Head of Junior School

Mr Mark Hackett

Head of Junior School 2008 has been an extremely busy year! The decision to move Year 7 to the Middle School created a number of extra events to accommodate this transition. In essence, it necessitated duplication of all the events that traditionally occur in the last year of Junior School for both the Year 6 and 7 classes.

It has also been a year tinged with sadness after the passing of our beloved Chaplain Father Michael McMahon in July. His guidance and influence on the students, staff and community was immense and he is dearly missed.

Although it has been a very demanding year I am pleased to report that the Junior School has continued to flourish spiritually, academically, in music and arts as well as on the sporting field.

Curriculum

Engaging children in the learning process is the key to student satisfaction and development. It also creates a successful and positive classroom environment. In literacy, our RAISe Literacy program has continued to engage our boys because we have seen a significant improvement in spelling, comprehension and reading results. Activities such as Book Club have captured the interest of most students and helped develop a greater desire to read and, subsequently, improved levels of comprehension. Interactive whiteboards are a valuable tool and next year every classroom will have one. Many boys are visual learners and they enjoy the variety of programs an interactive board can present and facilitate. Boys are generally very tactile and relate well to hands on activities, particularly those presented in the Technology and Enterprise (T & E) learning area. Open ended tasks that allow students to be creative often result in unique designs and this was very evident when, in T & E, budding young engineers built bridges or marble timers of various shapes and sizes. Teachers have been focusing on giving tasks with broad parameters, giving them an insight into the various learning styles of their students and how they can best accommodate the specific learning needs within the classroom environment.

Performing Arts

The Junior School has excelled in the performing arts this year. We are very much indebted for the wonderful work done by Ms Ruth Bott and Mrs Elizabeth Leith. Ruth has a special rapport with her students and this is evident in the way the students perform. The Junior School Dance group, Boys in Groove aka ‘BIG’, once again won the Primary Dance Section in the Catholic Performing Arts Festival.

Ruth left us this year to take on the important role of motherhood. Her special talents will be greatly missed although the solid foundation she has laid in dance at the College has given us an excellent program to build upon.

Mrs Elizabeth Leith has also been able to impart her vast knowledge to her students and produced three choirs of excellent quality, with two of them achieving honourable mentions at the Catholic Performing Arts Festival. Elizabeth also managed to mould a diverse range of students and instruments into a band which also achieved an honourable mention at the festival.

Junior School

Junior School

Sport

On the sporting field we experienced a great deal of success in both summer and winter sports. Much of this success is due to our talented young men and their desire to perform well, however, our coaching staff contribute greatly to this success. Not only the teachers, but many parents, have given generously of their time and expertise to enhance the skills of our eager young sportsmen. This year, as in previous years, I have been very impressed and proud of the manner in which our students have competed. They have certainly done their families and the College proud in the sportsmanship they have displayed.

Sacramental Programs

This year has been a very sacramentally enriching one. As usual our Year 4 students received the Sacrament of First Holy Communion. For the first time our Year 6 classes joined the Year 7s in receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. Both year levels completed the Home Programs and Retreats and I am very appreciative of the parents who facilitated these by opening their homes and assisting on retreats.

Acknowledgements

In conclusion I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has contributed to the success of the Junior School this year, particularly the dedicated staff of the Junior School who work tirelessly to ensure their students are engaged in the learning process and assist them to fulfill their full potential.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the wonderful example set by our young men in Years 6 and 7. The change in student leadership structure this year enabled many more boys to experience leadership roles within the Junior School and the initiative shown by students was greatly appreciated by staff and fellow students alike. We wish them every success as they move to Middle School where they will no doubt continue to be fine ambassadors for the College.

Mr Mark Hackett

Head of Junior School

JUNIOR SCHOOL PREFECTS

Back Row: Anton De Francesch (Deputy Head Boy), Peter Perry, Joshua Chivell, Brayden Keizer, Mr Mark Hackett (Head of Junior School), Matthew Hadfield, Morgan Hindle, William Colreavy (Head Boy), Samuel Dowsing Front Row: James Coombs, Harold Nguyen, Sheldon Russell, Thomas Maxfield Junior School