On Wednesday, 24th August 54 students headed off to Landy Field to compete in our District Athletics Championships.  We had students represent Clifton Springs Primary in the field events of high jump, long jump, triple jump, shot put and discus.  The track events we participated in included 100m, 200m, 800m, hurdles and team relays.
 
Congratulations to all of the students who trained in the weeks leading up to the competition and who competed on the day. We had an awesome time both participating in the events and cheering each other on. It was exciting to see many people achieve a personal best, perhaps they were given extra inspiration through our work on the Olympics! Congratulations to all of the students that made it through to the Regional Competition, compared to last year, we did an amazing job!  Last year we had two people make it through to the Regionals, this year we have eight:
 
Josie Taylor – 12/13 Year Girls Long Jump
Bronny Illsley – 12/13 Girls 100m sprint & 200m sprint
Alannah Gorski –11 Year Girls Long Jump
Imogen Hillier – 11 Year Girls Discus
Luke Arends – 11 Year Boys Discus
Adam Towse – 11 Year Boys Triple Jump
Erika Vodopic – 10 Year Girls Shot Put
 
We also had two outstanding Year 3 athletes who performed at Regional Standard even though they cannot compete in the competition until Year 4 (there are no 9 Year events at the Regionals).
Belle Fletcher – 9 Year Girls 800 meters
Ayden Cooper – 9 Year Boys Discus

 
We would like to thank Mrs Hales and Mrs Tolley for training and entering us in to all of our events and to the parents that were able to come to training and to Landy Field to support us.  A very special thank you to Jodie MacDonald who spent the whole day running the Girls Triple Jump for our school.  It is a very big job and she worked very hard.  Also to Tanya Miller for washing all of our shirts afterwards!
 
Overall it was an amazing day and everyone showed all of our school values which was excellent! 
 
By Lilia Ross

On Friday 19th August, some of the Year 5/6 students competed in the Connewarre District Basketball Championships. We entered a Boys and a Girls Team and we played at Bellarine Secondary College against six other schools. It was a great experience and our skills really improved throughout the tournament.
The Boys Team came up against some tough opposition and fought hard in every match. They drew against Drysdale Primary School and while they did not get many wins on the board, they enjoyed the challenge and played some great basketball. The Girls Team defeated both Drysdale Primary (6 v 9) and South Geelong (4 v 13) and showed great progress as the day went on.
Having the opportunity to play sport with our own friends and to spend the day meeting new people and catching up with friends from other schools was thrilling. It was a really great day and we would like to thank Ms Hales and Mrs Tolley for organising the teams. We really appreciate our parents coming along to support us and for scoring our games on the day.
A huge thank you also to Ben Thomas (former Clifton Springs student and son of Michelle in the office) who took on the role of coach for our Boys Team. It is always great to learn new things from people in our community and we are thankful he gave up his time to help us.

By Katelyn Miller

A big thank you to the families and friends who attended our Olympic Opening Ceremony yesterday morning.  The children thoroughly enjoyed dressing up and parading to the national anthem of their adopted country.  The Clifton Springs Brass Band performance was a huge highlight and we appreciate those students sharing their talent with the wider school community.  While our cauldron flame struggled to survive the Bellarine winds, the torch relay itself was entertaining as Prep and Year 6 students combined to bring the flame of peace to our celebration.
Once Mr Richards had declared the Olympic Celebrations open, students went back inside to participate in a range of art, craft, music, language and PE activities with an Olympic theme. Children rotated around classrooms and worked with a variety of teachers.  Samples of some of the great work completed can be seen on display in the front foyer near the office.
In the afternoon our House Captains and Sports Academy students organised a Mini Olympics for the Prep – Year 2 students. These motivated leaders of our school organised events such as high jump, long jump, hockey, volleyball, sprints, relays, shot put, hammer throw and many more.  Our younger students participated with enthusiasm and really enjoyed the opportunity to experience such a great range of sports. The idea for the Mini Olympics came from our Student Voice group, who play an important and inspiring role within our school.
The students will continue to embrace the rich cultural experience the Olympic Games has to offer over the next 16 days, continuing the great work begun in their Inquiry Learning. They will also be keeping a keen eye on the medal count for their adopted country, adding medals to the chart in the foyer!

On Friday 5th August, ten students from Clifton Springs Primary School competed in the Victorian Primary Schools Golf Championship, over nine modified holes, at Clifton Springs Golf Club. All of the students acquitted themselves, well playing a difficult game made even more so by lightning fast greens.
A big pat on the back to Heather D. and Amy-Lea W. who came 1st and 2nd in the girls event, thus qualifying for the Regional Final at Curlewis Golf Club in November. Heather’s score of 39 is the lowest score ever by a girl in this competition!
A big thankyou to the 8 parents who gave up their time to accompany the students to score and referee. Without their help we couldn’t have participated.
The team and their scores are as follows:
Ruby W. 73, Maddi W. 71, Beau E. 61, Arch F. 54, Emma A.69, Owen B. 73, Heather D.39, Amy-Lea W. 56, Sarah Mac 72 and Angus T. 53.
We also extend a huge thank you to Rob Riley who gave up his own time to coach the team.