Religious Education

Reconciliation Reflection Day

On Monday 3rd March our Middles students engaged in a Reconciliation Reflection Day. It was designed to enhance our learning about this important element of our Catholic Faith and its connection to our everyday building of strong and respectful relationships. In addition, for those of our students preparing for their Sacrament of Reconciliation in the coming weeks, it provided fun and meaningful ways to reflect on what forgiveness and restoring of broken relationships may look like inspired by scripture and Jesus’ example.

Throughout the day we engaged in fun, thought provoking and meaningful ways to explore, discuss and practice our faith. It was an uplifting day enhanced by the way our students embraced these different experiences and opportunities to reflect and connect. We were so proud of the way that they fully immersed themselves in this experience.

Another fantastic element of this day was the connection with our parishioners and grandparents who came in and ran or aided our activities. We are so grateful for their generosity of time to volunteer their knowledge, expertise and service to connect with our students in such a positive way. Throughout the day we had 10 volunteers who facilitated these activities and the students embraced their involvement whole heartedly. A big thanks also to Miss Annie who volunteered her day to support our students in this experience.

Catholic Education Week

Next week is Catholic Education Week and our Mini Vinnies have been busily preparing activities over the last few weeks for play times to engage our students. In addition, out the front of our school you will see a big “HOPE” sign displayed. This year is a Jubilee year for Catholics and the theme is “Pilgrims of Hope”. It calls Catholics to embrace and renew their hope in Christ, and to embark on a pilgrimage of faith.

Hope means something different to each of us but at its core it is a powerful feeling that drives us to believe in a better future and maintain a positive attitude in the face of difficulties. It is the confidence or faith that things can and will improve, that there is a possibility of achieving our dreams and overcoming challenges.

Hope is not wishful thinking, Catholic hope is anchored in faith in God. Our journey or pilgrimage in hope is intertwined with this faith which is fuelled by God’s word, Jesus’ example and the Holy spirit who calls us to act and transform our lives with hope. True hope spurs us into action and enables us to gives us strength and motivation to persevere, even in times of adversity. It helps us maintain faith in God, ourselves and in others, to seek solutions, and to visualise a brighter horizon. Hope connects us with the possibility of a tomorrow full of opportunities and fulfillment.

Throughout Catholic Education week, students and staff alike will be invited to add their reflections of “hope” to this throughout the week. We also invite you, our families, to also add your personal thoughts, reflections or hopes for you, your family, our community or our world to this installation. This St. B’s community collaboration seeks to unite us on this faith filled pilgrimage of Hope throughout the course of this Jubilee year.

Physical Education

Division Swimming Results

Congratulations to our swimmers who progressed to the Western Ranges Division swimming competition. They swam at Melton Outdoor Pool on the 11th of March and produced some very impressive results.

Skye Juric - 3rd Breaststroke
Wallace Lyons - 4th Freestyle
Chloe Monaghan - 4th Freestyle
Violet Russell -3rd Breaststroke

Middles Tennis Clinics

The Middle students are participating in a four week tennis program during their PE lessons, thanks to the term 1 Sporting Schools Grant. Students are receiving professional coaching from Spark Tennis. Over the four weeks students will develop their forehand, backhand, volley and rally skills. To support our students' interest in tennis, we have set up bat tennis courts for students to use during play times.

Digital Technology

A Busy Start to the Year

It has been an engaging and productive start to the year in Digital Technology. Across all year levels, students have been developing new skills, getting hands-on with technology, and exploring creative ways to learn.

Our Grade 1 students reached an important milestone as they received their own laptops. With so much to learn, our Grade 2 students have been excellent mentors, guiding their younger peers as they navigate this new technology. One of the first skills our Grade 1s have focused on is touch typing, something many of us use every day without thinking about it. Through programs like Typing Club, they have been learning about finger placement, words per minute, and typing accuracy, and are already making great progress.

In the lead-up to Ash Wednesday, our Junior students explored graphic design by creating posters for our school Mass. They learned about layers, typography, and composition, using digital tools to bring their ideas to life in a meaningful way.

Meanwhile, our Preps have been introduced to a device they will be using throughout their time at school—the computer. We examined the different components of a computer, including the CPU, GPU, RAM, and hard drive, and discussed the importance of safety when working with electronic devices. They were then given their own laptops, which they soon discovered they would be constructing out of paper. The activity helped them understand the basic parts of a computer in a hands-on way.

Our Preps have also started exploring digital music production using GarageBand on iPads. They experimented with loops and layering instruments to create their own compositions, developing an understanding of how music can be created digitally.

For our Grade 3/4 students, the focus has been on coding and robotics. They have been using Sphero robots to complete coding challenges, measuring distances with built-in sensors and analysing real-world data. These activities have given students a practical way to apply their coding knowledge while also developing their problem-solving skills.

The first half of the term has been filled with engaging learning experiences, and we look forward to seeing what the rest of the term brings in Digital Technology.

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