Around the School
STORYTIME - Tuesdays at 3:10pm
Kat Reade who has taken on the Library role this year has graciously organised and offered an opportunity for preschoolers on a Tuesday afternoon. She will be holding a Story Time session at 3:10pm in the Zen Zone classroom each week. Friends of toddlers are also welcome.
Water as a Resource, Science Incursion by Prep B
On Wednesday the students in Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 took part in a Science Incursion and investigated the unique properties of water to understand its importance to life on earth. Students investigated how water is used and moved by people and nature and completed several experiments, predicting, observing and reflecting on each activity.
Continue reading to see what Prep B learnt . . .
I enjoyed pushing the water in the pipe. By Eleanor
I learnt about how to make a cloud. By Rose
I liked pouring the cabbage juice. By Theo
I liked the bit when we squirted the water into the wool. By Mischa
I liked the colourful experiment. By Amira
I learnt about pollution. By Zac
I learnt about water moving down the mountain. By Carter
I loved the water. By Annabelle
I learnt how to make clouds. By Luca
I learnt how water helps plants grow. By Oscar
I learnt about water that is higher than the ground. By Eveie
I learnt how to grow flowers. By Robbie
I liked pouring the water down the steps. By Michael-Angelo
I liked doing the green tree experiment. By Leo
I liked doing the pollution experiment. By Oran
National Simultaneous Story Time - Bower Bird
On Wednesday the 22nd of May the students of St Mary’s participated in National Simultaneous Storytime. We joined with approximately 2 million other Australians to read the beautiful book, Bowerbird Blue by Aura Parker. At St Mary's we gathered in our House Colour groups and participated in a variety of activities relating to this year’s book. We all learned a little more about Bowerbirds and their quirky habits. It was great to get together to celebrate literature and the joy it brings us!
Year level National Reconciliation Week 2024
At our staff meeting on Tuesday Mrs McDonald led our staff prayer, please enjoy this with your family.
Artwork by Queenie McKenzie, theme image for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday 2019.
Prayer for Reconciliation Week
Today let us pray for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples who have contributed over time to our collective Australian Identity.
As a Catholic community we acknowledge that Australia’s history, holds the oldest living continuous culture in the world. May we celebrate this culture through unity, community and a shared story. We pray for Justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Together we pray
May all Australians, come together and continue to build our shared Australian Identity.
May all Australians, unite and stand together as a community in peace and harmony for reconciliation.
May all Australians, have the strength to stand up against racism, living out the Gospel command to love one another as Jesus showed us.
May all Australians, commit to a voice of truth telling, creating spaces in our communities for truth-telling and deep listening, leading to action for justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
May all Australians, strive to develop genuine, lasting relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Let us pray today that Reconciliation will live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by just and respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Amen
Prep
In Prep, we listened to the picture book ‘Dreaming’ by Kirli Saunder and discussed some of the traditional language we heard. We used what we knew about the story to work out the meaning of each word. As a class we listed all our new learning and the we each drew a picture to show one thing we learnt about First Nations people.
Year 1
In Year One we discussed the significance of Reconciliation week and how we recognise the Indigenous Australians and their connection to the land. We listened to the picture book ‘My Country’ by Ezekiel Kwaymullina, looking at each page, sharing what we noticed about the indigenous illustrations. We learnt about flora and fauna and then wrote about what we connect with on our land.
Year 2
In Year Two we explored the picture book ‘Our Dreaming’ by Kirli Saunders. This story highlights the importance of First Nations cultures and the passing of this culture from elders to children. We discussed what we believe the message in the story is and what we can learn about respect and responsibility for people and land past, present and future. We then looked at what this year’s Reconciliation theme ‘Now More Than Ever’ means for us and wrote a short statement on what we could commit to.
Year 3
In Year Three we looked at the significance of Reconciliation week, in particular, the Mabo case, which recognised Indigenous Australians as the traditional custodians of the land. We touched on the First Fleet and how that made a big impact on the first inhabitants of Australia. We discussed the ways in which we can acknowledge their past sufferings and how we can now stand together.
Year 4
Year Four read the story ‘Sorry Day’ by Corol Vass. We discussed the significance of Sorry Day. We learnt about the historic events that led to the Stolen Generation. We listened to the apology by Kevin Rudd. We discussed the importance of saying sorry and how this makes people feel. We responded to this years theme, 'Now More Than Ever' by making a class display decorating hands using colours, words or pictures that represent reconciliation.
Year 5/6D
We watched videos and researched about Reconciliation Week, Sorry Day and the 1976 Referendum. We listened to the apology by Kevin Rudd. We completed Home Learning Tasks associated with Reconciliation Week. We learnt songs and prepared a presentation for Friday Assembly. We also wrote acrostic poems using the vocabulary lists we created arising from our research and learning.
Year 5/6M
In 5/6M we used the Head (Think), Heart (Feel) and Hand (Act) model to reflect on Reconciliation. We also researched two Days of Significance - The National Apology of 2008 and The 1967 Referendum to gain a deeper understanding of these events and their significance within the reconciliation movement for all Australians.
