Saltwater College Newsletter

Year Six 

Dear Year Six Families,

 

What a wonderful few weeks we have had in Year Six with the running of a very successful Year Six camp program.

 

The Ranch Camp

On Monday the 21st of October, 114 Year Six students and 12 staff embarked on our journey to The Ranch on the Mornington Peninsula.

 

We were graced with glorious weather for our three day journey and each day was action packed. Students were resilient risk-takers as they completed their rotation of activities include: mountainboarding, rock climbing, horse riding, animal nursery, hut building, orienteering and the crowd favourite, leap of faith. Whilst some activities appeared challenging at first glance, we were so impressed at the way the Year Sixes faced their fears and had a go, with many reaping the rewards of their efforts.

 

The students represented our school with pride and were respectful to the camp staff, ensuring the grounds and facilities remained clean during our stay and always using their manners.

 

Please enjoy the student reflections below.

 

"This camp had let me step out of my comfort zone and try things I've never tried before." - Tanya 6A

 

"Our listening skills came in handy here because there was a lot of instructions being told and we had to listen carefully to get them right." - Kavin 6A

 

"Camp was a fun experience for all of the Year 6's. We were able to be courageous and work toward our goals. One of the many things that I learnt at camp is how to just go with the flow and try even if something is difficult." - Zainah 6C

 

"I learned a variety of skills from the Ranch Camp and I can use the confidence that I gained to other moments and activities in my life." - Tirtho 6C

 

"I felt like this camp experience was really great and beneficial for us as it helped us build some confidence and problem-solving skills." - Riley 6C

 

"This camp was mostly meant to boost our confidence and also to make new friends. In all of the tasks, I think I was resilient for not giving up. Over all the Year 6 camp was the most memorable camp for me." - Theo 6C

 

"This camp pushed me outside of my comfort zone and I loved the time with my friends." - Honey-Lee 6E

 

"The one thing I liked about the camp was cooperating with my team mates and having fun." - Aiden 6E

 

 

School Based Camp Program

Our students who did not attend The Ranch, had the opportunity to engage in a school-based program including a variety of team building activities focusing on the development of communication and problem-solving skills.

These included the spaghetti and marshmallow tower building challenge, build a boat, craft activities and the Million Dollar Mission, focusing on budgeting money.

 

Please enjoy the student reflections below.

 

"I had a lot of fun working with my team and building the boat. We also enjoyed building the tower with spaghetti and marshmallows. Even though it kept breaking, we never gave up. We problem solved and ended up winning the challenge." - Rehaan 6E

 

"I loved the Million Dollar Mission because it was really fun seeing what you could buy if you had a million dollars. We spent $40,000 on LEGO!" - Tejas 6E

 

Year Six Wellbeing Day

On Thursday the 17th of October, our Year Six students participated in a cohort Wellbeing day. All female students participated in The Big Sister Experience, while all male students participated in The Man Cave program.

 

The Man Cave is Australia’s leading preventative mental health and emotional literacy charity for teenage boys and their communities.

 

The Big Sister Experience is dedicated to inspiring the next generation through self-love and self-confidence. The workshop provided students with the tools feel empowered and make positive friendships with those around them.

 

Following this, the wellbeing team presented a workshop to girls focusing on the positive and negative impacts of social media and body image. Then Mrs Mann provided students with a chance to engage in mindfulness activities including journaling as a way to cope with the changes they may face as they enter Year Seven.

 

"My favourite part of the day was when we played a game focusing on encouragement and supporting our peers." - Srivalli 6E

 

                             ________________

 

The Year Six boys enjoyed a fantastic wellbeing day with a guest speaker from Iron Champions, talking to them about how to achieve their life goals. They then moved back into the classroom and completed some engaging activities provided by The Man Cave. A program for young boys to improve their mental wellbeing. They completed a conversation circle, where they decided whether they were for or against different controversial statements. They then learnt how to complete a ‘real talk,’ a way to talk to your mates when they are having a poor day. Finally, we completed some shout outs, talking about those in our life who assist us to be our best.

 

Overall, the boys took a lot out of the day, and will now be able to implement some strategies for positive wellbeing.

 

"We made time to give a shout out to ourselves and a peer for something positive. We also did some mindfulness and we learnt how to talk to others properly." - Fathi 6E

 

Primary School cup West

We wish to congratulate our Grade 6 students who recently competed in the Primary Schools Cup West Volleyball Tournament. All of our teams played with incredible spirit, narrowly missing out on a medal, but demonstrating skill, teamwork, and determination throughout the day. A special thank you to Justus from 7F who coached our grade 6 girls team. We would also like to thank JP and Mrs. Kotevski for accompanying the teams and providing wonderful support to our players. Great effort, everyone – we are very proud of you.

 

IMPORTANT DATES

  • Tuesday 29th of October: 3-way conferences
  • Thursday 5th of December: Year Six Graduation

REMINDERS

  • HATS: A friendly reminder that as a Sun Smart school, students must be wearing a wide brimmed hat in Term 4. Please ensure your child has a clearly labelled hat.
  • MacBooks: Please ensure MacBooks are brought to school every day fully charged. Unfortunately, due to OH&S reasons, students cannot charge their devices at school.
  • Mobile Phones: If a student brings a phone to school, they must hand it to their classroom teacher at the beginning of the day and collect it at the end of the day.
  • Uniform: Students must wear full academic uniform every day, with the exception of their Year 6 polo shirt. On days with sports or PE, students can wear their PE uniform. Students are not allowed to wear other jumpers or hoodies that are not Saltwater Uniform. Please contact Miss Grenfell or Mr Nicolaides if you have an issue with uniforms.
  • Late Arrivals: Students arriving at school from 8:40 am must sign in at the office before going to class.
  • Absences: If your child/ren are absent, please log this on Xuno as early as possible to avoid messages for unexplained absences.

Kindest regards,

Year Six Team