Month: September 2019

Coming soon at Strathmore Primary School…

We are pleased to display the following renders of the new playground to be installed in Term 4 of 2019!

The playground will be built and installed by KOMPAN, the company with whom the school won a 50% match-funding grant to add up to $30,000 in addition to the funds spent on equipment by the school.  The delivery of a new playground is as a result of a fantastic sustained effort from Parents Club in terms of organising fundraisers over the last few years in order to build an amount of money that will provide exceptional new facilities. The school would like to thank all parents who contributed to the Playground Survey in Term 2, which has helped with planning and selection of equipment that delivers the play values of:

  • Generating excitement, curiosity and creativity 
  • Development of physical skills 
  • Providing challenge and opportunities to develop resilience and confidence 
  • Inclusiveness and accessibility and provision of opportunities for interaction with a wide range of school peers 
  • Development of social skills 

Thanks must go to parents who have supported Parents Club with these efforts, as well as the families to have contributed to fundraising. Thanks must also go to School Council, who have participated in the process by assessing quotes, considering feedback from the community survey and considering the various options of providers and equipment available. 

The playground will be located on the Lloyd Street side of the school, at the end of the basketball court near the portable that is currently used by Their Care for the out-of-school-hours care program. It is anticipated that the playground will be installed in November. 

Strathmore Primary School

Welcome

Welcome to our blog. Together, the Strathmore Primary School community will promote a commitment to lifelong learning. Through a stimulating and challenging environment, the school will empower its students to reach their potential and become caring and productive members of an ever-changing world.

Clay Play in the Art Room!

This Art this term students are learning about ‘Clay’ and have been having lots of fun exploring this medium. Who would have thought that penne pasta could make such pretty pattern in a slab of clay? Or that Grandma’s old doilies could create such a beautiful texture?

Junior students are getting the hang of rolling the clay into a slab that has the thickness of a ‘choc chip cookie’ (or any cookie you like really!) and using different implements to create patterns in the clay.

Senior students have also had fun learning the ‘Slip, Score and Smooth’ method to attach two bits of clay together.

We have also had the opportunity to test out our clay sink which is a new addition to the art room and makes cleaning up a whole lot easier!!

Big Write 

The Grade 2 students are currently in their 3rd year of VCOP. The Grade 2 teachers have really enjoyed reading the creative writing that our students have been producing over the year. Students are consistently engaged and excited by the weekly topics. We have watched them grow in their confidence in their writing and wanting to share their work. Here are some of the great pieces that we have enjoyed!

Grade 4 Camp

During Week 6 of Term 3, the Grade 4 students had a fantastic experience attending Camp Weekaway in Benloch. After a short bus trip up the highway, students settled into their cabins and then were organised into the activity groups for the duration of the camp. 

There was a buzz of excited energy as the students eagerly awaited the first of many activities. Over the next two days, many students stepped outside of their comfort zones and demonstrated their courage and team-work skills by participating in many new experiences. These included canoeing, the initiatives course, damper making, orienteering, the low ropes course, hut building and the flying fox. 

There was also plenty to do at night time. After expending so much energy during the day’s activities, the hungry children enjoyed hearty meals of delicious lasagna and roast beef. After the duty groups had cleared the tables and washed the dishes, it was time to rug up and enjoy the outdoors at night. Children had an opportunity to roast marshmallows by the campfire before going on a bush walk. On the bush walk students searched for animals, went stargazing and learnt about the importance of bushfire to the regeneration of the Australian bush. The second night was much more relaxing with the Grade 4’s enjoying the movie Flubber before heading to bed. 

Over the 3 days, the Grade 4’s spent a lot of time walking around the camp grounds. We saw many native animals around the campsite including kangaroos with joeys, rosellas, kookaburras and the resident echidna named Spike. When they walked quietly they could also hear frogs croaking in the small creek.

After packing our bags, cleaning the cabins and going on our final bush walk, the children climbed back on the bus. On the way home, we stopped at Hanging Rock but unfortunately we were unable to hike up Hanging Rock due to strong winds. We enjoyed a nice picnic lunch at the base and learnt about the history of Hanging Rock in the Discovery Center. Even though we couldn’t climb the rock we ventured out onto the Hanging Rock racecourse to see the top of Hanging Rock. The bus trip back to school was very quiet, with students quietly talking about their experiences from camp. 

Thank-you to the parent helpers and teachers who volunteered their time to assist with camp.

Below are some photos from our time at Camp Weekaway. There are more photos displayed in each classroom. If you are at school at the end of the day, please come in and look at the photos. The children have also written about their time at camp and we have also included some of these for you to read. 

Kind regards,

The Grade 4 Team

Foundation Fun in Term 3

Our Foundation students have had a wonderful Term 3. We have engaged in many new learning opportunities across our Numeracy and Literacy areas, as well as our exciting Inquiry unit ‘Living Things’.

Visit from Bunnings Warehouse

Earlier in the term, our Foundation students had the pleasure of working alongside Bunning’s team members to explore the Inquiry unit ‘Living Things’. Students participated in three (very hands-on) rotations to discover how nature represents itself as a ‘living thing’. Students asked valuable questions during the experience and made connections through learning about the life cycle of plants, flowers and trees. 

Direct experiences included: 

Planting a Seed…

Have any of your seeds sprouted at home? 😊

Flowers to Fruit…

Foundation students had the best time filling the pots with soil in an ‘Amazing Race’ competition style. These deciduous fruit trees live just outside the Foundation wing where we can easily observe them. Two have just started to flower! Maybe we will have some fruit later in the year?

Garden Project…

All hands on deck here! Foundation students take great pride in this area, so imagine how lush and beautiful this garden section will look when our students are in Grade 5/6.