Learning & Teaching 

LEARNING & TEACHING NEWS- Vira Pirrotta

Year 3 to 6 CYBER SAFETY SESSIONS  

This is a reminder that Our Year 3 and 4 students will participate in a 90-minute session on Wednesday, August 28th, and Year 5 and 6 students will participate in a 90-minute session on Tuesday, September 3rd. 

Life Edu will work with our teachers and school to deliver tailored face-to-face health and well-being education through a modular program about Cybersafety and building positive relationships with friends online and offline. 

This module covers

• Recognising, reacting and reporting unwanted contact, bullying or predatory behaviours.
• Keeping personal information safe online.
• Responsible and respectful behaviour when using communication technology.
• Skills for building positive relationships with friends.
• Exploring the role of bystanders.

Please click on the following link for further parent information 

https://www.lifeedvic.org.au/for-families/parent-engagement

LITERACY NEWS- Bernadette Parnis

Book Fair 

The Scholastic Book Fair has been a fantastic success, and it's all thanks to your support! We’re excited to announce that the Fair has been extended until Thursday, August 29th. There’s still time to visit the St. Fidelis School Hall and explore a fantastic selection of new books. Remember, every purchase helps us earn free books for our school. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Author visit 

On Tuesday, Sofie Laguna visited St. Fidelis School to share her experiences as an author with the students. The event provided a wonderful opportunity for students to engage with Sofie, asking her questions and answering hers. Sofie also revealed that as a child, she aspired to be an actor, a dream she pursued until she was 30 before transitioning to writing. Her debut book, My Yellow Blanky, was initially rejected by four publishers before finally being accepted by the fifth, who reached out to her after 12 weeks.

Sofie explained her process of creating stories, emphasising how she imagines herself as the main character. She also showed the students her personal journals, including drafts of My Yellow Blanky and Meet Grace. Sofie discussed the meticulous process of publishing, noting that it took her 12 weeks to draft the first book in the Meet Grace series, followed by an additional six months for editing and revisions.

Sofie encouraged students to use journals to capture their ideas, thoughts, and drawings, as this can be a valuable tool for developing their writing skills. She emphasised that having a creative outlet, such as a scrapbook, can be a stepping stone into the world of writing.

Encourage your child to embrace writing and creativity. Keeping a journal or scrapbook can help them develop their skills and find joy in writing.

Book Week Parade 2024

What an incredible morning we had on Friday! It was truly delightful to see the students dressed as characters from a variety of picture books, novels, and sporting heroes, especially the fantastic Oompa Loompas, who looked amazing. A huge thank you to everyone for your wonderful efforts in organising costumes and making this celebration of books such a memorable experience for our students.

The winning books in each category for the Children's Book Councal Awards are:

St. Fidelis has two copies of each shortlisted book, so our families will also have the chance to enjoy these wonderful stories. These books will be available for students to borrow from our library very soon.

And that’s a wrap for Book Week 2024! Next year’s theme will be announced soon, so stay tuned for more exciting updates! 

Bernadette Parnis

Literacy Leader

NUMERACY NEWS - Colleen Monaghan

Recently while I was reading, I came across an article about the need for students to be fluent in Mathematics. The Victorian curriculum states: 

“Students engage in a range of approaches to the learning and doing of mathematics that develop their understanding of and fluency with concepts, procedures and processes by making connections, reasoning, problem-solving and practice.” 

I thought this may explain when to work on fluency and when to work on accuracy.

The Importance of Fluency in Learning

Timing plays a crucial role in developing fluency. The only way to gauge improvement in fluency is to incorporate a timed element, which reminds me of what we often focus on in the maths classroom.

Initially, our goal with students is accuracy—ensuring they grasp a skill and can perform it correctly. Most assessments measure this, checking if an answer is right or wrong. However, once students achieve accuracy, it’s essential to help them improve the speed and ease with which they recall this knowledge. This is where fluency comes in.

For me, it’s not enough for students to be just accurate, especially with foundational skills like part-part-whole concepts, place value, and basic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). They must develop fluency to build upon these skills and tackle more complex mathematical ideas.

That’s why we focus on fluency through activities like games and flashcards. Once a student consistently demonstrates accuracy, we move to the next step—helping them become fluent. It’s important for us to recognise when a student needs to work on accuracy and when they’re ready to focus on fluency, as each requires a different teaching approach.

Using a timed element when a student is still struggling with accuracy can lead to frustration and anxiety, similar to someone running a race just trying to finish. Timing wouldn’t help them—it might even hinder their progress. However, for someone aiming for a specific time,  timing is everything—it measures their success.

I encourage you to think about your child’s learning. Are they working on accuracy—still making mistakes or feeling confused? Or have they mastered the skill and are ready to develop fluency? Recognizing this difference is key to supporting your child’s learning journey and ensuring they progress effectively.

Colleen Monaghan 

Maths Leader 

SPORT & PE NEWS - Michael Jennings

Interschool Sport Finals

The St Fidelis Girls Bat Tennis Team will play a Coburg District Final against Coburg West on Friday 6 September 2024 at Coburg West PS commencing at 11.30am. The St Fidelis Boys/ Mixed & Girls Softball Teams will play Coburg District Finals against Pascoe Vale & Pascoe Vale South on Friday 13 September 2024 commencing at 11.30am at Shore Reserve, Reynard St, Pascoe Vale South. Good luck to the teams!

INM Division Athletics Carnival

The following students have qualified to represent the Coburg District at the forthcoming INM Division Athletics carnival to be held at the Meadowglen Athletics Track on Wednesday, 11 September 2024:

Zita 10 Year Girls 100m and shot put

Christian 11 Year Boys shot put

Savannah 12 Year Girls long jump

Mia 11 Year Girls 100m, 200m & 4 x 100m relay

Zara    11 Year Girls 4 x 100m relay

Violet 11 Year Girls 800m & 4 x 100m relay

Olivia      11 Year Girls 4 x 100m relay

AFL Clinics

YEAR 3/4

For the remainder of term 3, our Year 3/4 students will participate in Australian Rules clinics conducted by a qualified coach on Fridays. Funding for this program is provided through the Sporting Schools Funding Program. 

Dates: Fridays 30 Aug,  6 Sept, 13 Sept, 20 Sept

STEM NEWS - Joe Frazzetto

WE ARE GOING TO STEM MAD 

THE EAZIPOUR

The EaziPour is an innovative prototype designed to assist the elderly and individuals with disabilities in pouring drinks or cereal with ease. This user-friendly device aims to enhance daily living by providing a practical solution to a common challenge faced by many. With its ergonomic design and intuitive operation, EaziPour ensures stability and precision, reducing spills and the effort required to pour. By fostering greater independence in routine tasks, EaziPour is poised to make a significant positive impact on the lives of its users, improving their confidence and quality of life. https://youtu.be/Hiw9_P67woc

EVAA Wheelchair

The E.V.A.A. Wheelchair is a revolutionary prototype designed to empower individuals with paralysis by allowing them to experience the world from a standing perspective. This advanced wheelchair seamlessly transforms into a standing movement device, providing users with enhanced mobility and the ability to interact with their environment on a whole new level. By promoting independence and improving access to various activities, the E.V.A.A. Wheelchair is set to make a profound difference in the lives of its users, enabling them to see and engage with the world like never before.

https://youtu.be/Mh9cHXeR_ZM

ITALIAN NEWS - Rosa Fokianos

BUONGIORNO!    

Salve a tutti! (Hello to everyone!) 

I hope everyone had a great weekend enjoying the sunshine with your famiglia ed amici (family and friends). 😃

Last weekend I was up in Sydney visiting family and whilst I was up there, there happened to be  a large Italian themed street festival celebrating Ferragosto. What is Ferragosto I hear you ask? Well, let me explain…

Ferragosto is a public holiday celebrated on 15th August throughout all of Italy. It takes place as the culmination of summer holidays in Italy. The term Ferragosto comes from the Latin term Feriae Augusti (Augustus’ Holidays), as the celebration was established by the Emperor Augustus in 18 BC. Augustus introduced Ferragosto for two reasons: firstly to make himself look great and secondly to give the empire’s workers a well-deserved day off after months of working in the fields.

Ferragosto was not traditionally held on August 15th but on August 1st (the first day of the month that Augustus himself introduced). It was the Catholic Church that pushed the event back in the calendar so that it coincided with the Assumption of Mary.

There were so many stalls at the Ferragosto street festival, held in Five Dock, including Italian ceramics, Italian singers, Italian food, such as arancini, focaccia, panini con porchetta, cannoli, as well as various Italian cars on display such as Ferrari’s and FIAT 500’s. It was an enjoyable day! I especially loved my focaccia which included prosciutto, formaggio dolce, pomodori, e pesto…Mmm, delizioso!! What is your favourite panino filling? 

Yesterday, domenica il 25 agosto, there was also an Italian Day celebration at Preston Market, I unfortunately was unable to go. I wonder if anyone from our school community went? If so, I’d love to know what they saw and did? 

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the P&F and one of our nonna’s from our school community, (Nonna Paola), Estelle, Veronica and Bridget's grandmother, who held a Frittole (small Italian donuts), making session last Monday (lunedì) night for parents and another upcoming session this Wednesday (mercoledì), 28 agosto alle ore 19:00, (7pm). It is lovely to see Italian traditions being passed onto future generations. Grazie  nonna Paola!! 

PS. Depending on what part of Italy your family heritage is from, your family may call the frittole something  else? Do you know any other names for these small fried donuts, apart from buonissimo!  😋

Finally, I would also like to wish all the papà, nonni, bisnonni, e zii (dad’s, grandfather’s, great grandfather’s and uncles and father figures), in our school community, Auguri per la Festa del Papà (Best Wishes for a Happy Father’s Day), for this coming domenica 1º settembre, I hope you have a great day! 

Alla prossima volta…Until next time.

Signora Rosa 🌹