Monday 18 October: welcome back Preps. Wednesday 20 October: welcome back Year 1 and Year 2. Friday 22 October: welcome back Year 5 and Year 6. And finally, Tuesday 26 October: we welcomed Year 3 and Year 4 back to school after a term of home learning.
In the blink of an eye, the past two weeks of student transition back to onsite learning is now behind the students, parents and staff of Carey Kew Junior School. What a welcome return to school: classrooms filled with laughter, conversation and active learners embracing the sense of connection, opportunities for face-to-face partner and group work and, above all, the freedom to run around and play happily together in the open spaces of Cluny Green and our various playgrounds.
With the return to onsite learning has come many opportunities for students to engage in our positive co-curricular programs, including the Year 3 overnight camp to Portsea and the Year 5 camp to Toonallook. Several musical ensemble groups have re-commenced rehearsing before school in a hope to create an online concert recording. The Year 5 students will now have the opportunity to perform their productions to a live and limited audience and our Year 6 students, the opportunity to participate in their graduation with parents watching on to celebrate their finish of their Junior School journey. They will also positively engage in a fun session at Bulleen. All our Junior School students will participate in modified House Athletics events. Unfortunately this will be without parent spectators, but rest assured many photos will be taken and shared on Canvas.
The remaining four weeks of Term 4 will again continue to have a focus on connection, building positive authentic relationships and finishing the year strong with the continued focus on ensuring English and Maths curricula have been covered and students are prepared for the next year of their education.
Our class placement process has commenced, and each student’s individual needs will be at the forefront of our decision to place them with the best match teacher and peers with whom they have positive working relationships. Students will find out their 2022 class teacher and classmates on our orientation morning on Tuesday 30 November. This is also an opportunity for us to welcome new students to Carey into the classrooms to share in this exciting transition process.
It is with great sadness, but also pride and congratulations, that we farewell a number of our wonderful Junior School Kew staff at the end of 2021: Andrew Nichol, Year 4 to 6 Co-ordinator and Head of Sport, who departs at the end of the year to take up an exciting position as an assistant coach of umpires with the AFL; Rebecca Johnson, who will continue her passion for teaching art at McKinnon Secondary College; Christine Gilliland, who departs to continue her invaluable work in Learning Development at Yarra Valley Grammar; and Brada Webber, who retires after 18 years of tireless service. We wish these valued staff all the best and look forward to hearing all about their journeys.
As we all head towards a thoroughly deserved and restful holiday period, I wish you and your family all the very best for a safe and prosperous Christmas period, enjoying one another’s company and reflecting on the joys and opportunities that have come from the past 12 months. May a sense of kindness fill your Christmas stockings and an extension of your care and support be felt by all.
Alby Ingles
Deputy Head – Student Welfare
