Thanking our teachers

Jill Robertson - Casterton Primary School

FRIDAY, 28 October was World Teacher Day. 

In the morning I visited each grade to offer my appreciation to our wonderful teaching staff. 

Every staff member received a badge to wear for the day and students were tasked with showing their appreciation and saying thank you, to their teachers as often as possible throughout the day for all the wonderful things they do for them.

Big shout out to all the teachers at the Casterton Primary School: Becki Dennis, Rhiannon Barlow, Indi Bell, Mandy Richardson, Scarlett Jarrad, Lee Ryan, Cass Wombwell, Trent Davis-Jene, Anna Jackson, Heather Brown, Fiona Lawrence, Kim Hutchins, Monika Dittrich, Suzanne Kelly, Georgie Templeton, Ross Leeson and Sharyn Martinussen.

Green Hat Workshop

EARLY today our special visitor, Cam, arrived in his truck to set up the Green Hat Workshop for our whole school. 

Students assembled in the former Grade 4/5 classroom while Cam introduced a number of constructions, tips and techniques (maths and physics in disguise) and inspired the students with some of the creations he had prepared. 

Then they were all set to create!

The results were outstanding. 

Our whole school of about 100 students, engaged in building towers, walls and constructions of every shape and size. 

As towers appeared, students capsized them and built more. 

Many groups of students built constructions that a student could fit inside of.

Then finally, like no other activity, the kids still seemed to be having a great time when they were packing up! 

Pure magic!

We were also lucky enough to have some special sessions with the nudel kart to learn more about the possibilities. 

After a session learning about the story of the designer of nudel kart, the Grade 3 to 6 students were challenged to build a carnival ride. 

Before they began, Cam asked them to think about what they could do if the part they wanted was being used by someone else. 

Very quickly our students volunteered three great suggestions – team up, negotiate a swap, or design your way out of the problem with different parts.

And then they all started to build.

We are very excited for the future of this type of play in our school as we have our own nudel kart and have purchased two large boxes of planks for our school.

I can see a new lunch time club emerging!

Celebrating with special relatives at Sacred Heart

Zoe Withers & Ylana Grigg - Publicity leaders - Sacred Heart School

THIS Wednesday we had our liturgy for mission month where instead of raising money, we raise awareness for the adults and children in Ethiopia.

We were also celebrating Grandparents’ Day by having over some of our elders and playing games and activities.

Those games and activities included king pin, aeroplane game, board games and cards, hopscotch, four square, nail painting, green screen and hide and seek.

The teachers, students and most importantly, the grandparents, had a lot of fun with each other on Grandparents’ Day.

From the Principal …

WE WERE so pleased to have our grandparents and special family members and friends visit us.

The Grade 5/6s did an amazing job taking part in the Liturgy for Mission Month and organising all of the activities.

It was truly joyous to have everyone at school after three long years of no visitors!

I would like to commend the Mini Vinnies for their passion for the projects they run each term.

Their decision to focus on awareness rather than fundraising set a beautiful tone for the Liturgy – we learned about the issues faced by children and their families in Ethiopia.

They are busy organising Socktober games for next Thursday.

Any funds raised on the day will go to Catholic Mission.

Last week our Grades 3s and 4s headed off to Cave Hill Creek for camp.

We joined up with the St Malachy's and St Joseph's kids.

The campers had a great time!

Crate stacking, canoeing, archery, close encounters with nature (mozzies and a snake sighting) and a quick dip in the lake that wasn’t planned were just a few of the stories – they certainly packed a lot into 24 hours!

Finally, I have been working with the Grade 6s on what they want to leave behind as their legacy.

Each Grade 6 is responsible for one of our leadership areas: Social Justice, Environment, Safety and Wellbeing, Publicity and Student Representative Council.

They have plans for the rest of the term to make improvements to their area and are working with the Grade 4s and 5s to make this happen by the end of the year.

Sport, good food and community at Merino

Charli, Ryan, Rylan and Steph - Newspaper club - Merino Consolidated School

WE LOVE cooking every week here at Merino.

We always try to use things from our garden.

For the last two weeks we have been using our purple broccoli.

At first I didn’t think I would like it but I got to pick it and Ms Hulin said I should eat it without cooking it and the stalk of the broccoli was actually really sweet.

I have never eaten broccoli that wasn’t cooked before.

Last week I picked it and used it on my pizza.

I thought my pizza was the best.

Art

I LOVE that we get to do Art every week with Jacinta.

We have been learning about celebrations around the world and we have been making the different lanterns that the people in the other countries use to celebrate the different festivals.

Last week we made lanterns that are used in Lanternfest

Tennis

THIS term we have been learning all about tennis.

Ms Hulin has been teaching us the skills that we need to play tennis like serving and hitting the ball.

We practise drills like bouncing the ball on our racquets and trying to get our hitting aim really good by trying to hit the ball into a small target.

We have also been playing lot of totem tennis at lunch times.

We are pretty lucky because we are going to have coaching lessons in Hamilton next week and I can’t wait.

Garden

WE’VE been out planting new things in our garden again and this time we put in carrots, more beans, peas, a new heritage tomato and some different types of basil.

I got the dig holes and put the mulch on the plants.

I can’t wait to eat them when they finish growing!

We used lettuce this week from our garden when we were making Tacos!

Uniting way Letters

EACH year we write letter to go into hampers for people.

We write to people and ask them questions.

The letters go in hampers that they get at Christmas time.