Junior School,
Brooklyn Park

Kirrilee Collins, Physical Education Teacher (Brooklyn Park)

On this page: Debating / Centre Court for Riley / Gymnastics / SEDA AFL Clinics /Book Week - Reading is Wondrous

Upcoming Events

For all calendar dates, please see the Google Calendar.

Mon 9 Sept	Photo Day - Extracurricular and Groups
Wed 11 Sept	Year 1/2 Planetarium Incursion
Mon 16 Sept	Parent Coffee Connect 8:30am
Tues 17 - Wed 18 Sept	Student-Led Conferences
Thurs 19 Sept	Visit from Kaboom Percussion F-6
Wed 25 - Fri 27 Sept	Year 5 Camp
Fri 27 Sept	Last Day of Term 3
Mon 14 Oct	Term 4 Commences
Fri 18 Oct	Sports Day ELC - Year 2
Mon 21 Oct	Parent Coffee Connect

Debating in Term 2 & 3

It has been a joy seeing your children blossom and excel with their debating this year. With five teams, consisting of 25 debaters, each student bravely stood and delivered some incredible debate and rebuttal well beyond their years! We received several team wins, as well as multiple individual Speaker of the Night Awards.

There are so many highlights, here are just a few:

Each student's willingness to draw together as a team, supporting and encouraging one other with their scripts and rebuttal. Both in the lead-up to debates and then on the night, genuinely wanting one another to shine, celebrating success and embracing disappointment together.
Students willingness to step in to debate for teammates who, through illness, couldn't make it. This was often at the last minute and on top of their own debate, which is an incredibly difficult task to do.
Students' commitment to stay the entire season and their willingness to be vulnerable and learn in a high-pressure situation.
Students' ability to listen and respond to feedback from the adjudicators, myself and their student coach/captain each week throughout coaching times in school. I'm sure parents pipped in with your own feedback too!
Students' professional and courteous representation of our College, Emmaus. We received many positive comments from other schools, including our students' politeness, presentation, and high level of debating. This was so pleasing to hear.

This year also provided an opportunity for some of our Year 6 students to coach our Year 5 teams. One growth area for our children is their ability to step up and serve others. A huge thank you to these students who served their peers so well in this area.

A big thank you to our parents and caregivers. We appreciate the huge commitment it placed on already busy schedules, preparing and supporting their children (and myself!), getting into the city for debates, often at peak hour, whilst wrestling with others for limited parking! We hope the opportunity provided insight into their child's progress, joy as they performed, and an opportunity for community with other parents for you to connect with.

Here at Brooklyn Park, we're incredibly proud of each and every one of our debaters, and we hope that they look to continue this journey they have started with their debating.

Richard Heath

Deputy Head of School - Pastoral Care, 5/6 Teacher, Brooklyn Park

Centre Court for Riley

Year 5 student Riley recently had the opportunity to participate in the SA School Sport Variety Games Basketball Tournament, with his peer support, Mateo. I wish I could bottle the joy on his face as Riley zoomed around the court with his newly made friends/teammates from other schools, pushed and assisted by Mateo.

“The wheelchair basketball that I got to play in was one of the best days. I made some new friends, and it was great having Mateo with me. We just had a great time. Sadly I didn’t score any points but I did get a good assist.” - Riley

“As a parent of a special needs child, well I think every parent really. All we want is for our kids to feel they are seen, and truly seen, not just physically seeing him. For Riley living in a world that doesn’t understand him and his differences is really hard. It’s also even harder raising such a sports-minded little boy who all he wants is to be involved, but his little body doesn’t allow him. To see him feel welcome in a sporting competition environment as he has never been part of an actual sporting team event. The school we joined was so great and the kids accepted Riley instantly and worked so well with him." - Shannon (Riley’s Mum)

'Being able to support Riley at the Basketball Variety Games was a great experience. Riley really loves playing basketball. He's got great abilities, he's a team player and his persistence inspires me. However, sometimes it's a big struggle for him physically to play. Spending a day outside of school and supporting Riley by pushing him around the court in his wheelchair was so much fun. We were laughing amongst each other throughout the game, not too focused on who's winning or losing. Riley and I had so much fun singing songs and chants and laughing in the courts. Even though it was a non-competitive event, it was still an opportunity to show some skills. I got to score some goals too and enjoyed McDonalds with Riley for lunch as well!" -Mateo (Year 5, Brooklyn Park)

Well done, Riley and Mateo!

Gymnastics

In Term 3 our ELC to Year 4 students at Brooklyn Park have been busy tumbling, rolling, leaping and balancing their way through gymnastics routines in PE lessons.

Our little up-and-coming gymnasts have been inspired by the Olympics and are mastering the apparatus of beam, floor and vault, learning the art of sequencing gymnastics skills and the importance of body tension.

SEDA AFL Clinics

SEDA College AFL Coaching Clinics have been a hit with Brooklyn Park students this term. Students enjoyed a mixture of small-sided games, AFL skill development and teamwork games.

Kirrilee Collins

Physical Education Teacher (Brooklyn Park)

Book Week - Reading is Wondrous!

We had a wondrous time celebrating Book Week at Brooklyn Park Campus this year! Our library visits were filled with books and fun. Our F-2 classes each read a shortlisted CBCA book and completed a craft activity that connected to the story. Our 3-6 students had the opportunity to explore and create their own optical illusions, write their own wacky fold-down stories, or get lost in a good book in the Library.

Students eagerly took part in their Book Week Home Group Challenges, which saw classes completing quizzes each morning. These included guessing the book title from the cover, book and library trivia, and attempting to match the teacher to their favourite children’s book. Each class took on the extra challenge of decorating their classroom doors in the theme of a book or our Book Week theme—Reading is Wondrous—and they all looked fabulous!

Thursday was a fun-filled day as our students met and heard from Andrew McDonough, author and illustrator of the Lost Sheep books. It was a delight to see the students engage with his stories and try drawing their very own Cecil the Sheep. Some students have continued to practice their drawings since Andrew McDonough’s visit, which has been encouraging.

Our week concluded with our Book Week Parade, which was a great celebration of books and those special characters who help us explore new stories and get our imaginations flowing. Our students and staff all looked wonderful, and it was a joy to see so many creative costumes in our parade.

Thank you to everyone in our Brooklyn Park community for participating in Book Week celebrations! It was wonderful to see people connecting over a love of reading.