Learning & Teaching 

LITERACY - Bernadette Parnis

Hi Everyone, 

As part of their ‘home learning’ routine, students in Years 1 to Year 6 have commenced borrowing readers. Students are expected to read 5 days a week. This can extend into the weekend if preferable rather than reading on a Friday afternoon allowing flexibility. Following are some tips that may help to support particularly younger children: 

Talking and reading with children is what’s most important.

TALK with your child often about all sorts of things like...

• everyday experiences.
• special events.

LISTEN to what your child has to say by:

• Answering questions with more than a yes or no.
• Encouraging questions.
• Giving plenty of time to think and talk.
• Showing a genuine interest.

SET A GOOD EXAMPLE BY:

• Having a variety of books at home (e.g. picture stories, comics, joke books, poetry books, recipe books, magazines).
• Visiting local libraries and bookshops.
• Helping your child/children choose books.
• Sharing your favourite books with your child/children
• Talking about books. 
• Valuing books as gifts.

Build confidence by…

• Assisting in positive ways.
• Praising attempts at reading.
• Making reading a pleasurable experience.
• Letting your child feel that they are doing well.
• Encouraging pretend reading in younger children.

NUMERACY - Colleen Monaghan

I am facilitating parent workshops to explore activities that you can do at home to help your child with maths learning.

Dates to put in diary February

Sessions are as follows:

Tuesday 20th 8:50am 

Thursday 22nd 2:30pm 

These hands-on sessions are fun. You will leave with ideas, activities to do at home with your child, and an understanding of what they are expected to know by the end of the year. I hope to see many of you there.

Children have been working on counting and place value assessments this last week. The data from these assessments will be analysed this week in facilitated planning to inform our teachers where to next with each child.

It's been great to get into classes and work with your children again.

Colleen Monaghan

Maths Leader

SPORT & PE - Michael Jennings

Hockey Victoria Clinics

It was a fantastic experience having Hockey Victoria recently attend our school as part of their roadshow program. Our Year 1-4 students learnt the skills of hockey through exciting game-based activities in an engaging, fun and safe environment.

While the roadshow is over, students can continue their hockey journey by joining a local Hookin2Hockey program at www.hookin2hockey.com.au. 

With programs starting soon, now is the perfect chance to get out on the pitch.

Hookin2Hockey will allow children to expand on the skills they recently learnt at school and develop fundamental motor skills while making friends and having fun!

SSV Coburg District Tennis Tournament

Due to extreme weather conditions forecast for Tuesday, 13 February, the SSV Coburg District Tennis Competition has been postponed until Tuesday, March 5.

SSV Interschool Sport Competition

St. Fidelis Year 5/6 students will be competing in Round 1 of Interschool Sport against St Bernards PS on Friday, 16 February. This is an away game and the students will be travelling to St Bernards to play basketball, softball and bat tennis. Departure will be at 11.00 am and return to school time at 1.30 pm. The students will be travelling by chartered bus.

STEM - Joe Frazzetto

The Foundation students have been amazing collaborators in STEM - WOW! our youngest St Fidelis students, ‘Foundation!’ They were introduced to STEM, the acronym S-Science, T-Technology, E-Engineering, M-Mathematics and coding the Bee Bots. The Foundation students collaborated in pairs to code their Bee-Bots to collect the nectar from the flower and return the nectar to the hive. It was amazing to observe the students collaborate, problem solve and code the Bee Bots to complete a specific task. 

Here are photos of the Foundation students coding the Bee Bots and working collaboratively at STEM.