Junior School Report
As we sail through the academic year, the Junior School has been bustling with activities, events, and memorable experiences for our enthusiastic students. We are delighted to share some of the exciting happenings in the first half of Semester 2.
The transition into Semester 2 has been smooth as our students quickly adapted to their new electives and teachers. Their dedication to learning and engagement in the classroom has been commendable. We are confident that this semester will continue to bring even greater achievements and growth for each student.
It's astonishing to realise that just 8 months ago on Orientation Day, we welcomed our Year 7 students into the college for the first time. Today, they stand as shining examples of growth, dedication, and belonging within our Keysborough College community. We have witnessed numerous accomplishments, challenges overcome, and the development of important academic and life skills. We are proud to see how far each student has come in such a short span of time. They are now fully fledged members of this community, bringing their own experiences and perspectives to our wonderful school, and demonstrating the College values of Respect, Excellence and Diversity at every opportunity.
Our Year 8 students have been busy studying mediaeval history in humanities, this will culminate with a Junior school History Day in Week 7 where they will participate in hands-on activities through the day, experiencing mediaeval history through each of their subject areas. Students have also taken part in an incursion in preparation for National Science Week, focussing on developing an understanding of the uses of coding and artificial intelligence in their daily lives.
Semester 2 is a busy time of year for all students in Year 9 as they begin to consider their pathway into the Senior School and beyond. All students have had the opportunity to take part in a Morrisby Interview, aimed at unpacking their interest and aligning them with potential future pathways. As part of preparations for course counselling students attended the Senior school Open night to explore course options and participated in “Transition Week”. The focus of this time was to expose students to VCE and Yr 10 electives so they can make informed decisions about their pathway into the Senior school.
Our Year 9 Acacia students had an amazing experience attending Camp Allambee adventure camp. Students had the opportunity to challenge themselves while developing their teamwork, participating in a range of activities such as the giant swing, high and low rope courses, leap of faith, archery and a giant flying fox.
We are thrilled to extend our congratulations to all the Junior school students who performed in the production of "Aladdin Junior" – our highly anticipated College Musical. The students
showcased their exceptional talents, making "Aladdin Junior" a resounding success. From the inspiring performances of our actors and moving voices of singers, the graceful moves of our dancers, the creativity of our set production team and the meticulously designed choreography – every aspect of the production was superb.
This year, we transitioned to an online assessment for the Years 7 & 9 National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). This proved to be very successful, streamlining the assessment process and enabling quicker access to individual student results. Families should have already received their child's NAPLAN reports during Week three of this term. Instead of the previous two-band scale (bands 6-10), students are now marked against four proficiency standards. This revised approach provides a more comprehensive evaluation of each student's performance. More information regarding the new NAPLAN scale can be found here.
Finally, our teachers have been closely monitoring students' progress this term and providing constructive feedback to ensure every student reaches their full potential. Parents will be receiving their first round of Progress reports at the end of August and we encourage everyone to access Compass to view these reports.
Melissa Williams and Matthew Sloan
Junior School Assistant Principals
Banksia & Acacia Campus