Junior School Report
August 4, 2020
By Mr Gavin Webb, Director of the Junior School
Prior to the news of a return to remote learning on Sunday I had written the Junior School Crest report on Friday afternoon (July 31). Please read below my thoughts on the first three weeks of term.
The first few weeks of Term 3 has absolutely flown by, which means everyone has been very busy and are enjoying themselves! The majority of boys have settled back into the day to day routine of life at SPC by being punctual, well presented, organised and ready to learn. Staff have commented on their observations of new friendships developing in the classroom and yard, boys taking greater responsibility for their actions and implementing new strategies to stay on task and get class and homework completed on time.
Thank you to all families who have supported the wearing of masks to school, it is becoming the new norm, and this is only a small way of doing our bit for the cause!
Your son will have setbacks and disappointments from time to time and part of growing up and developing is being able to persevere, bounce back and show some grit, in order to learn from mistakes and disappointments. Teacher feedback on reports and tests/assignments should be taken on board and not seen as “this is what the teacher thinks of me”, as educators we are passing comment on where your son is currently at in their development with a particular topic or subject. We understand that everyone has different talents and abilities and that some develop earlier and at a quicker rate than others, true effort is what counts. As teachers we do not get to see the “final product” or fully developed adult version of your 13-year-old son….and that is ok. We do take great pride though in being part of the journey your son walks for six years at SPC with us. In addition to this the College appreciates all interactions we have from home, be it a phone call, email or face to face meeting, as this can only increase the chance of your son having success.
Reports and P/T/I’s
By now you would have read and had a chance to discuss with your son his Semester 1 Report. You are welcome to make contact with teachers by phone or email if you have any pressing issues, please note though that Parent/Teacher/Students Interviews will take place in week six. There will be more specific information to come as to how these will function.
Return to remote learning
As disappointing as it is that SPC is returning to remote learning, with the rest of the State, we must all take this challenge on with an open mind and heart and the required amount of resilience. There isn’t really any other choice! We certainly all learnt plenty in Term 2, whilst learning and teaching from home. These lessons will hold us all in good stead for the next six weeks. I can not stress enough the importance of communicating with your son at home and with the College if the need arises. No question is too big or small, the concern may be subject related, from a wellbeing perspective, IT or purely a logistical one around attending school. Official correspondence will be emailed, put on the College website and/or Facebook page in due course, notably when new information presents. Thank you in advance for all that you do and are doing to support your son’s education and time at SPC.
An afternoon of “activity”
Last Wednesday and Thursday saw the Junior School participate in an afternoon of “activity” instead of being in normal timetabled classes. It was great to see all the boys doing something they love, activities included basketball, soccer, football, table tennis, board games and eGames. Thank you to the staff who coordinated an activity and to Ms Tina Benoit (Head of Sport), Jess Hawken and Cooper Andrews (HaPE), who did a power of work before the day ensuring all would run smoothly. Upon our return to onsite learning (potentially Term 4) we will look to run similar afternoons, the boys and staff certainly enjoyed the occasion.
Australian Mathematics Competition
Well done to the following boys who have entered the Australian Mathematics competition, which was to be held on Thursday, August 6. At the time of writing I am unsure if this will go ahead? Well done to all.
| Year | Surname | First Name |
| 7 | Armati | Indi |
| 7 | Bowman | Taj |
| 7 | Bridges | Jacob |
| 7 | Busscher | Haymish |
| 7 | Clifford | Cooper |
| 7 | Coelho | Jensen |
| 7 | Collard | Xander |
| 7 | Coulter | Taj |
| 7 | Ebbels | Henry |
| 7 | Elliot | Charlie |
| 7 | Ellul | Ethan |
| 7 | Farrington | Oscar |
| 7 | Faulkner | Henry |
| 7 | Guljas | Lucas |
| 7 | Hari | Amal |
| 7 | Jeffery | Blake |
| 7 | Kerr | Noah |
| 7 | Kimber | Oskar |
| 7 | Koleski | Logan |
| 7 | Lawlor | Levi |
| 7 | Liem | Tessie |
| 7 | Lillyst | Jackamos |
| 7 | McDougall | Aidan |
| 7 | McEldrew | Liam |
| 7 | Molan | Fraser |
| 7 | Morrison | Christian |
| 7 | Nunn | Zavier |
| 7 | Pring | Zane |
| 7 | Reinehr | Henry |
| 7 | Riding | Lachie |
| 7 | Romeo | Angus |
| 7 | Ruyg | Nic |
| 7 | Smith | Flynn |
| 7 | Sutherland | Harry |
| 7 | Wang | Zhen |
| 7 | Ward | Lenny |
| 7 | Warland | Lachie |
| 7 | Williams | Kayden |
| 7 | Wong | Paco |
| 8 | Barnett | Sam |
| 8 | Bellwood | Cooper |
| 8 | Bennet | Nedd |
| 8 | Bennetts | Jack |
| 8 | Buckland | Tim |
| 8 | Carey | Hamish |
| 8 | Cosway | Zac |
| 8 | Cowan | Tyler |
| 8 | Davis | Flynn |
| 8 | Duggan | Sam |
| 8 | Elliott | Joseph |
| 8 | Fletcher | Harry |
| 8 | Folkes | Oskar |
| 8 | Freeman | Gabe |
| 8 | Funina | Nicholas |
| 8 | Gray | Josh |
| 8 | Greenshields | Oscar |
| 8 | Hand | Charlton |
| 8 | Hansen | Sam |
| 8 | Hansen | John |
| 8 | Hodge | Lachlan |
| 8 | Jayasooriya | Thisen |
| 8 | Kaletsch | Oskar |
| 8 | Kan | Nicholas |
| 8 | Koleski | Zach |
| 8 | Martin | Lucas |
| 8 | Morrison | Liam |
| 8 | Nairn | Hnter |
| 8 | Namtho | Guy |
| 8 | O’Brien | Paddy |
| 8 | O’Loughlin | Mason |
| 8 | Parkinson | James |
| 8 | Parser | Eoghan |
| 8 | Pearse | Toby |
| 8 | Pluck | Liam |
| 8 | Pritchard | Lachie |
| 8 | Quick | Noah |
| 8 | Reardon | Brodie |
| 8 | Robinson | Harry |
| 8 | Rutherford | Zane |
| 8 | Scrivener | Brodie |
| 8 | Simpson | Hayden |
| 8 | Smail | Flynn |
| 8 | Stephens | Jonathan |
| 8 | Stute | Tom |
| 8 | Vanson | Lachlan |
| 8 | Webber | Nixon |
| 8 | Whinney | Xander |
| 8 | Williamson | Jack |
Key dates
The College calendar is very fluid at the moment to say the least! Please continue to keep an eye out on the College’s website and Facebook page for official correspondence, as well as your emails.
Monday, Aug 17 – Student free day, staff PD.
Tuesday, August 18 – P/T/I’s
Wednesday, August 19 – P/T/I’s (More details to come)
Thursday, August 20 – P/T/I’s
Stay safe!
Regards,
Mr Gavin Webb
Director of Junior School
