Learning & Teaching

Learning and Teaching encompasses the following areas: Student Outcomes, Curriculum, Assessment, Reporting, Principles and Pedagogy.

LEARNING & TEACHING - Vira Pirrotta

Parent/Student/Teacher Learning Conversations

This year, the learning conversations will be different to previous Parent Teacher Interviews. The student, teacher and parent will contribute to the learning conversation. The learning conversation will allow students to present a work sample and lead a discussion with their parents about their learning. All students are expected to attend the Learning Conversations. The purpose of the conversation is to:

Encourage students to accept personal responsibility for their learning.
Increase parent understanding of their child’s learning.
Help students demonstrate evidence of learning.
Teach students the process of reflection and self-evaluation.
Promote student organisational and oral communication skills,
Increase student self-confidence.
Encourage students, parents and teachers in honest and open dialogue.
Promote student voice and agency
Increase student and parent involvement in the conversation
Increase parent understanding of their child’s learning
See student samples and evidence of learning
Engage parents in honest and open dialogue
Help parents gain insights into their child’s learning
Build relationships between families and school.

Each member of the conversation will have a role.

Role of the Student:

Students will share their learning with their parents and reflect on the progress so far this year. The students will present what they were learning and why. The students will use a Success Criteria and a work sample as evidence to show how successful they have been in their learning. They may discuss how they improved this semester and where they could improve for next semester.

Role of the Teacher:

The role of the teacher is to facilitate the conversation about the student’s learning and prompt the student when needed. The teacher will then discuss other academic progress, including your child’s strengths, progress and areas of improvement for Semester Two.

Role of Parents:

The role of the parents is to listen actively to their child, ask questions and praise their achievements. Should you wish to ask questions of the teacher, of course, you are welcome to do so. To implement any strategies that the teacher suggests at home.

The students are very excited about sharing their achievements with their parents so please make time with your child’s teacher via the school interviews website. These will open later this week. Look out for the email and Audiri notification.

REPORTING REMINDERS

Wednesday 12th July - Reports made available to parents via the nForma portal

Monday 17th July - Parent/Teacher/Child Learning Conversations 1:30 pm - 7:30 pm

NUMERACY - Colleen Monaghan

Have you watched Bluey or Play School recently? Both have so much real-world maths in them. Eddie Woo is a guest on Play School and he has some really good maths tasks that he does on the show. This link is one where he sorts and classifies the socks. Certainly, a job I wish my kids would have done for me !

Play School's Marvellous Maths - ABC Kids

The Foundation students are learning about patterns at the moment and so this link where they sort by size, pattern and colour is a good lead-in. Can they make a pattern with the socks in your washing basket? Can they describe the pattern to you? Where does it start and end? (the unit of repeat)

Over the holidays, I am sure there will be opportunities to work with your child on Maths.

Look for math in your everyday life - discuss time, money and perhaps cook with your children, measuring the ingredients and enjoying the final product. Remember to continue to count, forwards, backwards, and from different starting points.

Foundation - count in ones from 0- 20 and if able to 30 and beyond - watch and listen for the ty/teen confusion 19/90 14/40 etc. Also, watch and listen for the bridges 29/30. 39/40 etc. Continue counting backwards from 10 initially, and when confident from 15-0 then 20- 0 and 25-0 and then beyond 25 backwards.

Year ones - count in ones from 0-120 both forwards and backwards, try from various starting points. Also count by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s starting at 0 up to 100.

Year 2- count in ones from 0-1000 both forwards and backwards from various starting points. Also count by 2’s, 3’s, 5’s and 10’s starting at any number up to 1000. Count collection of coins, count items, collections , money etc..

Grade 3 could begin learning their times tables. They need to be able to skip count in 2’s, 3’s, 5’s, 10 before starting to learn the tables related to this counting.

Practise the 10 times tables as most can count in 10’s easily. Move to 5’s, then 2’s (doubles ) and lastly 3’s.

Grade 4 could work on the other tables, 4,6,7,8,9 0, as they need to know all the table facts 0-10 by the end of the year.

Grade 5/6 students could also practise their tables 0-10 as they need to be fluent with these in order to complete the work they will start on multiplication and division.

Have a great holiday and enjoy the time with your family.

Colleen Monaghan

SPORT & PE - Michael Jennings

5/6 Camp

The Grade 5/6 Camp was held last week at “Weekaway” Camp, Benloch, on the 13th , 14th and 15th of June, 2023. The purpose of going on this camp was to provide the students with a worthwhile educational, living and learning experience as part of our Year 5/6 curriculum.

Throughout the days spent at camp, the students were involved in a variety of outdoor educational activities which included, amongst other things, bush-walking, flying fox, canoeing, initiative course, archery, the maze, and lazer tag.

All the activities and responsibilities attached to being a camp member were designed to:

Increase initiative, self-reliance and self-discipline;
Encourage determination and concentration;
Teach promotion and protection of the natural environment;
Encourage participation;
Teach new skills;
Increase team effort;
Motivate and challenge; and
Encourage problem-solving, planning and correct judgement.

Congratulations to all the Grades 5/6 students, who attended the camp, for their enthusiastic participation, co-operation and wonderful behaviour. Thank you to the St Fidelis camp staff for your leadership, enthusiasm and care of the students. Finally, thank you to the Grades 5/6 parents for allowing your children to be a part of this learning experience.

Michael Jennings

School Camp Coordinator