Earlier this week, I took a very strong and determined boys' and girls' team made up of students from Yr 7, Yr 8 and Yr 9 to compete in the ISD junior basketball carnival in Bankstown. I was accompanied and supported by our two sports captains Rohan and Morgan, and our extracurricular Basketball Coach Ethan Brown.

The commitment of the players to this competition was evident from the start, with lunch time training occurring in the weeks before, and the energy and eagerness of wanting to do their absolute best for Jonas was palpable. The teams each wore black arm bands as a sign of respect and as a tribute to him during all their matches.

The boys team played fiercely and held their own against the competition in all their games with players pulling together and providing inspiring and gutsy play.

The girls team had excellent synergy and continued to improve as the day went on, playing with great heart and some excellent shooting, which saw them just shy of making the semi-finals, with only a couple of points in it!

Scarlett S, Chloe G and Lenny T in Yr 8 had a fantastic competition and were selected by scouts to represent the ISD in the up and coming AICES basketball carnival early next year - well done Scarlett, Lenny and Chloe!

The groups tenacity, team spirt, sense of fun and fair play shone brightly throughout the day, and they did Jonas proud.

A special thanks to our sports captains who helped me throughout the day and lead the younger students with integrity, a depth of experience, good will and a keen sense of fairness.

Well done to all!

Kim Mann
PDHPE Teacher