What's happening in our learning spaces? 

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

FOUNDATION NEWS

What a wonderful and enriching week we have had in Foundation! As part of our Inquiry unit on Special Places, we travelled into the city to explore some of Melbourne’s most iconic and meaningful locations. Our first stop was the State Library of Victoria, where we participated in a hands-on workshop and discovered some of the many treasures hidden inside this incredible building.

During the workshop, we created our very own concertina-style books. We were given a range of stickers, textured papers, and design elements to create a front cover before writing our own story inside. It was amazing to see us all applying our narrative knowledge so confidently, while some chose to use their book to create their own non-fiction texts. Each book was completely unique, and we cannot wait to showcase these beautiful creations at our upcoming Celebration of Learning! 

We also enjoyed a guided tour of the library, where we explored special displays, viewed historical books, and visited the extraordinary La Trobe Reading Room, home to many precious pieces of Victoria’s history. A favourite fun fact of the day was learning about the now extinct job of the Chief Shusher, a person whose entire job was to keep the library quiet!

After our library visit, we took a stroll to the Carlton Gardens. We were excited to see the Royal Exhibition Building and the Melbourne Museum, two significant Melbourne landmarks that hold rich stories and memories. After lunch by the water fountain, we enjoyed some well-earned playtime at the playground before making our way back to school.

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the parents who joined us on the excursion. We had such a fantastic day full of learning, curiosity, and fun, and your support helped make the experience possible! 

Another highlight of the week was our GEM Day, where we celebrated Gratitude, Empathy, and Mindfulness through The Resilience Project. Our day began with a wonderful assembly led by our GEM leaders, followed by a whole-school scavenger hunt. It was incredible to see so many families joining in. We loved working alongside our buddies to find GEM throughout the schoolyard.

We then joined another class and rotated through a variety of workshops, including mandala colouring, yoga, rock painting, fidget-making, letter writing and more. We had an amazing time engaging in activities that encouraged us to put our learning into action as we celebrated gratitude, empathy and mindfulness together.

Our day finished outside with sports games, bringing the whole school together in a joyful and energetic way. A big thank you to Miss Karalis and Miss Zorzut for organising such a meaningful and enjoyable day for our community!

This week, we will be learning about…

• Numeracy: Data
• Reading: Characters, settings, problems and solutions within Narrative Texts 
• InitiaLit: Using learnt sounds and digraphs to build, read and spell words and sentences, reading decodable story books (Learnt sounds: m, s, t, a, p, i, f, r, c, o, d, h, e, n, g, l, k, u, b, j, w, ck, ll, ff, ss, sh, qu, ee, z, zz, ch, v, x, th, wh, y, ng, oo, ay)
• Writing: Recount and Narrative Writing, writing on the dotted thirds
• Inquiry: Special Places
• Religion: Saints  Carols Practice
• The Resilience Project: Empathy 
•  

Here’s a reminder of some important upcoming dates to mark on your calendar for Term 4:

• Colour Fun Run- Thursday 27th November (Week 8)
• Celebration of Learning- Thursday 4th December (Week 9)
• Whole School Transition- Monday 8th December (Week 10)
• Carols Night- Thursday 11th December (Week 10)
• School Finishes- Tuesday 16th December (Week 11)

Have a wonderful week, 

Foundation Team, 

Alycia Marsico, Olivia Sargent and Leanne Wenckowski. 

YEAR 1/2 NEWS

What a great week of learning we have had in 1/2 this week. 

As writers, we have been focusing on strengthening our persuasive writing by using clear and powerful language features. We have been practising writing about a range of different topics, making sure we confidently state our opinion and explain our reasons in detail. Throughout this learning, we have been working on choosing strong, emotive words, using sequencing words to organise our ideas, and providing clear explanations to support our point of view. By doing this, we are developing our ability to write convincing arguments and show a deeper understanding of how persuasive texts are structured and communicated.

As mathematical thinkers, we have been learning how to use directional language to give clear instructions when navigating maps. We practised using words such as forwards/up, backwards/down, left, and right to guide someone from one point to another on a map. Some of us even extended our understanding by using language like quarter turns and half turns to describe changes in direction more precisely and began exploring cardinal directions, using words like north, south, east, and west. In addition, we practised using simple coordinates to locate items on a map and used these coordinates to ask and answer questions about where objects were placed. We had lots of fun creating our own treasure maps and then writing step-by-step directions for a friend to follow. Through these activities, we strengthened our ability to deliver and follow directions. 

We ended the week with an AMAZING GEM day, where we focused on practising Gratitude, Empathy, and Mindfulness through a range of calming and creative activities. Students took part in fidget-tool making, rock painting, yoga, mandala colouring, and writing gratitude letters. These activities helped us reconnect with the important learning from our TRP sessions and gave everyone the chance to slow down, reflect, and appreciate the moment. We finished the day with some fun outdoor games in our house colours, bringing everyone together in a joyful and positive way. Overall, it was a fantastic day filled with connection, creativity, and mindfulness. We feel so grateful to be part of a school community that creates opportunities like this for us to learn, grow, and care for our wellbeing.

This week, we will be learning about…

• Numeracy: Mass
• Reading: Comprehension Strategies - Summarising and Main Idea
• Writing: Persuasive writing 
• Spelling: The digraph /ai/makes the sound “a” as in snail.
• Inquiry: Design Process 
• Religion:  Creation 

Upcoming dates: 

• 1/2OB Whole School Prayer (Assembly) - Friday 21st November 
• Colour Fun Run - Thursday 27th November 
• Lunch order day - Thursday 27th November
• School Closure Day - Friday 28th November
• Celebration of Learning - Thursday 4th December

Vania Sparano, Nadia Ascenzo, Chloe Wang & Olivia Bovolato 

1/2 Team

YEAR 3/4 NEWS

As members of a Catholic Community, we have been learning about All Saints & All Souls Day. We engaged in a research project to find out more about our chosen saints, their early life, the reasons for becoming a Saint, their achievements and fun facts. Take a look at some of our research projects!

We gathered as a whole school to commemorate Remembrance Day. During the week, students listened to the story ‘A day to Remember’, watched a BTN video on Remembrance Day and reflected on the Last Post. 

Here are some of our reflections from our learning tasks: 

• The Last Post makes me think about all the soldiers who died at war. - Amelia 
• The Last Post makes me feel sad because it makes me think about how hard it would have been for all those people who lost someone. - Elliot 
• On Remembrance Day, we wear poppies for peace and remembrance for the people who fought in World War I & II. - Giorgio 
• Before it was called Remembrance Day, it was called Armistice Day as a celebration of the end of the First World War. - Lilly 

This week, we will be learning about…

• Numeracy: Mass & Capacity (Year 3) & Probability (Year 4) 
• Literacy: Novel Study - The One & Only Ivan 
• Spelling: The diagraph /c/ making the sound “s” as in city.
• Inquiry: Design: How can we make a difference?
• Religion: Creation Story with an Indigenous perspective 

Upcoming events in Week 7…

• Tuesday 18 November - Year 3/4 Maths Games Day

Year 3/4 Teachers

Belinda Panzarino & Sarah Hogan 

YEAR 5/6 NEWS

We have had another wonderful week!

We have been engaging in descriptive narrative texts where we have chosen our own adventure. We are currently focusing on innovating our sentences to build tension, describe settings vividly, and develop our characters’ emotions. We are looking forward to sharing these with you.

This week, our Year 5/6 students took part in an engaging Metro Trains incursion focused on travel safety and responsibility. Students learned about the importance of making safe choices around trains, platforms, and railway crossings through interactive discussions and real-life scenarios. The session encouraged students to think critically about how their actions can impact their own safety and the safety of others. It was an informative and enjoyable experience that reinforced the importance of being alert and aware when travelling on public transport.

We have also been learning about All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, two important celebrations in the Catholic calendar. We explored how these days honour the saints who have lived lives of holiness and those who have passed away and are remembered in our prayers. Students reflected on ways we can follow the examples of the saints in our daily lives by showing kindness, compassion, and faith. Through prayer, discussion, and creative activities, we were reminded of the importance of gratitude and remembering those who have gone before us.

Last week, we had our GEM day, and it was great to see so many of the Year 5/6 students engaged in all of the tasks and rotations. The fidget making was definitely a highlight alongside the sports activity at the end of the day!

We hope you have a wonderful week!

The Year 5/6 Team

Bianka Zorzut, Vicky Karalis, Maddie Comrie and Nick Tresize