Local Sports and Video/Photography

It has been wonderful to see junior basketball and netball competitions thriving in Term 4 and junior cricket commenced this week. Many local sporting associations have rules and bylaws regulating the taking of photographs and videos. Generally speaking, it isn’t permissible for parents to video games or take photographs which include other children from College or from opposing teams. Whilst it is exciting to watch our children play sports, it is important to be mindful of the child safe standards that regulate all junior sports.

School Camps

One of the most distinctive memories of school life for many adults will be that of a story from a remarkable school camp. Whether they appreciated it at the time, school camps build resilience, social skills, self-sufficiency and autonomy during a child’s formative years. Educational school camps have a number of benefits for students in primary school. While the nature and content of these camps may change as students grow, school camps are an integral part of any student’s learning experience. School camps help students develop a sense of autonomy. For many primary aged students, a full camp experience can often create a sense of anxiety in the lead up to camp as they climb on the bus but by the end of a camp program, students return home with a new sense of self-esteem and independence.

This term we have three camps plus a Prep ‘Big Day Out’. Our Year 3 and 4s will travel to the beautiful northern Grampians for a three-day experience at Roses Gap. Our Year 1 and Year 2 students head to the southern Grampians, this time Dunkeld, for a two-day camp. Our Year 5 students will travel back in time to 1854 at the Sovereign Hill camp in Ballarat. I will have the pleasure of joining our staff on the Year 1/2 and Year 5 camps. I am looking forward to seeing our students enjoy nature, extend their comfort zones and develop decision-making, communication, and teamwork skills.

Week 4 - Year Three and Year Four Roses Gap camp (October 26th to 28th)

Week 5 - Year Five Sovereign Hill camp (November 2nd to 4th)

Week 6 - Year One and Year Two Grampians camp (November 7th to 8th)

Week 9 - Prep ‘Big Day Out’ to Halls Gap Zoo (December 2nd)

Changes to Junior School Speech Day

This year’s Junior School Speech Day will be held on Friday December 9th. We have moved the starting time forward from 12.00pm to 10.00am. We feel this will be a more suitable time for our early years’ students. At the conclusion of Speech Day, students in Prep to Year 5 classes will be bused back to Myrniong for lunch and the remainder of the day. Year 6 students and families are invited to stay at the Senior School for photographs and light refreshments.

2023 Junior School Booklists

In past years, Junior School families have been provided with a booklist for their children’s year level, sourced through Campion (formerly Warrnambool Books).

For 2023, we have made the decision to trial a new, more streamlined system of ordering classroom materials, that will be cheaper for families and simpler to administer. Classroom teachers will compile a list of stationery, textbook and online subscriptions for each year level, Prep to Year 6. This total will be charged to the 2023 Term One College accounts. Parents will not be required to source any materials for students. Classrooms will be set up for the start of Term 1 with all materials required for the coming year. After scanning and comparing all items across four different websites, we believe this new approach will be cheaper for families and, solve issues with incomplete and late booklist orders impacting on teaching and learning. Once finalised, the Junior School office will email all families the total 2023 booklist costs for each year level, Prep to Year 6.

Greater Western Region Volleyball

The Junior School had a boys’ team and a girls’ team compete on Monday in the Greater Western Region volleyball tournament. The students acquitted themselves well in a sport in which they have little experience in playing. Thanks to Year 10 student Dominic Wong for his assistance with the teams and umpiring matches.

Stephen Nelson

Head of Junior School

SSV Regional Volleyball Championships

Congratulations to our Year 5/6 Boys’ and Girls’ Volleyball teams who competed in the recent SSV Regional Volleyball Championships which were held at the Senior School Sports Centre on Monday 17th October. Although the draws were shortened somewhat with some teams unable to join us due to the floods, our students enjoyed their experience and improved with each set that was played. Congratulations to the girls’ who were runner’s up in their section on the day. Many thanks to Mr Nelson and Dominic Wang who scored, refereed, coached and supported our competitors throughout the competition.

On Thursday 27th October, our Year 5 and 6 golfers will compete in the Golf Victoria Primary Championships at Parklands Golf Club. This is a wonderful experience for our budding golfers and is a wonderful finale to our PE class golf sessions. We wish you all good luck for this tournament!

Finally, we wish all, of our students who are competing in the HDSA Cricket Blast Championship at Pedrina Park, next Friday 28th October the very best of luck. Thank you to Jack Austin and Henry Bench who will be coaching our teams on the day. This is always a fun day - fingers crossed for fine weather so we can really enjoy the day! If you are a parent who will be available to umpire or help on the day, please get in touch with me through the Junior School office. I would love to hear from you!

SSV Regional Athletics Championships

Last Friday, eight Junior School students competed in the esteemed SSV Regional Athletics Championships held in Ballarat. Jimmy Dyer (1500m), Angus Knight (Shot Put), Sophie Satchell (Discus), Grace O’Sullivan (Long Jump), Yolanda O’Sullivan (Hurdles), Elsie Brown (Hurdles), Charlie Hindhaugh (Hurdles) and Poppy Shepherd (Hurdles) all battled frightfully wet conditions to compete in their events on the day.

Huge congratulations to both Grace O’Sullivan and Charlie Hindhaugh who came second in their events, receiving a medal on the day, also qualifying for the SSV State Athletics Championships on November 2nd in Melbourne! Their performances were magnificent, and we are all so proud of their achievement to get through to the next level.

Many thanks to the parents and families who supported these athletes on the day!

Louise Patterson

Junior School PE

The Hamilton and Alexandra College Newsletter

Sesquicentenary Year - issue 69 · 20 Oct 2022

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