Junior School

Unbelievably, we have already reached the final week of Term 2 and are only days from the mid-year break. I want to publicly thank everyone who has contributed to a fantastic and surprising term, including you and your boys, but perhaps above all the wonderful Junior School teaching team. Their dedication to and love for the students have shone very brightly this term.

The teachers have worked hard to prepare your son’s mid-year report and are well-prepared for this week’s interviews via Teams. I hope you will celebrate your son’s achievements and encourage him to set some goals for Semester 2. I have read each report comment and I know there is much to be proud of. We say, and we mean, that we value a wholistic education in the Junior School, and in this mindset, success and achievement can have many appearances. For some, success can mean earning an ‘A’, a ‘B’ or even a ‘C’ in Mathematics, while for some, the teacher’s acknowledgement of their resilience and strong learning dispositions is the most valuable recognition. For some, turning up day after day to achieve perfect attendance is a win, while for others their progress in SOL Service will be most satisfying. Whatever success means for your son, be sure to recognise it and then challenge him to do even more and even better when we return after the holidays.

All the best for a wonderful mid-year break with your sons. Below you will read a reflection on the term and on remote learning from the Junior School student leaders; I hope the impending break brings all the blessings they mention – just without the Teams meetings and Zoom calls.

God bless,

Ben Munday

Director of Junior School 

Message from the Junior School Student Leaders

At the end of term, we have taken the time to reflect and would like to offer a few thoughts.

Looking back on the term, one thing stands out most of all - our time of remote learning. With this in mind, we would like to give thanks to our beloved parents. Although remote learning was challenging at times and a new way of schooling and parenting, we got through it together. Our parents supported us through some tough lessons, IT issues and managed to keep up with feeding our insatiable appetites! Even if our parents were not in the house all the time, they were still thinking of us and guiding us in our minds and hearts. Overall, we would not be back at school without our parents. Thank you, parents.

During remote learning, many simple yet amazing gifts were presented which we might normally have taken for granted. These include: 

• Spending extra quality time with our parents and siblings, such as scooting around the neighbourhood with our brother during lunch breaks.
• The luxury of sleeping in!  With the extra snoozing time, we could concentrate much better during class.
• Having breaks between periods - we had time to calm down after every period of learning which enabled us to prepare for the next one.
• Wearing casual attire - having the freedom to choose what to wear made the learning environment even more relaxed.

There is no doubt we all faced challenges during remote learning, whether with our siblings, an unreliable internet connection or just being stuck indoors. But with the help and support of our parents and teachers, we got through it, and we’re certainly grateful to have been back at school for several weeks now. Looking back at the experience there are things we would do differently if we had to return to remote learning, such as taking dedicated breaks for physical activity, spending more time outdoors, and having regular chats with friends and family to talk about things other than schoolwork and keep in touch.

We hope you all have a great break and we’ll see you next term.

Francesco Mazza, Denzel Tan and Jacob Kelava

Junior School Captain and Vice Captains

Lenten Art Competition

Last Thursday was a special day. Year 5 and 6 were able to gather together as a Junior School community in the Powell Pavilion, enabling us to present the (long overdue) trophies from the Lenten Art competition! Congratulations to the winners and all those who entered. Their works are now displayed in the upstairs corridor in the Markwell building.

Year 6 in the Science Labs 

Throughout weeks 8 and 9, Year 6 classes have been heading over to the Senior School to use the Science labs. As part of our Science unit this term, we have been looking at adaptations and microorganisms. During this task, the boys viewed pond water under a microscope. They were able to complete a science investigation in a lab and have access to resources that would have otherwise made this task impossible. The boys were able to learn just how full of living creatures a single drop of pond water is and even started to name these microorganisms. A big thank you to Mrs Surekha Chander (Science Coordinator) and the Lab Technicians, without their expertise and assistance, this would not have been possible. 

“We found a variety of creatures, some that fascinated us and others that we would prefer not to see.” – Myles - 6 Green 

“We discovered lots of new microorganisms under the microscope. It was fascinating and fun, we learnt a lot from this experience.” – Oliver - 6 Black  

Jacinta Young

Junior School Religious Education Coordinator