From the Office

Parent/Carer Opinion Survey: Have you completed the survey?

Last chance Friday!

Camps!

Grade 2 students will be going to Boomerang Ranch for their camp, staying overnight from Thursday October 17th - Friday October 18th. 

Please return students' Medical Information Form, if you haven't already :)

Grade 5/6 students will be going on Urban Camp from Wednesday November 6th - Friday November 8th.

Please make a payment plan so that all costs are covered by the time of departure.

Outside Hours School Care

Have you filled out the survey? We are really hopeful that Outside Hours School Care will be offered both before and after school in 2025!

Resilience Rights and Respectful Relationships 

Term 4 

Dear Parents

Next term all students will begin learning topics 7 and 8 of Resilience Rights and Respectful Relationships. Topic 7 is all about Gender and Identity. Topic 8 looks at positive gender relationships.

Victoria’s Resilience Rights and Respectful Relationships initiative supports school leaders, educators, and our school communities to promote and model respect and equality – and to teach our children how to build healthy relationships, resilience and confidence. The Royal Commission into Family Violence identified the critical role that schools have in creating a culture of respect to change the story of family violence for future generations. In 2016, respectful relationships education became a core component of the Victorian Curriculum from Prep to Year 12 and is being taught in all government and Catholic schools and many independent schools.

An outline of the main topics covered in topics 7 and 8 are outlined below.  

If you would like to find out more go to https://www.vic.gov.au/respectful-relationships or contact Margot at the school.  

Understanding the key thematic areas in Topic 7 (for students in year 3 – 6)

Ø  Identities: Who am I? Who can I be? Who am I becoming?

Ø  Gender Norms: What influences on behaviour come from social and cultural standards, stereotypes, traditions, role models, media.

Ø  Human Rights: What is fair? What is respectful?

Ø  Difference, diversity & Inclusion: How to respect and include despite diversity and difference

Understanding the key thematic areas in Topic 8 (for students in year 3 – 6)

 Ø  Safety: What is violence? What is gender-based violence (GBV). Impacts of GBV, how to promote safety, rights & respect in relationships

Ø  Relationships: impact of actions on others

Ø  Respect: skills for respectful relationships

Ø  Peer support, peer referral and help-seeking: Skills and resources for peer support and help-seeking in relation to GBV

From the P/1 classroom

Reduce, reuse, refuse, recycle!

From the 2-3-4 classroom

Students worked in groups to design a sustainable city

From the 5/6 classroom

Students researched and wrote a description about a topic of their choice.

Lady Northcote Camp Grade 3-4

What an amazing time we had at Lady Northcote Camp in Bacchus Marsh! Our Grade 3-4 students were joined by students from Taradale, Elphinstone and Langley Primary Schools. We did canoeing, orienteering, archery, made pizza and damper, went on the flying fox and had so much fun! Big thanks to Emma and Bernadette for taking time away from their families to make this happen for our students.

Music with Scott Sanders

5-6 classroom music - electronic music production using Soundation

We have had an introduction to some ways to produce electronic music using a browser app called Soundation.  This lets us build melodies with syntheszers, record and manipulate samples, and choose from a massive library of beats and sounds.

I didn't quite get to writing down the names of these up-and-coming producers...

P-4 classroom music - music in the body

We have been doing a lot of singing and dancing this term in music - dancing and singing are very popular with students.  I wrote a couple of alternative verses to Yellow Submarine, and we generated some ideas for more verses to come in the future!

Instrumental music live electronic jam

This week I brought some of our keyboard and drum students together to have a go at jamming using electronic instruments - a drum machine and three synthesizers.  Here are three recordings we did in class

Music clips

Thanks to Scott for a great couple of terms teaching music across the school while John was on Long Service Leave!

Fashion Parade Fundraiser

A big thanks to all our parents who were able to help out last Sunday selling biscuits and lemonade at the Future Fashionistas event at Good Op shop. The event raised $141 in cash and more through direct debit!

Thanks to cookie makers Allie, Megan, Lu, Krista, Christiana and Clare. Help on the day from Krista, Megan, Clare, Andy, Maz, Leif, Arnie, Hildie, Nina. Lemonade courtesy Purdys lemon tree and a tree in Malbsury, lemons squeezed by Andy and Leif. 

Community Notices

 First Peoples Connections and information

Djaara (Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation)  https://djadjawurrung.com.au/

DJAARA - Home | Facebook

Nalderun Education Aboriginal Corporation https://nalderun.net.au/

Anti-racism https://racismnoway.com.au/ https://alltogethernow.org.au/racism/racism-in-schools/how-to-discuss-racism-with-children/ 

Reconciliation Week 2024 Now more than ever https://www.reconciliation.org.au/now-more-than-ever-nrw-2024/ 

Treaty https://www.firstpeoplesrelations.vic.gov.au/treaty

Dum and bundjil time

Frog and yellow (flowering) time

September-mid-November – as the weather warms, the peak flowering season for many wildflowers begins. Frosts and rainy days are often still common. 

As the water warms over spring, River Blackfish and Murray Cod become more active. These are caught in traps constructed along waterways using stone and woven baskets. 

Watjarang (Platypus) along Campbells Creek breed and lay eggs. This is peak flowering season for many wildflowers, such as Murna (Yam Daisy), Gitjawil Matom (Chocolate Lily) and Bam (Bulbine Lily), which can be seen at the Muckleford Nature Conservation Reserve, Kalimna Park and Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. Gurndi (Cranberry Heath) berries ripen and are ready to eat.Sticky Everlasting, Clustered Everlasting, Grey Everlasting and Orchids, as well as for shrubs such as Downy Grevillea, Rough Mint-bush, and Fairy Wax-flower.

• Watjarang (Platypus) breed and lay eggs

• Brushtail Possums carry their young from nests

• River Blackfish spawn

• The bush is bright with yellow daisies that provide a landing pad where insects can warm up on cold mornings

• Australian Reed-warblers begin calling along creeks and rivers  

• Rainbow Bee-eaters arrive from northern Australia to nest along creek and river banks

• Large flocks of White-browed and Masked Woodswallow arrive from northern Australia and can be heard calling in the sky 

• This is peak frog breeding season – large frog choruses can be heard in wetlands and along creeks and rivers 

• Black Wattle and Red Box flower. 

The Dja Dja Wurrung seasons were compiled by Uncle Rick Nelson and Karl Just, with contributions from Frances Cincotta, Elaine Bayes, Damien Cook, Tanya Loos, Geoff Park, Cassia Read and Trace Balla. More information on Mt Alexander Shire Council's website.