Junior School

Junior School Presentation Night

On Wednesday 4th December the Junior School Presentation Night was held, which was a wonderful celebration of the achievements of so many of our Year 7 and 8 students. Students were acknowledged for their achievements in academic success, personal growth, music and DSC values. We had live performances from our Junior Jazz Band, and Lexie Blanchard and Ken Chan who performed the National Anthem.

I’d love to acknowledge the achievements of the following students in particular, who received the ‘Principal’s Academic Excellence Award’

• Parmis GHANBARIAN (Year 8)
• Mia PAPADOPOULOS (Year 8)
• Anna LAU (Year 7)
• William YAN

The following students received the ‘DSC Values Award’

• Zimo Zheng (Year 7)
• Elyse Van Der Mei (Year 8)

We are so proud of our students efforts this year. We wish our Year 8’s all the best as they move into Middle School, and we look forward to continue working and extending our Year 7’s as they move into Year 8 in 2025.

Victorian High Achievers Program (VHAP):

Throughout the final assemblies for the year, our Year 7 and 8 students who completed VHAP were acknowledged for their wonderful achievements throughout the year. Students were selected by the Department to complete a term in either a Maths or English class, with these programs designed to extend and challenge our students. It requires students to be organised and motivated to keep up with both their VHAP work and regular classes. We are very proud of the efforts students showed in these programs, congratulations!

Below are the Year 8 students who completed VHAP throughout the year.

Junior School Learning Partnership Night

In response to the valuable feedback from parents, a series of informative flyers have been created, offering practical strategies for managing daily, weekly, and termly home routines. These tips include using visual cues like checklists and timetables to help students stay organised, encouraging independence while providing support when needed, and preparing in advance to reduce morning stress. The flyers also emphasise limiting distractions, establishing consistent routines, and setting clear expectations and consequences. Parents have reported that strategies such as rewarding positive behaviour, using shared calendars, and involving children in planning have worked well in their own households. By incorporating these approaches, parents can help their children develop better time management skills, stay organised, and maintain a balanced and healthy routine. The flyers will be attached to the newsletter for all families to access and implement these helpful tips.

Year 7 SEAL Students

Our Year 7 SEAL students in Geography are diving into the topic of Liveability, learning to create detailed sketch maps as part of their Humanities studies. This project goes beyond the classroom, as students apply their mapping skills to redesign a space within our school grounds, tackling the urban heat effect while enhancing the space’s purpose and functionality.

It’s inspiring to see these young minds using their knowledge to address a real-world challenge, showing their commitment to making a positive change in our school environment. This hands-on activity develops critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

Year 7 Humanities 'Night at the Museum' Exhibition, Classes 7C and 7A. 

Gavin’s Article and Essay in Traditional Chinese

(Published in both Chinese and English for our diverse community)

We are excited to share an article and short essay written by Year 8 student, Gavin, in this edition of our school newsletter. Gavin has written his pieces in traditional Chinese. These articles are published in both Chinese and English, ensuring that parents, Chinese-speaking students, and members of our wider community—whether they speak English or not—can enjoy and understand his work.  We are very proud of Gavin’s efforts and encourage everyone to read his work for inspiration. Great job, Gavin!

作文帶給我的快樂

           寫作，可能是我中文課最喜歡的課堂活動之一。這是一段令我得到快樂的美好時光。

          還記得，小時候的自己很討厭寫作，因為很花時間。還有，學校給的題目實在太無聊了。現在，我會用四字成語和一些名句來讓文章更生動有趣。我獲得了老師和同學的欣賞，這讓我能持之以恆，寫出一篇篇佳作。

          雖然很多人對我的作品有著高度評價， 但我想寫作的真正原因其實是寫作帶給我的快樂和滿足感。 寫作給我的發揮空間很大。 就例如記敘文， 能令我記錄下每件事的發生、經過、結果和感受；寫和哲學有關的文章， 能寫出我對價值、理智、心靈、人生、道德等不同領域的想法，用積極正面的思想鼓勵身邊的人。

          每堂中文課，沒有考試的時候，我都會寫一篇作文， 因為我十分享受寫作的時光，使我能放鬆心情，忘記壓力，也可以將壓力轉化成靈感， 令文章的內容更加妙趣橫生， 引起其他人的共鳴和認同。 作文也同時能夠讓我永遠記得中文。

          小學六年級時我從香港來到澳洲，中文作為我的母語，對我來說十分重要。作文能夠給我一個很好的機會去練習和提升我的中文能力。每次完成作文後，我都期待看到老師批改時露出滿意的笑容。 我爸媽看到後也給我意想不到的評價。 我媽媽說：「原來你能寫出百讀不厭， 耐人尋味的作文，十分令我驕傲！」這讓我十分開心，讓我有更大動力寫作文。

           感謝喜歡我寫作的人。希望我能寫更多更好的作品與大家分享。

                                                                                                                        By Gavin FUNG  8D

The Happiness that Writing Brings Me

Writing is probably one of my favourite classroom activities in Chinese class. It is a wonderful experience that makes me very happy.

I still remember when I was a kid, I hated writing because it took so long, and the school assignments were really boring.

Now, I can embed idioms and famous quotes to make my writing livelier and engaging. The appreciation I received from my teachers and classmates motivates me to persevere and produce impressive pieces.

Although many people speak highly of my work, the real reason why I write is the joy and satisfaction that writing brings me. Writing gives me the freedom to expressmyself. For example, narrative writing allows me to capture the events, their processes, outcomes, and the emotions they evoke. Writing about philosophy allows me to explore my thoughts on values, reasoning, the soul, life, morality and more, using positive ideas and positive thoughts to encourage those around me.

In every Chinese class, when there are no tests, I write an essay because I enjoy the process. It allows me to relax, forget about stress, and even transform that stress into inspiration, making my writing more engaging. Writing essays in Chinese also allows me to remember this language for ever.

I moved to Australia from Hong Kong when I was in the sixth grade. Chinese, as my mother tongue, is very important to me, and writing provides an opportunity to practise and improve my language skills. Every time I finish an essay, I look forward to seeing my teacher’s satisfied smile when she corrects it. My parents also gave me unexpected feedback after reading my work. My mother said, ‘It turns out you can write thought-provoking essays that I could read a hundred times. You make me very proud.’ This made me incredibly happy and gave me even more motivation to write.

Thanks to those who like my writing. I hope I can write more and better works to share with you.

By Gavin FUNG  8D

聆聽世界這分鐘

           「想想你自己的生活，再想想那些生活貧窮和生活的地方有戰爭的人。對比起來，是否有著天壤之別呢？」這是我在小學的時候，一位老師問我們全班的。現在我說一說我對這個問題的理解。

           我小時候完全不懂「幸福」這個字的意思。我還很自以為是地認為我所有的資源是我本來就該有的，也是所有人都擁有的東西。我這個想法直到我小學三年級時才有所改變。我父母、奶奶、外婆和外公都是很有善心的人。以前的我根本不懂他們為什麼捐這麼多錢給其他人。現在，我明白了。

        「小朋友，你太年輕了，根本不明白生活是什麼。」這句話，是我叔叔對我說的。他諷刺年幼的我不懂何為生活。但我心想：我又不是愚昧無知，怎麼可能不知道什麼是生活。」 現在的我，明白了。

         在这个世界上，有無數人每天都過著飢餓和窮困的生活。 有些人甚至水都喝不上。 在很多國家都有著大批需要幫助的人。其實不用在其他國家，我們身邊就有很多人需要幫助。 有的人因為太窮， 每天都要挨餓。 有的人有心理健康問題，找不到人傾訴。 其實大家都有樂於助人的心。若是下次見到這些需要幫助的人，看看有沒有什麼能幫助他們。

           傾聽世界這分鐘！聽聽有沒有人呼求幫助。我們應有樂於助人的心，隨時準備好幫助他人！

By Gavin FUNG  8D

Listen to the World for This Minute 

‘Think about your own life, and then think about people who live in poverty or in places affected by war. Is there a huge difference?’ This was a question a teacher asked our class when I was in primary school. Now, I'd like to share my thoughts on this issue.

When I was a child, I had no understanding of what "true happiness" meant. I also arrogantly believed that everything I had was simply what I deserved, and that everyone else had the same.

My perspective didn't change until I was in the third grade. My parents and grandparents are all very kind people, and I couldn’t understand why they donated so much money to others. ‘Kid, you are too young and don't understand what life is,’ my uncle said to me. But I thought to myself: I am not stupid; how could I not know what life is?

Now, I understand. Every day, countless people around the world live in hunger and poverty. Some can't even afford clean water. In many countries, there are large numbers of people in desperate need of help. In fact, there are people in our own communities who need help. Some go to bed hungry every night, while others struggle with mental health issues and have no one to talk to.

Next time you see someone in need, ask yourself if there’s anything you can do to help them. Take a minute to listen to the world around you! Listen for those who may be calling for help. We should cultivate a spirit of kindness and always be ready to lend a hand to others in need.

By Gavin FUNG  8D