Primary School 

From the Head of Primary 

This week has been a busy one in the Primary School with assemblies, Parent-Teacher Interviews, reptile incursions, excursions, the Year Six Leadership Day and the Interschool Swimming Carnival all on offer before the end of the week. Tomorrow we will run another House Activity afternoon to finish off the Year Six Leadership Day experience and end our week with some pastoral care time. It was wonderful last Friday to hear of our Year Two students’ inquiry into Australia’s native plants and animals, and watch some of our talented musicians play the piano for us – well done Poppy, Maggie, Eymen and Miss Dempster’s Year Two class.  

The community that surrounds being a member of Great Southern Grammar is one of our special benefits, with positive community ties and relationships. The relationship the School has with Vernice Gilles, Larry Blight and Ron Grey of Kurrah Mia significantly bolsters our connection to the Boodja, ‘land’, and our First Nations curriculum. On Tuesday, Larry and Vernice met our Years Five and Two students at the Fish Traps for an excursion linked to their Geography and Science studies, and Larry returned on Wednesday with a box full of reptiles for the Pre-Primary incursion. Whilst holding a stimpson python, affectionately named ‘Timmy’, before my morning coffee was certainly not how I planned to start my day, it was clear with Larry’s expertise and passion for nature that I was in safe hands. Afterward, I watched the Pre-Primary students delight in wearing Timmy as a scarf, and it was clear that this relationship with Kurrah Mia and Larry has provided a wonderful life experience for many of our students. 

Pre-Primary Incursion with Larry 

Yesterday, the Pre-Primary class met Larry Blight's reptile pets! They were introduced to Timmy the stimpson python, a bobtail lizard, a blue-tongued lizard and a cross-breed lizard. 

The students learnt about the reptiles' environment in captivity, the food they eat and how they need warmth or sun to keep warm and move. 

Everyone was very brave when holding the lizards, and feeling Timmy's muscles move along our hands was a sensory experience enjoyed by all! 

Agya - I learnt how they wriggle out of their skins. 

Amaia - A bobtail lizard keeps food in its tail which is why it can look big and fat. 

Phoebe - Timmy was smooth and soft. 

Lucie - stimpson pythons aren't poisonous; they coil around their prey and suffocate them. 

Emily - The reptiles are cold-blooded and don't have warm blood. They need the sun. 

Alexandra - Lizards eat fruit, strawberries, apples and snails. 

Interschool Swimming Carnival 

On Wednesday, Mr Berryman took a team of skilful swimmers to participate in the Interschool Swimming Carnival. Congratulations to all involved for your efforts representing the school with integrity and grit. Great Southern Grammar came first overall – Well done Mr B and Team!  

Well done to our individual medal winners: 

Year Six Leadership Day  

Today was our very first Year Six Leadership Day. The Year Six experience at Great Southern Grammar is all about leading and learning – preparing our students in the best possible way to succeed when they leave the Primary School. Through the launch of The Anchor programme this year, Year Six students will be given the opportunity to learn about their character, leadership and service. Today, the students were asked to reflect on their character traits and strengths, and choose a leadership direction in which they will complete hours of service in order to be presented with The Anchor badge at graduation, if they have successfully met all of the criteria and completed their passport hours. All Year Six students will be provided with opportunities to learn leadership skills and provide service to the School during our pastoral care activities. More on their Luke Pen Walk and Leadership workshop will be in next week’s Anchor. 

School Values 

We have concluded exploring th= the four school values with a fortnight focusing on respect. We have summarised this as being respectful and kind – to ourselves, the environment and each other. Our focus for the last two weeks of term is gratitude, a value we wish for all students to uphold. Please take some time each day to ask your child what they are grateful for. This week, our Year Three students reflected on what their family and friends are grateful for, in regard to living in Albany, and linked this to their inquiry.

Well done to our Respect Award Winners: 

Amaia Scott, Freya Standish, Louie Sutton, Ellie Murnane, Zyana Prasad, Jessica Lee, Robbie Fergie, Stephani Siripun, Edith De Jonge, Frances Plunket and Jessie Rotoff.  

Congratulations to our ECC Stars of the Week: 

Sofia Inglis, Amaya Kiddle, Rose Bane and Amaia Scott. 

Upcoming Events 

There are a lot of important and exciting events in the last week of school! 

Week Nine

Friday: House activities 2.00pm – wear House shirts and PE uniform. 

Week Ten

Monday and Tuesday: School photos – please see communication from Deputy Principal, Mrs Emma Franklin. 

Wednesday: Easter Chapel Service 11.55am in the Multi-Purpose Sport Complex - families welcome.

Thursday: Easter Hat Parade for ECC Students 9.00am in the Multi-Purpose Sport Complex – families welcome. 

Flip It! Dress up Day (come as a GSG teacher or student – gold coin donation) and Sausage Sizzle $3 (funds to Women’s Refuge. Please have orders and money to the classroom teacher by Friday 31 March ). 

Friday: Good Friday  and start of school holidays

Please have a safe and restful weekend.  

Mrs Leah Field | Head of Primary