Growth, Grit & Good Times at Senior Camp
Anglesea was a blast, the activities were fun;
We started with ‘beach carnival’, the Green Team won!
We ran relays, built sandcastles and competed in a tug of war;
The Seniors were strong, however the teachers were poor!
The first night we played ‘minute to win it’ and laughed with our mates;
potato races, stacking marshmallows and walking the catwalk were great!
One late night, we walked in nature with torches, beanies and coats;
Mr Costin lead the tour and with his bush facts he did gloat
We canoed, splashed others, rode bikes and climbed upon crates;
We shot arrows like Robin Hood (See Below) and in team challenges, learnt our fate
We were challenged, we were determined, we showed some real grit;
We stretched our comfort zone, supported others to make camp 2025 a real hit!
Thanks for the good times, challenges, adventure and feelings of glee;
Awesome memories were made, thank you ,YMCA camp Anglesea!
The Bird Has Arms Comes to Life at Holy Spirit Primary
What an incredible performance we all experienced as a whole school group last Friday!
The children were treated to a whole-school incursion with a company called Bring Books to Life—and I have to say, that is exactly what occurred on that wintry afternoon.
The book that was brought to life was That Bird Has Arms.
Tony, the performer, appeared larger than life, dressed in a bird costume and accompanied by shadow puppets, interactive screens, music, plenty of props, and a handful of puppets. It was loud, it was fun, it was hugely interactive—and it made us giggle and laugh out loud for a full hour.
An absolute assault on the senses—in the very best way!
At times, volunteers from the audience were begging to be chosen to assist on stage. There were brain breaks that required arms flapping, tail feathers wiggling and so much more. The book was definitely brought to life, highlighting the wit and clever writing of the authors, engaging both students and teachers alike.
The message about difference and identity was made very clear. It reminded us of the importance of recognising that:
“What sets you apart is what makes you strong, and it’s about pride in your own uniqueness.”
- A special shout-out goes to the volunteer performers:
- Maria S – (Dove, aka Dove skin care)
- Olivia – (Seagull, aka fish & chips stealer)
- Jack O – (Miner bird)
- Harper – (Swift, aka Taylor Swift)
- Chloe – (Homing pigeon)
- George – (Magpie, Collingwood supporter)
What a fantastic afternoon we all had!
Please enjoy a reading of the book ‘That Bird Has Arms’ by Olivia in Grade 5
💡Spotlight on Italian
This term in Italian, students from Foundation to Year 6 have been exploring the vibrant tradition of Carnevale in Italy.
As part of this unit, Year 5 student Poppy created a thoughtful and creative project that beautifully captures the spirit and magic of Carnevale.
Her work is a personal response to a documentary viewed in class and reflects her deep engagement with the topic.
– Signora Angela
As part of our Carnevale unit, the Italian and Art programs have come together in a wonderful cross-curricular collaboration.
While students explored the history and traditions of Carnevale in their Italian lessons, Ms Phelan guided them in bringing the celebration to life through creative expression in Art. The results are truly outstanding and showcase the students’ enthusiasm and talent.
– Signora Angela and Ms Phelan
Changes to Reports for Mathematics
For many years now, students’ achievements in Mathematics have been reported to parents, twice a year, using three strands of Maths learning: Number & Algebra, Measurement & Geometry and Statistics & Probability. Each student received three separate assessments of their achievement and progress in Maths.
The report looked like this (an example from Grade One 2024). The black dot shows where the child is judged to be now, the white dot shows where they were 6 months earlier and the dotted line marks their progress.
From 2025, as the new Victorian Maths Curriculum Version 2 is introduced, the way in which Mathematics is reported will change. There will just be a single judgement of the standard each child has reached in Mathematics as a whole, rather than three separate grades.
The written section of the report will still give you some details of each students’ achievements in the topics that have been studied in the semester, but this won’t involve separate marks for each area of Maths.
Because of this change, Mathematics will be reported using a single ‘black dot’ this semester. There will be no ‘white dot’ to show their achievement level from last year, and so no progress will be shown on the report. The change in achievement, and student progress, will be shown again in the Semester Two reports.
As Number makes up over half of the primary school Mathematics curriculum, the new single mark for Mathematics will probably be close to the level that students achieved in the Number and Algebra strand in previous reports.
General Messages
School Closure Day
A reminder that there will be no school for the children on Friday June 20th as the staff will be involved in professional development.
Volunteer Needed
Emma Maguire, Liv in Year 6’s mum, has been organising the Scholastic Book Club for the last few years. As Liv will be moving on to secondary school next year and Emma will no longer have children at Holy Spirit, we are looking for a volunteer to take over. If you are interested, please let the office staff know so that Emma can show you what’s involved during the last two editions for 2025.
Long-term Absences
If your child/children will be away for an extended period of time, could you please email the information, including dates, to the office. If you could do this as soon as your holiday dates are finalised, that would be greatly appreciated.