Contents
- Important dates
- John Marsden's Celebration at the Melbourne Town Hall
- Welcome, Magnus
- Book Week
- Prep news
- The Art Room Report
- Broom eradication
- By Spencer Bone
- Grade One Dragons
- Grade Six Sculpture Walk
- Nature by Tanya Balzer
- Future Council
- Grade Two Strath Creek Camp
- Tournament of Minds
- Chinese Museum
- Community announcements
Important Dates
- Start of Term 4: Tuesday 7th October
- Melbourne Cup Long weekend: no school Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th November
- End of Term 4: Friday 12th December
2026 Term Dates
- Term One: Thursday 29th January - Wednesday 1st April
- Term Two: Tuesday 21st April - Friday 26th June
- Term Three: Monday 20th July - Thursday 24th September
- Term Four: Tuesday 13th October - Thursday 17th December
John Marsden's Celebration at the Melbourne Town Hall
John's celebration at the Melbourne Town Hall, filmed by the Alice Miller Media students and edited by Year 9's Daisy McCrum Canny, is now available on YouTube. If you were there on the day, we hope you enjoy watching the speeches and performances once again. Please feel free to share this with those who weren't able to be there. Thank you to Dave Vertigan for his guidance of the Media students in this important project.
Once again, thank you to the wonderful people who made this day possible, with particular mention to John's family and our MC, Sammy J. It was everything we hoped it would be.
Book Week
Prep News
The Prep students have enjoyed another engaging and activity-filled term at Candlebark. On a windy, overcast day, they explored the Nulla Vale campus in search of the bear cave inspired by Michael Rosen's We're Going on a Bear Hunt. While no bears were sighted, the students did discover a dark and mysterious cave. Highlights of the day included roasting marshmallows over a campfire and the unexpected discovery of a deceased fox, which provided a lot of entertainment.
In late November, the Preps embarked on an excursion to Bendigo, where they thoroughly enjoyed exploring a variety of playgrounds and public gardens across the city. A visit to the Science Discovery Centre provided opportunities for hands-on learning and curiosity-driven exploration. Although the vertical slide proved a bit too daunting this time, the students enthusiastically engaged with the many interactive exhibits on offer.
Back at school, the Preps hosted a delightful teddy bear tea party. With their favourite stuffed companions by their side, students sipped peppermint tea, enjoyed teddy bear-shaped biscuits, and took their teddies for a gentle walk through the bush—rounding off the term with a lovely blend of imagination and nature.
Sarah Lewis
The Art Room Report
Grade Six: Printmaking Linocut, drypoint and collagraphs. Grade Six have successfully completed a linocut with the theme of “Animals in Action”. Currently they are printing cardboard collagraphs and natural objects.
Grade Five: The Grade Fives have investigated the ancient Chinese art of calligraphy, brush and ink painting and ancient pottery. They have experimented with calligraphy brushes and rice paper. We learned to imitate Chinese numbers using short single strokes. Students made longer repetitive brush strokes to create towering cliffs, soaring peaks, distant mountains and misty voids. We have debunked Willow Pattern Chinoiserie as a popular English adaptation of Chinese story telling. Eventually we will create our own stories influenced and adapted from Ming pots of 14th to 17th century.
Grade Three and Four: Pottery Birds in Nests: working with a number of techniques, designing templates, cutting slab shapes, coil pots, clay construction and joining. The two grades are making whimsical clay birds that could be used as planters.
Grade Two: Dragons: collages and dioramas inspired by Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. In English, Grade Two are reading a very enjoyable book, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin. They have responded to this text in Art. We have learnt to take steps to construct collages and dioramas over a period of weeks. Their enthusiasm is amazing, and their energy has not waned.
Grade One: They began the semester drawing and painting Australian animals but with the arrival of a new class member, they were inspired by his passion for dragons. Papier-mâché dragon eggs were made with balloons, tissue paper and mixed media.
Preps: they have investigated emotions through colour and line. For example, anger became red volcanoes, confusion became mesmerizing green mazes, surprise bright colourful stars and rorschach ink blot butterflies.
Joanne Croke
Broom Eradication
This term, a dedicated team of gardeners, led by the indefatigable Jarno, has spent Friday afternoons pulling Broom from the Parklands. They’re achieving great things for the bush and having a good time while they’re at it.
Cam Kerr
By Spencer Bone
I'm walking through Antarctica and all I can see is ice and snow. The coldness in the air makes me feel like I am going to die. All I can hear are the glaciers crashing down into the water. I can't smell anything because the wind is pushing against my nose.
I hear the sound of a massive bus. When it arrives, it doesn't look like a bus at all. It looks like a tall truck, so big that it has ladders to the doors. I climb into the snow bus and it takes me to a warm shed. There is a cup of honey tea, soft blankets and a chocolate teddy bear biscuit waiting for me.
Spencer Bone
Grade One Dragons
Wild Ones Wild Dragon Adventures
The Wild Ones have embraced all things Dragons. Indeed, they are actually becoming dragon trainers. They have been on dragon hunts and returned with dragons which are visiting our classroom. They have made felt baby dragons, thanks to our kind volunteer sewing angels, a dragon lair, they built dragon eggs in Art, and we are even taking our dragons to visit a Castle. Here are some pieces written just for The Bark about our adventures.
Laan Hahnel
Dragon Hunt at Alice Miller
We went to a school called Alice. At Alice we found dragons - to be exact, nine dragons. Can you believe nine dragons! Now we are dragon trainers, and we are reading the How to Train Your Dragon book.
Adya Walia
Dear People, We went to do a dragon hunt at Alice Miller. It was so much fun. We searched around the school. I found one in the vege patch. It was on a castle, it was blue and orange. I called it Grrrrrrabon. We are reading How to Train Your Dragon.
Leah Woodford
Sewing Baby Dragons
Some families came in to help to sew our baby dragons. It was hard but it was fun. We had to pick our colours for the body and the wings, and some families bought some stuff for us to use. This term we are studying dragons.
Margot Norris
The Grade Ones sewed baby dragons with felt. It was fun and easy and pretty messy. My dragon was yellow and the wings were green and the horns were brown and the tail is pretty swirly.
Herschel Spruit
Grade Six Sculpture Walk
The Grade Sixes have been undertaking a project where they choose something they are deeply curious and interested in, and then research this subject and express it through informative reports, poetry, narrative, film and art. In Humanities they have been looking at ancestry and voyages and exploring their own family stories.
To help them see how one might express an idea through art, and to explore other people’s family stories, we went on a sculpture walk of Melbourne and debated what each piece of art was saying or implying about our world.
It was a great day, and we all had our own opinions about which sculptures were special. But certainly the Sandridge Bridge with the sculpture ‘The Travellers’ was a group fave!
Melbourne! Art! Walking! Hooray!!!
Nat Banks
Nature By Tanya Balzer
Nature, oh nature, so beautiful you see.
I walk and stalk and I saw the lush glossy leaves from the last rainfall.
The yellow blossom felt so soft as a pillow.
I heard the wild kookaburras laughing at me,
And I felt the cold wind against my face,
Like a little feather brushing against my foot.
I closed my eyes and dreamed away,
Until the wind faded and everything was gone.
Tanya Balzer
Future Council
The Grade 3/4s are learning about Civics and Citizenship in Humanities this term and are investigating how they can make a difference in their local communities, at school or in the wider community of their home town.
During week 2, all of the Grade 3/4 students went into Melbourne to see Future Council which was showing at Cinema Nova. It was an incredibly inspiring movie documentary about 8 children from around the world who passionately care about the environment. They form a council that travels across Europe visiting CEO’s of different companies and asking them the very tough questions of what they were going to do about their negative impact on the planet. The kids were talented, passionate, articulate, friendly and super supportive of each other. It was inspiring in so many ways and definitely lit a spark in our Candlebark students.
We also had the surprising opportunity to do a Q&A with the director of the documentary and one of the children who starred in the documentary, Ruby Rodgers! They were great and even took the time to have their photo taken with all of the students in the foyer.
Nicky Russell
Grade Two Strath Creek Camp
The Grade Twos had the delightful opportunity to split in half and come to Strath Creek for a few days of exploring, poetry writing and play rehearsal.
In between delicious meals, we danced, read, lit the fire, drank cups of tea, played tiggy on the enormous cricket ground, and hiked up a mountain!
What a time! We can’t wait to do it again!
Nat Banks and Nicky Russell
Tournament of Minds
After many weeks of hard work, creative outpouring, hardcore negotiation, artistic direction and endless rehearsing, the TOM kids headed to Bendigo for the big day!
And I tell you what? You would never have known they’d had two weeks fewer than other schools, or that they’d had moments of frustration, fury and despair!!! They came together like pros, united, joyful, clear and sparky! They were spectacular!
We have yet to hear results but are oh so proud of them! Well done TOM kids!!
Update: One of the teams got the wild card entry for Social Sciences and will be heading to the state finals in Melbourne! Woop Woop! Well done!
Nat Banks
Chinese Museum
This term in English the Grade Twos are reading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin. It is based in China and has some Chinese mythology and stories in it. We ventured into the city and visited the Chinese Museum where the children made some Chinese Dragon Puppets, and we learned all about where the Chinese Dragon came from and what animals they think it is based on. After making our fabulous puppets, we got to explore the museum and then we had dumplings for morning tea, before walking to the park to have our lunch.
Nicky Russell and Nat Banks
Community Announcements
BASIC WILDLIFE RESCUE TRAINING COURSE
The Basic Wildlife Rescue Training Course is the starting point to becoming a Wildlife Rescuer. Express your interest on the events page of the Macedon Ranges Wildlife Networks website for Basic Wildlife Rescue Training. This training will be recognised by Wildlife Victoria and will enable you to join them as a volunteer rescuer. Date: 19th October 2025. Cost: Current Members no cost, Non-members $75. Location: Woodend. Venue: TBA.
Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic
Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic, is a fast-paced, hilarious play that reimagines the story of a famous boy wizard—from the perspective of the overlooked and underdog students in the 'Puffs' house. Across seven chaotic years, this heartwarming comedy follows Wayne and his misfit friends as they navigate spells, dangers, and growing up, proving that being third place isn't so bad after all. Perfect for wizards and non-wizards alike, Puffs is a magical and charming celebration of friendship, bravery, and finding where you belong.
Friday night performances start at 7.30 pm
Saturday and Sunday performances start at 2 pm.
(There is NO Saturday night performance for this production.)
Opening Night Friday, November 7th, 9 performances over 3 weekends,
closes Sunday, November 23rd.
PUFFS CAST (in no particular order):
Wayne Winzar - Narrator
Kevin McGeechan - Oliver
Nathanial Calleja - Wayne
Maggie Falloon - Megan
Eve Cannon - Hannah
Benjamin Cudmore - Cedric, Mr. Voldy
Tahli McGregor - Harry
Banjo Ford - J Finch, Uncle Dave
Leni O’Sullivan-Snow - Leanne, Ginny
Martha Bobetic - Sally Perks
Molly Hindson - Susie Bones
Aiden Holder - Goyle, Fat Friar, Clumsy Longbottom, Mr. Bagman, Colin
Jemima Spring - Frenchy, Mermaid, Professor McG, Xavia Jones
Xanthe Berger - Sal, 1st Headmaster, Real Mr. Moody, Anthony Goldstein, Professor Turban, Hermoone #3
Zara Wright - Ernie Mac, Hermoone #2, Ric Gryff, Scorpy
Darcy Baird - Seamus, A Certain Potions Teacher, 2nd Headmaster
Hayley Elliott - Hermoone #1, Blondo Malfoy, Bibby, Rowena, Rita Scooter
Cohen Constable - Death Buddy #1, A Very Tall Man, Professor Locky, Mr Nick, Viktor, Zach Smith
Caity Richards - Professor Lanny, Runes Teacher, Ms Babble, Professor Sprouty, Mrytle, Ghost History Teacher, Helga, Dragon
Credits:
Created with images by tatomm - "dry tree bark texture and background, nature concept" • tatomm - "dry tree bark texture and background, nature concept" • Valerii Evlakhov - "Footsteps in the blue snow" • Merrillie - "Tiny yellow wattle flowers and Honey Bee" • igzotic - "old wood texture"