FROM THE JUNIOR SCHOOL
Be the Change
This week’s Year 5 Leadership Day, themed ‘Be the Change’ inspired the whole Year 5 group to consider the qualities and strengths that they themselves will bring to the leadership table in their year as a Junior School leader. The day also opened minds to new possibilities and new skills to focus on. Importantly, the Year 5’s were challenged to consider how they can make a difference – how they can ‘Be the Change’.
Class of ’21 past student and Tassie Devils NAB League Girls Captain Jemma Blair captivated her audience as she shared some of her passions and achievements. Her message of take risks and have a go, inspired everyone.
Year 12 student leaders, including the College Captains and Vice-Captains, shared their own views of ‘why I think I was appointed to a leadership role’. The diversity among the group highlighted the differing leadership qualities applicable to different roles. Organisational skills, effective use of time, passion, inclusion of others, empathy, speaking up for beliefs, were all mentioned. Year 5 students were then able to consider how these linked to their own perceived strengths or whether there were other traits that they aspire to developing further this year.
Thank you to Mrs Fiona Auton and the Year 5 staff team for the planning of the days program, and to Jemma and the 2022 Year 12 Leaders for their messages ,encouraging the Year 5’s to ‘Be the Change.’
Year Level Meetings
Year level meetings from Prep to Year 5 are online this Term. These 40-minute sessions are scheduled next week for the following year levels:
Tuesday 15 February
Prep 5.45pm
Year 1 6.45pm
Wednesday 16 February
Year 2 5.45pm
Year 3 6.45pm
Thank you to all families who were able to join the Year 4 and 5 meetings this week. All six meetings are being recorded and will be available on the Year Level Dash page shortly after the meeting for anybody who was unable to attend.
These meetings include information on the College approach to learning, 2022 curriculum initiatives, home-school partnership and social-emotional learning support for students.
Individual Parent-Student-Teacher conferences for all levels from Early Learning to Year 5 commence in Week 3 and these provide an opportunity for parents to visit the classroom and meet with the class teacher.
Literacy Learning
Literacy learning, central to the ‘Effective Communication’ learner attribute, is a core element of the curriculum for every Junior School student – in English and in all curriculum areas. Class teachers from Early Learning to Year 5 monitor each student’s progress in every aspect of their literacy learning and development, and they commit daily time to teaching, guiding and supporting this. At each year level from Prep onwards, there is also a Literacy teacher working with students across the classes at that level and these teachers plan and work closely with class teachers.
Literacy teachers this year are:
Prep: Becca Biggs and Mrs Sarah Williams
Year 1: Mrs Nicci Dray
Year 2: Mrs Georgia Gee
Year 3: Mrs Kylie Brewster
Year 4: Mrs Millie Harding
Year 5: Mrs Therese Wilson
Supplementing this, our Learning Support teacher, Mrs Jo McFarlane, and a number of Learning Assistants with specific training in this area provide additional literacy support to individual students as required.
All of this is coordinated by our Deputy Head of Junior School, Mrs Fiona Auton and Literacy Coordinators, Mrs Williams (Prep-Year 2) and Mr Timmy Bristow (Year 3- Year 5).
Classroom reading resources and an extensive collection of children’s literature in conneXions and the linked eLibrary enable students of all ages to satisfy and extend their appetite for reading as extensively as they wish to. Mrs Marissa Saville, Mrs Brewster, Mrs Miranda Creak and Mrs Katrina Edmunds are sources of information and guidance for users of conneXions. The conneXions Dash page is also a rich resource for parents seeking ideas to support reading at home.
Parents can contact their child’s class teacher or any of the above named staff in relation to literacy questions or resources at any time through the year.
Education Outdoors – Year 4
The Year 4 Education Outdoors program has been revised and all Year 4 families should now have details of the new arrangements. The dates, Wednesday 16 – Friday 18 February, are unchanged, with Wednesday and Thursday still at the Valley Campus as day trips and Friday in Claremont Park. Class teachers, Mrs Auton or myself can provide additional information as needed.
Rapid Antigen Tests
Parents who have not yet collected their child’s RATs can do so from Junior School Reception at any time now. Two tests are available for every Junior School student. Thank you to everyone who has already collected theirs.
Mr Lachie Wright
Head of Junior School