Dear Parents, Carers and Community Members,
As we reach the end of Term 1, it is remarkable to reflect on how quickly the first ten weeks of the school year have passed. It has been wonderful to see our Foundation students settle so confidently into school life, while students across all year levels have demonstrated a strong commitment to their learning. We are excited to build on this positive start as we move into Term 2 and beyond.
We made it to the end of our first term at school! Students in foundation have learned so much over the last 10 weeks, everyone should be so proud of themselves. We have learnt the routines for being at school and what school life is like. In our Literacy lessons, we have learnt how to write and read some 3 letter words, and how some words can be sounded out and some are words we just need to remember. We have learned all about nursery rhymes, and fables, and in Writing, learned about what makes up a sentence including a ‘who’ and a ‘what doing’. In Maths we have learned all about position and direction, when writing our numbers, how to count all the way to 19 and about days of the week.
It’s been a huge term and just this week we have been consolidating our learning about safety with some fantastic incursions! Students have been so calm, settled and ready to learn each day! I think we are all looking forward to a break and for the easter bunny to visit us!
We’ve had a really exciting and engaging fortnight of incursions! Last week, we were visited by the police and a lifeguard, and this week the firefighters came to see us, which the children absolutely loved.
Each visit was a fantastic opportunity for the students to learn more about important community roles and safety. The children were highly engaged throughout, asking thoughtful and curious questions, and showing great enthusiasm.
They represented the school beautifully with their respectful behaviour and positive attitudes, and should be very proud of themselves.
Grade 2 have had a fantastic end to their term with their knowledge unit. We always love the opportunity to have hands on learning and have been lucky enough to have visits from a range of emergency services and helpers in the community who keep us safe.
Ellie said her favourite visitor was the police because she got to try on outfits like the police vest.
Thomas said his favourite was the police and firefighters. One group got to use the fire hose whilst the other group was able to check out the fire truck.
Leo said his favourite was also the firefighters when he got to spray the hose. It felt like it was pushing me back because the water was so strong!
I hope everyone has a safe and happy Easter break.
Monday, we participated in House Cross Country. We dressed in our house colours and walked from school to Lake Wendouree. We then ran 1.6 km - there were definitely a few stitches along the way!
Last Wednesday, we joined the Grade 5/6 class on an excursion to the Eureka Centre. The purpose of the excursion was to deepen our understanding of democracy. We learned about the events surrounding the Eureka Rebellion, which took place on 3rd December 1854 here in Ballarat. This event is often described as the beginning of true democracy in Australia.
While we were there, we explored different aspects of democracy, including the roles of the Federalists, Chartists, Indigenous peoples, and Suffragettes. We also had the opportunity to see the original Eureka Flag, which was made by three women in 1854 prior to the rebellion. Afterwards, we designed our own flags using a range of colours and symbols.
After lunch, we had some time to play before setting off back to school - a 4.5k trek!
It's been a very interesting and active fortnight!
This term our knowledge unit was about Democracy and Citizenship. In the last few weeks of term, we looked at what it means to become an Australian citizen. As a class we completed a practise citizenship test and I am pleased to report that we passed with flying colours.
We also looked at the Australian Citizenship Pledge and how it has changed throughout the years. We then made a poster displaying the pledge.
On the 16th and 23rd of March, our Grade 3-6 students enjoyed the opportunity to walk to the Ballarat North Lawn Bowls Club to take part in lawn bowls sessions.
During these lessons, students were introduced to the skills and techniques involved in lawn bowls. They learned how to correctly deliver the bowl, aim for the jack, and develop control and accuracy. It was fantastic to see students trying something new, supporting one another, and improving their skills throughout the sessions.
We would like to thank the Ballarat North Lawn Bowls Club for generously hosting our students and providing such an engaging and enjoyable experience.
On Monday, our students headed to Lake Wendouree for this year’s Cross Country event, and what a fantastic day it was!
All students gave it their all, showing incredible effort and resilience from start to finish. A special mention goes to our 11-12 year olds, who were required to complete a challenging 3km course. For many, this was the first time they had ever attempted this distance, making their achievements even more impressive.
Despite the challenge, students pushed through and kept going, encouraging one another along the way.
By the afternoon, there were certainly some very tired children, a clear sign of the effort and energy everyone put into the event!
Well done to every student who participated and gave it a red-hot crack - you should all be very proud of yourselves!
On Tuesday 31 March, 27 of our students proudly represented our school at the Norman Division Athletics Carnival held at Llanberris.
Students competed across a wide range of track and field events, including Shot Put, Discus, Triple Jump, Long Jump, Relays, 100m, High Jump and Hurdles. Each student demonstrated determination and a willingness to give their best in every event.
Results:
Arnold came second in Triple Jump and third in Shot Put
Saphira came third in Triple Jump
Telesha came second in Discus
Lachie came third in Long Jump
Arnold and Telesha will now progress through to the next level after their second-place finishes.
Beyond the results, we are incredibly proud of all our students for the way they competed and represented our school with such pride.
Wishing all of our families a happy and safe Easter.
We hope you enjoy a relaxing break with family and friends. Thank you for your ongoing support throughout Term 1.
We look forward to seeing everyone back next term.
