Faith Life & Learning and Teaching News
Curriculum Updates in English, Mathematics, Faith, Discovery & Inquiry
FAITH LIFE INQUIRY
Our Students have been getting out and about...
Excursions are an important part of the learning experiences of all students. Our school’s excursions enables students to further their learning and social skills development in a non-school setting. Excursions complement and are an important aspect of the educational programs offered at our school.
YEAR 1/2 NEWPORT LIBRARY VISIT
The throughline of Interconnections fosters an exploration of the importance of being a part of and belonging to communities. Early in Term 3, the Year 1/2 children are visiting the local Newport Library and contributing to a collaborative construction of maps of the local Newport landscape.
YEAR 5/6 EXCURSION TO THE VIC MARKET
Last Friday the Year 5 and 6 students explored the importance of economic and financial decision-making in everyday life at Queen Vic Market. We look forward to watching how the students use this experience to develop their own theories about how to successfully run their own stall later in the term.
YEAR 4 EXCURSION TO THE MARY MACKILLOP HERITAGE CENTRE
The Year 4 students visited the Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre as a part of their First Eucharist preparation.
They also visited St Patrick’s Cathedral and celebrated mass back at the Cathedral at 1pm with Fr Mark and other parishioners.
Audio Divina - Sacred Listening
New ideas and approaches to delivering the Religious Curriculum were experienced by our educators in this week’s staff meeting. They participated in Audio Divina, or ‘sacred listening’. Audio Divina is a way to utilise music for prayer and meditation. During this experience, our educators were invited to participate in an opportunity to quiet their minds, invite Spirit to guide their listening, listen with their hearts and reflect on what they heard.
Afterwards the staff responded creatively to the questions, “How is God speaking to your life in this moment through the music?” and “What does your “YES” to God look like?”.
Our educators are looking forward to leading our students through this mindful and spiritual experience.
First Eucharist
A reminder to our families in Year 4 that the First Eucharist Faith Formation Evening in be held next Thursday 10th August from 7:00-8:00pm at St Margaret Mary’s, Spotswood. This session will be conducted in the church.
While preparation for this sacrament is school based, there is an expectation that parents play an active part in preparation. This sacrament is an important step in a child’s faith journey so we strongly encourage you to make every effort to attend this evening with your child. Sam O’Dwyer will be facilitating the Eucharist Formation Evening. Sam is a Primary School Educator and Religious Education Leader who has worked at St Margaret Mary’s Primary School. Sam has also successfully facilitated other Formation Evenings in our parish.
Mary MacKillop Feast Day
Cath Palmer
Learning and Teaching Leader
Faith Life Leader
cpalmer@shnewport.catholic.edu.au
MATHEMATICS
Fractions
Many year levels across the school are learning about fractions this term. Fractions can be a very challenging concepts for students to consolidate. Below is a short explanation about fractions and ideas for how you can support your child to understand fractions.
What are the parts of a fraction?
A fraction has three parts. They are:
The numerator which is the number above the bar.
The denominator which is the number below the bar.
The vinculum which is the bar separating the two numbers.
What is a unit fraction?
A unit fraction with 1 as its numerator (top number), and a whole number for the denominator (bottom number).
Using objects to visualise fractions
When students are learning about fractions, real life examples are a great way to put fractions in context and help students understand how they work.
When cutting up fruit, such as apples or oranges, you can discuss with your child the fractions that are made. Another great example is using pizza slices to compare halves, quarters and eighths.
Supporting your child's understanding of fractions
Kim Dalmau
Mathematics Leader
kdalmau@shnewport.catholic.edu.au
ENGLISH
Sue Burke
English Leader