School of Leadership

News from the School of Leadership 

From the Head of School…

As we approach the end of Term 1, I thought it beneficial to take a moment to shine a light on the impact of continued effort. The school year can be long and challenging, but it is important to remember that the effort we put in each day is what leads to success. It is easy to become complacent and lose focus, however, every day counts.

Whether it is completing flipped and consolidation tasks, preparing for quizzes, or participating in extracurricular activities, the effort we put in can make a significant impact on our overall performance. By making a conscious effort to do our best, we can achieve our goals and reach our full potential. Indeed, continued effort is not just important for academic success, but also for personal growth and development. By putting in the time and effort to develop new skills and pursue our passions, we can broaden our horizons and open up new opportunities for ourselves.

In the School of Leadership, we strive to create a supportive and encouraging environment that fosters continued effort and growth. We encourage our students to take on challenges, push themselves out of their comfort zones, and never give up on their aspirations. As we enter the last few weeks of the term, I encourage all students to continue putting in their best effort each and every day. 

Save the Date - Year 7 Parent Discovery Evening

School of Leadership leaders and teachers look forward to welcoming parents of Year 7 students to our Parent Discovery Evening on Wednesday, March 29 from 5.30pm. The purpose of the evening is to assist parents to support their son or daughter as they adjust to the newness of the Secondary School experience. There will be light refreshments from 5.15pm and special guests including a Year 7 student Q and A panel.

Please complete this form to register your attendance.

Term 1 SoL Parent Learning Walk

During the School Of Leadership Parent Learning Walk in Week 6, students and teachers opened our doors to parents to come in and observe our students in action. Our guests were not only impressed by our incredible learning spaces and facilities but especially by the level of engagement and enthusiasm shown by our SOL Ambassadors. Ranging from Years 5-8, our SOL Ambassadors were eager to share their knowledge and insights with others, and they did so with confidence and poise. We believe that this is a testament to their growth and development as learners, and we are immensely proud of their accomplishments.

St Luke’s Open Night

Our College Open Night was a resounding success, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the teachers and students who volunteered their time to showcase our school which we are very proud to be a part of.

We hope that this experience gave you a glimpse into our learning culture and the innovative ways we approach education. As always, we are committed to providing our students with a nurturing and challenging learning environment, and we look forward to continuing to work with existing and new families to help all students achieve their full potential.

2023 National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)

From this year, ACARA has moved NAPLAN from May to March. The online tests will run over a testing window of nine days commencing Wednesday 15 March and concluding Monday 27 March to allow students an opportunity to sit missed scheduled tests within the testing window. In general, for Years 5 and 7 students, NAPLAN will occur on the following days:

Year 5 NAPLAN SCHEDULE 

Year 7 NAPLAN SCHEDULE 

The tests will ensure national consistency in benchmarking Literacy and Numeracy standards across all Australian educational jurisdictions. 

The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) has advised that the genre for the 2023 writing test will not be disclosed prior to the test period. In 2023, as in previous years, the writing test will be a single common task for all students. Students will be required to respond to either a narrative or a persuasive prompt. To understand more about the writing test, visit the NAPLAN site at: https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/writing. 

Mrs Kate Kelly - Head of School, School of Leadership

A Note from The SOL Assistant Principal… 

Year 7 Leadership and Belonging Day

On Friday the 24th of February we hosted a Year 7 Leadership and Belonging Day to introduce students to an understanding about the important role they play as leaders in the School of Leadership. It was also an opportunity for students to connect with their peers in their respective house groups and to build rapport with their House Leaders. The students participated in a range of fun drama and ice-breaker games including using balloons and sticky tape to build an inflatable chair that had to hold their weight for an extended period of time. 

The students, together with their House Leaders, came to more closely understand their house patron and the impact their lives had on our world. Students drew inspiration from their lives in order to understand what a good leader is and how they can step up into the role of a student in the School of Leadership. I would like to thank the House Leaders Elizabeth Barnier, Rowena Chand, Laura Murdocca, Alessia Rietdijk, Antoinette Roach and Michelle Zorzo for their leadership in facilitating the day and to Tessie James for leading a touching concluding liturgy where students wrote a letter to themselves which they will get back at the end of the year.

Shine Project

Throughout the year, all Year 7 girls will participate in a one and a half day Shine program. This program is aimed at empowering young women to ‘shine’ and fulfil their potential. All young women in Year 7 will be a part of the program which will be led by their respective House Leader and the Assistant Principal (Years 5-8). There will be an initial one day Shine program followed by a reconnecting session in the following term.

During the program, light will be used as an extended metaphor, enabling the students to see that there will be times when our light is dulled (sometimes because of what others say to us, for example); but most importantly, that there are times when our light can shine brightly. This program was developed in 2022 as a proactive way to support young women to be the best versions of themselves and to feel part of an extended community and will be most beneficial for them as they navigate the year ahead. 

Dates of Incursion: 

Einstein → Tuesday 7th of March (Term 1, Week 7)

DaVinci → Friday 10th of March (Term 1, Week 7)

King → Monday 3rd of April (Term 1,  Week 10)

Teresa → Friday 5th May (Term 2, Week 2) 

MacKillop → Monday 8th May (Term 2, Week 3)

Curie → Thursday 11th May (Term 2, Week 3)

Attendance is so important

Afternoon Buses

We have recently changed our dismissal process for afternoon buses. Students will now congregate under the covered area near the Hub to ensure that students are not in the sun or rain. Students will be supervised by the teachers on duty who will call to students to inform them of the bus when it arrives, walk them to the gate, allow any K-4 students or siblings with a K-4 student to board the bus first, before any 5-12 students to ensure that all students safely get onto their transport. No student will be waiting near the gates to the bus bay until their bus has arrived and they are escorted to the bus by their teacher. Your support of this process is greatly appreciated.

Hats during break times and PDHPE lessons

We now have wonderful facilities available for students to access at recess and lunch including the new oval and the basketball courts. To access these areas, students must be wearing a College hat. Students also need a College hat during their practical PDHPE lessons. Hats can be purchased online from our uniform supplier. Hats cost $20.00 and can be purchased here.

Riding Bikes or Scooters to and from school

We have a number of students who ride their bike or scooter to and from school without a helmet on. This is not only a safety concern but also illegal. Please ensure your child has an Australian approved helmet and that they are wearing it to and from school for their own safety. I have personally experienced an ex-student who was involved in a serious crash while riding their bike and not wearing a helmet. It was devastating, he was in hospital for months with a serious head injury and trauma. He has since experienced many complications including memory loss and brain damage. Please support us in enforcing this.

Jewellery

Two items of jewellery may be worn. For example, one plain silver or gold chain necklace (with subtle religious item is desired), or one plain silver or gold bracelet or bangle, or one plain silver or gold ring, or one plain silver or gold set of small studs or sleepers limited to one in each earlobe.

For safety reasons:

• No jewellery items are to be worn in any face piercing (including tongue and nose piercings)
• Sharp or protruding items are not to be worn.
• Piercings are not to be covered with tape/bandaids 
• Clear spacers are also not permitted.

Please note ONLY one earring per lobe (for boys and girls). Boys must have one earring in each lobe, or no earrings at all.

Make-up

Students are not to wear make-up as part of their daily presentation. Coloured nail polishes, artificial nails and lipsticks are not permitted. Fake eyelashes are not permitted. Your support with this is greatly appreciated.

Mrs Josephine Camilleri - Assistant Principal, School of Leadership

Stage 3 Stories… 

Science Specialist

Students in Stage 3 have started working with Miss Rees, one of our specialist Science teachers who works in the secondary school space. While working through their inquiry cycle exploring different types of forces, Miss Rees has spent some time in the Stage 3 learning space stretching and challenging students to engage with the scientific process in the rigorous way we would expect to see in high school.

Italian Language Immersion

Stage 3 students are about to begin learning Italian with Miss Gallo, also a secondary specialist teacher. The opportunity to learn a different language helps children develop cognitive flexibility, problem-solving skills, and enhances memory. Additionally, it can promote cultural awareness, communication, and career opportunities.

These initiatives are just two of the ways things are done differently at St Luke’s, as our Stage 3 teachers and students engage with teachers from the 7-12 space in order to gain from their specialist knowledge.

Deacon Tony

Deacon Tony joined the Stage 3 students recently to discuss Sacraments and the signs and symbols associated with them. Students had to opportunity to see a range of artefacts used in some of the Sacraments up close. Through symbols such as the cross, candles, and sacred vessels, Catholics are reminded of the greater reality of God's presence and grace in their lives, particularly through their own gifts and talents.

Students are now working to demonstrate what they have learnt about Sacraments from Deacon Tony and their research in class through the medium of film. In doing so they will also be incorporating their knowledge of the elements of drama and different types of camera shots to answer the question, How can we transfer our knowledge of drama to create a short, inspirational film production showcasing our gifts and talents?

Around the learning spaces…

Mr Scott Carroll - Stage 3 Instructional Leader

How We Learn

Stage 3 students have been involved in a range of activities designed to help them to connect to their learning.  These have included:

• acting out scenes from a text so that students can relate to different characters

• Using concrete materials to help students connect to the new ideas they are learning about.  This strategy helps students to make sense of concepts that are unfamiliar to them.

• Learning how to think about texts in different ways so that students can begin to appreciate the different techniques authors use to ‘hook’ their readers.  One way to do this is for students to discuss how the author has developed drama throughout each chapter by mapping the levels of suspense.

School of Leadership Choir

This term has seen the exciting opportunity for students to be involved in our SOL choir offered again! We have had a large number of students volunteer their time and effort and are so excited to see students learn and refine performance skills, increase their confidence and build new friendships across the stage. 

As part of being in the choir, students are offered opportunities to perform both within and outside our school community. Most recently, students sang beautifully at our School of Leadership Ash Wednesday Liturgy, and have been invited to perform again at our open evening. With Thursday lunch time and afternoon rehearsals underway, the choir will begin to build a repertoire of songs as students involved are offered many other opportunities to express their talent for singing throughout the year.

If your child is interested in becoming involved in the choir, they are certainly welcome and would just need to speak to Miss Passmore to receive a permission note. We look forward to watching the choir shine in 2023!

From Year 7…

House Meetings / Wellbeing

In today's fast-paced world, where everything is just a click away, it is easy to lose track of important information and tasks. That is why having a school diary is an essential tool for every student.

A school diary is more than just a notebook. It is a daily planner that helps students organise their schedules, assignments, and other important information. With a school diary, students can keep track of their homework, exam dates, and extracurricular activities. This tool helps them stay on top of their responsibilities and manage their time more effectively.

Furthermore, a school diary promotes good study habits. Writing down important information helps students remember it better. It also encourages students to be more engaged in their learning by keeping them accountable for their progress.

The school has provided our Stage 3 and Year 7 and 8 students with a school diary and we ask that all parents check to see that students are using it to their best ability. 

Our teachers have also been guiding our students on how to correctly use the diary during Manage Me Monday Wellbeing sessions 

Using a school diary also helps students develop essential life skills such as time management and organisation. These skills are not only important for academic success but also in their future careers and personal lives.

From Year 8…

PDHPE 

In Year 8, we have been alternating between health and PE lessons. In health, students are finalising their first task ‘A letter to my younger self.’ This task is part of the Changes and Challenges unit and provides a creative opportunity for our students to deeply reflect on their past experiences and learnings. In PE, students have been engaged in a series of court games including basketball and netball. Students participate in workshops to refine their shooting techniques, attacking skills and defensive strategies. 

English

In Year 8 English, the students are learning to study the persuasive techniques of the media. This challenging topic includes a lot of new and interesting vocabulary. As a tool to help students all feel comfortable with terminology, we conducted a Vocab Word Map Challenge! After attending a great professional development workshop with Michelle Jones, our Leader of Diversity, the teachers of 8 TEAL asked the students to complete a group challenge where they were asked to fill out a chart all about one key term (media, persuasion, bias, advertise, etc). To make things more interesting, we divided the class into House groups - Teresa, King, Da Vinci, Mackillop, Curie, and Einstein. 

This particular teaching activity is great for students of all interests and backgrounds to complete because it allows them to bring their existing knowledge to the study of a new and difficult task. The students took to the activity with great excitement and admirable effort! Miss Wick and I were very impressed. 

Year 8 HSIE

Year 8 this term is looking at the Unit “Place and Liveability.” Students are learning about the different aspects of a community that influences perspectives of liveability. So far we have looked at aspects of liveability in terms of Education, Infrastructure, Environments. Stability and Healthcare associated with different locations not only in Australia, but in communities around the world. This will lead into a major task where students will be looking at ways that they can improve one livability factor of their local community, where students will need to gather primary data through field work. 

This week students had the opportunity to work on one of their fieldworks skills, sketch mapping where they create a rough birdseye view of their local community, a skill which they can then utilise as part of their task. A different lesson where everyone was able to head on outside, especially to the roof level of the school where they can observe the surrounding Marsden Park area. 

Wellbeing at St Luke’s

Year 8 Peer Companions

On Friday the 3rd of March Year 8 Peer Companion leaders worked with their groups of students from Year 5 during Feel Good Friday time. The Year 8 students devised their own icebreaker style games to ease into the session before they explored a range of scenarios that the students in Year 5 may be experiencing and together they workshopped through group discussion ways to navigate these challenges. The students had a fantastic time and there was much laughter and fun happening around the Stage 3 outdoor learning spaces.