In Our Classrooms
Division Swimming
After making it through the District Swimming Round, 13 of our Hazel Glen College students qualified for the Division event at Broadmeadows Leisure Centre on Thursday 5th March. It was tough competition at Division level but our Hazel Glen students did us proud with their exceptional effort. They displayed the school values and supported each other throughout the day. Two students, Daniel and Taylah, have even qualified to go on to the Regional Level.
We would like to congratulate all of our swimming squad for all of their efforts up to this point. We would also like to congratulate Daniel and Taylah and wish them all the best at the Regional Finals!
Year 4 Writing Workshop
On Friday 6 March, ten of our Year 4 students attended How to Write Like an Author with Deb Abela. Deb is a celebrated author of many books, including The Book of Wondrous Possibilities and The Kindness Project.
Throughout the day, students participated in three engaging workshops, where they shared their ideas and writing with students from across the state. The experience was filled with inspiring moments and provided valuable opportunities for students to explore and develop their identities as authors.
We are also excited to share that a group of Year 6 students will soon be participating in Who’s Telling the Story? with author Sue Lawson.
Year 6 Student Leadership PLAY Program
On Monday, our Year 6 Student Leadership Academy members attended a whole day training program called The Play Program with facilitators from Resilient Youth. Through the program training, our student leaders learnt how to facilitate safe and fun games for other students, including younger students.
Students learnt important communication and problem-solving skills and essential tips for running the program. At the end of the day, students planned a games program for our Year 1 and 2 students and facilitated this independently. The facilitators commented on the exceptional behaviour of all of our students in the Primary Years and shared that our student leaders displayed role model behaviour to younger students during the final session. Our Student Leadership Academy will now begin to plan to run the club during lunch times and recess, beginning in Term 2 for our Prep to Year 4 students as an addition to our clubs program in the Primary Years.
International Women's Day
For International Women’s Day, the students in Year 1A thought about what the day means and the important women in their lives. Students chose one special woman, wrote about why she is meaningful to them, and drew a matching picture to celebrate her. This activity helped students build appreciation, gratitude, and awareness of the influential women in their lives, while also giving them an opportunity to express their ideas through writing and art.
Year 4 Board Games
Our Year 4 students have been working collaboratively to design and create engaging board games that help players explore emotions and understand how the body reacts in different situations. Through teamwork, discussion, and creativity, they have developed games that encourage players to recognise feelings such as excitement, worry, frustration, and joy, while also identifying physical responses like a racing heart, sweaty palms, or calm breathing. This hands-on project has supported students in building empathy, communication skills, and a deeper awareness of emotional regulation, all while having fun and learning from one another. We look forward to sharing their wonderful work with you at the Primary Years Learning Expo next week.
Brainstorm Productions
Our Prep, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 6 students attended Brainstorm Productions on Tuesday 17th March. The remaining year levels will view the performance later in the term. This year, Brainstorm Productions presented the interactive show The Protectors. This engaging theatre-in-education program provides students with practical strategies for bullying prevention, online safety, social skills, and emotion regulation.
The performance follows the story of Leo and Serena, who are struggling to get along with their peers. Serena is teasing and bullying other students at school and online, while Leo is thoughtful and sensitive but has difficulty managing his emotions and standing up for himself. When Leo and Serena enter Protector School, they discover that empathy, assertiveness, and resilience are their superpowers.
Developed by educators and a clinical psychologist, The Protectors is a creative and entertaining addition to our wellbeing program. Students are inspired and empowered to stand up to bullying, seek help, and protect themselves and others both at the College and online. Our Prep to Year 2 and Year 6 students enjoyed the performance immensely and will continue their learning through subsequent activities in PEP programs. Brainstorm Productions is an important part of our annual wellbeing program, focusing on proactive education to support students’ social and emotional learning. This is a free program, and we look forward to hearing from our Year 3/4 and Year 5 students later in the term about their learning and experience of the show.
Visual Arts
Students have been busy getting their hands dirty with our Term 1 projects of painting, drawing and mixed media collage.
Grade 1
Students learnt how to draw all the different parts of a gum leaf as part of their mixed media project. They practised using fine paint brushes to paint small sections by having the brush “standing tall like a ballerina”, requiring much concentration! The most favourite part of this project would have been using the paint sticks – a quick easy and fun way to get colour onto the page!
The next project had the students painting onto paper with dirty paint water. Although this sounds a bit gross, it was an interesting experiment for them to see the paint water change colour with each addition of paint rinsed into it. This painting will be used to create sky scrapers for their city scape picture, where students learnt about the horizon line, a vanishing point for their road as well as colours used for a sunset.
Grade 3
As part of their startup, students learnt about the Lunar New Year and the meanings behind the animals, traditions and colours for the “Year of the Fire Horse”. We used geometric shapes to set up a basic drawing of a horse, refined it, and then used a variety of media to decorate the horse picture in the theme of “warm colours”.
We then began a project about moths, where we learnt about the differences between moths and butterflies as well as the significance of the markings on their wings. Students created a tissue paper collage of a moth and have begun to decorate a frame to go around their piece.
Grade 6
The first major project students began was “Trace, Move, Retrace”, using everyday objects from both home and at the College. Students were required to develop a plan of how they would transition their traced shape across the page and had freedom of choice with what media they used to complete their piece.
This led to the next project where students then had to use their observational skills with still-life drawing of art room objects, considering shape, space, composition and perspective in their layout. They thoroughly enjoyed using the “liquid greylead” pencils, which basically act like watercolour pencils, to add Value (light and dark) to their work.
Art Club
Art club continues to be popular each week, where we create fun, quick art projects. Art club is on every Thursday lunch time and is open to Years 1-6.
Year 6 Interschool Sports Results
Our Year 6 students have been actively involved in interschool sport over the past two weeks, competing in T-ball, Cricket and Basketball. Students represented HGC with pride, demonstrating teamwork, resilience and positive sportsmanship throughout all matches.
T-ball White
Week 6 – vs Mernda Central
- Boys: HGC 12 def. by Mernda Central 20
- Girls: HGC 10 def. by Mernda Central 17
Week 7 – vs Hume Anglican
- Boys: HGC 12 def. Hume Anglican 11
- Girls: HGC 12 def. Hume Anglican 11
T-ball Purple
Week 6 – vs MPPS
- Girls: HGC 19 def. MPPS 18
- Boys: HGC 19 def. MPPS 12
Week 7 – vs Ashley Park
- Girls: HGC 21 def. Ashley Park 2
- Boys: HGC 19 def. Ashley Park 17
Cricket Purple
Week 6 – vs MPPS
- Girls: HGC 90 def. by MPPS 100
- Boys: HGC 182 def. MPPS 64
Week 7 – vs Mernda Central
- Girls: HGC 127 def. Mernda Central 55
- Boys: HGC 189 def. Mernda Central 105
Cricket White
Week 6 – vs Mernda Central
- Boys: HGC 81 def. by Mernda Central 82
- Girls: HGC 45 def. by Mernda Central 60
Week 7 – vs Hume Anglican
- Boys: HGC 34 def. by Hume Anglican 154
- Girls: HGC 35 def. by Hume Anglican 99
Basketball Purple
Week 6 – vs MPPS
- Girls: HGC 30 def. MPPS 6
- Boys: HGC 51 def. MPPS 6
- Mixed: HGC 8 def. MPPS 4
Week 7 – vs Ashley Park
- Girls: HGC 11 def. by Ashley Park 15
- Boys: HGC 34 def. Ashley Park 13
Mixed: HGC 2 drew with Ashley Park 2
Basketball White
Week 6 – vs Mernda Central
- Girls: HGC 16 def. Mernda Central 2
- Boys: HGC 8 def. by Mernda Central 25
- Mixed: HGC 7 def. by Mernda Central 12
Week 7 – vs Donnybrook Primary School
- Girls: HGC 12 def. Donnybrook PS 0
- Boys: HGC 10 def. Donnybrook PS 7
- Mixed: HGC 12 def. Donnybrook PS 0
Congratulations to all Year 6 students for their enthusiasm, effort and commitment throughout the competition. Thank you to staff and coaches for their ongoing support. We look forward to more exciting interschool sports in the coming weeks.
School Representative Council
Our newly formed School Representative Council has made an enthusiastic start to the year, coming together for their second meeting this week. Representatives from each class from Prep to Year 6 shared feedback gathered from their peers about the clubs currently on offer and what clubs students would potentially like to see in the future.
Students also began exploring ideas for this year’s House Performing Arts event, discussing possible themes to help shape an engaging and inclusive celebration later in the year.
In addition, our Years 3–6 representatives reviewed selected data from the recent Hazel Glen College Student Voice Survey. Through discussions, students were able to identify areas that students felt were positive and areas for improvement. Their insights will help guide future discussions and initiatives aimed at ensuring every student feels supported, connected and empowered in their learning.
We look forward to seeing the positive impact of the SRC’s voice and leadership as the year progresses.
Outdoor Play Equipment
It has been wonderful to see our students making the most of the new play equipment recently added to our College grounds. The building blocks and other hands-on materials have quickly become favourites, encouraging creativity, teamwork and imaginative play during break times.
Students have been busy constructing towers, designing structures and working together to bring their ideas to life. The new resources have not only added excitement to the College yard but have also provided valuable opportunities for problem solving, collaboration and active learning through play.
We look forward to seeing the many creations our students continue to build as they explore and enjoy the new equipment throughout the year.
