Senior School

IN OUR LEARNING

As NAPLAN fast approaches, we have been busily preparing our Grade 5 students by revising key skills and strategies in each of our learning areas. A huge credit must also be given to our Year 6 students, who have patiently engaged in learning that has still been extremely relevant and useful, but who we are sure are sick of hearing the words NAPLAN Practice!

Our focuses for each learning area over the last 3 weeks are below:

Reading: Comprehension strategies; literal/inferred information, responding to texts.

Writing: Features of Narrative and Persuasive Writing - Developing ideas, improving      

                vocabulary, editing punctuation, spelling and grammar.

Maths: Four Processes, Number Patterns, Fractions and Angles. 

Humanities (History): Australian History; convicts as servants, early settlers and how they 

                lived and treated others.

STATE SCHOOLS SPECTACULAR

On Monday 26th February, our State School Spectacular performers attended their first Mass Dance Hub rehearsal at Officer Secondary College.

It was a great opportunity to learn the first four dances for the production and meet students from some of the other local schools who are participating in VSSS this year!

As always, our students did a fantastic job, representing the school proudly and putting in their best efforts! 

It was also nice to see some of our former students who came over to the gym to visit and say hi!

INDIGENOUS EDUCATION & ART INCURSION

On Thursday 29th February, we had the pleasure of having Samantha Richards come and speak to our students about her Indigenous culture. Samantha shared with us her detailed family tree as a Bendigo and Melbourne descendant.

Classes learnt about the Acknowledgement of Country, the meanings of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, the importance of indigenous symbolism and how the symbols come together to create a story. We held artefacts that included possum skins, clapping sticks and saw the returning boomerangs that were used for hunting. 

Students had the opportunity to ask questions in a safe space so that any misconceptions could be clarified for future discussions. 

We would like to thank Samantha for her extensive knowledge and sharing her own personal possessions and stories with our students today. 

SRC

Congratulations to the students from both grades who were elected by their classmates to represent them on the Student Representative Council for 2024. Congratulations to:

JDZ - Callum H & Patrick B

JD - Victoria K & Adele R

KOORIE AND CULTURAL LEADERS DAY

Wednesday 5th March 2024

Today we went to the Cardinia Shire Civic Centre for the Koorie and Cultural Leaders Conference. There were 15 other schools represented and about 70 students

We met the Cardinia Shire Mayor Jack Kowarzik. He told us about how he became a Mayor and a councillor for Cardinia Shire. He told us how he felt he could make positive change in the shire at the base level of Government. He likes connecting with people and helping them to achieve changes. 

We also learnt about all of the things the Shire takes care of like parks, playgrounds, rubbish removal, roads, pets and much more.

We had a tour of the offices and learnt that it is a really good work environment with lots of different work spaces and not just desks.

We met the Youth Services Officer, Emma Firth and she told us all about the services that they have for kids aged from 12 to 17 in Pakenham. 

We listened to Peter Dye share with us his cultural background and Indigenous history. He is the first in his family to have a full education and he now helps Koorie kids and school communities share an inclusive education. 

We finished the afternoon by creating a plan for Reconciliation Week in May this year. Our goal is to collect our Indigenous resources in the library and to make these readily available for our students to enjoy. 

Jamison and Laksh

School Captains