October 2025

Principal's Report

Transition, Refurbishment and Community Partnerships

As we progress through the term, it is pleasing to see a strong sense of engagement and enthusiasm across our school community. Our learners continue to demonstrate curiosity, resilience and pride in their learning, supported by dedicated staff and families who work together to create a positive and inclusive environment.

Transition 2025

This period marks a significant milestone for many of our learners. Our incoming Foundation learners will soon commence their transition visits, beginning their educational journey with confidence and excitement. We aim to ensure that learners are well supported as they navigate these significant stages of change, setting them up for continued success.

Refurbished Learning Environments

We are delighted to announce the completion of recent classroom refurbishments. These modernised learning spaces provide flexible, well-resourced environments that encourage collaboration, creativity and deeper engagement. The improved facilities will enhance the daily experiences of both learners and staff. I want to extend my sincere appreciation to all those involved in the planning and implementation of these upgrades. The new spaces will house the upper primary classes and a dedicated Year 7 class in 2026.

Canberra Camp

Planning is currently underway for our proposed Canberra Camp in 2026, which will provide learners with a valuable opportunity to extend their learning beyond the classroom. Through visits to Parliament House, national institutions and cultural landmarks, learners will gain firsthand insights into Australian civics, history and government. We value Cass Evans' commitment to driving this opportunity, and our aim is for all learners from Year 6 to Year 10 to attend the camp—many thanks to those caregivers who participated in the recent meeting and their commitment to making this event happen. Further details regarding the camp itinerary and associated fundraising activities will be shared with families in due course.

Community Support and Acknowledgement

The Canberra Camp has highlighted the generosity and commitment of our community, as evidenced by the offers of fundraising and support. Whether through volunteering, attending events or offering encouragement, the support of families and local organisations plays a vital role in enriching our learners' experiences. I extend my gratitude to all who contribute to the life of our school and to the continued success of our learners.

Canberra 2026

Quorn Area School is excited to offer learners in grades 6 – 10 (in 2026) the opportunity to attend a week-long camp to Canberra. Canberra offers a vast array of unique educational attractions and activities aligned to the Australian Curriculum in the learning areas of Science, The Arts, Physical Education, Career Education and Humanities.

The camp will take place from Monday, June 22nd, to Saturday, June 27th, 2026, during week 9 of term 2.

Students will visit the following sites:

- Parliament House

- Australian War Memorial

- Zone 3 Laser Tag and Arcade

- Australian Capital Exhibition

- National Electoral Education Program

- Museum of Australian Democracy

- Australian Institute of Sport

- Mount Perisher for snow activities

- Cycle Canberra tour

- National Museum of Australia

- Royal Australian Mint

- Questacon

The all-inclusive cost of the camp will be approximately $1,000 per learner, with a reduced rate of approximately $750 for each additional learner from the same family. The final cost will be determined by a range of factors, including the actual number of learners attending and the outcome of fundraising efforts by the school and community. Payment plans are available to support all learners to attend this camp.

If you want your learner to attend this camp, please return the “Canberra Camp Commitment” form that was sent home last week and pay a deposit of $100 by the end of week 8, term 4, Friday, December 5th, 2025. If you have any questions, fundraising ideas, or you would like to volunteer your time to support fundraising efforts, or need a replacement form, please contact Cass Evans at the school on 8648 6101 or via email at Cass.Evans548@schools.sa.edu.au

Year Seven - Iga Warta Camp

On the 17th and 18th of September most of the year 7/8s went on a camp to Iga Warta, and it took us 4 - 5 hours to get there. When we were on the bus we were listening to a bunch of really good songs and we were all singing our hearts out. We stopped at Hawker and Leigh Creek to stretch our legs and to have lunch.

Once we got to the Camp Site Iga Warta, we were really relieved that we finally got there and were able to set up our tents. After we got there, we had a tour of Iga Warta and where we would be sleeping.

For dinner we had a barbecue with chops, sausages, potatoes, carrots, and salads, so it was a very yummy dinner. Before that, there was a lovely lady there named Kelly and she made us a snack table twice and it was covered in fruit, popcorn, veggie chips, and twigge sticks (kabana). In the afternoon, we went for a tour to see the Malki paintings which were very pretty. In the photo which is in this newsletter you’ll see it’s on a big rock face. It was really fun. When students started to get goofy after desserts, the teachers were getting sick of the students being hyper, but then we had a campfire and Terrence did a Welcome to Country. He then told us some stories and sang a few songs. The next day we went out to the Ochre Pits and everyone had their faces painted in ochre. Terrence told us what each colour of ochre meant and it was all important. He said it would keep us safe on our journey.

Everyone had fun which is a really good thing because it was actually really fun. I hope that you enjoyed reading about our camp and agree that it was really good. Thank you to the teachers who organised it and came along to join us. I hope that we can go on a fun camp again one day.

By Kylah

SAPSASA Super 8s Cricket

On Monday October 20^th, Clyden, Lucas and Lachy travelled to Stirling North Primary School to participate in SAPSASA Super 8s Cricket. The boys were joined by students from Willsden Primary School and Stirling North to create their team. The team fought hard throughout the morning games, but unfortunately lost their first two games against Caritas College and the Stirling Strikers. They then played the Stirling Snipers and after a hard-fought game lost by just a few runs. In the afternoon, they played against Augusta Park Primary and had a comfortable win. They then faced the Stirling Snipers again in the Division 3 Grand Final. It was a fierce contest with the Stirling Snipers opting to bat first and setting a score of 76 runs for the group to chase. Clyden, Lucas and Lachy all played exceptionally well, with each scoring 20 runs and retiring as per the SAPSASA rules. They then cheered on and encouraged their teammates and supported the younger students while they batted. They went on to win the game by 15 runs. It was excellent to witness the teamwork and resilience amongst our students to continue and encourage each other after a tough morning of loses. They represented out school exceptionally well. Congratulations, boys!! 

Foundation Update

Literacy

The Foundation Literacy class has been very eager to learn all of our RWI Set 1 sounds. Throughout Term 3, our new Foundation students have been learning a new sound each day, focusing on correct pronunciation and using fun handwriting tricks and sayings to help them remember how to write each one. We have now moved on to the Blue Ditty Books, where students are beginning to use the sounds, they’ve learned to segment and blend CVC words and sentences.

Our Red Group students have also done an amazing job learning Set 2 sounds and applying “special friends” to more challenging words. They have been progressing through their Red Books and using these to “hold a sentence” to improve their writing skills.

This term, we also introduced “Show and Tell” to help us prepare for our Big Write critique and recount topics. Through our Big Talk sessions, students have been practicing speaking confidently in front of their peers, sharing their ideas, and asking and answering questions. At the same time, they have been developing their listening skills and learning how to show respect to others when they are speaking. This process has helped students think more deeply about their Big Write topics before transferring their ideas into writing.

During our Thursday morning VCOP lessons, we have been focusing on developing our fine motor skills through a variety of engaging activities. These activities include writing, drawing and manipulating different materials, all designed to strengthen hand-eye coordination and precision.

Well done to all our Foundation learners on another fantastic term in their literacy journey!

Numeracy

In Numeracy, our Foundation learners have been continuing to work through the Securing Foundations Numicon program, building a strong understanding of early number concepts and numerical skills. Some of our older Foundation students have also begun exploring more advanced topics in Number and Algebra, extending their learning through hands-on activities and problem-solving tasks.

We have been using Numicon shapes and rods to represent numbers and create number lines up to 20. The students have loved playing games with a partner to build number lines from 1–10, taking turns to remove one piece while their partner works out which number is missing in the sequence. These activities have been a fun and engaging way to strengthen number recognition, sequencing, and problem-solving skills. Using hands-on materials helps students see and feel the difference between numbers, making their learning more meaningful and memorable.

We have also been learning about the concepts of less and more, using their respective symbols to compare bigger and smaller numbers and shapes. To help us remember, we used the idea of the crocodile’s mouth — it always opens towards the bigger number or shape because it’s “more delicious”! This has been a fun and visual way for students to understand and apply the concepts of less than and more than in their learning.

Following outstanding results in milestone testing, some of our Foundation students have advanced to Ms. Fowler’s class to further challenge and extend their numeracy thinking and skills.

Spanish

During Term 3 in Spanish, our Foundation students have been reinforcing their learning of basic words and phrases. We have become confident in introducing ourselves by saying, “Hola, me llamo…” which means “Hello, my name is…”. We have also been practicing how to ask and answer “¿Cómo estás?” — “How are you?” — with responses such as “Muy bien” (I’m good) or “Mal” (I’m not so good).

One of our favourite lessons was learning the words for “yes” and “no,” which are “sí” and “no”. The students found it funny that “no” is the same in both languages, just said with a different tone — and they picked this up very quickly! During this lesson, we were able to answer fun questions like “Do you like ice cream?” using “sí” or “no”, which helped us practice expressing our own ideas in Spanish while reinforcing the language.

To conclude the term, the Foundation class went on an imaginative trip to Spain! The students had a fantastic time taking on the roles of passengers and using their imaginations to board our classroom airplane. With tickets in hand and lots of excitement, we “flew” to Spain and practiced our Spanish greetings along the way. This creative experience brought our language learning to life and provided a memorable and engaging way to explore Spanish culture and vocabulary. This fun activity is definitely something our Foundation students look forward to at the end of each term!

Health

In Health, our Foundation students have been learning about Quorn Area School’s learning dispositions and how to use them in our everyday learning. These important qualities help us become confident, resilient, and successful learners.

This term, we have focused on being persistent and adaptable — looking at situations, problem-solving, adjusting when needed, and trying again when things don’t go as planned. It has been wonderful to see students supporting each other, staying positive, and using encouraging words like, “I’ll try again!” when something doesn’t work out the first time. These healthy attitudes are helping our students grow both as learners and as classmates.

One of our favourite ways to explore these ideas has been through social stories — stories that relate to the students’ lives and include problems or situations they can connect with. To make it even more engaging, we have been using AI to create these stories and include all of our names in them. The students loved seeing themselves as part of the story, which helped them think about how they can be persistent and adaptable in real-life situations.

The Adaptable Ash Tree (students included in the story were present on the day of the lesson)

Once upon a time in a big, bright playground grew a tall Ash tree. The Ash tree was known for one special gift—it could adapt to anything! If the wind blew hard, its branches swayed gently. If the sun shone hot, its leaves gave cool shade.

One day, a group of friends came to play near the Ash tree. Their names were Henry, Clancy, Adi, Darcie, Millie, Skylar, Frankie, Daniella, Peyton, Hayden, Ollie, Colt, Safwah, and Ari.

The friends wanted to play a game together, but the weather kept changing!

First, the sun was shining brightly. Henry said, “Let’s play tag in the sunshine!” Everyone agreed and ran around happily.

Then, clouds rolled in and the wind began to blow. “Oh no!” said Clancy, “our game might be ruined.”

But the Ash tree whispered, “Remember, you can adapt, just like me.”

So, Adi suggested, “Let’s change the rules—if the wind blows, we freeze like statues!” Everyone laughed and gave it a try.

Next, raindrops began to fall. Darcie sighed, “Now what will we do?”

The Ash tree rustled its leaves and reminded them, “Adaptability makes everything possible.”

Millie had an idea: “We can huddle under the tree for shelter and play a singing game.” Skylar started a song, and soon everyone was joining in, clapping and stomping to the rhythm.

When the rain stopped, Frankie and Daniella suggested using the puddles for a jumping game. Peyton and Hayden splashed with big hops, while Ollie and Colt tried to make the biggest splashes. Safwah giggled, and even Ari, who wasn’t sure at first, joined in with a huge leap.

By the end of the day, the children had played tag, a statue game, a singing game, and a puddle game—all because they were willing to adapt.

The Ash tree swayed happily and said, “See? When you are adaptable, you can always find new ways to enjoy the day.”

The friends nodded. From that day on, whenever something didn’t go to plan, they remembered the wise words of the Adaptable Ash.

Art

During Term 3, the Foundation students explored drama concepts through a variety of play-based experiences, which helped extend their understanding of pretending to be a character and taking on different roles. Every Tuesday, our classroom was transformed into a new, imaginative world, complete with themed settings, props, and costumes that reflected different pretend play areas. Students had the opportunity to explore a range of adventures, including camping trips, beach visits, hairdresser and doctor appointments, restaurant and cooking experiences, fashion shows, and much more—following their imaginations wherever they wanted to go. Following these lessons, the students were then able to extend their visual arts skills by connecting the ideas of characters, costumes, and props as useful elements to drama, and create their own costume masks or props to add to their own dramatic play ideas.

You may have had the chance to see some of our drama learning on display at the Quorn Show, where our wonderful librarian, Ms. Densley, created stunning posters featuring photographs of our pretend play experiences.

Term 4 will bring some exciting Art lessons as we move into dance and music. Students will be learning a variety of dances and dance techniques through the Footsteps program. After exploring several different dances, the class will select their favourite to continue practising for the end-of-year presentation. Stay tuned for updates to find out which dance they choose!