Primary

                                                                   Mrs Leanne Schulz

Happy Holidays

Well done to students, families and staff for making it through Term 3 during lockdown. It has been an inspiration to see all the learning that students have been involved in each week at Assemblies. We have seen photos and videos of Maths work, Science experiments, reading progress, writing samples, Art work, coding, stop motion animations, Integrated Studies work, cooking, oral presentations and student reflections. We are all very proud of the dedication and hard work demonstrated by the students. It is a delight to see Fairview and Cumberland students during Zoom sessions.

The Primary staff and I wish you all a safe and relaxing holiday break! We hope that you enjoyed our storybook reading at Assembly, ‘Pass It On’. We do miss you all and cannot wait to see some normality return in Term 4. Here is the link to ‘Pass It On’ just in case you missed it at Assembly this week:

‘Pass It On’

https://myaitken.fireflycloud.net.au/head-of-primary/pass-it-on

Messages from the Cumberland Year 6 Captains

This term has been excellent. We have all thankfully adapted to our new lifestyle. We should be very happy that we are successfully getting through the year, even though it has been quite tricky. I know a lot of you may not like doing Zooms, but it is very important and beneficial for us and our teachers to communicate. It is also very important to listen to everything your teacher says. Zooms are established to make it easier for you to understand the requirements or details of your task so you are able to produce your work at the best of your ability. Luckily, most of us were able to work this out and tried hard to achieve a good standard. I want all of you to remember: we go to school once in our lifetime and these 13 years (counting Prep) are preparing us for the real word ahead of us. If we are not trying, we will not get where we want. 

Alex G 

It has been a completely different experience during Term 3 as we have been Home Learning for a very long time and we have all luckily adapted. We should all thank our teachers as they have all tried their very best to make it as normal as possible while learning virtually via Zoom. We have had great Zooms, especially with the establishment of the wellbeing period which has allowed us to socialise and interact with our classmates. Hopefully, we can attend school in Term 4 and will be able to see everybody’s faces again. Have a nice holiday and stay safe!

Georgia D

Fairview Disco

What a fun time was had by the Fairview students last week at the disco run by our DJ, Mr Ben Lawless. There were some stylish disco outfits and some cool dance moves. Some people danced until they dropped while others paced themselves and enjoyed taking in the atmosphere. Thank you Mr Lawless and Ms Petterson for organising it. What a great way to lift our spirits and have some fun together!

Cumberland Digi-tech Day

Mrs Jayne Boon organised some digital technology fun for our Cumberland students last week. The Year 3 and Year 4 students were set some coding tasks using games and apps such as Angry Birds, Frozen, Star Wars and Minecraft. It was great to see all embrace the challenge and develop their coding skills.

The Year 5 and Year 6 students were given the challenge of creating a stop motion animation using any objects that they could find or make. The quality of the animations submitted was outstanding. During this week’s Assembly some winners were announced; however, all students who submitted an animation deserved an award for their vision, perseverance and commitment. Thank you, Mrs Boon, for organising the day and supporting everyone with their learning.

Congratulations go to the following students for receiving a voucher for their stop motion animation:

• Aksheta R
• Darcy C
• Darcy M
• Maia A
• Kisali P
• Raf BG
• Charlie D
• Eve P

View the stop motion animations on the following link:

https://myaitken.fireflycloud.net.au/head-of-primary/stop-motion-videos

RU Okay Day?

Last week we celebrated RU Okay? Day. All Primary classes discussed the importance of wellbeing and checking-in with people and really listening to their response. Looking after each other is really important!

Kids Helpline

The Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 students experienced a fantastic Life Skills lesson via Zoom with a counsellor from the Kids Helpline. We played some fun games and learnt some useful strategies for coping with stressful situations using the 5Cs - Calm, Chat, Create, Connect and Care. Another strategy for developing resilience is using the 4Ps - Positive self-talk, Perspective, Problem-solving and Persevere.

Prep Highlights

Miss Gemma Jackson (AHOS)

Some Prep reflections from the term:

Lana N, Prep G - ‘My favourite thing about Home Learning was wearing my robe all the time because it was so snuggly.’ 

Miles M, Prep G - ‘My favourite thing about Home Learning was writing because it is good to learn.’

Amelia O, Prep G - ‘My favourite thing about being at home was playing outside with my brother because I miss him when I am at school.’

Austin S, Prep A - ‘My favourite thing about Home Learning is learning because I miss you.’ 

Jake M, Prep A - ‘My favourite thing about Home Learning was making 3D robots because it was fun.’

Roy J, Prep A - ‘My favourite thing about Home Learning was Smart Spelling because we learnt new words.’

Nikolai M, Prep R - ‘My favourite thing about Home Learning was the writing tasks because you sound out the words to spell them right and writing is fun.’

Jasmine G, Prep R - ‘My favourite thing about Home Learning was making a shape monster because it was fun.’

Olivia C, Prep R - ‘My favourite thing about Home Learning was going for a run and a bike ride for exercise.’

The Prep teachers are looking forward to seeing the students next term!

Year 1 and 2 Highlights

Ms Hannah Petterson (AHOS)

It has been a very busy and challenging term. Although it has been tough, the Home Learning that has been happening has been incredible. In Year 1, students have had lots of fun exploring space, making models and sorting shapes into different categories. In Year 2, students have been exploring arrays and capacity in Maths. We have also been investigating forces, such as push, pull and gravity in Integrated Studies. 

We had SO MUCH FUN at the Fairview disco last week. We loved listening to all the pop hits and we showed off impressive dance moves. 

The Year 1 and Year 2 teachers are so proud of the amazing work students have put into their learning and it couldn’t have been possible without our wonderful parents! Happy holidays and see you next term.

Year 3 and 4 Highlights

Mrs Anne Adams (AHOS)

Year 3 students have been learning about Australia and its neighbours. An online game was set up for them to play in teams; students researched facts about Australia and its neighbouring countries. Aiming to learn everything about that particular country, students could only stamp their passport and travel to the next country once they had mastered all the geographical facts.

Not a week goes by without something exciting happening. Last week Year 4 students celebrated R U OK? Day. Learning about how to ask someone if they are ok and to be there to listen, students posted a blog comment in our R U OK? nomination feed. 

Here are some of the nominations:

“I nominate Dylan because he is caring and chill and he helps everybody no matter what.” Naman K

“I nominate Skyla because she is my very best friend in the whole entire world and she is always there to play with me at snack time and lunchtime.” 

Millie W

“I nominate Kassi because she is really funny and she is a great friend.”

Nikka G 

“I nominate Aaryan because we help each other out. If he’s angry I can calm him down by telling him he’s great inside. We are best friends.”

Noah M

Year 4 students also celebrated Roald Dahl Day which was actually on the weekend but we extended the celebration over a couple of days. Writing, art and craft activities, a movie screening of “James and the Giant Peach” and Snozzcumber cakes were made.

Year 5 and 6 Highlights

Mr Nigel Keegan (AHOS)

There have been so many excellent examples of student work this term and many valuable learning experiences; below is a snap shot of each. Thank you to students for all your hard work this term and to parents for your incredible support.

The stop motion challenge was amazing. I saw some extraordinary clips from the very talented Year 5 and 6 students. I am inspired by all the stop motion videos for next year’s competition.

Amber J - 5A

The stop motion challenge that the Year 5 and 6 students competed in was a great learning experience. We were given a series of apps that we could use to create a short stop motion video. After we were finished we attached them to a task then Mrs Schulz, Mrs Boon and Miss Donohue judged them to see who would win prizes. Overall it was a lot of fun and I look forward to doing it again.

Rafael BG - 5A

Performing my oral presentation was so much fun. I did my presentation as though it was a press conference. After seeing Dan Andrews do so many press conferences, it sparked the idea. Although I had some help, it was one of the best presentations I have ever done!

Isabel P - 6K

With Home Learning, I have found that I was able to concentrate without the distractions of other people. I found it easier to do active work like sport and sometimes art because you would have more space. But I really miss my friends though!

Oliver P - 6K

Stop Motion Entries

Farewell Miss Healey

The Primary students and staff are very sad to say farewell to Miss Healey as she embarks upon a new chapter in her life. We give thanks for her positivity, clear Christian messages and inspiration during our Chapel services and RVE lessons. We are very grateful for the time Miss Healey has spent at Aitken College spreading words of kindness, respect and compassion. We said farewell to Miss Healey at our Assemblies this week. The following messages were written by some of the Year 6 students:

To Miss Healey 

Thank you for being such a great teacher. You’re a great role model, for so many kids. When you walk into the classroom to teach us your happiness lights up the room. Thank you for teaching us so much the past three years. We all appreciate you so much! I hope we see you soon.

Ella C

Miss Healey has always been a great role model and she is always up to help you. I have learnt so much over the past 3 years and I could not have asked for a better RVE teacher. It is always fun to learn and I enjoy Assembly much more now that Miss Healey is our teacher. Her smile always lights up the room and we will always wish you the best in your new chapter of life.

Violet B

Thank you for teaching your subjects with great passion. Your teaching skills made it easier and fun for every student to contribute actively, thereby making every single class engaging for all. Thank you for the support and good will you have shown over the last memorable years. You will forever be in our hearts and we will remember you with warm thoughts and memories. Thank you for bringing unrelenting joy to your work every day and by the way, your smile was contagious. We will all miss you greatly!

Georgia D

It has been three fun years with you and you have made Chapel not only exciting but also interesting. However, this is an opportunity to acknowledge respect and give thanks to how awesome our teacher, Miss Healey is, who has passed across some unique knowledge and skills to us students at Aitken College. We wish you nothing but peace, love and happiness. We hope you have all the wonderful things life has to offer in your new place. Goodbye and we hope you will visit us sometime soon. Good luck with your next adventure.

Sienna D

Music Performances

Congratulations to many of the Primary students for entertaining us via Zoom with their wonderful musical performances on strings, woodwind and piano. Well done to the following students:

We wish all families a safe and relaxing holiday and cannot wait to see you all next term!