St Augustine's College Kyabram

5-8 Community News

​​Dear Parents and Caregivers,

 

Can you believe we are entering the final week of Term 3?  Where has the term gone? What it has brought, is some lovely spring weather, meaning we need our hats again. 

 

Next Wednesday at 9.10 am, we will have our end-of-term celebration, led by our Year 8 leaders. This is a wonderful opportunity to see the learning that has happened in our 5-8 Community this term. With a jam-packed term, there's bound to be a huge discussion about your child’s success at College and this term.

 

It has been another busy fortnight with so many extracurricular activities occurring for our wonderful community.  Students in Years 5 and 6 attended the Lone Pine Ceremony, and have been unpacking the content from the Reach Foundation engaging in conversations about gender, identity and respectful relationships. 

This supports their current unit of work for Religious Education Life Relationships. Themes explored include:

  • How to support changes
  • How do we look after ourselves 
  • What are some strategies we could use 
  • Change is perfectly normal

 

Thanks to those families who attended the Alcohol and Drug information session on Monday. This session supported the learning at Years 7 and 8 and will start to really unpack the dangers and their effects on the human body. Some of the dangers of vaping were mind-blowing.  More information can be found at https://notevenonce.org.au/

 

The work from The Resilience Project continues to drive our learning spaces. This learning sequence supported our SOLE focus for the next fortnight which was respecting, accepting and celebrating our differences. This video continues to be shown throughout the Community. 

‘Difference’ was further unpacked with the following information:

  • Difference is something that might seem a little unfamiliar to what we are used to. 
  • When we are faced with situations that we aren't use to, we act uncomfortable because we aren’t sure how to deal with what we face.
  • Sometimes our different opinions upset others when it shouldn’t matter to them.
  • Having differences in the world means that we're all humans, despite differences in how we look or dress, or what we eat, celebrate watch or play.
  • Being different is beautiful and not something that should be seen as negative. We are all different!!
  • Difference is what makes the world so special. Could you imagine a world that only had Kyabram or Tatura or a town that only followed Carlton Football Club? 
  • Imagine if all of your teachers were the same, even the ones you might not connect with too well.

Attendance is really important

Please remind your child about the importance of getting to TA on time. TA commences at 8.50am and concludes at 9.10 am.  It's ever so important that our students attend TA as it enables them to feel a sense of inclusion amongst their community which will foster opportunities for students to further develop long-lasting relationships with their peers and teachers.  

 

Students should not be attending Woolworths before school starts unless you are with your child.

Once students have been dropped off at the College either by a parent or by school bus, they will need to remain at the College.  The staff at the College are liable for ensuring that your child is safe on the school grounds.

 

No student is to leave the College without parent permission or parent pick up.

 

Let’s encourage students to seek help from adults, where needed. If there is a challenge in the classroom where your child is not sure of a learning task or a concern outside of the learning space, please get into contact with your child's TA, or even better, encourage the children to seek us out.

 

Have a restful holiday and enjoy the spring break!

 

Corey Carver and Anthony Poppa

5-8 Community Leaders

Year 8 Market Day

Year 8 students started their PBL economics and business unit in Week 8. In small groups, students will create a product that consumers want to purchase. They will be required to develop a business plan, financial plan, a product design and a marketing plan to assist in the selling of their product.

 

Look out for more information at the beginning of Term 4 about our market date. Products will range from 50c - $10.

 

Posters of students’ businesses and products will be displayed in the Strength and Kindliness building. A survey has also been put on SIMON and we encourage students to complete this form, to provide the Year 8s with data about the product they have chosen to make.

 

Thank you,

Year 8 students and staff 

Lone Pine Years 5/6 Ceremony 

Last Wednesday, 31st August, our Years 5/6 students were given the opportunity to participate in the College Lone Pine Ceremony. This ceremony commemorated the famous Lone Pine that was planted here more than two decades ago.  The original Aleppo Pine, a descendent of the famous Lone Pine that stands on the Turkish battleground where a six-day battle ensued between Anzac forces and Ottoman Empire soldiers, was planted at St Augustine’s in 1999. 

 

Kyabram Legacy has a 61-year history and has 22 legatees involved in voluntarily assisting the widows and children of serviceman who died in the service of Australia. During the ceremony, Gavon Armstrong (Secretary of Kyabram’s Legacy organisation) explained the history of the Kyabram Lone Pines, which were the brainchild of former legatee, the late Bob Drysdale (known as Lone Pine Bob). The trees are reflective of those who lost their lives in the service of their country, from World War I up to the most recent conflicts of Iraq and Afghanistan — along with many peacekeeping missions. 

 

This was an incredibly moving and reflective ceremony for our Years 5/6 students to learn about and be part of.