The Thistle - An E-Newsletter of Scotch College, Perth, Western Australia

From the Head of Junior School

Week 5 of the Winter Term has been an extremely busy one for the Junior School. A number of special events have taken place which have enabled the entire school community including parents, boys and staff to come together to celebrate the special qualities of our students.

On Tuesday 22 August, the Junior School gathered on the Scotch playing fields for the annual Inter-House Athletics Carnival. What made this event extra special, was that for the first time our Kindergarten boys participated. Mrs Rebecca Vincent, ELC PE teacher, worked alongside Mr Scott Whiston to plan an outstanding range of team activities, sprints and relays. These events brought a smile to the faces of boys while they competed with their fellow House members in an enjoyable morning of athletics. At the same time, our Year 1 to 5 boys were competing in a range of track and field events. The success the boys enjoyed on a personal level and in support of their House was outstanding.

I want to thank Mr Whiston, and Mother Nature, for providing us with such a wonderful day to compete and I want to congratulate Bruce House for winning the Inter-House Athletics Carnival.

On Thursday 24 August, the Years 1 to 5 gathered in the MacKellar Hall for our annual Book Week Parade and Staff Pantomime. Costumes ranged from Mike of Minecraft to a number of Harry Potters, a few super heroes, Tin Tin and gouls from Goosebumps. The boys seemed to thoroughly enjoy dressing as their favourite book characters and sharing with the school community which book they had come to represent.

Mrs Kathryn Salt organised a wonderful afternoon for us. We also celebrated some of the boys who did well in the competitions that were run during the course of this term to celebrate the upcoming Book Week. During the afternoon, we recognised Jack Mayo, who won the Year 3 and 4 Make Your Own Storybook Competition for 2017. I want to thank Mr Norman for coordinating a wonderful staff panto, entitled 'The Bunyip of Berkeley's Creek' and all the staff who took part in that enjoyable and fun finale to what was a memorable day for our students.

On Friday 25 August, our Kindy and Pre-Primary boys celebrated their own Book Week event in the ELC. Parents gathered and the boys looked energized and animated dressed as their favourite book characters. Thank you to the ELC staff for organising a wonderful event and to the parents who joined us.

This week has certainly been an uplifting week for the Junior School. We have been able to celebrate some of the other talents of our students outside of the classroom and witness the joy they have in celebrating, supporting and working together in this wonderful school community of ours.

Mr John Stewart
Head of Junior School