTIONAL practise at home over the next few weeks before we launch into the task at school. Students are practising fingerspelling the Auslan Alphabet A-Z to build fluency. This is coming very easily for those who have practised from the time they began learning Auslan last year! The Learning Task also requires students to sign a short Auslan Script about themselves which they will have brought home for OPTIONAL extra practise. The last part of the task will be based on Auslan Grammar and will be completed in class. 

Mrs Riordan.