School Newsletter

Learning & Teaching

YEAR 5 & 6 GALA SPORTS DAY

Our senior students will be competing in a round robin carnival on Wednesday, 29th March. Students will be representing St John’s in Cricket, Tennis, T Ball, Volleyball and Basketball. 

YEAR 3 - 6 SPORTS CARNIVAL

Last week students in Year 3-6 travelled by bus to the Vic Uni Athletics Track, to compete in the St John’s School Sports.  We had perfect weather for the day, with track conditions being rated as excellent! The students are to be commended for the tremendous sportsmanship they displayed on the day.  All the winners were warmly congratulated and the efforts of everyone competing was recognised.

NAPLAN SCHEDULE

NAPLAN began Nationwide today.  Most of the assessments are completed online, with the only difference being for the Year 3s who complete their Writing Task on paper.  Students perform best when they are well rested, have eaten breakfast and do not feel under undue pressure.  If you find your child is becoming anxious about the assessments, reassure them that they are a very small part of each day and that the teachers will be there to help them feel calm.  Below are the dates when students will be completing their four Naplan Assessments:

  • Wednesday, 15th March - Writing (Year 3 & Year 5)
  • Thursday, 16th March - Reading (Year 3 & Year 5)
  • Friday, 17th March - Conventions of language (Year 3 & Year 5)
  • Monday, 20th March - Numeracy (Year 3 & Year 5)

YEAR 5s VISIT THOMAS CARR

The Year 5s visited Thomas Carr College a few weeks ago.  They went on a tour of the school facilities and got to experience a day in the life of a secondary school student.  Some of the activities they did include a cooking class, time in the science lab and a visit to the art rooms.

    

  

 

  

  

YEAR 1 INCURSIONS

The Year 1s have been learning about people in our community who help us, including the Police, Fire Fighters and Nurses.  As part of this unit, they have been investigating the ways these different groups support our Community.  Last week they learnt about the great work that the Water Police and Coastguard do to keep us safe when we are in our rivers, lakes and oceans.  Thanks especially to Wyatt and Allyria Gatty’s dad Paul and Grandad Joe who gave a wonderful presentation last week to the students in Year 1.  During the session the students were able to try on life vests and got a close up look at a Police Car and Boat.

 

Thanks also to Nathan Palma’s uncle Aaron Borg for visiting with us last week. During Aaron’s presentation the students learnt about the important work that Firefighters do in our community to keep us safe.  As you can see from the pictures the students loved getting to try on a Fireman’s uniform.

 

 

KABOOM SPORTS DAY & JUNIOR RACES

Once again, we will be holding a fun tabloid sports day here at school for Prep to Year 6 students.  The event is run by staff from Kaboom Kid Sports. On the day the students will move through a series of fun activities where they can collect points for their team. We will also be holding some running races for students in Prep - Year 2.  Parents are most welcome to join us for this fun day. This day will be held in Week 3 of Term 2. 

TAKE HOME READERS

Take Home Readers Year 1 & 2

Take home readers for students in Year 1 and 2 have commenced.  Students change their books twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays.  If they finish the book prior to the next reader change day, we suggest you have your child reread the text, to improve fluency and comprehension.  A Reading Diary will be sent home with your child’s book and we encourage families to fill these in.  They are a great way to track the process your child is making. Those students who have achieved a Level 28 are considered independent readers.  As such they are able to choose their own reading material.  We encourage families to become members of the local Julia Gillard Library in Tarneit located at 150 Sunset Views Blvd, Tarneit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prep Take Home Readers

The transition to school is a major milestone and you will most likely find your child is very tired at the end of the school day and needs extra rest and sleep. Home reading books do not commence in Prep until Term 2. By this time your child will have been taught several letters and sounds in class and be able to ‘sound out’ words in the home reading books. 

 

During Term 1 the expectation is that children in Prep are read to using a range of materials including books you may have at home or by visiting the local library to borrow books.  Families can also access the Sunshine Classics Online resource by following the steps below:

HOMEWORK

At St John’s we believe homework should complement classroom learning, foster work routines and provide other opportunities for students to revisit and practise curriculum covered in class.   As a school we acknowledge that many parents have different expectations of homework and to formulate a homework structure which suits all is extremely challenging.  We believe that daily reading is the most beneficial activity for any aged student. It provides them with the opportunity to improve their reading speed and fluency and helps develop the habits required to be a lifelong learner.  With this in mind Prep and Year 1 students focus mainly on Reading, with Year 2 -6 students having the opportunity to also complete some simple literacy and numeracy tasks each week.