PREP

This week in Prep, we have begun Little Learners Love Literacy Stage 4. We have met Jack Jellyfish and Uncle Upton and have been learning to correctly form these letters and decode words using these sounds. The students have been enthusiastic and excited to practise their new skills during our literacy sessions. It is an exciting time as we start to see our reading progress!!!

In Numeracy, we will begin learning all about subtraction over the coming weeks. Students will use counters and number lines to help solve subtraction problems and build their understanding of taking away.

In Health, we have been exploring different emotions and discussing how our bodies look and the sounds people make when showing these emotions. Students have enjoyed sharing their ideas and learning ways to recognise emotions in themselves and others.

Upcoming dates:

Monday 18th May - Pupil Free Day

Thursday 21st May - Catholic Education Week Mass

Friday 22nd May - Biggest Morning Tea and Open Classroom 9am

Elissa Rodger erodger@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Emma Roberts eroberts@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Liza Alexander lalexander@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 1

This week in Grade One, we were excited to welcome Josh Garner, a pre-service teacher who will be working alongside Leah and the students over the next four weeks. We look forward to having him as part of our classroom community.

Our Inquiry learning continues to keep students engaged and curious. This week, students explored elements of Indigenous weather knowledge and seasonal changes.

In Mathematics, we have completed our place value unit and have now moved into measurement. Students have been participating in a range of hands-on learning experiences where they compare length and mass using everyday objects.

In Literacy, students are beginning to learn about conjunctions, focusing on the words but and because to help extend and connect their ideas in writing. Our new phonics sound for this week is /ir/ as heard in dirty shirt. Students have been practising reading, spelling and identifying words with this sound pattern during class activities.

In Religion, students are continuing their learning about God’s love. We have been busy preparing for our Prayer Gathering this Friday, 15th May. Students are working hard to practise their parts, songs and prayers, and families are warmly welcome to attend.

Please note that there will be a pupil-free day on Monday, 18th May due to staff professional learning.

As always, thank you for your continued support. We are very proud of the enthusiasm and effort the students are showing across all learning areas.

Leah Martin lmartin@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Abbey Hayes ahayes@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 2

This term in Inquiry, students have been exploring the topic of Australia, Continents and Oceans. We have been learning about the seven continents and five oceans of the world, while developing our understanding of Australia’s location and features. Students have enjoyed using maps to identify continents, oceans and neighbouring countries, and are building their geographical vocabulary through engaging class discussions and activities.

In Religion, our focus has been on the theme of Love. Students have been discussing the many ways we can show love and kindness to ourselves, our families, our neighbours and God. Through stories, and classroom conversations, students are learning that love can be demonstrated through our words, actions and choices each day.

In Numeracy, students have been investigating 2D shapes and their features. We have been learning to identify and describe shapes by counting their sides and vertices, and exploring which shapes are polygons. Students have enjoyed sorting, drawing and creating shapes while using mathematical language to explain their thinking.

In Literacy, students have been learning about subordinating conjunctions and how they help us join ideas together in sentences. We have explored conjunctions such as because, when, if and although, and students are practising using them to make their writing more detailed and interesting.

In Health, our learning has focused on recognising emotions and understanding how feelings can affect ourselves and others. Students have been developing their emotional vocabulary and practising strategies to identify and express emotions in positive ways. Through role plays, discussions and reflective activities, students are building empathy and confidence in managing their feelings.

Matt O'Dowd modowd@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Deb Holland dholland@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 3

We are currently in Week 4 and are almost halfway through the term already - hard to believe how quickly the weeks are flying by!

In Literacy, we are continuing to explore texts through a persuasive lens. Our current persuasive writing focus has students arguing either “for” or “against” the statement that books are better than screens. Students have been developing their ability to form opinions, support their arguments with reasons and use persuasive language techniques to convince their audience.

In Numeracy, we are extending our understanding and application of addition and subtraction strategies. Students are building confidence when solving problems and using efficient written strategies to explain their thinking.

In Inquiry, we are learning about days of celebration and exploring why different celebrations are important within communities and cultures around the world.

In Religious Education, we are continuing our focus on unity and exploring the Bible story of The Road to Emmaus, discussing the ways people journey together in faith and support one another through life experiences.

May Dates to Remember:

• Friday 15th – Walk to School Day

• Monday 18th – Pupil Free Day

• Friday 22nd – Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea & Open Classrooms

We are looking forward to another wonderful fortnight of learning and special events together.

Matt Absalom mabsalom@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 4

We hope you had a lovely weekend celebrating Mother’s Day and that it was a special time spent with family.

In reading, we are enjoying our class novel Uncle X Box. Students have been engaged in discussions about the characters, events and key ideas in the story. It has been great to see them sharing their thinking and making connections. You might like to ask your child about their favourite part or something new they have learned from the story.

In writing, students are learning to write a factual recount. We are linking this to our Humanities unit on the Gulidjan people, building on their understanding of Country, culture and history. Students have begun by writing strong introductions using the GST structure, including a general statement, specific statement and thesis. We will continue to build on this by developing clear and informative paragraphs.

In maths, we have completed our unit on 2D and 3D shapes. Students explored the features of different shapes, including edges, faces and vertices, and were able to sort and describe them. They also enjoyed hands-on activities such as cutting, folding and making 3D shapes, as well as exploring real-life objects to see how these shapes are used in everyday contexts. We have now started our unit on decimals, where students are learning to recognise, read and represent decimal numbers.

A reminder to please bring reading folders to school each Friday to support our home reading routine.

We look forward to seeing our families at our Open Classrooms and Biggest Morning Tea on Friday, 22nd May. It will be a lovely opportunity to share learning and come together as a school community.

Paula Parish pparish@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Amanda Delorenzo mdelorenzo@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Rebecca Gallagher rgallagher@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 5

The term is really flying and our Grade 5s are working hard during this busy time of year.

In Literacy, the students have started writing information reports on the Victorian Goldfields, where they are putting all their knowledge and learning from our Australian History unit and the non fiction elements of our novel, into action. This week the students have written their first paragraph about what life was like on the goldfields using a single paragraph outline strategy (SPO).

Our fraction learning in Maths has been challenging but the students are demonstrating a great deal of growth in their fraction knowledge and understanding. Last week, they practised ordering and comparing fractions using models and the greater than (>), less than (<) and equal to (=) symbols. This week, the students have been practising adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator and turning answers from improper fractions to mixed numbers. Next week, the students will look at problem solving with fractions and then will undertake a check of their understanding in their post CFAT which is always exciting to see the progress they have made in their Maths learning.

In R.E. last week, the students were able to have a really engaging and interesting session out at St. Brendan’s Cororooke with the Sacred Heart and St. Brendan’s 5/6 students exploring the history and heritage of the church out there. A huge thank you to Sr. Margaret Carmody and Sr. Gerri Boylan who gave up their time to speak to us about the church, how it was structured and why and to also give personal stories and memories of the church which really made the history of the building ‘come alive’ for the students. Back in classrooms, the students then sketched how the church was set out in their R.E. Heritage booklets.

In Humanities learning, the students have been learning more about the Gold Rush and the impact of colonial settlement on our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. In week 6, on Thursday the 28th of May, the students are very excited for their trip to Sovereign Hill to experience life in the Gold Rush era first hand. Students will begin their assessment task for this topic, following this excursion.

As we get into the busy/assessment/reporting part of the term/semester, it’s really pleasing to see the progress and growth of all students. It really does go to show that effort, engagement and a growth mindset really pays off. We also really appreciate the extra help and support students receive at home with reading, counting or times tables goals, etc which all contributes to that success.

We will see everyone back on Tuesday in Week 5 after the students’ ‘long weekend.’

Rachel Downard rdownard@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Rachael Cahill rcahill@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 6

Over the past few weeks, Grade 6 has been busy with lots of exciting learning experiences.

As part of our Religion unit, we ventured to St Brendan's Church, where students were fortunate to learn from Sister Marg and Sister Gerri, who shared valuable insights into how the church has operated in both the past and present. Students have since compared the features of St Brendan’s Church with St Mary's Church as part of our Heritage unit.

In Literacy, students have begun planning their historical narrative recounts on migration and have thoroughly enjoyed creating their characters.

They are also looking forward to designing their mini suitcases in Humanities to conclude our 20th-century migration unit.

In Health, we have been exploring emotions and how they can increase in complexity over time.

In Numeracy, students have been doing an exceptional job learning about fractions while continuing to consolidate their times tables knowledge.

A friendly reminder that Monday 18 May is a pupil-free day. Have a wonderful weekend!

Jess Downard jdownard@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Jodie Hassett jhassett@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

Maegen Potter mpotter@smcolac.catholic.edu.au

The Marian News

Issue 7 · 14 May 2026

In this issue