Dear Parents,

What a fabulous term we have all shared!

It only feels like yesterday that we welcomed in the new school year, with new school shoes and uniforms, books, classrooms, new friends and students, new teachers – where did the last 10 weeks go? As we approach the holiday season, it is important to take some time to look back and reflect upon all that has been achieved this term.

Congratulations to the children for the way in which they have engaged with their learning journey and to the parents for supporting their learning journey so positively this term. Thank you to the parents who have taken the time to attend the Parent-Teacher Meetings this week. This is an important part of our Reporting process and we encourage all parents to now have conversations with their children to help them reflect on the learning that has taken place, to set goals and to plan for the way forward.

My sincere appreciation is extended staff who have guided and nurtured your children this term – they are wonderful educators who have a deep commitment to help the children reach their personal best and are always working hard to give their best to the school.

As we come to the end of the term, it is time to farewell Mrs Peirce (Kindy teacher) and Mrs Magee (GATE teacher). We thank them for sharing their teaching skills and expertise with our school community.

This week the labrynth and amphitheatre were transformed into sacred spaces to share the Easter story. The Year 3 staff put great thought and reverence into the planning and the students carried out their roles with great dignity. Our special Easter reflection concluded in the chapel with beautiful music and prayers. All the children participated in a truly prayerful way.

We all look forward to sharing some stories of the adventures when we return next term. However, here is a holiday challenge for you to contemplate with your family - consider switching off email, text messages, Instagram, Facebook, Internet, TV, movies and mobile phone to gain some more meaningful moments as a family.

Visit the local library and borrow a few classic books, and choose one to read as a family book, maybe a chapter or two each day
Pump up the bike tyres and ride along some of our beautiful bike paths
Look through a recipe book, shop for the ingredients and cook together one afternoon – and sit down to eat as a family
Sleep out in a tent in the back garden, chat in the dark - what a magical experience.
Build an indoor cubby and share some stories with the children
Jump on the train and spend a day in the city
Get out your family photo album, talk to the children about your memories – a great conversation starter!
And some of my favourites – a jigsaw puzzle, board game, Lego, Uno or chess – something you can start and come back to tomorrow.

Wishing you all a restful holiday break, a change of pace and a peace filled Easter. We look forward to welcome students back to school on Wednesday 26 April for the start of term two.

Kind regards

Antoinette De Pinto

Head of Primary

Zoo Camp – Written by 5G

Last week, it was 5G’s turn to immerse ourselves in the animal kingdom at the Perth Zoo ‘Roar and Snore’ Camp. While reflecting on this once in a lifetime experience, we brainstormed some of the reasons Perth Zoo is truly the best location for a Year 5 camp.

Firstly, the educational benefits of this camp are like no other. We are currently learning about animal adaptations in Science and it was thrilling to see some of these first hand. Our prior knowledge allowed us to answer some challenging questions which impressed our amazing group leaders, Rob and Joan.

We learnt about endangered species, animal enrichment and the many ways that the Perth Zoo caters to the diverse needs of a range of animals.

Furthermore, the ‘Roar and Snore’ Camp experience gave us the opportunity to participate in many fun activities. In the ‘Race to Save’ activity we collected information about endangered species and recorded our results in a crossword puzzle. The enrichment activity required us to fill pine cones with fruits and vegetables that we later delivered to the birds to feed on and play with too! We also embarked on a night safari to see various animals activity in the dark of night. We also had countless opportunities to engage with animals, including some hands on experiences!

All in all, this camp was one which we will always remember. We value the knowledge, new friendships and life skills that we developed whilst on our camp and will continue building upon these as the year continues. We had so much fun too!

Year 6 Basketball Lightning Carnival

On Thursday some year 6’s participated in the Year 6 Lightning Carnival at the Willetton Basketball Stadium. Ten schools competed in the event and we fielded two competitive teams. We played six rounds over the course of the day and our students displayed good skills and sportsmanship on the court and all the hard work in the Physical Education lessons over the last five weeks was rewarded with encouraging results.

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Carnival.

JTC Boys Blue JTC Girls Blue

Quinn Binet Sienna Carroll

James Mitchell Elizabeth Edwards

Sandy Smith Jasmine Slatter

Lawrence McNeilly Sophia Defrancesco

Marshall Lalor Sophie Standen

Nathan Flack

JTC Boys Gold JTC Girls Gold

James Brierley Summer Burton

Conor McCormick Amerie Chai

Patrick Eastwood Cleo Zuvela

Thomas King Jessica Jahn

Charlie Hodge Joanne Negus

Thank you to Miss O’Donnell for assisting with the girls’ team and to Gianluca Tomassone, a Year 12 INSTEP student from Newman College, for helping the boys with strategies throughout the Carnival.

Mr John Alderman

Primary Sports Co-ordinator

Languages

La Chandeleur celebration