Learning and Teaching

NAPLAN 

At our recent PLC meeting with staff, we looked at our NAPLAN trends over the last three years. We have so much to celebrate at St Mary’s. One throughline in particular is the growth in our learners from Year 3 to Year 5. When comparing the exact same learners who completed NAPLAN in Year 3 with their results in Year 5, we have seen significant growth.  

Within these two years, the state expects to see a growth in scale score of roughly 80 points. The graphic below highlights the average growth in each domain.  

Year 2

In Inquiry, Year 2 students are taking action to teach others about minibeasts, their important role in our ecosystem and the ways we can care for and protect them. We have been learning about the amazing things minibeasts do for our environment and thinking about how we can become responsible minibeast guardians.

On Thursday, we visited our Year 1 friends, who are also exploring minibeasts as part of their Inquiry learning. Our Year 2 students created their own minibeast books to read to their Year 1 partners, sharing their knowledge and expertise. It was a wonderful opportunity for our Year 1 students to learn from the “bigger kids” while giving our Year 2 students a real sense of responsibility and pride in sharing their learning with others.

Year 3

Interschool Sports 

Our Year 3 students recently attended their first Interschool Sports event, where they had the exciting opportunity to compete against other schools from across town. The learners represented our school with pride, demonstrating excellent behaviour, respect, and teamwork throughout the day. They showed outstanding sportsmanship by enthusiastically cheering on participants from all schools and graciously congratulating event winners. It was wonderful to see their confidence grow as they embraced new challenges, made connections with other students, and enjoyed the spirit of friendly competition. We are incredibly proud of the way they conducted themselves and look forward to many more interschool sporting experiences in the future. 

Learning Expo 

Thank you to all the parents and families who attended our Learning Expo and supported our learners. The Year 3 students proudly shared their Goldy Play retelling of the Bible story Feeding the Five Thousand, demonstrating their understanding of this important scripture through performance and storytelling. 

Families also joined their children in creating a jigsaw that illustrated the beginning, middle, and end of the story. It was wonderful to see learners confidently share their learning and work alongside their loved ones. Thank you for making the event such a special celebration of learning, creativity, and faith. 

Inquiry 

Our learners have been developing their geography skills by using a variety of maps to locate countries around the world. As part of their learning, they participated in a fun and challenging "Hunt the Country" game, where they worked together to find a country beginning with every letter of the alphabet. 

Throughout the unit, learners explored different types of maps, including political, physical, and world maps, helping them understand the unique purpose of each and when they are used. This hands-on experience built their confidence in reading maps, identifying locations, and expanding their knowledge of the world. It was fantastic to see their enthusiasm, teamwork, and curiosity as they discovered new countries and developed important geographical skills.