Primary School

Primary School Chapel

I would like to congratulate Mrs Megan McMaster for organising her first Primary School Chapel on Friday 4 August. The service was led by Reverend Phil Zamagias from Christ Church Anglican Echuca, and he was supported by some of our students. Reverend Phil told the story of when Jesus commanded the storm to stop, and this story was re-enacted in a short play by a number of our Year 4 students in a large wooden boat. We sang and prayed together and at the conclusion, two representatives from Kindergarten presented Reverend Phil with a beautiful bunting which included drawings of themselves, to thank him for inviting them to visit the Church on a recent RVE excursion. This bunting is now proudly hung in Christ Church Anglican Echuca. 

Farewell Mrs Scott

At the conclusion of the PS Chapel, we farewelled our Primary Head of Teaching and Learning, Melanie Scott. Staff, students and parents were treated to a slideshow, created by Emma Delmenico, that showed the many highlights Mrs Scott had experienced over the past 12 years. Through many historic pictures, as well as recorded class videos, Mrs Scott’s contribution to the Moama Anglican Grammar community was celebrated. Ending the day with a guard of honour and an impromptu disco, all students had the opportunity to say their goodbyes. We will miss Mrs Scott and wish her nothing but the best as she embarks on the next exciting chapter.

Kinder B Writing 

Whilst I enjoy many facets to my job, one of my highlights is receiving visits from individual students, groups or classes to showcase work they have excelled in. Seeing the growth and development in many different areas, as well as the pride the teachers have for these achievements, is an absolute joy. Being able to recognise growth, achievement and/or effort makes my day. Last week, the students in Kinder B visited me to share some of their excellent work. They had been exploring adjectives and how to incorporate them into their writing. The students investigated the different attributes of elephants and wrote descriptive sentences about them, using illustrations to support their writing. The Kinder students had also been learning how to write on dotted thirds. To say that I was impressed with their efforts is an understatement!

K-2 Stage Assembly

This week, 1C hosted our K-2 Stage Assembly. There was a wonderful Acknowledgement of Country before moving into our ‘Stars of the Week’. At the conclusion of our Assembly, 1C then tried their hand at stand-up comedy with jokes centred around ‘Jack Frost’. The students delivered the jokes with perfection and left Mrs Ripon and the teachers in stitches of laughter. “What does a snowman call a tantrum.…a meltdown!”

The ‘Stars of the Week’ in K-2 were: 

Science Week

The school theme for National Science Week in 2023 is Innovation: Powering Future Industries. The theme incorporates the advancement in technology in all industries, especially using artificial intelligence (AI). The curriculum focus of the theme is on:

• Science as a Human Endeavour
• Chemical Sciences
• Physical Sciences
• Earth and Space Sciences, and
• Biological Sciences.

 To celebrate Science Week at Moama Anglican Grammar, the Science faculty has organised a variety of activities for students to participate in during lunchtimes. These will be advertised and shared by classroom teachers. In addition, all students in Kindergarten to Year 4 will visit and join a Secondary science class, where they will work with the Secondary students on some basic science experiments. We look forward to a fun week. 

Book Week

It is that exciting time of year, where we celebrate Book Week! The theme for this year’s Book Week is “Read, Grow, Inspire” and is scheduled from Monday 21 August until Friday 25 August. Book Week provides a great opportunity to celebrate Australian literature. As part of the celebrations, students will be able to join in the many activities which will be on offer throughout the week. 

Parents and Carers are invited to attend our annual Book Character Parade on Wednesday 23 August from 9am on the Primary tennis courts. On this day, students are encouraged to attend school dressed as their favourite book character. 

Families are encouraged to donate a gold coin on this day to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, a community-led group which responds to requests from remote communities for culturally relevant books. Costumes are to be in line with our school policy regarding appropriate dress at school.

Father’s Day Stall

After a highly successful Mother’s Day Stall earlier this year, our MAG Parents & Friends have been busy sourcing great gifts for this year’s Father’s Day Stall.

Father's Day Breakfast Celebration

On Friday 1 September, Fathers, Carers or a significant other are invited to join us for our annual Father’s Day Celebrations. MAG staff, together with the P&F, will be serving bacon and egg sandwiches with tea, coffee and milo for all fathers/special guests and students on the day between 7:30 – 8:15am. Please complete this google form to assist with catering requirements. 

We will also be celebrating Footy Colours Day on the same day, therefore students are invited to wear footy themed clothing/colours for the day. 

The canteen will also be having a special $9 Meal Deal that day for lunch. Lunch order slips will be sent home with Primary and Secondary students later this month. You can also order online via the Quickcliq app. 

Co-Curricular Program

Students at Moama Anglican Grammar are incredibly fortunate to have access to the many Co-Curricular opportunities available to them throughout the year. There is strong evidence about the importance of Co-Curricular and Extra Curricular programs to enhance student outcomes. Improved student outcomes are connected to improved mental health, self-efficacy, goal orientation and self-regulation. Co-Curricular and Extra Curricular activities develop teamwork, communication, relationship skills and a sense of belonging, which help students to develop socially and be successful in school. These additional opportunities would not be possible without the willingness of staff to share their time and expertise. Included below are some updates from various Co-Curricular programs on offer during this term. 

Tournament of Minds

Over the past 4 weeks, the two primary TOM (Tournament of Minds) teams have been working hard on their '6 week challenges'. The Language Literature team with Miss Delmenico have been designing a sculpture, based on 'The Rainbow Fish' while the Arts team with Miss Briggs have been building an immersive art exhibition, based on the famous and mysterious street artist Banksy. With only 2 weeks to go, the teams are spending after school, many lunch times and next Sunday at school in preparation for the regional final in Wagga Wagga on the 27th of August. Good luck teams!

Chess Club

It has been great to connect with students from Years 2-6 in the Resource Centre each Tuesday. Whilst many students enjoy a game of chess, other students have been exploring chess sets; differentiating between the different chess pieces and the way they move. Setting up a board with pieces and creating chess sets from hundreds of pieces, stored in a box were all part of the fun. This week, students learned more about the three distinct phases of a game of chess; the Opening, the Middlegame and the Endgame, each of which has its own strategies. It is not too late for students to come along to Chess Club to learn more about this strategic game. 

Netball

This term, Mrs McMaster has been supporting the Year 4 students; Stella Smith, Ivy Cladingboel and Isabelle Davidson to run a Netball Club for the Kindergartens to Year 2 students. We have had lots of fun practicing our goal shooting, ball passing skills and developing our team skills in netball games.

Jr Singers

Our Jr Singers is a vocal ensemble which is open to students in Years 3-6 who love to sing and perform. The rehearsals are scheduled each Tuesday morning at 8.15am in the Primary music room. New members are always welcome to join!

Jr Singers have already enjoyed many performances this year, including at school events such as the Easter Bonnet Parade, the Foundation Day service and the Young Performers Concert, as well as at community events such as Christ Church Echuca's HymnFest. A highlight was participating in the Bendigo Eisteddfod last term and winning our section! This term, the choir are excited to perform at the Primary Assembly next week, and in Week 9, go on tour around Echuca/Moama, performing at several Aged Care Facilities and also doing a Pop-Up performance at Hopwood Gardens in Echuca (Monday 4 September, 12pm - save the date!)

Upcoming Events

14/08/23              Science Week (Monday to Friday)

18/08/23              Primary Assembly; Year 3 Performance

21/08/23              Book Week (Monday to Friday)

23/08/23              Character Dress Up Parade starting at 9am 

01/09/23              Father’s Day Celebrations, Father’s Day Stall and Footy Colours Day

01/09/23              PS Chapel

Kind Regards,

Nici Deller                                                      

Head of Primary