Junior School Report

Junior School News

The first semester is coming to a close; however, students have maintained their energy right until the very end.

Our students have been engaged in a myriad of activities, including Multicultural Day, interschool sports, in-school netball competitions, kiosk excursions, lunchtime activities, assisting with the Primary School Discovery Day, morning teas, house meetings for the upcoming Athletics Day, and the much-deserved Year 8 pizza party for raising the highest donations in the Colour Run fundraiser. These funds will contribute towards new school furniture, which will be delivered next term.

Year 7 Morning Tea

We recently hosted our Year 7 Morning Tea, with many primary school principals, teachers, and education support staff taking the time to visit and see how our Year 7 students have grown throughout their first semester of secondary school. The Year 7 students prepared food and assisted with the setup of the event.

Our Year 8 leaders, Evie H, Grace R, Jack R, and Meg M, provided an overview of the opportunities available at the College, while Taliyah S from Year 7 shared stories of her first six months at secondary school.

It was wonderful to see students proudly taking their former teachers on tours and sharing their learning experiences and new opportunities.

Assemblies and Green Chronicle Awards

Our most recent school assembly focused on pride, including introducing new student leaders, wearing the school uniform with pride, coming to class prepared, and taking pride in learning and personal achievement.

Congratulations to Caitlyn Green from Year 8, who was the recipient of the Junior School Positive Green Chronicle Award.

Junior School Semester Highlights

Tyler R: “Preparing for the Knox Symposium because it allows me to be creative, do more typing, and receive support from my teacher.”
Max C: “Soccer interschool sports, where I got to spend time with my mates and do something different from normal school work.”
Emily A: “The Colour Run, because it was a fun way to celebrate the term with friends.”
Laura L: “Dissecting a sheep’s heart in Science for the first time,and eating the Indian naan and Mexican nachos on Multicultural Day.”
Jack M: “I’m excited about the upcoming Athletics Day.”
Evie: “I like the Knox Symposium because it gives us a way to collaborate and do something we are passionate about. I also enjoy the netball competition because of the competitiveness.”
Katie A: “I enjoyed making a novelty box in Technology and running an experiment with Year 7 students to explore reward systems”
Zya S: "I enjoyed participating in badminton, representing the school and achieving runners-up.”
Meg M: “I was elected a junior captain, and enjoyed participating in netball competitions because I play for a team outside of school too. I have also liked the English group activities and lunchtime activities.”

Reminders for Term 3 Uniform

As we continue through the colder months, students are reminded to wear the correct school uniform.
Hoodies cannot be worn as a replacement for the school jacket. If a student has misplaced their jacket, they may borrow one from the Junior School.
If students choose to wear the sports uniform instead of the formal uniform, they must wear the official school trackpants only. Other trackpants are not part of the school uniform.

Subjects/Organisation

Students should ensure they are organised and ready for class each day, including bringing all required equipment and their planner.
Students will commence new elective subjects in Semester 2 and should ensure they have the correct books and equipment for these classes.

Attendance:

It is essential that students arrive at school on time and that any absences are accounted for. This can be challenging after the holidays and during colder weather, so it is important to re-establish routines before returning to school.
If a student is late, they must sign in through the office.
If absent, parents/carers should submit an attendance note via Compass or contact the school office.

Camps:

Information regarding the Year 9 City Week/Zoo Sleepover and the Year 8 Allambee Camp, both taking place in November, will be distributed at the beginning of Term 3.

Thank you to all students, families, and staff for a fantastic first semester. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday break and look forward to an exciting Semester 2.

Ms Sarah Wilson& Mrs Ruth Smith

Head & Deputy Head of Junior School

SOAR and Higher Abilities Program

Our SOAR students have been busily preparing their extended investigation where they have been tasked with coming up with a measurable and robust question about a topic of their choice.

Some example questions we have looked at were:

How does bias impact social justice?

How do algorithms impact teenagers?

What is the correlation between microplastic density in Port Phillip Bay water samples and the proximity to commercial shipping zones?How does the mass of a star relate to its lifecycle stages and the duration of its main-sequence phase?

What is the most significant effect of reducing lack of motivation for students in Year 9?

Students then discussed effective research and how we can critically analyse sources and data sets looking at relevance and credibility.

Next term, SOAR students we will continue with this independent research and then look at the history and the game of chess. Chess fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and emotional resilience.

It acts as an educational tool that goes beyond traditional academics, helping students build essential life skills such as strategic planning, patience, and concentration.

As part of the Higher Abilities Program, we have students attending and participating in some exciting programs.

We are still checking in on the Children’s University team, run by Swinburne University and we are also launching into MUNA (Model United Nations Assembly).

Scoresby will be representing India and will be debating and presenting our resolutions as the Indian delegation Saturday 15 August.

Mrs Caroline Leavey

Higher Abilities Leader