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Mac St News - Friday 18th September

Principal's Report

Another busy and successful term is almost complete at Mac Street.

Last week’s school concert was a fantastic way to bring our school community together and celebrate our students and the tremendous amount of work they put into rehearsing and preparing for the night. Our staff and students were phenomenal, and it was wonderful to see so many families and community members enjoying the evening. It was a great celebration of our students and the school community we have built together. A highlight of the night was most definitely finding out who ‘Barry’ was!!

There have been plenty of other highlights throughout the term, including Auskick after school, our Foundation 100 Days celebrations, Berry Street professional learning, interschool football, netball and futsal, and the Grade 1/2 excursion to the Ballarat Observatory.

Teaching and Learning
Our knowledge topic this term has been Space, and it has been fantastic to hear students regularly approaching me to share random facts and new knowledge they have developed.

For me, this is one of the most rewarding aspects of a knowledge-rich curriculum. As students build their background knowledge and make connections between new and existing information, that knowledge becomes increasingly accessible to them. Students are able to talk about what they have learned, make connections and apply their knowledge in different contexts.

This is the purpose of a knowledge-rich curriculum: to build the knowledge and vocabulary students need to be successful, while also creating greater equity through ensuring that all students have access to a strong base of knowledge.

Staffing
There are some staffing changes for 2027.
It is with sadness that Jo Edwards has decided to take 12 months' leave from Macarthur Street Primary School and will take up a classroom teaching position at Ballarat Clarendon College. Jo has made a significant contribution to our school and our curriculum and we are very grateful for everything she has done during her time at Mac Street. We wish Jo all the very best for the year ahead and look forward to welcoming her back in 2028.

I am also very pleased to announce that Emily Burns has been successful in obtaining the Learning Specialist position at Macarthur Street for 2027. This will see Emily move out of the classroom full-time and work across the school as an instructional coach. Emily will work alongside teachers in classrooms and continue to build on the curriculum work that Jo has established. I am excited to see the impact Emily will have in this role and the continued development of teaching and learning across our school.

We have also appointed Briana Poole as a graduate teacher for 2027. We are very excited to welcome Briana to Macarthur Street and look forward to supporting her as she begins her teaching career.

Term 4
In Term 4, we will be welcoming the warmer weather to our days. With this in mind, it is important that all students bring their school hat each day. Students without a hat will be required to play in a shaded area.

Term 4 will be full of learning, while also providing plenty of opportunities for fun and celebration. I have no doubt that the Grade 3–6 camp to Cottage by the Sea will be a major highlight for our students.

We will also begin welcoming our 17 new Foundation students as they commence their orientation and prepare for their schooling journey in 2027. We can't wait to see their smiling faces as they walk through our doors for the first time.

I hope everyone has a wonderful break over the next two weeks and has the opportunity to relax, recharge and spend some quality time with family and friends. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for a big and exciting Term 4.

Have a safe and enjoyable holiday break.

Anthony Cross


2026 Dates

  • Monday 5th October

    First day of Term 4

  • Monday 2nd November

    Student Free Day - Staff Wellbeing Day - OSHC CLOSED

  • Tuesday 10th to 13th November

    Grade 3-6 School Camp to Cottage by the Sea

  • Monday 14th December

    Grade 6 Graduation

Student of the Fortnight

For students that have attended school each day in Term 2.

  • Foundation

    Oliver C, Fiadh, Odin, Charlie

  • 1V

    -

  • 2E

    Harley

  • 3/4 G

    Astrid, Dawn and Phelix

  • 5/6I

    Aleyah, Cruze, Emily P, Finn, Izzi and Konnah

  • Pricipal Award

    N/A

  • Specialist

    N/A

Foundation News - Mrs Emily Burns

We made it! Term 3 has definitely been a long one, however we have made it to the end, and with the nicer weather coming- I am sure we are all ready for a break! This week in Literacy, we have been consolidating our phonics learning by completing some independent activities.

In Writing, we are continuing use the conjunctions ‘because’ and ‘but’ and finish a sentence stem. Maths this week has been all about subtraction, taking away 2, mass and volume, and data displays. I hope everyone has a restful break – see you in Term 4!

Grade 1 News - Mrs Tanya Vanderkley

Wow!!! What a week!!

It was so lovely to have a "chill" day on Friday in our pyjamas!!

We started our morning with our usual busy literacy block, before settling in for a very special treat — watching the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory! 

After recently finishing our class novel, the students were so excited to see the story come to life on the big screen. They LOVED the book, and thankfully, the movie did not disappoint either! There were lots of smiles, laughs and so much excitement as we watched Willy Wonka’s magical chocolate factory come to life.

Malakai- "My favourite part in the movie was when Grandpa Joe stood up, after being in bed for a really long time and he kept on dancing!

Tobias-Odin- "I really liked when Charlie Bucket and Grandpa Joe drank the special fizzy drink and they floated to the roof!

Addi- "My favourite part was when Violet Beauregarde turned into a blueberry!

I hope you all have a wonderful, restful break. See you all in Term 4!

GRADE 2 NEWS – Miss Rhiannon Eustice

3 terms down 1 to go. It's amazing to see how much new knowledge the Grade 2 students have learnt and retained this term.

A few weeks ago the Grade 2 students worked with the Grade 1's to produce a flipbook that showcased some of their learning about Earth and Space (astronomy). They cut, coloured and wrote down amazing facts about the sun and the moon from memory. These pieces are proudly displayed on the wall near the art room entrance door, if you get a chance go and check them out! I hope everyone has a nice school holiday break.

GRADE 3/4 NEWS – Mr Andrew Goodson

This term, the 3/4 class have been learning all about space. Here are some reflections and facts that we have learnt:

Dawn: One thing I’ve learnt about space is Saturn’s atmosphere rains diamonds. Jupiter’s atmosphere has an aurora. A spacecraft named Juno studied more about Jupiter. Also, wormholes are like tunnels. Our universe is getting bigger. Temperatures on Mercury are really cold when it is not facing the Sun. Mercury’s days are longer that its years! To conclude, I’ve learnt a bunch of things about space!

Phelix: I have learnt that wormholes exist in space.

Astrid: This term, I’ve learnt about how people didn’t believe Nicolaus Copernicus’ theory, yet he was correct. Also, I’ve learnt about Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space.

Ellie: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first people to walk on the Moon

Mietta: This term, we’ve learnt so much about out universe. Personally, I’ve been happy learning about Mae Jemison. She was the first African-American woman into space in 1992. She was also inspired by astronauts like Neil Armstrong. Even though Mae experienced racism, she pursued her dream and travelled into space. She also travelled around the world and became a doctor. Mae Jemison made history, travelled into space and kept going.

GRADE 5/6 NEWS – Mrs Bonnie Irving

We have had a massive term in Grade 5/6, with a busy calendar of sports days, excursions and of course, our school concert. It has certainly been a term full of learning, laughter and plenty of memorable experiences!

We have finally finished reading A Wrinkle in Time and as a reward, enjoyed watching the film adaptation. The consensus was clear: the novel was better than the film!

We also recently enjoyed an ‘Upside-Down Day’, where students started school at 3pm instead of the usual morning start. We spent the first few hours completing some ‘normal’ schoolwork before enjoying a barbecue dinner together. As the sun began to set, we jumped on the bus and headed to the Ballarat Observatory.

It was a wonderful evening and a great way to consolidate the learning we have been doing in Knowledge this term.

Specialist Holiday Challenge!

Art News:

This term in Visual Arts, our students have been busy developing their creativity and textile skills through a range of exciting projects.

Year 5/6 students completed a stunning Batik-painted Koi Fish Kite. In Japan, these colourful kites, known as koinobori, are flown on Children’s Day to represent strength, courage and hopes for a healthy and successful future. Students are now putting the finishing touches on their Monster Pencil Toppers, practising both stem stitch and blanket stitch to create unique and imaginative designs.

Foundation students proudly completed their weaving project, creating their very own pencil holders. They also explored fabric collage by designing colourful landscapes while learning about foreground, middle ground and background.

Year 1/2 students enjoyed creating fluffy pompom turtles and developing their weaving skills. Year 1 students made large woven pencil holders, while Year 2 students completed circular weaving projects. To finish the term, students have been busy sewing and assembling bright felt jellyfish.

Year 3/4 students combined a range of textile techniques to create fantastic flamingo puppets, using both pompom making and finger knitting. They are currently working on beautiful Batik wall hangings inspired by the vibrant floral artwork of Australian artist Anna Blatman.

Physical Education News:

Next term in Physical Education, there will be a strong focus on sportsmanship and what it means to be a good sport. Students will be learning the importance of showing respect, demonstrating fair play, encouraging others, and managing both winning and losing positively.

Foundation to Year 2 students have already watched the story Sally Sore Loser and discussed the behaviours that make someone a good sport. The story provides a great opportunity for children to reflect on how their actions can affect others during games, sport and everyday activities.

Over the holiday break, families may like to watch the story together and continue the conversation at home. Working together, we can help our students develop the skills to be positive sportspeople and supportive friends.

Sally Sore Loser: Watch the video here

Auslan News: 

Students have enjoyed learning a variety of Auslan signs this term and have continued to build their confidence communicating through sign language. Throughout their lessons, students have practised using signs for everyday conversations and explored how Auslan helps people connect and communicate.

Over the holidays, students are encouraged to practise the signs they have learnt this term and challenge themselves to use them in everyday situations with family and friends. The more students use their signs, the more confident and fluent they will become. We look forward to seeing students return next term ready to learn new signs and put their Auslan skills into action!

Science News:

Term 4 promises to be an exciting term in Science as students explore a range of fascinating topics through hands-on investigations and experiments.

Foundation students will investigate different materials and discover their properties and uses in everyday life. Year 1/2 students will explore sound, learning how sounds are made, how they travel, and how we use them to communicate. Year 3/4 students will investigate heat energy, discovering how heat is produced, transferred and used in our daily lives. Year 5/6 students will delve into electrical energy, exploring circuits, conductors, and insulators, and how electricity powers the world around us.

We look forward to seeing our young scientists ask questions, make discoveries, and develop their understanding of the world around them throughout Term 4.

Student birthdays

Happy Birthday to all students who will celebrate their birthday in the coming days or over the holidays. 

  • Tom K
  • Dominick
  • Hector
  • Trinity
  • Johnnie
  • Charlie
  • Bonnie
  • Dawn
  • Addi
  • Aleyah
  • Malakai