Learning and Teaching News

The Year Five and Six students had a wonderful camping experience a couple of weeks ago at Don Bosco Camp, Safety Beach on the Mornington Peninsula. The students participated in a variety of water activities and team challenges. Among the activities, voted as favourites were the stand up paddle boarding, the enchanted garden and the group activities led by the Don Bosco camp assistants rated highly. Simply being with friends and having cabin "free time"  was a highlight.  Suzie's cooking was voted very highly as well! Some students commented that it was so good … and even better than Gordon Ramsay!

Here's what some of the campers said:

I loved the paddle boarding lesson. When I tried to stand up, I always fell down into the water. It was very cold. Lucky I had a wetsuit on. - Jackson

The Enchanted Garden was amazing and so much fun. It was so tough to climb up to the top, but at the same time because we participated with our friends it was my highlight.  What a great way to end the camp. - Aagam 

The slide at the Enchanted Garden was the best because at the middle of the slide there was a big drop. I screamed very loud because I felt terrified. Then I did it again… 7 times. - Chhazakhai

The most fun I had on camp was the maze at the Enchanted Garden. It was extremely tricky to find the end. During the maze I always reached a dead end and would have to go backwards to find the correct way. When I finally made it to the finish, I climbed a staircase and could see all the other people in the maze. It felt good when I finished. -  Mitchell

I have experience in stand-up paddle boarding, however the water was "choppy" and I got knocked off my board three times.  We saw a giant stingray while we were in the water. It was massive. A tip for fellow paddleboarders is to bend your knees when you feel like you are going to fall off. - Finlay 

Free time in our cabins was really fun, we got to hang out with our friends and make new ones. At night time it was hard to fall asleep because everyone was so excited and couldn't stop talking to each other. - Kara

Suzie the chef was the best! She was the best thing about camp. Her cooking was amazing, particularly her cookies and muffins. I also loved the water even though it was cold, the swimming and stand up paddle boarding was pretty amazing and so much fun. - Simrit 

I celebrated my 11th birthday at camp. Suzie made me a ginormous cake which we all shared. I felt very special. The stand- up paddle boarding was pretty easy but some of my friends kept trying to push me off my board. They did succeed two times. - Patrick  

Camps are just one of the Extra Curricular activities we offer at St Martins. Excursions, incursions, interschool sports, choir and band, lunch time clubs including Coding club, STEM and Gardening club are also  part of what is offered at St Martin's to ensure all students have experiences that are interesting, challenging and remain with them, long after they have moved onto secondary school. 

These activities offer opportunities for students to learn the values of teamwork, individual and group responsibility, physical strength and endurance, competition, diversity, and a sense of culture and community. 

Extracurricular activities provide a channel for reinforcing the lessons learnt in the classroom, offering students the opportunity to apply academic skills in a real-world context. They contribute to our desire to provide a well-rounded education at SMDP.

SMDP Athletics Carnival

After three years of cancellations, we are really excited about our St Martin's Athletics Carnival.

It will take place on Monday March 20th @ Newport Athletics Track.

Students and teachers will travel from school by bus leaving at 9am SHARP.

We will return to school after lots of physical exercise, team chants and participation at about 2pm. 

Our focus will be on providing a positive experience and students having fun and being active, rather than on winning. 

We look forward to seeing many of you on Monday to cheer on our students. 

Visual Arts News 

Each year the Melbourne Archdiocese holds an Art Show during Catholic Education Week.  Schools are invited to submit potential entries for the exhibition. 

We are pleased to announce that four students from St Martin De Porres have been selected to enter their work in the exhibition, which is being held at the Catholic Leadership Centre this week. The students who will have their work on display are Oliver, Rozelle, Manraj and Chelsea. The students are pictured below with their artworks.  

Elise Coghlan

Co-Deputy Principal | Literacy & Numeracy Leader | Visible Learning Leader

Denise Kelly

Co-Deputy Principal | Learning & Teaching Leader