It has been a busy start to Term 3, with our Junior School teachers and students quickly settling back into their routines. To complement their learning, a range of engaging activities have taken place over the past few weeks.
Community
Last week, at our full school assembly, we came together to celebrate and reflect on a theme central to our school: ‘community’. Our Junior School leaders, Chloe, Leith and Eden, spoke beautifully about how each year level has been reinforcing our strong community connections. This year, we have had much to celebrate, but most of all, the spirit of community that makes Newhaven College such a special place.
Parent Teacher Interviews
Thank you to all the teachers and parents for their time and effort during last week’s Parent Teacher Interviews. Your participation and feedback are important in strengthening our home-school partnership. We greatly appreciate the positive responses regarding our new progressive reporting system, which enhances our ability to understand, track and support your child’s learning journey. If you were unable to attend in person, online interviews will be available in Week 4.
Cath Huther
Head of Junior School
The benefits of being in a Prep-Year 12 school
Throughout the year, our Junior School students have greatly benefited from the support of Year 9 peer tutors, who have assisted with their learning and helped in the vegetable garden. The Year 9 Environmental Centre currently has calves on site, and many of our Junior School classes have enjoyed visiting them. Additionally, our Year 11 Health class, focusing on stages of learning development, particularly fine and gross motor skills, recently conducted activities with our Year 2 students. The Year 11s planned and implemented a variety of engaging activities to support observation and instruction in physical learning development.
Colour Fun Run
The Colour Run was a joyful event that the children absolutely loved. We extend a huge thank you to the PFA and all the volunteers who made it possible. There are lots of photos from the Colour Fun Run in the College News section of this newsletter.
NAIDOC Week
Junior School teachers organised combined year level activities to celebrate NAIDOC Week, which fell during the holidays. Students participated in a variety of engaging activities, including Indigenous turtle shell weaving, unity badge making and learning about famous Indigenous Australians through mini research projects. Other activities included the Little Yarns podcast, loom band making, and a scavenger hunt. Highlights also featured Mrs. Smart sharing her experiences in Kalumburu, exploring Bunjil the eagle creator, and examining artwork by Steve Parker and Safina Stewart. This cross-age approach provided a valuable opportunity to learn about and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories.
Olympic Theme Dress Up Day
Students thoroughly enjoyed our Olympic-themed dress-up day, which helped get everyone into the Olympic spirit. The Olympics is such a special time, and it has been a great way to extend students' learning in a fun and engaging manner. There are more photos of the Olympic theme dress up day in the College News section of this newsletter.
Sensory Playground
Our new Sensory Playground in the Junior School is expanding with additions like hefty tree stumps. We are thankful to Michael from MCM Maintenance & Construction for his generous support and strong community spirit. MCM, a reliable local business, offers various friendly handyman services. The playground focuses on developing Interoception, Proprioception and Vestibular senses—essential for children’s growth. It provides a space where children connect with nature and engage in activities supporting their development. Marina Healy’s vision for this playground has come to life thanks to her dedication and hard work. Her efforts have created a space where children can collaborate, create, socialise and enjoy their leisure time.
Junior School Mystery Egg
Recently, Junior School students stumbled upon a large, mysterious red and white egg in our garden, igniting a wave of curiosity and imagination. The discovery led to great discussions among the children about whether the egg was real or fake and what might lie inside. Inspired by this intriguing find, the students were given 'The Egg' as a writing stimulus. They developed a plan and crafted narratives based on this imaginative concept. This exercise provided an excellent opportunity for students to showcase their narrative writing skills, including punctuation, vocabulary, story structure, handwriting and spelling. The students’ creative writing pieces have been uploaded to SEQTA for families to view as part of our ongoing reporting.
Merit Awards
Congratulations to the students in the following photo who were presented with their Merit Awards and recognised at Junior School Assembly.
Some of the Junior School students were presented with a gold, silver, or bronze medal this week at Assembly based on the number of choir sessions they have attended. The Junior School choir meets every Wednesday with Mrs. Prideaux, and last term with Mr. Goss. This year, we have seen incredible interest, and the choir sounds amazing!
