Junior School

What a massive term it has been for our College community! Not only has it been the first full term in two years, but for our Prep to Year 2 students, it is the first full term they have ever experienced at school. Now that is an achievement worth celebrating! No wonder there is a sense of fatigue across our Junior School. Although it has been a busy term, it has been beautiful to see our students and staff return to what is a more normal school routine. There is certainly a lot to celebrate with the learning that has occurred over the last 10 weeks. The College theme for 2022 is Sabbath. It is hoped that this will provide an opportunity for our community to be intentional about finding rest, while being reminded that we can only find true rest in Christ. As we enter this Easter holiday break, I pray that your family will find time to rest and have opportunity to recharge after what has been an incredibly busy term. 

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him. 

Psalm 62:1 

We look forward to welcoming students and staff back on Tuesday 26 April, for the start of Term 2.

Parents and students are reminded that during the first week only of Term 2, students may continue to wear the Summer uniform, if the weather permits. The Student Uniform Standards on pages 12 and 13 of the Student Diary provide clear guidelines. Please check the hemline of winter skirts, which must be between 5cm and 10cm below the bottom of the kneecap when the student is standing with head straight. We appreciate your support in complying with our Student Uniform Standards. We also take this opportunity to remind parents about the guidelines for boys’ haircuts. The guidelines on page 13 of the Student Diary state that: Hair must be trimmed so that it is kept off the eyebrows, face, ears and shirt collar and should not be cut closer than level 3. 

As we look forward to Term 2, there are many exciting events ahead. From our ANZAC Day Dawn Service on Wednesday 27 April, to Cross Country, NAPLAN, Prep’s 100 Days of School, School Photos, Open Day and our Years 4 to 6 camps. We pray that Term 2 will provide our students with opportunities to enjoy rich learning experiences, while making lifelong memories they will never forget. Please check the calendar on the Upcoming Events page of this newsletter, or on the College website for details of Term 2 events and add them to your calendar! School photos will be taken on Tuesday 10 May. A letter and a Schoolpix brochure detailing the ordering process, was sent home with students this week. Please check your child’s school bag if you have not received your copy.

As has already been communicated, our annual Open Day, will be held on Saturday 14 May. This is an opportunity to share and celebrate learning and explore the exciting programs we offer here at the College. It is an expectation that all students attend as Junior School students will be participating in activities in their classrooms. For Open Day, full Winter uniform is required. Please ensure that all uniform items are clean and in good condition.

As we conclude Term 1, I pray your family will have a safe and blessed Easter as we remember God’s ultimate love in sending His Son Jesus to die for each and every one of us. We also remember that Jesus not only paid for our sins by dying on the cross, but He conquered death by rising again. It is awesome that we serve a risen Saviour! 

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. 

John 3:16

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. 

Romans 6:9

Amy Liddle

Head of Junior School

What Did You Do at School Today?

Prep

Can you believe it, we have been at school nearly 50 days!! In Mathematics we have been learning about creating number, colour and shape patterns and identifying the pattern rule. We also enjoyed watching a volcano erupt through a Science experiment and then wrote about our experiences in Writing.

Year 1 and Year 2

How wonderful it was to entertain Grandparents and Special Friends at school last week! It was an awesome experience for everyone, and to witness the different generations interacting so freely was truly inspiring. Students had many probing questions to ask about what life was like in the good ol’ days, to align with our Integrated Studies unit on Growing Older and Wiser. The responses were enlightening for the students, and they had many wise takeaways. Activities undertaken together ranged from a photo booth, Lego construction, outdoor games, reading together and iPad games. Smiling faces finished off the day and the memories will be cherished for a long time.

Year 3

We have been exploring odd and even numbers. We tested rules to work out if the totals of two numbers are odd or even without adding them together. Do you know the three rules for odd and even?

We also did an amazing job pitching our Shark Tank ideas and convincing our classmates to purchase our product. We are well and truly ready for a relaxing holiday!

Year 4

Term 1 mission = COMPLETE! We impressed Miss Berry and Miss Newton with our dedication to applying new learning to tasks until the very last day! We enjoyed presenting our passionate Call to Action speeches for our persuasive writing today, while wearing crazy socks. Who could think of a better combination? Our teachers are proud of us for surviving and thriving in our first full term without a lockdown in two years!

Year 5

There is no better way to celebrate the end of our first full face to face term than with an expo of our learning. We enjoyed welcoming family, friends, and our Buddies to our Identity Expo on Tuesday morning. It was wonderful to give others an insight into who we are and what makes us unique. In writing, we have persuaded others to agree with our point of view. Our persuasive skills will help us share our faith with others and explain why following God is so amazing. The Year 5 verse for this year is, Be strong and courageous, for I am with you; Joshua 1:9. This term, we have achieved this through our diligent approach to all activities we’ve worked towards. Year 5 wishes the school community an outstanding break, where they can reflect on the amazing gift we were given when Jesus died on the cross for us.

Year 6

As we have learnt more about our identity and what we are fans of, we have discovered what makes us unique, including our emotions and personalities. We have loved preparing for our Identity Expo and inspiring others with our creativity. At the end of each day, we have enjoyed reflecting and identifying specific moments we are thankful for. It has brought us so much joy to hear about the people and things which have blessed us and made us feel special. We are grateful for the many laughs and experiences Term 1 has brought us and are looking forward to celebrating each other on the last day of term. 

By Olivia Hunter and Cindy Chen (6G)