Junior School, South Plympton

On this page: Grip Leadership Conference / Reconnecting with Parent Connect / NAPLAN Week

Grip Leadership Conference

On February the 26th the Year 6 Student Leaders attended the Grip Leadership Conference. Grip is a practical and interactive training conference designed for student leaders in primary and secondary schools across Australia.

In the first session, titled "How Everybody Can Step Forward and Lead," students participated in activities to identify their talents, recognise areas for positive change within their school, and share ideas with peers from other schools. They also explored the concept of sacrifice as a crucial aspect of leadership.

Between sessions, students enjoyed fun team-building games and interacted with peers from other schools, exchanging ideas and thoughts.

In the following session, students brainstormed ideas to improve their school community, emphasising the collective effort to enhance the school environment rather than individual recognition. They identified achievable areas for improvement and shared these ideas with students from other schools.

In the last session, students learned about implementing their ideas, emphasising the importance of listening, sharing thoughts, and taking action. They were encouraged to personalise their initiatives and stay accountable for seeing them through.

Overall a fun day was had by all. We were also joined by Brooklyn Park’s leaders and it was great to share ideas and be seen as one school. We also connected with them and talked about our up and coming sports day, the chants we will do and how we can identify needs within our two separate campuses. 

We look forward to further unpacking our ideas and are already starting to work on and introduce our club ideas to the staff in the coming week so we can provide great lunch time activities for all students.

Susan Van der Merwe,

Year 3/4 Teacher and Junior School Pastoral Coordinator

Reconnecting with Parent Connect

We are delighted to announce the restart of our beloved "Parent Connect" meetups, a cherished tradition within our Junior School aimed at building strong bonds with one another and a meaningful community at school. Starting this month, these informal gatherings will resume their weekly schedule, taking place every Tuesday after the morning drop-off and Friday afternoons from 2:30pm.

"Parent Connect" meetups provide a warm and welcoming environment for parents to come together, share experiences, and forge lasting connections over light refreshments generously provided by our dedicated parent representatives. 

Whether you're a familiar face or new to the community, we invite you to join us as we rekindle old friendships, make new ones, and continue to strengthen our school community. We look forward to seeing you there and building a stronger, more vibrant school community together!

Morgan Venter,

Year 1 Teacher, Wellbeing & Administration Coordinator F-2

NAPLAN Week

In the Junior School, NAPLAN will be held:

• Wednesday 9-10.20 AM
• Thursday  9-10.20 and 10.40-12 PM
• Friday 9-10.20 AM

NAPLAN can be a stressful time in some households. It doesn't have to be. 

If your child is feeling worried or anxious, here are some tips to help them beat the NAPLAN jitters:

1. Have a positive and encouraging conversation about it. Ask your child what they are worried about and why. This will help you understand their concerns better and give you an opportunity to provide support with positive guidance.
2. Eat well and rest well. Getting plenty of sleep and keeping to a healthy diet can have an impact on both physical and mental well-being. It’s important that your child is feeling calm and confident leading up to the NAPLAN tests, so they feel their best on the day, inside and out.
3. Be active and limit screen time. Too much screen time can increase stress levels and make it harder for children to focus or get back to studying. A great way to keep stress levels down is to let your child do the things they enjoy each day, especially being outdoors and engaging in meaningful play. 
4. Avoid last-minute cramming. Whatever you are preparing for, rushing into it is never the answer. Trying to cram everything in the last couple of days will only increase stress and anxiety, causing your child to feel overwhelmed on test day. 
5. Celebrate the effort, not the outcome. The most important thing is that they ‘gave it a go’ and did their best with what they knew on the day. It’s about praising their efforts rather than focusing on the results. Parents need to assure their child that the test is only about their abilities on one day, and not who they are as a person.

Caroline Wicks,

Junior School Teacher and Year 3-6 Curriculum Coordinator