Year 6 Golden Valleys Lodge Outdoor Education Camp

Last week, the Year 6 girls took part in their final Junior School Outdoor Education camp. They travelled to Golden Valleys Lodge, situated on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula, where they participated in a range of engaging and challenging activities. The accumulation of the girls’ experiences, which commenced for many in Year 1, have not only built physical capacity and skills but also social, emotional and mental skills. Some of these include:

• Building curiosity, respect and appreciation for the natural environment
• Developing an understanding of how to participate safely, responsibly and confidently in different outdoor environments
• Building resilience, perseverance, independence and knowledge of self
• Learning to work with others and in team situations, respecting differences, and responsible decision-making skills.

The outdoor education program in the Junior School sets the foundations for the many wonderful opportunities and experiences the girls will have throughout the rest of their journey at St Catherine’s School and beyond.

“At Camp I was able to learn more about the girls in Year 6 and the importance of independence and hard work. I really enjoyed camping out for one night because I was able to be closer to nature and I liked sleeping in a tent and cooking my own food.” Chelsea Harris

“Geocaching was one of my favourite activities because you had to use a GPS to find different objects at locations all around Golden Valleys Lodge.  I had to work together with my partner and we had to think ‘outside the box’ to find hidden clues.” Olivia Monkman-Straub

“I really enjoyed camping out because it was a new experience for me and I believe that it made me more resilient. I enjoyed being surrounded by nature and I learnt about the importance of trust and working together.” Georgia Hennessy

“I really enjoyed the surfing. I found it really relaxing listening to the waves and watching all my friends try tricks on their surfboards. I enjoyed the geocaching because it made you think and work together as a team.” Jessica Paterson

What does ‘Respectful’ and ‘Helpful’ look like?

Promoting, teaching and practising wellbeing with students and as a whole School is a daily practice of our Junior School staff.

Classroom activities include mindfulness sessions, kid’s yoga, relaxation and guided meditation, as well as a whole School wellbeing focus for the week. Learning and sharing examples of random acts of kindness has been one such focus presented at assemblies this year.

To extend the learning and modelling of respect and helpfulness, students were provided the opportunity to be creative and develop their own acrostic poems using these words.

The Year 6 Co-Captains judged the winning poems based on creativity, originality and presentation. It was wonderful to see so many students from all Year levels submit a poem. Congratulations to the following students:

Years 5-6

• Sissi Zheng (6C)
• Lily Zhang (6K)

Years 3-4

• Milla Cohen

Prep to Year 2

• Camilla Aberdeen

All poems will be displayed in the Junior School corridor for viewing.

Mr Tim Tainish
Year 5 Teacher

Respect in the Junior School – a reflection by School Co-Captain, Charlotte Upton

Respect is treating people, places and things with kindness.

We can think about respect in regards to how we treat other students and teachers at School, and how we treat our School environment. For example, at School, we can demonstrate respect by listening to other people’s opinions even if they are different to our own. We can also demonstrate respect by listening to our teachers when they are talking, and not talking over them.

Hussein Nishah who lived in the 1500’s said “Treat people the way you want to be treated. Talk to people the way you want to be talked to. Respect is earned, not given.” One of the key messages from this quote is that at all times you should behave in a way that is fair and kind to others.

We can also show our respect for the School environment by putting our rubbish in the bin, taking care of our play areas and keeping our classrooms neat and tidy.

Most importantly, when we have respect for each other and for our School environment, we can all feel welcome, comfortable and happy at School.

IOUs for Lunch orders

Please note that as of Term 2, any IOUs for lunch orders will need to be settled by parents through the Flexischools payment system, providing greater efficiency and ease in paying any outstanding amounts owed. The Junior School Office will no longer collect money but they will still contact parents before sending girls to the Café, to seek permission for their daughter to purchase lunch if it has been forgotten.

When you login to the Flexischools website, you will be notified if you have an outstanding amount, then follow the instructions provided.

If you have any questions regarding the process, please contact Flexischools direct or the Junior School office.

Wet Weather Student Collection

As we move into Term 2, and there is a greater possibility of inclement weather, please note that if it is raining at pick-up time we will have students wait either under the cover of the Marigold Southey Sports & Aquatic Centre or in the Junior School foyer with the teacher on duty.

Could we please ask that parents come down to the Junior School and collect children on these days.

Junior School Uniform Changeover Dates Term 2

As Term 2 commences in mid-April this year, the weather is likely to continue to be fine and warm on various days.

Parents are advised that choices between summer and winter uniform can be made (according to the weather) for the first three weeks of Term 2. However, uniforms should not be mixed – it either needs to be full summer or full winter during this crossover time.

The official day for winter uniform is Monday 7 May. This date will be reviewed and adjusted if the weather still remains warm.

• Week 1 to Week 3: Optional summer or winter uniform
• Week 4 commencing Monday 7 May: Full winter uniform