We’ve enjoyed a terrific finale to Term 3 with our Junior School Musical – Finding Nemo Jr. This event will be a highlight of the year for our community and a memorable moment for the families directly involved.
All students from Years 3 to 6 played a role in the performance which we feel is an important feature of this event. We believe all students should enjoy the opportunity to experience a broad range of activities during their Junior Years and a musical is a unique experience they will reflect back on fondly for many years.
For those with a lead role (there was a large lead cast) this was a lengthy commitment from auditions in Term 1 through to rehearsals across both Terms 2 and 3. Their performances were exceptional, truly a joy to watch in each show. For the broader cast members across Years 3 to 6 they too were committed to rehearsals throughout Term 3 and delivered brilliant performances that made the show ‘sparkle’ in each scene.
Performing arts develops a student’s voice, acting and body movement, organisation and teamwork, while gently stretching their comfort zones through performance. We are immensely proud of the students and their efforts in preparing for this musical. Over three days with four shows our boys delivered captivating performances with everyone in the audience thoroughly enjoying the occasion.
Our heartfelt thanks to all who have contributed to this wonderful event. Our Parents and Friends' Supporters groups, Grammar Art Show and Supporters of the Arts (SOTA), a large group of parents assisting with make-up preparations, props and set designs. Mrs Lydia Fleming (Junior School parent) made a significant number of the costumes for the performers which really made for a spectacular presence on stage. All the Junior School staff have been tremendous in their support throughout the musical assisting in every area of the production from rehearsals to back-stage, make-up, sets etc… it’s a long list. A special thank you to Musical Directors Mrs Kellie Dixon and Mrs Jess Galbraith for their lead in designing this event and their combined efforts in bringing this musical to life so beautifully.
Another wonderful event recently has been the Under 5-8 House Swimming Carnival. Mr Doherty's Sports article will detail all the results and achievements from our impressive swimmers. I will share though how fantastic it is to see our youngest swimmers showcasing their development after the year of 'Learn to Swim' sessions in our Aquatic Centre. It's terrific to see the boys enjoying their swimming and feeling very proud of their progress.
Please also read the Blue and Gold article from our Teacher Librarian - Mrs Worthington, she details the exceptional achievement of our Readers Cup team at the State Championships held in Brisbane last week. After winning the Darling Downs event, our readers prepared for the State Championship with a whole new set of books to research. They've done a tremendous job and can be very proud of their accomplishments.
Reflecting back on Term 3 we certainly covered a great deal.
- Eisteddfod instrumental performances
- Representative sports including athletics, cross country, rugby and football
- Book Week
- Readers Cup
- Father’s Day
- House Games and U5-8 Swimming Carnival
- Musical
- Parent/teacher meetings
All of this of course happens around the core learnings each day, where students have made great progress across the term. As a practice, at the end of each term our teachers summarise their class literacy and numeracy results for progress reports internally to assist in the planning and preparation for the term ahead. It’s always a reaffirming process to see the development of individuals and groups have collectively made. Parent/teacher meetings were held earlier in the term this year because of the musical at the end of term and this was a lovely opportunity to review the Semester 1 report. Parents are welcome though to check-in with their son’s class teacher if they would like an update on a particular aspect of their learning that was a core focus for them at the parent/teacher meetings. Particularly in the areas of spelling and maths there are end of term progress summaries that teachers can share.
Looking ahead, Term 4 has its own special moments to enjoy with:
- Market day, activities organised by Year 6 for the Junior School to enjoy
- Twilight concert, class performances from Prep to Year 6
- Picnic Day, celebration of the year outings for each cohort
- Speech Day, our recognition of achievement from the year as a Junior School
And lots of smaller occasions specific to each cohort.
Preparations for 2025
Our preparations for 2025 have commenced. Teachers and the Diverse Learning team are beginning to build class lists for 2025. Classes are composed factoring the range of student learning needs and abilities, pastoral and social supports in a balanced manner across the cohort. If your son has specific needs that you would like us to be mindful of, that the Diverse Learning Team may not already be aware of, you are welcome to email Mrs Chantelle Bauer – Deputy Head of Junior School Teaching and Learning with these details for us to consider in our process. Teachers and the Diverse Learning Team carefully consider class composition to cater for each students learning needs. Once the class lists are generated, we will inform each family of the class their child is in for 2025 in readiness for transition day in the final week of this Term 4. This enables both students and teachers to be familiar with each other, the classroom and features of the year ahead prior to the holiday break.
Our sincere thanks for a wonderful Term 3. Your support of our events, occasions and day-to-day learning program is immensely valued and is a significant part of why our occasions are so successful and enjoyable for everyone.
Enjoy a thoroughly restful break period ahead and we look forward to an exciting final term for the year.
Ken Raven
Head of Junior School
