Specialists News
Auslan News
Welcome to the SGPS Auslan Classroom!
I am excited to be learning Auslan along with the students, as we begin our Auslan journey together at SGPS! It has been tremendous during our school start-up to see how eager and engaged the students are already in the Auslan classroom 😊
I have been impressed with the number of students who have done their own little bit of research about Auslan over the holidays. There are students that have come in to class, either knowing how to sign some Auslan alphabet letters for our finger spelling, knowing some conversational signs, or otherwise having learned some Auslan words to sign!
For those who didn’t know any Auslan coming into class, this week in Grades 1-6 we have begun learning the Auslan alphabet for finger spelling. I have included a finger spelling printout in the newsletter today, for children and their families to refer to at home when practising.
Preps will NOT be learning the A-Z fingerspelling at this point. They will instead focus on Colours in Auslan! We have also learned how to sign along to “Happy Birthday!”
What a great start to the year everyone! WELL DONE!
I want to share a few things with our families, to help you out at home when practising with your child/ren:
1. Auslan is not written in capital letters (unless it’s a heading.)
2. The name Auslan is taken from the words Australian Sign Language.
The Au is for Australian. The s is for Sign, and the lan is for Language.
3. Auslan is not the same as English. The language actually has its own structure and grammar.
4. There is not always a sign for an English word in Auslan.
5. At times there can be more than one correct Auslan sign for an English word.
6. There are 2 dialects of Auslan in Australia; the Northern Dialect and Southern Dialect.
Our program teaches the Southern Dialect.
7. When you are signing it is important to know your dominant hand, as this hand does most of the moving. (Your dominant hand is the hand that you write/draw with.)
The learner uses their dominant hand, as does the signer, whether they be left-handed or right-handed.
8. As we become more fluent in our Auslan lessons, over time we will be aiming to include more ‘voices off’ time during lessons.
I thank you for your very positive outlook with our transition to learning Auslan at SGPS!
If you have any suggestions, Auslan resources or contacts in the local Deaf Community that you wish to share with me, please feel free to email me: Adele.Riordan@education.vic.gov.au
Mrs Riordan
Sport/Phys Ed News
Senior Swimming Sports - Tuesday 14th Feb
On Tuesday, 14th of February we will be conducting our Senior School Swimming Sports for all children in Grades 3 to 6. The Sports will be held at Bendigo East Swimming pool from approximately 12pm to 3pm. A bus has been organised to transport the students. They will participate in their age group in a number of timed or untimed swimming races, varying in lengths (depending on the child’s competency level).
Fun and participation will be the main focus of the day and students do not need to be confident swimmers, nor display correct stroke technique to take part. They will be able to choose the races that they would like to go in. Novelty games in the small shallow pool will be organised for less confident swimmers to allow for maximum student participation. House points will be awarded for each event your child participates in, including novelty games. Winning students of the timed, full length (50m) races may then be selected to represent the school at the upcoming Division Schools Carnival (depending on their time and correct stroke technique). Students will also have a ‘free swim’ if time permits.
Consent and payment for this event can now be done through Compass.
Essendon AFL Footballers Visit
Today we were lucky enough to have 3 Essendon AFL footballers visit our school. The students, (and some particular staff members) were very excited to see some of their heroes. Darcy Parish, Jayden Laverde, Sam Durham and Massimo D'Ambrosio spoke to the students about their journey to the AFL, their experiences, and the requirements of being a professional sportsperson. The players answered a number of questions from the students and signed autographs. We are very grateful for the time Darcy, Jayden, Sam and Massimo spent with our students and will certainly follow their careers with great interest.
Bendigo Spirit Training
Some of our students got the opportunity to train with Kelsey Griffin from the Bendigo Spirit Basketball team. This was a wonderful experience for the girls and one that will certainly hold them in great stead.
