Classroom News 

Division Swimming Championships 

On Thursday 5th March, eight students from Our Lady’s Primary School proudly represented our school at the Division Swimming Championships held at the Broadmeadows Aquatic Centre. The students who competed were Tyson Woodgate (4A), Tyler Liyanage (4A), Chloe Barnes (4C), Liam Woodgate (6B), Hayden Herath (6C), Kinsley Dorris (5C), Gemma Hartigan (5D) and Pratham Gurong (5D).

All students should be extremely proud of their efforts on the day, demonstrating fantastic determination, sportsmanship and school pride while competing against strong swimmers from across the division. There were some outstanding performances and many impressive results achieved throughout the competition.

A special congratulations goes to brothers Tyson and Liam Woodgate, who both placed 1st in their events. Their excellent performances have earned them the opportunity to represent Our Lady’s Primary School at the Northern Metropolitan Region Swimming Championships next Thursday 19th March.

We are very proud of all eight students for their efforts and the way they represented our school. Congratulations again to Tyson and Liam, and we wish them all the very best at the upcoming regional championships. 🏊‍♂️🏅

What's Been Happening in Year 4

This term in Year 4, students participated in an engaging incursion titled “Democracy and Me”, where they explored the importance of rules and laws in our community. Through hands-on activities, students learned how laws are created and why they are essential for keeping communities fair and safe. They took part in a role-play voting process to elect a mayor, with one student successfully appointed to the role. The class then participated in a community role play, where students shared their perspectives on a proposed new law and experienced how decisions are discussed and made in a democratic system. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to develop their understanding of citizenship, fairness, and respectful debate.

We also enjoyed a wonderful Family Night centred around rules and laws. Families rotated through three interactive activities: a fun and competitive Kahoot quiz to test their knowledge of rules and laws, a creative task where they designed new laws based on a picture prompt of a town with no rules, and a lively debate about a proposed new law. It was fantastic to see such enthusiastic participation from both students and parents, and we thank everyone who attended and supported the evening. 

What's Been Happening in Year 6

Sovereign Hill Excursion

Gold Panning

When we were gold panning in the river, we found large metal plates to scoop up the rocks from the river, shovels could also be used. To inspect the rocks for gold, you would have to tip the plate slightly so the water would drain away. It was really difficult because a lot of it had already been found. An old man gave us some tips on how to find the gold - the trick was to do it slowly and make sure you look closely for anything sparkly or shiny. Some fortunate people did in fact find tiny pieces of gold, after, they travelled to the gift shop to put their gold in a small bottle to be secure.

(Joyce and Santa)

Dress up/ Re-enactment

We went to the Education Centre where we learned about the Eureka Stockade. We all got to dress up in 1800 style costumes to act out scenes from the history of the Eureka Hotel. Some of us dressed up as soldiers, one was the hotel owner, and the rest were civilians, red coats, women of the gold field and miners. There was a lot of violence at that time. We got to make our own gold mining licence, which cost $2 a month back then and allowed you to pan for gold during the Gold Rush. If someone didn’t have a licence and was caught panning for gold, they could be arrested. It showed us how strict the rules were at the time.

(Jaxon)

At Sovereign Hill, we went on a mine tour. We rode on an old train underground and it was really dark and a bit creepy with spider webs everywhere. We watched a projection show about people who immigrated to Australia during the Gold Rush to find gold, it looked very realistic. We learned that people travelled from all over the world by boat to try and become rich. They looked for diamonds, emeralds and gold, but mostly found gold, and Aboriginal people liked other gems and stones because they were lighter and harder.

(Mary and Isaac)

Our class was split into groups and we were able to go and explore the different shops and attractions at Sovereign Hill. The bakery was full of nice smells and had a wide variety of pastries, biscuits and drinks and we even got to watch the bakers make the treats. At the lolly shop almost all the items were under $20 and they had lots of different colours and flavours. The lolly shop was full of colourful flavours, with glass jars full of hard candies.

The post office gift shop had some more things that we could buy like pens and postcards. It was really fun walking around the old-style buildings and feeling like we were back in the olden days.

(Noah and Yashika)

What's Been Happening in Year 2

Last week, the Year 2 students had an exciting time participating in Swimming Week at Splash! Throughout the week, they built their confidence in the water as they learnt essential water safety skills through lots of fun activities.

Students practised key water safety techniques, including how to float and safely enter and exit the water. They also took on the challenge of putting their heads under the water, and some swam on their backs, improving their control in the water. Students practised jumping safely into deeper water using the “pindropping” technique – which was a big step for many of our students!

But the highlight of the week was Friday’s ‘Water Safety Day’. Students had the opportunity to wear their pyjamas in the pool to practise how to tread water in case they were to find themselves in an emergency situation. They also went to different water safety stations to learn about keeping safe around water at home, the beach and the river.

It was wonderful to see our Year 2 swimmers grow in confidence and enthusiasm as they spent more time in the pool, so many gave it a go despite their nerves. We are so incredibly proud of their efforts! 

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