Dear Parents and Carers,
These last few weeks have seen some exciting developments from both our building sites. Last week the new grass area on the oval was opened up for the first time for our students to use and play ball sports. It created a real sense of excitement as the children rushed out to be the first to run across to the other side. This space has been well received by all, especially our older students as it now allows the students an opportunity to play a game of soccer. Now we wait for the completion of the Basketball/Netball court, which will be a very important piece in the development of the multisport space.
This week saw the removal of all the temporary fencing around the hall and the top yard (adventure play space). The students now have access to the Hall and the new breezeway space, allowing them the use of the student services entrance again for easy access to the front office.
The next stage will be to open the front entrance to families along the new promenade from Magill Road, allowing for great access to the front office and the school.
Watch out for the new grass going in and the start of the play equipment.
Outdoor Education – School Camps
Recently our Year 3/4 classes attended a camp to Hindmarsh Island. This was an overnight experience for the children with many outdoor activities including horse riding, orienteering, making butter and feeding the farm animals. We have a strong outdoor education program at our school with a camp run each year from students in Year 3 through to those in Year 6. This allows our students the opportunity to have four different camp experiences throughout their time at our school.
This year our Year 5 students will be attending a 3-day camp at Woodhouse Activity Centre and our Year 6 students will be attending a four-day trip to Kangaroo Island. In future years we hope to bring back our Year 6 Trip to Canberra as the restrictions ease. The trip to Canberra has been a big part of our Year 6 Leadership program and is a wonderful week, full of many educational experiences, including visiting the War Memorial, Parliament House, The Australian Institute of Sport and many other great venues that are link to the curriculum.
Each year the students build on their previous camp experiences and this assists with building their confidence and developing their knowledge about the world around them.
A few of the benefits of school camps are:
Encouraging independence
School camps can sometimes be the first time the students have been away from their comfort zone or safety net. Camps provide an opportunity for students to begin to take care of themselves, creating responsibilities and managing decisions in a safe and nurturing environment that will see them grow and develop their identity and sense of self over the course of their stay.
The building blocks to self-confidence
School camps encourage student participation in a wide selection of activities; each way they turn they are bound to discover another exciting activity. Self-confidence is enhanced as students are able to achieve and succeed in activities both independently and as a team. Camps provide encouragement, acceptance, support and a ‘can do' attitude that enhances students ability to achieve a heightened self-confidence.
Stimulating students’ creative wild side
One of the many benefits of school camps is stimulating students’ creative wild side, placing them into nature, away from their digital devices and the overwhelming amount of social media. It is important to encourage creative minds to run free.
The benefits are endless and the rewards are life changing for students as they create life-long memories of their time here at St Joseph’s School Tranmere.
Transition Morning
Today we welcomed six new students to our school through our Little Stars Program. These mid-Year Reception students and their families were able to gather in our new multipurpose/OSHC space and have a chance to meet each other and begin their school journey. The children will have two more opportunities to transition into the school over the next two weeks and start school in Term 3. We welcome them and their families in to our school community.
Kind regards
Adrian Grbin
Social