We look forward to welcoming families to our school Sports Day on Friday 8th November. Please click on the appropriate link below to see a map and timetables for the day.

Sports Day Map and Timetable Junior Years

Sports Day Map and Timetable Middle Years

Sports Day Map and Timetable Upper Years

Mid-Year Materials & Services Payment Now Due

Materials & Services invoices were due to be paid by Friday 25^th October. 

Thank you to the families that have paid their Materials & Services invoices, applied for School Card or arranged Direct Debits/Payment Plans.

If you have not done so yet, please make payment, apply for school card or arrange a payment plan by emailing dl.0270.finance@schools.sa.edu.au, as soon as possible. Thank you. 

School Card

The School Card Scheme offers financial assistance with school fees (Materials & Services charges). To check your eligibility and to apply online go to the SA.GOV website via the link: www.sa.gov.au/education/schoolcard.

If you are eligible for the School Card Scheme and have not yet applied, please do so as soon as possible.

If you need help completing the form please contact the School Card section on 1800 672 758 (free call).

You will be notified by the School Card Section of the outcome of your application, please do not pay any money towards your Materials and Services charge until you know the outcome.

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)

This week Years 3-6 students were treated to observing the microscopic world, with an SEM on loan to the school. The SEM can magnify by up to 100,000 times, although we discovered that most specimens looked the most interesting between 200 and 1000 times. We examined bee and butterfly body parts, comparing eye and wing structures.

Did you know that butterfly wings have scales and bee wings have hairs? Did you know that both butterfly and bee eyes are compound eyes, made up of lots of hexagons, but bee eyes are also hairy? Did you know that a bee's stinger has barbs on it, like a fish hook? We saw a butterfly's beautifully coiled proboscis (retractable straw like tongue), and the Year 6's did some forensic science examining a few different types of fibres to try to identify if they were natural or human made fibres. Our STEM Leaders were able to run some of the examinations, learning how to use the SEM themselves.

Indigenous Butterfly Garden

In Week 1 the Youth Environmental Leaders Program (YELP) Team started our new School Butterfly Garden. The YELP Team planted a specially selected set of locally indigenous plants that are suited to local native butterflies and their caterpillars, as well as native bees. By planting indigenous plants of the ‘Mitcham Woodland area’, we aim to create the right conditions for the return of native caterpillars, butterflies and insects to our suburbs and cities. Butterflies feed on nectar and, in return, help pollinate the flowers of the plants. Butterflies will only lay eggs on caterpillar food plants.  A well-designed butterfly garden will have caterpillar food and nectar from small, tubular flowers. Examples of some of the plants that we have planted are Tall Scurf Pea, Goodonya, Ruby Salt Bush, Stiff Mat Rush, Kangaroo Grass, and Hardenbergia. The garden is located in an "adult-supervision only" space, and will be visited by classes accompanied by a teacher. At this stage we have planted these baby plants in existing raised garden beds, and we hope to add other elements and plantings to transform the surounding space over time. Perhaps you'll be inspired to include some locally indigenous plants next time you are re-planting in your garden at home! 

YELP Team, with Miriam Doull and Laura Brace, Science Teachers

Please see below the upcoming important dates and school events for the remainder of Term 3 and Term 4.

On Monday the 9^th of September, Mitcham Primary School's year 6 choir performed at the Festival Theatre as part of the Festival of Music.

It was a tremendous success!
Not only did all of our students sing beautifully, but they also conducted themselves, (pun intended) in line with Mitcham Primary School's core values.
Here are a couple of photos of them enjoying the fruits of six months worth of work. In the onstage photo we're in the back row, so you'll have to squint.

Well done choir kids!

Special mention to Django Gurry & Curtis Niumeitolu for successfully auditioning for the 'Rhythmic Rumblers'! They are a drum troupe who opened 6 of the 11 concerts with live jungle drums.
It was fanTAStic!!!" 

Josh Fielder, Performing Arts Teacher

The year twos have just had a fantastic time away on camp at Aldinga where we learnt a lot about Aboriginal culture.

 We built Wardlis, went on a scrub walk and saw kangaroos, painted Aboriginal symbols on boomerangs and cooked fish in clay on the fire which was delicious. Even though we had a few of the coldest nights this year, we had a great time tucked up in the cabins with our friends and some amazing memories were made!

"I really enjoyed going on the walk in the scrub." (Thomas T2)

"I really enjoyed painting the boomerangs." (Lizzy T1)

"I loved Camp Aldinga. My favourite activity was building the Wardli. It was so fun to build and play and play in. We even added a bed." (Mia G2)

"Camp at Aldinga was amazing! My favourite activity was The Rainbow Serpent Scavenger Hunt. In teams, we had to find puzzle pieces scattered around the campsite. After finding them, we had to put the pieces together to create a picture showing the Rainbow Serpent Dreamtime story." (James G2)

"My favourite activity at camp was cooking the fish in the fire. I ate a fish eye. It was a bit hard." (Gus G1)

State Soccer Carnival

Well done to Giselle F who won in her division for the City South District at the State Sapsasa Soccer Championship.

Aussie Rules Football

In Week 6 our boys side played Grange Primary in the Preliminary Final for the football. After being down at quarter time the boys then kicked into gear and put together an excellent performance going on to win 9.9. 63 v 5.4. 34. They played in the Grand Final yesterday and came away as runners-up after a great effort.

Basketball

Back in Week 3 our boys and girls teams travelled to the State Basketball Centre in Wayville to compete in the minor round of the Basketball Statewide Championships. Both teams played amazingly against their opponents across the day and never gave up.

State Golf

Congratulations to Jayneil R who won the 12 & Under Metro Golf Championships in Week 8.

Clint Rowland, PE Teacher

Youth Environmental Leadership (YELP) Team Update

 In Week 8, some of the YELP Team (Youth Environmental Leadership Program) investigated the school's bird boxes to see if there are any native animals using them.  We met with Jeremy from 'Green Adelaide' who helped us to reach the bird boxes with a special digital camera on a long pole that connected to a wireless digital camera with a viewing screen.  We explored all 7 bird boxes near the rotunda and found evidence that native wildlife are using some of them, and some are in need of repair.  Some boxes had feathers suggesting some of our resident Eastern Rosellas may have used them, and one box actually had a fluffy, ringtail possum hiding away from our camera! We dimmed the camera's light and were careful not to disturb this nocturnal animal who was trying to sleep.  We think that there may have been a baby possum hiding under the mother but this has not yet been confirmed.  We hope to find more native animals in the future so that next year's YELP Team can carry on with the role of investigating these beautiful animals.

Pic 1: Mitcham Primary Bird Box with feathers

Pic 2: Mitcham Primary Bird Box with a Ringtail Possum

Mariyam, Matilda & Ashley (YELP Team members)

Mary Anning Art Prize 

The Mary Anning Art Prize celebrates the prehistoric life of South Australia, and is open to students from Reception to Year 8. Three prizes are awarded to each of Years R-2, 3-5, and 6-8. The aim of the Mary Anning Art Prize is to have young South Australian artists create an original piece of artwork that tells us something about the prehistoric life of South Australia. It is essential, to be eligible, that the artwork explores an element of South Australia’s rich and remarkable prehistoric past, and that the artist lives in South Australia. More information including about South Australia's prehistoric life, is here https://www.sasta.asn.au/student_activities/mary-anning-art-prize . While all visual art-forms are eligible, each entry must be presented in the form of a single photograph of the artwork. Entries can be submitted directly online here https://www.sasta.asn.au/form/view/98 and are due by 28 October.

Great Southern BioBlitz

There's a fantastic Citizen Science opportunity this weekend, with the annual Great Southern BioBlitz taking place across the Southern Hemisphere from 20-23 September. Help Scientists by taking photos of local wildlife (plants, animals, birds, insects etc) and uploading them to the iNaturalist app under the "GSB 2024: Greater Adelaide Project". The App also helps you to identify what you've found. You can find more information at the link  below. Get snapping and find out what lives in your local area! https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/great-southern-bioblitz-2024-greater-adelaide

Miriam Doull, Science Teacher

Hello Fabulous Families!

I have been lucky enough to take on the role of Junior Primary Performing Arts Teacher for Mitcham Primary School this term. We were all very sad to see Gayle Judd retire and she has left big shoes to fill! After a year away from school undergoing cancer treatment, I am so happy to be well again and back at work surrounded by smiling faces.

Performing Arts consists of music, dance, drama and media arts. Our themes this term have been colour, the Royal Show and we are now looking at Spring and the changing seasons. We have danced and played instruments to songs such as Stompy the Bear, Run Baby Run, the Colour Beat Song and Seasons of the Year. We have used xylophones, drums, ukuleles, Boom Whackers, the keyboard, shakers, symbols and castanets. Mrs Judd came in to teach us some parachute games and these have been a real hit with every class. We have also played games including the Opposite Game, Hot Potato and the Mirror Game. Every lesson the Music Master gets to push the big yellow button and everyone stops to have a 30 second dance party.

Being the Performing Arts teacher is a fun and challenging role and I have learnt so much already. I have been teaching for almost 20 years and half of those have been at Mitcham Primary, mostly teaching Receptions, so this is a new role for me. It’s wonderful to be back and I hope the kids are having as much fun as I am!

Tara Nicholson - Performing Arts Teacher

Year 2 Gold Netball Team

What a fun year was had by our team, it was our first year of playing netball. We improved so much during the season.  We cannot wait until next year.

Vanessa (Coach)

Year 4 Gold Netball Team

School netball is everything to our girls. It has brought them friendships, resilience, pride, self esteem and so much more. They look forward to it every week and its a big part of who they are.

Carly, Lisa and Alice - Coach/Team Manager

 Year 2 Gold Soccer Team

This was our first year of playing soccer and we had so much fun. We can't wait until we can play again next year. Thank you to all of our parents who made sure we got to the games on time each week.

Ben Brown (Coach) and Kate & Tim Forbes (Team Managers)

Year 3 Blue Soccer Team

What a fantastic soccer season was had by all in the year 3 blue soccer team. It was amazing to see how much the team grew over the season and all the players had so much fun playing soccer.