Alpha News 2022, Term 1, Week 10

Our students are benefiting from the consistency and continuity of being at school and are learning to reconnect with their learning, their classmates and with life in general and have enjoyed being able to participate in the many events throughout the term as well as just the simple pleasure of ‘being in class’.

Most recently students in Years 1 to 5 took part in their much-delayed performances, ‘There’s a Sunflower in My Supper’ and ‘Dragon Days’. It really was a very joyous occasion with colourful costumes, fabulous songs and engaging storylines in both productions. Our students, guided ably by their music teachers, Felicity Wallace, Stephanie Atwa and Priya Wilson, and assisted by primary staff, continue to shine in the performing arts. 

We are fortunate that our school offers such a rich program in the arts, and we are committed to maintaining this. The benefits of an education that provides performing arts opportunities are immense. There is a strong relationship between the cognitive capacities developed through learning and communicating in dance, drama, media arts, music and the visual arts, and students’ academic and social skills. Positive effects of young people involved in arts-rich education programs include achievements in reading, language and mathematics development, increased higher order thinking skills and capacities, increased motivation to learn, and improvements in effective social behaviours. For our students it may just seem like ‘fun’, but we know the iceberg of benefits that lie beneath!

As a school, we receive many invitations for students to take part in various competitions and activities. We cannot possibly take part in everything, otherwise there would be no time left for teachers to maintain their normal classroom duties. We take on as much as we feel we can, and open opportunities to students when we are able to. 

Once such opportunity that has recently been launched is the Independent Schools of Victoria Poetry Competition. I urge any poetry minded students to enter. More details can be found on the ISV Parent Website.

So much can be conveyed through words and many of our students do love to write.

I will leave you with some of the apt lyrics from our Dragon Days production:

‘Put on the shoes of another,

Don’t worry how you appear,

Look for the goodness in everyone,

Even when dragons are near.

Don’t judge a book by its cover

Don’t believe all that you hear,

Look for the goodness in everyone,

Even when dragons are near.’

As this term closes, I take this opportunity to wish all our families a Happy Easter and look forward to Term 2 and the opportunities it will bring and any challenges we will successfully face together.

Mrs Tracey Nicholson

Assistant Principal, Head of Primary