Dear Families, A highlight of the week was the Figures of Impact photographic gallery exhibition, launched at the Holdfast Bay Community Centre on Thursday evening.

It was a truly inspiring evening and a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the creativity, thought and hard work of our Year 6 students from Spence 5 and 6. The event had a fantastic positive vibe, with students, families, staff and members of our community coming together to admire the exhibition.

We were incredibly impressed by the quality and creativity of the photographs, but even more so by the students’ ability to capture and communicate the emotional essence of their chosen people of impact. Each photograph, accompanied by an original comic, reflected deep thought, empathy and a genuine understanding of why these individuals are significant.

The exhibition was a powerful celebration of photography, storytelling and the people who inspire us. It was wonderful to see our students using their creativity to connect with others and express meaningful ideas.

We are immensely proud of what our students have achieved. Their work is a testament to the guidance, encouragement and expertise of our teachers throughout the project. Through Figures of Impact, students have developed not only their photography and storytelling skills, but also their ability to reflect, connect and communicate meaning.

A huge congratulations to all of our students involved, and thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate this special achievement!

Enjoy the weekend.

Warm Regards, Rebecca

As part of our Year 6 Learning Expedition, Every Community Has a Story, Spence 4 visited the Brighton History Centre on Wednesday to continue investigating our guiding question: How has our community been shaped by people, place and migration, and how can we shape its future?

The visit provided students with an authentic opportunity to step beyond the classroom and explore the history of the community they are investigating. At the History Centre, students viewed historical photographs, objects, documents and other collection items while learning about the important role local history centres play in preserving the stories and memories of a community.

Students were encouraged to think like historians throughout the visit by observing carefully, asking questions and considering what different historical sources can reveal about how Brighton has changed over time. The experience also allowed students to consider how the actions and decisions of individuals, families and community groups have contributed to shaping the Brighton we know today.

Following our visit to the History Centre, we walked to the nearby cemetery to view the grave of renowned Australian Antarctic explorer, geologist and scientist Sir Douglas Mawson. This provided students with another interesting connection between our local area and the broader history of South Australia and Australia.

The excursion forms part of the ongoing journey of our Learning Expedition. Earlier in the year, students investigated Federation, migration, democracy and the changing Brighton community. More recently, they have explored Brighton's geography and taken part in community action through local revegetation and beach clean-up projects. Experiences such as our History Centre visit allow students to connect these different strands of learning and recognise that the history of a community can be discovered in its buildings, landscapes, records, stories and people.

We were very proud of the curiosity and respect shown by Spence 4 throughout the visit and are grateful to the Brighton History Centre for sharing their time, expertise and passion for preserving our local history.

Thanks

Andy Sommers

As part of our connected learning on living things, focusing on the dispositions of being thinkers and being curious, Mawson 1 and Mawson 2 welcomed some Native Australian Animals from 'Animals Anonymous'. They got to touch and hold many different animals, exploring their external features.

Today our youngest learners in Mawson 5 went on a bear hunt! We explored We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, created our own story maps to retell the adventure and made binoculars ready to spot some cheeky bears hiding 🧸We had so much fun using our imaginations, retelling the story and bringing it to life ✨