Primary

                                                                   Mrs Leanne Schulz

Assistant Principal (Primary)

It is hard to believe that another school year is over! The Primary students and teachers have enjoyed a great year filled with many opportunities and learning experiences.

Step Up Day

Step-Up day on Thursday was a busy day in the Primary School. We welcomed new students to the College, including our Preps for 2024. All students met their new class and teachers and spent time getting to know each other. 

A lot of time and consideration was put into creating class lists and the Primary School team has worked hard to ensure students are placed in classes that best support each child’s learning needs. Some children may be emotional as we come to the end of the school year and families are encouraged to talk to their children about coping with change and help them focus on an exciting year of learning that awaits them in 2024. 

Primary Staffing

I wish to extend a very big thank you to Donna Rowe-Campbell who is leaving Aitken College at the end of the school year. Donna has been a highly valued member of the Primary Team, teaching Year 2 this year and Year 3 in 2022. Donna has also made significant contributions to the Performing Arts faculty, teaching classes and choreographing items for the Fairview Concerts. I thank Donna for her contribution to the Primary team and wish her well as she embarks on new ventures.

Thank you also to Jevon Scandrett who has done an outstanding job as the Head of Year for Year 1 and 2. Jevon will be the Head of Performing Arts for 2024.

Staff new to the Primary School in 2024

I would like to extend a warm welcome to the following new Primary staff for 2024:

• Mr William Neville who will be teaching Year 4
• Ms Marielle Verte who will be teaching French to Year 1-6 students

The Primary Leadership Team for 2024 is:

• Assistant Principal (Primary) - Leanne Schulz
• Deputy Head of Primary (Curriculum) - Megan Williams
• Deputy Head of Primary (Pastoral) - Nigel Keegan
• Head of Year Prep - Natasha Radley
• Head of Year 1 and 2 - Joanne Birchmore
• Head of Year 3 and 4 - Anne Adams
• Head of Year 5 and 6 - Jane Steenkamp

The Primary Homeroom teachers are as follows:

Prep

Kylie Coker, Fasiha Faizi, Tara Harding

Year One

Simone Bailey, Nadia D’Aprano, Josie Russo

Year Two

Bianca Accurso, Lidia Hermez, Jamie Mariner/Michaela Di Paola

Year Three

Jamal Abou-Eid, Brigitte Riscica, Jennifer Williams

Year Four

Isabel Monroy Scott Munro, William Nevill

Year Five

Gemma Jones/Nicole Gilbert, James Miller, Rachel Touma, 

Year Six

Emma Dowling/Angie Thomas, Tom Marks, Jaimee Pezzutti

Mrs Natasha Radley (Head of Year Prep)

The last week has been much more relaxed in Prep, as the students started to wind down from a very busy term. They participated in Christmas craft activities, coding with Bee Bots and songs for Assemblies. 

As I bid farewell to the Prep students, I would like to say thank you to all of the parents and carers for your unwavering support and encouragement throughout the year. It is always so rewarding to see how far the students come in a year of school, and this year is no different. The Prep classrooms have buzzed with laughter, curiosity and excitement all year and I have truly loved getting to know them all.

As we anticipate the dawn of a new year, let’s carry the spirit of accomplishments and Christmas with us. There will be many more adventures, discoveries and friendships to be discovered next year. I wish you and your families a joyous holiday season and a fantastic start to the new year ahead. 

Mr Jevon Scandrett (Head of Year 1 & 2)

It is hard to believe we have reached the end of 2023. This year has certainly been filled with many wonderful moments alongside the hard work of our wonderful students. I would like to take this opportunity to thank families for their continued support this year. I would also like to extend an enormous thank you to the Year 1 and 2 team for their commitment to providing exceptional learning opportunities each and every day. 

In the final weeks of school, students in Year 1 and 2 enjoyed many wonderful activities. A highlight was certainly the House Celebration Day including an obstacle course and ice-cream truck where students were able to celebrate together in recognition of a wonderful year of learning. Students also enjoyed preparing our carols for the final Fairview assembly for 2023.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank families for their support over the last two years in my role as Head of Years 1 and 2. It has been a pleasure working with you all, and I look forward to continuing to see both students and families in my new role as Head of Performing Arts in 2024.

I wish all families a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy new year.

Please enjoy some photos of the wonderful year in Years 1 and 2!

Mr Nigel Keegan (Head of Year 5 & 6 and Acting Head of Year 3 & 4)

YEAR 3

Mrs Jennifer Williams

Term 4 has just flown by! Students have thoroughly enjoyed the last few weeks of school. In Maths, the world of symmetry came to life in Year 3 classrooms as our students embarked on a fascinating journey of patterns, balance, and mathematical marvels. They were delighted to discover symmetry in everyday objects and in the wonderful world of nature. It was a week filled with discovery, creativity, and aha moments!

As the festive season envelops us in its magical spirit, Year 3 has been buzzing with joy and creativity! Students have engaged in a variety of heartwarming Christmas activities that have not only brought smiles to their faces but have also filled our classrooms with the warmth of the season. 

We are indeed proud of their efforts and achievements and wish our wonderful Year 3 students an amazing year of fun and learning in Year 4.

"Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"

YEAR 4

Mrs Brigitte Riscica

Year 4 has been learning about capacity, with a twist! We have learned that many things can hold something else, not just jugs or cups.  We have explored and investigated items such as different ply toilet paper to absorb water, sponges and cloths, and compared cheaper brands to more expensive brands.  We also investigated the capacity of salt, white sugar, brown sugar and cornflour to hold water until it became a solution and exceeded capacity. I think the favorite experiment was to investigate and compare the capacity of boys’ nappies and girls’ nappies, and contrast them to ‘Little Swimmers’ nappies. The students followed a science report format and formed hypotheses, and were very surprised by the results!

What a fantastic year it has been! Well done to all students for the level of effort and commitment to your learning applied this year. We are thankful for the many valuable learning experiences and opportunities throughout. 

Year 5 highlights: 

• Year 5 & 6 Sport
• The Kitchen and Garden Program
• Creating our own picture Story books
• House Sport carnivals 
• Book Week 
• ‘City of the Future’ inquiry unit 
• Studying poetry
• Sovereign Hill visit
• The Cumberland Concert 
• The Zoo Excursion  

Year 6 highlights: 

• Funfields excursion! 
• Leadership opportunities
• Year 6 Celebration Night
• Film and novel studies 
• House Sport Carnivals
• Practical science experiments
• Interschool Sport
• Buddies and the Peer Support Program 
• The Cumberland Concert 
• Learning in our new Cumberland building! 

Thank you to students for your contributions to what has been a fantastic year, and to parents for all your support. Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season.

Year 6 Celebration Evening

The Year 6 Celebration Evening was entertaining and heart-warming! The Year 6 students gave us a wonderful performance! Thank you to Thisen, Jotham and Thimath for your outstanding performances on the drums and guitar. Each student was awarded a certificate to commemorate their precious years in Fairview and Cumberland. The Year 6 cohort have been incredible leaders of the Primary School and are a credit to their families. They are kind, caring, compassionate and hard- working students who have been a pleasure to teach and get to know. The staff and I wish them well with their transition to high school. 

I would like to say a very big thank you to Michael Cooper and the technical crew, Nigel Keegan, Joanne Birchmore, Emma Dowling, Isabel Monroy, Bianca Accurso, Megan Williams and Cathy Manariti for organising such an outstanding presentation and evening. We are all very proud of our Year 6 students.

Primary House Celebration Day

The Primary school had a fun day celebrating all their House achievements in 2023. The day was filled with fun and laughter as students rotated through the giant inflatable obstacle course, mini-games, the ice cream truck, and much more. These celebrations build core memories for students, and they couldn’t happen without the amazing support of the staff here at Aitken College. The students had smiles on their faces and had opportunities to enjoy their final moments in their current year levels. Participating in House events in 2023 such as Kaboom, Fairview Athletics Carnival, Debating Competitions, Blooket Competitions, as well as, demonstrating exceptional behaviour to collect House tokens have all contributed to the winning House for 2023. 

Presentation Night and Final Assembly

During Presentation Night, Cumberland students received Academic Colours and Encouragement Awards. Well done to all who worked consistently hard throughout the year to achieve such excellent results. 

Academic Colours

Encouragement Awards

Final Assemblies

How wonderful it was to have Final Assemblies in the CPA for Fairview and Cumberland. At the Final Assemblies, we were entertained by Monique G, Noah G and Lyla B who sang beautifully. Thank you for such an entertaining performance.

Many awards were presented to students. Awards included Sport, House, Service and Cultural Colours. Congratulations to all the students who received an award.

SPORT COLOUR

SERVICE COLOUR

CULTURAL COLOUR

HOUSE COLOUR

A huge thank you to our Year 6 Captains who performed their duties beautifully throughout the the year. 

The new Year 6 2024 Primary Captains were also announced at the final assembly.

Congratulations to the following Leadership Team:

Captain Positions 2024

House Captains

Year 6 Library Monitors

Hume City Council Award

Congratulations to Sariah E in 6A for receiving the Hume City Council Education Award 2024! 

Sariah received the award for the following reasons:

For consistently demonstrating the qualities of good citizenship. She is a very kind, considerate and thoughtful student. At all times, Sariah demonstrates our school values of compassion, excellence, honesty, kindness, and respect. In addition, Sariah has demonstrated good leadership qualities as a Primary School House Captain and Peer Support Leader. She represented Aitken College in Tee-ball and Netball and competed in the Division Cross Country. She has also demonstrated progress and strengths in Performing Arts, exceeding the expected level this year.

Sariah is a positive, responsible, and valued member of Year 6 and the wider school community at Aitken College. She is an excellent example to her peers.

Congratulations to Reuben T in 6A for receiving a Young Leaders Award from the Hume City Council

Reuben received the award for the following reasons:

Reuben is currently a Year 6 Sustainability Captain. He is involved with sustainability initiatives throughout the College and always represents the College with pride. He diligently conducts parent tours and offers his services wherever needed. Reuben attended the Battle for Australia Service and was honoured to be a part of this experience. Reuben embraces every opportunity and treats everyone with respect. Reuben demonstrates great leadership and is a well-respected member of the Aitken Community.

Christmas Wishes

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the families for such wonderful support throughout the year. It is always very much appreciated. The staff and I are looking forward to continuing to build positive partnerships with families in 2024.

I would also like to thank the wonderful Primary staff that we have for their dedication and hard work throughout the year. We are all very blessed to have such skilled and caring teachers. Finally, I would like to thank all the amazing students we have in the Primary School. They are kind, thoughtful and caring towards each other. They all work so hard and always strive to be the best people they can be. We are all very proud of them and are very blessed!

I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you all in the New Year. On behalf of the Primary Staff and myself, thank you for the support and take care over the Christmas break!