Junior School

Welcome to Term 4! 

I cannot believe how fast this year is passing, yet here we are, entering the final term with all the end-of-year assessments, reports, celebrations, and planning for 2023 ahead of us. As a child, time seemed to stand still, and Christmas always seemed like an eternity away. Now it seems like you blink, and another one is here. We are reminded in Psalm 39 that time is fleeting. In a fast-paced and busy world, it is comforting to know that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever and that our Heavenly Father holds our lives in His hand. 

Our lives are in His hands, and He keeps our feet from stumbling. Psalm 66:9

Our annual Year 3 - 6 Basketball Competition was held on the last day of Term 3. Thank you again to Mr Joshua Gaschk and staff for their support and to the Year 3- 6 students for their enthusiastic participation. It was a fantastic way to end the term. Congratulations to Zion Crusaders (Blue House) who were the overall champions for the day. 

At the beginning of the term, it is always lovely to welcome new members to the team … well not entirely new, but someone with a new name. Over the holidays, the fabulous Miss Backholer walked down the aisle and married her beloved, so it is an absolute pleasure to welcome her back this term as Mrs Bonte. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Caitlin and Andrew on their recent marriage and I pray that God will use and bless them as they begin their new life together as Mr and Mrs Bonte. 

By now, all students are required to be wearing their Summer uniform. Please ensure girls’ Summer dresses are at the correct length, with the hem to the bottom of the kneecap (when a student is standing with head up straight). Junior School students are also required to wear their jumpers to and from school unless it is deemed too warm. Students will be informed of the decision on these days. For further information about student uniform standards, please refer to page 12 in the Student Diary.

On Friday 7 October, our Junior School was a hive of activity as students set up and ran their stalls for Market Day. I would like to thank Mrs Kirby-Beach, Mrs McDonald and the marvellous members of our Junior School Student Forum for organising this fabulous event. For further details and to find out the total raised for Amari and our sponsor children, Patrick, Beatrice and Wallin, please continue to read Mrs Kirby-Beach’s article below. 

Bubble, Bubble, Splash! Becoming water-wise is vitally important, especially when we live in such a beautiful country with water all around us. Students in Prep - Year 2 enjoyed their swimming lessons last week, concentrating on stroke development and confidence in the water. Thank you to our teachers, support staff and parents who assisted with this program.

We have enjoyed welcoming our Prep 2023 students to the Step into Prep Orientation sessions, which assist pre-schoolers to make a successful transition to the school environment. During these sessions, students meet selected staff, participate in activities in the Prep classrooms and meet future classmates. We look forward to meeting Prep 2023 parents at our Prep Information Evening on Thursday 10 November, commencing at 7.00pm in the Upper Primary Building Theatre.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth. Ephesians 1:7-10

Amy Liddle

Head of Junior School 

Class Placement for 2023

Parents are provided an opportunity to communicate in writing, to the Head of Junior School, any specific information which could have a significant impact on their child’s class placement for 2023 (e.g. cousins, neighbours in the same level, etc). As situations can change, requests made in previous years are not taken into consideration. Staffing for each year level is yet to be confirmed so specific requests for teachers will not be considered. All correspondence should be addressed to the Head of Junior School, marked confidential, by Friday 28 October.

What Did You Do at School Today?

Prep

We are well rested from our holidays and ready to settle down into our final term of Prep. Week 2 saw much splashing, kicking and blowing bubbles! Yes! We have just finished our first round of school swimming lessons. This meant that we could go on a bus and sit next to our friends every day for five days!

Year 1 and Year 2

We were transported back in time to Mont DeLancey, where we found that life was very different in the olden days. We were shocked to learn that not only was there no electricity, but families used chamber pots, which children had to empty in the morning. They participated in a range of experiences, including olden day games, billy cart racing and making homemade craft gifts. We were so strong; we helped the Blacksmith twist metal to make an artifact. Seeing a Woodturner in action was another highlight, as we saw the creation of a spinning top. In the old-fashioned schoolhouse, we were surprised at how stern Ma’am was and were very thankful to go to school in 2022.

Year 3

What a fantastic start to the term! We are so excited for our new Integrated Studies unit, Our Island Home. In this unit we will be exploring connections of the geographical world as we dive in deep to learn about different environments, climate zones and natural vegetation. We are excited to learn about Australia's neighbouring countries and about changes caused by adding and removing heat. We will even create our own artificial island nation where we consider location, climate, and values. This term is going to fly, we can’t wait to see all the fun things we get to do!

Year 4

What a wonderful start we have had to the term! We had a great time exploring some of the Habits of Mind that help us to be the best learners we can be. One of these was Managing Impulsivity. This doesn't just mean remembering to put our hand up in class, but it applies to our relationships with others and the way we engage in learning. To help us fully understand this concept, we read and discussed some well-known proverbs and wise sayings, such as measure twice, cut once, and patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. With our newfound understanding of impulsivity and patience, we wrote some awesome songs, poetry, and even some raps to encourage others! Here are a few inspiring words from some talented writers.

Think it out by Evie, Jonathan, Will (4N)

Think hard, think again. 

Take a step, step once more. 

Take a leap, think twice, have fun and dance around!

Patience Poem by Ella and Lynn (4B)

If everything was perfect

Mistakes would never happen

Sometimes mistakes are good things

So we would be missing out.

We wouldn’t learn to be brave

and we wouldn’t be patient

if the world was only joy.

Take it easy step by step

Don’t be shy, keep being brave

Year 5

It’s been a great start to Term 4. We’ve begun our Integrated Studies unit on Data and Decisions, which is all about creating a business. You would have seen the employment survey come home in Week 1 that we are using to collect data to inform our business decisions. Thank you for assisting us with this! Later in the term we will present our business plans to our Oxley Shark Tank, to see if our ideas will be invested into. We’re also in the thick of writing narratives for our Writing Celebration at the end of term. Some of the stories are truly original and we can’t wait for you all to come and read our masterpieces.

Year 6

What a tremendous start to Term 4 we have had! We are busily preparing for Year 7, writing letters about our favourite things to students from other schools who will become our peers next year. We are so excited to learn their names and meet them on Orientation Day. Mrs Heckathorn and Miss Gaiser have been wowed by how much more confident we have become in our written division skills and how we have learnt to express remainders in three different ways. It brings us so much joy to be at school, to learn from one another and to celebrate each other’s growth. We have so many amazing opportunities to look forward to before the year is done!

Junior School Market Day

On Friday 7 October, our Oxley community came together to raise money for our sponsored Amari children, Beatrice, Patrick and Wallin. What an incredible event our Junior School Market Day was!

The corridor was filled with stalls run by Year 3 - 6 students, selling a variety of items from scrumptious food and drink to delicately made origami and bracelets. There were even Pay to Play games, such as Lucky Dip and Guess the Number of Lollies in the Jar! It was a tremendous effort from our students and their families, and we thank you! 

With so much choice, the decision of what to spend money on was tough! Yet, joy filled the air as family members, students and teachers made their way around the stalls. Thank you to all who came and supported. We know you are keen to know the amount raised, so here it is:

$3,202.55

What a phenomenal amount! 

We know Amari and our sponsored children will benefit greatly. A very big thank everyone who supported this event organised by our Junior School Student Forum. 

Vicky Kirby-Beach

Assistant Head of Junior School