Kinross Wolaroi Family Bulletin

Around the Junior School

Pre-Kinder take a ride on the miniature trains

From Ms Belinda Ferguson, Pre-Kinder Coordinator

During week 7 of Term 2 the children in Pre-Kinder enjoyed learning all about the different types of transport we can use to travel from one place to another. To consolidate their learning, we organised with the Miniature Train Society for our class to visit the miniature train track in Matthew’s Park to learn about steam engines and jump on board for a ride. Lots of tooting fun for the children and the adults.

Classical Mythology

From Mrs Amanda Dodson, Assistant Head of Junior School

In 2024, we were excited to introduce our Years 4-6 Classical Mythology enrichment program. We were extremely impressed by the enthusiasm and curiosity that came to life through this program with 16 students choosing to sit the prestigious Pegasus Mythology Exam. The students' medals arrived recently and we'd like to extend our warm congratulations to Josh (Gold-100%), Alexander & Madeleine (Gold), Prayan (Silver), and Leopold and Nick (Distinction) on their success. 

Thank you Ms Erica Baldry!

From Mr Lachlan Barrett, Academic Staff

Recently in the Kinross Wolaroi Junior School, we were delighted to welcome Australian Catholic University Teacher Education Student, Ms Erica Baldry, to Kinross Wolaroi School as she continued her suite of Professional Experience placements.

 

Erica immersed herself in the vibrant learning environment of Year 6, guided and supported by the wonderful Mrs Emmah Klein, whose wealth of teaching experience across regional Australia and the UK brings richness to the classroom.

 

At Kinross Wolaroi School, we are deeply committed to nurturing the educators of tomorrow. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Emmah for her generous mentorship and inspiring leadership - your impact shapes not only your students, but also the future of our profession.

Year 6 'Erupt' with Excitement

From Mr Lachlan Barrett, Academic Staff

Experiential Learning – Exploring The Earth’s Surface

 

As part of their Term 2 Science unit on The Earth’s Surface, Year 6 students recently took to the Junior School sandpit to bring their learning to life - by building and erupting their very own volcanoes!

 

In this hands-on activity, students worked in teams to shape realistic volcanic structures out of sand, incorporating natural features like craters and lava flows. Using a simple chemical reaction involving bicarb soda and vinegar, they simulated eruptions and observed the explosive results with wide eyes and enthusiastic cheers.

This practical modelling experience helped students deepen their understanding of geological processes such as volcanism, erosion and the changing nature of the Earth's surface.

 

Activities like these help spark curiosity and make complex concepts tangible. The eruption may have lasted only a few seconds, but the learning (and the laughter) will stick with Year 6 much longer.

 

A big thank you to Mr Liam Callaghan for leading this experiential learning activity. His enthusiasm and guidance helped spark student curiosity and made the learning truly memorable.

Year 6 2025 Service-Learning Projects

From Mrs Muriel Fatai, JS Round Square Project Officer

Following on from the success of last year’s initiative the Round Square focus in Term 2 was the Service-Learning Projects. Our Year 6 House leadership teams identified local organisations and planned ways to support them. The directive was to think of goods that would be helpful, not to simply donate money. 

 

Brown House again supported the Uniting Church in Orange by making care packs for young people. Douglas House continued their association with the Orange Hospital Children’s Ward by making activity packs for short and long-term patients. Gordon House named their project ‘Goals and Soles’ and collected sports shoes and boots for the Smarter Stronger Institute to redistribute to aspiring indigenous athletes in our region. This year McLachlan House support FoodCare Orange, an organization that Gordon House has supported the last two years, by collecting tinned food. 

 

Our Service-Learning Projects fall into the Round Square Spirits of Service and Leadership:

 

A spirit of service celebrates personal development through practical experience bringing sustainable support and benefit to others. A spirit of leadership is found in those whose convictions are rooted in personal responsibility, kindness and justice. 

 

In this project the Year 6 students work collaboratively, coordinating the others year groups to create something that will benefit other people in our community. A valuable learning experience in the character development of all our Junior School students.

 

The term finished with a Service-Learning Chapel service on Wednesday 25 June, led by Rev Sally and our House Captains. We invited representatives from the organisations the students are supporting to come along, speak to the students and receive their donations. Rev. Andrew Cunningham from the Uniting Church in Orange and Mrs Sue Clarke from FoodCare both attended the service. Mrs Kylie Greatbatch from the Smarter Stronger Institute and Ms Jessica Quayle from the Orange Hospital Children’s Ward we unable to attend, but both sent heartfelt video messages to share with the school.

 

A huge thank you to the Year 6 House Mentors, Mr Barrett with Gordon, Mrs Hamblin with Brown and Mrs Klein with Douglas, for their enthusiasm and guidance with the students. Many thanks to Rev Sally for planning and organizing such a meaningful and joyous Service-Learning Chapel Service. Finally, thank you to all the families who donated to our projects.

 

Below are the introductions written by our House Captains that were presented at the Service-Learning Chapel Service. In their own words, the students explained their cause and how they supported the organisation.

 

Brown House – Uniting Church Orange: Care Packages for Young Adults

Brown House are proud to present our Service-Learning Project to Reverend Cunningham on behalf of the Uniting Church, Orange.  

 

Our project this year was focused on young people aged 18 to 21 who are vulnerable and seeking support and comfort at a time of uncertainty in their life.  

 

We have created a care package including essential toiletries and a little something to brighten their day - some hot chocolate sachets and 2-minute noodle cups. We hope these care packs, although they are small, will help a young person to feel seen and valued at a challenging time in their life.  

Written by Elspeth Kerridge & Finlay Simpson

 

Douglas House – Orange Hospital Children’s Ward: Kids Activity Packs

Good afternoon, everyone and thank you to our guests and school community for coming to our Round Square Learning Service Assembly. Grace and I are the Douglas house captains, and we are excited and proud to share with you how our house came to decide on our Service-Learning Project. 

 

 Together, as a group, we agreed that our project should be purposeful with a focus on young people in the local community. We wanted to continue supporting the children's ward in our local hospital and give the young people who are staying there something to make their stay more comfortable. 

 

 We decided to compile ‘activity packs’ to the children who are staying there, either short term or long term, something that was fun and entertaining to do but was not electronic. The packs are separated into different age groups and include magazines, activity books with games, puzzles, texters and pencils for all ages to enjoy. 

 

 Our project meant that we collected a variety of items for various ages and grouped them into 50 age-appropriate bundles ready to hand out and be enjoyed. We would like to thank all those families and people who donated to this cause – we hope these packs will be well received. 

Written by Grace Harvey and Liam McCormack

 

Gordon House – Smarter Stronger Institute: Goals and Soles (Sporting Shoes)

We are really proud to be standing here today as the Year 6 Leaders of Gordon House to share a little about our service-learning project this term - Goals and Soles.

As a House, we wanted to find a meaningful way to give back - something simple but impactful. After talking as a Year 6 Gordon House Group, we decided to collect and donate good-quality sports shoes to people in need. That’s how Goals and Soles was born.

 

We know that not everyone has access to the gear they need to play sport, feel included, or even just walk comfortably through their day. So we thought - why not use something we all have - like old footy boots, runners or sneakers - and give them a second life?

When it came to choosing where to donate, we wanted to support a local organisation that shares our values. That’s when we came across Kylie and the Stronger Smarter Institute - an incredible group working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities to create positive change through education and empowerment.

 

Stronger Smarter Institute believe in people being strong in their identity and proud of who they are - and that really inspired us. Thank you, Kylie, for working with our local Community as a Stronger Smarter Institute mentor and for helping us to understand how even small actions can make a big difference.

 

In our project, we’ve collected multiple pairs of and are proud to have ‘filled the stands!’. Thank you to everyone who’s donated and thank you Kylie for the amazing work you and the Stronger Smarter Institute do!

Written by Harry Sullivan and Kimberley Williams

 

McLachlan House – FoodCare Orange: Tin Can Pyramids

This term, McLachlan’s service-learning project was all about community and compassion. We set out to collect canned goods—not just to build an impressive pyramid, but to donate every single item to Food Care Orange. It was an ambitious goal, and thanks to the generosity of our students and families, we achieved something really special.

We’d like to extend a genuine thank you to everyone who contributed. Your kindness has made a difference not only to McLachlan House, but to the wider Orange community. Every can collected will now go to Food Care, who will ensure it reaches those who need it most.

 

We’re also pleased to welcome Sue Clark from Food Care today. Sue is here to help us finalise the donations, and we sincerely thank her for taking the time to be here—and for all the vital work she and her team continue to do.

 

On behalf of McLachlan, thank you again for supporting this meaningful initiative.

Written by Willa Dunlop and Lachlan Hunt

Young Archie Prize

From Alicia Holmes, Academic Staff

Congratulations to George Anderson (Year 8), who has been named a finalist in the 13–15 year old category of the AGNSW Young Archie Prize!

 

The competition invites young artists to submit a portrait of someone special who has had a significant impact on their life.

 

George’s work will be on display as part of the Young Archie exhibition, open now until 17 August 2025 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Year 2 Explore Orange’s Water Wonders

From Mrs Libby Chapman and Ms Annie Dawson, Academic Staff

At the end of June, Year 2 students enjoyed a fun and educational excursion to Suma Park Reservoir and Ploughman’s Wetlands as part of their Science unit on the water cycle and how we use water in our community. 

 

The day began with a guided tour led by a water catchment expert from Orange City Council, where students learned how water is collected, stored and used in Orange. A highlight was the walk along the dam wall at Suma Park Dam, giving students a first-hand look at one of our city’s main water sources.

 

After a short break for morning tea at the Adventure Playground, students continued their learning at Ploughman’s Wetlands. A natural resources expert explained how the wetlands help filter water naturally, support the water cycle, and provide a habitat for birds and other wildlife.

 

It was a fantastic day of discovery and exploration, helping students connect their classroom learning to the real world around them.

Junior Art

Ms Zoe Morris, Academic Staff

Last Term, Year 2 looked at Indigenous artist Nyangala Katie Nalgood and her artworks of birds. In response to her characterful birds the students created two artworks. The first was an oil pastel image of a sunset with a bird sitting on a branch cut from black paper. The second artwork saw the students create their own patterned paper to then cut up and create a quirky bird character. They all turned out so well!

Orange Primary School Chess Competition

Mrs Brooke Church, JS Coordinator of Learning Enhancement 

Students from Year 1 to Year 6 recently competed in the Orange Primary School Chess Competition. It was so wonderful to have so many students from across the Junior School playing chess for two full days. The teams, ranging from Intermediate players to Junior Rookies, represented Kinross proudly with many checkmates and handshakes across the chess boards. Students enjoyed being able to practise their chess skills with students from other schools as well as time spent with friends from other grades. While plenty of competition chess was played their was also time for many friendly matches. 

 

2025 Junior School Chess Team 

  • Hayden Casteldine
  • Nicholas Church
  • Mac Coleburn
  • Cameron Day
  • Edward Doyle
  • Max Golding
  • Tommy Harvey
  • Henry Hinton
  • Harrison Kirchler
  • Gideon Laffey 
  • Robbie Fatai
  • Charlie Marriott
  • Elizabeth Milliken
  • Lincoln Morley
  • Rhys Morley
  • Jack Sanderson
  • Audie Watkins
  • Ted Weekes
  • Josh Westcott
  • Stanni Fatai
  • Rory Winters

Merit Awards - Term 2 Week 8 

K Nemo

  • Margot Hamson- for her improved organisation, insightful contributions to class discussions and sound understanding of the stories we have read.
  • James Elder- for using mathematical reasoning to solve addition and subtraction problems.

K Bees

  • Jack Ward- for his persistent effort in improving his reading skill. Well done!
  • Ivy Purvis- demonstrating a strong commitment to learning and persistent effort in improving her reading skills.

1 Eco-Octonauts

  • Jude Thorley- for clever work in mathematics and having fun with animal area.
  • Charlie Kerdic- for thoughtful sentence writing, including adjectives.
  • Milly Byrne- for story sequencing in guided reading activities.
  • Hannah Keir- for being a split diagraph super star in spelling!

2 Tashi

  • Ezra Mohammadi- staying focused during independent tasks and making thoughtful, well-considered contributions to class discussions that deepen understanding and encourage others to think more critically.
  • Nina Cardiff- For challenging herself in narrative writing by taking creative risks, expanding her ideas, and showing persistence to improve her work.
  • Alessandra Volkofsky- for consistently challenging herself in her learning and showing a positive attitude by giving new things a go with enthusiasm and determination.

2 Wall-E

  • Michael Chan- For demonstrating a clear understanding of the water cycle and confidently explaining each stage with enthusiasm and curiosity. 
  • Cate Dellar- For always being polite and respectful and setting a great example for others to follow.

3 Wandi

  • Louis Zhang- his quiet approach to work tasks and for persistence when learning new Maths tasks!

  • Emilia Douglas- her contributions to classroom discussions and for asking questions to check her understanding.

3 Kimmi

  • Thomas Harvey- for his thoughtful contributions to class discussion, showing a deep understanding and a genuine interest in learning.
  • Henry Hinton- for demonstrating the school values and always coming to school with a positive attitude and a growth mindset. Keep up the great work!

4 Mumble

  • Noah Stephen- using high modality language and including relevant facts in his persuasive presentation on sustainability.
  • Amelia Canning- improvement in using figurative language to enrich and bring greater vividness to her writing.

5 Lin

  • Louis Pantehis-Marriott- For showing initiative and resourcefulness in the classroom. Louis is always helpful to his peers and completes all tasks with determination and care.
  • Phoebe Westcott- always approaching her learning tasks with a responsible attitude, resulting in pleasing progress this term. Phoebe’s boost in confidence is also contributing her progress. Keep it up!

5 Seed

  • Liam Hayward- For displaying academic rigour in his learning and approaching all classroom interactions with gentleness and respect. Liam’s thoughtful contributions and quiet determination are greatly valued.
  • Maddie Geard- for consistently demonstrating kindness towards others and approaching all tasks with determination and a positive attitude. Maddie’s willingness to try her best is to be commended.

6 Kiernan

  • Nick Strahorn- for consistently demonstrating academic excellence and a strong commitment to class discussions. He contributes thoughtfully and respectfully, showing deep understanding and a genuine interest in learning.
  • Digby Volkofsky- for his consistent effort and positive attitude, leading to a noticeable improvement, he should be proud of his progress. Keep up the great work!

6 The Cool Down

  • Annemieke Van Gilst- for consistently approaching all tasks with creativity and completing them with meticulous attention to detail and impressive efficiency.
  • Janagan Kandeepen- for bringing great zest to the classroom and approaching learning activities with enthusiasm and a sharp, critical lens. Your energy and thoughtful questioning enrich class discussions and inspire those around you.

6 Oz Harvest

  • James Robson- for his unwavering determination. James has demonstrated great courage and grit when completing more challenging activities and is to be commended for his positive approach and can-do attitude. Keep up the brilliant work!
  • Clarie Gordon- her dedication and commitment to learning, particularly in English. Claire has produced a high standard of writing about our novel Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief by using metaphors and emotive language to captivate the audience. Keep up the brilliant work!