The Hamilton and Alexandra College Newsletter

Myrniong - ELC to Yr6

Berry House Soup Drive

At a previous Assembly I introduced the story of the young lady in New South Wales who was recovering from a serious accident.  Part of her recovery process involved her having the goal of being able to board a Sydney bus without assistance.  In the interview with the newspaper, she said’ “If you don’t have to think about something, it is a privilege.”  Soup tins are mounting up in the Junior School reception area.  Berry House’s ‘Soup Drive’ aims to support people in our local community who are less fortunate than us.  To them, a warm meal in winter is something they have to think about.  Mrs. Milich and the Berry House Captain’s, Tom Templeton and Sam O’Sullivan, have done a terrific job in driving this important community initiative. 

Week 8 Assembly

Mrs. Milich shared the notion of FAIL (First Attempt In Learning).  She spoke to the students about famous people who had shown elasticity and persevered when it appeared they were destined to failure.  It was a great message and one that linked in nicely with the College value of Resilience. 

 

The Push Up Challenge is progressing well.  As of Wednesday 9th June, the Junior School students and staff have completed 3488 push ups since 1st June.  Classes and individuals are aiming for a target of 3318 push-ups by 25th June.  The challenge highlights the impact of mental health in the community.  Well done Junior School. 

 

We awarded two of our Year Six students their Level One Compass Award.  Phoebe Alexander and Millie Mould received certificates and badges - a terrific effort.  The Compass Award is the precursor to the Duke of Edinburgh Award that can be accessed at the Senior Campus.

 

As we approach the halfway point of 2021, Learmonth House lead our House Values Cup, with a score of 27.7. They are closely followed by Young House on 27.2.

 

Birthdays this week 

  • Shriaan Golwala in Prep celebrates his birthday today.

There are a number of Junior School holiday birthdays;

  • Marianna Novikov on 22nd  June
  • Will Satchell - 23rd June
  • Lucy Manley - 24th June
  • Harry Diprose - 28th June
  • Matilda Mercer - 3rd July 
  • George Malseed - 8th July

Best wishes to all these Junior School students for their next trip around the sun.

Daffodil Day

Last Friday the Junior School celebrated ‘Daffodil Day’.  Students donated a gold coin and came to school dressed in a touch of yellow.  We raised $232.00 for the Cancer Council.  Well done Learmonth House and Ms. Brabham.

Garden Club

Mrs. Callinan and her Garden Club have planted their winter crops this week.  Beans, radishes and garlic have gone into the ground.  We look forward to a bumper crop later in the year.

Junior School Reports

Semester One reports will be available to parents via our PAM (Parental Access Module) system on the last day of Term Two, Friday 18th June.  Parents can access PAM via the College website.  A courtesy hard copy will also be sent home with students.  

The reports will contain three sections;

  1. A Learning Focus Statement
  2. Assessment Strands
  3. Teacher Comment

Parent/Teacher interviews will be held in the fourth week of Term Three (August 3rd and 4th).  COVID restrictions permitting, these interviews will be able to be booked in person or via TEAMS.  This is the perfect opportunity to discuss your child’s progress and review the Semester One report.

 

If you have children at the Senior Campus, their reports will be released early in Term Three. 

Reconciliation Week - Art Competition

As part of Reconciliation Week, the ABC have been running a competition where children investigate a first nation language and produce a piece of artwork using a word from that language.  Prep student Bobby Giles has entered the competition.

‘I am a descendant of the Kamillaroi people and Dilby is the word for the black crow which is one of the totems in Kamillaroi country. My painting shows the crow hunting his food like ants, berries and grasshoppers.’

Hockey

Division 5 College Kangaroos had a hard fought 2-1 win over Demons.  Maggie Mercer and Camilla Edgar continued their goal scoring run.  Best for Kangaroos were Tommy Brown, Finn Hawthorne and Katharyn Marziale. 

 

Division 4 Tassie Devils scored a solid 2-0 win over Demons.  Tom Templeton scored both goals for the Tassie Devils.  Better players on the day were Fergus Giles, Sophie Spence and Arbella Little.  As we enter the final round (19th June) before the mid-season break, Tassie Devils sit top of the Division 4 table.

 

Division 4 Bandicoots were 2-1 winners over an improving Dunkeld.  The match was in the balance at half time, with a 0-0 deadlock.  In the second half, Sam MacDonald and Sophie Merrin scored for Bandicoots.  Both proved a constant threat throughout the match.  Best on ground for Bandicoots were Izzi Adamson, Rupert Merrin and Sacha Laidlaw.

 

Division 4 Drop Bears beat Coleraine 5-1.  Olivia Reid played strongly and scored three goals. In his first match of hockey, Jack Wallis scored, along with the very consistent Charlie Jarvis.  Best on ground for Drop Bears were Harry Lyon, Abby Lazzari and Finley Hiscock.

 

A reminder that there are no hockey matches this long weekend.  There are fixtures for College teams on the first weekend of our winter break (Saturday 19th June). 

 

Stephen Nelson

Head of Junior School