School of Leadership

News from the School of Leadership     

Dear Parents and Carers, 

As we begin this new school year, we are inspired by the Jubilee Year of Hope—a time to embrace new beginnings with faith and optimism. Just as the Jubilee calls us to renewal and trust in God’s promises, the start of this school year invites us to learn, grow, and hope for a bright future together. Whether you are returning to our community or joining us for the first time, we extend a very warm welcome to you all to the start of the 2025 academic year in the School of Leadership at St Luke’s. Together, we begin another chapter of learning, faith, and growth, grounded in our shared mission to nurture faith filled, creative contributors and innovating problem solvers. 

Our teachers have been busy preparing engaging and challenging learning experiences to inspire curiosity and deepen understanding. We are also excited to launch new initiatives, including expanded social outreach programs and opportunities for student leadership development, STEM and the performing arts. We are very grateful to facilitating teachers for their generous gifts of time, passion and creativity in making these enrichment opportunities possible.

Thank you to those parents who attend the Discovery Evening on February 12. For those who were unable to attend, you can access the slide deck and the Head of School address via the Compass notification sent yesterday. As always, you are our most important partners in your child’s learning journey. I encourage you to stay connected through our The Net and Parent Need to Knows, whole school and SOL events, and regular communication with your child’s teachers.

I take this opportunity, to communicate the 2025 Leadership Team for the School of Leadership:

It is also my pleasure to introduce the Stage 3 Teaching Team for 2025:

Let’s approach this year with fresh energy and shared purpose, knowing that every step we take together contributes to something truly special. Thank you for your trust and partnership as we shape a vibrant 2025 for our students. 

 Mrs Kate Kelly - Head of School, School of Leadership

A Note from The SOL Assistant Principal 

We are very excited to welcome our new Year 5 and Year 7 students to the School of Leadership. On Thursday 6th of February, we had the opportunity to meet with all students across Years 5 to 8 to establish our expectations of respecting self, others and the environment. In the SOL we pride ourselves on our ability to lead ourselves and others. I am very excited about what 2025 offers for our students and I know that the teachers in the SOL find all opportunities we can to give students a full experience of all that schooling life can entail.

A few reminders to ensure student safety:

• Hats are needed for PE lessons and when on the Oval and Courts at recess and lunch. Below are some hacks that you can do with the College hats which makes them more inclusive for our Sikh students.
• Helmets are needed if your child rides a bicycle or scooter to school. These need to be stored at the Bike Racks.

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Attendance - should you experience any challenges or difficulties in getting your child to school, please know that we are here to support you. Many students find coming to school a difficult task and this can in turn, make mornings very stressful for the entire household. Please reach out to me or your child’s teacher or Wellbeing Coordinator if you need support. This includes lateness to school. In the SOL we expect our students to come to school on time and ready to learn.

Mrs Josephine Camilleri - Assistant Principal, School of Leadership

Stage 3 Stories… 

It has been a busy start to the year for our Stage 3 students with the introduction of 119 year 5 students to the School of Leadership. Our Year 5 students have made a smooth transition to learning and life in Stage 3 in the School of Leadership. They’ve taken advantage of the new play areas and are keenly getting to know their new peers and teachers. 

“My first two weeks in SOL have been really fun. There are many new opportunities and new things we can do. I like how we can do things that we couldn’t do in SOF. I am really excited for year 5 and my time in SOL. I am looking forward to this year to also try new opportunities.”

Tashelle Year 5 Acutis 

“My experience in year 5 has been great! I have learnt about math pathways, a website that helps you learn different subjects of maths. Year 5 has helped me learn many things already and it has been fun!”

Elijah Year 5 Acutis. 

Year 6 and Kindergarten Buddies

Year 6 is a year where you have to show leadership and responsibility by helping and setting examples for younger grades, like Kindergarten. Everyone has experienced their first day at school before and it must be so scary! Our goal was to help the Kindy’s settle into Kindergarten, we made sure that they felt welcome, safe, and most importantly, happy in their new learning space! We headed down to Kangas and Roos and got to help them eat their recess and put their lunchbox away. Afterwards, we played with them on the playground and we all had so much fun! We’re looking forward to helping our kindy friends in the future and seeing them flourish and grow.

Penelope and Melissa Year 6 Freeman

Riley’s science experience

To launch our science unit for the term, all stage 3 classes will get the chance to participate in a very exciting entry event - launching their very own rockets! Year 6 Riley completed the entry event on Tuesday and Emily Callos and Jess Jacobs put together the following reflection to tell you all about how it works. 

For science this term, Riley did a special entry event using bottle rockets! They have been introduced to a new topic, which is learning about forces in our world! Mr Rodwell and Mrs O’Halloran showed a demonstration and students were asked to make their rockets go higher than theirs. Then using a launcher and a bottle of water, they made some modifications and started launching their own rockets! So first, let’s start off by explaining how this works!

In Term 1, Stage 3’s topic for science is forces. The main goal for this experiment was to learn how forces could be applied to everyday objects, like water bottles! First, the class had to name which forces would appear in this experiment, like friction, air resistance, pressure and gravity. Then, after identifying the different forces, students were to go outside to the oval, and start experimenting after watching the demonstration.  The way that this worked was that you filled up the bottle to the halfway point, set it on the launcher and pulled the trigger to launch. Or that was how the teacher did it. Students were asked to make adjustments based on what they saw. 

Some people added fins to help the rocket go higher and others added cones - made out of cardboard - some even added both! Here are some diagrams of some students’ work from that lesson —

We are so glad the students enjoyed this fabulous experiment! 

From Year 7…

The start of the year is always met with excitement as to what lays ahead, which friendships will be formed and what exciting experiences will be shared. This year our Year 7 cohort have been introduced to the theme of PacMan as we will learn to work together, support each other and collaborate to succeed throughout the year. Level Up is also new to our Wellbeing program and will take place each Monday, Wednesday and Friday in order to allow our students to “Learn to Learn”, be “Booked In” and have time to learn how to use the variety of learning resources we have at St Luke’s such as the “St Luke’s 101: How to Google Suite.” Tuesdays and Thursdays will be spent on Mentor programs allowing our students to familiarise themselves with their mentor teacher in smaller groups. The year has started with much success and many students are settling into the School of Leadership. We look forward to how Year 7 will rise to the challenge of being leaders in their own right and working together as a PacMan team!

Ms Villarosa- Year 7 Wellbeing Coordinator

Year 7 Student Reflection 

Leadership Day is a day where Year 7s were able to learn about how to be a leader. The day consisted of many group work activities and mini games around the theme of leadership and working together. This was explained to us using the theme of PacMan where we would work together to Level Up and support each other. The day afforded everyone the opportunity to meet new people and make more friends. One of the enjoyable activities of the day was to create still photos of different events such as ‘being scared in a cinema, graduation day and winning a sporting event’ which resulted in many interesting and unique still photos. Another game included problem solving with a fox, a chicken and chicken feed that was filled with laughter and smiles. We ended the day with a reflective liturgy and also by writing a letter to our future selves as to what we hoped to achieve this year and how we would be leaders ourselves. 

• Samanvi Pashya, Year 7

   

From Year 8…

Year 8 – Soaring into 2025!

As we begin an exciting new year at St. Luke’s, our Year 8 students are embracing the theme "Together We S.O.A.R"—a reminder of the power of Support, Ownership, Aspiration, and Rising Together as a community. Our key expectations for the year are to be prompt, present, and prepared, ensuring students are ready to engage in their learning with confidence. It has been fantastic to witness many of the students meeting and exceeding these expectations already!

This term, our Wellbeing program introduces "Learn to Learn" and "Booked In," equipping students with essential study skills and fostering a love for reading. In Mentor, our focus is "Embracing Each Other", encouraging empathy, acceptance, and inclusivity to build a stronger, more connected community. We look forward to seeing our Year 8 students grow as leaders and learners throughout 2025!

Mrs Zorzo - Year 8 Wellbeing Coordinator

Year 8 Student Reflection The start of Year Eight has been filled with many exciting opportunities and challenges. Between unpacking new concepts and signing up for these new leadership opportunities, it’s been pretty hectic. But I’ve constantly found myself reflecting on Year Seven and all the experiences and skills I’ve gained, looking back at all the things I wished were different. For example, I found myself procrastinating a lot last year and staying up late to get my work submitted, and that's something I want to get better at doing to prepare for our transition to the School of Entrepreneurs next year. I am grateful for Learn to Learn, a program in our well-being block for Term 1 that helps us learn and apply new strategies that, in the long run, will help us feel better about managing our time and strategies for our study skills.  Level Up happens on Mondays and Fridays every single week with a designated teacher from my house.  In my opinion, the best part of Level Up is booked-in Wednesday, where the first 30 minutes of the day are spent reading. In Mentor, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we will range of topics, all centred around challenges that we, as young people in the ever-changing society, face in our everyday lives. These are all new initiatives and ones that I love, and I’m looking forward to the year ahead. 

• Sehaj Kaur, Year 8

Booked In with Year 8

Across the Learning Areas

Art 

This term, Year 7 Visual Arts students are focusing on foundational techniques and key concepts related to visual arts. They are developing their understanding of the elements of art and color theory, which will play a crucial role in shaping their artistic practice. This foundational knowledge will support their future learning, skill development, and exploration of various artistic styles. By studying a range of artists, students will refine their techniques, cultivate their unique artistic voice, and maximise their creative potential.

Music 

This term, Year 7 Music students are focusing on foundational musical concepts, particularly duration (rhythm and beat). They have been learning about note values and composing rhythms collaboratively with their peers. To deepen their understanding, students have begun experimenting with body percussion exercises, enabling them to collaborate, create music, and apply their classroom learning. This topic will help them develop essential skills to enhance their ability to perform and compose music while also laying a strong foundation for future learning in the music classroom.

Religious Education

Year 7:

This term, Year 7 students will explore belonging and unity within communities. They will reflect on their own experiences of belonging, examine Catholic teachings on community and relationships, and apply these insights to create a more inclusive environment at St. Luke’s.

Through discussions, scripture reflections, and practical actions, students will learn how to foster inclusivity and unity within their faith community, living out the values of compassion, respect, and service.

The RE Entry Event for Year 7 students was a ‘Discovery Walk’ where students had the opportunity to capture elements that enhanced belonging at St Luke’s. 

Year 8:

This term, Year 8 students will explore human dignity and its significance in a changing world. They will reflect on what human dignity looks like, drawing inspiration from people of faith who have championed justice and equality.

Through scriptural studies, Catholic teachings, and real-world examples, students will learn how to become advocates for human dignity in their communities, embracing the values of respect, compassion, and social justice.

HSIE 

Students in both Year 7 and Year 8 have the opportunity to study HSIE. This course in Stage 4 includes History and Geography. Students will begin with Geography for the first half of the year and History for the second half of the Year. In Stage 4, students are required to undertake a Site Study and Fieldwork. This year we are pleased to announce that the following excursions/ incursions will take place. More information will be provided closer to the date on Compass.

• Year 7 Fieldwork: Water in the World (The Rocks)
• Year 7 Site Study: The Ancient World (Chau Chak Museum at Sydney University)
• Year 8: Medieval Europe/ The Black Death and Shogunate Japan - Incursion. 

English

This term in English, Year 7 will be examining the role of stories and storytelling in our lives. They will also have the opportunity through a series of targeted writing workshops to develop their own distinctive voice and capture their own stories. 

This term in English, Year 8 will be exploring how meaning is constructed, controlled and interpreted. As an Entry Event, students received a printed copy of a poem and were asked to generate as many interpretations as they could devise. By doing this, they were able to understand how a composer's meaning could be interpreted differently based on who is reading or viewing their text. 

Viraaj 8TEAL

Hrishikesh 8TEAL 

Vedanth 8TEAL 

Dhyan 8TEAL

Life Design

Students in Stage 4 Life Design have a wonderful year of learning ahead of them. As students delve into rich learning experiences, they get to explore: 

1. Who am I?
2. What can I do? 
3. What problems do I want to solve? 

Students across Year 7 and 8 will have the opportunity to create SIM Showpieces, Motivation Maps, Passion Projects and Purpose Presentations amongst a host of other creative project ideas. Stay tuned in future editions of the NET to see the beautiful work that they create!

PDHPE

This term, Year 7 PDHPE students are focusing on health, wellbeing, and fitness. They are developing an understanding of how choices related to physical activity, wellbeing strategies, and health decisions can positively impact their lives. Through a variety of engaging activities, students are encouraged to explore these concepts as they begin their high school journey. Ultimately, they will gain insight into maintaining a balanced lifestyle and critically reflect on how their choices can influence their health, longevity, and overall quality of life.

Mathematics

We are very excited to start the year in Mathematics in the School of Leadership. Year 5 attended an introduction to Maths Pathways which is a platform that allows students to initially undertake a diagnostics test to gain insight into their current knowledge and abilities. The program then builds a learning pathway for each individual student so that they can learn the mathematics of which they are ready. Maths Pathways is utilised by St Luke’s from year 5 to 10 and continually supports students as they progress through each learning stage.

Students have engaged in rich learning experiences in their mathematics classes. Many examples include interactive and engaging tasks to provoke discussion and thought into the concepts they are learning, and apply what they know to build a deeper understanding. Below are pictures of year 7 students interacting with a Desmos task that uses visual representations and interactive elements to introduce the concept of a Number Line.