Fabulous Friday!

Last Friday, the Year 6 students (with the help of their teachers) organised a day to raise funds for their gift to Barbreck as they complete their primary years of schooling.

There was the unmistakable smell of sausages cooking, girls out of uniform, icy poles being enjoyed and much fruit to choose from – all adding to the excitement of the day! There was a definite buzz in the air. Thanks go to all girls who participated by purchasing a sausage and to all of the Year 6 girls for their work on the day. Well done!

The Celebration Committee organised the purchase of a beautiful brass bell to be installed on a concrete column in readiness for the Year 6 Celebration Dinner. The ringing of the bell will be a new tradition at Barbreck and one which all girls who complete their schooling here will participate in.

Salvation Army Christmas Appeal

Each year, Barbreck families happily contribute to this worthy appeal through the donation of gifts and food, giving to those in communities who are less fortunate than ourselves. While Christmas is a joyous celebration for most, it can be extremely stressful for those in circumstances where they find it difficult to purchase more than the basic necessities. Unfortunately, we are hearing that families in this situation are on the rise. We ask each family to contribute what they can.

A Christmas tree has been decorated and placed in the Junior School Reception to add Christmas cheer to the end of our year. Near the tree, you will find separate baskets for gifts and food items. The Appeal has set some guidelines to assist people who want to donate.

Gifts

• Families are requested to only donate new items. Sadly, the gift you donate may be the only present someone receives this Christmas. We know Christmas is not only about receiving gifts, but this is one way we can help families feel special. Your nearest Family Store or Salvos Store will gladly receive your good quality pre-loved gifts.
• We also gratefully accept gift vouchers. They are ideal gifts for teenagers – and we are always short of gifts for teenagers – and also give a parent who is struggling the joy of purchasing a gift for their child’s unique personality and interests.
• Please consider older age groups when donating gifts. Every year we are overwhelmed with gifts for younger children but always run out of gifts for teenagers and parents.
• The Salvation Army request that the gifts are not wrapped. This allows parents the dignity of choosing gifts for their child from among the donations and also gives them the special experience of wrapping gifts for their child. Feel free to include some wrapping paper or a gift bag for parents to use.

Food

• Where appropriate, please ensure items have long expiry dates and are non-perishable.
• Supermarket gift vouchers make a great addition to food hampers, allowing the recipient to purchase fresh fruit, vegetables and meat at Christmas.
• Pack your groceries into a washing basket, reusable shopping bag or laundry bucket that can be reused by the recipient.
• Consider providing choices that suit families with young children, people with allergies, the elderly or newcomers to Australia.
• Please donate all items as early as possible in December, or even in November to ensure that all food hampers and gifts are delivered to families by Christmas.

Booklists For 2020

Campion have now published the Junior School 2020 booklists online so parents can begin placing orders when ready. You can access the booklists by logging into the link below:

Login: www.campion.com.au
The parent code needed to access the online lists is: 2DSS
Parents need to place their orders by close of business Friday 6 December 2019.
Orders will be delivered to parents’ nominated address between 8 January and 23 January 2020. 

Ms Karen McArdle, Head of Junior School

Year 3 Camp Sunnystones

Three weeks ago, the Year 3 students travelled to Camp Sunnystones, their first overnight camp away from school, with a mixture of excitement and nerves! As soon as the students hopped off the bus at the beautiful Long Forest, they relaxed into the rural environment and began what would be three action packed days full of friendship, learning, challenges and accomplishments.

The Year 3 students at Camp Sunnystones.

Prior to camp, each student had set herself a personal goal. This gave the girls something to strive towards, and throughout the Camp, we were delighted to hear the girls excitedly, and with great surprise, inform us about how they had reached their goal. Whether it was falling asleep on their own, not missing home too much, taking part in an activity that was new or making new friends – their sense of pride was overwhelming. This success allows our students to develop belief in themselves and a greater self-confidence.

Year 3 students working together at Camp Sunnystones.

As is often heard around Barbreck and beyond “Sunnystones is the best camp ever” and this year it did not let us down. Students and staff all returned home with funny anecdotes, a deeper understanding of each other and a wonderment of all that was experienced.

Below are a few student reflections of their time at Camp Sunnystones.

Hut building was my camp highlight because I got to know my friends differently. We worked together to create a magnificent and waterproof hut! My goal was to get to sleep without distracting others. I achieved my goal with the help of the teachers. At next year’s camp, I will know that it is okay if you are scared because the teachers are always there for you. The teachers were kind, respectful, caring and very good at calming me down! – Hemin (Michelle) Zhang.

Camp was outstanding because I loved playing and spending time with my friends. This surprised me because before camp, I was not sure who would play with who. I played and did so many amazing activities with different people in each cabin. I achieved my goal, which was to try to go to sleep on my own, because often I cannot do this when I am away from home. I felt proud of myself and I now know that you do not need to be nervous because the teachers and the people in my cabin made me feel better. – Mia’Chanel Kelly.

Anabelle Ranchod, Emily Venema, Alie Belan and Alexia Chatfield on the night walk.

Camp was really fun because we played an amazing game called The Survival Game, I loved the way the herbivores won even though I wanted to be a germ because they could steal everyone else’s tag! Before camp, my goal was to become better friends with at least three different people. I learned some funny things about other people and got to know my friends and teachers much better. – Holly Farrer.

A highlight of Camp Sunnystones for me was hut building. I loved working with people that I hardly knew – I never knew Jessica could carry a tree stump that was so big and heavy. We managed to make an amazing hut from a small tree sticking out of the ground. A lowlight was getting a splinter! When I returned from camp I was exhausted but I felt I had got to know people in different ways and that so many of the girls were very funny! – Coco Lutz.

Camp Sunnystones was spectacular. The food was great and we even had a dance party! Archery was one of my highlights and I almost hit the bullseye. That was my goal before camp as it was something that I had always wanted to achieve and I felt happy and successful afterwards. Hut building was also wonderful, although it started raining so we could not test if they were water proof. – Emily Venema.

Hut building at Camp Sunnystones.

I had a brilliant time at camp. My favourite activity was The Survival Game, I really wanted to be a carnivore and I happened to be one! I achieved my goal at camp which was to get to know more people in a different way. I loved my cabin and I now can say I know people a lot better and what they are like. – Alie Belan.

Ms Simone Schilte, Year 3 Teacher

Geography of Asia

The girls in Year 6 have been learning about the Geography of Asia. First, they revisited all the continents and identified where Asia is on the map. The girls practised their research skills and learnt to accurately label a map by identifying the countries in Asia. They practised their skills of reading and interpreting tables, comparing data and drawing conclusions from the information. The girls continued researching different flags of Asian countries, finding out about the symbolism of the different parts and colours of each flag.

Chloe Barber and Harriet Syme.

“I think it has been really fun learning about Geography. I discovered countries in Asia I never even knew existed. I have also discovered there are lots of new languages that I did not know existed before.” – Elisa Wang.

“It was interesting to see how many countries there were in Asia as I did not know there were that many. It was also interesting learning about the symbolism of the different flags.” – Mietta Jenkins.

Ms Yu-Chun Wang, Year 6 Teacher