Middle School students are looking forward to an exciting and eventful Term with many students involved in both classroom and extracurricular activities. A number of Middle School students have enjoyed hosting students from Japan during Weeks 1 and 2 while they attended English classes at our School. This was a wonderful opportunity to exchange cultures and develop friendships with these students. Thank you to Mrs Boaretto for her organisation of this program.

Our Student Leadership Council is continuing to make a difference in the School community and beyond. This Term the students have supported the “Jeans for Genes” charity through a mufti day on Friday 6th August. A Hot Milo Day is also being held on Thursday 12th August to help students warm up on our cold winter mornings. Members of the Student Leadership Council are also organising a round robin Chess Competition to be held throughout the Term.

There have also been a number of opportunities for students to participate in external academic competitions this Term. All Middle School students took part in an International English Competition to help develop their writing skills and our top Mathematicians completed the examination for the annual Westpac Mathematics Competition.

Many Middle School students are passionate about sport and have been training hard to represent the School in rugby league, soccer and AFL gala days. The participation of many of our students at the recent zone Athletics Carnivals was also inspiring, with many of our students achieving success in their events. It was also encouraging to see students cheering for each other and displaying team work and sportsmanship.

Middle School Smart Start Evening will be held on Wednesday 25th August from 7pm. This night provides an excellent opportunity for parents to learn more about our exciting Middle School programs, including the new “Smartrack” for years 5 and 6 students. The evening is open to anyone interested in finding out more about Middle School and parents of students who will be going in to Yr 5 and 7 in 2011 are especially encouraged to attend.

Our Middle School assemblies continue to be a highlight of the school week. This term we have been blessed with a number of fantastic guest speakers and groups. The Nubian Gents and Feminine Fire, a hip-hop group from New York not only entertained, but also inspired students to see themselves as special and loved by God. In the coming weeks we can also look forward to hearing from a number of local pastors and speakers teaching on the theme of “God’s Love in Action”. Students have the opportunity to put this into practice by supporting the Salvation Army Winter Clothing Drive on Friday 13th August.

In Week 8, our Year 6 students will be traveling to Canberra to visit Parliament House, The Australian National Museum, Australian Institute of Sport and Science Centre. The students will be enjoying an overnight stay in Canberra to enhance their learning on Government. They will be accompanied by their class teachers Mr Wynn and Mrs Scott.

Mrs Julie Cochrane
Middle School Welfare Coordinator