Learning & Teaching 

LITERACY - Vira Pirrotta

STAYING SAFE ONLINE 

As technology continues to play a significant role in our lives, it's essential to equip our children with the skills to navigate the online world responsibly and safely. As a school, we prioritise the safety and well-being of our children online. 

By fostering open communication, setting boundaries, and imparting essential digital literacy skills, we can empower them to navigate the digital world responsibly and confidently. 

Recently, we have noticed more students are communicating on social media platforms. Parents need to know and understand the importance of promoting being safe online. To support parents, the eSafety Commission has some wonderful resources, tips and webinars to help parents navigate the online world with their children.  They use research, evidence and experience to lead and advise parents and educators on online safety issues. The eSafety Commission educates Australians about online safety risks and helps to remove harmful content such as cyberbullying of children, adult cyber abuse and intimate images or videos shared without consent.

Below are some helpful tips and links to support parents in keeping their children safe. (highlighted words are links to eSafety website resources for parents)

• Set up a family tech agreement and parental controls 
• Explore ways to stay safe online for parents, kids and y/node/6 
• Learn digital skills for staying safe in games and apps using The eSafety Guide
• Get help for online issues by reporting to eSafety
• Join an eSafety webinar to help your children have positive online experiences
• Stay informed of the latest online safety blogs, news, resources, and advice by signing up to the eSafety Newsletter. 

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/issues-and-advice

Remember, a safe online experience begins with a foundation of knowledge, communication, and shared values. Stay safe, stay connected!

Scholastic Book Club - orders close Nov 15

It's nearly a wrap for 2023! Last Book Club for the year. Book Club Issue 8 is now open. It's full of books to spark magic and joy in students so they read more for fun, including:

• Christmas and Holiday Gift Ideas
• Hot New Releases
• Over 350 Summer Reading Ideas
• Big Savings on Packs
• $3 Value Books, and much, much more!

Orders due this Wednesday, November 15.

NUMERACY - Colleen Monaghan

Foundation Maths' Games Day 

Thankyou to all the amazing parents who came along  to support us on this day. I know having you there made the children’s day. It was a fun day and the kids loved it. Thanks to the teachers and support staff for all their help on the day too. 

Reminder : 

Senior Maths' Games Day:   Thursday 23rd November 

Middles Maths' Games Day:  rescheduled for 30th November

Our Fraction Museum

We were learning to identify Fractional parts and label them.

On Tuesday, we made a Fraction Museum. We made a variety of Exhibits and labelled them as fractions. Then we made a Mystery Exhibit. We asked our friends to come and guess the fraction we had made. We were very engaged working out what to make, thinking about the fraction shown and recording it. Here are some of the exhibits and photos of us busy at work:

STEM - Joe Frazzetto

National STEM MAD Showcase

On Thursday 9th of November, Scarlett, Mia, Gemma and Erica attended the STEM MAD Student National Showcase at the Catholic Leadership Centre to promote and pitch their prototype "The Carbon Eliminator". Their Prototype was awarded the Runners Up for Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria award in the Inspired by Nature category. 

The team participated at the STEM MAD National Showcase in celebration of their learning. Their prototype The Carbon Eliminator acknowledges and promotes STEM learning initiatives that addressed real-world problems and demonstrated how they are able to Make A Difference (MAD) in the world by acting for justice and the common good. 

STEM MAD National is a celebration of excellence in Catholic Education. The nation's best primary, secondary and 'Future is STEM' student teams, nominated by their dioceses, showcase their projects to conference participants, diocesan representatives, sponsors and affiliated organisations, school communities and fellow students. 

Scarlett, Mia, Gemma and Erica should be proud of what they have achieved and accomplished in this project. It was amazing to see them collaborate and communicate with great enthusiasm and conference explaining how the Carbon Eliminator works and how it makes a difference globally and humanity. 

Here are our National STEM MAD representatives' recounts of their experience at the National STEM MAD Showcase.

Scarlett 

What a day at  STEM MAD Nationals. The day started off a bit rough due to someone called Mrs.Watson, who suggested moving the prototype to Mr Frazzetto may have broken our prototype (accidently) . This meant we only had 20 minutes to fix it before the bus came to pick us up with the students from St Olivers'. 

We arrived there at 9.15am. We were group B which meant we presented second. We looked at different prototypes and then had a little break. After the break it was our turn to present. 

We had 1 hour and 30 minutes to present. At first, the LEGO Spike program would not work and the flower was unstable. Towards the middle everything was coming together. After the presentation we had some Gelato. Yum. After that we did some activities which were to do with LEGO and Science. 

We did the LEGO first and it was a 50 piece LEGO challenge in 30 minutes.  Me and Mia were together and built a rock pool and we DEFINITELY used way more than 50 LEGO pieces! The Science show was fun and someone demonstrated a trick with a five cent coin and after that trick the presenter asked me up on the stage and lifted me up with one finger with a long piece of timber. His last trick was putting an egg in a cup. Then it was time for the awards and we came second for sustainability out of the whole of Australia. Then the bus came to pick us up and we arrived back at school at 4.10pm.

Mia N

What a day it was at Nationals! The day started off with our design being broken (accidently)  into pieces by our ''beloved'' Principal. But we got it working in the end. We shared a bus with St. Olivers and got there at about 9:15. As we got there we got to look at the other schools' designs and there were some pretty good designs! When it was our turn, which was not all good because our LEGO Spike Program  was not moving and our flower was really unstable but the judges still loved it. It was break time so we did some activities like a LEGO challenge and a Science lecture. 

In the LEGO challenge we had to make something with 50 blocks. Scarlett and I structure used more than 50 pieces. However, no one counted! At the end of the day it was time for awards to be given out in person. 

In the end we came second in the whole of Australia for the category Sustainability.  Afterwards we had to pack up and arrived back at school at around 4:10.  

Gemma P

What a day at STEM MAD Nationals. Me and a group of girls experienced a day of STEM from 9:00 to 3:30. There were problems before the showcase and during the showcase. 

In the morning a person (looking at you Mrs Watson) dropped our Carbon Eliminator prototype and we only had 20 minutes to fix it. Shattered into pieces we knew today definitely wasn't easy but we had gotten so far we couldn't quit. We were able to see the first showcase and some of the projects were amazing. 

At 11:00 we had to start showcasing until the Carbon Eliminator fell. We had to try everything until the third time it fell it stood and stayed still. It worked by changing the direction of the motor. After that the rest of the day was less bumpy. 

At the end of the day we did a challenge with Ryan Evans from LEGO Masters and had 30 minutes to build a project using 50 pieces of LEGO. It was heaps of fun. Then we went to the awards ceremony. We were proud to have come second in sustainability and have made nationals.

Erica D

Right from the start we knew it wasn’t going to be easy, We won’t name names but SOMEONE broke the Carbon Eliminator (not looking at anyone Mrs Watson). Which gave us no more than 20 minutes to rebuild what took a whole year to make. Seeing other entries left us with pressure especially since in the back of our heads was a voice saying ‘Will the Carbon Eliminator work?’  

It came to the moment of truth and the Carbon Eliminator didn’t stand up on its own and it kept on breaking. By the end it all worked but there were only 45 minutes left to showcase! 

At the end of the day we were faced with challenges, from starting without a standing project, and hubs not connecting from them, running out of ice cream -long stories, the Carbon Eliminator made it to nationals and we learnt so much.

Here are photos of The Carbon Eliminator Collaborative Team’s Journey to the National STEM MAD Showcase.

SPORT & PE - Michael Jenning

HOT SHOTS TENNIS

During Term 3, the St Fidelis Primary School’s Girls Bat Tennis Team defeated Coburg West PS to decide on a Coburg District representative team to play Tennis Hot Shots in the Inner North/Moreland Division Championships. 

The Girls ‘Hot Shots’ Tennis Team played Richmond PS on Tuesday 31 October 2023 at Eaglemont Tennis Club, Ivanhoe.  The St Fidelis ‘Hot Shots’ Tennis Team won 4 of their 12 matches and had a great experience attending and participating at this event.

Congratulations to the following girls on participating at this event and special thanks to Mr Troy and Mr Alessio for preparing the team and their support at this event.

ISABELLA JOSON

HUNTER FITZGERALD

PENELOPE LA PORTA

MAYA WOODHOUSE

JULIETTE MIGNONE

AMELIA PRESA FILMER

ALEX ARCHIBALD

EMILY MALLAURINO

AMBER SMITH

ST FIDELIS SCHOOL SPORTS' UNIFORMS

There are still some St Fidelis' sports uniforms borrowed by students to play soccer, football and netball during the interschool sport season not returned as yet to school. They need to be returned to school as soon as possible. Items include, football jumpers, soccer shirts, football & soccer socks, boots, shin guards, netball dresses and netball shirts.

ANNUAL SPORTS DAY - CHANGE OF DATE

PLEASE NOTE: Our School  Sports Day is now on Thursday November 30, not December 12 as previously notified in the newsletter.