F/1A - Foundation and Year 1

Well, this is the last newsletter for Term One! It seems only yesterday that our Foundation children commenced school. They have settled in so well, and our Grade Ones have been great role models. Let’s hope we remember all the wonderful learning we have been doing when we return from the Easter break!

We also need to remember to:

donate an easter egg for the “eggnormous”, “eggtravagant”, “eggciting” Easter Raffle
donate a toy or book for our Trash and Treasure stall at the Fete
return the School Nursing form (Foundation) as soon as possible
return Library books for library each Monday.

Hope the Easter Bunny remembers to visit your place. Enjoy the break.

Mrs Tanya, Classroom Teacher

F/1B - Foundation and Year 1

Mrs Torney, Classroom Teacher

Year 2

The end of Term 1 is rapidly approaching! The school fete is on the horizon and looks set to be a fabulous day of fun. Thank you to all families who have donated chocolate eggs for the Easter raffle. If you haven’t, there is still time.

Students have been working really well across term to get back in the rhythm of school and it has been wonderful to see the school values of respect, responsibility and resilience in action across our days.

In Maths, we have been learning about renaming numbers in different ways, reading calendars and collecting and representing data. In Reading, we have begun focusing on the comprehension skill of predicting. This is a great skill to practise during home reading. You can ask your child what they predict will happen in a story before reading and then discuss how their prediction is similar or different to what actually happens.

Our classroom has had a little rearrange, so here’s some pictures of what it looks like now. Wishing you all the best for the final week and a half of the school term!

Mrs McKenzie & Ms Young, Classroom Teachers

Year 3

What a hectic couple of weeks it has been in the Year 3 classroom!!

Year 3 students have all had a positive attitude when completing NAPLAN assessments over the last week. It was great to celebrate today that all assessments had been completed. Year 3 students should be incredibly proud of their efforts.

In our Maths sessions with the F/1 class, Year 3 students have introduced the younger students to the game Battleships. Having to read grid references to find all the hidden ships! It’s wonderful to see the Year 3 students step up and be leaders and teachers to the F/1 students. We look forward to continuing this next term.

Our Inquiry unit exploring the celestial dance of the Earth continues. Year 3 students along with Year 4 students have explored constellations (including making delicious marshmallow constellations) and all about shadows and light. How the sun and its position in the sky can help tell the time by the shadows that it creates. Students made sun dials and explored the shadows that

our bodies make depending on the position of the sun in the sky.

Year 3’s are gearing up for the school Fete next week. We have already started work on our stall and look forward to seeing our awesome adults and other family members in attendance on the day!

With holidays coming up, we hope everyone has a safe and happy Easter and a wonderful holiday break before heading back and getting into the swing of things for Term 2!

Miss A, Classroom Teacher.

Year 4 & 5

We have had a busy few weeks in 4/5, our novel study has almost come to a close. Fuzzy Mud was a hit. The Year 5s will soon be making their own ‘fuzzy mud’, hopefully we don’t see anyone get lost in it just like Marshall and Tamaya did in the novel. Boot was also a hit success, the year 4s learnt a lot about friendship and bravery following the robot Boot through his journey to find his owner. Have a look at the pictures to see the models we created based on characters we visualised in our texts.

We have also been working hard in Inquiry, the year 4s have been working with the year 3s learning about space and have created their own constellations out of marshmallows and toothpicks, and sundials out of plates and straws. The year 5s have been working with the 5/6 class expanding their knowledge on food webs and habitats.

To celebrate 100% attendance at the swimming sports, our class was rewarded with a free lunch order! Thank you Kylie for our delicious meals!

Well done to everyone who has now completed Naplan!

What a great start to the year we have had, I’m looking forward to all that Term 2 will bring!

Miss Eilish, Classroom Teacher.

Year 5/6

This week we will finish reading 'Runt' and 'Fuzzy Mud' in class. All students have thoroughly enjoyed reading these novels. We have made some lovely moustache and eyebrows as a disguise, just like Simpkins did in the story of Runt. Our first attempt at making Fuzzy Mud aka slime wasn't very successful so we will try again. Maybe there were too many ergies?

Thank you to the parents/guardians, who have listened to and supported their child to read at home. Next term, we will read another book and will require your continued support.

Next week, some students are participating in Calder Hot Shots at Boort so please make sure you have all the requirements and given permission.

The Inquiry unit this term has been a blast. We have made, designed and created animals and habitats, explored life cycles, food chains and animal adaptations.

Happy Easter!

Mrs Turnbull, Classroom Teacher

Year 8

Tectonic Plates/Mars Bars Experiment.

By Emily Canham and Mrs Braybrook

In our Humanities class, we are studying landscapes and landforms. To help us understand the creation of mountains we looked at the geomorphic processes involved. In class, we experimented using Mars bars to represent the Earth's different layers and the movements of tectonic plates. The layers of Mars bars were;

Nougat = Earth's Core
Caramel = The Mantle or Magma
Chocolate = The Earth's Crust or The Lithosphere

In this experiment, we notice different movements with the tectonic plates using Mars bars as an experiment. With the divergent plate boundaries, we could see the caramel insides of the Mars Bars because it caused a volcano. The caramel represents the magma or lava of the earth. We could also see a medium hole in the middle of the bar. With the transform boundaries, we could see them rubbing together almost like they were kissing. We learnt that this action is what causes earthquakes at the boundary. With the convergent boundaries, we could see a mountain forming in the Mars bars and if we were lucky the mountain turned into a volcano where the lava came out the top.

We had a lot of fun learning about the creation of mountains and how tectonic plates have shaped the world we live in today.

Year 7 Art

The Year 7 Art students looked at the Melbourne-based graphic designer Dan Fleming who created a series of animal typography artworks.

Called ‘Word Animals’, Fleming uses the letters in the names of animals to design creative typographical logos. Fleming’s creations provide a beautiful visual that is simple, creative and cleverly shaped.

The students:

Researched an animal shape of their choice
Printed an image of the chosen animal and traced it to simplify the shapes
They divided the body shape into segments, depending on the number of letters in their name
They then drew the letters of their name inside the segments
They choose a colour combination that best suited the design to render the letters.

Ms Herrington, Art Teacher

Year 8 Art

Ms Herrington, Art Teacher

Year 9

We are pleased to announce that the 2023 MY9 Duke of Edinburgh students will be awarded their Bronze Pin and Bronze Certificate on Tuesday 26th March at the Whole School Assembly. You are invited to come along and watch.

Ms Herrington and Miss Van De Wetering, Year 9 Duke of Ed and Homeroom Teachers.

Year 9 Don Valley Leadership Camp

It is the final two weeks for our Don Valley students. This last fortnight, our students have been busy with their second Expo which was another test of resilience and continuing to develop their leadership skills through the values-based approach at the camp. Each time, we read our students SWAYs, it is clear that each student has grown in their leadership.

Some of the highlights from the past fortnight were:

African Drumming
Mexican Night
The Second Expo
Yoga and meditation
Indigenous Inquiry - Learning how to make and throw boomerangs
Last NAPLAN testing ever
Karaoke

Year 10

SCHOOL FETE

Reminders:

Homework club is running Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays at lunchtime in Room 11. If you are finding it challenging to complete Homework at home, please utilise this time.
If you are absent from school, please send an email to your teachers to ensure you catch up on any work that is missed. In addition to this, if you are absent on a day where homework is due, please email this through or see your teacher the day before (if known) or first thing on your return.

Mr Iser & Miss Milne, Year 10 Homeroom Teachers

VCE

2024 Wedderburn College Deb Ball:

Even with the excitement of our term break approaching, nothing can squash the buzz around the anticipation of the event occurring this Friday night. Our Year 11s will be doing their debut, at the Wedderburn Mechanic’s Institute. Tickets are available at the door for $15.00 each, so come along and join in the fun and glamour.

Photos and a report will be in the next newsletter.

Work placements:

Well done to the VM students who have made a great start to their work placements. Keep an eye on the College Facebook page. Robyn will post photos as she visits the work sites.

Communications:

We would like to remind all senior students that they are expected to log on to Compass each school day and check their school-based email account for any correspondence from staff. (At this stage students should be checking both accounts). All official communication will be through these channels and these places should be checked daily.

If you are unable to attend a scheduled class, or will be absent from an event, please notify your teacher by email as a matter of courtesy. It is also common courtesy to acknowledge emails received from teachers. We need to know you have received any communication we send.

All students in Year 11 and 12 need to remember that your learning is your responsibility. By this stage of the term, you should be in the routine of checking your emails daily and using your diary as a viable resource.

Lead by Example:

Being in Year 11 and 12 means that you are now the leaders at school. Younger students are looking at you as the example of what to do, so make sure you are doing the right thing. Be in full school uniform, make sure hats aren’t worn during class time. Get to class on time and have the right materials. If homework has been set, or a task has been given, make sure it is done. Don’t come to class armed with excuses. In the end you are only letting yourself down.

We have a very clear Matrix to follow at Wedderburn College. Be the Ambassadors and always carry its focus with you.

Mr Gretgrix and Mrs Woodman, Year 11 & 12 Homeroom Teachers

PE News - Mr P and Miss Milne

HOCKEY ROADSHOW

On Tuesday the 12th of March, we had Neve Nisbet and Naomi Fitzpatrick come in to do a hockey taster with our students. As always, it was a fun filled day with students learning new and developing their skills.

Thank you to both Neve and Naomi for a great day!

HOT SHOTS

On Wednesday the 27th of March, a team of Year 5/6’s will be attending the Calder Hot Shots tournament. Students can bring their own tennis racquets or borrow a couple from the school. Please remember to return your consent form or complete it via compass.

Mr P’s Secondary PE Student of the Week is: Noah Winslett. Noah has been a fantastic leader in our Year 10 PE class. He always displays our expected behaviours, particularly around active participation. During the start of our Fitness Testing Unit, Noah has pushed himself to be the best he can be. Keep it going Noah.

Miss M’s Primary PE Student of the month is:Sophie Wilson. Sophie leads by example in each class. She is very patient and assists others when needed. Well done, Sophie! Please see Miss Milne for your prize.

TRIATHLON

Eight Wedderburn College Students attended the Triathlon in Boort on Thursday 7th March 2024.

Tyson Blair & Noah Winslett competed as individuals coming in 20th & 27th respectively out of 68 competitors. An excellent job boys.

72 teams competed for the teams events. Three students per team who ran, rode and swam.

Our teams consisted of:

Blaz Cramp, Tyler Pearce and Xander Wilson

Kayla Cramp, Lily Finch & Dakota Martin

Every student finished the race which was an excellent achievement.

Thanks to Mr G and Joan for taking us and buying lunch.

Report by Blaz Cramp

Miss Milne and Mr Pettifer, Sports Coordinators

OSHC Program

To Parent/Carers,

Please be aware, if your child/children has a booking to attend Wedderburn OSHC Program ensure that you inform the College of any changes which may arise. This needs to done only by the Parent/Carer and not by the student. This will avoid any confusion.

Thank you for your understanding.

Trina Vaughan, Melinda Springthorpe and Annette Hunt.

OSHC Coordinators.

Compass

Don't wait for the end of semester to view your child's progress. Log in to Compass and view teacher feedback and feed forward at any time by checking out your child's Learning Tasks. Children also receive regular (every 5 weeks) progress reports on their Organisation, Behaviour, Attitude to Learning and Work Completion. Learning Tasks and Reports can be found on you child's profile page.

School Wide Positive Behaviour Supports - SWPBS