During this term students in the Upper School have been continuing their work on "Community". Many students are now up to the Action stage of Inquiry so there has been many exciting project ideas coming to fruition. Several groups of students have been involved in making links with the community in a variety of ways:

Group crocheting blankets for sick babies at The Royal Children's Hospital.

A poppet head being made for our Community Garden.

A group of boys and parents making artwork for the Community Garden.

A group of boys who developed a football clinic for Middle School students.

A group of boys developing a computer programming club for Middle School students.

More artwork for the Community Garden - our scarecrow Tim.

Signs being made for the Community Garden.

A big THANK YOU to all the parents and helpers who have assisted and supported our Community Inquiry so far :).

Athletics Day

Ready, Set, Go!

Teachers Vs kids.

Whole school tunnel ball competition.

CAMP PHOTOS

Students had a fantastic time on camp. Everyone was brilliantly behaved and tried their best at each of the activities. Well done guys and thanks for a great camp.

NAPLAN Testing

The grade 5 students have completed their final NAPLAN test today. Students worked so well during this time and should be congratulated on their hard work, concentration and persistence. Students sat tests in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions and Mathematics.

WELL DONE GRADE 5S!

CAMP LAKE NILLAHCOOTIE 2010

NEXT WEEK IS CAMP.
GRADE 5 DEPARTURE DATE: Tuesday April 27 RETURN DATE: Thursday April 29
GRADE 6 DEPARTURE DATE: Wednesday 28 RETURN DATE: Friday April 30
Buses have been booked to depart school at 8.30am on each departure date. This allows us to free up the school car park before the 8.45am rush. Children have been asked to be at school between 8.00am and 8.15am. Children will meet teachers on the basketball court with bags.
Parents with children taking medication need to meet Mrs Bird (5s) or Mrs Trotter (6s) in the Upper School Building prior to 8.15am on departure day to hand over medication. This needs to include clear dosage instructions.
Children will need their morning tea and lunch in a bag separate to their luggage. This will travel with the children on the bus. Camp groups will aim to return between 3.45pm and 4.00pm to again avoid car park traffic. If you have any questions please contact an Upper School teacher.

Today Upper School students enjoyed a "Community Expo" where a variety of groups came to visit and talk about their role in the community. We were lucky enough to have volunteers visit from the Scouts, Youth Services, Rotary, the Lions Club, the Nillumbik Library, the CFA, the Nillumbik Living and Learning Centre, the Banyule Volunteers and the Diamond Valley Traders. Our guest speakers responded to questions from the students. The morning was enjoyed by all involved.

Term 2

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a nice Easter break.

Term 2 is shaping up to be a very busy term. Upper School students will be heading off to camp in week 3. We are heading up to Lake Nillahcootie which is near Mansfield. I suggest everyone brings VERY warm clothes & PJs because I suspect it is going to be cold. Lake Nillahcootie is a fantastic camp. Students participate in a variety of adventure activities including, canoeing, abseiling & climbing wall, team challenges, obstacle course, flying fox and archery.

We are currently asking parents to complete medical forms and finalise payments to assist with the organisation of this camp. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Upper School Excursion Term 1

On Monday all of the Upper School students went on an excursion to learn more about groups within the community. Students visited the community radio station 3RRR and the community gardens in St Kilda - Veg Out.

Swimming Carnival

Yesterday the Grade 6 Leaders were lucky enough to participate in a Leadership Conference. They were visited by the Senior Sergeant of the Diamond Creek Police and the Captain of the Christmas Hills CFA to discuss the importance of leadership in their workplaces. Students were also shown the new leadership badges that they have the opportunity to earn throughout the year. There are nine badges: The Listener, The Supporter, The Role Model, The Decision Maker, The Organiser, The Initiator, The Delegator, The Encourager and The Communicator.

USPO have made a fantastic start to the year. The grade fives have settled into the Upper School building very well and the grade 6 students have already displayed good leadership skills and kindness towards their Prep Buddies. During our first week back we have been focussing on establishing positive relationships and learning habits via the "Foundations Program".

Welcome to USPOs blog spot

Welcome back to Upper School for 2010! All classes this year are going to have their own blog, so welcome to our very own class blog spot. I hope everyone had fantastic holidays and are ready for an exciting year of learning and growing together.

Miss Poort