Primary
Mrs Leanne Schulz
Year 4 and 5 Camp
What a pleasure it was to join the Year 5 teachers and students at Camp Weekaway last week. As the Year 5 students missed out on the Year 4 camp in 2020 due to COVID, it was great to be able to book the camp for them to enjoy this year. So much fun was had by all! The students’ behaviour was exemplary, and everyone came with a positive attitude and sense of adventure. A very big thank you to all the staff who attended for working tirelessly to ensure that things ran smoothly: Miss Donohue, Mrs Mariner, Mr Munro, Mrs Dowling, Miss Accurso, and to Mr Keegan for organising things.
We wish the Year 4 students the best time at Camp Weekaway next week from Wednesday to Friday as they try new and exciting activities such as the rope course, flying fox, the maze, canoeing, cooking damper and marshmallows and generally have a fabulous time! We cannot wait to hear all about the Year 4 students' experience. Thank you to Mrs Adams for organising the Year 4 camp and to the staff who will be attending next week: Ms Monroy, Mr Munro, Mrs Zugan, Mrs Pocervina, Miss Jackson and Miss Donohue. I also look forward to accompanying the Year 4 students.
The camp is an important part of the Life Skills curriculum and it aims to:
- increase initiative, self-reliance and independence
- encourage determination and persistence
- foster an appreciation and protection of the natural environment
- provide opportunities for team work and collaboration
- teach consideration of others
- encourage a sense of responsibility
- engender a love of learning
Thank you to parents for preparing your child for camp by encouraging a growth mindset, focusing on the positives, and helping your child to develop independence and responsibility. It is so important to have a trusting partnership between school and home. Camp is often one of the highlights of your child’s primary school experience.
Prep News
Miss Gemma Jackson (Prep AHOS)
Last Friday, the Prep students went on their very first excursion. Some of the students also experienced their first ever bus ride! We went to Bundoora Park Farm. The Preps had a wonderful day exploring the farm and participating in the learning program. The students got to feed the goats, sheep, horses, chickens and cows, they got to hold guinea pigs, go on a tractor ride to see kangaroos and emus, as well as learn about composting and how to plant plants. Here are some of the students' favourite things:
Kenuda K (Prep G) - My favourite thing was feeding the goat because it licked my hand.
Eva S (Prep G) - My favourite thing was making the compost because I didn’t know how to make compost.
Siddarth K (Prep A) - My favourite thing was patting the goat because it was so fluffy.
Kimaya B (Prep A) - My favourite thing was the tractor ride because we got to sit on hay in the cage and see some kangaroos.
Melissa H (Prep R) - My favourite thing was seeing the horse because he was big.
George K (Prep R) - My favourite thing was going in the tractor because we saw kangaroos and emus.
Year 1 and 2 News
Miss Hannah Petterson (Year 1/2 AHOS)
It was a monumental day when our Year 1 cohort boarded the bus for their first school excursion. Cold weather, dark skies and the threat of rain did nothing to damper the excitement and the joy of what was ahead. The students wandered around Scienceworks, viewed, and interactively engaged in various exhibitions. The students had an opportunity to take a sporting challenge at sports works and learn all about the science of moving our bodies. We watched two amazing shows: ‘What’s with the weather?’ and ‘Tycho to the Moon’ in the planetarium.
Year 2 students were busy last week when they visited the senior school. The secondary EngGirls organised a problem for the students: design a windmill using everyday materials. Students needed to work collaboratively in groups and were able to test their design using a fan and a voltmeter. It was so much fun!
Year 3 and 4 News
Mrs Anne Adams (Year 3/ 4 AHOS)
Last week we celebrated STEM week. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Year 4 students developed and experimented with windmill prototypes. These were then tested to see which ones could generate the most electricity. Thank you to Dr Adele Hudson, Head of Science Faculty, for organising this.
Kaboom came to Aitken and all the students thoroughly enjoyed the percussion extravaganza. Year 3 students participated with body rhythms and clapping. Everyone had a wonderful time. It may encourage a few future drummers out there!
Year 5 and 6 News
Mr Nigel Keegan (Year 5/ 6 AHOS)
Year 5 Camp
What an amazing experience camp was! Students zipped down the flying fox, battled it out in laser tag, canoed the dam, navigated mazes, traversed low ropes, cooked damper, roasted marshmallows and competed in team challenges. The three days were action- packed, full of awesome experiences, great learning opportunities and loads of fun, and special memories were created by students and staff alike. We are so proud of how our Year 5 students took on the challenge, opportunity and experience camp offered.
‘We have fantastic memories from camp. We had so much fun. There were a lot of fun activities such as canoeing and the flying fox, and great sites to see. There were a lot of millipedes however!’ Mia S
‘Going to Camp Weekaway was a really fun experience sharing a cabin with my friends, eating different kinds of food and best of all the amazing and fun activities. Overall, I enjoyed it very much and would definitely like to go again!’ Aanya K
‘I think camp may have been the best academic adventure in my whole time at Aitken. I also believe that the great memory of it will become an amazing story for me to tell in the future. I am very grateful that my teachers organised this camp for us students; thank you Aitken teachers!’ Eren A
‘I think camp was the best! I did almost all the activities and I liked flying fox the best.’ Dylan M
‘Camp was fun, especially with our friends. We learned independence and sometimes we relied on the nature around us.’ Lauri K
‘My favourite thing about camp was the flying fox because it felt like I was flying!’ Jasmine K
‘Camp was amazing!’ Akshara A
Year 6 Peer Support Training
This week a select group of Year 6 students were involved in the Peer Support training day. The Peer Support program will run from next week until the end of term. The leaders will work with groups of Prep students. The Peer Support program helps children to behave in helpful ways. This year’s leaders will encourage co–operative participation, help the Prep students develop confidence and make new friends. A highlight of the day was joining together for a catered lunch and chatting about the responsibilities that come with being a leader. The leaders will be receiving a certificate and badge that they can wear with pride at next week’s assembly.
Mrs Nicole Gilbert
Peer Support Coach
Athletics Carnival Reminders
It will be lovely to have parents come along to spectate at the up-coming Cumberland Athletics Carnival. Here are just a few reminders:
- Register with the QR code on arrival and sign in the book
- Keep to the designated spectator area (see map at the venue). Parents must stay in this area and can go to the toilets and kiosk
- BYO chair, stand or sit on the concrete area
- Outside food is not to be bought in
- Parents cannot take any photos or videos on the day (Staff will take photos for blogs/ newsletters etc. that can be viewed at a later date)
- Enjoy watching and cheering on students, and please do not interfere with events