Upper Primary 

PDJ

On August the 1st PDJ set off with much excitement for their Phillip Island camp. The weather was surprisingly kind to us and we were able to participate in all of our scheduled activities.

Physical pursuits were the order of the day. The giant swing, flying fox, mechanical wall, mini-golf and archery were absolute favourites with everyone encouraging and supporting one another. Some students were even brave enough to tackle the ‘giant drop’.  Our faces lit up as the fairy penguins waddled up the beach to greet us. Our encounters with the furry kind didn’t end there as we visited the Wildlife Park, where we hand-fed the kangaroos and met emus face to face. Watching the pelicans get fed at San Remo was another highlight.

Feeling the ocean spray on our faces and hearing the thunderous roar of the Nobbies blowhole was spectacular.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Amaze N’ Things; getting lost in the mirror maze and outdoor maze was heaps of fun and working our way through all the optical illusions was intriguing.  Of course another highlight was eating pizza and having ice-cream and jelly for dessert. Everyone displayed wonderful manners when we had a yummy meal together at the Cowes RSL.  

Thank you to Chris Norman for driving the bus. Thanks also to Ciara and Mia for helping us to have a fantastic time!

PKO

Over the past couple of weeks, PKO have been learning about location and directions. We have looked at different words which describe our position and attempted to give instructions to others. When we were given one location word at a time we were able to show that we understood. Sometimes the location descriptions got more confusing, e.g. ‘Get something from the top shelf which is between the scissors and the crayons’. During some of the nicer weather days, we went outside to practise the skills we had been learning in the classroom. We had a fun time on, under, in, between and over things.

PSP

Last night Upper Primary celebrated the end of their mini Olympic unit with a presentation night.  Over the last few weeks, students have been working extremely hard, researching different Olympic sports and athletes of their interest. Students created projects to showcase their knowledge and findings.  It was great to see a large turnout of students and parents at last night’s presentations. Students were very happy and excited to present their projects and both teachers and parents were proud of each and every individual student.

Well done Upper Primary on a fantastic unit of work.

Speaking of Speech

August 7th – 13th was Speech Pathology Australia week and to celebrate, Upper primary competed in a colouring in competition. This year’s theme was ‘Creating Futures’. “More than 1.1 million Australians have a communication or swallowing difficulty that impacts on their quality of life. Every day speech pathologists are creating futures by changing lives for Australians with communication and swallowing difficulties.” There were many wonderful entries but this year’s winners were Maddison, Devon, Larelle, Lachie S and Harley!

Thanks for everyone who took part.

Handwriting with an OT Twist

This term, Jenna (our OT) has been working with most of the classrooms in Upper Primary teaching handwriting with an OT twist! We have been using sensory strategies to assist with learning letter recognition, letter formation and sounds, all while giving our bodies what they need through touch and movement! A term filled with shaving cream, paint, playdough, masking tape, chalk, jumping, skipping and hopping!

Chris Norman

Team Leader