Specialist Update
Innovation Technology - Year 1
Our Year 1 students have been busy taking their first steps into the exciting world of coding using ScratchJr!
Through this engaging program, students learned the basics of coding by creating simple sequences of instructions to make characters move, jump and interact.
One of the highlights of the unit was designing their own unique characters and creating colourful backgrounds to tell a story. Students used their creativity and imagination to build digital worlds and animate their characters using the coding blocks they had learned.
It has been wonderful to see the students' enthusiasm, persistence and creativity as they experimented with coding for the first time.
In Sport this term, we had the District and Division Cross Country events, with our selected Year 4, 5 and 6 students proudly representing St Joseph’s against some of the best runners from schools across the district.
At the District Cross Country, our students demonstrated determination, resilience and outstanding sportsmanship as they competed in challenging conditions and gave their very best effort. Their hard work and teamwork contributed to an incredible result, with St Joseph’s finishing 3rd overall across all participating schools.
Following the District event, Miller, Alex, George, Max, Sienna, Abby, Olivia and Isaac qualified to compete at the Division Cross Country Championships. Once again, these students represented our school with pride and showcased their dedication and commitment to the sport.
A special congratulations goes to Abby, whose outstanding performances at both the District and Division events earned her a place at the Regional Championships. This is a fantastic achievement and a reflection of her hard work, perseverance and positive attitude throughout the season.
We are incredibly proud of all our runners and the way they represented St Joseph’s this term. Their effort, sportsmanship and willingness to challenge themselves were outstanding, and they should all be congratulated on their achievements.
Italian
The Year 3 students have been revising vocabulary related to family members and practising asking and answering questions in Italian. As part of this learning, students created their own characters for a class version of Indovina Chi? (Guess Who?) and worked with a partner to identify mystery characters by asking questions in Italian such as "Ha gli occhi marroni?" (Does he/she have brown eyes?) and "Ha i capelli biondi?" (Does he/she have blonde hair?). This activity helped students develop their speaking, listening and questioning skills in a fun and interactive way.
Students have also continued their virtual journey around Italy, learning about different regions and landmarks. Recently, they explored the beautiful Amalfi Coast, discovering its colourful cliffside villages, sparkling blue waters and unique culture. Through these experiences, students are developing an understanding of the diversity of Italy's geography, traditions and communities.
As we finish the term, students have been immersed in learning about Carnevale, one of Italy's most famous festivals. Carnevale is a colourful celebration held before Lent and is known for its elaborate masks, costumes, parades and traditional characters. Students have explored the history and traditions of Carnevale and are now using their creativity to design and create their own Carnevale-inspired characters. These wonderful creations will be showcased as part of our upcoming Art Show, celebrating both Italian culture and student imagination.
Performing Arts
This term in Performing Arts, Year 3 students have explored the exciting world of puppetry. Through a range of hands-on learning experiences, they developed their drama skills by creating characters, designing and constructing puppets, and rehearsing short performances. Students learned how to use voice, movement and expression to bring their characters to life. Working collaboratively with a partner, they wrote their own scripts and will present a puppet show to an audience this week.
It has been wonderful to see the imagination, teamwork and storytelling skills our Year 3 students demonstrated throughout their puppetry journey.
This term in Performing Arts, Year 4 students have explored how drama communicates meaning through movement, voice, role and symbolism.
Drawing on Dreaming stories and Aboriginal storytelling traditions, students investigated how drama can share cultural knowledge and express identity. Through activities such as freeze frames, movement exploration and group storytelling, they created symbolic gestures and sounds, interpreted meaning in performance, and developed confidence using drama vocabulary.
It has been encouraging to see students engage thoughtfully with Aboriginal perspectives and storytelling traditions.
Visual Arts
This term, the Year 4 students explored the history and traditions of Carnival and Venetian masks. They investigated the purpose, symbolism and decorative features of masks before planning, designing and creating their own unique mask inspired by traditional and contemporary styles. Throughout the unit, students developed their creativity while experimenting with a range of artistic techniques and materials.
Students have also recently started a new art project using watercolour paint, inspired by the vibrant colours and relaxed atmosphere of an Italian summer. They explored the beauty of citrus fruits, including lemons, as a focus for their artwork, observing their shapes, textures and colours. Through this project, students began experimenting with watercolour techniques such as blending, layering and creating soft washes to capture the freshness and warmth of Mediterranean-inspired scenes.
They are going to look absolutely amazing on display at The Art Show in Term 3!!
Oral Language
In OLP this term, students have been learning simple Italian phrases and greetings. Preps have been enjoying roleplaying being at McDonalds; whether it be pretending to prepare the food in the “kitchen”, taking orders or being the customers making the order. They have also participated in other various activities such as: Italian colour bingo, and building blocks.
Year 1s have enjoyed roleplaying the tour of Italy; taking photos with the leaning tower of Pisa and pretending to be tour guides, whilst also participating in other activities such as: Italian number bingo, building blocks and creating an Italian booklet about Mr Chicken. Year 2s have been enjoying hearing a variety of different Italian stories, making their own puppets to create little theatre shows and practicing their acting skills through reader’s theatre.
