It’s been a great start to the year in Primary!

Five weeks have now passed since the start of the 2020 school year, and I am very happy to say that on the whole, our Primary school students have settled in well into the new year, with teachers, support staff and students all working and playing hard.

One of the features of the new year for Year 2 classes has been the complete re-furnishing of these rooms. It was wonderful to see the faces of the children return back to school and see the transformation of their classrooms into really beautiful, inviting and engaging new spaces. The furniture items chosen for these rooms was very intentionally in line with what the teachers are trying to achieve with student learning. You will notice in the photos the new “cloud” tables, which students work at together, in a collaborative way during lessons. Many of the tables also have whiteboard surfaces for writing on during these times. In the classrooms there is a selection of different seating options for students, depending on their preference, and different spaces, both collaborative, and quiet for students depending on the learning taking place. We call this kind of classroom setup a “flexible” classroom, as it allows all students to access curriculum according to how they learn best. Our teachers have been planning accordingly, establishing processes and procedures for how children adapt and work within their classrooms, to set them up for success. From what I have seen in my classroom visits and from all reports from staff, our students are really thriving in their new classrooms this year, with lots of great learning taking place.

I would also like to acknowledge the swimming teams on their recent success at both the NISSA swim meet and the Pine Rivers District swimming carnivals. At both meets, our Genesis primary swimmers were triumphant, with many individuals achieving podium and personal best results. Much thanks is to go to our aquatics centre staff, and coaches, and also Mrs McCarthy and Mrs Turner for all of their hard work with our swimmers so far this year.

This Friday sees our first NISSA Gala day for 2020, with our Year 4 to 6 Genesis students lining up in fixtures with The Lakes College and Grace Primary in basketball, t-ball and touch football. Parents are most welcome to attend NISSA Gala days to support our students at any of the events this year.

Jeremy Williamson

Head of School – Primary