Junior School 

From the Head of Junior School

Red Moort Exhibition

This week we have been celebrating and showcasing the Arts at school and the value they offer to our learning, creativity and enjoyment. 

The Red Moort exhibition opened on Sunday 11 September, showcasing the visual, digital and dramatic Arts from Djinda to Year Twelve. Each class in the Junior School contributed an installation consisting of numerous pieces students had created throughout the year during Art lessons.  

Red Moort was the inspiration for this years’ Art exhibition in recognition of the bushland reserve of the same name located 130km north-east of Albany, land of the Koreng Noongar people. The Red Moort reserve serves as a place of cultural significance and flora and fauna preservation, many of which are unique to that area. The Art exhibition contained many pieces that were strongly influenced from Red Moort including:

• Animals: Carpet Python, Crested Bellbird, Tammar Wallaby, Black-gloved Wallaby, Malleefowl, Western Pygmy Possum.
• Plants: Feather Flowers, Nodding Banksia, Corackerup Moort, Kangaroo Paw, Sandplain Orchid
• Vegetation communities: Mallet and moort woodland, Mallee heath, Flat-topped yate, Proteaceous rich heath.

Red Moort was a wonderful exhibition, thoroughly enjoyed by our community and a great example of how we can combine both subject area learning (Art) that recognises significant features in our world to enhance our understanding and share with others for everyone’s enjoyment. Art certainly is a powerful medium for sharing understanding in a thoughtful and deeply moving way. Congratulations to all the students for their contributions to the exhibition, families for their support, and Art teachers Mrs Phoebe Duff, Ms Angela Diletti, Mrs Mel Michael and Head of the Arts, Ms Rachel Mordy for their coordination of this exhibition.

Kingfisher Concert

On Wednesday evening, our community was treated to a musical showcase from all students across our school held at the Albany Entertainment Centre. Our music programme is extensive, from our youngest performers in the Violettes and Tiny Trebles to Foundation Band and Choir groups. Throughout the year, students attend individual music tuition, ensemble, band, choir and group rehearsals in preparation for performances at assemblies, events and in particular, the Kingfisher Concert, the signature event of the music programme.

Our Tiny Trebles and Junior Voices choirs opened the concert, setting a beautiful tone singing ‘a million dreams’, and ‘Viva la Vida’. The Violettes and Junior School Rock Band showcased our musical diversity with classical strings and contemporary pop pieces, both equally enjoyed by the crowd with rapturous applause. Throughout the two hour concert, our more experienced Junior School musicians were peppered throughout performances with Middle and Senior School students in the Foundation Band, Concert Band, Guitar Ensemble and Intermediate Strings, which was a tremendous experience for them and highlights the ongoing development of the schools music programme in fostering young musicians.

This year, Ms Emma Luxton, Director of Music, has offered a music elective class to experienced musicians who demonstrate a passion and high proficiency for music in Years Five and Six. Each week, students extend their knowledge on technical aspects of music, including historical features of music, to grow a deeper understanding for the pieces they are playing. This programme has been wonderfully received by these students and their musicality has enhanced.         

The evening was tremendous, thoroughly enjoyed by our community. Our special thanks to all students for their dedication to their music throughout the year, it was such a joy to listen and watch their performances. Thank you to all the music tutors and teachers for their efforts to prepare students for and during the evening. Specific thanks to Mr Dan Burke, Music Teacher, and Director of Music, Ms Luxton, for their coordination of the Junior School students in the concert.

The Arts offer such value to all of us, but particularly for students who are able to express their learning through different mediums to convey meaning, and perhaps to find their niche, helping them to find fulfilment through a particular pursuit; singing, playing an instrument, playing in a group, performing, painting, sculpting, designing, building or crafting. The array of options for students to communicate through is immense; an intentional exposure to this variety from Pre-Kindergarten to Year Six supports students to find their own voice to share a perspective, which is where the true value of the Arts shines. 

Warm regards, 

Mr Ken Raven | Head of Junior School