Specialists News
3/4 In the kitchen
Week 7 we decided to have a day inside and avoid the wind outside. Our homemade butter is still supporting us in the kitchen as we continue to create delicious menus. This week we prepared moist, flavourful loaves of banana bread, served with a maple syrup and cinnamon butter.
We also enjoyed trying an Indigenous tea made with strawberry gum, cinnamon myrtle, lemon myrtle and wild hibiscus. It was absolutely scrumptious!
3/4 Students are so enjoying their time out in the garden each week. We have been blessed with beautiful sunny days where we have been tending the garden, collecting seeds and cleaning up. Our rhubarb though a little nibbled on is happy and producing humongous leaves. Students are curious and keen to try.
In week 6 we prepared delicious rice paper rolls. With the warmer weather continuing, students enjoyed preparing something cold and fresh. Alongside learning new kitchen skills, we explored the science behind rice paper. When rice paper is dry it is firm and brittle, however when dipped in water it absorbs the liquid and becomes soft and flexible. This occurs because the starch in the rice paper takes in the water and loosens, allowing it to bend and wrap easily around the fillings. Students carefully softened their rice paper sheets before filling them with fresh ingredients and rolling them into delicious, healthy rolls. Alongside the rolls we created a no peanut dipping sauce which was delicious.
Week 8 in Kitchen Garden
In our second last week of Kitchen Garden for 2026, we spent time continuing to care for our garden and admiring the new wall built by Mr Stead over the weekend. The students are incredibly proud of their garden and have been excited to see the many changes and improvements made over the past 12 months.
Caring for our garden also encourages students to take care of Country and recognise the benefits we all receive through their hard work.
In the kitchen this week, we prepared a sweet treat—meringues with sweetened ricotta and stewed fruit. The original recipe included rhubarb, which has fascinated many of the students in our garden. However, we didn’t have enough ready to harvest, and it was not available to purchase.
Instead, we used stewed apples and berries. Drizzled over the crunchy meringues with maple syrup–sweetened ricotta, the dish was delicious and offered a wonderful variety of textures and flavours.
We are also so excited that our BBQ and Pizza oven have been built. Thank you to Ms Mazzeo for winning this and the pergola for us, and for Mr Stead putting these together and building the pergola. Thank you to any parent helpers as well, we are most grateful.
Week 9's final festive bake off.
This week, we completed our final scientific cooking experience by making 1-hour hot cross buns. The room was filled with the delicious aroma of mixed spice, nutmeg, cinnamon and fruit, and the crosses on top looked fantastic. Creating the cross mixture an using a piping bag was a first for many students and yet they all did a great job. We enjoyed the delights of our hard work with the final jar of homemade butter. We all agree that the butter we made is far superior to any shop bought butter. We encourage you to make some at home.
Well done to our 3/4 students for all you have learned this term and for the care and pride you have shown in maintaining your garden.
Physical Education/Sport:
Across Week 7, our school was fortunate enough to have coaches from the Footscray Hockey Club deliver clinics for all F-6 students. The coaches delivered fun, engaging and challenging activities which took place across the senior yard and the hall. We thank the Footscray Hockey Club for their time and effort with our school to add to another enjoyable experience for everyone!
The students each received a flyer from the coaches. More information can be viewed about the Footscray Hockey Club as per further below.
House Sports also continued to take place every second Friday afternoon. The Year 6 House Captains enjoyed delivering these sessions to all students. They started their warm ups being on stage and interactively dance dance to songs such as 'Happy'!, where all other students joined along. An epic Egg And Spoon race out on the senior yard plus a game of Tunnel Ball in the hall were enjoyed by all. The House Captains enthusiastically supported everyone through these and kept everyone entertained along the way!
Comments from some of our Year 6 Sport House Captains:
"We've had fun and it’s great doing different things".
"We enjoyed teaching everyone to dance and have fun".
"I enjoyed organising all the different sports for everyone".
The ARTS
Visual Arts
During Term 1, students were immersed in the artwork of the Spanish Artist Pablo Picasso. They observed his paintings and sketches, making relevant comments about what they observed. Students in Years 3–6 created portraits of themselves and their friends using Picasso’s distinctive style. Year 1/2 students explored this style by using a grid to support their drawings, producing some very creative and interesting results.
Prep students began the year positively, learning about Picasso and his artistic approach. They were encouraged to experiment with a variety of media when colouring their butterfly artworks.
Students also worked diligently on their Father’s Day Tote Bags. They began with a rough sketch of their design on cartridge paper, then transferred their design onto the manufacturer’s Picture Products format. Parents are able to order a tote bag for Father’s Day through the school office or online via the following link https://www.trybooking.com/DJQIK.
Final orders are to be made prior to 20th April, 2026. Every student has made a Tote Bag for a member of their family.
During Term 2, students will be studying the works of Australian Artists.
Performing Arts
During Performing Arts sessions, students listened to the works of two classical Russian composers and shared their responses to the music. They sang songs and used musical instruments to accompany pieces, and also engaged in character acting independently and in pairs or small groups.
“Ciao from the Italian Classroom!”
Students have had a wonderful term in Italian and have been enthusiastically participating in a range of activities.
Our Prep to Year 2 students have been learning greetings such as “Ciao”, “Buongiorno”, and “Come stai?”, and practising how to talk about their feelings using phrases like “Sto bene” (I am well), “Sono contenta/o” (I am happy), and “Sono triste” (I am sad).
Our 3/4 students have been working hard on their character profiles, writing independently using a modelled structure to help guide their ideas and build their confidence in writing.
Our 5/6 students have enjoyed researching Carnevale in Italy, exploring the traditions and celebrations. They also showed great creativity by designing their own masks and parade floats inspired by this colourful Italian festival.
As we approach Easter, students have also been learning about Italian Easter traditions and taking part in creative activities connected to Italian language and culture.
Wishing all our families a wonderful Easter and a relaxing holiday break.
Carnevale Float and Mask designs : Year 5/6 students
