Primary Happenings

Year 3 & 5: A Musical Adventure in the City: Carnival of the Animals

Dave Bonfa, Senior Primary Music Teacher

Our Year 3 and Year 5 students recently enjoyed a wonderful excursion to Hamer Hall in the heart of Melbourne to experience the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performing Camille Saint-Saëns’ much-loved Carnival of the Animals.

For many of our students, this was their first opportunity to experience a professional orchestra performing live in such a spectacular concert hall. The students were amazed by the incredible sounds of the orchestra and loved hearing the different instruments bring the animals to life. From the graceful swan to the energetic kangaroos, the music sparked plenty of excitement and imagination throughout the performance.

The concert also featured some wonderful Australian compositions, including new music celebrating one of Australia’s most beloved and unique animals — the platypus! This gave our students the opportunity to hear music from Australian composers while discovering how composers can use music to represent animals, characters and stories.

Beyond the music itself, the excursion was a fantastic cultural experience. Travelling into the beautiful city of Melbourne, visiting Hamer Hall and seeing a professional orchestra perform gave our students a memorable opportunity to connect what they learn in the classroom with a real-world musical experience.

A huge thank you to all of our wonderful teachers and parent helpers who gave their time to supervise and support the students throughout the day. Your help made the excursion possible and ensured everyone could enjoy such a special experience.It was a fantastic day of music, learning and discovery, and we hope our students will remember their Carnival of the Animals adventure for many years to come!

Year 4: Art Incursion - My Hero

Eleanor Roberts, Primary Art Teacher

Year 4 students enjoyed a colourful and creative morning during the NGV’s My Hero Art Incursion. Students were introduced to the work of Aboriginal artist Kaylene Whiskey, exploring her vibrant and playful style, which combines Indigenous culture with favourite pop culture icons to create stories about the people, places and things that are important to her.

Inspired by Whiskey’s artwork, students created their own collage artworks using an NGV postcard featuring an Australian landscape as their starting point. They then added their own drawn “heroes”, incorporating pop culture characters, favourite foods, book characters, animals and other fun and meaningful things that they love.

Throughout the morning, students also practised visual thinking strategies, learning to slow down, look closely and think deeply about what they could see in an artwork. It was a wonderful opportunity for students to explore Aboriginal art, share their ideas and express their own interests and creativity.

It was a fun and colourful morning of looking, thinking, creating and, most importantly, celebrating what makes each of us unique! 

Year 1: Jobs in the Community Expo

Sheridan Pover, Year 1 Teacher

On Friday 4 September, our Year 1 students enjoyed a very special Community Expo, with many of our wonderful parents visiting the school to share all about their jobs and the important ways they contribute to our community. 

Throughout the morning, the children had the opportunity to meet and learn from doctors, lawyers, nurses, speech pathologists, teachers, bankers, dentists, social workers and many other professionals. Our parent visitors explained what their jobs involve, answered lots of curious questions and helped the children understand how many different people work together to keep a community happy, healthy, safe and thriving. 

The Year 1s loved discovering the different ways people can use their skills and talents to help others. From caring for people when they are sick, to teaching children, helping people communicate, looking after our teeth, managing money and supporting families, every role plays a valuable part in our community. 

We feel incredibly blessed to have had so many parents generously give their time to be part of our Expo. Their enthusiasm made the learning come alive and created a memorable experience for our students. A huge thank you to all our wonderful community helpers!