3/4 News
Ba dumphh.. ba dumphh… ba dumphh of balls bouncing, screeching one of whistles and cheers and cries of excitement. All the sounds of Hooptime.
54 excited year 3/4 children boarded the bus, off to MSAC and our first Hoop time competition in 2 years.
The teams all represented our school admirably, showing sportsmanship, courage and resilience. It is wonderful to see how this opportunity brings out the best in these wonderful kids and to see such joy on their faces. Thank you to the parents who came, coached, scored and supported, we couldn't have done it without you. Please forward to your teacher any photos if you haven't already and we can include them in future news.
It's been a great start to the term and we hope you found our video last newsletter informative and useful. If you missed it, we have added the link here again for you.
Parent teacher interviews were fabulous and it was wonderful to be able to see parents in the classrooms even if just for that quick visit. For the few families that were unable to attend please connect with your teacher and arrange a chat at your mutual convenience.
The year 4's now have their pens and are encouraged to practice, practice, practise. There are links to videos in Seesaw and we encourage them to view them and revise correct starting points, end points, using the dotted thirds and most importantly…how to do connected writing (modern cursive joined writing). Year 3's are expected to practice too but they don't need to join just yet and must use grey lead.
During Inquiry this term we are focusing on the First Fleet and the impact that the first fleet had on the Indigenous people of this land. We will go back to 1788, exploring the 11 ships which made up the first fleet. We will investigate what life was like for convicts on board and when they arrived in Australia. Once we have learnt about the life of convicts, we will look at the impact their arrival had on the indigenous people of this land.
Please look out for the permission form from Operoo regarding our upcoming excursion to Polly Woodside that will be sent out next week. We look forward to a fabulous day learning about life on an old ship and having great fun together. We understand there is 100 years between the First Fleet and Polly Woodside’s era but we are sure the children will develop some understanding about life on a ship.
If you would like to assist; email Ms Collins directly as we only need 2 parents to accompany each group. Names will go into a hat and chosen fairly. You will be emailed directly by Ms Collins whether you are required or not. (her details are at the end of this page)
As we are now in our second semester we have begun to expect greater compliance and presentation of homework. Remember, homework is about developing study habits and routines.
At year 3 and 4 level, 20 minutes a night is ample. We also have Homework Help every Monday night for families who require more explanation of tasks. It's a great opportunity for parents and the students to hear the same message and to have questions answered. We meet in 3/4CM for 10-15mins straight after school.
Our homework routine also includes having diary tasks completed every Friday and recording nightly reading in the diary. All children (regardless of reading ability) are expected to read aloud to a grown up at least twice a week so that we know this is done; the grown up puts their initials beside the reading for that night. It is also an expectation that parents check the diary and sign off before the diary is handed in on Fridays.
This week we had our first (and hopefully last) homework club so the children know there are consequences.
Please refer to the video for more information about what we are doing in Literacy, Maths and our Respectful Relationships program.
We also had a visit from some wonderful elderly people on Wednesday. Congratulations to our Preps on hanging in there for 100 days and I know they had an amazing day with Grandma Molony and Grandma Carol.
Finally, a message I had from last fortnight:
Sadly, we wished Mrs Fahey a fond farewell. I personally have worked with Gemma for many years, in many capacities, even sharing a class. She has always been a dedicated and amazing teacher and friend. It is with sadness we say goodbye but we know Hudlow will keep her busy and we wish her all the very best. Who knows, we may see her back every now and then as an emergency teacher.
Have a great fortnight, stay warm, stay healthy but stay home if you have symptoms of any kind so we can minimise spreading germs etc.
As always we are available on the Oval for a chat every afternoon at pick up or for a longer appointment please email us.
Until next time,
from Joanne Collins on behalf of
the 3/4 Team
Tiffany Levy tlevy@shsandringham.catholic.edu.au
Matilda Tench mtench@shsandringham.catholic.edu.au
Joanne Collins jcollins@shsandringham.catholic.edu.au
Jacque Murphy jmurphy@shsandringham.catholic.edu.au