Junior School

Semester One Reports and Parent/Teacher Interviews

A parent letter was sent out in Week Three detailing our move to Continuous Reporting and how the Junior School semester reports will look in Term Two and Term Four.  Please put the following dates into your calendars and diaries.

Friday 7 June - Junior School Semester One reports released to parents via PAM

Tuesday 11 June - Parent/Teacher Interviews (3.30 pm to 6.00 pm)

Wednesday 12 June - Parent/Teacher Interviews (3.30 pm to 6.00 pm)

In the coming weeks, Parent/Teacher interviews will be able to be booked via PAM and can be in person or online via TEAMs.  This year, parents will be able to book an interview with their child’s class teacher and our specialist Chinese, Drama, Music, Physical Education and Visual Arts teachers.  Interviews have been extended to 15 minutes.  We feel the move to releasing reports and conducting Parent/Teacher interviews before the mid-year holiday break will be more beneficial to families. 

Mathematics Extension Programs

The 2024 APSMO (Australian Problem-Solving Mathematics Olympiad) competitions commence this week for students in the Maths Explore (Year 3), Maths Games (Year 4/5) and Maths Olympiad (Year 6) extension groups.  Our students will compete against the best mathematicians in Australia and the Oceania region.  They will sit four papers over the next 10 weeks, each containing five complex problem-solving questions.  The sample question below comes from the Maths Olympiad (Year 6) group’s preparation paper.

Week 4 Assembly 

In this week’s Junior School Assembly, we focused on the College value of resilience.  I shared the amazing and touching story of Canadian Terry Fox.

Eighteen-year-old Terry Fox never saw himself as remarkable.  Granted, he displayed an unusual determination to achieve the goals he set for himself, but his orbit was local – family, school, sports and friends. But Terry’s cancer diagnosis of osteogenic sarcoma just above the knee, the subsequent amputation of his leg and experience in the cancer wards changed all that.  A newly nurtured reservoir of compassion, combined with a fierce determination to bring an end to the suffering cancer causes, set Terry on a path that, quite simply, changed the world.

Terry’s personal experience and research led him to a simple conclusion – more money was needed for cancer research.  And so, in the modest but motivated style that would prove to be his trademark, Terry started training and planning for his cross-Canada run to raise funds for cancer research.  He dipped his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean on April 12th, 1980 and proceeded to unite Canadians in a way never before, nor since, seen.  He ran a marathon each day for 146 days.  The only thing that could have stopped Terry from reaching the Pacific Ocean did.  Cancer returned in his lungs and he was forced to stop on September 1st, 1980 after having run 5,373 kilometres.  Before his death on June 28, 1981, Terry had achieved his unimaginable goal of raising $1,000,000.  To this day, the Terry Fox Foundation has raised over $700,000,000 for cancer research.

Star Students

The following students received Star Student awards at this week’s Assembly.

• Year 1 - Alice Milne for consistently demonstrating our School Values in her approach to learning and in her interactions with others. 
• Year 2 - Rosie Bell for displaying a positive attitude towards her learning and always trying her best.
• Year 3 – Shriaan Golwala for going above and beyond assigned tasks, demonstrating a genuine curiosity and desire to learn.  His positive attitude, dedication to studies, and willingness to help others makes him a truly deserving recipient of this award.
• Year 3 - Harry Parfrey for consistently giving his best effort in every subject, especially with a focus on mathematics.
• Year 4 – Anika Nelson for her consistent support and helpfulness towards others, making a positive impact on our school community.
• Year 4 – Hazel Johns for her efforts in class and excellent completion of homework tasks showing her dedication and commitment to academic success.
• Year 5 - Hugo Cameron for working consistently across all learning areas.  Hugo is always prepared with all necessary materials.  He is courteous and well mannered.

Spotlight on Myrniong Learning

Year 4 - During our Inquiry lessons, the Year 4 students have been investigating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' approaches to sustainability and their connection to the country. Students have been researching a variety of Indigenous resources from the land, with a particular focus on bush foods.

 SSV Division Athletics 

Huge congratulations to our SSV Division Athletics team of George Robertson, Will Brown, Lachlan Sweeney, Tommy Brown, Max Cameron, Arya Bourchier and Grace O’Sullivan who competed in Warrnambool last Friday. We were blessed with near perfect conditions and each member of our Athletics team represented our school and themselves with positive sportsmanship and determination to do their best.

From this event, the following students have qualified to compete at the SSV Regional Athletics Championships in Ballarat, in October. 

• Will Brown - Shot Put
• Lachlan Sweeney - Long Jump
• Tommy Brown - Hurdles
• Max Cameron - Hurdles
• Grace O’Sullivan - 800m and 200m

Best of luck to our Regional Athletics Team.

Hockey

Division 5 Black Panthers went down 2-1 to Coleraine Gold.  A close and exciting game where all Panthers put in 100%.  A wonderful goal set up by his team was scored by George Whinney. Players of the match were Eloise Bufton, who pushed hard to score and Alice Milne for her great tackling.

Division 5 Tigers had a very impressive 4-0 win over Demons Blue.  Will Brown and Lucy Cameron scored for Tigers and had excellent matches. 

Division 4 Wolves had a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Coleraine Gold.  Oscar Hawthorne scored both goals.  Best on ground for Wolves were Tommy Brown, Livvy Bell and Evie Templeton. The match was the Wolves’ best display for 2024.

In a commanding display, the College Foxes triumphed over Coleraine Maroon with a score of 5-1, showcasing remarkable team play throughout the match.  Max Cameron was impressive, netting three goals, while Hartley Johns and Hugo Cameron each added a goal to the tally. Player of the match honours went to Hazel Johns, whose grit and determination on the field were pivotal in driving her team to victory.