Junior School

Cricket 

A number of students represented College at the Greater Western Region Cricket in Ballarat last week. Coached by Mrs Louise Patterson, they described it as a good experience where Mrs Patterson made them believe that winning didn’t matter. The day was about having fun, which they certainly did. Their takeaway from the opportunity was “we can do anything, no matter what the conditions.” Two of those conditions were the weather and the distance. Despite this, the students had a great day, displaying a have-a-go attitude, excellent sportsmanship and encouragement of each other.

Thank you to Mrs Zoe Price and Mrs Patterson for transporting the students on the day.

Strings Concert 

An evening of beautiful music was enjoyed by all who attended the Strings Extravaganza last Thursday night. Our Year Two students, the youngest of our performers, took to the stage with complete focus, showing us what has transpired from their Strings program with Mr Singh. They should all be proud of the way they conducted themselves on the night. It was also lovely to see the support they received from a number of our older Junior School musicians who accompanied them with their pieces. 

I could see the family-like environment, created in the Music Department, when farewells were given to two of our highly talented musicians, Harry and Amelie who started their musical journeys at the Junior School. Their peers heaped praise on them for the support they have given over the years. We wish them all the best with wherever their music takes them.

Blessing of the Pets 

The day everyone had been waiting for had finally arrived. The Library lawn was a menagerie of dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens, ducklings, just to name a few. Add the excitement of children as they showed off their pets and met those of their friends. It was a sight to behold. Some pets thrived on the attention lavished on them whilst others were overwhelmed and didn’t venture away from the arms of their owners. Livvy and Hugo led the service beautifully then handed over to Reverend Cook who blessed each and every pet, as well as some humans! Reverend Cook’s patience and kindness allowed everyone to feel a sense of belonging. The day wouldn’t be complete without a story to remember.

This year it was two cats escaping their collars and hightailing it into the hedge where they remained for the rest of the day (and into the night!). No amount of coaxing saw them retreat. We all know the hedge would be a great place to play if it wasn’t out of bounds so I’m sure the cats had a wonderful adventure in their new playground. Both were safely returned home.

Grandparents Day / Drama Showcase 

Grandparents and Special Friends gathered for afternoon tea followed by an amazing showcase. Wow! What a treat to see all students, from Prep through to Year Six, gracing the stage to present December Down Under last Friday afternoon. The story was beautifully told by Holly (Adelaide) and Ivy (Arya) interspersed with all children in the spotlight, reminding us how beautiful Christmas in Australia is. From enjoying fruit salad, spending time with family and friends, playing backyard cricket to evening picnics and leftovers, along with a bit of surfing, the festive season is full of activities and memory making. The finale left us feeling the spirit of Christmas.

A big thank you to Miss Kenna for putting this wonderful Showcase together and giving us a glimpse of the energy, enthusiasm and excitement that is Junior School Drama lessons. A shoutout to all staff who practised the items within the classroom to help prepare the students.

Junior School Captain’s Corner

Our Junior School Captain’s thoughts on the Drama Showcase:

Livvy – “It was really great to see all of the other classes dancing along and encouraging others in rehearsals.”

ELC Wildlife Park excursion 

Last Friday, our Kinder children enjoyed a wonderful excursion to Wildlife Encounters in Warrnambool. The group was full of excitement as they met and learned about a range of Australian animals. Each child had the opportunity to hold a blue-tongue lizard and a snake, gently pat a six-week-old owl, and even cuddle a wombat named Pudding. They also loved meeting a rock wallaby before heading outdoors to feed kangaroos, deer, emus, ducks, and chickens. A highlight for many was spotting koalas relaxing high up in the trees.

The Wildlife Officers were extremely impressed with our students, commenting on how well-behaved, respectful, and “absolutely perfect” they were throughout the visit. We are incredibly proud of them. It was a truly memorable day for all, and we hope you enjoy the photos that capture their experience.

House Public Speaking Final

At Assembly, we were treated to an array of speeches as our Year 6 student finalists competed for the House Public Speaking Cup. Berry was represented by Arya sharing her thoughts about why Cadbury milk chocolate is so good. Laidlaw’s representative was Elsie who spoke about how she doesn’t like speeches.  For Learmonth, Patrick told us all about Why the Government should not ban social media for children 16 and under and Young House’s finalist was Adelaide with her topic of why cats are better than dogs. 

From the serious and informative to making us laugh, there was something for everyone to enjoy. What confident young speakers we have.  They were born to entertain.

Thank you to Ms MacLeod, Senior School English teacher and Head of Public Speaking and Debating, who had the task of judging this event.  The winning House will be announced in next week’s Newsletter.

Reminders – coming up

With just over two weeks of school remaining, we head into perhaps our busiest time of the year, with so many events to look forward to, especially our Year Six students who will be saying farewell to their primary school years. I would like to remind everyone of the importance of finishing strong, staying switched on as the weeks wind down and making the most of all the opportunities that come your way. This is a time when our school values illuminate all that we do.

Week 9:

• Monday 1 December - no school Assessment and Reporting Day
• Tuesday 2 December - Nativity 10.15am Uniting Church, Piano Concert 1.15pm Refectory
• Wednesday 3 December - Year 6 Dinner 6.00pm, Tim Murray Room
• Friday 5 December - Year 6 Games afternoon, reports released, St Mary’s Christmas Parade

Week 10:

• Wednesday 10 December - Speech Day 10.00 am Simons Auditorium
• Thursday 11 December - Class Party Day
• Friday 12 December - Old Fashioned Sports, Final Assembly, last day of school (students)

Sparks Fly: Grade 4s Get a Taste of the Future at the Senior Campus!

There was an extra buzz of electricity in the Senior Campus IT wing on Tuesday. Between 11:20 am and 1:00 pm, we were thrilled to welcome the Grade 4 students "down the hill" for an action-packed introduction to the world of Digital Technologies.

Hosted by Mr. Chen, the goal wasn't just to show them computers, it was to spark their imaginations. We wanted our younger students—and future leaders—to see that IT is about creating, moving, solving problems, and having serious fun.

Here is a snapshot of their high-tech adventure into the future!

1. High-Tech Detectives: The Micro:bit Hunt

The session kicked off outside, transforming the school yard into a digital treasure map. Students became high-tech detectives, armed with BBC Micro:bits programmed as "seeker devices."

They had to work together, interpreting radio signals and coding logic on their small screens to track down five hidden electronic treasures. It was a brilliant exercise in teamwork and real-world navigation!

2. The Tasty Engineering Challenge

Back inside, the pressure was on! Using Lego Robotics kits, students faced a delicious engineering challenge: designing a robotic hand strong enough and precise enough to raid a "Lucky Dip" machine for lollies.

The room was filled with determined faces as young engineers built, tested, failed, and redesigned their grabbers. Watching them figure out the physics needed to secure the prize was fantastic.

Fine-tuning the mechanics for the perfect grab.

3. Drone Academy: A Pilot's Eye View

The excitement hit new heights in our Drone zone. While safety came first piloting our smaller toy drones, the real "wow" moment came when students donned the FPV (First Person View) goggles.

Mr. Chen gave them a true pilot's experience, letting them see the world live from the drone's perspective. They also got hands-on time with our professional drone gear, sparking plenty of questions about future tech careers.

4. Bringing Ideas to Life: 3D Printing

We loved showing off the firepower in our 3D printing lab. Students saw how technology turns digital ideas into physical objects, comparing our reliable workhorse, the Flashforge Adventurer 3, with our incredibly fast new addition, the Bambu Lab P1S.

Seeing the printers zip back and forth is always mesmerising. To remember their visit to the "big school," every student took home a freshly 3D-printed keyring.

5. Creative Coding: Beats & Bots

To wrap up the energy, we explored the creative side of tech. Students played with Spheros—speedy robotic balls that change colours and spin—and discovered that you can code music! 

Using a platform called Strudel, they learned to write code that generates live beats and melodies, proving that coding is a creative art form too.

Try This At Home!

Did your child love the music coding? They don't need to stop! Scan this QR code with your phone's camera to open Strudel and keep experimenting with code-generated music at home for free.

 Scan to start coding music!  

https://strudel.cc/workshop/getting-started/

The verdict? A Huge Success!

We loved having the energy and curiosity of the Grade 4s in the building. They proved they are ready for big challenges. Grade 4 teacher, Ms. Winstanley summed up the successful trip perfectly later that afternoon:

"Thanks again [Mr Chen], they had a fabulous time! Haven’t stopped talking about it all afternoon 😊"

We can't wait to see these future innovators up at the Senior Campus full-time in a few years!

Junior School Sport

Mrs Louise Patterson

This term has seen junior school students participate in the HDSA Cricket Blast competition, where we sent all Year 5 and 6 students to compete in this modified cricket format at Pedrina Park. Excitingly, three out of four teams made the Grand Final, with the fourth team only missing out on run percentage, having not lost a game!

Our Boys/Mixed team lost their Grand Final game in a thrilling match. Our two girls’ teams played off with the ‘College Renegades’ team winning by one run! 

The College Renegades then travelled to Ballarat last week to compete in the Greater Western Regional Primary Blast Championships. Each of the girls improved out of sight on this day, working unbelievably well together as a team. We won two out of five games, with our bowling and batting really picking up pace in the final couple of games.

The camaraderie formed was a really special part of this day.

Congratulations to Alinta Margetts, Elsie Dyer, Olivia Bell, Matilda Mercer, Hazel Johns, Sammie Price, Milla McClure, Amina Barerra and Penelope Copley who formed this successful team.

Many thanks to Zoe Price, for helping to transport the children down on this day.

This event wraps up our inter-school sporting calendar for the year. Congratulations to all Junior School students who have represented the College at a District, Division or Regional sporting event this year. It is a significant achievement to do so and your positive participation and overall successes have been remarkable.