Primary News

Greetings parents, caregivers and community members, from the Primary School here at ACC. We are enjoying the wonderful weather that Autumn brings in Albany. The early morning sunrises over King George Sound make it very easy to start the day with praising the Lord. 

The early morning ACC Run Club at Collingwood Oval has enjoyed rain free training sessions and the latest beep test results show students taking ownership of their fitness, with most beating their personal best from last term.

Our swimmers (Years 5 and 6) have relished the warmer water even though it is a little green from the recent downpour. Our swimmers readied themselves to participate at the ACC Surf Life Saving Carnival on Wednesday of this week. This event was the brainwave of some valued staff members to address the low confidence of many of our students in swimming in the sea. We felt this was such a shame as we have the world’s best playground at our fingertips here in Albany. For some, skills for getting through waves were needed, for others seaweed and what may live in the sea, and for students like me, deep dark water. I have been so impressed with the program designed by Lewis Sinclair and Rachel Bresanello that encourages and pushes students to confront fears and build their self-confidence. The program builds teamwork and class morale as the students encourage everyone to complete the races. I have been very impressed with this camaraderie.

This fortnight we are focussing on the value of Initiative. This is the forth value of our CHRIST set of values. These stand for Courage, Humility, Respect, Initiative, Self-Control and Trust. Initiative can be displayed by being a peacemaker in the playground. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God." Matthew 5:9

Our CHRIST Value Award recipients for this month are:

Respect - Nathaniel, Mila, Ellena, Milly, Lexis, Brianna Z, Bentley

Initiative - Mila

Self Control - Luca, Jarius and Steven

Children’s University

Natalie Jervis, coordinator of the Children’s University attended our school to launch the initiative. Parents who attended learned that the project is international, and that we will be a part of the Australasian division. The 25 students shared their interests, which were varied and diverse. They were excited to start and full of energy as displayed in the photo below!

The Children’s University students will complete 30 hours of out-of-school learning to graduate in Term 4. Emmanuel had fun dressing in the traditional graduation accessories in anticipation.

NAPLAN Fun

The Year 3 and 5 classes completed the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy in Weeks 6 and 7. I was very pleased with the calmness and confidence that our students displayed across the 4 assessments. To help keep spirits high we arranged moments of fun amongst the schedule. Year 3 had a surprise visit from the Fire and Rescue Services, where they learnt what the fire brigade do and how they can be involved later in their lives. Both classes enjoyed a local fruit platter, beautifully prepared by Mrs Mahinay. Overall, I was very impressed with the dedication and perseverance the students demonstrated.

New Playground

Earlier this year, we were fortunate to receive an Australian Independent Schools WA small-scale grant. Through our data analysis and quality improvement process, we identified a key area for development: fundamental movement skills. One such skill we focused on was cross-patterning and hanging. To support this, we determined that our early childhood playground needed a swing and monkey bars. Additionally, three trike cars were purchased, as they promote leg strength and steering skills.

The children have been thrilled to watch the progress as Mr Pirga and Mr De Lucia work to install the new playground equipment. Many were eager to try the monkey bars, only to discover there’s quite a bit of learning involved. Much laughter ensued as a few teachers demonstrated how to cross the short equipment, legs bent, in an attempt to get across the bars.

Cross-patterning, or cross-lateral movement, involves using opposite limbs (arm and leg) simultaneously, engaging both brain hemispheres and enhancing coordination, balance, and overall brain function. This vital movement, which is also present in activities like crawling, ladder climbing, and hand pedaling, plays an essential role in neural pathway development from birth.

I look forward to seeing our Kindergarten and Pre-Primary students grow in confidence as they navigate the "crocodile river" under the monkey bars.