Maddingley

Darren Pereira Visit

Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming Darren Pereira, a renowned Australian school speaker, who worked with all our Year 7 students to support their development and transition to high school. With over half the Year 7 cohort being new, it was wonderful to see both old and new students coming together to experience Darren’s unique workshop lectures. These workshops are an annual highlight and have always been an enjoyable part of the Year 7 Transition Programme at our school.

Darren also conducted a session with the Year 8 Leaders. It was inspiring to see the leaders leave the afternoon workshop invigorated and motivated to make a positive impact at the school.

In addition, Darren met with Year 7 parents during an evening session to help them understand the issues early adolescent students encounter and ways to support their development. These activities will be held again next year, and I encourage you to make a note in next year’s diary to attend the parent workshop

Mr Scott Bayne – Assistant Principal: Head of Middle School

National Young Leaders Day

On March 3 the Year 6 Leadership Group attended the National Young Leaders Day at the Melbourne Exhibition Building. The day focused on becoming the leaders of the tomorrow and how to deal with setbacks and adversity along the way. Throughout the day, students participated in several activities and heard from some guest speakers including Majak Daw, Emma McKeon, Catherine Laga’aia and Thomas Duncan-Watt.

Students were lucky enough to meet some of the speakers and get photos with them. Our leaders represented BMG with pride and look forward to continuing to develop leadership skills throughout the year.

Mr Jordan Kirk – Head of Year 6

Woodlea

Year 5 Staughton Vale

On Tuesday, February 25, the Year 5 students from Woodlea ventured out to Staughton Vale for a day filled with collaborative and team-building activities. The students worked together on a variety of challenges, including contributing to a large, collaborative art project, taking part in a scavenger hunt and completing team-building exercises like the “Levitating Stick” and “Half-Pipe Ball Challenge”. Throughout the day, they had the opportunity to hone their communication and leadership skills as they solved puzzles and tackled tasks together.

The students demonstrated great respect for each other and for the campus, leaving the area spotless. Afterwards, they took time to reflect on the lessons they had learned about the power of teamwork.

‘When we were doing these activities, I realised that communication is really important and without it we couldn’t succeed.’ – Nirgun B

‘My favourite activity was a team building activity called “Flip the Mat”. Our team went around and shared each other’s ideas. Together we worked as a team to get on the other side of the mat.’ – Alaina G

‘I learnt that it’s easier to work with more people and to communicate with each other. I learnt that teamwork can make things faster and easier.’ – Aayush S

Miss Samantha Bowden – Head of Year 5

Year 6 Staughton Vale

On Thursday, 6 March, the Year 6 Woodlea students embarked on an exciting Science excursion to Staughton Vale where they explored nature through hands-on scientific investigations.

During the day, students participated in three engaging activities. One of the highlights was the Dichotomous Keys activity, where students worked in groups to collect a variety of leaves. They examined key features such as texture and shape and created a dichotomous key poster to classify their findings.

Another fascinating activity was Leaf Critters, where students sifted through leaf litter using a colander, uncovering tiny invertebrates hidden within. Using petri dishes and microscopes, they closely examined these small creatures, gaining a deeper understanding of invertebrate life. This was possibly their favourite activity with many students finding a variety of insects to observe.

The excursion provided an excellent opportunity for students to apply their scientific skills in a real-world environment, fostering curiosity and a deeper appreciation for the natural world.

Mrs Elle Pelly – Head of Year 6