Last week was CANTEEN week which celebrates our valuable canteen staff and volunteers. We were given some beautiful cards and pictures by some of the classes in the school which made us feel special and we thank them for their wonderful efforts. We have them displayed on the walls inside the canteen (as below). Please feel free to drop into the canteen to see for yourselves, you are very welcome.

Have a great weekend.

Anita, Ann & Kerry

Just a quick reminder about the importance of keeping your child at home when they're feeling unwell. There is a lot of illness in our community at the moment, which spreads quickly amongst students and teachers and impacts the learning environment. If your children are unwell, staying at home helps them recover more quickly, and also protects our school community. Thank you for your understanding and support!

State Australian Rules Football Carnival

Congratulations to Lucas A, Nate G, Jonah S, Tyler H, Edward F and Jimmy A for their 2^nd place finish at the State Football Carnival in Week 5.

Australian Rules Football

Our boys side travelled to Hectorville Sports Club on Tuesday June 4^th to play their first round matches against Highgate School and Magill School. Under coach Lachlan Norman the boys played tremendously winning both matches and showed excellent teamwork with everyone kicking a goal by the end of the day. We now look forward to our second round match up later in the term.

Mitcham 20.10. 130 v Highgate 0.1 1

Mitcham 26.11. 167 v Magill 0.0. 0

Clint Rowland - PE Teacher

Wow! What a surprise for the year 2 basketball team.

Adelaide 36'ers legend Mark Davis came out to training to give the team some tips for their first basketball season and share some of his experiences.

This was an amazing experience for all the players, who are all enjoying playing basketball. 

In week 10 of last term, year 5 students attended Mitcham Girls High School to view their Year 11 drama performance, Candy Dreams. We visited again recently, in Week 6, this time to view Mean Girls, which was scripted and performed by the Year 9 drama students.

These students tailored their scripts to suit our Year 5 audience and made design and performance choices to specifically appeal to our students. A special thank you to Ms Kate Ralph, MGHS, for continuing to welcome us as audience members to their annual Drama productions. We value this connection with other schools in our local community. We were also delighted to attend Unley High School to view the Year 9 production of Ten Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse. Thank you to Ms Kimberly Mullan, UHS, for inviting us to be part of their audience. It was great for the students to view two contrasting performances on the same day, and for us as teachers to see some familiar faces of ex-students at both campuses.   

Year 5 teachers - Tash, Mr Fidge, Mr Bryce

I love that they gave us riddles. - Adya, N1

Wow! What an amazing experience. I loved all the comedy and how they made their lines sound so real.  - Max M, N1

I loved the acting and the actors’ facial expressions. They made it look amazing and I’m very excited for the next two plays. - Eshaal, N1

I liked the part when the granny 'ran' away. - Louis, N2

I thought it was really funny, especially the Kung Fu Fighting. - Aiden, N2

I enjoyed the Kung Fu fighting because it looked realistic. - Maraia, N2

In the OSHC office in the gym, we have a lot of lost property items that we are hoping to give back to the right children. Some of these items may also have been left behind from PE, or left on the deck after recess or lunch.

If your child is missing something and it isn't in the school's lost property, please come past the gym to check if we have it at OSHC. Below are a couple of photos showing some of the items we've sorted through recently. 

Happy Haven OSHC Mitcham

We're excited to share details of the upcoming Mitcham Girls High School Winter Dance Showcase!

This event is a fantastic opportunity for primary school parents to experience a highlight of MGHS, especially if they are interested in our Dance program. Tickets are available here: https://www.trybooking.com/CSACQ. 

Please see below the upcoming important dates and school events for the remainder of Term 2 2024.

This term, our teachers have been diligently working on enhancing Learner Agency in the classroom, particularly in the area of writing. The concept of Learner Agency in education is fundamentally about students having an understanding of what they do well and what they need to work on, and taking charge and ownership of their learning with the support and guidance of their teachers.

Through the use of goal setting, our teachers are encouraging students to set clear objectives for their writing tasks, whether it's crafting a more descriptive narrative, punctuating a sentence, or spelling target words correctly. By defining their goals, students gain a stronger sense of purpose and direction in their writing endeavours.

But setting goals is just the first step. It’s important to provide timely and constructive feedback to support our students' growth. Our teachers are delivering personalised feedback that is specific, actionable, and encouraging, guiding students towards achieving their writing goals. Whether it's through one-on-one conferences, peer review sessions, or written comments, the aim is to empower students to reflect on their work towards their goals, make revisions, and ultimately, progress as writers.

By integrating goal setting and feedback into our writing lessons, we can cultivate a culture of continuous improvement and self-efficacy among our students. Beyond mastering the technical aspects of writing, we're nurturing skills that will serve our students well beyond the classroom walls, equipping them to navigate challenges, set meaningful goals, and strive for excellence in all areas of their lives.

At home you can support the learning by engaging in conversations with your child about their writing goals, celebrating their achievements, and reinforcing the importance of perseverance and growth mindset. Together, we can empower our students to become confident, articulate, and reflective writers.

Lachlan Norman - Assistant Principal

Towards the end of Term 1, our Year 4 and 5 students embarked on a challenging Mathematical journey through the 'World of Maths' incursion. With 17 captivating hands-on challenges, the event immersed students in real-world mathematical scenarios, fostering problem-solving skills and teamwork in a fun environment.

As the students delved into the activities provided by 'World of Maths', they encountered a myriad of fun and challenging problems, each requiring a unique approach to solve. From decoding puzzles to navigating through mathematical mazes, the incursion presented opportunities for students to employ critical thinking, trial and error and collaboration.  During the sessions, students were encouraged to analyse problems through investigation, comparison and reflection, fostering a deeper understanding of mathematical principles.

The 'World of Maths' incursion created a supportive and encouraging environment for students to "have a go" at each activity. With a focus on enjoyment and resilience, students were empowered to tackle mathematical challenges they wouldn’t necessarily encounter during a regular school day

.   

Here is a selection of responses from our Year 4 and 5 students.

“It was amazing, although some of the activities were hard and I didn’t get to do them all.” (Josiah, N2)

“I found the World of Maths a fun, helpful and challenging experience.” (Rafan, G8) 

“The World of Maths was an amazing experience. I had a great time figuring out problems and having fun at the same time.”  (Max, N1)

“I really recommend World of Maths because it’s really fun and it doesn’t matter if you’re in a low group.”  (Samreen, N1)