The Primaries

Primaries

In 2008 the Primary unit has been a hive of activity. The day begins with up to an hour of travel for some students from different parts of Melbourne. Students then begin their day with a religious education focus followed by literacy and numeracy activities. The three classes present different areas of integrated curriculum which connect learning with life and give students opportunities to work with different groups, at different levels. All classes attend the Fishbowl weekly for the “Mathletics” program and participate in a variety of activities in the school library. Students are involved in weekly music lessons, drama, art, Italian, physical education and French lessons. The “Rock and Water” program presented by Mr David Hale gives students skills in resiliency and relationships. A highlight for the primary area has been the annual Year 5 “rocket program” which culminates in a special day at the Caulfield racecourse, where students see their rocket launched by Mr Curran. Year 6 have started using the Arts and Technology area of the school with a focus on drawing and printmaking in art and a specific woodwork program in the technology room. All Primary staff have attended relevant Professional Development sessions during the year in literacy, numeracy and the new Primary Connections government science initiative. Mr Tim Curran has continued to organise a high quality sports program. A highlight has been the Round Robin days with Catholic Primary Schools in netball, soccer and T–ball. Primary students participated in the school’s Cross Country and the annual Swimming and athletics carnivals. Inter-school sport has given students an opportunity to participate in team games against Catholic Primary Schools within the region. In athletics, students had the opportunity to participate in different events at different levels and Nick Edwards (Year 6 100m/200m sprint) and Henry Smith (Year 6 high jump) reached the state championships. I would like to thank all staff associated with the Primary team for their expertise and creative teaching. The AFL trainees in Tyson Parker, Beau Hill and Matthew Peterson have been a great support to the primary camping and sports program. I must mention Mr Tim Curran (Year 5) and Mr Terry Atkins (Year 4) for their support and participation in developing and promoting strong Lasallian values in the Primary unit in 2008. A special thanks to Mrs Adrienne Moran for providing a smooth transition into my role for the second semester.

Mr Ray Leetham Grade 6/Primary Coordinator