From the Head of the Junior School
Dear Parents and Friends of the Junior School,
I pay tribute to the boys, teachers, mentors and those who attended for making the Year 6 PYP Exhibition such a stunning success. Monday evening will be a unique highlight in the minds of most of the Year 6 boys. Exhibition is always a high point in the year, showcasing so many positive aspects of schooling. The boys of Year 6 are to be congratulated on their outstanding and mature interaction with their issues and audience, and the manner in which they were able to express themselves through the creation of an artwork that concisely communicated their learning and call to action.
It has been a joy to host next year’s Kindergarten parents and students for their orientation visits over the last fortnight. The 18 boys who attended this morning and their families are the nucleus of a year group of boys who will steadily grow in number to approximately 240 by the time they reach high school and then become the Class of 2035! It was pleasing that these soon-to-be-Trinitarians separated from Mum and Dad, happily played together, and have already shown great enthusiasm and energy for learning. The welcome and assistance from older student ‘buddies’ in Year 5 has been of great assistance in this process. We will welcome boys commencing in all other years and their parents next Friday morning. Our current Year 6 students will also attend their own Year 7 Orientation to Middle School next Friday. In these final weeks, the boys will also undertake orientation experiences including forums with Middle School staff and House Master interviews. The Year 6 v Year 7 Summer Sport games, which will involve many Junior School boys next Wednesday afternoon, are one such experience (parents are welcome to attend). Whilst the boys are ready for the step up to high school, it is also very natural to be excited, nervous and uncertain. Orientation experiences are designed to help boys approach the upcoming change with a positive attitude, answer their many questions and ease any fears.
As communicated earlier in the year, the School has made the decision to support student learning by adopting a 1:1 iPad programme from Kindergarten. After a thorough process of consideration, the iPad was chosen as the preferred device for the future as it offers students a learning tool that balances productivity, inquiry, skill development and creativity. We have seen some great results throughout this year as we have begun the transition from Chromebooks to iPads. Next year all students in Kindergarten to Year 5 will have access to a personalised iPad. Students in Year 6 will continue to primarily make use of their Chromebooks, although they will have access to iPads when the learning task is best suited to that device. As the iPads are provided by the School, there is no need for any Year 4 student moving to Year 5 to source their own device as was the requirement in previous years.
Parents and boys will be made aware of 2023 class placements via letter that will be brought home before the end of the year. These letters should be unopened when they reach you! Parents are reminded that the School considers class allocation decisions very carefully in the context of serving the learning needs of all students in a year group and as such is not in a position to satisfy individual requests for particular teachers. Individual needs, friendships and personalities of the boys are just some of the factors considered when class lists are constructed. This is a very detailed process that has taken place over the course of this term. I encourage parents to trust us, as we share your concern for ensuring that all students will be supported and thrive in the year ahead.
This is the final call for families eager to contribute gifts and items of food to the Anglicare Toys’n’Tucker collection. On Tuesday, our charity leaders will be boxing the items for collection by Anglicare on Wednesday morning. If you have been meaning to contribute but are yet to do so, please bring the items to the Junior School Office by Tuesday morning. Thank you to the many families who have already made a contribution.
Next Monday, the boys of Year 6 are putting on their sausage sizzle for the rest of Junior School to raise funds for a gift to the School. The boys have been busy planning including taking note of special dietary requirements. If your son needs a special type of sausage and this has not been communicated via his form, please place a note in his Record Book for the teacher to see, or let the Office know on Monday. Also next week, Year 5 will depart for camp at beautiful Lake Macquarie. They have been waiting a long time since when we were forced to postpone this camp in Term 1, but they will find it has been worth the wait. Much fun is to be had, camping, rafting, abseiling, climbing, fishing and doing other engaging activities with mates on the foreshore and surrounds of Lake Macquarie.
I wish all the boys in Years 4-6 a wonderful last round of inter-school and intra-sport tomorrow morning. Enjoy your matches and celebrate a wonderful season of games with your coaches and team mates.
Mark Dunn | Head of the Junior School
He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
Psalm 147:3-5
