In Cheryl’s absence, it gives me great pleasure to share with you, some of the ‘wonderful happenings’ in the Primary School over the past fortnight. Our students have been involved in many interesting and exciting activities and they have also had the opportunity to compete in a range of sporting activities.
On Friday 8 August, the Year Two students spent the day at the Australian Zoo. This is what they had to say about their awesome day out!
“CRIKEY!
Year 2 students went on an awesome excursion to Australia Zoo. We had the opportunity to pat all sorts of amazing Australian animals. We had a great time exploring the zoo in our small groups and choosing an animal to write a report on. We also had the chance to get up close and personal with a snake and learn about the lifecycle of some animals helping us with Science study on ‘Growing and Changing’. We even found out more about the history of the zoo and this linked with our History unit.
For the first time in a long time it did not rain!!! Thanks to all our amazing parents who helped out on the day, we couldn’t have done this trip without you!”
We are so grateful to all the parents who so willingly volunteer in so many ways in the Primary School -a big ‘thank you’ to you all.
The Bike On! Leadership Day was another wonderful opportunity for Year Six students to work on team building and leadership qualities and skills, which is very much part of the Year Six programme. The students had the opportunity to participate in a variety of fun outdoor activities, with the aim of inspiring and challenging teamwork and leadership. The students were split into 3 teams and they completed a rotation of activities that included an introduction into Mountain Biking, a Mini-Rogaine Team challenge (on foot) and an introduction into Unicycling.
All of the Year 6 students wrote to me, sharing their experiences on the day.
This is what Maddie had to say:
My Rad Excursion!
Empowerment. Courage. Nerves. Anticipation. Excitement. FUN!
Tuesday 12 August saw Year 6 students bubbling with excitement as they headed off on a rad excursion. As part of our Year Six leadership activities we went by bus to the Ewen Maddock Dam to take part in the Bike On! program. To participate in the excursion, students were required to be fit and willing to join in all the activities. The two Year 6 classes were divided into three groups and rotated around three activities.
During the day, all participating Year 6 kids had fun with three activities. My group started off with mountain biking where we were provided with a bike and helmet each and after a quick lesson on how to ride one, we were off! As we headed around dirt, sand and gravel trails, we learnt how to handle both steep ascents and descents by using gears and using a couple of other handy techniques. It was also a great activity to gain confidence. It was a great feeling to know that you had tried your best, and getting to the top of a big hill. One student had never ridden a bike before, but still came along and quickly latched on to the concept of bike riding and got right into it! That was a great feeling of empowerment. Next up was unicycling!
After we had discussed our first activity with our friends during morning tea, my group began unicycling. It was extremely hard to start with, but after half an hour of giving it our best shot, we were beginning to grasp it. As instructor Andy said, “It usually takes about 8-10 hours to learn how to unicycle, but you guys won’t have that long.” Threaded through the trees was a trusty orange rope that was always there to hold onto, so we eventually got to the point where we were gaining balance and bursting to try without the rope. With the advice and encouragement of pro unicycle rider and instructor Andy, some of us did pretty well! We learnt that unicycling involved core muscles, balance, confidence, teamwork, strength, to not complain when we fell off, physical ability and most of all the attitude of NEVER GIVE UP! Half way through the session we stopped to watch Andy show us some cool tricks and tell us a bit about the history of unicycles. I am sure most of us went home, wanting to buy a unicycle!
Our last activity was orienteering and team building. My group split into a boy team and a girl team and went head to head in five challenges. We started by electing someone in our team to be the leader for that round, and using a map of the grounds, they had to navigate us to a spot ( A, B, C, D, E) where the captain would read out the challenge there and the boys and girls would face off for one point for their team. The challenges required confidence, bravery, cooperation, organisation and lots and lots of teamwork. It was very close at the end with the girls just winning. We had a great time and really did build a strong relationship with our team. It was a great activity to end with.
Overall, it was a brilliant day full of everything fun and we had a great time. The Bike On! staff were really friendly and really added to the supportive atmosphere and it was great to have them there. Thank you Mr Rogers for organising the day! We had fun, but most of all we developed better leadership skills and even better teamwork, and that is what really matters!
Written by Maddie
These experiences are invaluable in learning about ourselves, working together as a team and developing skills that support us throughout our lives and it was great to read how much the Year Six students enjoyed this experience.
Included in the hive of learning and activity this past fortnight, Prep students enjoyed a delightful puppet show, Year Four students were enthralled when Misty and Rob arranged a time to come and present their amazing collection of reptiles and wildlife and then there was the explosive Science Show put on by Mr Fenton Doolan, Head of Science and his Year 11 and Year 12 team to launch us into Science Week. There were hydrogen explosions, elephant tooth paste cascades as a result of chemical reactions, and surface tension experiments that were unbelievable.
Our 9 to 11 year olds also had the opportunity to participate in the Primary Athletics Carnival where everyone had a chance to run, jump, throw and support team members. The students demonstrated excellence in their events and great sportsmanship as they encouraged one another. Many records were broken on the day and this was acknowledged and celebrated at the end of the carnival.
A wonderful day was had by all!
Athletics photos can be found under our Sports News.
With two full weeks behind us, we are now enjoying the excitement of Book Week, the Book Parade and the Book Fair. As we ‘Connect to Reading’ please take the opportunity, especially this week, to read with your children, have a story night, tell them about the stories that you read when you were young and share the wonder of books and stories as a family. We will have lots of photos in the next newsletter of the Book Parade.
“Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.” Anna Quindlen, How Reading Changed My Life.
Gail Mitchell, Deputy Head of Primary