Parents

During 2022 we extended our House event program and included all Foundation, Year One and Two students (previously only 3 – 6). All year levels are now involved in House Cross Country and Athletics Day. In 2023 we will further extend this to include a multi-age wellbeing day each term. The younger students have enjoyed a sense of connectedness in house events and in supporting other students in the upper year levels.

House Athletics:
The House Athletics event is for all students in Deepdene Primary School. It is run at Bill Sewart Athletics Track and held in Term 3. Students are transported via bus to the event and dress up in their House Colours ready to cheer each other on!

Students who are in Foundation to Level 2 participate in athletics games and challenges on their own oval across from the track. The activities are mostly focused on teamwork and cooperation, with some built in friendly competition. Students who are in Level 3 to 6 participate in multiple athletics events including 100m sprint, hurdles, shot put, discus, long jump, triple jump, high jump and relay challenges.

Whilst the main focus for students in Level 3 to 6 is on participation, students have their times, distances and measurements recorded and those students who perform exceptionally well will have the opportunity to compete in District, Division and Regional competitions against students in other schools.

The House Athletics event is an extremely fun and exciting day, bringing the whole school community together. Students participate and compete to score points for their House in a fun, encouraging and supportive environment.

House Cross Country:
All students in Deepdene Primary School from Foundation to Level 6 will have the opportunity to take part in the annual House Cross Country event which is held during Term Two at Stradbroke Park. Cross Country is a long distance run and students will run different lengths depending on their age and year level.

Foundation – 400m

Level 1 and 2 – 800m

9 and 10 Years – 2km

11 Years – 3km

12 Years – 3km

The House Cross Country is a very exciting event that brings together the entire Deepdene community. The students cheer and support each other during the races alongside the parents and teachers. The main focus of the event is on students participating and scoring points for their house, regardless of their finishing position.

For those students that are slightly more competitive with their running, they will have opportunities to compete in further competitions within the District, Division and Regional competitions against runners from different schools.

House Swimming:
The annual House Swimming event is held for students in Level 3 to 6 in the last week of Term 4. The event is held in the 50m outdoor swimming pool and area of Boroondara Sports Complex in Balwyn and students are transported to the venue via bus. Students dress up in their House colours ready to encourage and cheer each other on throughout the day.

Prior to the event, students will sign up to the swimming races that they want to participate in. The races are completely optional for any students who want to be involved. For those students who do not have much/any experience swimming, there are games at the end of the event that they can participate in.

All students will be able to participate throughout the day in the supervised game’s pool when they are not racing. This is a fun and exciting way to encourage students to spend more time in the water throughout the day with their friends and cool down and relax.

The House Swimming event is a great way to finish off a busy year and for students to unwind and relax. The student’s focus is on participation and scoring points for their house and encourages all students to enjoy the day regardless of their swimming ability and experience.

Team Building Dance:
All students participate in a series of instructional dance lessons at the beginning of the year which are run by the professional dance company ‘STOMP’. Throughout the program, students in each year level are taught multiple dances to a variety of songs. The students then get to choose which dances they feel most confident in to perform to the whole school and to the parents of the Deepdene community.

Students practise and perform these dances within their own year level, which presents a great opportunity for students to develop new friendships with students from other classes.

The STOMP dance program is a fun way to teach our students rhythm and timing and to develop whole body coordination. It highly encourages students to build and develop confidence and to learn to coordinate themselves as part of a team.

We always look forward to our Deepdene dance performances at the beginning of the year!

Friday Celebration Assemblies:
Each term, our school captains organise a whole school assembly for parents and carers. Students from each year level present an item related to their schoolwork over the term. These items can be a musical performance, a role play, sharing of project work, or sharing poetry or stories they have written in class. These events have proven extremely popular with high parent and grandparent attendance.

End of year celebration concert- Deepdene on the Green:
In 2022 we introduced an end of year celebration concert (Deepdene on the Green). Students were involved in choosing an item for their class to rehearse and perform for families. The event was held on the school oval with hired stage and sound. We incorporated an Art Show on the night where families visited various areas around the school which students and teachers had decorated to enhance the art displays for each level. The artwork was produced by students specifically for this event so families could view work in all levels and see the progression through the school. This was an extremely successful event with much positive feedback. ‘Deepdene on the Green’ will now become an annual event for our community.